35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
9 days Kenya and Tanzania experience
I initiated contact with David at Pedaso three months prior to our trip after reviewing online testimonials. The pricing was highly competitive relative to other tour operators for a Kenya and Tanzania safari. Our accommodations, selected based on online reviews, offered a balanced mix of budget and mid-range options. David provided valuable insights and demonstrated exceptional responsiveness to our inquiries; we truly appreciate his professionalism and dedication.
I rate our Kenya experience 5/5, as the hotels and safari activities were excellent. While we did not witness the migration, we understand that this is a matter of chance rather than operator guarantee; nevertheless, we successfully sighted the "Big Five" and thoroughly enjoyed our time in Masai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, and Amboseli.
Regarding our Tanzania experience, I would rate it 4/5. It appears David oversees the Kenya operations directly, whereas the Tanzania arrangements were managed through a central reservation team. Despite upgrading our hotels in Serengeti and Ngorongoro, we were notified at the last minute that our confirmed properties were unavailable and substituted with alternatives purportedly of the same tier. Additionally, on our final day, we experienced significant delays when the driver stopped for vehicle repairs en route to Arusha Airport. This caused considerable concern regarding our flight departure, though alternative transportation was eventually secured, allowing us to arrive just in time.
Frequent follow-ups with David were required to resolve these issues, which was somewhat disappointing. However, recognizing that certain circumstances are beyond one's control, we remain pleased with what was a truly memorable experience. Thank you, David, for your support, and I wish you continued success in your professional endeavors.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Responsive
David/Pedaso Safari gave me comforting experience while booking the safari by timely and mindfully answering my queries. The pickup process and alignment with the safari guide was smooth. Though there were several vehicle/guide changes during the trip, David was always a call away for any inconvenience, so the overall experience was good. However, though I had explicitly asked about max members in a jeep before booking and was said 7, throughout the trip I never saw mine or any such similar jeeps with less than 8 people. So I felt I could have made an informed decision if the right number was told before booking . Thanks
HK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Memorable
We had a good experience during the 5 days serengeti package. The admin Neema was patient and kind enough in replying to our inquiries and requests, even though our booking was made rather last minute. We booked the budget camping option and I must say the itinerary wasn't explained clear enough before the trip and we encountered a few surprises, only finding out after when the trip commenced, that for the 4 nights, only 2 were for camping and the other 2 nights were actually in the lodge. Also the main issue I had beforehand was the 4% surcharge when u pay by credit card, and I'd say is exorbitant , where u could probs spend it on tipping the guide/chef instead as the recommended tip amount per day is by no means little, on top of the package fee, and that this is standard practice for all safaris. So just be aware of these 'hidden' costs.
Other than that, the trip was memorable, and the guide Burton is kind hearted and knowledgeable, and we were able to see many wildlife with ease, and one thing he can further improve on is his engagement and interactions with his guests, with more emphasis on the itinerary details and also more description on the wildlife and their behaviour etc. Another notable mention is the chef Richard, who works tirelessly in each kitchen to make sure we are well fed, and he whips up nice meals too.
Overall, our trip was memorable and the places we visited were amazing enough, esp ngorongoro crater, though we wished to have spent more time in Serengeti as it is way too big.
Logistics, transport transits and accomodations were well organised as well. And most importantly we made priceless connections with other people in our shared group safari tour :)
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari, good organization, good stays
We had a great time on our safari with Axis Africa, and a big part of that was our guide, Khalifa. He was excellent throughout, really good at positioning the vehicle so we could get great photos, and well connected with other guides too, so we barely missed any sightings since he always seemed to know where the animals had been spotted. On top of all that, he was lively, humble, and just made the whole trip more fun.
Booking was easy too. We worked with Tabitha, who was great at suggesting tours. All the stays were great and welcoming.
One thing worth mentioning as feedback for the tour operators: the vehicle was a 7-seater arranged 2, 2, and 3 across the back. When all three back seats are taken, it gets a little uncomfortable for whoever is sitting there. Whenever an animal is spotted, only two people can really stand up and get a proper look or photo at a time, so there is not much room to move around. That means one of the three people in the back almost always has to give way in some form.
For anyone booking a group safari, it's worth asking in advance whether the vehicle will be full. Since everyone in the group pays the same price, it doesn't feel entirely fair that the third person in the back seat consistently gets a lesser experience compared to the rest.
Overall, though, a really enjoyable trip, and a lot of that comes down to having a guide as good as Khalifa.
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
True to commitment
The tour is well organized,good value for money and delivers what it promises
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari experience
We had a great safari trip and saw all the animals we wanted to see.
The picked accommodations were very nice, we enjoyed the stays there and also the car was big and well equipped.
Our driver was handy with mechanics since we had a flat tire twice but it didn’t stop us long!
Also the communication and help beforehand with the office was very good. The only disappointing thing we could mention is an unknown change of the itinerary which made us end up with less time in our desired places and less time for relaxation.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly and well willing
We enjoyed our time in Kenya very much. The Safaris were world class and we have seen more animals than we could hope for. Some things which could be improved; the amount of different drivers (4 in 8) days were a bit much. Also the changing of people in the Safari jeeps during the days. For example the first day we had to change people 3 times, this did not give the idea the combination of people in the jeep was planned before and had to change because of different itineraries.
And last, sometimes the driver asked where to go as if they were not told exactly what to do, so we had to look it up multiple times, or another example, they dropped us at the wrong hotel. After checking the itinerary we told the guides and it was no problem and they fixed it right away and dropped us at the right hotel.
And that was the thing, it got fixed every time, which was good. But we felt that if they got a little more information in beforehand of which people to bring to which place. It would feel more streamlined.
Overall the experience was great, thank you for this.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Camptrek was easy to work with, attentive to our needs, and totally professional.
We found Camptrek through Safari Bookings and began a correspondence with Margaret. She was the best customer service representative imaginable. She listened to us and customized our trip accordingly. Our safari experience was all about the animals... and they were truly amazing! We visited the Masai Mara in Kenya, then flew to the Serengeti. We also visited Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park in Tanzania. We're an older couple and concentrated our experience on game drives. Our guide in Kenya, Brandon, was outstanding. His communication skills and sense of humor were top notch. We learned so much about the wildlife from him and had a great time doing it. Our guide/driver in Tanzania was also easy to hang out with, took good care of us, and even found us some rhinos -- the only animals from the Big 5 we hadn't seen yet. The 4 star rating instead of 5 is because some of our accommodations did not exactly live up to our expectations from a previous trip we took to Kruger in South Africa. We had chosen mainly bush tent camps and they were a bit rustic for us. However, all the staff were attentive and the food generous. Our trip was during the dry season and the rough unpaved roads gave us an "African massage" everyday, but the reward was seeing the incredible wildlife. Africa is a Feeling with Camptrek Safaris.
Fantastic safari.
We had a fantastic 3 day safari in Selous. Our driver and guide Mr Poli and Mr Martin were absolutely brilliant , they were both very knowledgeable and funny making us both laugh. We saw everything we wanted even waiting for nearly 3 hours for the Leopard to come out of some bushes , awesome.
We only gave 4 stars due to us paying extra to stay at Mufasa tented camp and them not passing the details to any staff. We arrived to an empty camp wih no staff there only a Massai who was guarding camp. We had to wait until staff arrived later before we could do anything. Not the staff's fault just bad management planning.The staff were fantastic and location brilliant on the lake edge.
Also alcohol was not provided ( you have to bring your own) and not mentioned on website , which would have been a nice end to a day's safari watching the sun go down.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great people and variety of experiences
Chobe was a lot of fun; we had a lot of great sightings, including many monkeys, elephants, vultures, and even a couple of sleeping lions. We got to see many birds and a few alligators on the boat ride. Our pickup from the hotel was on time, and everything was planned well. I enjoyed getting to know the other people from our tour group as well!