Maasai and Migration

Traveler Reviews

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  Antoinette

  January 12th, 2020
  4
  The safari and visit to Zanzibar were excellent. Everything we could have wished for. I do have a complaint, though,...
  The safari and visit to Zanzibar were excellent. Everything we could have wished for. I do have a complaint, though, and it concerns the Heron hotel in Nairobi. When we landed in Nairobi on the night of 27 December, our transfer ro the hotel was nowhere to be seen. I specifically asked for transfer before we left home, because I didn't want to be stranded in a strange city at nighttime with my daughter. That is exactly what happened. We, two women stranded in a strange city in the dark, and in the pouring rain. It was not a pleasant experience. Eventually we ordered a taxi and we reached the hotel at 1:30 in the morning. The same thing happened again when we flew from Zanzibar. Once again, no transfer was waiting for us, even though I had asked for it. I couldn't believe it was happening again. I would do this tour again, but the Heron hotel won't see me evee again. Antoinette Nel.Show more
  Traveled in December 2019
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Dear Antoinette, Thank you for your review, its great to hear you enjoyed the tour. In regards to the airport transfers, we have contacted the hotel as they were booked for you and we were informed that due to the hotel changing taxi providers your booking unfortunately got lost, they have ensured us this will not happen again. We and the hotel sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused due to this as the taxis should have been there for you. We do hope to see you again in the future on on e of our other tours. Kind regards Absolute Africa

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  Prateek

  October 12th, 2019
  3
  The trip curation and itinerary was really good. Pre and Post sale service by Natasja was absolutely amazing - she is...
  The trip curation and itinerary was really good. Pre and Post sale service by Natasja was absolutely amazing - she is a superstar and super helpful. Her advice was thoroughly appreciated. Accommodation was as expected - simple but effective camp grounds and hotels. My only criticism is towards Safari Lodge in stonetown - I stayed there on another overland trip in 2011 - the place was terrible then and is still very very mediocre. I feel there are better options. Meals were good as we had some expert masterchefs for the few days we were cooking. Transportation - the truck we were one was really poor relative to competitors. I was on a G adventures Lando before this trip (which was poor) but this truck took the cake. Whilst there was a lot of room to move around, the seats were old, rigid and uncomfortable - could barely get any shut-eye during the long drives let alone sitting comfortably. Compared to Acacia etc, this needs improvement (mainly the seats really). Tour guide - for the first few days of the trip, our guide was Jonasmus, he was lovely guy, sat at the back with us, chatted and was super helpful generally. From Arusha, our guide was Jo. Whilst he was a nice guy to talk to generally, he had a tendency for a bit of drill sergeant style which I didn't appreciate. When our group merged with his group in Arusha, he proceeded with a very rules-based orientation first up which put everyone on the back foot instantly (you must do this, you must do that... etc etc). At another point when we stayed near Kiliminjaro for 2 days, the fridge got switched off (this was generally fine if we were staying somewhere for a day because the fridge retained the cooling however not ideal for 2 days when the fridge was being opened regularly to prepare for meals). When I brought this to his attention, he tried to convince me it was a malfunction (which wasn't the case because it started to work fine when the truck was started the next morning). This resulted in my food being spoilt - I would have just appreciated the honesty as opposed to some round about deflection. From that point he relaxed a little. Although his style was the most hands off I have experienced where all decisions for grocery purchases and cooking was left to tour members to sort out - on this tour, there were a few keen cooks so it didnt matter but I could see this as a challenge if no one air traffic controlled the meals. Anyhow, I am unsure of the hands off style - perhaps he judged it based on the people he had. However, I would advise a little soft touch with introductions - people pay a lot of money to tour Africa and there first introduction should ideally not be something similar to a school camp. All what he said was legitimate but most people are old enough to realise and do this themselves without being condescended.Show more
  Traveled in September 2019
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Thank you for leaving a review, Prateek. We are glad to hear that you found the support of our team really helpful and that you felt you had all the information you needed for your trip. It's good to also hear that you were pleased with the accommodation and enjoyed tasty meals throughout the tour. In terms of the truck seats, we fit our trucks with coach seats which most people tend to find well-suited and comfortable for the long drives, in contrast to the often-used bench-style seats on other overland vehicles. We also have our own workshop in Tanzania and each truck is checked and maintained prior to every trip to ensure it is well prepared for the journey. We are sorry to hear that you were not so keen on Safari Lodge on Zanzibar Island. This is a hotel we have been using for many years and we have booked many passengers in here over that time. It is a simple lodge but is clean and well-located in the centre of Stone Town, and has always seemed to suit our passengers well for this reason. We're glad to hear that Jonasmus was helpful and friendly and we will pass on your comments to him. With regard to Joe, it is often the case that tour leaders do need to be more strict especially when groups merge and become larger. Whilst all passengers are adults, overseeing a large group - including many different backgrounds, opinions and personalities - is not always an easy task. It is often preferable to be proactive in ensuring the rules are laid out from the start rather than having to remind the group at a later point. There is though a way in which this can be done without patronising anyone and we will speak to Joe to ensure that he understands how his trip briefing may be received so he can make any necessary adjustments in the future. As you mention, tour leaders do generally tend to assess each group as to how much help they offer in areas such as cooking, or putting tents up and down, for example. Where the group is very capable, the tour leader will usually stand back and allow the group to take control, however if anyone is struggling then this is the tour leader's role to step in and assist in any way they can. Tour leaders do often get very involved in the food shopping, meal planning and cooking - they know what works well for group meals cooked on a campfire, and what foods are readily available as well, so are at an advantage here. I hope that overall you have come away with good memories from your tour and thanks again for taking the time to leave your comments.

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  Kathy

  August 6th, 2019
  5
  Perfect, perfect, perfect in every way - superb and everything I imagined and then some .....already planning my next...
  Perfect, perfect, perfect in every way - superb and everything I imagined and then some .....already planning my next trip with Absolute Africa. Excellent customer service and I was impressed every step of the way - highly recommend!!!!!! Thank you for everything- Martin our guide was phenomenal!Show more
  Traveled in July 2019
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Hi Kathy, thank you very much for your review, we are happy to hear you had such a great time and look forward to welcoming you back on one of our trips soon!

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  Amezcua

  February 22nd, 2019
  4
  Amazing trip, well organised, we were able to see lots of animals.
  Traveled in February 2019
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Hi Maria, thanks for your review

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  Glenn Angelo

  October 29th, 2018
  5
  It was fantastic! Highly recommended for people who loves some adventure
  Traveled in October 2018
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Thanks for your feedback Glenn! Hopefully we can take you on another tour sometime Kind regards, Absolute Africa

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  Rene

  October 2nd, 2018
  4
  Overall a very well organized tour and excellent, experienced guides. Room for improvement at the...
  Overall a very well organized tour and excellent, experienced guides. Room for improvement at the Ngorongoro/Serengeti tour as this is lead by a different operator. In our case an unexperienced driver with little knowledge and English skills. Biggest disappointment was that we only had one 4h game drive in the Serengeti while the itenerary promises two half day game drives.Show more
  Traveled in September 2018
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Thank you for your review Rene. It’s great to hear you had a good time on your tour. We have had discussions with the local operator about your Serengeti tour. Sadly your game drive time was unfortunately cut short due to some poor management decisions over the period of your safari. The local operator we use in the Serengeti is usually very good and well respected. Usually everyone is very happy with their services. We have informed them of your comments and emphasised the need for better servicing and organisation to ensure such shouldn't happen again. We know the operator is looking at all appropriate actions to ensure such is the case. Thanks again for your feedback and we hope to see you on another one of our tours in the future.

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  Leanne

  November 19th, 2016
  4.5
  The food, guide, campsites, tents, Serengeti experience, zanzibar beach & hotels.. Everything was really great. Would...
  The food, guide, campsites, tents, Serengeti experience, zanzibar beach & hotels.. Everything was really great. Would highly recommend for budget travellers!! You do of course rough quite a bit but this is Africa and all part of the experience :)Show more
  Traveled in October 2016
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Thank you very much for your review Leanne! Its great to hear you thoroughly enjoyed the trip and hope to see you in Africa again in the future!

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