Okay...there must be at least 100 different safari
companies out there. Ugh! Any opionions on which ones to
go with/not go with? Why are the prices so different from
one company to the next? Help!
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Jenna,
My partner and I were in Africa in August/Sept/Oct last
year. We did two weeks with Guerba which involved one week
in Kenya through Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Lake Navisha and
Masai Mara. Travelled in Landrovers, and all cooking and
camp preparations were done by African staff. The second
week was in Tanzania through Lake Norgorongo, Serengeti and
Tarangerie with the same type vehicles and staff. Would
give this company top marks. Value for money.
We also did a four week overland truck trip with Bukima,
starting at Vic Falls, through the Caprivi strip, Namibia,
Botswana and Zimbabwe, finishing in Harare. This is a
budget type trip where you do your share of the cooking and
camp preparation. But, our crew knew their way around and
we probably seen a lot more than most upmarket overland
companies.
Our holiday was fantastic and I can recommend both these
companies to you. Enjoy your trip.
Have done 3 guerba tours. One for 3 months duration kenya
to uk. A bit expensive compared to some, but worth the
money. Get a brochure or visit their website at www.guerba
.co.uk/ have a good one and who ever you go with to africa
you will love it.
Drifter is a South African Company I travelled with a few
years ago and would highly recommend them for the quality
of the tour, professionalism and value for money.
Try Tropical Trails. They're not budget, but with safaris, you inevitably get what you pay for. Anyway, they now have a website (www.tropicaltrails.com) so that you can decide without having to contact them until necessary.
Hey potential Africa traveller.
Go, its brilliant. I went on a company called Kumuka last year after much deliberation. The style is young (the average age is 25-27) and the style participatory making sure you get involved with the environment. They are more expensive than some of the cheap and cheerful companies but you get what you pay for and they do include all the game park fees and go to the best ones rather than skipping highlights to keep the price down. My recommendation is the 3 week Kenya Tanzania Zanzazibar trip.
Anyaway check them out on www.kumuka.co.uk and whoever you choose have a blast !!!!
Jenna,
My wife and I are just back from Tanzania and Zanzibar and
I can thoroughly recommend Sunny Safaris, who also get a
good review from the LP guide book.
I'm happy to go into detail about the trip, the cost, the
pros and cons if you like. Drop me an email and I'll
explain!
On our travels through africa, we ran into absolute africa
trucks several times, and on every occasion they were rude
and obnoxious and only seemed interested in getting blitzed
and making as much noise as possible. This included the
drivers.
Hi,
I have travelled with Karibu Safaris a couple of times and
they did a very good job, highly qualified, professional but
it is participatory. On my first trip most of the other
tourists didn't appreciate this and this put a lot of work
on the Leaders and those that would do the 'chores'. On the
second trip we all pitched in and it was a great 'community'
spirit that we built up in a short time.
As for the variation in costs it centres around the
'participation' level. Some safaris are tented, some stay in
lodges, even some safaris stay in tents but send workers
ahead to put up the tents each day. Some safaris have a
gourmet chef and expensive wine for the meals. The ones that
have been mentioned on this branch of the thorn tree are
much more realistically priced and structured. I suggest
that you go for a 'participation' type safari.
Cheers,
Shane
I was 9 months in Africa last year, Cairo to Capetown,
roughing it, so my standards here are not 5-star, and I'm
not over-reacting when I say DONT go with Come to Africa
Safari's. Everything was a disaster and all the people on
the safari I went on felt ripped off. Food was disgusting.
Toilets filthy. Guides surly. Owners crooks. Avoid these
people at all costs.
I used Come to Africa and felt really disgusted.
See post no 44.
I traveled with Mambakwedza in Zimbabwe and set it up
through a US agent called Ultimate Africa. I wouldn't
recommend either group. Some plans I set up with Ultimate
Africa weren't carried through with Mambakwedza, the safari
was disorganized, the guide always cut corners, and one
person on the trip had her credit card number stolen, likely
from an office worker. The Ultimate Africa guy didn't even
respond to my follow-up when I got back. On the plus side,
the staff was knowledgable, the food was good, and the camps
were great. But it sounds from the posts above that you can
do a lot better with other groups.
Last week I went horseback riding in the Okavango Delta with Okavango Horse Safaris. It was great! The camp uses tents, the food was great and they let me wimp out when my backside became too sore. It is fantastic if you know how to ride!
Landela also has some great facilities. They have camps that are luxury tents and some that are basically treehouses where you do walking safaris. The drivers are very good and the food was really excellent.
Just in yesterday and trying to adjust to "civilization" again.
Hating it!!!!!