AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful and safe safari trip
My family and I value safety before all things. william was one of the safest drivers we had ever encountered. He always drove carefully and paid extra attention to my mum who had a bad back. He also made sure the car was safe to drive at all times. Our car never broke down during our journey and it saved us a lot of time and trouble.
william was also highly knowledgeable about animals. He was always able to explain the interesting facts about the animals to us, which made our trip a lot more insightful. He was experienced in finding the animals and we were able to see a great deal and meet our expectations.
We also appreciate yaneta safaris’ politeness and kindness (brought my camera and the bag which I forgot in the car to our hotel the day after we said goodbye and even gave us a lift to the town centre to run some errands). We really enjoyed our safari trip from yaneta safaris and we won’t hesitate to recommend our guide and his company to anyone who intends to go on a safe and enjoyable safari trip to Uganda.
EG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Masai Mara trip
I had a vey pleasant experience with Lilian who arranged the trip for me and my family to Masai Mara
The accommodation was perfect and the safari adventure was so much fun with the amazing driver Peter
Thanks a lot Lilian would love to travel with you again
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari experience
Two of us spent 9 days with our wonderful guide Roger. We saw a great deal of the Northern Circuit of Tanzania during our trip and finished with day at Lake Eyasi to see a local hunter gatherer tribe.
We spent a while researching our options and felt SoT offered good value for money with a good review history.
Roger was excellent. He loves birds and was able to offer a lot of knowledge about them, but was equally able when it came to the other wildlife too. His expertise was apparent when it came to busy situations - he was always a step ahead of the game and able to get us the best spot to view the wildlife before other cars moved into position. He taught us some Swahili and we enjoyed our long journeys with him.
The northern circuit is absolutely fantastic. We saw so much during our week there and I would highly recommend it. Soul picked out good lodges/tented lodges for us to stay in, and as others have mentioned, the hot lunches we had were the envy of other tourists everywhere! The car was comfy too.
The only thing I would mention is we had a day at Lake Eyasi at the end of our itinerary (as suggested on their recommended itinerary). It was certainly a worthwhile trip, but in hindsight very expensive - it was charged at the same daily rate as the rest of our safari, despite not incurring the same park fee costs etc. While worthwhile (and geographically convenient on the way home from safari), I'd consider looking at other cheaper alternatives to see the Hadzabe!
All in all, I'd highly recommend SoT for your Tanzania safari.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Host, Phenomenal Tour
Our tour operator was very good with communication. The rooms were clean and service was up to standards. Our driver John was also very professional, punctual with time and has a great knowledge base for the different animals in the Mara. Overall, great journey for a good price!
TW
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I saw a lot of different kinds of animal in three national parks.
I think this was a great experient for a foreigner as there were many spots or life styles that were different from Taiwan.We only could see zebras,lion,etc in the zoos in our country,but in Africa,a natural place and nation that has not been poluted by other things,we would see all the animals just out of our safari cars.Although we could not touch them,it was still a nice trip.Also,the lunch time in the national parks also impressed me very much(Because it was very yummy).Just hope I can visit more national parks next time.I want to see crocodiles,cheetahs, and rhinoes I did not see this time!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfectly Planned Nambian Flying Safari
Not having travelled to Africa before, we felt in need of some expert help to plan a holiday of a lifetime to Namibia - a country we both felt drawn to for its wildlife, wilderness and wonderful scenery. Internet searches rendered several specialist companies, with our attention captured by the concept of a 'flying safari' offered by Safari Club. Given the scale of Namibia, we both felt that minimising the travel time between differing areas would maximise our safari experience - this proved to be right with the low altitude flights becoming an enjoyable part of our holiday experience. All our Wilderness Airways internal flights were on time with only one unavoidable diversion due to sea fog - even this was managed seamlessly with a slightly longer, ground transfer offering a 'silver lining' expereince of taking us through a lunar landscape park. Our first camp was Kulala Dessert Lodge with excellent access to Sossusvlei - we learnt so much from our guide Richard about life and survival in the dessert; native plants, birds etc. and of course, those magnificent dunes we also experienced from a stunning dawn hot air balloon flight on our final day. We then moved onto Walvis Bay which received something like 3 years of rainfall in 36 hours - all our planned excursions went ahead - fortunately we were fully prepared in the clothing department due to excellent clothing list provided Paul and Ellie Dunhill at Safari Club. We journeyed on to Dessert Rhino Camp in Damaraland hoping to track and see Black Rhino and much, much more. Thanks to our guide Lloyd and the Rhino Trust trackers we were not disappointed, also taking in a Cheetah kill on the return journey with many other wildlife sightings. We then flew on to Ongava Tented Camp - during the short drive from the airstrip we encountered a pride of Lions lazing in the shade of the bush. In fact, despite being warned by regular safari friends not to expect many big cat sightings in Namibia, we saw 20 Lions in 24 hours and spent a magical 20 minutes in the safari jeep sitting in the middle of a pride of Lions shortly before sunset. Other sightings included White Rhino and many deer and antelope species. Our final camp was supposed to be Okonjima Luxury Bush Camp - home of the Cheetah and Leopard charity 'Africat'. We could not believe our good fortune when, as Safari Club clients, we were upgraded to stay at the 'The Villa - the charity’s stunning 4 suite property, with an infinity swimming pool overlooking a large waterhole. The property is well staffed including a welcoming host and a private cook. Again, the guiding was excellent, and we saw an abundance of wildlife including Cheetahs, Leopards crowned by three rare Honey Badger sightings within 20 minutes of each other. A very cute, human fist sized Pearl Spotted Owl kept vigil over our stay from a tree in the Lodge and grounds and evening diners included a pair of visiting Porcupines. Our species list holds over 100 records and the 2000 digital images will take a little time to sort through. Sincere thanks to both Paul and Ellie Dunhill at Safari Club - your expertise resulted in a non-stop, fantastic holiday experience. We will be back for more!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent 6 day / 4 parks safari experience in Northern Tanzania
As part of a lot of research, I found this small company's 6 day accommodated northern Tanzania safari (Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara NP, Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater) on safaribookings.com - with the places we wanted in the number of days we wanted at a good pricepoint. Communication with the manager Amos in the enquiry and set-up stage as I went through a couple of iterations of what we wanted to do, was prompt and helpful, though I was a little anxious when it was less so after I paid (I was pleased to be able to pay by credit card through a gateway link set up from Migration Venture's end - it involved a surcharge but this was cheaper and easier than an international bank transfer). But everything was fine and all that was promised was delivered. Accommodation was very good. Breakfast and dinner on all days were buffet and were plentiful, and packed lunches very substantial – we could always keep some for mid-morning snacks next day. One of us did have a short but sharp stomach upset during the trip but it is difficult to say exactly where it came from, though it was a surprise as we had already been in other parts of Africa for 6 weeks without any problems.
But the most important element of a safari is the guide – their ability to find and show you the animals can make or break the experience. The parks visited were great with lots to see and our driver guide, Anderson, was excellent – great at spotting animals and birds, knew a lot about many of them which he shared, he did the logistics well, getting us to camps/lodges etc in good time, he was pleasant to chat with, answering our many questions on all sorts of topics, and he looked after his vehicle, for example getting it checked and cleaned after the tough roads of the Serengeti. From our experience, and comments of others, he is also skilled at understanding his clients preferences and wishes and does his best to meet these.
Overall we can certainly recommend this safari - and the Serengeti was the highlight of our 7 weeks in Africa!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very smooth and fantastic experience, once we got the kinks worked out
Suricata Safaris is a shining new company in a competitive field, and you should absolutely book them. I recently did a 6 day/5night camping safari with them, and they handled everything so nicely, from the itinerary to choosing the best campsites. They have (as of right now) three drivers—Frederick was our guide, but we also met Mandela, who was super charming and enthusiastic.
You could not ask for a smarter, more informed, funny, patient person to show you the wilderness than Frederick. He knows his field incredibly well, from who/what/how every predator hunts, to understanding where to find the action. (We saw a cheetah take down a zebra, and a lion miss one in the same day.) He’ll answer all your questions and include information you never knew to ask, all with a great sense of humor. He's patient, and it pays off in the best sightings.
Dioniz was our chef, and I guarantee you’ve never eaten better while camping. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all multi-course affairs with a million choices. You’ll be spoiled by him for sure. He’s up at the crack of dawn to set a table with a tablecloth for your breakfast and the food is *chefkiss* He’s got skills.
We had some communication difficulties with Hilary, but all were sorted quickly. Most stemmed from him getting emails from two different people, so I recommend having one point person as the organizer. Be prepared to pay the receiving end Tanzanian bank fees for a wire transfer as well as your own bank’s. BUT, he personally drove us to the airport, which was lovely.
Suricata can’t guarantee a specific driver, although we were told we were confirmed with our request. It wasn't a big deal, just another communication issue. You won’t go wrong with any of the guides, though, so it’s ultimately nbd. We also requested separate accommodations but were in shared tents (just my friend and me together) the whole time. Again, re-confirm all the details of your trip a few days before to make sure Suricata is on the same page.
I would have preferred a more detailed itinerary, like an easy to print pdf including drive times between sites (some are 6 hours) and a recommended packing list, but that’s nitpicking (which, I learned from Frederick, is a term that comes from baboon grooming habits). You will need this for your visa, so be sure to ask Hilary for a list of each day.
Don’t go crazy with safari gear—you’ll rarely be out of the car, and then only at picnic sites/washrooms. Pack comfortable shoes you can take off quickly so you can hop up onto the seat fast enough to get that once-in-a-lifetime photo. Basically dress like you’re going on a road trip. I never even considered wearing the safari hat I brought, and hiking boots were definite overkill.
Don’t forget binoculars, a towel, bug spray, itch cream, soap/shampoo, tissues/tp, and a few warm layers. There is a charger for all your devices in the safari vehicle! I don't think I was below 80% charged the entire week.
Suricata did well by us. You can feel confident you’re getting an amazing trip with super smart people you’ll be happy to spend a week with. I had an unforgettable time and made some new friends along the way!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything went smoothly, expectations were fully met!
Our entire experience booking our South African safaris with Ute was great! Everything happened as expected, on time, and there were no issues with any part of the trip. We had an amazing trip and couldn't be happier with the itinerary Ute set up for us. It was so simple working with her as well - the booking process was easy, she answered all of our questions and had fantastic communication. We loved our trip to South Africa!
SA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Go on July end or August, but anyways i had an amazing Safari time, they give Wat they promise.
Was an excellent 3 days, early morning (on time)pick from Nairobi Hotel, drop back to Nairobi airport or hotel, nice luxury tented camps, decent food, some of the things I liked but the best was the whole safari experience, if it’s ur 1st time then you would feel as if net geo came to life, driver Sami is very experienced, knows what to and where all to, trust me u would get your money’s worth.
