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Reviews of African Ubuntu Safaris
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The goal of African Ubuntu Safaris is to create and arrange the perfect holiday experience for our travellers, and we take enormous pride in the quality of itineraries we offer.
Below is some feedback from past clients which should help future clients gain a clear idea of what to expect from us and from their travels in Africa.
There is no better way to gauge the service of a company than by hearing client feedback, so we have created this page to offer past travellers an opportunity to share their reviews of African Ubuntu Safaris. This also provides a great insight into the variety and style of itineraries we offer, and the types of experiences our clients are having.
Narges - 12 Day Tanzania Small Group Safari with Zanzibar Extension, February / March 2015
Hi Diederik
I had a great time both on safari and in Zanzibar. Everything went well and I really enjoyed my tour. I consider myself to be the luckiest person to witness the great migration of animals, particularly the wildebeests.
There are a few comments about the lodges that I am going to highlight below.
– Arusha Coffee Lodge - was great. The accommodation, the food and the service were superb.
- Lake Manyara Serena Lodge - I was unhappy with my room. It was a room with a 3 single beds. The mozi net was not good, it was torn on the top and I was sharing my room with a funny lizard all night. But the food and services were good.
- Serengeti Sopa Lodge - the room was good but I had a problem with the sink and shower but not a major problem. The food and services were good.
- Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge - was great... one of the best in my trip.
- Tarangire Sopa Lodge was great too. I liked everything about the Lodge.
In regards to the Safari and our Tour Guide - I have to say Jamid our tour Guide was great. He was very knowledgeable and happy to answer all the questions we asked. He was happy to go the extra mile when people had requests. He was always pleasant and patient.
The vehicle condition was good.
The wildlife viewing experience was also amazing. It was more than I expected to see. I am very pleased with the Safari tour I chose. I saw the Big 5 and according to Jamid we also saw the Big 9.
My Zanzibar stay was good. The Seyyida Hotel was ok. I expected more from that hotel. Particularly the street around the hotel was noisy and a bit dirty. The breakfast was ok but the view from the breakfast balcony was spectacular.
The BlueBay Beach Resort was superb and I enjoyed my stay very much.
I have already recommended your company to a few friends, and my sister who is going to travel to Africa sometime in Aug 2015.
Thanks for all your help and great Service. Will be definitely visiting Africa again. The most beautiful place on earth.
Kind regards
Narges
Debbie & Courtney - 17 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania Safari with Zanzibar Extension, February 2015
Hi Cuan
We are back safe, sound and exhausted.
We had an amazing time and were impressed with how accommodating the animals were for us. In Kenya the leopard was the only animal we had not seen and pretty much everything else was pretty up close and personal. We came across a mating pair of lions that we sat and watched for about 20 minutes before the female became as curious about us and came right up to our vehicle to check us out as well. Wasn't long before the male decided to join her to see what the fuss was all about! Made for some excellent photos.
The next day we had a huge bull elephant that took exception to the vehicle behind us and warned it off. The poor driver had to reverse a very long way before the elephant was happy and left him alone.
Our first night in the Serengeti after a very very long drive Courtney and I were sitting outside having dinner when out of nowhere a leopard was sitting not 6 feet away from us watching us intently. After a few minutes he began drinking from a puddle and stayed for a few minutes before disappearing as quickly and quietly as he came. As you can imagine this caused great excitement for everyone. Even the staff dropped everything to come and watch. The only problem was although we had front row seats not one person had thought to bring a camera to dinner.
Never mind, we made up for it the next morning on our game drive. The first animal we saw was a leopard chilling in a tree. A different one from the night before as it was much smaller but still we got our photos!!!!
I could go on like this for days but I think you get the idea. We had a great time. The only drawback was the amount of driving each day. I put it down to part of the experience.
Thank you, Cuan, for arranging such a wonderful holiday for us.
Debbie & Courtney.
Glynis & Philip - 13 Day Tanzania Safari with Zanzibar Extensiosn, January 2015
Hi Diederik,
The holiday that you organised went off without a hitch, thanks ever so much, and the people who helped us along the way were truly wonderful. The organisation was superb and there was not a moment's stress as a result.
Our safari driver, Pascal, was delightful company. We were fortunate to have a happy group of travelling companions who got along famously. We had very close encounters with lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes and a cheetah. For the first time I encountered not one but two leopards in the wild although both encounters required binoculars to appreciate fully. There were plenty more birds and animals along the way to make the safari memorable.
We did the Serengeti balloon ride which was hugely disappointing for the exhorbitant price. The morning was heavily overcast and the animals were few (one giraffe, a couple of hippos, a crocodile, a vulture and a couple of impala along with an abandoned ostrich egg) and far between. It is a hit and miss event but for us it turned out to be a mighty miss.
I would have loved more time in Stone Town. We checked into the Zanzibar Serena Inn late because of a delayed flight from the mainland and then left again at 10 the next morning. Check in at The Z Hotel wasn't until 2pm. It would have been preferable to have had the morning in Stone Town with a pick up at 1pm instead of 10am. We got an upgrade at the Z Hotel from a garden view to a beach view room which was an unexpected bonus.
My favourite hotel was the Zanzibar Serena Inn but all of the hotels, the Serena Hotels particularly (Lake Duluti Serena, Lake Manyare Serena, Serengeti Serena, Ngorongoro Serena) were excellent and the service superior.
Thanks very much for the part you played in our holiday, the itinerary was perfect.
All the best for a happy and rewarding 2015.
Cheers,
Glynis.
Anna & Peter - 18 Day Kenya, Northern Tanzania and Zanzibar Safari, January 2015
Hello Diederik,
We are grateful to you and to all your affiliates who gave us a great holiday.
The itinerary was extensisve and gave us an excellent chance to immerse ourselves into the culture of East Africa.
Accommodation, food, and transport were of a very good standard with seamless transfers throughout the safari.
From our arrival in Nairobi to our departure from Dar es Salaam, we were greeted everywhere with helpful, smiling faces.
We will definitely recommend your company to anyone thinking about travelling to Africa.
Hakuna Matata - Peter and Anna.
Ken & Helen - 15 Day Northern Tanzania Small Group Safari + Zanzibar Extension, November 2014
Hi Diederik;
All up had a fantastic trip. The Safari was fantastic. Saw all of the big 5. Timing was also excellent with the tail end of the migration and four days chilling at The Z Hotel was a great way to finish it off.
The only couple of things that could have improved it were:
1. The Mount Meru Game Lodge was simply not up to standard of the rest of the hotels. The reallocation from the Arusha Sarena Hotel was a significant step backwards and I would strongly recommend against this happening in the future.
2. The Rangers safari vehicles should be limited to 6 guests. Many of the other safari companies had vehicles with an opening roof over the front seats however the Rangers vehicles didn't. This meant that the person in the front passenger seat had limited visibility to one side of the vehicle and couldn't stand up and take photos. Consequently there was some juggling to avoid being in this seat
3. The advice on tips in the information sheet was a bit steep. Likewise the encouragement to tip for everything. Having paid fairly decent prices for the accommodation it was annoying to be expected to tip for everything. The recommended tips in the fact sheet could be reduced and greater focus put on discretionary tipping for good service rather than every time you did anything.
Having said that. We had an excellent time and would recommend African Ubuuntu and the trip to friends. Z-hotel was a highlight although I did upgrade to a sea view room.
Regards
Ken
Lisa - 10 Day Tanzania Small Group Safari, October / November 2014
Jambo Diederik.
I am now back in Australia after an unforgettable trip to Tanzania. It truly was a trip of a lifetime. One word that I said several times a day was AMAZING. It was very emotional at times, exhilerating, exhausting and inspiring. It was difficult at times to take everything in and I was on sensory over load alot. I have many many "National Geographic" worthy photos to reflect upon and to show off. Spending $1200 on a 500mm lense was money well spent. I will post some on your FB page.
I was so fortunate to be put with a group of the most "amazing" (there's that word again) people. All complete strangers at the beginning but firm friends after 8 days. So much so that we are all catching up in December when I travel to London and Europe. There were hugs and tears when we parted.
Our guide from Ranger Safaris Ndossy was brilliant. So knowledgable on simply everything and a pleasure to be in his company.
All of the accomodation was first class. Very comfortable and welcomed after a long day bumping around on dirt roads and taking in the breathtaking sights of Northern Tanzania. The staff and food at each establishment was faultless.
I was very fortunate to see the big 5 and there were also some unique sights that aren't mentioned in the tourist guides.
I will definetly be returning and am telling all of my friends and I have inspired many of my friends to do the same safari.
My flight to Zanzibar went off with out a hitch and spending 3 weeks on Zanzibar with old friends was wonderful and I certainly got to experience Zanzibar much more than the average tourist. It was bitter sweet leaving as I had met so many wonderful people and my FB page now has alot more friends on it.
Thanks so much for holding my hand every step of the way from my first enquiry, to this follow up post holiday e mail. You gave me alot of confidence particularly that I was travelling alone. Your service was first class and very professional and I would not hesitate to recommend your company to others and use again for myself.
Again thanks so much
Regards
Lisa
Maxime & Krupali - Tailor-Made Tanzania Bush & Beach Safari, October / November 2014
Hi Diederik,
In short, we had a fantastic adventure!
We regret not exploring Stone Town as we arrived very late and then only had time to enjoy breakfast on the roof terrace before departing to Nungwi.
With regards to Swahili House, the staff were all very lovely but the breakfast was a bit of a let down if I'm being picky. Lovely views across the town but the food was certainly uninspiring for a first meal.
Rooms were decent and the house of course has a lot of character.
Z Hotel was lovely and felt very exclusive. Nungwi is quite a special place and we had lots of fun walking on the beach and people watching as well as enjoying our private terrasse.
The food, staff and quality of service were all stellar there. It's quite nice as there are a couple of hotels chained together, so you're not short on dining options for a short stay.
A solid recommendation. The beach vendors were quite aggressive and really pushed hard to sell you tours, things etc. but for Krupali and me, this isn't an issue.
The internal flights were all fine. On our flight out of Zanzibar, there was some confusion on the ground after landing at Arusha as we weren't really told what was happening, including where and when our onward flight to Manyara was.
The Asilia guide who picked us up in Manyara, Kevin, was a gem and a delightful guide. We had some great conversations.
Lake Manyara National park was an interesting and small park. We didn't see too many animals there unfortunately.
The Plantation Lodge was excellent! A very stylish and classy place and the food was delicious.
We very much enjoyed lounging in the fantastic bar and enjoyed more than a few cocktails. :)
The rooms and staff were also fabulous and we met the owner Renata who was quite a character.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area was stunning and we can easily see why it's a must-do for the region.
The only downside was that it was very busy with a high amount of cars. Especially the lunch area, where all the cars are forced to park, and eat was a bit of a zoo.
Following this, as you know, we went to Ubuntu where we were greeted by the lovely staff. Such an intimate camp with only 6 tents.
The food, setting and service here were outstanding. We had a wonderful time here with our private guide Elias.
I'd say this was really the highlight for us. We've been on a few safaris and this matched it par for par.
Knowledgable 'eagle-eyed' guide, great quality vehicle and excellent game viewing. Pure heaven!
We very much appreciated the champagne in the bush experience as well, and on the last night we had the whole the camp to ourselves. The staff made a wonderful effort for us and we had dinner under the stars by the fire.
The day hotel on the way back was nothing to write home about it but served its purpose well. It was nice to have a snooze and catch up on emails with their wifi.
Diederik, you've been amazing and I wanted to say a big heartfelt thanks for making this such a wonderful experience.
We have and will certainly continue to recommend African Ubuntu Safaris in the future.
Best,
Maxime
Karen & Michael - 8 Day Tanzania Small Group Safari, October / November 2014
Diederik: We had a great time in Tanzania! Our guide, Suleman (I'm sure I've screwed up the spelling) was great, spotting all manner of things that we'd never have seen otherwise. I'm sure much of it is because, after doing a Safari a few hundred times, you get to know where the animals are. The only thing I spotted on my own was a dead zebra in a dried up river. He didn't believe it, backed up to make sure. Yep, I can spot dead zebras. Good to have a specialty I guess.
Starting out with Ngorongoro Crater is an interesting choice. Not sure whether it's best saved for the finale or best to have it up front for its shock value. Pretty amazing place. I do wonder if maybe an earlier start to the game drive would be better though, from a lighting standpoint. Very dramatic place.
It's a rather long drive from Ngorongoro to the Serengeti, but Suleman made it worthwhile, spotting things to see along the way. One thing about the long driving... it's very, very dusty at this time of year. Nothing we didn't expect so it didn't bother us much, but for some, those long drives might be a bit much. The one other person on our trip, a woman from Switzerland, didn't hold up so well, pretty constantly complaining that it was too hot, that she was "melting" even. It became a bit of a joke after a while.
The Serengeti grows on you, a bit slowly. At first it's just big with not much appearing to be going on, but that's an illusion. It's an amazing place, especially when you begin to understand the migration. At one point we found ourselves in the middle of a field of zebras. Zebras as far as the eye could see. Other times it was Wildebeests.
One funny thing was seeing our first small group of elephants, don't recall where, and we asked Suleman if we were going to stop and watch. He said no, this was just a few and we'd see lots of them the next day. My first thought was this - if I saw a hundred dollar bill on the ground, and somebody told me not to bother picking it up because there'd be many more tomorrow... (but there were, in fact, many more the next day).
Lake Manyara was by far the low point, no question. Just didn't have much going for it, maybe because we visited during a dust storm, but it just didn't have the sweeping grandeur that was the norm for everywhere else. We saw a few interesting birds, but I think most of your customers would have a better time if you spent an additional day at Tarangire.
Accommodations were nice but the food was a bit repetitive. Think I had a string of 13 consecutive meals with curry. I don't mind a bit now and then, but not constantly.
The first night's lodging, if expensive, is probably not worth the cost. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice place, really wonderful people serving the meals, but something a bit more basic would be fine as there's not that much going on there, it's just a place to spend the night before going on Safari.
I'm slowly getting through my photos, you can see a really good leopard shot here- http://www.chainreactionblogs.com/diary/2014/11/03/some-days-just-leave-you-hanging/ and a bunch from the crater here= http://www.chainreactionblogs.com/diary/2014/11/02/just-some-pretty-pictures-from-tanzania-for-now/.
Thank goodness Suleman had a bean bag for my camera! I'd neglected to bring one. I would recommend that anyone really wanting to get pictures to "bring back" should, unfortunately, have a lens between 400-600mm long. It's a lot to handle but you're just not going to get the shots without it. And that's on a smaller-sensor (APS-C) DSLR. For a full-frame, it would have to be 20-30% longer. Yikes.
What other stuff do you want to know about?
Mike Jacoubowsky
William & Liz - 11 Day Tanzania Bush and Beach Safari, October 2014
Hi Diederik
The trip was fantastic, Sayari and Fundu Lagoon were absolutely impeccable. At both locations, the staff, food, transfers, transportation and activities on offer were of the highest standard. Zanzibar Serena Inn was terrific and we were pleasantly surprised how helpful the staff were. We enjoyed Exploreans, it is a gorgeous hotel, very spacious and Ngorogoro Crater was a great experience. There was nothing wrong with Exploreans at all, we found the staff tried very hard, but the service wasn't of the standard as the other places we stayed.
We were pleasantly surprised with the Boma Hotel in Nairobi, very well appointed, with a nice restaurant and very reasonably priced massages.
Rating the accommodation, I would give Sayari and Fundu lagoon a 10, Serena and Boma a 9, and Exploreans a 7.5. All excellent, but the service levels differed slightly.
With regard to aspects of the trip.... we had a minor hiccup with transfers to Nairobi airport - a miscommunication between hotel and Asilia driver which meant we were waiting in reception for our driver for an hour in the lobby when he was in the parking lot - but nothing of great concern.
A tip that might be helpful for future travelers, Kigali airport doesn't open for passengers until 7am. Don't believe the Kigali airport people that say you have to come back at 7. The Coastal Pilot and a Coastal representative will meet you and take you through the airport for the flight at 6, but they don't arrive until 45mins before the flight, and the Kigali airport people will make you wait outside (whether it is raining or not!).
Thank you for suggesting 3 nights in Pemba then a night in Stone Town, it was definitely the right order. We met other travelers who went from safari to Stone Town and saw nothing of Stone Town as the early starts and long travel days meant they were too tired to venture out. We were well rested on our arrival in Stone Town and had plenty of time to do both a city tour and a spice tour.
Kind regards
Liz
Margaret - 19 Day Kenya and Tanzania Group Safari + Cape Town and Winelands, September / October 2014
Hi Diederik
The trip was great and all went very smoothly. Every place we stayed was excellent. The rooms inviting, the service first class. I did get a bit tired of buffet type dinners tho that is a small complaint. The guides were excellent tho the two we had were as alike as chalk and cheese. One complaint I guess would be the flight organised from Nairobi to Cape Town. I was picked up from the resort at midday and arrived in Cape Town at 11pm. It would have been preferable to leave Nairobi earlier and get into Cape Town earlier.
I suffered from altitude sickness at the Crater. The doctor at the resort was extremely helpful.
Overall I am very happy with the trip and would recommend your service to anyone considering the kind of trip that I took.
Cheers
Margaret
Belinda, Charlotte, Brogan & Jay - 11 Day Kenya Special Safari with Malindi Extension, September 2014
Dear Cuan,
Yes, wonderful memories! Can’t really pin-point a favourite bit as each of the 4 areas we visited were equally spectacular for different reasons. Allie took around 4000 photos and I took 540 as backup! We’re going to produce a photo-book.
And we will be putting reviews full of praise on Trip Advisor over the coming weeks. I have already extolled the virtues of Ubuntu to friends considering similar holidays.
Gamewatchers were outstanding! Every transfer was perfect. The staff were always there waiting for us and were without exception warm, friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and appropriate. We LOVED the Porini camps (Amboseli & Mara)! As you said – one visit won’t be enough! The Guides/drivers were absolutely wonderful! David, who looked after us for 3 days (Nairobi to Amboseli; Nairobi to Nakuru) was particularly special. I think he was a little shocked to find himself on a tour of Nakuru Memorial Hospital Maternity Ward rather than game parks but he handled it brilliantly, smoothing the way with the Nurse in charge, so that I could see where I was born (surreal experience).
I think being on the Masai Conservancies is a great privilege and makes a huge difference to the safari experience generally, not to mention the amount of highly visible animal life.
You were also right about the Masai not really understanding the concept of “vegetarian,” let alone Vegan. Actually, everyone had difficulty, most particularly Emirates airlines!
Charlotte did suffer a bit and I would suggest to the Porini camps that this is really easy to get round. All that’s needed is a big bowl of noodles/rice/mixed veg/legumes/nuts + bread made “damper” style with just flour and water, which everyone can enjoy, and it would be sorted. The first meal at Porini Amboseli, the chef produced a delicious frittata but of course that includes egg, which Charlotte doesn’t eat. After that they kind of gave up/didn’t mention it so she ate whatever vegies/salad were served and bread, which was fine for a week.
Unfortunately, at Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge, where she had plenty of choice for our lunch there, we think she picked up mild food poisoning as she had the classic violent vomiting/diarrhoea sesh for 12 hours, followed by mild recurrent episodes for another 24 hours!! She missed 2 evenings/dinners in all, managing a 12 hour safari in-between, albeit in some discomfort. She had chosen different food to the rest of us at Sarova. Can happen anywhere anytime. I guess it’s just a case of feeding back so that no-one gets complacent with food safety.
Sunbird Lodge was beautiful! Dagmar(?), the owner was there and very helpful/concerned when Charlotte became unwell, which was comforting. I was huffing and puffing climbing the steps from our cabins to the lodge and was thinking how unfit I must be when I remembered it’s c. 6000 feet up so I’m guessing would cause a bit of an effect? Good food, good service.
Hemingways, Malindi is stunning but we felt everyone was just a tad “down,” possibly due to the low numbers during September. They did say that October was going to be busy and they had a big group booked in just after us. There were probably 20 people at breakfast and dinner each day. We figured the resort could do with a little refurbing (i.e. rusty doors/locks) but that they are waiting for another cash injection. It is an amazing place, especially given it’s 20 years + old. We really hope Kenya generally can resurrect the tourist industry quickly. I think it’s the people from UK that are most noticeably missing?
The food was good at Hemingways, possibly a little less consistent than equivalent resorts in Oz. The staff were a little wary until they got to know us. A very different feeling/cultural atmosphere compared to the highlands and Masai camps. We did notice things like all the rubbish from the terraces being swept out onto the beach (for the tide to collect) and we picked up quite a lot of fishing line off the reef at low tide. It just reminded us how far Australia has come although we can’t rest on our laurels, as they say, as we have no excuse not to be doing things perfectly.
To sum up, if you asked me for just a couple of aspects that blew me away, it would be the number of animals – they were everywhere – it was like being in a giant paddock AND they posed for photos! The knowledge/education of the guides/drivers, some of whom quoted Latin names for plants, and their ability to straddle western style technology whilst living a traditional lifestyle, i.e. the camp guides/drivers could use all brands of camera and mobile phones and the elder/guide who is also chief of the Amboseli Conservance Masai village!
Wow! When are we going again?!
Thanks Cuan! You got it absolutely perfectly right!
Ronald & Jane - 13 Day Kenya and Tanzania Small Group Safari, September 2014
Dear Cuan,
Yes, wonderful memories! Can’t really pin-point a favourite bit as each of the 4 areas we visited were equally spectacular for different reasons. Allie took around 4000 photos and I took 540 as backup! We’re going to produce a photo-book.
And we will be putting reviews full of praise on Trip Advisor over the coming weeks. I have already extolled the virtues of Ubuntu to friends considering similar holidays.
Gamewatchers were outstanding! Every transfer was perfect. The staff were always there waiting for us and were without exception warm, friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and appropriate. We LOVED the Porini camps (Amboseli & Mara)! As you said – one visit won’t be enough! The Guides/drivers were absolutely wonderful! David, who looked after us for 3 days (Nairobi to Amboseli; Nairobi to Nakuru) was particularly special. I think he was a little shocked to find himself on a tour of Nakuru Memorial Hospital Maternity Ward rather than game parks but he handled it brilliantly, smoothing the way with the Nurse in charge, so that I could see where I was born (surreal experience).
I think being on the Masai Conservancies is a great privilege and makes a huge difference to the safari experience generally, not to mention the amount of highly visible animal life.
You were also right about the Masai not really understanding the concept of “vegetarian,” let alone Vegan. Actually, everyone had difficulty, most particularly Emirates airlines!
Charlotte did suffer a bit and I would suggest to the Porini camps that this is really easy to get round. All that’s needed is a big bowl of noodles/rice/mixed veg/legumes/nuts + bread made “damper” style with just flour and water, which everyone can enjoy, and it would be sorted. The first meal at Porini Amboseli, the chef produced a delicious frittata but of course that includes egg, which Charlotte doesn’t eat. After that they kind of gave up/didn’t mention it so she ate whatever vegies/salad were served and bread, which was fine for a week.
Unfortunately, at Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge, where she had plenty of choice for our lunch there, we think she picked up mild food poisoning as she had the classic violent vomiting/diarrhoea sesh for 12 hours, followed by mild recurrent episodes for another 24 hours!! She missed 2 evenings/dinners in all, managing a 12 hour safari in-between, albeit in some discomfort. She had chosen different food to the rest of us at Sarova. Can happen anywhere anytime. I guess it’s just a case of feeding back so that no-one gets complacent with food safety.
Sunbird Lodge was beautiful! Dagmar(?), the owner was there and very helpful/concerned when Charlotte became unwell, which was comforting. I was huffing and puffing climbing the steps from our cabins to the lodge and was thinking how unfit I must be when I remembered it’s c. 6000 feet up so I’m guessing would cause a bit of an effect? Good food, good service.
Hemingways, Malindi is stunning but we felt everyone was just a tad “down,” possibly due to the low numbers during September. They did say that October was going to be busy and they had a big group booked in just after us. There were probably 20 people at breakfast and dinner each day. We figured the resort could do with a little refurbing (i.e. rusty doors/locks) but that they are waiting for another cash injection. It is an amazing place, especially given it’s 20 years + old. We really hope Kenya generally can resurrect the tourist industry quickly. I think it’s the people from UK that are most noticeably missing?
The food was good at Hemingways, possibly a little less consistent than equivalent resorts in Oz. The staff were a little wary until they got to know us. A very different feeling/cultural atmosphere compared to the highlands and Masai camps. We did notice things like all the rubbish from the terraces being swept out onto the beach (for the tide to collect) and we picked up quite a lot of fishing line off the reef at low tide. It just reminded us how far Australia has come although we can’t rest on our laurels, as they say, as we have no excuse not to be doing things perfectly.
To sum up, if you asked me for just a couple of aspects that blew me away, it would be the number of animals – they were everywhere – it was like being in a giant paddock AND they posed for photos! The knowledge/education of the guides/drivers, some of whom quoted Latin names for plants, and their ability to straddle western style technology whilst living a traditional lifestyle, i.e. the camp guides/drivers could use all brands of camera and mobile phones and the elder/guide who is also chief of the Amboseli Conservance Masai village!
Wow! When are we going again?!
Thanks Cuan! You got it absolutely perfectly right!
Janet & Rebecca - Southern Africa Safari and Volunteer Holiday, August / September 2014
HI Cuan
I was just about to email you to let you know how great the trip was after I had replied to an email from Matt from One Horizon and there you are! I’m happy to write something for the website if you’d like? We will send some photos soon – I’m not super-techno savvy so might take a bit of time.
The trip was really fantastic - thanks very much – you really helped create the trip I wanted extremely well and I will happily write a testimony . I also really appreciated both meeting your parents and experiencing their warmth and kindness in Johannesburg.
As you would have heard there was a glitch at the start of the trip when Becky had to spend a night in Cairo after her first flight was delayed (nothing to do with your planning). I had also been a bit worried about what would have been happening in Cairo to her so I had a bit of an emotional meltdown when I met up with your father in Johannesburg which he was very kind about. Thank you for the wildlife book too!
Becky and I found our week in Johannesburg to be really valuable. The One Horizon experience was really interesting and moving and we would thoroughly recommend it. We learnt so much from Colin and Matt and from the amazing people we met at the various programs. There are quite a few images of Beck and me on their facebook page if you follow that. I’m still sorting out dropboxes for an exchange of photos with Matt. I also wasn’t necessarily anticipating learning as much about South Africa as we did which was an additional bonus. I am trying to work on Steven to go to South Africa some time – not getting far yet!
We loved Botswana – the level of care to the environment in their tourism industry was really impressive. I loved the Okavango Delta as I thought I would. I loved the staff greetings with song and evenings in the boma with singing and dancing. We both particularly loved Pelo Camp. While it was the simplest of the camps we stayed at, we loved that. The managers at the time were our favourites taking a great interest in ensuring their guests felt special. There were some naughty elephants in camp with a young male charging and frightening staff and an older male also charging at times but the staff ensured we felt safe – for us it added an element of adventure. I hope all the staff are OK! We became very aware of the whole experience luck plays in people’s experience in camps with guests at Pelo the first night having just come off seeing “a kill” at Banoka Bush camp and being very excited about their experience there. Personally, I was pleased we never saw a kill. We really enjoyed Banoka but it wasn’t our favourite – we had some unhappy tourists in our truck for a couple of days who weren’t having the experience they were expecting and were projecting their unhappiness – we were relieved when they left as I’m sure the Banoka staff were too. Other people we met there were all very lovely. One morning after a lioness had wondered through camp we went on a drive, tracking her which was great fun. We never found her, kept just missing her but found a lion instead.
Victoria Falls were really spectacular and I think we saw them at an ideal time of year – beautiful rainbows and still enough water. Becky had a swim at the top of the falls. Devil’s pool wasn’t open yet but we had lunch on Livingstone Island and there was another pool on the Zambian side of the island they were taking people in. Beck loved this. We also had some good company in the lodge here which adds to the experience and the two new managers here were really great.
South Luangwa is very beautiful and had the best wildlife sightings as you would anticipate. One night we saw 5 leopards – a Mum with two cubs, her now independent cub from a previous litter and another leopard out hunting. We had the best chefs here – the lunches and dinners were fabulous. This part of the park was very busy at times with rows and rows of cars lining up at a sighting – it sounds like South Luangwa is getting busier all the time. I think we stayed where we were as it was the cheapest option of the Robin Pope camps - I wonder what it would have been like to stay in the quieter area of the park - ? whether as much wildlife there or more.
Finally Pumulani – definitely a place of rest and a very beautiful property and we loved our stay there and found it very relaxing and there was a significant emotional edge to the stay. The poverty and malnutrition in the villages was among the most confronting we encountered so there was discomfort in staying in such comfort alongside such poverty however much I could rationalise that Pumulani brought employment and support to the villages. I felt a bit anxious about health issues here with one of the managers down with malaria when we arrived and a French guy we met who was bringing permaculture to the local villages recovering from both bilharzia and a massive tapeworm in his gut. While our time here was confronting, we also loved learning about the village life and seeing efforts staff from the village were making to improve their situation. We are hoping to help in some way.
Having the night in Jo’burg on the way home was good to break up the trip and to do some shopping once we didn’t have to keep our luggage under the 15 kg.
I could write more and more but overall we really appreciated your planning and the trip was amazing. Everything you arranged went incredibly smoothly – a massive thank you. I have recommended you to some Australian travellers along the way and will continue to do so to any friends planning African trips. Please feel free to ask any more specific questions you have.
Many thanks
Janet
Jane & Alan - 8 Day Victoria Falls, Chobe, and Okavango Delta Safari, August 2014
Our African Ubuntu Safaris itinerary commenced at Victoria Falls airport. After immigration, we were met promptly by our guide, Steven. Unfortunately we then had a 25 minute wait in the airport entrance door while he located other guests, which led to him informing us that we might not be able to do our planned walking tour of the falls that afternoon. However, after we told him we were prepared to just drop our bags at the hotel and would quickly be ready to go and also arranged to book a helicopter flight the next day through him, he made sure our walk went ahead. We arrived at the Victoria Falls Hotel mid-afternoon and immediately headed out for our tour of the magnificent falls. The rate of water flow was very good for the time of year and it proved sensible to only take one fully waterproof camera (with a dive housing!), as we got completely soaked - but that was all part of the fun. We then had a short tour of the area before returning to the hotel for a shower and cocktail on the terrace prior to departing for the pre-booked dinner at the Boma Restaurant. We returned, after a very good meal which included many local delicacies, with hands aching from light-hearted participation in the drumming. We soon fell asleep under our mosquito net listening to the sound of the falls.
The Victoria Falls Hotel is beautiful and has probably the best location of all properties close to the falls with a fantastic view straight to the bridge, which we also enjoyed from our room. The staff were very friendly and extremely helpful. The hotel is unique and a bit like a museum with numerous pictures around the walls showing off its history. The gardens and surroundings are well maintained and we enjoyed roaming, looking at the beautiful heritage buildings and architecture. There were many warthogs roaming around the lawns of the hotel which was a nice introduction to African wild life! We even got up before dawn to see the sun rise from behind the cloud of mist rising from the falls, an experience to be highly recommended.
The following morning we went out for our helicopter trip (not included in the itinerary) and would highly recommend the longer 35 minute version, because you see so much more - the falls, the gorges with white-water rafters in them, villages and wildlife from an aerial perspective. It wasn’t cheap, but should not be missed! A word of caution to others – the tour company claim they normally take credit cards, but that the systems are not working, which really means “cash is king.” The guide helpfully got the driver to take us to the appropriate ATM so we could supplement our US dollars to cover the cost of the flights and leave us with adequate cash in our pockets!
We had a few hours to recover from our jet-lag before a wonderful sunset cruise on the magnificent Zambezi River. Our only disappointment was that it was not a dinner cruise, because we didn’t want to leave! We opted for a delightful meal on the hotel terrace where the staff were very helpful and service was good.
The following morning, we checked out and were driven to the border and transferred to our next vehicle. After meeting the driver, we were taken through the Botswana immigration post and then a short drive on to the town of Kasane and Chobe Marina Lodge .This is located on the banks of the Chobe River. It is very much resort-style accommodation. On arrival we were told our room would not be ready for an hour, so we had a chance to visit the bar and to sit watching the birds and passing boats from the riverfront deck. It turned out our room was a two-level cottage-style unit almost as far from reception as you could get, which meant no noise and excellent privacy. The room was very well appointed and of a good standard with a small deck overlooking the Chobe River and across to the Caprivi Strip. We booked our first 3 activities but were told we could not book the fourth as our departure pick-up time was not known.
We had our first activity after lunch – a river cruise that departed from the hotel’s own pontoon. We were amazed at the huge variety of wildlife we saw, including elephants crossing the river. The cruise concluded just as the sun set.
A lovely pool with bar offered more chances to relax. It is worth mentioning for others that they have a large number of day-trips passing through this hotel and many are accommodated for lunch in the main restaurant, which can get crowded and busy. The free Wi-Fi was only available near reception and the pool area and was very heavily in demand, so almost unusable.
Both evenings we opted to book for the more formal upstairs restaurant. The menu and wines available were quite limited but the food was of a good standard. On the whole the hotel staff are friendly and accommodating, but seem to struggle a bit when things got busy.
The game drives through the close-by Chobe National Park at dawn and towards dusk followed well-worn and at times very rough tracks but allowed us to see a lot of game and other animals such as striped mongooses and baboons. The guides were informative and really took care of us, with the highlights being a leopard and three cheetah brothers tucking into their impala dinner just a few metres away from us. A third game drive was possible on our last morning, though we had to check-out before the excursion and return a little earlier than some other visitors due to timing. There was a small logistics problem which meant we had to chase up our airport transfer and only just made the flight, but everything still went according to plan!
We flew from Kasane on two connecting light aircraft flights into the Okavango Delta and arrived at Banoka Bush Camp where we spent three nights and had a wonderful time.
The camp is set in a beautiful area alongside a water hole near the Khwai River. The staff were really friendly and helpful right from the moment we were met at the airstrip until we were waved off there at the end of our stay. The camp has a very relaxed atmosphere and there was an excellent mix of couples and families. The ‘tents’ are amazing – on a raised wooden platform, with double ensuite basins, shower with all the amenities and even a flushing loo! The solar heated shower was always hot. Being remote there was no mobile signal, internet or TV – bliss!
The food was excellent and plentiful. Breakfasts around the boma fire in the mornings before the game drive got us off to a good start. Then there was morning tea, brunch, high tea and even sundowner drinks during the evening game drives. The evening meal had everyone staying at the camp seated together. It was full of laughter, kicked off by the staff introducing one another and informing us about the menu. The bar was always open and inclusive.
A nice touch was the "bush babies" (hot water bottles) we received to keep ourselves warm during the early morning game drives and when retiring to our tent at the end of the evening. It can be very cold overnight in August. On the Land Rover we also had ponchos to keep the warmth inside against the wind-chill on the early starts. It did warm up a lot, so a “layers’ philosophy for clothing works well.
There was plenty of game around this stunningly beautiful area. We saw lions on two days, as well as a leopard and spotted hyena with pups at her den, hippos, zebra, giraffe, impala and even a sugar badger and a monitor lizard. There were elephants everywhere, at times they passed right by our tent. The staff take safety very seriously and escort the guests around the camp during darkness hours.
Our guide, TK, was professional and fun, with excellent tracking skills and a wealth of knowledge of the African bush. He enjoyed taking us “off-road”, breaking through bush as he tracked the lions and leopard. We enjoyed the relaxation of the mokoro ride on one of the tributary channels of the Khwai River on our final afternoon when we got to see even more of the huge variety of birdlife. TK ensured that we used every minute available, to the extent that we barely had time to say goodbye on the last morning, as we had to leave for our light aircraft flight to Maun.
We flew to Johannesburg after our itinerary ended. We stayed for a night and took in a day of sight-seeing before leaving Africa. It goes without saying that this was a huge contrast to the safari, and an experience we would suggest others try.
The whole trip was well organised, our thanks to Cuan for making our experience a special one. Gerald (Cuan’s dad) even met us in Johannesburg airport when we arrived from Sydney and took a suitcase we needed for later travels into safe keeping while we were on our booked itinerary – exceptional, friendly and very personal assistance. We are looking forward to booking another trip to Africa with African Ubuntu Safaris. In the meantime have a few thousand photos to remind us of our adventures!
Please note all photos below are copyright: Jane and Alan Pitcher
Graham - 15 Day Kenya and Tanzania Small Group Safari, August 2014
Hi Cuan,
I have been home for a week and a half and I am just settling into some sort of routine again after my holiday to remember.
I had reservations about going on safari seeing that I had reached the 3/4 of a century mark (but still reasonably fit) but my fears were unfounded as every body was fantastic and some kept asking if I was sure about my age.
The accommodation was excellent, very spacious and as good as that you would get for in a city environment. The food was plentiful and tasty, not good if you wanted to lose weight as I can attest to.
We saw all of the animals we wanted, the big five, and many, many more. The camera was working overtime in the early stages and as anybody knows that has been on safari, that you become picky as time progresses.
The leopard was the most elusive and we didn't see any until the last day and then we encountered 3, but once in the grass they virtually disappeared. What I found hard to understand was the complete disregard the big cats gave to the pesky tourists near them as they walked beside the vans as if we were not there.
A cheetah we spotted on a slight hill was very intently watching a herd of gazelle and slowly walked our way passing behind our van without looking right or left. It did attack and catch the animal that became its dinner.
I must mention the drivers from Pollman's, namely Gabrille in the Serengeti, who described himself as "a bush boy," for his knowledge of animal instincts and to explain any question that was put to him.
The other driver in Kenya, Jadrad, and I must apologize as I have not been able to find the paper with the correct spelling, was very forthcoming on any question we asked from his family to expectations for himself or his family. This driver went the extra mile when my duffle bag was left in Melbourne and I was without a change of clothes for 5 days. Another male on the tour was kind enough to share clothes with me.
The Hot Air balloon ride was one of the many highlights of the trip. To see the number of animals below was breath taking.
In closing I have one very small criticism on the timing of the trip. Instead of going in August I would go in June/July as I would like to see the migration of the animals over the river. By August the animals were in Kenya fattening up for the trip back to the Serengeti.
The art and cost of tipping the porters, drivers etc should be explained to all clients as one of our people was tipping porters $20 US for collecting their bags and delivering them to the vans for transfer, a trip 25 - 30 meters. The rest of us were tipping 1-2 US$ for the same trip.
I know I have thanked you numerous times for your help and all the organizing you have done to make this trip, for me, a very enjoyable holiday, one I will never forget. Again a very big THANK YOU.
Regards
Graham
Wendy & Peter - 19 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania with Zanzibar Safari, August 2014
Jambo to you Cuan, I can't tell you how many times we said that . We loved Hakuna Matata as well. We would say no worries mate. Thank you for your very good organising of our holiday. Not one thing went wrong, the only thing was on the way home in Jo'burg to catch the plane to Perth was 2 or more hours late. The safaris in both Kenya & Tanzania were great. All the lodges were good, one was changed, instead of Serengeti Sopa we went to Soroi Serengeti which was amazing perched up very high. It took a very long time to get there we reached it in darkness. The last game drive we came across a 12 month old leopard sitting in a bush, we had only seen one up a tree before that. So I have many photos of it. It was eyeing off some impala & not taking one bit of notice of us. That was in Tarangire. The weather was not very warm. Going to Zanzibar on the end of the holiday was really good. Nice & warm & relaxing, as you are on the go on Safari. We went on a snorkelling day trip, a happy hour trip & I swam with the Turtles in a natural aquarium. The food was mostly Buffet which was good as you can choose. Plenty of it. Our driver Sageed in Kenya was lovely. Also Sadike in Tanzania was good. We were only 6 in Kenya & 4 in Tanzania. So very comfortable. The Mara river was an amazing sight not long before the Wildebeest had tried to cross & there were many dead ones as well as Zebra. The vultures & a crocodile were having a lovely time. Peter's dream was to see a lion kill. We got the next best thing. A mother lion had only just started to eat the Wildebeest, her 2 3/4 grown cubs were sitting waiting their turn. We certainly had a great holiday thanks again.
If you need any more information please let me know.
Kind regards
Wendy & Peter
Nancy & Grant - 15 Day Private Kenya and Tanzania Safari, August 2014
Thank you Cuan,
What an awesome trip! We caught the migration and even saw a couple of spectacular crossings. We were just about at the stage of "Oh look there's another lion."
We saw leopards lolling in trees, heard and saw lions and cheetahs munching on kills and were kept awake at night by the sounds of hippos, hyenas and wilderbeest!
The trip you organised suited us perfectly. We loved the combination of the tented accommodation and the lodges. Our private guide, Henry, was fantastic, as were the guides and spotters in the Amboseli Porini & Porini Lion Camps.
I especially loved the "full on" approach of the Porini camps where you were busy from sun up until bed time. One day we had a siesta scheduled and when I told the guide I didn't like siestas he immediately offered another drive to watch the lions. Those camps are definitely out to please!
Throughout the trip we were met and escorted without a hitch - which I imagine is extremely difficult with "African time."
The only slight hiccup we had was when we couldn't change money at the Boma Hotel. They wouldn't take Aussie $. Luckily we had enough US $ to last the journey. Perhaps a rundown of how and where to get money changed and a guide to tipping would be helpful to future travellers. As I'm sure you're aware, we Aussies aren't great at knowing who, how, when and how much to tip. (We begged ignorance and asked some Yanks to advise.)
Thanks so much for your expertise in designing our fantastic holiday.
Very appreciatively,
Nancy
Zoe & Colin - 27 Day Kilimanjaro Climb, Tanzania, Kenya, and Zanzibar Safari, July / August 2014
Good afternoon Diederik,
I thought I'd do this while it's all fresh. Firstly wow, we had an amazing trip. So many animals up close and personal.
1: Springlands Hotel was a good start friendly, neat and a lovely garden atmosphere.
2: Trekking i was a bit surprised to find i was solo with a crew of 7 . I assumed I'd be put into a group, which i would have preferred. But beside that i was well looked after and although it was very hard, I made it to the top, yay!!! The views were spectacular.
3: Kikoti was the most fabulous buildings, the owner was a delight, and the staff very friendly, i thought the rule about being escorted to your room was a bit of theatre until we were 3 meters away from a wild bull elephant nosing around next door's room.
4:Our first guide Asillias Fazo was the best start our safari could have had. He was well informed, a fantastic driver, had a reputation we later found out for being the best spotter and a great guy.
5: Tarangire was my favourite park it was teaming with animals such large groups and with Fazo as our guide we saw 3 leopards in the first 1.5hrs a pride of lions stalking a giraffe and so much more.
6:Tloma Lodge was very good and set in wonderful grounds, staff acted like staff polite but not warm, like Kikoti.
7: I wouldn't have bothered with Lake Manyara if it wasn't on the way. Not much to see even the flamingos were gone.
8: Ngorongoro was a bit lacking as well a lot of zig zag driving to see an animal here and there.
9:Olakira Camp the tents and the location were great our driver Nathan was very good. We saw a great crossing on the first day and plenty of lions, cheaters, hippos a rhino and baby and so much more. They always forgot to pack vegetarian in pack ups even after daily reminders and Col said the meat was tough and inedible. But they did a great snapper.
10: Porini Lion Camp this one lived up to its name so many great lion sightings and lots of animals, Manager was very warm, greeted personally on each return, our driver Jackson was very good and the tents were also very good. We even had hippos munching grass outside at night.
11: Amboseli was a dust bowl, full of dust whirl winds and dead trees. The camp was 2hr drive down a rough dusty track with hardly anything to see then it was another 2-3 hrs each way the next day to get to the swamp to see any animals. The camp staff were nice but the camp looked very tired compared to its sister Porini Lion. Maybe it was just the wrong time of year. They did give me a lovely bush birthday dinner and cake.
12:Giraffe Manor, the room was very disappointing, so small you could not put a bag down anywhere that it did not need to be stepped over. The table lamp was sparking when switched on, the smoke alarm had been removed and the safe did not work and the room door had no lock. The bathroom was even worse, so tiny and toilet was so close to the vanity unit that you had to sit on it at an angle or hit your knees, it also rocked as it was not fixed to the floor. The taps on the sink were reversed ( hot was cold) the shower had no hot water and no pressure. The bedroom was also directly above the kitchen with pots and knives banging constantly. After complaining to the manager we were moved to another room (where the toilet would not flush at all ) but only for one night then had to go back to the original room as this one was booked out. After a long discussion with the manager he just kept blaming the booking agent. He even called them and handed me the phone and would not accept that most of the problems were maintenance issues. Very badly handled. I think for the money they charge they really need to spend some on updating the facility. Nowhere on the description of the hotel is it described as pokey and dilapidated. On a positive note the food was excellent and the giraffes are amazing. The driver to pick us up for the airport was very late and as the manor had a car going to the airport to collect people they sent us in that, not knowing that the original driver had our tickets. This could have been bad. The driver caught up with us at the airport, handed over the tickets and all was well.
13:Swahili House, was a grand old building from another era, we loved it and manager and reception were really lovely, warm souls, the location was bustling and fun. But would not recommend for injured or unfit people as the stairs are a mission.
14: Matemwe Beach Lodge, Another wow. Was a little worried with the rough drive through the horrible garbage strewn area outside the lodge but inside the walls it feels like everything you dream a beach resort could be. Truly beautiful although this time of year is very windy. Snorkling with the dolphins was a highlight.
15: Food, although over all food was good it was a shame nobody seemed willing to get away from the western and offer some more authentic meals. Besides, Swahili House had one breakfast item and Matemwe had one themed dinner.
16: We weren't sure how it would work with the transfers but were so impressed, with the responsibility each and every person made to get us to our next destination it was like as Col put it last person to touch you is responsible. So well done.
Thank you
Zoe.
Melanie & Christian - 17 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania with Zanzibar Safari, August 2014
Hi Deiderik,
We had an enjoyable holiday. Would definately do an Africa trip again.
Guides were great. Accomodation was great. Food and service were also great and enjoyable.
We had lots of fun and laughs.
Met some great people and had many laughs.
Some days were long travelling days and maybe if we were to come again you would stay put in accomodation for a little longer then 1 or 2 nights.
I think doing a trip to Africa for the first time was an awesome experience and we would do exactly what we did. If we had flown into reserves we would of missed out on seeing the local cultures and the main roads and towns and cities which were a real eye opener.. so all in all it was a great trip and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Thanks
Melanie
Jennifer & Bernadette - Kenya Highlights Small Group with Amboseli and Zanzibar Safari, July 2014
Hi Cuan
Well we've been back 3 weeks and are rapidly settling back into the "real world!" We just wanted to say thank you for our well organised trip to Kenya and Zanzibar. All the arranged pick-ups and transfers happened without any problems, greatly appreciated when travelling in a foreign country.
I have travelled many times to eastern and southern Africa but for my travel buddy Bernie this was a first. Our first 3 free days in Nairobi we stayed at the Sarova Stanley Hotel and were well looked after by the staff. We visited the Elephant Orphanage, Karen Blixen Museum and Giraffe Sanctuary which was a gentle start for Bernie into what we were to see.
An area I was very keen to visit was Samburu north of Nairobi, I was not disappointed. On our first game drive we saw large numbers of gerenuk gazelle, elephant, hippo and oryx with a lion waiting to pounce! and many species of birds. We also saw Grevys zebra and Ethiopian blue legged ostrich which are specific to this area. Our accommodation at the Sarova Shaba Game Camp was very comfortable with very friendly and helpful staff.
Lake Nakuru was wonderful with some close encounters with a mother and baby rhino, giraffe and a near miss at seeing a leopard. Disappointingly we only saw flamingos in the far distance due to the changes in the lake level and water quality. So different to my previous visit in 1999 but still just as exciting.
Our tented stay at Sarova Mara Game Camp was extremely comfortable with great staff, and the game drives left nothing out. Our early morning hot air balloon flight was fabulous and really gave a good idea of the extent of the park and the amount of game living there, not to mention the millions of wildebeest there due to the annual migration!! and the brekkie in the 'middle of nowhere' was very welcome.
Amboseli Porini Camp is an eco lodge and is extremely well run by the local Masai, they really looked after us even providing hot water bottles at night and a wake up cup of tea. Their excellent skills at sighting and knowledge of the animals was great. And the sundowner G&Ts while watching a group of elephant drink at a waterhole was an enjoyable way to end the day. The only down side is that it is a long drive to the National Park.
We finished our trip with 3 nights in Zanzibar at the Tembo House Hotel, our first night we had a very noisy room but was quickly fixed the next day with an upgrade to a room with a lovely balcony and ocean views. We did a day trip which included a visit to the Colobus Monkey Forest and a visit to Prison Island. Our last day was spent just wandering around Stone Town and doing some last minute shopping... the street hawkers are bit annoying but if you ignore them they do go away!
I would also like to thank Mohammad our Pollman driver/guide for his safe driving, knowledge and great personality which made it a very enjoyable trip for us. And not to forget Bernie has become an Africa enthusiast, knows all the animals names and with a bit of encouragement I'm sure she would go again.
Thanks again Cuan
Jenny
Joanne & Milos - 20 Day Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda Safari, June / July 2014
Hi Diederik,
Thank you very much for a fabulous trip! We had a wonderful time. The lodges were great and staff were lovely, and very welcoming. I'm just sad it's all over. Rwanda is just beautiful. Next time I would like to spend more time there. Over all it was fabulous and look forward to going back!
Kind regards
Jo
Fiona & Andrew - Tanzania & Zanzibar Safari, June / July 2014 (click here to see their detailed itinerary)
Thank you for your email. We are indeed back in Scotland and its been non stop since getting home.
We thoroughly enjoyed every part of our honeymoon and we would both like to thank you and your company for all your help with the organisation and planing. We had a fantastic time.
The flight cancellation was rather annoying but out of our control and it was great that I was able to speak to someone in the company (African Ubuntu Safaris) from the airport and update our travel arrangements - this really put our mind at ease and helped us to make the most of the change of plans!
All the accommodation in Tanzania and Zanzibar was exceptional. We were put in a different lodge when we first arrived so didn’t stay at Arusha Coffee Lodge but the place we did stay was wonderful, in fact better than Arusha Coffee Lodge from what others said. It had great staff, and a wonderful bathroom with stand alone bath and lovely shower. The food was also great.
The accommodation during safari was all great. We particularly liked the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge and the Tarangire Sopa Lodge. The swimming pools here were great. All the lodges went to extra effort since it was our honeymoon which was also nice. The sundowner in Lake Manyara was lovely and the food in all the lodges was great.
Our guide, Soliayo ( I’m not sure on the spelling) was brilliant. He was really friendly and approachable. He gave us local information as we passed through villages and was very knowledgeable about the wildlife. He always made it clear what our plan was each day and for the next day so everyone knew what was happening which was good. He was also a great driver and always got us to the front to see all the more unusual animals. He was willing to air patiently as we took millions of pics and never rushed us which was great. We saw loads of great animals close up - lions with cubs, a large male lion, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, giraffes, zebra, loads of baboons and monkeys and even a rhino in the distance! The safari vehicle with the pop up roof made viewing very easy. I would give him top marks on all aspects. Both his introduction / information given at the beginning, and the other representative from ranger safari, were very good.
Soliayo also took us to the airport and helped us with the check in etc for Zanzibar which was great.
The Pongwe Beach Hotel in Zanzibar was awesome! We had a very warm welcome and were shown to our very spacious room with private plunge pool which was great. They gave us a bottle of champagne which was also a nice touch. This is a very relaxing place where everything is thought about and taken care of. The food was really tasty and they came and took our lunch and dinner order from where we were during the day - be it the pool or beach which was nice too as it meant you didn’t have to think about it in the evening and it was served efficiently. The prices of drinks were reasonable here too. The beach was lovely and there were day trips on offer but we didn’t do any, choosing simply to relax for a few days.
The only thing I would maybe suggest, but just a minor detail, would be a bit more information about clothing to pack before the holiday. We were surprised at how cold it was particularly on the edge of Ngorongoro Crater. And the only other is the airport tax / visa payment - it was 50 dollars each on the way in and around 10 dollars each to leave Zanzibar. This wasn’t a problem at all but maybe worth mentioning just for budgeting.
I hope this feedback is useful. Thanks again for a once in a life time trip! I will put a review on TripAdvisor too.
Fiona
Richard & Gillian - Tanzania, Vic Falls, and Botswana Safari, June / July 2014
Hi Cuan,
Many thanks for your message. I had planned to get in touch on our return, but you beat me to it!
We had an absolutely amazing time on our trip. Thank you so much for all your organization and choice of places to visit. Each place was terrific in its own right, and in total they all added up to a wonderful kaleidoscope of experiences, accommodations and environments. The variation in types of accommodation and activities available was just right – and you successfully planned enough places for walking safaris, boat trips etc that Gillian’s urge for exercise was met!
Everywhere we experienced amazing things, but a few highlights were:
- A rhino passing in front of our car in Ngongorogoro
- Experiencing close at hand a bush-fire emergency at Ubuntu (the Asilia lot had done good preparation with firebreaks etc, unlike the nearby
&Beyond camp that lost 4 tents)
- Walking through what a fellow traveller called “Jurrasic Park” on Rubondo Island, and a boat trip and, for Gillian, a kayak on Lake Victoria
- A hilarious balloon ride over the northern Serengeti with Captain Mike from Alaska.
- Seeing the migration and 2 river crossings at Sayari on our last day in Tanzania
- A great helicopter ride over Vic Falls
- Wonderful boat trips on the Chobe river, including a leopard sighting and amazing sunsets
- Being less than 1m away from a female elephant on a game drive at Savuti
- Taking a mokoro ride at Little Vumbura and seeing wild dog on our last safari day in Botswana
- Wonderful guides and staff at all the camps, culminating in an amazing boma evening at Little Vumbura with all the staff singing and dancing.
There were many more wonderful things, and the whole trip was terrific.
And all the logistics worked like clockwork. We only had 2 glitches – one on arrival at Dar es Salaam airport where I had my phone stolen in the confusion of arrivals/immigration/bag collection. Dar is not a pleasant place to arrive in, and I would recommend arriving in Kilimanjaro if possible – things seem much more ordered there. The other small glitch was in Vic Falls where I had to pay for our dinner at the Boma – I later checked and confirmed that it was prepaid, but it was easier to pay than create a hassle at the time. Apart from these two things, everything went smoothly, and all the people doing pick-ups etc were great.
We still have the smell of Africa in our clothes and the singing from Little Vumbura in our ears! All in all it was a wonderful experience, and once again thanks for orchestrating a truly wonderful itinerary! Let me know what I can do by way of recommending Ubuntu on the web or whatever – we’d happily help in any way we can.
All the best,
Richard
PS: – the sequel to one of the crossings was this lion that jumped out about 10m away from our vehicle and grabbed a young wildebeest. It then let it go (our guide thought it was confused by the large numbers and decided it wanted a bigger one!). In the end it went away empty-handed. Pretty amazing to witness close up though.
Photos below are from Richard
Ray & Deborah - 19 Day Vic Falls, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda Safari, June / July 2014
Hi Cuan!
AWESOME!!!!
Just as you said, we had a fabulous time. From the moment we arrived at Porini Camp until leaving Kigali we just had a ball.
We saw about 10 river crossings, the first about 2 hours after we arrived at Olakira. It was the first crossing that we
saw the most action. We saw a rhino, cheetahs, leopards in trees, lots of lions, baboons, baboons and more baboons
and of course about 10 million wildebeest. I may be wrong but they don’t seem very bright to me – kept changing their
minds about which side of the river they wanted to be on. The balloon ride was magical, didn’t see a crossing but as it
was so early many hippos were out of the water and standing on rocks in groups and that was nice to see as they tend to
get in the water as the day warms up. The manager at Olakira, Martin, organised a birthday cake for Ray and all the staff
danced around the table and sang happy birthday to him in Swahili (?).
Victoria Falls were beautiful and when we got there we arranged to kayak down the river first thing in the morning. Great
fun however a little stressful when trying to guess where the hippos were.
I loved the flamingoes at Lake Manyara and it was there we saw our first leopard in a tree and lions just finishing off their lunch
of a zebra (legs still on it though).
The food throughout our trip was first class. We arrived after being in Paris and London and after eating stodgy British food for the
weeks prior, the fresh vegetables and fruit were delightful.
We met so many lovely people and some commented particularly on Asilia Camps and how well they treat their staff. The service
was great and the various guides’ knowledge was impressive. The Masai guide we had at Porini had even worked with David Attenbrough.
Let me know if you would like comments on anything in particular. Thanks for everything – it was an incredible holiday!
Deborah
Chris, Toni, Flynn, Morgan & Erin - Private Tanzania Safari, June / July 2014
Hi Cuan
Thank you, we had the most amazing time and the girls had a ball!!
Every transfer was seamless and the guides and accommodation were exceptional. We loved the mix of lodges and camp sites – and great NOT having wi-fi occasionally.
Asilia are a great company and the guides were friendly, knowledgeable and catered for just about any request. We would highly recommend you and Asilia to anyone who asks. If you have a place on a website to add comments or pictures we would gladly brag all about it.
A few comments (but not complaints)
1. We had to purchase a visa to enter Kenya to collect our bags and get on our flight to Kili…essentially $100 US to grab our bags and change
terminals. I think people need to be warned or find a way to ticket bags all the way through if possible so they can stay in transit.
2. The village visits were very unpleasant. They are designed to rip off tourists and we were very pressured to buy at inflated prices. They do not
need to be a part of the tour.
3. Our day trip around Jo'burg commenced at the time of our international flight landing. So we were informed by a very angry guide that we had
already wasted 1 hour of our tour (getting through customs) and he would now have to cut it short. He told us this repeatedly and hurried us
along at every point. He then returned us half an hour early at the other end as he had another trip to start – so we had a 4 hour not 5 1/2h tour. It
was a great 'filler' before our flight home and very informative, but a bit uncomfortable and rushed. Couldn't it start after an allowance to clear
customs as our flight was on time?
As mentioned, not complaints. We had one of our best holidays ever and will talk you up to everyone who asks…ThanksThanksThanks
Chris and Toni
Tanya & Tim - 16 Day Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zanzibar Safari, June 2014
Hi Diederik
Here is some feedback for you:
- Service African Ubuntu Safaris offers: Excellent, particularly how you were able to semi-customise our trip, tying in two different tours (3 day Rwanda and Safari in Tanzania), and adding an extra day in Zanzibar.
- Quality of accommodation: Generally pretty high, the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge was lagging a little and the food was a bit average there but the accommodation in Tanzania was very good and the food was also of better quality. The Serena in Zanzibar was very nice however unfortunately there was a wedding there that evening/night so we couldn't use the pool and it was a bit noisy.
- Tour Guides: Excellent, particularly Hans from Ranger Safari's was very knowledgeable.
- Safari vehicle (in Tanzania): I was a bit surprised in the condition (best described as fair to average) and was expecting something in a little better condition although it sufficed for the purpose.
- Primate wildlife viewing experience: Excellent.
- The pre-packaged tour: i) It could have probable done with more time in Stone Town, we ended up doing a day tour to Prison Island and Stone Town so we ended up having a guided tour around for a few hours and I would say Stone Town is worth it. ii) After flying from Rwanda to Tanzania, we didn't really have anything to do for almost a day, the Safari didn't start until the next day and we found out that other people on the group only flew in that morning (who also booked through Ubuntu) - I'm not sure if that's something we could have done coming from Rwanda but seemed like a more effective use of time compared to what we did.
Overall though an excellent trip. Thanks for all of your assistance.
Regards
Tim
Gillian & Malcolm - Chobe, Vic Falls, Sabi Sands, & Cape Town Safari, June 2014
Hi Cuan,
Thanks for your emails and sorry for the delay in replying. We have been busy back at work and catching up with family and friends.
We had a wonderful time in Africa, we enjoyed every bit of it, everything went well and according to plan.
We loved both Chobe lodges (Chobe Marina Lodge, Chobe Safari Lodge) and our first experience on safari and also the wonderful river cruises seeing all the animals especially the elephants and the magnificent African sunsets.
Sindabezi was a truly remarkable and memorable experience on the Zambezi river. The staff were wonderful and we loved chatting to them to learn of their background and families.We saw the amazing Victoria Falls in full flow and bought lots of wood carvings at the local market. We visited Simonga Village which was indeed a culture shock. We would have liked our stay to have been longer in Zambia.
Dulini was another wonderful experience, we were so well looked after in our beautiful cottage and surroundings. We saw the big five and more and our guide and tracker were excellent.We appreciated the hot water bottles, fleece blankets and ponchos provided for our early morning game drives.
The food in all lodges was magnificent and abundant and we came home a few kilos heavier.
Cape Town was a wonderful end to our holiday and we were delighted we stayed so close to The Waterfront where we spent the evenings shopping and dining. We had a wonderful day's tour to Cape Point and the Stellenbosch vineyards. Our personal tour guide gave us great insight into South African history and diverse cultures. We did the red and blue bus tours hopping on and off at will. We took the cable car up Table Mountain for the panaramic view of the city before the clouds came down. We also visited the shanty town Imizamo which again was a culture shock.
Many thanks Cuan for organizing our holiday in Africa. It was truly a wonderful experience which we will always remember. We fell in love with Africa and its people who were all so warm, welcoming and friendly and we do hope we will visit again .
Malcolm took thousands of photos which he hasn't gone through yet. We are looking forward to seeing them and we will send you some.
With best regards and thanks again Cuan for all your help.
Gillian
Carolyn & Michael - Zanzibar and Tanzania Safari, June 2014
Hi Cuan
The trip was simply magnificent!
I have to say it was better than my wildest expectations, which were reasonably high.
Zanzibar was great - always recommend two nights (we arrived at 8pm) to allow a full day of wandering Stone Town and (putting aside some risk with eating street food in a new country) eating at Forodani from the street vendors that set up there at 6pm.
Pongwe Beach was perfect for us - quiet, relaxing, excellent staff, decent food, and a great beach. The snorkeling was disappointing which was the only downside.
And the safari was more than we could have every hoped in just about every aspect. Animals, scenery, weather, mosquitoes (not many) tse tse flies (not many).
Hans, the guide from Ranger safaris when we hit the mainland was brilliant. Knowledgable, when he didn't know he would say so (which was not often), fun, judged well how much the six of us wanted to chat (or not). By the way, we had very good luck with the travelling group being pretty much on the same wavelength throughout - I hate to think what it might be like with companions in a car for six days that didn't suit.
The luxury hotels (we had not appreciated how luxurious before we showed) were excellent facilities, the staff always helpful, and the food generally good (you get a bit sick of buffets after a while).
And we'd definitely recommend the Arusha Coffee Lodge for the last night for those that need to stay over.
Downsides
- could do with a little warning about the Masai village between Ngorongoro and Serengeti. The pressure to buy from the villagers was enormous - we expected (and enjoyed) haggling in markets, but the one on one situation in the village when it came to the price of trinkets caught us off-guard.
- nothing else I can think of!
and our insurance paid out on Kenya!
So, Cuan, thank you very much for all your help in putting this together. We had a great time and look forward to doing it again some time.
Cheers
Michael
Andrew & Maureen - 12 Day Botswana & Zambia Safari, May / June 2014
Hi Cuan
A short note to say thank you for arranging our African holiday, it was very enjoyable and very well organised.
Could you also pass on our thanks to your father, Gerald, for meeting us in Johannesburg and arranging the bags etc. it worked very well.
Pelo Camp was a delight, so peaceful, pristine waters and the staff were incredibly helpful and knowledgable. We had some great sightings of
Pel's fishing owl, African fish eagles and red lechwe.
Kwando Lebala was equally as good with more open savannah, lion, leopard and wild dogs.
We almost had a shortened stay in Victoria Falls as the plane was late getting in (about 5 hours) and then they wanted us to leave very early on the day of our departure to Hwange; however, we managed after a few telephone calls, to get a later flight to the camp. The Victoria Falls Hotel was well worth the stay, great location with all the colonial history still on display, very well run.
Hwange (Little Makalolo Camp) was very cold, staff were very good with the supply of blankets and hot water bottles, again you could not fault the staff and the attention to detail at the camps. Unfortunately the last rhino was poached about two years ago.
Many thanks once again, we would certainly recommend, particularly your organisation of the trip. We will probably be in touch the year after next and look to Namibia, Botswana and possibly Kruger to see the rhinos.
Best Regards
Maureen and Andrew
Photos below are from Andrew
Tom & Suzie - Tailor-Made 12 Day Tanzania Safari & Zanzibar Extension, May 2014
Hi Diederik -
Apologies for the late reply - things have been a little crazy here the last couple of weeks. Finally getting on top of things and getting back to the usual routine.
Diederik, we had the most amazing time. We couldn't fault anything at any time of our trip, and we were quite overwhelmed by the level of service and general thoughtfulness and consideration we found and received at each of our destinations.
Alfred and our safari experience were sensational - we saw all of the big 5 (granted, the rhino was a long way away). The balloon trip was sensational, definitely a highlight. The vehicle was comfortable (while also allowing us to experience an 'African massage'!). And the accommodation and staff… Incredible. Who would have thought a tent could be so comfortable. Also worthy of mention were the guides at Island Express Tours on Zanzibar - they were very knowledgeable and punctual - we thoroughly enjoyed our tours on Zanzibar (Spice and Stone Town tour). Each of the places we stayed at put their own personal touches to our experience (including rose petals, hot baths and champagne, singing happy birthday and birthday cakes) - truly unforgettable and most definitely not expected.
Perhaps the only thing that we weren't sure about was tipping along the way. We eventually worked it out… Perhaps some more information on that in future (from a local) would be appreciated.
Diederik, Ubuntu Tours, and of course yourself, have been fantastic to deal with. You were always one step ahead of us, and at no point did we feel uncertain or uneasy about where or what we were doing. We would highly recommend your service to others.
Thanks again for all of your help and hard work in planning our trip. It certainly has not gone unnoticed and it is greatly appreciated.
Take care, and we look forward to dealing with you again in the future.
Tom and Suzie
Sandra & David - 15 Day Botswana and Vic Falls Safari, March/April 2014
Hi Cuan
Sorry I`v been a bit slow with feedback, can't seem to get it together. We have been home for 3 weeks and just want to be back in Botswana.
We had a great time. Your planning was perfect, no hitches at all, well done, we are now planning our next trip.
David is totally hooked on Africa now.
As you know it`s been a long time since my first trip and it has certainly changed. It`s now very modern in the camps with running everything as you would expect and I enjoyed it very much.
Kalahari Plains was very good, nice camp overlooking the pan, great wildlife, big lion pride with cubs, saw cheetah, leopard and any amount of wildlife. It was still green but drying fast.
Jacana - David loved it here. All that water and your advice to go to Jacana after Kalahari, the dry camp, was an excellent choice. It was very pleasant to sit on the island totally surrounded by water. The bird life was superb. It`s a lovely camp and we had the best food of our entire trip to Africa. Well done Beauty, the chef.
Now Selinda, this was the very best camp of the trip. Abundant wildlife, nice camp, nice staff and very good food. We had Mots as our guide. He is amazing, very knowledgeable and experienced. Has been at Selinda for 15 years and he got us everywhere, even saw a kill.
2 lioness`s with 3 cubs. We saw the mothers stalk and kill a warthog, then call the cubs in. It was awesome.
Elephant and hippo walking around the camp at night, magic place.
It was a nice mix of open bush drives and all the spillway waters had to offer. We want to return to this camp on our next trip.
Sindabezi was a good choice allowing us to see Victoria Falls and wind down after such a good safari in Botswana.
Everything ran very smoothly indeed thanks to you. We found all the camps very comfortable and the short flights between camps made it very easy for David and we did not waste time travelling, only a couple of hours every 4 days, and out on a game drive in a new camp, perfect!!
Many thanks for a great holiday, Cuan.
Regards, Sandra
Jessica & Joseph - Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Uganda Safari, January 2014
Hi Cuan
Thanks for the followup. Everything went very smoothly, we really enjoyed our trip, it's a pity we had to return!
Your dad was fantastic, really nice to have him help with our airport transfers himself.
The shoebill was brilliant, we couldnt believe how fast we found one!
I myself really enjoyed the mobile camp safari (Letaka Tented Camp) in Bostwana. I was so impressed with how everything was organised, how professional and diligent the staff were, the quality of the meals and general overall experience. Even though you said we would be joining with a small group, it turned out to be just one other tourist. This meant the safari pretty much felt like a private tour anyway!
We felt the guides in Botswana and Uganda were fantastic, so knowledgable on wildlife and birds. From memory the best guides were Wilson at the Nxai Pan Lodge, Shadrek from Letaka Safaris, and Robert from Africa Beyond Borders. We appreciated both their intricate knowledge and also the amazing stories they had from their experiences with all types of wildlife.
I think Jess is going to share some more feedback with you when she gets the chance about our experience.
Once we've sorted our photos (we have about 15,000 of them) I will email you some of our highlights.
Thank you once again for organising this unforgetable trip and look forward to dealing with you again when we next go to Africa, I think we are sure to return!
Regards
Joseph.
Guy, Nora, Harvey, Julie, Madeleine & Daniel - Private African Journey, January 2014
Hi Cuan
Thanks for a simply stunning 3½ week trip through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania covering Vic Falls (incl a chopper ride over the Falls - a must do for anyone), Chobe, Okavango, Amboseli, Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Zanzibar.
Although we started planning 2 years ago, the time flew. We had a rough idea of what we wanted but left it basically to you to fill in the time and arrange it all. Well I have to say it went without a hitch anywhere.
Accommodation was just great-some tented camps and some lodges but all were excellent, and as requested not 5 star but certainly extremely comfortable and the staff were happy and sincere in their wish to give us a great experience. (Let me say 5 star is not necessary-as they still see the same wildlife!) Not a complaint from anyone on the accommodation score and the meals were all brilliant, notwithstanding they were in some remote places. Plenty of choice and the breakfasts were all you could wish for. The chosen parks all offered different slants on the African game parks and we saw the Big Five in droves plus the migration in the Serengeti was mind bogglingly impressive. Then of course we saw the myriad of other beautiful animals and birdlife. And let’s not forget the wonderful scenery. All the drivers and guides from Pollmans and Ranger, were without exception, knowledgeable, and so friendly.
If January is the “off season” then go for it. Weather was great (lucky maybe?) and the number of people minimal, even in the Crater.
Gerald met us in Joburg to say hi and store some additional Mt Kili climbing gear for our adult children which was wonderful. And the book he gave us is a wonderful reminder of a sensational trip.
But even more wonderful was your concern and swift action as well as that of your mother and father when a severe illness happened after the Okavango. Gerald organised a doctor’s appointment on the evening of our return and then a specialist appointment the next day. The fact they took time out to do hospital visits etc was fantastic. And thanks to you so much for organising a change in itinerary for that person so we could at least meet up in Zanzibar.
Now I know why we booked with you and have recommended you to others intending to travel to Africa.
The whole trip went like clockwork and we all had the most wonderful experience with so many memories. Thanks Cuan and to your parents and the team. Simply the best.
Cheers
Guy
Guy, Nora, Harvey, Julie, Madeleine & Daniel - Private African Journey, January 2014
Hi Cuan
Thanks for a simply stunning 3½ week trip through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania covering Vic Falls (incl a chopper ride over the Falls - a must do for anyone), Chobe, Okavango, Amboseli, Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Zanzibar.
Although we started planning 2 years ago, the time flew. We had a rough idea of what we wanted but left it basically to you to fill in the time and arrange it all. Well I have to say it went without a hitch anywhere.
Accommodation was just great-some tented camps and some lodges but all were excellent, and as requested not 5 star but certainly extremely comfortable and the staff were happy and sincere in their wish to give us a great experience. (Let me say 5 star is not necessary-as they still see the same wildlife!) Not a complaint from anyone on the accommodation score and the meals were all brilliant, notwithstanding they were in some remote places. Plenty of choice and the breakfasts were all you could wish for. The chosen parks all offered different slants on the African game parks and we saw the Big Five in droves plus the migration in the Serengeti was mind bogglingly impressive. Then of course we saw the myriad of other beautiful animals and birdlife. And let’s not forget the wonderful scenery. All the drivers and guides from Pollmans and Ranger, were without exception, knowledgeable, and so friendly.
If January is the “off season” then go for it. Weather was great (lucky maybe?) and the number of people minimal, even in the Crater.
Gerald met us in Joburg to say hi and store some additional Mt Kili climbing gear for our adult children which was wonderful. And the book he gave us is a wonderful reminder of a sensational trip.
But even more wonderful was your concern and swift action as well as that of your mother and father when a severe illness happened after the Okavango. Gerald organised a doctor’s appointment on the evening of our return and then a specialist appointment the next day. The fact they took time out to do hospital visits etc was fantastic. And thanks to you so much for organising a change in itinerary for that person so we could at least meet up in Zanzibar.
Now I know why we booked with you and have recommended you to others intending to travel to Africa.
The whole trip went like clockwork and we all had the most wonderful experience with so many memories. Thanks Cuan and to your parents and the team. Simply the best.
Cheers
Guy
Photos below are from Guy
Margaret & Colin - Vic Falls, Botswana and Tanzania Safari, December 2013 / January 2014
Hi Cuan
We had a fantastic holiday, the camps were great, especially loved Botswana.
The Victoria Falls Hotel, and The Zanzibar Serena Inn in Stone Town, fabulous hotels.
Our guides were very knowledgeable and great fun. We were blown away by the amount of animals we saw from leopards, lions (51), elephants, giraffes, zebras, the list goes on.
Sunset drinks in Botswana were a highlight on the banks of a hippo pool with about 150 hippos. Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater - saw heaps of animals including a couple of rhinos and a pride of lions.
Marie, Chris, and Janet from Sydney also booked through Ubuntu as you would know. They were great travelling companions in Tanzania.
We enjoyed meeting Gerald and loved the book, it is a great reference book. Thank you very much. I think the only animal or bird we didn't see was an Aardwolf and Bat-eared fox.
Thank you again Cuan for organising such a wonderful holiday for us.
Kindest Regards
Margaret and Colin
Adam - 13 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania, November 2013
Hi Cuan
The safari was excellent - I had a fantastic time in Kenya and Tanzania. The Masai Mara and Serengeti were amazing and the balloon flight was a lot of fun. Lake Nakuru and Amboseli in Kenya were also great. Lake Manyara in Tanzania was good, and Tarangire was a great surprise – it was definitely the time to visit this park. The one disappointment was Ngorongoro – animals were very thin on the ground there (nothing like the guide books describe, even for this time of year).
The Hotels/Lodges were all very nice – most of the rooms were doubles, all the rooms had en suites and many had a balcony. The food was very nice – lots of choice and a good mix of local and international flavours.
The Drivers/Guides were extremely knowledgeable and very accommodating of the group’s wishes. The 4WD vehicle in Tanzania was good but I provided feedback to Pollmans in Kenya that they need to upgrade their vehicles – they do not cope as well with the bad roads.
My main piece of feedback (also provided to Pollmans) is that the order of park visits requires a lot of back-tracking over the same roads, meaning the amount of travel is much greater than it needs to be – a simple circuit of the parks would be much better. There may be a reason for this, but the end result is that the tour sometimes felt a bit rushed.
I would also suggest providing customers with more advice on what type of money to take (i.e. local cash is preferred, even in some of the lodges).
Regards,
Adam
Peter - Best of Kenya and Tanzania with extra night Nairobi, November 2013
Hi Cuan (Jambo)
Yep, settling in back home is taking some getting used to.
I am usually up at 7 and go to work, then stay up until after midnight. The trip sure changed that for the two weeks. Up most days prior to 6 and in bed before 10 (or earlier). The trip was all I had hoped for and more. Salim and Nickson the 2 guys looking after us from Pollmans and Ranger were great to travel with.
They could not have been more helpful or pleasant to be around.
Accommodation and food just great. I've tried every beer Kenya and Tanzania have to offer (not a bad one among them). It sure is amazing to head out onto The Serengeti and come to a lodge so well appointed and so self contained. The same goes for all the others.
It is amazing the change that happens in such a short time in a trip like that one. The first few days and the first game reserve see you photographing everythng that moves. By the time you get to Tarangire it becomes a little like, "Oh yeah only 50 elephants in that herd. Hey Nickson, are there any leopards in this vicinity?" Speaking of animals, we did not miss any. We had the "big 5" chalked up when we reached the Serengeti, first leopards here and within 10 meters of the vehicle. Rhinos were the most elusive and were only seen from a distance but still quite close enough. We managed a not so common sight.
We saw a leopard stalk and catch a baby wart hog. Sad to see the little critter get caught but every one has to eat. The poor bugger didn't have a chance, grabbed and taken straight up into a tree before the rest could react .
Only a small part of a great experience and would recommend it to anyone thinking of that type of trip. Got to go to bed.
Regards
Peter
Jess, Alex and Carol - South Africa Holiday, November 2013
Hi Cuan
We had a wonderful holiday, thank you. I don't know how you managed to fix it but the sunshine in Cape Town made the trip up Table Mountain one of the real highlights for Alex and me! We were most impressed with your arrangements for us throughout the trip, from the efficient transfers to the superb accommodation and the truly memorable safari experience.
We used the city bus tours in Cape Town as they were easily accessible from Camps Bay and were able to visit the Groot Constantia Vineyards as well as taking in the main sights of the city before we headed for Jo'burg.
Your father was a delightful host, giving us a good introduction to the city. Carol's media event seems to have been very productive while Alex and I braved the high speed train to join the city bus tour. This proved to be an easy way to visit the Apartheid Museum while getting an impression of the city centre from the safety of the bus
We were a little more out of our comfort zone when we took a hotel tour to Soweto, finding the tipping expectations almost embarrassing. We would have preferred to make a one- off donation to a community fund, tho we don't know what sort of arrangements the tour operators have with the locals.
The Simbavati experience was an absolute delight from start to finish. We mostly had a guide and tracker to ourselves and it was obvious they felt our sightings were exceptional. Not only did the lions actually mate in front of us, a leopard was perched up a tree devouring its kill as hyenas hovered below for the scraps. Carol is editing a wee film which I am sure she will let you see. (I know she is excited at the thought of Ubuntu's forthcoming involvement in Uganda).
Coming back to CapeTown gave us a relaxed finish to our holiday in luxurious accommodation and the Waterfront area certainly lived up to its reputation as a fabulous entertainment location. Alex is a keen rugby fan so the Springbok Experience was an unexpected treat.
Bartering in the markets and being harassed by airport 'helpers' hoping for big tips added to the flavour for what was a terrific holiday and we can't thank you enough for setting it all up for us. We will certainly sing your praises to our friends and family when we tell them of our experiences.
Thanks again from us all,
Cheers
Jess
Christopher, Gaye and Samuel (travelling with Suzette on portion of the tour) - Okavango Delta, Vic Falls, and Benguerra Safari and Beach Holiday, November 2013
Hi Cuan
Sorry it took a while to reply - as you would know from Suzette's email we all had a fantastic time and want to thank you for putting together a really memorable holiday!!
It was truly an adventure and we have been re-living it over the past weeks as we put together slide shows and movies featuring lions tearing up prey, elephants in mud baths, giraffes hiding in foliage, cheetahs stalking , hippos attacking on the Kwando, stunning sunsets, hilarious rides to chase painted dogs, awesome spills in the Zambezi, flights through rainstorms, snorkelling on coral reefs, picnicking in luxury on a secluded beach.........................................I could go on for pages!!!!
You have given us all a love of Africa and I know we will return. Your advice and knowledge were excellent and everything went together perfectly. You will be our #1 recommendation !
Thanks so much too for everything you did for Suzette and the wonderful treatment she and we received from your parents.
Best regards
Chris, Gaye and Sam
Sarah & Christine - Amboseli and Masai Mara Safari, October 2013
It's just over 2 weeks since my friend & I got back from Kenya, and we are still boring our friends silly with our photos & stories. It was the trip of a lifetime, and I have to thank Cuan for persuading us that it could be done without a hair-dryer, and that the camps were the only way to go!
Our first stop was Tortilis Camp in Amboseli, with amazing views of Kilimanjaro. We only had 2 days there, but the mountain was clearly visible both days, which we were assured was unusual. The camp was wonderful, the tents were beautiful, the food amazing. The camp had relief managers whilst we were there, & I had read poor reviews (TripAdvisor I think) of them, but the young couple we met could not have been more approachable and helpful: they seemed to be available to everyone from when we staggered out on our morning drive to when we left the bar at bedtime. We saw more elephants than I had ever imagined, plus a plethora of other animals.
Our next stop was Porini Lion Camp in the Masai Mara: obviously not quite as luxurious as Tortilis, but still supremely comfortable with wonderful staff. We had an amazing driver/spotter combination who found us Fig the leopard, 3 cheetahs & a pride of lions on our first morning drive: they knew all about the animals & their families, where to find them and always made sure we got the best shots possible. Even when Fig walked UNDER our 4 wheel drive..! I couldn't believe how close to the animals we could get without them showing any interest in us at all.
We saw the tail end of the migration, but couldn't watch (much to the amusement of our guides!) as a crocodile tossed a baby zebra around in the river.
The communal dining was fun, meeting people from all over the world & comparing stories of the day's drive. The food was tasty & plentiful and the wine flowed freely. We had a hippo munching outside our tent 2 nights running & heard lions roaring, but never felt unsafe. The cup of tea delivered at 05h30 before the morning drive was always appreciated.
We have absolutely no complaints, but would do a couple of things differently if we went again: I think we'd go to Porini first, keeping Tortilis as a luxury to relax at a little before the trek home. They have a pool & laundry facilities, & wonderful showers ( not that we didn't enjoy the 'bush' showers at Porini) .
We would try not to have such a prolonged day on our last day - our usual early morning game drive, then the flight back to Wilson, then a wait at Nairobi airport for over 2 hours before our gate even opened & we could check in, with no facilities at all, followed by a 23 hr trip back to Australia.
IF we had any complaint, it was the pot-luck of people we shared our drives with! Our first companions were 3 rather loud ladies who talked about work loudly & constantly: they were always amazed when we spotted animals - 'how did you see that?' Answer: because we were looking! They slept in the second morning, & missed an amazing drive. Thankfully our companions on the drives at Porini were great. I realise that it's just pot luck, but they really spoilt our first day.
I'm afraid I would not recommend the visit to a Masai village: we found it quite confronting and the pressure to buy was huge. Perhaps it would have been better if we'd been in a larger group, but there were only the 2 of us.
Lastly, no-one seems to take the dress code very seriously, (neutral colours only) so I would advise people to be sensible but not shell out on a lot of clothes just for the trip. We did laugh at the teenager we saw alighting at the Mara airstrip in multi-coloured fluro leggings & a ripped lime green fluro singlet though!
Sarah
Photo below is by Sarah
Lyndsay and Julia - 13 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania, October 2013
Dear Cuan,
First and only problem was we arrived from Zanzibar to Safari Park Hotel a day early at our own cost, and expected contact from the safari operator to tell us when we should be picked up on the day of departure, but this didn't happen. This despite the fact that when we checked into the hotel we told them that we were with a safari group and gave them the details. So on our first day we got a late phone call from hotel reception asking if we were going on safari - the operators were looking for us and were about to leave. Operator of safari said the hotel told them we were not even staying there, so it was all a bit confusing! Anyway we left a couple of hours late, and went on our way. The little mini-buses used in Kenya are really crummy on the rough roads (our driver got us bogged in sand trying to avoid the corrugations!!) even at slow speeds in the parks. They're way too cramped and just not suited to the roads, even though most operators use various versions of them.
However, our driver was a very good guide and found us exciting new sights each day, so that certainly offset the discomfort, as did our accommodation (except for Lake Nakuru which was very ordinary!). Joshua our driver and guide was very helpful overall and good with information, looking up books to help, and finding animals in otherwise impossible-to-see locations. We were thrilled from moment to moment by the experiences!
The balloon ride in the Masai Mara was fantastic.
The one thing we found a bit disappointing was not realising that some of the accommodation was outside of the parks/reserves. Particularly Amboseli, where instead of two game drives in a day it was better to do one long one with a picnic lunch. Nothing particularly wrong with that, but more explicit information at the beginning would have been better.
The vehicle in Tanzania was much better suited to its task and again our guide, Mbeni, was very knowledgable and amazing at spotting things we would not have otherwise seen. Generally the Tanzania parks are better managed and better regulated than those in Kenya, where guides and drivers seemed to go off road at will to get to sights, and also to crowd in around lions in particular. In Tanzania all were very much better behaved and much more respectful of the parks and the animals.
The Masai village experience was appalling, just a rip-off with children obviously deliberately covered in dirt to gain touristic sympathies, although we really didn't mind supporting them with purchases and donations, so there was no real need for the deceptions!
However, we found that each park we visited offered something new - the huge herds of elephants in Amboseli were so impressive, as were the monkeys there, while the flamingos and white rhinos in Lake Nakuru were thrilling. And we saw the black rhinos in Ngorongoro Crater, a special treat. Across the trip we saw all the big five, on more than one occasion. Great experience!!
One trap we fell into - 'new' dollars. I obtained completely new US dollar notes ($100) from the bank in Saudi Arabia - all new, all consecutive numbers - only to have them rejected by traders (not the banks) because they were printed in 1996!!!!!
Basically the sights and sounds overwhelmed any passing discomforts, and we would not have missed out on this trip for anything.
On a political note, we're glad the European colonists were thrown out of these countries with their amazing resources, very glad the slave trade ended, but a bit sad to see the continuing exploitation of both land and natural resources and the people, under obviously corrupt and neglectful governments. The future for the reserves and the wildlife with continued poaching and encroachment is shaky it seems.
Thanks for all your help and your invitation to provide some feedback.
Lyndsay and Julia
Sandra and Karl - Southern Africa Safari, September / October 2013
Hi Cuan,
Just had to write and thank you profusely for organising our once in a lifetime African holiday. We loved every minute and everyday was a new adventure. Everywhere we stayed had the WOW factor, I never thought it would impress us that much but we were both mesmerized by the animals, people, lodges, food, wine, everything.....
Everything lived up to our expectations, in fact exceeded them. From the moment we arrived at the beautiful Victoria Falls Hotel, to the luxury of the Ichobezi houseboat down the Zambezi, to the stunning Shinde Camp in the Okavango Delta, across to breathtaking Kruger National Park, beautiful Cape Town, the sublime Cape Grace Hotel and mouthwatering Mt. Rochell Vineyard in the Winelands, could not fault a single thing!!!! I kept thinking nothing could beat this but the next stop always exceeded the last...AMAZING!!!!!
I cannot stop raving about it and will gladly recommend you to future travellers.
Kind Regards,
Sandra and Karl.
Josie and Gerald - 13 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania with extra nights Jo'burg and Nairobi, September / October 2013
Thanks Cuan
It's hard getting back to the usual - but the memories! WOW!
Of hundreds of highlights was the hot air balloon on The Serengeti - fabulous. Almost didn't go because it was so breezy, but it died down and we sailed away. I recommend ANYONE going to do it, either at The Mara or Serengeti, as it is a superb experience.
Uploading photos today, so it's lovely reminiscing.
We had a superb time. Gerald and I felt very well taken care of, safe, fed and watered…..
The whole trip was very well planned and executed with the exception of a few VERY (overly) long days.
The four pieces of feedback we give yourselves & Pollmans are exceptions to our fabulous time and are listed as follows:
1. The van on the Kenya portion is not nearly as nice as the 4x4 used in Tanzania. Although the Kenyan driver was great.
2. The day from Lake Nakuru to Amboseli is very long, with a lot of time spent on the road. It would be nice if that was possible to break into 2 days.
3. Driver / guides sometimes text while driving, which can be quite worrying!
4. Accommodation - was generally delightful! The Sopa lodges at The Mara and Amboseli, however, are a bit run down and daggy, but the rest of them were great! The food was fabulous and abundant at all lodges and always fresh.
Gerald and I thank you for helping create such wonderful memories - he had a great 40th birthday! (I'll tell you what, it's a lot for him to try and beat for mine in a couple of years)!
We will definitely be back and will use African Ubuntu to book, you have been so fabulous to liaise with and it has been a real pleasure corresponding with you.
We will certainly continue to recommend African Ubuntu to our friends and family who are all very keen in understanding how such an incredible trip comes together!
We can't WAIT to book our next safari- next time tented!
See you on Facebook!
With many thanks
Josie & Gerald
Sriyani - 13 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania, September 2013
Hi Cuan,
Arrived home only yesterday. I had 6 days in Sri Lanka on my way home.
It was a great trip. Everything was well taken care of. Both companies (Pollmans and Rangers) offered us very good service. I am glad I travelled with them and booked through you.
Travellers don't realise the importance of booking with a local expert when they visit destinations like Africa. (I saw on the website that you were South African and your parents are running a branch office in Jo'burg. I thought that would be handy in case of an emergency - that is why I booked through you). There were people in the Kenyan group with messy itineraries prepared by major travel companies. Happy to share with you - just for the sake of interest.
1. A lady from QLD did the Kenya tour with Pollmans and was heading to the Victoria Falls. She booked through an agent who advised her to get visas before departure which cost her a fortune. The funny thing was - she was told to get a visa to Tanzania. She wasn't an experienced traveller so she thought the Victoria Falls was in Tanzania. When I said it wasn't, she said she must be going through Tanzania and might need a transit visa - that is why they advised her to get one! I knew she wasn't, but kept quiet.
2. The sad story is about an elderly British couple who were with us in Kenya and doing the same tour with Rangers in Tanzania. They booked through an agent in the UK who made this stupid itinerary for them.
On the last day of the Kenya tour the van dropped me (and another guy) at the border and we were taken over by Rangers. This couple who were in the van with us had to go back to Nairobi, stay overnight in a hotel and fly to Tanzania the next day. They had another night in Tanzania before starting the tour. So, they were 2 days behind us in Tanzania, paid for extra 2 nights accommodation and worst of all - had to do the 3 hour journey on the bumpy roads from the Namanga border to Nairobi.
When they realised what their travel agent had done, they enquired from Pollmans if they could cross the border with us, but Pollmans were reluctant as everything was arranged the other way, flights booked and hotels paid for. I don't think they will ever book with that agent again.
I heard about the Nairobi hostage drama while in Sri Lanka and was counting my blessings. Luck was on my side considering the time I decided to travel. The airport fire happened 3 weeks before my arrival and the hostage drama 3 days after I left.
Thanks a lot for arranging a wonderful trip for me. Happy to recommend your company to those planning to travel in Kenya and Tanzania.
Kind Regards.
Sriyani
Kevin & Marilyn, Ronald & Helen, John & Jane, Colin & Sue, John & Margaret - Southern Africa Safari, September 2013
Cuan,
We have returned home from a most amazing tour.
All we can say is "WOW" ! What an experience - it surpassed all of our expectations.
The organisation of the 3 camps, ie, Kasaka then Savuti (Letaka Tented Camp) then Shinde was so thoughtfully in order that we think you could not have done any better. The travel arrangements and the co-ordinated light plane trips were spot on. The guides were just great, particularly at Kasaka and at Suvuti; and I would like you to give them a big rap if possible.
To cap the trip we were met by your parents and they were terrific. All in all, fantastic.
Marli's dream of going to Africa has more than been all she had expected. I can't thank you - and Gerald and Louise - enough.
Arican Ubuntu is highest on my recommendations to friends and others.
Kind regards,
Kevin
Photos below are from Kevin and Marilyn
Hi Cuan,
One Word
Fantastic
Far exceeded my expectations
Your recommendations, order and choice of safari camps, service providers were spot on.
Charter flights were professional and on time, Hotels excellent, (The Victoria Falls a standout)
The Cape Town tour and the Blue Train a great way to finish before flying home.
It was a pleasure to meet your folks. They certainly 'went the extra mile' to ensure all went well, and we really enjoyed their company and input on our tour of Pretoria.
I would happily recommend you and African Ubuntu to anybody considering an African getaway.
Thanks,
John and Margaret.
Hi Cuan,
Ron & I fully endorse the remarks John & Margaret made re our trip. Everything was just so well organised & saw lots of animals. I really loved Letaka camp even though we roughed it a bit except for the food which was amazing and Nkosi is an amazing man. If I had to find something to change maybe a day less at Shinde & a day extra at Cape Town. Thank you for the good seats going over as all of us had a spare seat between us. Coming back was a challenge but was a shorter flight. SA Airlines plane didn't have as much leg room I thought. Certainly will recommend your Ubuntu tours to anyone thinking of going to Africa. Your parents were so helpful and it was lovely spending time with them in Pretoria, they made it so easy when we arrived in Jo'burg having them there.
With thanks
Ron & Helen
Dear Cuan
Thank you, our whole trip was everything that we could have hoped for. A bonus to meet your so very kind and helpful parents.
We will be sure to recommend Ubuntu to all .
Kind regards
John and Jane
Cuan,
We really enjoyed the trip. It was fantastic.
Your organisation worked exceptionally well, with people and guides arranged at every transfer. It all went as clockwork.
I think your choice of Safari destinations was great. First a fantastic lodge with great hosts and safari drive guides, then Victoria Falls elegance, then Savuti down to earth and basic camping and great guides again. Then Shinde upmarket with a different landscape and change of pace. Finally Cape Town and the Blue Train were great.
I don’t think anyone else could pack as much into a 19 day holiday and have it run so smoothly the way you have done for us.
Thank you also for accommodating our quirks with bedding and windows. Everything was fine.
Attached include some of my favourite photographs.
Thank you again.
Regards
Colin
Photos below are from Colin and Sue
John - Kenya Classic Small Group Safari, October / November 2013
Hi Cuan,
I enjoyed the trip and the follow on trip through Uganda with Kazinga tours. Some feedback below:-
The standard of accommodation was good, probably better than I expected.
The itinerary sounded good, but in fact we were all (seven of us) a bit disappointed with it.
We all took the balloon flight which was a highlight of the trip, and although the lodge in the Masai Mara was nice, it was a long way up a road which was more like a creek bed.
We all thought that a full day driving to Lake Nakuru in time for a short game drive was too much, considering that it was a full day back to Amboseli the next day.
The driver took us for about 2 hours through heavy Nairobi traffic going from Nakuru to Amboseli, and said it was to pick up lunch boxes. This meant we did not have time for any game drive that day. Did not make sense!
The next day at Amboseli, he only wanted to give us a morning drive, and only reluctantly included the afternoon drive when we said our schedule showed 2 drives.
As a result, he flew through the park on the last day and deposited us at the airport around midday, for a 5 hour wait to fly out.
Overall, I am not unhappy with the experience, but Pollmans could not be described as a caring company.
Regards,
John
James & Yu - Best of Kenya and Tanzania, September 2013
Hi Cuan:
Firstly I like to let you know that I had a wonderful and unforgettable holiday. I like to thank you so much for all your thoughtful help which made my trip so successful. I will definitely recommend you to anyone who interesting to go for the Africa safari. Also I like to go back there in the near future and I will contact you for your help again.
Thanks
James
Clare and Neville - Vic Falls, Chobe, Delta and Kruger Park Safari, September 2013
Hi Cuan,
We are finally home from our trip. Been through so many time zones it has taken a bit to catch up. Not sure the body clock is functioning all that well yet.
Just wanted to say what a fabulous time we had on the Safaris. Every one of them was just unbelievable I had to keep pinching myself. I was actually there within touching distance of a wild lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, hippo, and the list goes on. We saw everything we wanted to see and then some!!!!!
All your bookings and arrangements went off without a glitch. Everything was on time and accommodation was everything we wanted, especially Pom Pom that certainly was a huge highlight for us. Can’t thank you enough for all your organization. An acquaintance of ours has your details and will probably be making contact with you soon to book a trip after hearing all about our trip. People like word of mouth recommendations, they were waiting to hear how our trip went.
Your dad was so, so kind to us also. We will be making contact with him separately to thank him. I will try to ring you next week sometime to thank you personally and chat about the trip. When we have gone through our photos I will put some of them on your Facebook page.
Thank you again for the trip of a lifetime. I hope we can go back again one day in the not too distant future to see more.
Regards,
Clare and Neville
Annie - 10 Day Tanzania Lodge and Masai Mara Tented Camp Safari, August / September 2013
Hi Cuan,
I had an amazing tour of Tanzania & the Masai Mara. The accommodation was superb and the game drives were fabulous. The staff from both Ranger Safari and Pollmans were great.
I was in a group of 7 in Tanzania with people from Germany, Ireland, Scotland & the USA. We had a wide range of ages, and we all got on very well. Our driver/guide, Steven, was an amazing spotter of animals. The roads were an adventure in themselves! Our driver expertly navigated his way along them. It was so much fun on the game drives being able to stand up in the vehicle and look out with the wind blowing in your face.
We saw so many animals and birds. It is great knowing the animals roam free, it adds to the excitement as you never know what might be under or in the next tree or around the next bend. We were able to get so close to so many animals it was utterly mesmerising.
The ground staff at Wilson airport were fantastic. My flight from Tanzania was delayed. The staff at Wilson airport rushed a group of us through customs and sorted the bags from one aircraft to the next. They were all so friendly and helpful.
Governor's Camp in the Masai Mara was great. The game drives were wonderful. The sunrises beautiful.
The full day tour in Nairobi was also good, in particular the Giraffe Centre.
I thoroughly recommend your company. Your network of companies in Africa is great. If I get an opportunity to travel to Africa again I will endeavour to travel in one of your tours.
Thanks for arranging an unforgettable holiday for me.
Regards,
Annette
Photos below were taken by Annette
Margaret and Max - 13 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania, August / September 2013
Hi Cuan,
Max and I had a fantastic time! We saw everything we wanted to see plus much more - the big 5, including several leopards, and both black and white rhino. Everything seemed to have young including the cheetahs. From the balloon flight we watched the migrating herds massing and later that day crossing the Mara River. Our second week we concentrated on smaller game, serval, mongoose (5 species), snakes and those fantastic purple lizards with red heads - Africa has so much to see! And the birds - flamingos, flocks of love birds, crested cranes and the wonderfully grotesque ground hornbills.
Plenty of excitement too, being charged by a bull elephant in musth (he hadn't been noticed in a large herd of females) and keeping a lookout for lions and buffalo while our guide changed a flat tyre in the middle of nowhere. I had a camera malfunction early in the tour but it didn't matter. Our guide said it was better to see Africa through your heart than though a camera lens and he was right.
The lodge accommodation and food were excellent, much better than we were expecting. Each location was very different, some quite spectacular, and each lodge had its own attractions.
We particularly appreciated having Gerald take care of us in Johannesburg and transfer us to and from the airport. This took away our dread of navigating around in a strange city and he made us feel very welcome.
We want to thank you for your help and advice before we left. We always felt we were well looked after and would very much recommend your company.
Warmest regards,
Margaret and Max
PS: We very much recommend the Boma Hotel in Nairobi - a wonderful place to stay after a very long, dusty last day.
Photos below are by Margaret and Max
Margaret and Max - 13 Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania, August / September 2013
Hi Cuan,
Max and I had a fantastic time! We saw everything we wanted to see plus much more - the big 5, including several leopards, and both black and white rhino. Everything seemed to have young including the cheetahs. From the balloon flight we watched the migrating herds massing and later that day crossing the Mara River. Our second week we concentrated on smaller game, serval, mongoose (5 species), snakes and those fantastic purple lizards with red heads - Africa has so much to see! And the birds - flamingos, flocks of love birds, crested cranes and the wonderfully grotesque ground hornbills.
Plenty of excitement too, being charged by a bull elephant in musth (he hadn't been noticed in a large herd of females) and keeping a lookout for lions and buffalo while our guide changed a flat tyre in the middle of nowhere. I had a camera malfunction early in the tour but it didn't matter. Our guide said it was better to see Africa through your heart than though a camera lens and he was right.
The lodge accommodation and food were excellent, much better than we were expecting. Each location was very different, some quite spectacular, and each lodge had its own attractions.
We particularly appreciated having Gerald take care of us in Johannesburg and transfer us to and from the airport. This took away our dread of navigating around in a strange city and he made us feel very welcome.
We want to thank you for your help and advice before we left. We always felt we were well looked after and would very much recommend your company.
Warmest regards,
Margaret and Max
PS: We very much recommend the Boma Hotel in Nairobi - a wonderful place to stay after a very long, dusty last day.
Photos below are by Margaret and Max
Christine and Steven - 14 Day Asilia Tanzania and Zanzibar Safari, August / September 2013
Hi Cuan,
Max and I had a fantastic time! We saw everything we wanted to see plus much more - the big 5, including several leopards, and both black and white rhino. Everything seemed to have young including the cheetahs. From the balloon flight we watched the migrating herds massing and later that day crossing the Mara River. Our second week we concentrated on smaller game, serval, mongoose (5 species), snakes and those fantastic purple lizards with red heads - Africa has so much to see! And the birds - flamingos, flocks of love birds, crested cranes and the wonderfully grotesque ground hornbills.
Plenty of excitement too, being charged by a bull elephant in musth (he hadn't been noticed in a large herd of females) and keeping a lookout for lions and buffalo while our guide changed a flat tyre in the middle of nowhere. I had a camera malfunction early in the tour but it didn't matter. Our guide said it was better to see Africa through your heart than though a camera lens and he was right.
The lodge accommodation and food were excellent, much better than we were expecting. Each location was very different, some quite spectacular, and each lodge had its own attractions.
We particularly appreciated having Gerald take care of us in Johannesburg and transfer us to and from the airport. This took away our dread of navigating around in a strange city and he made us feel very welcome.
We want to thank you for your help and advice before we left. We always felt we were well looked after and would very much recommend your company.
Warmest regards,
Margaret and Max
PS: We very much recommend the Boma Hotel in Nairobi - a wonderful place to stay after a very long, dusty last day.
Photos below are by Margaret and Max
Christine and Steven - 14 Day Asilia Tanzania and Zanzibar Safari, August / September 2013
Hi Cuan,
Well, what a great holiday,where do I start? After a long and gruelling flight, we arrived at Onsea House. Lovely, only hiccup was there was no power so the hot shower I was dreaming about didn't happen for about 3 hours until a generater was started up and problem solved. Next morning our guide Eustace picked us up and took us to Tarangire. What a great park. It was our favourite one, the wildlife was the most prolific in this park, very closeup to the vehicle. The landscape had the most diversity of all the parks and we sighted many of all the animals in many different habitats. Little Olivers also turned out to be our favourite camp, wonderful location, elephants outside our tent, lions walking thru early in the morning, the staff were great, made the stay especially good.
Lake Manyara was next and a little disappointing, not much to see, and after 3 days being bounced around in the jeep on safari we probably would have been happy to spend a half day relaxing by the pool at the beautiful Exploreans Lodge before the next full day at Ngorongoro.
This crater was amazing, the landscape here was flat, we didn't see as many animals here, but the highlight was seeing a lioness and her 2 cubs just leisurely taking a walk along the road. We got some great pictures. Serengeti was wonderful. We saw the wildebeests crossing the river, although it wasn't a big run, it was still amazing and we got good photos. We saw a rhino in this park, which was quite amazing since there are only 25 in the whole of the Serengeti. We saw all the animals, lion, leopold, cheetah, hippo, rhino, wildebeest, zebra, elephant, Cape buffalo, Thomson's gazelle, impala, giraffe, hyena, jackal etc. The balloon flight was a real highlight, we saw so many animals from the air so early in the morning. I could go on and on.
Let me say that the standard and quality of all the accommodation was without fault and the food was outstanding everywhere. We especially liked the camps, the hospitality was wonderful.
Matemwe Lodge was a great place to recuperate after the frenetic safari pace, what a place to relax.
Once again the hospitality of the staff, their easygoing friendliness and their commitment to making our stay the best it could possibly be was to be thoroughly commended.
Thank you Cuan for a great holiday, we saw and enjoyed everything we wanted to experience, met some beautiful fellow travellers and most of all met the most wonderful local people who we will never forget.
Congratulations for a perfect holiday package.
Chris
Robyn & Catherine - Kenya, Vic Falls and Botswana Safari, August / September 2013
Hi Cuan,
We had a wonderful time. All our pick ups were spot on and everything thanks to you worked very well. Loved Ambosili Porini Camp, the manager and guides were great we were at first put in the wilderness camp which didn't look like our picture so we sorted that out. We saw lots of animals even a small crossing in the Mara. It's very dry in a lot of places, I'll never complain about a drought in Australia again. I wasn't impressed with Chobe the guides and 10 in a safari weren't good. Loved Pom Pom. Balloo said to tell you that you owe him a visit. The guides there were fantastic we enjoyed it very much. Caught up with some of your other clients in Victoria Falls, Christian Fero, they were enjoying themselves. Thank you very much for organizing such a great tour for us. Will recommend Ubuntu Safaris to our friends.
Cheers Robyn
Hi Cuan,
Thank you for organising a great trip, everything went well and I thoroughly enjoyed my first trip to Africa. Will recommend you to others.
Regards,
Catherine
Philip & Tess - Botswana, Madagascar Itinerary, August / September 2013
Thanks Cuan,
The incident in Antananarivo was unpleasant, however it could have happened in almost any city anywhere. We have put it down to experience. We did inform the Jenman guide. We’re unsure whether he passed it on as he was a freelancer and possibly didn’t. We’re attempting to claim some insurance so perhaps your passing the matter on to Jenman may be of help.
We had a truly wonderful time. All flights, accommodation and transfers were fine.
The Jenman Safari met all expectations, in some cases surpassed them. The accommodation in Elephants Eye in Zimbabwe was extraordinary for example, being 5 star.
The overnight stop in Namibia was probably superfluous - we have passed on our thoughts to Jenman. If we had our time over again we may have chosen a safari that was less frenetic, but we certainly can’t complain about the guides who were wonderful and the places we visited (barring Namibia) which were all we could have expected.
Overall we found the African experience one we will treasure. The African (east anyway) is remarkable for it’s diversity of wildlife and is remarkably unspoilt, and therefore refreshing. A special thanks to Gerald whose presence and welcome were much appreciated.
Many thanks for putting it all together for us.
Regards, Phil & Tess.
David - Best of Kenya and Tanzania, August 2013
Wow, what a GREAT trip, it was a perfect time to go and everything went very well, (except for a flat tyre on the way in Tanzania!) The lodgings were very nice and what a surprise to find out in the middle of nowhere, the staff and service were all excellent, way too much food, but it sure made the day complete. Both companies had an excellent driver and took care of the group I was with - great.
We saw just about everything you would be looking for, except a black Rhino, still a lot of water on the plains and keeping the animals close on the plains. We had the big 5 and more! Leopards in the trees with their kill nearby in the tree, a big male Lion with his morning kill lounging in the sun by the roadside with Hyaenas trying to distract him for a quick grab and go.
4 Lionesses not 10' from the road in the shade, a Cheetah in the grass, Elephants that came right up to the truck, wonderful Giraffes staring at us, the morning balloon ride was awesome and the breakfast brunch on the Serengeti was a highlight to enjoy and remember.
The only bad thing was the waiting at the airport upon arrival, traffic and rain made for a long wait to the Hotel, (Intercontinental) very nice, a bit pricy for food. The airport was doing a great job for what happened there and moved along quickly, then a 2 hr drive from the airport to the Hotel, the rain and traffic were terrible.
I would recommend to others to bring safety glass or wrap around glasses for when you are standing up in the trucks, very dusty.
Took a lot of videos and pictures, and my 60th birthday is a special one to me, Thank You very much again and if ANYONE shows an interest in going on a trip like this, I will forward your name and company to them. Cheers, Dave.
Annette & Jill - Tanzania and Zanzibar Safari, August 2013
Dear Cuan,
Yes we had an amazing time !!!
I was a little relucant to go but it exceeded all my expectations!
Kennedy our driver was just fantastic, and we were lucky having only 4 of us plus him in the van. We got on extremely well with the other couple 2 teachers from Qld. We had lots of laughs.
Arusha Coffee Lodge was lovely and a fantastic start to our holiday.
On the road the next /first day we saw an Elephant cross the bitumen road!! and there were 3 or 4 more in the bushes, this was very exciting.
Lake Manyara - we thoroughly enjoyed the lodge (Lake Manyara Serena Lodge) and pool, and our first sighting of animals in the wild.
I think Serengeti was the highlight as we saw so many different kinds of animals in those 2 days and I think that overshadowed the Ngorongoro Crater, although it in itself was amazing, we didn't see such a variety, although hundreds of Wildebeest, Zebra's and of course we saw the Flamingoes, thank goodness! and Birds, a few Elephants etc.
We did change rooms at Ngorongoro Sopa lodge as we were the last room at the bottom of the hill and I had difficulty walking up what with the altitude etc. We were lucky with the weather the first day sunny and lovely as that night and next day were misty cold and raining.
Also we changed rooms at Tarangire Sopa Lodge as also second last room up the hill and that with all the stairs to go up to dining room I was quite breathless!
Couldn't believe it finished so quickly.
I will let Annette (below) tell you about our "Cheetah incident" very exciting!
We had a lovely time at Zanzibar Serena Inn in Zanzibar, and thoroughly enjoyed our time there on halfday trips every day.
Thank you for your organizing of our trip, it all went smoothly (well, except the last day as our flight to Dar was cancelled). However our driver picked us up earlier and got us there in time to get an earlier flight from Zanzibar to Dar, and that gave us more time there too!
Regards
Jill
Hi Cuan,
Sorry so long in replying the days have gone so fast since we got home, and of course I have been very busy sorting photos and it is still going .......
On arriving home friends asked "how was it, did you enjoy the safari"and I said out of 1-10 it was 13!! Firstly I think we were very lucky with only 4 of us in the 4wd (maybe you had something to do with that). Secondly we had the best driver/guide Kennedy, he was fantastic in all ways ... best driver, organizer, narrator, he could see for miles and found us animals with no-one else around and his knowledge of the area was 100% and it was obvious to us that he was very respected by his peers and by us certainly!
Seeing animals in the wild is so very different, and after our first day in the Serengeti Park where we sighted 40ish animals 24 different ones we thought it could not get better!
But our second day was very exciting...we left the Serengeti Sopa Lodge at 8.15 (another plus for Kennedy he didn't have us leaving the Lodge at the crack of dawn) saw Cape Buffalo, Lions mating, Giraffes and Flamingos and Birds at Lake Magadi all in the first hour .
Then on the side of the road in the middle of flat treeless land and no other cars in sight were 3 cheetahs sitting majestically on a rock. After a few minutes they left the rock and started to walk across the road 10 metres in front of the car, 2 meandered off the other side of the road, but the third walked towards the car, Kennedy said to us, don`t worry they don`t jump!! We then knew that he was not telling the truth as 1/2 minute later he was on the bonnet staring at us, (remember the roof was open with Jill & me standing up in the front) we were all wondering what next, but not worried, as Kennedy also said they don`t like human odour!! We were still taking photos, until the cheetah turned and was sniffing the air vent, his head above the roof. As his front legs went on the roof, photos stopped and as he was about to jump up, his face 60 cms from my face, Kennedy started the engine with a loud roar! The cheetah got a fright and slid off the car leaving behind 4 relieved tourists and we think 1 driver and 8 nail scratches down the windscreen and across the bonnet.
The cheetah fell to the ground and slowly ran off to join his friends who were silently watching some Thompson Gazelles. The whole incident lasted only 5 minutes!
Lots of discussion followed as to what would have happened had he jumped inside. Kennedy said he had never had this happen before, but had a colleague who had a cheetah inside the car and he quickly opened the doors and it went out, but gladly we will never know what would have been...........
The Crater was great also with lots of Lions, Zebra, Giraffe, Elephant, Wildebeest, Gazelle, Hippos, many birds and I got to see enough Flamingos in the Lake with a parade of Zebra & Wildebeest along the banks. We saw a Lioness kill which was quite dramatic and in contrast a Lioness with her babies, a Giraffe with baby and also Baby Elephant , Zebra and Thompson Gazelle.
We got a rare sighting of Wild Dog in Tarangire Park. The late game drive there was very peaceful, we spent 30 minutes watching 11 Elephants and 2 babies once again with no-one else around us, and then the sunset was amazing, just us in the wilderness. We were back at the Tarangire Sopa Lodge at 7pm in time for a great last night Bar-B Q.
A few negatives, the lodges mainly were very good. Lake Manyara Serena was great even though the room was not the best of all the lodges, but the ambiance, pool and entertainment were good. The other Lodges our room was so far away from the facilities, we had to change as Jill had trouble walking up the steep ramps. They need to take into consideration the age of their visitors and no phone in rooms is a worry in case of emergency.
Transfers were good except for Zanzibar-Dar with the cancellation of our flight, so we were rushed out of Mashariki to catch the earlier flight (it seemed that the two flights were put together).
I would highly recommend the Mashariki, dinner at Emerson Spice and all the tours of Stone Town, spice and the Forest. We didn`t make the Sandbank picnic, too rough for the boat ride.
Two of my friends are very interested in our tour, which I have recommended, but the long drive from Manyara to Serengeti was not good. Took us 5 hrs on horrid road and then back again, maybe there is some other way. There is a lot of work being done on the roads so hopefuly in time they will improve.
I shall see next trip!!
Sorry this is so long, but hard to shorten such an adventure - I could go on for pages.
It would be our pleasure to share the photos with others. I have added a couple more (below) that fit into the story, plus my favorite lion photo. She was 1 of 5 sitting together on a rock.
Hope to speak again in the future.
Best regards
Thank you very much.
Annette
Lyn & Scott - Amboseli and Mara Fly-in safari, August 2013
Hi Cuan,
We had a fantastic time on Safari. All three locations were great. Porini Amboseli staff were exceptional and very personal in their approach, food and accommodation was exceptional and the animals and experience of the whole package including the Balloon Flight in the Masai Mara was just out of this world.
We did have some problems getting to Nairobi when the Terminal caught on fire and the Airline we were booked on was of no help at all but we would like to thank you personally for helping us get a last minute booking with Kenya Airlines whom were also fantastic. Your actions saved our holiday and made everything flow smoothly from then on.
We would also like to give a special thanks to your father who lives in Johannesburg for his offers of assistance.
We look forward to using African Ubuntu for holiday bookings in Africa in the future and would happily recommend you and your company to anybody wishing to travel to Africa.
All the best for you and your family,
Lyn and Scott
Cairns, Australia
Noela - Kenya Safari, August 2013
Hello Cuan
Thank you for the welcome home. Although it is good to be back, it was a truly marvellous experience which topped my trip last year. I have thoughts of returning even though I had decided beforehand it was my last tour overseas. Africa has somehow captured my heart. My son, daughter in law and granddaughter (aged 7) are now keen to see it too in spite of my not having had the chance to tell them about it in detail. They were impressed. The organisation of this tour was impressive as was your competence and your father’s. It really had the personal touch as well. It was quite a terrible start but the rest of the tour more than compensated for that experience. I owe you my thanks for organising the apology I received from the Peermont Mondior Hotel. They really excelled themselves for their incompetence in handling my booking. The Airport Grand was unimpressive.
The Porini Camps (Amboseli Porini & Porini Rhino) were exceptional for their hospitality and efficiency – nothing was too much trouble for management and staff - catering and activities at the camp (game drives, sundowners, walking safaris - unfortunately I could not fit in a night drive.) Could not fault a thing. Everyone was so friendly, it felt like a home away from home. They deserve the highest accolades. My transport concerns were unwarranted. It was handled like clockwork. Gamewatchers Safaris are certainly an impressive operation – attention to detail is unsurpassed as far as I am concerned. Next time I would like to extend my stay at each camp by a day at least so that I could relax and space out the activities. Your choice of venues was excellent and more than covered my expectations. Actually I think travelling by myself made it more sociable as I was forced to seek others company.
Although I do not regret the road experience to Lake Elementaita etc, I would not tackle that again. The roads were in such a dreadful condition, that the drives were a lot longer than expected. It was good however to see the countryside from ground level once. I would prefer to travel by light aircraft in future. I enjoyed staying at the Sunbird Lodge. I would have liked a bit longer there so that I had time to enjoy the location.
The three hour tour of Johannesburg would not be repeated by me because we spent a long time held up in traffic although it did give me an overall view of the city. Next time I would probably tour Soweto, as my driver recommended it and I have heard other reports about it.
Thank you very much for organising such a wonderful experience for me. Asante sana.
Kindest regards
Noela