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Hi Louis, I will likely do another Wilderness Safari
trip, and I am most interested in their camps in Malawi and
eastern Zambia, probably in a year or two. I hope you keep me
posted. Also, if they ever expand to India, I am interested in
doing a safari to see the tigers there. Thanks for your
assistance. We are back from a magnificent trip! This was actually or second safari, the first being to Tanzania and that area. Without a doubt this far surpassed the first experience we had. While Tanzania was beautiful, and quite different, this was absolutely first class from the accommodations to the food and service. Chris is more experienced and perhaps has a better point of reference but I could not find anything to fault on this trip whatsoever. If I look for something I will say that in Mashatu we expected to have more room in the vehicles. I don’t think we realized that we would have to share a seat with a spotter in the back. This made it a little more difficult in terms of maneuvering around for picture taking the way we do.
Mala Mala the game was readily available and
close at hand and quite plentiful, especially the leopards.
Mashatu was quite different with longer rides to find the game
but I felt the elephants were more interesting and more
plentiful. And, we found wild dogs there as well that were not
available in Mala Mala. All in all, it was a very gratifying
experience and we would certainly consider going back. And, I
must say that you did a great job of coordinating and managing
the trip for us. Thanks again! Our
favorite camp was Shumba. This was our "cat" trip. We saw two
leopards the first night at Mfuwe, and a lion the next day. One
leopard at Kalamu and 4 lions. Back at Mfuwe we saw 15 of a
pride of 17 lion and another leopard. In Shumba, we visited the
Busanga lions many times and also saw 3 cheetah and a female
leopard with 2 cubs, plus two other lions of another pride south
of camp. We never got to see a kill, but were told we need to
come back in June/July and we'd see this every day. We had a
good time and thank you for setting things up for us.
Hi Louis,
I agree
with Sharon. The safari was absolutely wonderful. There was only one
accommodation that was not the greatest which was the Rufiji River camp.
They are supposed to be upgrading it this next year. I would hesitate to
send people there until they have made the changes. Other than that we
loved Tanzania. We will be back to Africa that is for sure.
Hi Louis,
The
Safari was outstanding! We had a great trip! All was in order and well
planned. Ranger Safaris is a top notch safari group and we will gladly
recommend them! Hi Louis, Louis, We returned from our
safari a couple of days ago and had a wonderful time. Everything was great!
It was a fabulous experience. Thanks for making this one of our best
vacations ever. We certainly would recommend your service.
It was WONDERFUL!! Have you not received your postcard yet? We can’t thank you enough for arranging things so perfectly, for knowing your camps and planning such a fabulous experience! Eva and Kathryn H.
Hi
Louis, Elise M. Dear Louis, Hi Louis, Hi Louis, Dear
Louis, Hi Louis, Louis, thank you for putting
together such a trip of a lifetime. Everyone who has asked has gotten the
lowdown from me. This is simply a MUST DO. You did a perfect job, so way
better than I ever dreamed. Thank you. We're seriously considering
returning to Africa. We both fell in love with it. The people are so warm
and kind. There was never any fear of being ripped off or of terrorism. We
felt welcomed and happy there. Really can't wait to go back. If you ever
need a reference, please think of me. I will only sing your accolades.
Thanks again, and am looking forward to booking another trip with you soon. Hello Louis! My wife and I wanted to let you know how great everything was on our safari. You had recommended that at this time of year (June-August) the best game viewing would be in South Africa. We certainly can’t talk for other locations, but the Botswana-South Africa package you suggested was just what we were hoping for. We stayed in three places for three nights each. They included Mashatu in Botswana, Pafuri in Northern Kruger, and Mala Mala near Southern Kruger. Some of the highlights of Mashatu included watching wild dogs devour a wart hog, seeing four young cheetahs interact, and observing a newborn elephant breast feed. All in addition to sighting lots of giraffe, lions, leopard, elephant, zebra, etc. Our ranger, Jakes, was outstanding and the food and staff at Mashatu couldn’t have been better. It was absolutely awesome to start seeing game (wildebeest, impala, etc.) along the road after having driven only a few minutes from the airport.
Next, we transferred by land to Pafuri. The facility and room at Pafuri were beautiful, and again, the staff and food were terrific. The game viewing here was more difficult as we were unable to go off road, but our guide did everything to enhance the experience. He was very knowledgeable. We did see large numbers and varieties of beautiful birds. We were also able to sight numerous animals from our room as all the units have clear, close views of the river. From Pafuri we had a short flight to Mala Mala. What a spectacular place to end a wonderful adventure. Mala Mala was exceptional. In one morning alone we saw the entire “Big Five.” We watched a pride of lions devour a Cape Buffalo. We witnessed lion cubs breast feeding, and sat in the middle of a herd with over 200 Cape Buffalo. How neat was it to drive past the landing strip and see three huge white rhino walking down the same runway where we had landed just hours before? Our ranger, Chris, did everything he could to expose us to a world he knows extremely well. I can’t imagine going anywhere in Africa and seeing more than we did at Mala Mala. We also had the pleasure of getting to meet and spend time with the owners, the Rattrays. Mike and Norma are two of the most interesting people we have met in all our various travels.
Wilderness Safaris had every detail
covered and under control. The order in which everything happened was
perfect. Our one land transfer, short flights, and all the other logistics
of getting from one place to another, were seamless. All the people who
were to meet and greet us were there like clock work. All necessary
documents and details were handled. All we had to do was enjoy
ourselves….and we did just that. Thank you again for getting this trip
together. It was an outstanding experience.
Dear Louis, Hi Louis - we are back after a wonderful trip.
Everything went very well no hitches or glitches. The last camp was in
transition with new managers coming on, b t they still did a great job. The
drivers and trackers were the best we ever had and Rovos Rail was perfect for
comfort and meeting interesting people from everywhere in the world. The hotels
were excellent and worth every dime. So thanks again for everything. Louis - I just wanted to let you know that the Baldwin Wallace College group was a great success. Everything went perfectly ! They are planning on going again in 2009 and 2010. They promise to give us more notice and that there will be more people going. Thank you again for a great job ! We can't thank you enough for planning the most incredible trip to Africa for us. Everything was perfectly arranged, down to the most minute detail.
The itinerary was just perfect - exactly the right
amount of time in each area. Our guides in Rwanda (Fred) and Tanzania
(Robert) were both just amazing. We became very good friends with both.
They were extremely knowledgeable, professional, and really fun to talk to.
I still can't believe what we saw - huge silverbacks, baby gorillas, a
giraffe fight, lions mating, and even a live cheetah hunt! We had fantastic
vegetarian food everywhere. Because you kindly told all of our hotels, each
did a very special celebration for us for our wedding anniversary.
It truly was the trip of a lifetime, and we have you
to thank for that. We have already recommended you to several family
members & friends, and would be thrilled to be a reference for you anytime.
There are so many safari planning companies, and you clearly are the best!
Thank you so much!
Sejal & Rajen Sheth
Just got back last night - what a trip! Kenya versus Botswana.... It is a hard question to answer and something I have been thinking about a lot over the past 2 weeks. Botswana is very different - I like that there are less people and that you are on a private concession. But, on the other hand, it seems like you really need to visit at least 3 camps to really see everything. I think for someone like me, Botswana is really a great place to go - since I know I will go again and experience the other camps. But for people who are going only once in a lifetime, then I think I am inclined to suggest Kenya - you see it all at once and stay at one camp. I am so glad you convinced me to go to Botswana though - it really was a wonderful experience. I do feel like I need another trip there to see the other camps - like Mombo and Jao - I heard good things about it. I think the camps you chose were perfect though - Duba was great - there was a kill at our camp so lots to see on our last day Chitabe - I am glad that was last as it was really a nice way to end it - I like how high we are! The flights on the Cessna was also an experience! Thanks for everything. I will start thinking about the next one!
Michelle Kimihira
Louis, We have finally recovered completely from our wonderful trip! Ranger did a fabulous job, as you already know. Our guide was Jabshir, and he was wonderful. Very professional, polite, well spoken and extremely knowledgeable! We did not understand that we were going to have an entire campsite to ourselves the first two days. It was a wonderful park and an wonderful experience. We were not crazy about Lake Manayara, but we loved the crater and the plains! The tented safari is the only way to go. It is wonderful to have animals walking in your camp, like they are members of the party. We were able to see every animal, except the illusive Leopard, but we were not disappointed in the least. We had not come with a check list, but were there for the experience and it was fabulous. There was never a hitch in anything! Thank you so much for this arrangement!
Jere and Mary
Mills
We are back without scratches, or
bites!!! Louis, I had meant to
get back with you as well. This was the trip of a lifetime! We
had such an incredible experience. Cape Town was
wonderful--perfect weather. Mala Mala was undoubtedly our
favorite. Saw so much game and the guides now feel like extended
family members. Vic Falls was beautiful but we weren't too crazy
about the Zimbabwe experience. We didn't read enough of the fine
print here--we might have been better off on the Zambia side.
Seba Camp was the perfect ending to a memorable trip. I have
2000 photos and 3+ hours of video. It will be months of editing
before I have something anyone will want to sit through! Thanks
for all your help. We have some friends that will likely be
contacting you to duplicate our trip! The trip was beyond belief! Everything went like clockwork. We were met and taken care of by people in all three countries. Of all the trips I have taken out of the country (and there have been many), this was the easiest I've ever done. Wilderness Safaris has an incredible staff and wonderful camps too. Sefofane Botswana Charters did a fabulous job as well. One of the pilots even went on a game drive with us in the morning so we didn't miss it. We got to see all the animals I wanted to see and a lot more. We would go back in a heartbeat, so you may be hearing from us in the future. Thank you for setting up a terrific trip. Judy Moreland We had a FANTASTIC time in
Botswana. We enjoyed our tour group (especially the crazy
Italians), and the guides and staff were uniformly excellent. We
particularly liked our head guide, Ronald (whose every story
around the campfire late at night ended with the immortal words
“….and all they found was his head….”), and the camp chef,
Richard, who served us phenomenal gourmet dinners concocted in
his primitive bush kitchen. The camping spots were lovely, the
accommodations were very nice (2-person dome tents with
shower/commode compartments), and our game drives were excellent
-- we were able to see a huge variety of animals and birds. All
in all, a great experience. Thanks for all of your assistance
and we will definite refer any African-bound friends to you. The entire trip was astounding. We saw things we had never seen before, and had experiences that were utterly amazing. All three lodges we stayed at in South Africa were very good, albeit with different amenities and experiences. The accommodations at Arathusa and N'Kaya were the best, but Gomo Gomo was a nice camp with friendly people, and we saw amazing things there as well. To show you our fortune, in my previous 4 trips to Africa, I had only seen one leopard about a quarter mile away up in a tree. On this trip, we saw 8 different leopards, almost ran over 2 of them, and saw a mating pair of leopards mate (this was at Gomo Gomo). I have seen that since we have been home, they have had leopard cubs at Arathusa along with wild dog pups. We will definitely go back. The front and back end of our trip was also special. Kasaka River Lodge is a very nice place to stay, and being on the river offers quite a few different opportunities. The hunting lodge we went to for my son was also nice, and we got a chance to go game viewing along the Limpopo River (well, not really a river but a few water holes), and saw more bushbuck than we had seen in the previous three weeks. Thanks again for all your help, and I have been passing your name and company along to everyone I have met. We ran into a few groups of people in various airports, and all of them were amazed by what we got to experience. Hopefully, a few of them will contact you and become clients.
Scott Peterson
I hope you received my email & voicemail
telling you what a great time we had @ Rufigi River Camp and in
throughout Tanzania. Your associates picked us up at the airport,
the Holiday Inn was a great choice, the Bush camp was fabulous. I
will refer you without hesitation to anyone that need your services.
Fernando Dubove Dear Louis,
The safari exceeded my
expectations. Each of the parks we visited was unique. We saw all
the animals that Africa had to offer. The vehicles used were
excellent. The quality of the lodges was beyond my expectations.
I thought the guides were adequate. They did alot of driving and were
skilled at that activity. Although, they were very knowledgeable
about the animals and let us know what we were viewing, I would have
liked to have had more information on the countries that we visited,
the people, the economy, politics, etc. In this regard they did not
volunteer much information beyond telling us about the animals. The
guide in Tanzania was somewhat more informative than the guide in
Kenya. Both were extremely personable and did everything they could
to make our visit enjoyable. The roads in Kenya are terrible and this
made for some rough riding in the mini-van that we were in. Until the
roads improve, I would strongly suggest that visitors consider flying
between some of the game parks. We had a long day of driving from
Lake Nakuru to Amboseli in Kenya and from Tarangire to Nairobi on the
last day in Tanzania. Flying on those days would have been a better
option, if the cost was not too prohibitive. Thanks for putting this
trip together for us. If one of your customers wishes to speak with
me about our adventure, you can have them call me.
DAVID KATZ |
