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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by Ms F & co from Sacramento

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

2

Countries visited

2

Lodges stayed in

7

Excursions taken

0

July 2018 Family Trip

Kenya between 18 Jul 2018 and 3 Aug 2018

Trip rating: Excellent
"Our trip was wonderful, really just about everything we hoped for (except the Great Migration!).

We loved each of the three camps where we stayed, appreciated their differences, and enjoyed both the cultural and wildlife experiences they offered."

The Emakoko

The Emakoko

"Amazing lodge on edge of Nairobi"

2 nights Arrived 23 Jul 2018
"We had only two nights here and what amounted to game drives only on entry and exiting the park. But, still we saw a number of animals including a distant view of a black rhino and baby...and closeups of rock hyrax on roofs and paths!

In addition, our park guide connected with an outside driver who took us into Nairobi to visit two NGOs...and then picked us up at the end of the day at the park entrance. Those arrangements all went smoothly, including a packed lunch for us to eat en route to Nairobi.

Chris was our host and was delightful, the staff was helpful and friendly, the food and views wonderful, our guide very knowledgeable and good humored. Overall, a delightful introduction to Kenya. We left wishing we could stay another night or two."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Campi ya Kanzi

Campi ya Kanzi

"Glamping at its best!"

4 nights Arrived 25 Jul 2018
"What a wonderful experience we had at this camp. Animals, yes, but also a couple of excellent hikes with gorgeous views, plus a memorable visit to a Maasai village, its school and health center, where our twin 14-year old grandchildren joined the local kids for a hard-fought soccer match. (We had brought balls and a pump, which were quite a hit).We had hoped to see Kilimanjaro but it remained hidden in fog; under the right conditions, it would be a stunning addition to this camp.

Our Maasai guide Parashi and spotter Kereku were excellent and we really enjoyed their company. The rest of the staff was attentive and congenial and, of course, Luca and Claudia were the ultimate host and manager. We were pleased to be able to support the Maasai community by staying at the camp and applaud its work through both the camp and its foundation.

Then our final night was nothing short of spectacular. All guests were invited to visit the lava tube that we'd heard about and went expecting a tour of the cave before dinner. In fact, the evening included a Maasai dance and discussion and then an amazing formal dinner for 18 or more in the cave itself, romantically lit and kicked off with a flute performance by one of the young guests. It was a magical ending to a magical stay at this camp."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Serian

Serian

"Wonderful home in the bush"

4 nights Arrived 29 Jul 2018
"Serian was as comfortable and homey as any camp could possibly be. Our hosts, including their baby daughter Charlotte, were delightful; the staff friendly and attentive (and very willing to share thoughts on Kenya's political and social situation); our guide, Judy, and driver excellent; the food scrumptious; and the animal viewing outstanding.

Our tent overlooked the Mara River, with a dozen or so hippo lolling in the water so we could watch them while having coffee on the porch. We had hoped to get a glimpse of the Great Migration but it had not yet started in earnest; we did see the herds of wildebeest gathering in the savanna prior to their fording the river.

And, we saw plenty of other animals, often with time to actually stop and observe their behavior: elephant, buffalo, several types of antelope (including topi, eland, waterbuck and dik-dik), giraffe, lions, hyenas, jackals, mongoose, and, of course, many, many wildebeest, zebras, giraffes and hippos.

Serian was a wonderful experience for all of us, including our 14-year old grandson and his dad who enjoyed an exciting overnight in the tree house, complete with a delivery of home-made pizza! That was just one example of the kind of wonderful hospitality and personal attention we found at Serian."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent

A magical first trip to Africa

Botswana between 6 Nov 2007 and 18 Nov 2007

Trip rating: Excellent
"The trip was wonderful in most every way. We fell in love with Botswana and its beauty.

Our camps were great; Lucy did a terrific job in helping us come up with a diverse selection of camps, despite our rather late booking. And, she was a great help to my sister and her companion when their US flights delayed their arrival in Africa.

Kudos to Lucy and her other colleagues who helped us out along the way!"

Arranged By Lucy Copson


Shinde Footsteps

Shinde Footsteps

"Great start to our safari"

1 night Arrived 6 Nov 2007
"After a long flight from the US the previous day and our two short flights to get to Footsteps, we were delighted to be out and walking our first afternoon. We weren't sure this would work well but it certainly did for us.

Immediately immersed us in the experience, got us tired enough to sleep well. Our guide, Alberto, was very knowledgeable and led two very interesting walks.

Based on our experience, we would do another walking safari, maybe for two or three nights next time."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Average
Facilities
Good
Shinde Camp

Shinde Camp

"5 star ratings for Shinde"

3 nights Arrived 7 Nov 2007
"This is a wonderful camp, made even more so by the fact that during our visit the previous camp managers (Barbara and Bruce) were then providing relief for the current managers, who were on leave.

Managers Barbara and Bruce, our guide Bee, major domo Julius and virtually everyone else on the staff were absolutely top-notch. The guiding and activities were superb, the best of our trip. Vehicles were new and comfortable. Food was excellent, so was the service.

The site of the camp is wonderful and its overall design just lovely. We would definitely return to this location. I would rank this camp the top overall rating of the four we visited and would recommend to anyone."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Image alt

Zibalianja, Botswana (this camp has since closed)

"Wonderful small camp"

2 nights Arrived 10 Nov 2007
"Camp managers Tessa and Stuart bring a delightful touch to this camp, making guests feel as if they are visiting a wonderful home that just happens to be in the bush. They are naturals for the role, even though they are young and just starting out.

Our guides Rain and Simon were younger and not as experienced as Bee at our Shinde camp...but Bee is really extraordinary and a very tough act to follow. Rain and Simon were particularly good during our walks, where they each contributed great information from their different areas of expertise.

The staff was fine, very congenial, and the meals tasty and delightful, again thanks greatly to the graciousness of Tessa and Stuart. Jib has more limited activities than Shinde; it also was hotter and less comfortable when we visited. And, the vehicles are older and less comfortable than Shinde's. Nevertheless, I'm giving it an excellent overall rating for anyone wanting a smaller camp experience, which has its own particular charm....and because of the excellent camp managers."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Selinda Camp

Selinda Camp

"Selinda: luxurious but lacking"

1 night Arrived 12 Nov 2007
"There were many things we loved about Selinda: the gorgeous public areas and beautiful views, excellent food, an enthusiastic and helpful staff, a great wine cellar (from which guests can choose a bottle for sundowners or dinner). But it doesn't quite come together as the terrific experience it could be.

I found the rooms almost over the top. Why spend so much on a stunning bathroom (great though it may be) and still have older, less comfortable vehicles? Most important, why not put more resources into getting or training experienced guides...rather than more luxurious surroundings?

The experience just seemed quite uneven -- not uniformly excellent the way it was at Shinde. Our guide, BB, seemed bored with guiding (unlike his younger brother Alberto who was our Footsteps guide and clearly loved what he was doing.)

So we saw interesting animals but without him exhibiting the enthusiasm and interest of all of our other guides...and without sharing additional information as our other guides did. Even if our guides at Jib were less experienced, they tried harder."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good

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