Tanzania

Good Afternoon Mary, Mike and I arrived back from Kenya after what can only be described as a holiday of a lifetime. It was amazing. From start to finish it could not be faulted. We felt very privileged to be able to see all those animals in their natural environment and to be able to share that space. As for your organisation, it was the little things as well. The leather wallet and pen. Questions got answered promptly etc. etc. I could go on and on, but as I've said it was amazing. Thank you Mary

October 2019

Dear Michele, I have been trying to think of any ways in which you at Safari Consultants can improve your service. Sorry, all services as usual are spot on - PERFECT!!!

October 2019

Dear Rob, yet another superb holiday arranged by Safari Consultants! Masons provided every facility you would expect from a good travel agent. L’Archipel had good, friendly service. Restaurant serving creole food - OK but not my favourite. Denis Island was extremely well run, lovely friendly service, haute cuisine of the highest order, all produce grown on the island and of top quality. Very comfortable chalet with (almost) private beach and exquisite sunsets. Moderately good snorkelling on the reef off the shore. Constance Ephelia Resort had a very poor welcome, but our dissatisfaction soon dissipated when we were deposited at our accommodation which looked more like the best situated Beachfront Villa with its own private swimming pool and a welcome complimentary bottle of fizz and chocolate cake each night. We eventually found good snorkelling, not far from the beautiful beach and booked very good dinners wherever we wanted each night. In short we had an excellent holiday. Thank you again Rob for your good advice and excellent service.

October 2019

Dear Joe, just wanted to say a big thank you so much for all the hard work & effort you put into making our holiday so special. We had the most amazing time and every detail was taken care of...we felt like royalty. It was such a treat to be met & transported around & our entire itinerary was perfect. We particularly loved the Mara, it was absolutely the right camp for us and we know you hand picked out guide too! The champagne was the cherry on the icing on the cake. Thanks for delivering 10 days of heaven. Please pass on our thanks to the rest of the team too. Everyone we have been in contact with has been professional & so helpful. We would not hesitate to recommend you & Safari Consultants to anyone travelling to Africa.

October 2019

Dear Mary, an absolutely brilliant trip!

September/October 2019

Dear Mary, so Kenya…………………..WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to say a huge thank you for organising the most amazing holiday we have ever been on, it was so magical and everything was amazing and went to plan! We got up so close to the animals and we have the most amazing photos to remind us of this mesmerising holiday! All the staff were exceptional and made us feel part of the family from the start, it was so lovely to get to know them and the others in camp. I loved every moment from start to finish and everything seemed out of this world! I must say I didn’t sleep much but I knew that anyway, however I loved being in a tented camp and having the authenticity, it was superb! The engagement proposal stirred up a lot of excitement in the camp, and it blew me away. I felt very special and couldn’t believe the efforts made to make it so spectacular. I keep looking at my photos as they are so amazing and I can’t really believe we had the chance to experience this holiday of a life time. We were so lucky we got to see everything we wanted too. Big thanks again.

October 2019

Dear Rob, the trip exceeded my expectations. Accommodation and food generally of a higher standard. I purposely did not do much research before going, so much of the trip was a wonderful surprise. Certainly has stimulated thoughts of visiting Africa again.

September/October 2019

Fran, it was marvellous! It more than met our expectations. Savannah was amazing and we loved the safaris. We saw the big 5 and more! After Savannah we felt Waterberry Lodge seemed low key but by the time we left it was – for both of us - the top place we had stayed. So wonderfully relaxing! And the staff (everywhere) were lovely. We will (and have already) recommend Safari Consultants to other people. The service was just excellent. Who knows – maybe another trip could be a possibility! Thank you!

September 2019

Hi Joe, I have attached the questionnaire form duly completed and confirm that your service was, as always excellent both before and during the trip. All arrangements were smooth and everything superbly organised. Thank you so much - that makes a very big difference to my holiday experience. It is wonderful to be able to sit back beforehand in the certain knowledge that all will be well and that I merely need to read my instructions, turn up and then enjoy my holiday without worry or hassle. My life is full of doing things for other people, so it is a totally welcome break to be confident that Safari Consultants team will sort out my holidays superbly. Well done and thank you all again. I shall hope to be in contact with you again before long about arranging another trip.

September 2019

Hi Joe, Wow!!! What a trip to Kicheche we had. It was out of this world!! Whilst we did not see the infamous migration river crossing, we did get to see so many other things. The first day we saw a leopard up a tree - he was never to be seen again by anyone for the following 4 days. The cheetahs were on form and there’s lions galore!! We saw so many with fresh kills, unlike Botswana they were really active - none of this just lying down in the sun! When Bill said Kicheche camp was something special, I now know what he meant - the camp was excellent. The food every day was great and Carys and Tony were brilliant. The staff fantastic. There is absolutely nothing that could be improved about the place, perfect. I can’t praise them enough. Thank you again for organising an excellent trip.

September 2019

Hi Joe, we had a spectacular trip, beyond our wildest dreams. Took over 12,000 photos in 10 days. The Tamarind Tree Hotel was wonderful. Kicheche Mara Camp was perfect and we were treated like royalty. Thank you for making the special arrangements for our early arrival and the extra night at the Tamarind Tree Hotel. During our day in Nairobi we really enjoyed visiting Nairobi National Park and the Giraffe Center, using the Benroso driver, Jackson. We will certainly use your services again in the future if we have the opportunity to return to Africa.

September 2019

Hi Rob, just wanted to drop you a quick email to say we got home safely from our Botswana safari. We had a really fantastic experience. Loved the country, the people and the game viewing. The choice of lodges and locations were very good. We will come back with more detailed feedback as requested, but just wanted to say thanks very much for all your help in arranging the trip and for your advice which was excellent.

September 2019

Dear Mary, thank you so much for planning and organising a wonderful trip. You hit the brief exactly. Lewa was amazing; we walked for about 8 hours each day and saw lots of Rhino and Grevy's zebra. Kitonga gave us lots of lessons on poo and footprints. We were looked after like a king and queen. We had 13 camels and 10 camp staff looking after us. It was magical sleeping under the stars. One night we had two rhino come into the camp. Kicheche was wonderful, they couldn’t do enough for us. We were made to feel so welcome. Hot water bottles in the bed each night and waiting for us in the truck each morning. All the staff were wonderful hosts. Our guide Richard kept us entertained with all his animal knowledge and stories. He was always trying his best to get us to see all the animals. We saw Leopard, Cheetah, Lions and so much more. Watching the Hyenas swoop in and eat the remains of a lion kill was fascinating. I would love to do it all over again. Many thanks once again.

September 2019

Hi Joe, now back to “normality” after an amazing holiday. Our safari was absolutely fantastic – all we had dreamed of and more! Both Kicheche camps were absolutely superb. The attention to detail was excellent. Small things that make all the difference. Our tents were extremely well equipped and very comfortable. The food – wow! – it was spectacular!! We really were treated to some top class cuisine. We saw and heard some amazing scenes; lions roaring at sundowners, elephants bathing in a mudpool, buffalo fighting – quite a spat!, several rhino sharing a small mudpool, elephants galore and a baby elephant less than a week old, wonderful graceful giraffe, cheetah taking down a Wildebeest and then having it stolen off them by the hyenas, and many, many more amazing encounters. When we got to Mara Camp we were quick taken aback by the number of Wildebeest around us – too many to try and explain in an email. We were lucky enough to see a crossing on the day we went to the reserve – well worth the longer day and very late lunch while we patiently waited to see if they were going to cross! We enjoyed our white rhino encounter and would recommend this. We will be following progress on the IVF treatment with even greater interest now. We arrived at the beach and I would say it probably took us a day or two to unwind after such a busy, but fabulous 6 days. We very much relaxed at the beach and didn’t do too many activities – this was always our plan. The service at Kinondo was very good. They certainly spoiled us. The weather could have been kinder at the beach, one day it pretty much rained all day, and a few showers / overcast during our stay. However this was a good opportunity for me to spend in their shop! Many thanks again for your help and assistance in putting together this itinerary for us.

August/September 2019

Rob, we had a wonderful time in Ruaha and Selous. The mix of activities/camps and the order in which you planned them worked brilliantly. Kigelia was the perfect way to start our Ruaha adventure to understand the baobab forest landscape and the sheer size and wildness of the park with its dried up sand rivers and reliance on the trickle down on the Ruaha River which seemed to attract nearly all wildlife. Our guide Raj was excellent and the camp staff first class. We focused almost entirely on game drives rather than walking given that Kichaka was going to be a full on walking experience. Kichaka was just that – with the charismatic Moli and Noelle hosting us. We had a wonderful time both out walking and in camp with entertaining and informative conversations. Moli is a larger than life character who blew us away with his passion, enthusiasm and knowledge. He told us things we had never heard or seen in years of travelling around Africa. The walking was a steady pace and although not massively productive in terms of close encounters, we did track and follow elephant on several occasions but the small things are so fascinating and Moli brings them to life with the most enlightening delivery. Game drives yielded cheetah, lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, elephant, a variety of game and loads of birds. Fly camp was incredibly simple – by the river bank with a dining table literally on the sandy beach. Elephant and other wildlife came through camp at night which was wonderful. Sand Rivers in Selous was spectacular and after our five days of hard walking, it was wonderful to feel just a little pampered with a comfortable room and communal areas. We went up the Sieglers Gorge with a bush picnic breakfast on a sand bank which was memorable and also did a river trip with sundowners. We also visited the lakes – including Tagalala and were gobsmacked by the volumes of game/birdlife. It was brilliant. Food and hosting from camp manager Michelle was excellent and we really were made to feel very much at home. All in all a wonderfully memorable trip. Thanks again for your knowledge, expertise and understanding of what matters most to Anne and I – we are already thinking of where we go next……!

August/September 2019

Rob – we had an amazing time; loved it all - Moli and Noelle were fantastic; Kigelia was special and Sand Rivers wonderful. You got it spot on yet again so thanks a million for arranging it. Everything went like clockwork.

August/September 2019

Hi Michele, I just wanted to say thanks for helping organise the most amazing and incredible holiday for us. So many things that I could tell you about from the Bush, to Valley to the Keweto, all incredible for so many reasons from the people, the accommodation, the animals, the facilities …………….Thank you so much. We will be going back.

August 2019

Dear Rob, the trip you planned for us was beyond the pale wonderful. We are home, but I am still processing all the fabulous things you planned for us. Loved everything, including all accommodations, Toby and fabulous Glen. You are amazing. Thank you for the wonderful memories.

August 2019

Hello Rob, from start to finish, this was a trip of a lifetime! As soon as we arrived we felt like family and were warmly welcomed by everyone. The staff at both Dulini Lodge and Singita Ebony Lodge were amazing. The attention to detail was incredible. Any request we had was accommodated. The animal sightings were simply astounding. In Victoria Falls, the sunrise walking tour was breath-taking and Clive was an absolute thrill to have as our guide. I know we questioned the sunset dinner cruise, but this greatly exceeded our expectations. Arriving in Cape Town, Tobie from Vineyard Ventures was an excellent addition even with the minimal time we spent with him. He was very knowledgeable of the area and delightful to talk to as we made our way from place to place. The Cape Grace hotel was fantastic. We took advantage of the complimentary wine tasting they offered in house daily starting at 6pm. This was a fun perk to experience while there! Both the food and service at Cape Grace was top notch. For our all-day tour of the Cape, we could not have asked for a better guide than Glen from Vineyard Ventures. She is absolutely delightful, and I cannot say enough good things about her. The first thing that caught my eye upon arrival at The Marine Hotel in Hermanus was the beautiful panoramic views of the ocean out of our room. Our whale watching excursion was very fun. Once again, the staff at Dyer Island Cruises were very knowledgeable and helpful. For our final day, we were happily gathered by Glen to take us through the South African winelands. She hit the nail on the head with our tour! We got to experience a little of everything from sauvignon blanc to cabernet sauvignon to the pride of South Africa, pinotage. At Mont Rochelle, the views of Franschhoek out of our room were gorgeous. Overall, this trip was simply amazing. We highly recommend both doing a trip to Africa as well as working with Safari Consultants for the planning. We cannot thank Rob and his team enough for the thought that went into planning a trip like this and for the memories we now have that will last us a lifetime

August 2019

Hi Michele, we had a fantastic time and my parents couldn’t stop smiling. Everything was as we wanted, great trip and looking forward to our next one.

August 2019

Dear Julia, we loved our safari!! It was impeccably planned and we thank you all so much for putting this together for us last minute. Every moment of the trip was magical, and we really enjoyed the diversity of activities that was planned for us. Namibia was unlike any other country in southern African that we have visited (which include South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana). The landscapes were beautiful and we greatly appreciated seeing so much of the country, from the moonscape near Swakopmund, to the fairy circles at Namib Rand and the red dunes of Sossusvlei. At times, it was like traveling from Mars to the Moon, and back to sand-dune laced desert. Thank you.

August 2019

Rob, I just wanted to take few minutes to thank you once again for organizing such an amazing trip for our family. I had some reservations that it could be as good the second time but in fact it was just as great! We felt so well taken care of from the time we arrived in Nairobi until the time we left Dar es Salaam. Kicheche Bush, Fly Camping and Kicheche Valley were all just unbelievable. The customer experience is really top notch. I want to thank you for encouraging me to do the fly camping – it was truly a remarkable experience and I would definitely recommend it to others. We found that even though we had different hosts and different guides that the quality did not suffer – in fact sometimes the change was amazing! Kicheche does a great job with their camp hosts and their replacements and we all felt really well tended to. I really feel that the guides are so well informed that we learn so much each time we go out. It is fairly jarring to come off the all encompassing care / libations/ meals of safari and arrive at half board. I was unprepared for the constant signing of bills, with different servers at different locations for waters, coffee’s, drinks etc and trying to keep track of 6 people’s food and beverage intake and tipping. However I would like to say that the food quality and property at Breezes all really exceeded my expectations. It was by far the best “mass” buffet breakfast I have been to, and we do travel a fair bit. Thank you for arranging the deluxe rooms – the sea view in the morning was stunning. Additionally the management went out of their way to make sure we were happy – we had something broken by housekeeping and they arranged complimentary massages (lovely spa) and sailing for the kids. We also took advantage of their water sports centre and went snorkelling and the kids arranged scuba through the onsite dive shop. We are so fortunate to have had you planning these two very special trips for us and I am hoping we will be so lucky as to get a third time to organize something with you.

August 2019

Hi Frances, Cape Town, the apartment was perfect for us, V&A waterfront is a good base. Leaving Cape Town we went to Franschhoek and had lunch at the beautiful La Petite Ferme, we then headed to Hermanus via the coastal road, I personally loved this, one of the best roads I’ve ever driven, mountains to my left, sea and sun to my right! Hermanus was the only disappointing bit of the holiday, only due to the weather, our boat trip was cancelled. Auberge Burgundy Guesthouse was lovely though. We left Hermanus early and headed to La Plume, lovely guesthouse, great food and hospitality. We had the farm tour the following day and all seemed to enjoy it. We then went half way up the Swartberg pass, which was well worth it, took photos then back down en-route to Hog Hollow. We arrived at Hog Hollow, walked through reception and took in the view (Claire cried!). We loved Hog Hollow, food was amazing, staff were amazing and there’s plenty to do. It was very hard saying goodbye to Hog Hollow for all of us, we then went to River Bend and our first ever safari! River Bend was great, the staff again were amazing and really made our time there special! Our guide was “Darlington,” this guy knew everything there is to know about every living creature at River Bend Lodge! We saw so many elephants here, it was a really special experience. The kids loved him and his enthusiasm for his job, he kept them interested the whole time; not easy for 16 and 18 year olds! Then on to Kwandwe, this place is very special! Too many highlights to tell you about regarding the safari, every outing was amazing, sundowners on safari are very special! We saw every animal we thought we might be lucky enough to see and more and we hadn’t realised how close we would get to them, we loved it. All in all we had an amazing holiday, so many memories, thank you to you, Rob and the team so much for all your efforts.

August 2019

Mary, we just wanted to say a huge thanks to you and the team for organising such a wonderful trip for us. All of the places you recommended were perfect for us, the itinerary worked extremely well and all of the transfers and logistics were smooth and hassle-free! A fabulous holiday experience was had by us all, and we won't hesitate to recommend you to our friends and family.

August 2019

Dear Mary, we had a fabulous time in Botswana; it definitely exceeded our expectations. The lodges were all fantastic and different from each other. We enjoyed each one and were very sad to leave. The staff and guides were wonderful and we learned huge amounts about the wildlife. Tongabezi was a very luxurious way to end our holiday and we really felt completely spoilt! It was the perfect antidote to spending hours in jeeps bouncing along on bumpy tracks (although we actually really enjoyed that!). Esme absolutely loved every moment and became our official wildlife photographer which she loved. Thank you again for organising our trip with so much care and attention to detail. It has been truly life-changing and we will cherish the memories.

August 2019

Dear Joe & Rob, we just wanted to send you a note to thank you for organising our family holiday in South Africa. The whole experience has been amazing. Seamless transfers and a fantastic selection of places to stay. The Bush House, with its animal hide and family feel was a great introduction to Safari and we were lucky enough to have many amazing animal encounters. We need to mention Mike, our Safari guide, as he put us at ease and was a genius at taking us to the right places at the right times. Cape Grace hotel was the perfect base for our days in Cape Town and Margie from Vineyard Tours was a first rate guide for our excursions. Grootbos was the perfect end to our adventure. A positive success story of environmentally sustainable tourism. The team there were so knowledgeable and friendly. We will certainly want to go back. Thank you both so much for all of your help organising our trip.

August 2019

Hi Frances, I just wanted to say that we all had an amazing holiday in Kenya and were sad to leave and come back to reality. Thank you for all your hard work in making it such a special experience. We were blown away by the game viewing in Mara North in particular, but also loved Laikipia. All the arrangements worked perfectly and we were particularly impressed by the 2 main transition days. We all loved both the Kicheche camps – the staff were amazing and the attention to detail was impressive; we felt very welcome and the food was outstanding – we hadn’t been quite sure what to expect, but it certainly surpassed any expectations we might have had. The scale of the camps was just right for us – not too many guests, but enough to be sociable, and we met lots of really nice people. We all liked the Pinewood Spa resort too; its location was ideal being south of Diani itself, which meant the beach was very quiet and there were very few hawkers. We had a brilliant and very memorable holiday.

July/August 2019

All-in all excellent. Joe was a pleasure to deal with during the holiday planning. Both main locations; Kicheche Mara and Kinondo Kwetu were outstanding in terms of service, quality and for the safari location and animal spotting. Thanks very much, we shall certainly be recommending you!

July 2019

Dear Julia, we had a wonderful honeymoon! Everything went smoothly from internal flights to airport transfers, and Kicheche & Pongwe were exactly the sort of places we had hoped to stay at. Thank you for your hard work to understand what we were after and to set it all up for us.

July 2019

Dear Mary, we have had the most fabulous time and have been singing your praises to anyone who will listen! I shall write in more detail later but we have packed every second of the trip with adventures. And loved every moment. With Tusk and Mane, and Kyle and Sarah, you have achieved the near impossible given what you have arranged for us before. Providing the happiest holiday moments of our lives. It is simply exceptional.

July 2019

Hi Frances. Just to let you know we had a really fantastic holiday in South Africa and Botswana, we loved all of it. We had so many close encounters with some great wildlife. The accommodation was also very good, though as expected the San Parks were more basic with not much choice of food. Mashatu Tent camp was the best place for close up animal sightings and we loved the Pafuri Camp accommodation and the scenery there. H12 Leshiba was the perfect place to finish our holiday and we could have done with an extra night, Rissington Inn was also a great place to start our holiday. Thanks again for booking such a wonderful holiday for us.

July 2019

Dear Mary, I promised a few comments from what has been a wonderful holiday. The plan to base our holiday on the Zambia bank of the Zambezi, opposite where we had our honeymoon was perfect - you have now organised South Africa, Namibia, Kenya and Zanzibar for us, and goodness knows how many for friends. We have loved each part of every trip. Our 2 super-highlights? Perhaps Sosian when the children were younger, and now Tusk and Mane Mobile Camping. It is the variety of textures and activities within these two settings combined with the outstanding and very personal organisation and delivery of every minute in a private setting that made them our favourite moments. Kyle and his fiancee Sarah put a huge amount of effort into making sure everything was as we hoped. Kayaking through crocodiles devouring a dead hippo (we lost count at 60 and they really were that close to our kayak and had to be pushed off), fishing (William caught the biggest Tigerfish in memory on that stretch of the river - first cast), then a surprise with Kyle showing him how to open his first bottle of “champagne” for an early birthday present, early morning drives watching 3 male lions playing together before resting, elephant galore eating from the trees, followed by a couple of hours peaceful walking in quite the most beautiful woodland. There were night drives to see new borne leopard and in the “quiet" 2 hours after lunch Kyle would take me fly fishing on my own, casting right into hippo pods where the tigers lurked - and all with almost no one else around. You have found a great new adventure here. I’d strongly recommend 4 nights as we did. Clive at Purple Patch Transfers and Tours was wonderfully colourful and hands on in Vic Falls and looked after us incredibly well. Pumulani really does have spectacular villas. We were again very lucky to be almost alone there so had wall to wall activities every day. So much for resting! Swimming with countless cichlids, tough walks up the hills, kayaking, pico sailing, dhow cruises, star gazing, paddle boarding, water skiing and tubing amongst the activities we did. A heart felt thank you again for your patience and advice. It has been a truly wonderful trip.

July 2019

Hi Joe, A quick note to thank you for your help with our holiday. We have had the most amazing time. We were so impressed with both Kicheche camps, and our time on safari was unforgettable. As you are no doubt aware, the rains seem to have come late this year, so the Great Migration hadn’t reached the Masai Mara yet, but it didn’t matter for us as there was so much to see - it really did exceed our expectations. Next Paradise was lovely, and just what we needed after a week of early starts on safari. I have to say you really did a great job of understanding what we wanted, and tailoring a trip that was exactly what we were hoping for. I will have no hesitation in recommending Safari Consultants to anyone who is planning to go on safari in the future. The only problem that we have been left with is that what was intended to be a once in a lifetime holiday has already triggered conversations about the next safari we would like to do! Once again, many thanks.

July 2019

Really flawless organisation by Mary for our three venue, tailor-made, two week trip to Kenya. We selected the destinations ourselves (Sarara camp in the Mathews Range, followed by walking segments in Laikipia with Walking Wild and with Karisia, each fabulous in its own way) but Safari Consultants’ arrangements couldn’t have been bettered. Excellent pre-safari advice, immediate follow-up to any queries we had, transparent billing and, best of all, every one of the complex on-the-ground arrangements worked perfectly, whether transfers to and from airports, a day room in the excellent Palacina Hotel in Nairobi, or private charter flights to remote airstrips. Third time with Safari Consultants

July 2019

Hi Joe, we had an absolutely amazing time in Kenya. It surpassed all expectations, the accommodation was fantastic (and a great to stay in 2 different styles of accommodation) and the wildlife was just mind-blowing. Such a thrilling experience for me and the boys, it was like being dropped into a David Attenborough documentary. Without a doubt the best holiday we have ever had, and certainly not our last safari. Having said it was a once in a lifetime trip we have already been talking about when we can go back. I think you said this might be the case! We did a couple of trips when we were there which were excellent - from Lewa up into the forest to a waterfall, diving pool, treetop walkway and fabulous picnic al fresco. Really interesting for us all (and in particular the kids) to see real Kenyan life in the villages and fields en route. We also did a walking safari at Lewa which was thrilling, and visited the amazing kitchen garden where a massive variety of fruit and veg was being cultivated. At Kicheche we went on the trip to the village which I would recommend to anyone with kids. The boys loved it, they got involved and some dancing and singing and jumping rituals and then had the chance to buy some souvenirs. It was fun, and according to the manager of Kicheche a pretty authentic experience. All arrangements were seamless, Benroso were great in Nairobi and took us to an excellent hotel to have supper before the flight (sorry can’t remember the name) with a very lush garden and relaxing start to the journey home. Also great to have the drive through Nairobi - its been an excellent educational experience for the kids. We have taken 100s of photographs of course. Thank you for all your help with arranging this trip. I’d go as far to say its been life-changing. We will be in touch again in a couple of years for our next one!

July 2019

Hello Frances, I had no doubts that we would have a great time, but the safari in particular was amazing. There were several special moments, but the one that stood out was when the leopard had disappeared on the other side of the gorge from where we parked. We waited for a while and then assumed she had left but just then she popped up only inches from our faces! Although we never saw a live kill, we saw a leopard dragging the dead antelope down from the tree for further consumption! The camp itself was great, luxury camping without it being over-the top. Baraza - we thought the quality of the food was outstanding. And the breadth of choice very good too. All in all a great holiday and many thanks to you and your team.

July 2019

Dear Joe and Rob, just a quick note for now that we are back and had a fantastic time. The girls loved it and are asking if we can go back for the October and February half-terms. So a huge success from that standpoint which is what Mary Ruth and I were hoping for.

July 2019

Dear Rob, we indeed had a fantastic holiday in Tanzania and would have no hesitation in recommending it to any of our friends. I don't think there were any unusual sightings, but we certainly saw everything possible from the Big Five to Fishers lovebirds and an African Pygmy Falcon and terrapins in the pond at the Moru Kopjes. The service was excellent on both your end and in Africa. All your advice and input was manifestly accurate and excellent guidance to us. The service on the ground in Africa exceeded all expectations. Aaron Lazaro our guide, driver and now family friend was an outstanding ambassador for Hoopoe Safaris. He was so knowledgeable, patient and always charming and kind to us and everyone else he interacted with. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the universe but mostly zoology, botany and ornithology. The Kirurumu camps at Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Moru were delightful. Rob, it was an amazing holiday. Everybody wants to go back. We really cannot say enough good things about Aaron and all the other people we met and interacted with. It was one of the best family holidays ever.

June 2019

Hey Julia, we had an absolutely amazing time, thank you so much for organising. Kenya was just incredible, amazing camp, Debbie was great as were the rest of the team. We saw so much - so many Lions, Cheetahs, one beautiful Leopard, Elephants, Zebras, Giraffes, Ostriches etc etc. The room in the camp itself was beautiful, the food was amazing and everyone was so friendly. Zanzibar was absolutely stunning, Zawadi hotel was exactly what we were looking. Only a small number of places, beach a few minutes’ walk away, beautiful plunge pool, unbelievable sea and the staff really could not do enough for you. It was really a perfect honeymoon. It was exactly what we wanted from our initial brief and above and beyond our expectations. I have already recommend you to lots of people! Thanks so much!

June 2019

Dear Rob, I just wanted to say thank you for putting together such a wonderful itinerary. It was a memorable trip and every single day offered something magical. I just wanted to add my thanks and appreciation of a truly wonderful time in all three countries. The locations and accommodation were spot on - as always! It was fabulous - from the might of the Victoria Falls, to lions and their cubs, being entertained by the elephants (great to watch them drinking from the plunge pool at Somalisa!), seeing a cheetah, the elusive leopard and more hippos than I could imagine! The water-based viewing from the river boat and the peace and tranquility of the mokoro were amazing and a wonderful contrast! Thank you. It's tough to be back!

June 2019

Hi Julia, we had the most incredible time on our honeymoon! Thank you so so much for organising such an amazing trip for us, we couldn't have asked for better. Everything ran so smoothly and that was all down to your organising. The safari was out of this world, we were so sad when we had to leave! We loved absolutely everything about it. Thank you for always answering emails/calls so promptly and for organising a holiday of a lifetime for us! We recommend you guys to everyone we know/meet!

April/May 2019

Dear Frances, just to say thank you for organising our holiday. We all had a marvellous time. The weather could have been kinder to us but no one can control that!

April 2019

Thank you Frances. We have commended you to everyone we have talked to, we had the best time. Flights and transfers went really well. Rissington accommodation was a little dated but easily made up for by staff, food and wine! Umkumbe was faultless. Room, buffets, too many animals to mention, and the wonderful Tanya driving us every day with her knowledge and humour.

April 2019

Hi Frances. A very big thank you for all the arrangements you made for us and for Le Paradis - which was an unqualified success - the perfect venue for the family holiday that we had wanted. Everyone had a ball! We found the staff unfailingly friendly, smiling and helpful - they couldn't do enough for the guests. The buffet restaurants offered a splendid range of food - the difficulty was not to eat far too much! Many thanks for helping with this amazing holiday.

April 2019

Dear Mary, I apologise that this is a little slow in coming, but its tardiness doesn't detract from its weight in saying thank you for your part in arranging our stay at The Bush House, which is an outstanding Game Lodge. The Morrisons are superb hosts and the staff are second to none, nothing was too much trouble. We all had an excellent time which included some first-rate game viewing. Our guide Renain Venter was good at seeking out the animals and also was exceedingly patient with Matilda and Eric encouraging them to look and watch. Everything worked well and I am very grateful for all you did for us. As you may know my object, after visiting Cape Town, was to show Matilda and Eric real animals in a real setting and I reckon we accomplished this pretty well, for which many thanks indeed.

April 2019

Hi Julia, just a short note to pass on our thanks for your super organisation of our trip to Tanda Tula and onto Cape Town. Suffice to say we had a truly amazing time. Thanks again for all your help in pulling it together and making the trip go as smoothly as possible.

April 2019

Jane, thank you so much for putting our itinerary together. You hit the brief on the nose!! To be blunt and to the point, our holiday exceeded expectation. I think you did a great job working out our requirements (even if we weren’t sure what we wanted). All our lodging was excellent (yet different), and we were met and managed(!) across Nairobi excellently. Most importantly we got a feel of Kenya and in particular the Masai Mara and its extraordinary wildlife. In our first three days we had seen the “Big Five”, charged by a black Rhino (in the car and on a horse) and had our sundowner drinks under a tree with a leopard in it. We were spoilt with the number of Rhino (both black and white) but a lovely beginning in a place with a great history of conservation. Walking Wild was probably the best bit, although it is difficult to pick out the best as it’s all been great. The quality of food on the go (all produced on open fires) the warm friendliness of the group of men transporting the kit on the camels and the humour, wit and knowledge of Kitonga was humbling. Our night drive at Kicheche was particularly memorable seeing an Ardwolf and most endearing of all a Bush baby ‘bouncing’ for 100 metres to the next tree.

March/April 2019

Hi Frances, we had the most amazing trip and it by far outdid our expectations so thank you so much for organising everything so well. It was great not to have to worry about any of the logistics in getting there and back. The safari was really unbelievable, we saw so much which I never expected - lots of different prides of Lions, Lions mating, Hippos mating, a Hippo started to charge the vehicle, cheetahs, hyenas, carcasses, baby elephants, giraffes, zebras to name a few!! Ol Seki itself was fabulous, I especially loved the hot chocolate wake up call before the game drive. Debbie was so lovely and looked after us so well. It really was the trip of a lifetime so thank you so so much again for recommending it, we would have ended up somewhere very different and not a patch on Ol Seki if we hadn't come to you.

March 2019

Hi Frances, we had a wonderful holiday and would like to thank you for all your help and advice. Although there were a few travel glitches, you had planned everything in meticulous detail, the hotels were all lovely, everybody looked after us well and left flowers, wine and chocolates in celebration of my birthday - you must have arranged that! All your written information was really helpful and detailed and we enjoyed using the App. This was just what I wanted - an unforgettable holiday to celebrate reaching 60 and you more than delivered on that. Those wonderful memories will remain long after the memory of our plane journey home has ended.

February 2019

Special thanks to Joe Corder for his patience, advice and knowledge in guiding two first timers through all the decisions and where and when to do a safari. We couldn’t have done it without him and the Safari Consultants team!

February 2019