TH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good service and worth your money
Good tour! we did satisfy with the service and places. The guide and driver also very helpful. We hope to go back to explore other place with this company in a near future.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
No Better Way To Experience The Wild (and Beauty) of Africa
Natureways came recommended from fellow English travelers two years ago when we were exploring Easter Island off the coast of Chile. Having traveled the world over, the couple fondly recalled canoeing up the Zambezi River when asked of their favorite travels.
They definitely didn’t disappoint since this trip ranks up with one of our top favorites too! The reason is the access you get to wildlife is unlike any other. You’re venturing along/into the Mana Pools National Park via the river proving incredible front-row views to nature. Whereas I find game parks a bit contrived, this was pure raw.
Safety is of utmost concern with the knowledgeable Natureways guides. Their insight and undertstanding of the animals created a renewed appreciation of these sometime misunderstood and feared animals. Mutual respect is paramount, which at times, afforded us extremely close interactions.
We did the 3-day canoe safari which was the right amount of roughing it for us. Over the four days, we canoed over 50 miles -- lots of time into strong headwinds although we went with the water flow. Lots of breaks and incredible early evening light make the 3/4PM trips magical as we searched out wildlife in their habitat.
I strongly recommend Natureways and have included a video below with highlights to give you a better sense of this once-in-a-lifetime excursion.
Trip Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzdz5aT86kE
Note the Natureways canoe safari starts at 1:23
Keith & Kevin
NO
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
We were very well taken care of and accomodated in the very best hotels. No complaints so ever!
We were a family group of six, including grandparents and children, experiencing the adventure of our lives and we were very well taken care of by Benson Safaris guides. Zanzibar was wonderful, and our guide and chauffeur, Tahib, was most knowledgable and very helpful. He knew a lot about history, slave trade, spices and local places and took us privately on a most interesting tour in the narrow alleys of Stone Town, showing us the historic slave market and and the impressive food and commodity market plus a lot more. Very interesting and exotic to us Norwegians! The stay at Amaan bungalows in the northern part of Zanzibar was most enjoyable. We were swimming, walking on the beach, visiting the fish market and having a good time.
Our further journey included visits to the three safari parks, Tarangire, Ngorongoro and lake Manyara, and a couple of days at the Lutheranian hospital in Haydom where our daughter Kari is involved in a medical research project. A desolate place in the highlands where Masais, wrapped in blankets, a stick in their hand, are shepherding their meager cows and goats around in the semi dessert (while talking in their mobile telephone!), and people have to walk miles to fetch water. A hard place to live. Most impressing: the road up - extremely steep and curvy, consisiting mainly of dust and bumpy gravel. But our guide and chauffeur Peter, commanding his Landcruiser, was king of the road! He was taking us safaly up to Haydom and down again and showing us the wildlife reservates. He knew a lot about the animals as well as geography and history. The wildlife was exactly like what we have already seen on television, but exciting and more fun to see it with our own eyes and photograph it with our own cameras! Peter was a very competent guide and a likeable person. We shall miss him. I can recommend Benson Safaris travel services to everybody wanting to see Tanzania!
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great time in an amazing environment
The memory of my three day safari in Masai Mara will stay with me forever. It was an amazing experience to come so close to so many beautiful wild animals. We saw the big five, and so many more animals. Our guide was nice, the group was nice and we stayed at a nice camp close to Masai Mara, sleeping in comfortable beds in tents. The only thing I am a bit hesitant about, is that I think we got too close to the animals. It was absolutely not only us, but almost every other van from other companies (mostly Bonfire), that drove very close to the animals, and we were about 15-20 vans in the same spot sometimes. I later, when I got back, read that you're not supposed to be more than five vans and you're not supposed to get close than 25 metres from the animals.
I wish more companies would respect that. (as I said before, it semis almost no one doesn't). And of course I was really happy to see so many animals so close, but when for example four cheetahs surrounding a zebra were followed, and in their turn surrounded by 20 vans - it didn't feel as if it were on the animals' conditions.
But overall it was amazing to see so many animals, and our guide really did his best to find lots of them.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding Trip with first class Driver/Guide
This trip exceeded our expectations. Not only what we saw, but also, the superb service from E-Trip Africa. Our driver/guide was awesome. The owner even made time to come visit with us when we were in Arusha after our trip had finished. We were there for a couple of days following our time with E-Trip Africa. We would highly recommend this company and felt very safe and comfortable being with such a dependable company. The places we visited and the sights we saw gave us memories to last a lifetime.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Gorgeous experience! top-class organisation! very professional guide!
We took an individually tailored 9-nights guided tour for 2 persons in October 2017. We travelled along Namibia's standard "Golden Circle": Windhoek - Sossusvlei - Naukluft - the shore - Skeleton Coast - Twyfelfountein - Etosha - AfriCat Foundation - Airport. We were chronically incapable to plan the tour in advance because of uncertainty with our vacations (every time it's a battle with the boss). The tour was above expectations: we visited all iconic views of the country. Out of African Big Five we saw 4, except buffalo.
We had 3 weeks to plan only! After general Internet browsing we figured out we were too late! Namibia tour portfolios from leadings agencies were fully booked. The only company who was able to design this incredible tour at reasonable price was Blue Crane Safaris. It was not a budget tour but the price was quite fair. Ms Traudy Hagen personally was in touch with me via email. She took into account all our specific requests. Our guide, Gusto, is a professional who faithfully loves his country and knows everything about local wildlife. His is not only an educated professional but also a good driver and a good company! And very surprisingly for Africa, time management was above any compliments! Everything was in time!
I would highly recommend Blue Crane Safaris for individual or small groups travellers. I want to plan my next tour to Caprivi Strip and Victoria Falls with this company in 2 years or so.
P.S. Oysters on board the catamaran in Walvis Bay and a flute champagne after hot air ballooning in Naukluft, desert adapted elephants and the game are things you'll never forget. Blue Crane Safaris can really maximise your experience in this country.
Excellent trip with a company that cares
Excellent communications during the trip planning phase, prompt in replying to queries and requests for info. E Trip have a base in Arusha so have 'on the ground' experience. Our Bush camps and lodges were exactly as described, and the level of service during the trip was always very good. Our guide was dedicated & very keen to find us all the animals and birds we mentioned and many more besides. He looked after us and helped to make it a special trip.We counted 135 separate Lions, many of whom were cubs, 15 Cheetah, 4 Leopards, a Serval, Rhino female with calf and so many birds, Elephants, Zebra and Wildebeast etc etc as the migration was in swing. We stayed a night in Arusha followed by Tarangire, (2 nights) Lake Manyara/ Ngorogoro crater,(one night) Central Serengeti,(3 nights) Northern Serengeti (2 nights).
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Service and attention to detail resulting in a memroble Trip.
Esther Omache the owner of AsaRay was such an integral part of planning for this first safari for our group of 4 couples. We had a lot of questions and we we would get responses in a matter of minutes and some times when the local time in Kenya was 11pm. Communications and Service A+
In Kenya I believe owns the vehicles and the drivers are employees of the tour company. The ones we had Fred and Sam had been with the company quite a few years. For 4 couples we were wives 2 safari vans.
The tours were excellent. Since the tours were custom designed we could make changes on the fly after meeting with the drivers the evening before. If you are going to take a once in a lifetime safari tour take the one where your and the tour operator do the planning rather than the cookie cutter tours offered by the big international tour operators.
Absolutely no hesitation in recommending AsaRay and Esther Omache to folks contemplating a safari experience.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great to work with - very accomodating.
They were very easy to work with and flexible for what we wanted. They offered a great range of choices and even the lower cost options were great. They met us on time and the driver was super. We went to South Luangwa in Zambia and had a great time. We have used them several times over a number of years and always recommend them to anyone wanting a safari - especially starting from Lilongwe.
NO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Asili Explorer give you the best value for the sild life in Tanzania National parks
We can recommend Asili Explorer, they arranged the very best safari tour for us. Our guide and driver Epzata, took us to the best places in Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. Epzata have been in this branch for 17 years and know safari and how to do it exiting. The plan was to see the big five, we met four, miss out the Rhino. We met a lot of Elefants which was fighting, hunting lions, a leopard which was up in a tree, eating a gnu. A lot of big buffalo. I think we saw 7 different antilopes, giraff, waterbuck, hyena, pelican, hippo, sebra, gnu, crokodile and a lot of different birds. We was driving around in a good, well maintained, Toyota Land Cruiser Safari. Thanks to Epzata, Joe and Elly.