DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable Trip
We came to Wild Ways through a recommendation and are very grateful for this tip! Because that's how we were able to have this unique and unforgettable trip
experience! Our guide Mariki planned and put together our impressive 7-day safari tour very well and responded very flexibly to our wishes! All accommodations, including the tented camps, were unexpectedly comfortable and the food was extremely delicious and plentiful! Mariki is a very reliable and experienced guide with enormous knowledge of the nature and wildlife of the national parks! Confident and calm, he rocked us over the most incredible off-road slopes to show us as many animals as possible! It was really wonderful to be able to immerse yourself in this breathtaking and exciting world and always feel safe!
We can recommend this tour 100%!!!
Mariki was also very helpful beyond the tour, gave us lots of tips for our onward journey and let us benefit from his large network!
Thank you again Mariki!
TH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unprofessional and thoughtless safari operator.
For anyone thinking about using African Chitah for their Tanzanian dream Safari I would think twice. Below are some of the highlights, or I should say "lowlights" from our recent safari in Tanzania.
1) When we arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport there was no one there to meet us. After a half day of flying, to emerge from the airport with luggage in hand and no one there to meet us was most disconcerting. The driver did finally arrive 20 minutes later, but this was 20 minutes of un-necessary anxiety. The driver apologized with the excuse that there was "traffic." While that may have been true, there were literally hundreds of other tour operators at the airport holding placards with their guest's names. Why did these hundreds of other operators manage to arrive on time but not our driver?
2) On the first day or our tour, the driver arrived at our hotel very early. He asked us to finish our breakfast quickly as there were three other groups to pick up. When we arrived at the first pickup the driver asked us to sit in the car while he retrieved the guests. After 20 minutes no one returned. I found the driver waiting in the lobby and asked him what was going on. He told me that these other guests were still eating breakfast. I explained to him that this was not a private tour and we were sitting in a hot car waiting while someone else was casually eating their breakfast. He told us he would go and get the other guests and I returned to the car. Another 10 minutes passed and still no one had returned. I returned to the lobby and found the driver still sitting in the lobby. I then insisted that he come with me and get the other guests which he finally did. If I hadn't been so insistent, who knows how long I would have been sitting in the hot car while the other members of the group tour casually enjoyed breakfast and coffee. And he didn't even apologize for this at all.
3) Twice we were given hotels of noticeably lower quality than what we were promised on our itinerary. If we had been equivalent quality hotels it would not have been an issue. However, when we complained to the company about this they utterly dismissed our complaints. They did not offer to change the hotel to one of similar quality nor did they offer us a refund. While it may not have been the operator's intention, the outcome left us with the feeling that we had been hoodwinked in a "bait and switch" scheme.
4) The vehicle appeared to be noticeably older than those of other companies. We spent 20 minutes having to repair the door as it would not open properly.
Given the above I would normally give "1" star. I have generously given "2" stars due to the quality of our driver Steven. He was knowledgeable and helpful and went above and beyond to make sure that all the guests had an enjoyable safari experience. And perhaps most importantly, he was a skillful driver which cannot be discounted given the challenging and punishing terrain and roads.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari and unforgettable experience
Our safari to Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire was perfect. Our guide was very friendly and professional. The cook prepared amazing food. During our safari we saw all the big five and a lot of animals very close. The communication with the tour provider was very good and all our questions got answered.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Efficient, easy to deal with and well priced.
The planning and communication with regard to the 17 day escorted tour of Namibia I recently took was excellent. Some lodges exceeding expectations. Our driver Marcus was knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. His contribution was a most important factor of the overall success and I would recommend him unreservedly. I was happy with the cost, level of accomodation and activities. The only hiccup I incurred was paying into a Namibian bank account from a UK bank account. UK Banks don’t like this! It was difficult. Not the fault of Blue Crane but something they could look into to help future guests.
Thank you Derek and team for a very memorable holiday. I hope to return and would use your services again.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best thing that happened to us
It was an unforgettable trip with Lucas! I am grateful that our family has seen more animals thanks to Lucas than we could have ever imagined. I will definitely come back here again and definitely to Lucas. Thank you, you are the best, good luck to you!
SD
Responsible and Capable
The tour was exhaustive, the driver was efficient, careful and courteous
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service
We had a great time with Cuckoo safaris. After we did many inquires with different operators within Zimbabwe, we decided to go with Cuckoo Safaris for 3 days safari experience. We have managed to see botswana and Zambia. Prudunce was our guide for the falls and she provide a lot of information we could not even imagine since we are from Zimbabwe as well. We were so happy with our short vacation to Victoria falls from Harare. Do not hesitate to boom with Cuckoo safaris they are so professional
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari experience with the nicest team!
My colleague and I did 2days-1night tour with Kihindo Tours. Micheal, our tour guide, is no doubt one of the nicest people ever! He was very knowledgeable, answered all our questions with his smiley face, explained to us a lot about Tanzania and the Tanzanian culture, and of course showed us all the animals we hoped to see. We got so lucky and were able to see lions (even a hunting one), elephants, giraffes, crocodile, hippos,.. and even a leopard! We definitely feel very very lucky to have Micheal as our tour guide!
Winnie had been so nice throughout the whole before-after the tour process. She helped us a lot during the booking, always checked on us if everything was okay during the safari. She even met us at our hotel at 4am when the car came to pick us up!
Peter drove us back to our hotel in Dar Es Salaam. It was really interesting to talk to him as we learned a lot from him about the Tanzanian culture, families, music, etc.
Overall, we highly recommend Kihindo Tours! Very comfortable and friendly service!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
First class
Had a fantastic time on our safari. First went to Amboseli for our first night then went onto Nakuru for a further night and spent the last 2 nights at the Masai Mara. Our driver Rono was brilliant he was very knowledgable about the animals and always managed to get a good spot when seeing them. Will definitely be doing this again with Morning Star.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very Special Vacation!
My wife and I arrived at the Nairobi airport at 4 am and there were meeted by three people from Unique Adventures. After a breakfast at the airport, we began our trip by going to Naivasha. Not knowing much about it, we were both amazed by the abundant wildlife. After a boat tour on the lake, inhabited by loads of hippopotami, we were led in a walking tour during which we could get very close to the impala, water buffalo, and giraffes. We went to our hotel in Naivasha and were not disappointed. The food especially was delicious. The next day, we travelled to Lake Nakuru, and again saw a lot of animals on our safaris. The hotel wasn't quite as nice as the one in Naivasha but the view was fantastic. Our main objective was to go to Masai Mara where we spent the next couple of nights. The hotel, although excellent, was on the far west side of the park. This meant that we had to drive three hours through the park to get to it. The next morning, we had to travel about two hours back before we saw many animals. However, once we began seeing animals, it was fantastic. We were not disappointed and saw everything we wanted.
After returning to Nairobi, Unique Adventures arranged for us to go to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage (always worth a visit) and the Nairobi National Park (with it surprising abundance of animal life). We were then dropped off at our hotel where we ended our trip.
Before closing, I must say that our guide, Charles, was exceptional. Very knowledgeable and always friendly. All in all, a great trip.
