Clients Trip Reports East & Southern Africa: Jan – Mar 2025

Zimbabwe and Botswana Flying Safari

Elena, we just want to thank you for planning the most wonderful safari for our family.  Every detail, every camp, every experience was top notch and wonderful.

Linkwasha was absolutely beautiful and our guide Leo is definitely someone to recommend.

Chitabe Lediba was fabulous and while we were there, the owners showed us the new rooms they are building at main Chitabe.  They are truly another level and I would highly recommend them.

Vumbura Plains wowed the whole family and having Max as our guide made it so special.

Thank you again…looking forward to our next journey….

Heather Brady, Mar 2025

 

 

Family Safari to Tanzania

…We all LOVED our guides, Wilson and Epheriam … they were extremely knowledgeable in a variety of subjects and easy to spend time with.

Ziwani Lodge – the accommodations were excellent, food excellent and the staff was amazing …personable and anticipated our needs with ease… also we loved being the only guests… Still breathing in that beautiful entrance.

Lemala Ngorongoro – the accommodations were perfect!  It was our first tented camp, the food was very good and the staff exceptional!  They were so attentive to my 8 year old grandson, even made him a couple new arrows for the bow he got from the Bushmen… we really engaged with all of them and appreciated the amount of work it took to make this camp so special… especially enjoyed the farewell  song.

Siringit Migration Camp in the Serengeti – the location was excellent! Food was excellent … even with an 8 hour power outage, the staff was attentive and responsive.

Lemala Nanyukie – the accommodations and location were exceptional. We thought the food was very good. The Spa was great and we enjoyed several treatments.

We appreciated the order in which trip was designed… everyday was wonderful and we thought it couldn’t get any better… and then it did…thank you for making our safari truly a trip of a lifetime

With much appreciation,

Diane Stillman, Mar 2025

 

 

South Africa “Big Five” Safari with Mighty Falls and Cape Town

What an incredible adventure!

At Old Drift (Victoria Falls), we were alone with the guide on most game drives – basically private vehicle, and we absolutely loved the experience. We did whatever we wanted.  We saw SO many elephants – they were everywhere!  They were by our room, behind our tent by the river, out by the pool, etc. Didn’t see nearly that many anywhere else. We would go back just for the elephants.

River boat transfer from Old Drift on their departure – very special.  Wendy had a surprise birthday dinner on the dock, private dining, and candlelit. AMAZING!  Excellent guides. We saw double rainbows at the Falls – and our guide, Precious was wonderful!

On to the safari portion…Ngala Tented had the top guides and trackers. Amazing wildlife sightings – 3 separate sightings of leopards in trees. We saw wild dogs chasing impala and reached the wild dogs right after a kill, hyenas chased for leftovers, then elephant came chasing hyenas. 

At MalaMala we had good lion sightings and haven’t stopped raving about the up-close encounters. Off-roading in South Africa was an incredible experience.

Logistics of the itinerary worked out very well, we were very happy with it.

In Cape Town, our guide, Lucia, was great! We brought back 6 wine bottles from day of touring.

We loved the Queen Victoria Hotel and explored V&A every night, we felt very safe, and can’t wait to go back.

We HAVE to go back – we are considering Botswana & Zambia, or maybe Tanzania, but we definitely want to return to South Africa again.

Thank you again for everything!

Trey Anderson and Wendy Lyle, Feb 2025

 

 

Exclusive Safari to Kenya, Zimbabwe and Botswana

Elena and Associates,

Thank you all for making our trip to Africa fabulous.  We had a wonderful time.  Everything went smoothly and all the people we encountered were wonderful.  All the safari camps and private guides were great.  The guides were all aware of what I wanted as a photographer, and they worked hard to get me in position for the shots I wanted.  Also, I particularly appreciate you making a last-minute change to allow us to do a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls–that was a truly stunning experience.  Cynthia, our guide at Victoria Falls was knowledgeable and charming.  Everyone was at the right place at the right time.  We couldn’t ask for any better experience.  I have been recommending AAC to my friends.  

Sincerely,

Cindy Ashley, Feb 2025

 

 

Safari Adventure and Gorilla Trekking to Uganda and Rwanda

Mark,

Thank you for taking the time to call us after our Uganda-Rwanda Mountain Gorilla adventure!  You’ve already received our raving reviews about the tour and of our Guide Eric Ndorere!

One subject that we didn’t mention was about SAFETY: We felt SAFE 100% of the time!

It was incredible that we had armed guards with us on our treks and even on our side excursion to the Batwa Village. Eric made sure that we were protected at all times.  When we arrived in Rwanda, the US travel advisory was at Level 3. Upon departing Rwanda, the advisory was at a Level 4.   Yet we still felt safe with Eric.  As he explained, “I have a family too and if I didn’t feel that it wasn’t safe, I’d let you know and divert plans”.  Arriving at Kigali airport: The safety measures that airport authorities took was for our utmost safety.

With much appreciation,

Jeri Broadfoot, Feb 2025

 

 

Flying Safari to Botswana

We had a great trip. All transfers and connections were completely seamless. The accommodations were lovely and the staff at all the camps were so welcoming and friendly. The guides were excellent, personable, and very knowledgeable. We had many great wildlife sightings… lions, elephants, leopards, giraffes and more. The birds were remarkable….

Overall though, a great experience! We really enjoyed it and the organization of the whole trip was outstanding.

Thanks!

Beth Foster, Feb 2025

 

 

Safari Extravaganza to Tanzania

What an adventure!

• Distinctive, remarkable accommodations throughout (Kahawa Cottages, Mpingo Ridge, Lion’s Paw, Lemala Ndutu and Lemala Nanyukie)
• We would have stayed at Mpingo Ridge for a month
• The hot bbq lunch on the Ngorongoro Crater floor was a nice surprise
• Wilson was an exceptional guide; not a jokester, but very respectful, polite and knowledgeable
• Excellent game viewing! Three cheetahs killed a wildebeest; lion killed zebra, lioness killed a zebra; leopard in a tree on the way from Nanyukie to Seronera Airstrip; 30 lions sighted over the course of one day in Eastern Serengeti
• Our custom Tipping chart was very appreciated; not all the other guests staying at the same places had one; We decided to tip more for Wilson, our guide, than advised
• Jet lag – very glad we added the extra night at Kahawa cottages; if we had departed to Tarangire with only one night in Arusha, we would have been sapped of energy
• Anita and Fineas, the owners of Kahawa Cottafes, were very helpful as hosts

Lowell Grimm, Feb 2025

 

 

Plains and Primates Safari to Uganda and Tanzania

Hello Alison,

It was a fabulous trip. We are so grateful to you and your staff at Africa Adventure for your excellent itinerary, detailed planning and for ensuring that we were looked after, day in and day out…

As I mentioned,  I have traveled to East Africa on a few occasions but Brad had never been so it was great fun for me to see his reaction (for the first time) to the animals, the lodges, the Maasai, the guides and the food…

Thank you for a wonderful two weeks. It was everything we had hoped for.

Hilary Stephens, Feb 2025

 

 

Great Migration Calving Season Group Safari with Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Dear Alison and Company!

We had an absolutely fabulous trip. Jereimah was a wonderful guide – so knowledgeable and always able to score that perfect photo spot! He is a very personable young man and has a gentle demeanor. Lion’s Paw at Ngorongoro Crater was perfectly situated and well appointed. The staff at the Lamala camps were so warm and friendly – always looking to provide that extra touch! And the food was delicious and super fresh. We especially enjoyed the soups. 

Our driver-guide in Rwanda, Tarzan, was a delight! He lined us up with the best guides at Volcanoes National Park – including the famous Francois! Tarzan seems to know everyone there and arranged for the ideal treks. He helped us purchase 10 soccer balls and arranged for us to visit and deliver them to a local school in Kinigi. The kids were incredibly delighted and were so grateful. The staff at the Amakoro Songa went above and beyond! Not only did they provide leg gaiters and put them on us, we were treated to complimentary foot and leg massage after our trek!

Anita and your team on the ground are a great addition to Africa Adventure!

Nicki and Jeff Ubinger, Feb 2025  

 

 

Primate & Plains Safari to Uganda and Rwanda

Hi Mark,

Sorry it has taken so long to respond. After arriving home there has been an endless list of things to do and taxes!

Our trip to Uganda and Rwanda was a trip of a lifetime and is definitely in my top 3 now! It has been 30 years since I last visited East Africa and it is as special as I remembered it to be.

I loved all of the places where we stayed. Ndali Lodge was gorgeous and so historical. Aubrey and Claire’s hospitality made it all the more memorable.

Mweya Safari Lodge was exciting for me as it was the first place we stayed where there were warthogs and banded mongoose on the property. I also loved the boat ride on the Kazinga channel and getting so close to the hippos.

Ishasha Wilderness Camp was what I love about Africa. Sleeping in a tent, listening to the sounds of the animals and awakening in the middle of the night to a hippo grazing in front of my door. The surprise sunset cocktails in QE National Park was truly magical too!

Buhoma Lodge and Amokoro Songa were top notch too. The service, friendly staff and special care at all of the lodges and camps were perfect.

Of course, it goes without saying that the game drives, chimpanzee and gorilla treks were experiences that I’ll never forget.

Lastly, I cannot express enough how fortunate I feel to have had Eric Ndorere as our guide. He went above and beyond our expectations and I learned so much from him about the animals, conservation and the countries we visited.  His dedication to his community and passion are so inspiring and have left an indelible mark on my life…

The Broadfoots & I will definitely spread the word about how spectacular those countries are to visit.  I’ve already been asked by so many people who are curious about the trip.

You have done a remarkable job putting together this trip and I know it won’t be the last for me. I would love to see South Africa and Botswana next.

Thank you so much!

Kind regards,

Teri Watabe, Feb 2025

 

 

Primate & Plains Safari to Kenya & Uganda

Hi Miles and Maria,

We made it home safely from our trip and had an amazing time! Everything from start to finish went smoothly so thank you to everyone at Africa Adventure Company that helped make that possible! Thank you to Miles for helping us plan everything out and come up with our itinerary. We were really glad that we included Lewa Conservancy to our itinerary and really loved it there. It isn’t a place that I had heard a lot about and we had a great experience.  Thank you to Maria for all your help after we set up our itinerary!  Maria was very helpful in always answering my e-mails and/or calls and answering questions before we left for the trip!

We found the safari ‘Meet & Assist’ service was excellent on both arrival and on our last day. On arrival, it was smooth and he assisted us right through to meet our driver with no issues or stress.  We were especially thankful for Ruth on our way home who got us past huge security lines in order to make our connecting flight from Nairobi to Paris…

In Nairobi, we had a great experience with all the drivers and guides as well. Everyone was kind, helpful, and punctual throughout our time there. We enjoyed our half-day driver/guide to Sheldrick/Karen Blixen Museum.  We had a great experience with everyone in that company that we met.

Our first camp in Amboseli at Elewana Tortilis was very nice. Our guide was excellent, the property was very nice and we really enjoyed the food there! No complaints at all.

Probably our favorite property we stayed at was at Lewa Safari Camp.  We loved our room, the guides were excellent and the food was also excellent! They really made sure you enjoyed your stay from start to finish!

In the Mara, we also had a great experience at Offbeat Ndoto.  The animals we saw were amazing! The guide and all the staff were excellent at this property, we had wonderful meals and a great experience! The tent there was probably our least favorite but still nice.  Just a side note about the Mara, I was really glad we were staying in a conservancy area where they had some rules about the amount of vehicles at each animal sighting…I was glad that on the conservancy they were more respectful of the animals and limited the vehicles.

Onto Uganda and our gorilla trekking experience! Again, we had a wonderful experience! It was a LONG day to get there from Mara North but it was worth it.  Our driver, Mwijuka Gulielm was excellent throughout the 4 days we had him.  He was very kind, knowledgeable and always prepared with water for us to fill our water bottles for the hikes, snacks, our hiking sticks etc.  He was always on time each day and everything ran so smoothly with him and our accommodation at Mahogany Springs.  We really enjoyed our stay there and all the staff were wonderful!  The food was great too.  We would definitely recommend Speke Uganda Holidays and our guide to anyone!

A huge thank you to everyone that helped make our trip an amazing, memorable and stress free experience!

Thanks,

Cara and Andy Hobson, Jan-Feb 2025