Very responsive, but a little disorganized
Robert's company was recommended through the Nairobi Expat Marketplace forum and overall, we had a good trip. The driver who accompanied us was friendly and great at spotting animals (though not necessarily able to tell us much about the animals). Robert was also very responsive to our emails both in the planning stage, and throughout the safari when we needed to clarify things.
My suggestion would be that if you book with Maasai Trails East Africa, to send a confirmation email the day before to confirm that you will be getting water and binocular. Both were forgotten for us, which was disappointing. Maasai Trails reimbursed us for the water we purchased, but no binoculars meant some of the animals further from the road were harder to see. Also double-check the itinerary: our driver didn't know half of our itinerary and there was a lot of confusion over whether he had been given the park fees, etc. Ultimately Robert handled the situation but it would have been nice to not have had to spend an evening calling and clarifying our itinerary.
Despite the forgotten items, we enjoyed our safari experience overall. Thanks, Robert and crew! If you all improve communication within your team members and ensure that what is listed in the package is included in the car, you'll be a 5-star deal.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Waterberg Biosphere Reserve by Jaco Beukman | www.go-nipper.com
Nice for the locals. Ecosystem unbalanced.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Manyeleti Game Reserve by Jaco Beukman | www.go-nipper.com
Needs more taken care off. Honor to local efforts
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Golden Gate Highlands National Park by Jaco Beukman | www.go-nipper.com
Regarding highlands I prefer the central Drakensberg area with massive cliffs instead
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Addo Elephant National Park by Jaco Beukman | www.go-nipper.com
There seems to be an unbalance ecosystem present, as if too much human interference abides. I recommend more careful measures to be taken in future conservation and more training of staff.
Review about Amakhala Game Reserve by Massai_1 (Carsten M.)
Lions not in the main area, nice scenery (river), stayed two nights but went to Addo for one day.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tarangire National Park by Rick Engel
When we were there, the flies were worse than anywhere else on the Safari. We have lots of bugs back home in Canada, but because we had not experienced this before, it threw us off a bit. Otherwise, it was a beautiful place to see wildlife, especially the elephants.
My trip
The goods points of my trip with Flash Mc Tours are that the company was able to accommodate my needs in terms of price and schedule. The guide/driver was very solicited and we were able to see various animals in Amboseli as well as visit the Masai village. The lodge was also good and the staff very friendly. The points that could be improved are punctuality (the car was 2h late to pick me up in the airport and we missed the first day game as we arrived very late in Amboseli, which was compensated later). The car also needed regular maintenance.
Review about Addo Elephant National Park by John Bragg of Oregon
I learned one must be in Addo when it is very dry (winter), since it is the only significant large watering hole for miles around. I got there Sept. 27, two days after the rains began, and though there were no elephants, nor any large game of any kind, I had a wonderful time photographing birds all around the camp. Dugout, ground-level photo blinds make for spectacular low angle shots, but as soon as the rains begin, the elephants and other aanimals quickly disperse.
Many birds! Addo is self-drivable, but there is lots of tall, dense brush which makes it advisable to hire or have a safari vehicle. Park vehicle are available but always full of tourists...not an option for me, as I need a steady, immobile platform for taking pix. I probably would not go back to Addo, but might consider other options near by.