SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Safari was absolutely amazing, but the company needs to work on some points still.
Kameraz of Africa was incredibly quick to respond to emails. They put together a package for us exactly according to our wishes. The safari was absolutely magical and the accommodations we had booked were very good. Our driver was nice and very good at his job. He knew what he was doing and where he was going. We wished he would have told us more and interacted more. He was more of a driver than a guide. He was unfortunately a lot on his phone and did not pay attention when we tried to talk to him and ask him to stop because we wanted to take pictures. We often had to stand and wait for the driver as he was late in the mornings. The first day he was late for over 1 hour.
We were very disappointed that we didn’t get informed about the new rules of the park that affected our schedule.
When we booked we were given a schedule of what our days would look like and after seeing the schedule we confirmed the booking and paid accordingly. On the evening before our last day, the driver told us that we would be heading back to Nairobi in the morning. While we thought we were going on our last game drive as it was the one we had in our schedule and booked.
Apparently, the park's fees have changed and we had not been informed about this before. So we were very disappointed. And when we took this up with the company, they just blamed "the government and park authorities". They didn't take responsibility for what they could have done for us, or apologize for not informing us. It felt like they couldn't understand our disappointment of missing a half day safari. Before this, we received a very good treatment.
The experience during the safari was so fantastic that it outweighed our vacation. Would give Kameraz of Africa a rating of 3,5.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good safari, but poor camping equipment and forced to leave 5 star review
Good safari, knowledgeable guides. Overall decent experience. 3 different parks, 3 nights in tents and 4 days of safari.
But - camping and sleeping gear was old and smelt mouldy. It was not hygienic.
Also at the end of the trip we were left with sour taste in our mouths as the company essentially held us in a location until we submitted a 5 star review.
So please take any 5 star reviews with a grain of salt.
It’s a good safari for the cost, but be prepared for some mouldy camping gear
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Its a serious tour operator
A co-operative and well organized tour company in Tanzania with a structured management system
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Went in with apprehension - came out with happy memories
We had friends who had an amazing experience through this company so we booked with them. Just before we left, we had other friends who toured with them who had a nightmare experience with this company. Through reading all the reviews, it looks like it is very hit and miss whether your experience is good or not. Simon, the operator, was extremely friendly and helpful during the booking phase, but as soon as we had paid the deposit, he then dropped off the face of the earth when we tried to bring up our concerns over our friend's tour. He also didn't respond to our friend's attempts to communicate their disappointment. We eventually got a little bit of reassurance, and as we had already paid a hefty deposit we decided to go ahead. In the end we were glad that we did. We had an amazing time.
Safari:
We loved their guide James. How could you not. He is an amazing guide who we got to know fairly well due to his lovely friendly and open nature. He has excellent English and a good sense of humour. We really appreciated his relaxed approach to our family dynamics and he was happy to make the experience whatever we wanted it to be. He is obviously a knowledgable and experienced guide who knows how to give tourists what they want. We learned many, many things about the animals, the country, the people and the language (as well as sharing family stories!) We were really happy with the whole safari experience and were delighted that we had no problems with the landrover vehicle as the terrain gives these vehicles quite a beating! The shock absorber did fall off on the way to the airport on the last day but James dealt with it quickly and efficiently. The fact that he has mechanical experience would be a huge plus in these circumstances.
We had absolutely no issues with permits or paperwork (which we were concerned about going into the holiday) and we were extremely thankful that our safari experience went without a hitch. If you are booking with them, ask for James by name.
Communication:
As you know we were concerned with the sporadic communication (after we had paid our deposit because leading up to that time all of our enquiries were answered extremely promptly). I was a little put off by being asked for payment within hours of making the tentative booking (and being reminded by Simon twice over the next few days i.e "Hi , have you made the paypal payment yet?") This is probably what compounded my concern over communication stopping after I made the payment. There turned out to be extenuating circumstances around this particular time but in reading through other feedback on the site, this is not something that has been a one off. Many people have commented that this has been a problem in the past and for future bookings, it may be worth Simon putting the time into changing people's perception of his trustworthiness and reliability. This would surely help his reputation and give people more confidence in booking with him in the future.
Accommodation:
Was lovely . We were super impressed with all of the accommodation. We really appreciated having separate rooms to sleep in from the children - a bonus that we weren't expecting for the entire trip.
The first night in Arusha was good except there were dogs barking all night long (somewhere near the lodge) and we got very little sleep.
The lodge looking over the crater had the most awe inspiring view and the staff at all of the places were really helpful and friendly.
We were pleasantly surprised at the standard of the camping experience. As by this stage 3 out of 4 family members had upset tummies (!) we really appreciated the inside, flushing toilet. Hot showers were a bonus
Our last night in Manyara Lodge was just breathtaking. We were one of only a few guests (as we were in all of the places) and the staff looked after us really well. The family loved the beautiful pool area in such an outstanding setting.
I think we were incredibly lucky to have had no big issues during our experience. For anyone looking to book with this company, I would say 'may the odds be forever in your favour'.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Only go with Elias if you can!
I found from the tours I did it was very guide dependent.
If you got a good guide it was a great tour.
I think the problem I saw with the tours were :
Time management, I think some of these trips need to leave earlier and have their supermarket shopping already organized on the first day so you don't spend most of the day shopping and then when you make it to the attraction then it is rushed, especially end of day game drives.
I think in the Northern the craft market and supermarket should disappear, and the bus should go straight to Africat, and then a proper game drive through its premises should occur, before a trip to the Leopard. People fly from across the world and the 1st day experience isn't good and compares badly to the Southern tour. Otherwise drive straight to Etosha and spend more time there instead. Its way too slow and boring compared to say the Southern tour.
For eg Africat, we arrived way too late at this attraction, then we had a rushed game drive where the local guide spend 15min talking about the game park we were not going to (why not arrive earlier at this place and go on a proper game drive through the premises as it has heaps of cool animals), then spend 30min talking about 2 termite mounds while the sun keeps setting. On the way to the Leopard, there were heaps of amazing animals and they refused to stop for pics!! The leopard was a bit of a zoo attraction which was rushed and the Cheetahs were old and in bad condition. Then my top went "missing" from the game car when in the visitor centre. The camp site was way too far from where all the animals were as well.
The next day to Etosha we also arrived late and had a rushed game drive. Its was more about scoring points on animals sighting then enjoying the park.
The next thing which I thought was unprofessional, was the tour guide slept with one of the clients on the 2nd day in the tents near us!!! It was then I couldn't really take the tour seriously anymore.
Optionals were pumped hard, as they receive commission for it and 2 out of the 3 tours were really focused on it too much to the point of obsessiveness. Especially pushing high price ones, which I was not interested, in the end I just booked it myself as the guide wasn't interested in booking the one I wanted.
On 2 occasions, when lunch was in the itinerary I received no lunch at all. So I had to go buy my own lunch.
The Botswana Delta visit is a nice place, but there are not actually many animals there, its a fishing lodge. I think a better location should be selected.
I think the tour company should focus more on delivering animal and national park experiences, if it calls itself a "Safari" company, it is more of the tour company.
The HQ are very polite but I think some of the guides are bit out of control and need some management. Apparently a lot of the younger ones just pick and choose which tour they want in which would give them the most tips and optional bonuses and use excuses to cancel tours they don't like.
I think they should be doing it because that's what they love to do, and you can see that come across in certain guides clearly.
I think the best tour they offer is the Southern tour. The Northern ones need some work. I would select another route for Botswana from what I experienced sticking to the National Parks. We added a bit more of the national parks and it made that tour a bit better because we were a smaller group.
I think if some of the things didn't happen on some of these tours which I mentioned I wouldn't be as critical...
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
3 night safari in Ruaha
The initial communications with Wild Gaze was efficient. Emails were answered promptly and questions where answered clearly. We booked a budget safari staying at the Tanapa Bandas in Ruaha National Park. While the bandas where clean, confortable and well located it was not made clear that there would be no options of food and we would be served the same thing everyday. While it was adequate it was not very tasty. The safari truck was comfortable and had plenty of sockets for charging electronics. Our guide, Ben, was accommodating, a careful driver and appeared knowledgeable. Overall a good experience and we would book with them again.
EC
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari...incredible guide...terrible accomodations.
Our family, parents and four children, chose to go with this safari due to their good communication and their package looked very similar to other budget safaris. The agency does a good job communicating and I felt they were very honest about prices and surcharges they would need to pass on to the client (for instance 5% if you use a credit card). They sent us with a great guide, Mike was his name, and the vehicle for travel was ideal as it was a Land Cruiser with even some modern conveniences like USB charging (sorry, no air conditioning). Somethings cannot be helped, but we spent the first half day of our tour in the heat of a gas station trying to fix the land cruiser.
Thankfully the breakdown had not been too far out of Nairobi and we were still able to get parts and still make it to Masai Mara where we arrived at the tent camp greeted by the host in the dark. They apologized for the black out in electricity and said the generator would operate from 7 PM to 5 AM. Again, this is to be expected for Africa. What is not to be expected is that they had no towels for us and no hot water. After a long day sitting at a gas station and eating dust during the travel, you want a shower. Unfortunately on our second day returning the hostess said again they did not have any towels that were dry, however, unbeknownst to her one of the other workers had kept us back some but we didn't receive those until the few of us had already showered and used sheets to dry off with. In general I could never recommend this tent camp. It was run by young people who kept disco music blaring at full volume. When people go on Safari, they want to be in tune with nature and even have some places outside to sit, read, or observe the incredible scenery that can be found only in this unique part of the world. You will not find such peace at camp Miti Mindi.
The redeeming part of this trip was our day of Safari. We were able to observe four of the big five at close range. Our guide was great with the family and children; I certainly wouldn't blame him for the accommodation problems. We saw both a recent lion and leopard kill, as well as lions mating! One thing to be prepared for is that the package says that you can visit in Mosai Village but they charge 10 pounds per person. We opted NOT to do this part of the journey due to this unforeseen extra cost.
So I gave the trip an average rating but our full day safari would have gotten "exceptional." If magical safaris can choose their tent camps better, this budget safari will be exceptional as well.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Epic summit experience, very low budget tour
+ price
+ trek team of porters, chef and guide
+ food
+ prompt email communication with office
+ day 2+3 great hiking, epic summit sunrise experience
- transportation from Nairobi to the mountain and back is public transport (no mentioning before)
- first day wasted with transport and gathering food+equipment, only started hiking at 3:30pm, 2 hour paved road hike to Moses camp
- tent was dirty, old, zipper not working
- mattresses dirty, one day unacceptable
- rest day should be skipped, no relaxing possible in raining season, facilities dirty and low budget
- last accommodation at Bandas unacceptable, unsafe tenting with wildlife at tent, washroom unusable
- last day useless, several hours on 4x4 road with constant discussion when to call for transport at our costs for the entire team. Need to be clarified before. Costs up to 80 USD for vehicle.
Overall fair price, but also very low budget. Day 1 and 5 need to be discussed and agreed on before payment. With reasonable fitness only 2 days and 1 night at Shipton Camp needed. Fantastic summit experience, great chef, porters and guide. Communication with guide was limited, we always had to ask for info.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall I would not recommend Ngoni Safaris company for a trip around Uganda
Good
1. We had a nice 10 day tour around the beautiful country, visited multiple national parks, gorilla and chimpanzee tracked, and had nice accommodations, plenty of water, hot meals, and our guide Eli cared about us having a great time, despite the shortcomings of Ngoni Safaris Company
2. When our bags were delayed by a day, Sedrick/Ngoni arranged for it to be picked up from the airport and delivered 6+ hours to our lodge (for a fee), but I was grateful they quickly helped us during a very frustrating start of the trip (fyi baggage is frequently delayed at Entebbe airport so pack accordingly)
Bad
VEHICLE QUALITY:
1. They speak about their great land cruisers but it was of very poor quality
2. Bad suspension, extremely loud, constantly shaking during the entire ride, seatbelts were broken, and handles were missing, I’ve been on multiple safaris across Africa and never had this experience
3. It also was unsafe and broke down multiple times, the engine would cut off randomly, and it would refuse to start. Which is extremely dangerous when you are driving around mountains, in rain, and in vast emptiness
4. This was a major problem on multiple occasions as we had to be manually pushed for the car to start, we got stuck in a national park which is terrifying with large wild animals roaming around, and we broke down and had to visit mechanics multiple times during the trip, the guide was very frustrated with this situation and I blame Ngoni Safaris Company
COMMUNICATION:
1. During the months leading up to the trip, we received no assurances about reservations; money received etc, and the company was silent for weeks on multiple occasions, this is tourism 101 and they failed, it really makes you question the quality of the company before you start
2. I had to request a packing list, and even then it was missing key items, so thankfully I did my own research or I would have been in a bad position
3. No communication the day or week before arrival to set expectations (e.g., name of guide, where to meet), even upon arrival it took an hour for the company to respond to my text asking what to do, that is unacceptable
4. However, when it came to them pressuring me to choose the company and requesting payment they were quick to send multiple nagging emails which is unprofessional and shows what they care about the most
OTHER ISSUES:
1. Our guide did not have our proper itinerary and multiple times on the trip I had to correct him and make sure excursions I paid for were included. Even upon arriving we had scheduled a Mabamba swamp tour and our guide thought we were driving directly to the rhino sanctuary. Thankfully he was accommodating and we did not miss an experience but it’s frustrating to have to keep correcting the guide
2. We told Ngoni Safaris we were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary, and they agreed to provide wine, cake, and special accommodations for one night which was a great gesture but when it came to execution it was not coordinated ahead of time and I had to remind Sedrick of this before the last day and they threw something together, but I could tell it was not communicated to the lodge ahead of time. Even our guide had no idea we were celebrating such an occasion which is a huge miss
3. A couple of the lodges had some rooms with air conditioning that were nominally more expensive, I was aware and requested to be placed in those rooms, but without my research we would have had no idea. These are little things that Ngoni should ask the clients about, so we can make informed decisions
Overall I could feel that this company is not of a high standard and they should really improve how they operate in order to be at a 5 star level
NZ
50-65 years of age
Being "poled along" like a gondola, the thousands of stars & evening constant animal noises (frogs).
After a month travelling overland with Acacia Africa from Nairobi on route to Capetown, we hit Botswana. I was expecting more animals as the travellers we met heading north who had just left here had reported plenty to see. But alas not for us. But this is Africa (TIA). It is not a zoo as we humans are privileged to be in the animals natural habit. While a disappointment, I will remember Botswana for:
- lying in and being poled along in a mokoro, a dug out canoe. Listening to the bird and insect life with the reeds being brushed aside. Thank goodness we had a modern fiberglass mokoro as the wooden ones made out of single sausage tree that takes 80 years to grow, but only last 5 - 6 years leak! We had to take everything in and then take out again everything including all of our rubbish. The sky was blue, few clouds and the sun was rising. It was a simply a magic feeling moving along at a gentle pace. So different to the truck travel.
- On the bush walks saw more homo sapiens from other overland groups moving across the open plain than the few animals - zebras, buffaloes plus bird life.
- The evening will be remembered for the brilliant display of stars with a little light spillage plus hearing the hundreds of frogs croaking away ...
- To cap off our visit, the flight over just a small part of the 16,000 sq km Okavango Delta where the 360 degree vista from above rewarded me with my pictures of "textures and colours". We saw elephants and wildebeests from above. It was well worth the US$60 cost. To cap it off, as we left on the last flight, it was sunset as we headed back to Maun airport.
So ... yes, I was a bit disappointed with both Chobe National Park and Okavango Delta re seeing animals living in their natural environment, but I still have many wonderful memories to take away with me: being "poled along" like a gondola - the thousands of stars and evening animal noises.
Read and see my Botswana photoblog at:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bruceontour/2/1268479817/tpod.html
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bruceontour/2/1268480129/tpod.html