Nomad - fantastic educational trip

I am sorry for my delay in writing to thank you both for my FANTASTIC fam trip safari that you both kindly organised for me. It really was the best trip I have ever had. Obviously I had been to Northern tanz a couple of times before so I knew the national parks etc but I was very weak on my property knowledge. I can safely say with my hand on my heart that we basically didn’t leave any stone unturned. If the camp was open we pretty much saw it! It really is amazing at how in my job (as is yours I am sure) it all "clicks" once you have been there, eaten the meals and slept in the beds. It all slots into place! I am now so over excited about selling more tanzania - watch this space.

We also were very lucky and saw a crossing! Ken knew precisely where to go and we sat and Lady Luck was on our side. I was so chuffed I thought I would explode.

On to Ken. Words simply don't go far enough. He was prompt, he was well turned out, he was professional, he was kind, he was patient with my (slow and poor) bird identification, a fountain of knowledge, forward thinking, he always made sure the light was right for my photographs, always kept the car spotless, he was an exceptional driver on those roads and above all he was funny (we had lots of laughs) and a joy to spend two weeks with. He really is an asset and an ambassador to Nomad. 

Victoria, Aardvark UK - November 2010

Serengeti, Chada and Greystoke - an unbelievably good time

We had an unbelievably good time with you in the Serengeti, Katavi and Mahale. It was outstanding in no small part due to the great managers, guides and staff at all your camps.It was magical and unforgettable in so many ways and and we've been round the block a few times !!

J&S C - November 2010

Chada & Greystoke - phenomenal

Just spoken to Mrs W who's just back from their amazing trip to Western Tanzania with you guys. They had a really amazing time, just spent the last half hour telling me how wonderful absolutely every aspect of the trip was.

They loved Katavi, teeming with wildlife and the sense of immensity and remoteness was amazing. They said the managers there, Mark and Kristin were really superb and are doing a fantastic job of looking after the camp, the guests and the staff - apparently it's really clear that the staff love them, and the whole place has a feel of a very happy ship, which really rubs off on clients. The atmosphere at Chada was wonderful and felt like a big house party!

Guides at both Chada and Greystoke were really superb, always friendly and very efficient.

They loved Greystoke, "phenomenal" they called it and loved the chimps. They were lucky not to have to trek too far to find them, and endeared to find a family of warthogs nesting at the front of their banda taking advantage of the water that's put out to rinse your feet! :)

Their questionnaire says this trip was their best to date!

Audley Travel - November 2010

Chada & Greystoke - the best part of the trip

We spent the last ~10 days in Nomad camps and I wanted to write and tell you that this time was definitely the best part of our trip. We were really impressed with the superb quality of the Nomad team and facilities.

Chada Camp - Kristen and Mark are wonderful hosts and managers. We felt welcome and incredibly well taken care of. We really enjoyed their company at meals, their knowledge and passion for Africa, the wildlife, Katavi Park .... Our guide at Chada was Gabriel. He is a really special person and by far the best guide we had over our 3 week journey. He is charming, fun, incredibly knowledgeable about fauna (from the smallest bird to the big mammals) and flora, intuitive about our interests, just top-notch (and his English is quite excellent). The rest of the staff at Chada were also wonderful - attentive, warm and friendly.

Mahale Camp - We loved the setup, the bandas are beautiful as is the public areas. Both Paul and Lazarro did a nice job guiding us both with the chimps and on extracurricular walks. Lazarro in particular went above and beyond taking us on a wonderful monkey / baboon spotting trek. Staff at Mahale were also good. The only major negative at the camp when we were there were the tsetse flies - which definitely made the beach and swimming / kayaking pretty much impossible. I suspect nothing to be done about that - except I will definitely advise folks to avoid tsetse season if they come to Greystoke :-(

In any case, we look forward to visiting other Nomad camps in the future - thx for a great experience.

DG - October 2010

(Nomad writes: the tsetse's have been particularly bad this year, more so than usual, but mainly only found along the forest edge. We have been in touch with TANAPA about putting in more tsetse traps).

Kiba Point - loved it

Both Anne and myself felt that the camp was great, nice views, good food and well managed. The diversity on offer from game drives, boats, hides and walks offers a good choice to everyone who stay there. We visited Kiba Point and loved that and would preferably stay there with our groups if possible as it lends itself towards group better than Sand Rivers given the choice. The game viewing was great and in general we really enjoyed and liked the camp and look forward to using it in the future, I will be there with the Austin x2 group next September. 

Lee Whittam - Essential Africa - October 2010

Greystoke Mahale - the most wonderful time

I wanted to make contact with you to sing the the praises of Nomad and its staff at a recent stay at Greystoke Mahale. 

We were there mid September on honeymoon and simply had the most wonderful time and experience. 

Steve and Kerry were excellent hosts, keeping us so well looked after, sharing their own local knowledge and making sure our wine was always topped up! We did not want for anything while we were there. The chefs produced some of the most delicious food we had during our whole stay in Africa and the service provided by the waiting staff was perfect. 

Our guides Lazaro and Vianney were exceptional. We trekked in the forest with Lazaro and he simply made our experience. His knowledge of all the things we came across was limitless and his understanding of the chimps made our time with them so informative. On one day the chimps were playing up a bit and I became quite scared, Lazaro looked after me and was very thoughtful. He is someone we will not forget, one of life's gems. I actually cried when we said goodbye to him! 

The attention to detail and smooth running of such a remote camp is a credit to all the people who work there and are involved with the management of it. Staying at Greystoke is a once in a lifetime experience and one we shall certainly never forget

With Best Wishes & Sincere Thanks to all. 

CP - September 2010

Chada and Greystoke - the best holiday to date

My husband and I have just returned from what we have both voted as our best holiday to date and that was in no small measure due to the fantastic time we had a Chada and Greystoke.

I just wanted to say a big thank you and to let you know that you have a tremendous team doing a tremendous job.  Special mention has to go to Kristen, who is a superb hostess – calm, organised, humorous, unflappable, kind and welcoming.  She and Mark make a very good team and the atmosphere in the camp is relaxed and wonderful.  We also had a phenomenal time at Greystokes – again the warm welcome, the knowledge of Claas and Gill, the other guests – it was lovely.  The two camps are so different we couldn’t possibly recommend one over the other – you really do have to visit both.

LW - November 2010

Chada Katavi - a wonderful experience

I'm writing to comment on my recent experience at your Chada Katavi camp. My wife and I visited October 18-21 and we had a *wonderful* experience. Chada was one of 3 camps we visited on our African vacation (plus a climb of Kilimanjaro). While we enjoyed our visits to all 3 of the camps (the other 2 were Tortillis in Amboselli and your Mahale camp) I must say that our experience at Chada was far and away the best.

Of course, the wildlife viewing was wonderful and it was thrilling to have elephants coming through camp in the middle of the night. However, our guide, Frederick, is what really made the experience stand out above the other camps (both also had excellent wildlife experiences). Frederick was not only extremely knowledgeable, but he was friendly, outgoing and truly made us feel welcome in camp and in Tanzania. He was genuine and befriended us in a way that the other guides (while also friendly and knowledgeable) did not do.

While Frederick truly stood out amongst all the staff we encountered in our entire 3 week vacation, I must also compliment the entire staff at Chada. Kristen and Mark were excellent hosts and we really enjoyed their company. The wait staff and other service folks around camp were also very warm and eager to please.

I wanted to write, as I know that often customers only write their service providers to complain, and I wanted to be sure and recognize the outstanding experience we had with Frederick and the staff at Chada. Certainly, should we return to Tanzania, I would be eager to return to Chada (or wherever you might have Frederick assigned at the time!). I would also be very happy to recommend Chada and Nomad to any friends who might consider a trip to Tanzania.
JG - November 2010 

Nomad fam trip - keep up the good work

I cannot find the right words to show my appreciation for organising my educational.  Thank you so much for everything.  All the guides and staff were very hospitable.  Cornelius was very knowledgeable and I leant a lot about Tanzanian people, wildlife and fauna.  Mohammad was excellent too.  

Now I see why my guests always have a good time when I send them to Tanzania with you guys.  Keep up the good work!!  Well done Guys!

Jackie Person - Zambezi Safari & Travel Company - October 2010

Serengeti Safari Camp - the camp was sublime

Right from the off Nomad and our first guide - Sylvanos were fabulous, on time. organised and over the next few days he proved to be a wise and knowledgeable guide. Unlike many jeeps that sped through the parks we took our time, able to stop and watch the animals and the environment rather than just take a quick picture and off to the next. That was exactly what we wanted and got it without asking. Lunches were fine and the experience felt like we were in it together as three people, not just the 2 of us and the guide which felt much better. Each day just got better and better and our day in the crater got off to the best start with Sylvanos getting us there just after the gates opened so for about 30 minutes there was just us in the crater - magical and well worth getting up early.

Next guide in the Serengeti – Chediel was there ready to pick us up and right from leaving the airstrip was highlighting aspects of the landscape and animals that were unique to the area. Despite the downpour of rain we had a lovely ride to the camp. Over the next 3 days he was just fantastic, again taking time to just stop and watch and get away from the comparatively small crowds. Whether it was the hours of waiting for the migration crossing or watching the elephants playing in the river or the unexpected sighting of the leopard and cub - or the lion/buffalo/giraffe -triangle that we were able to witness throughout the day and the less obvious terrapin the the puddle - it was a joy and more so to take the time to really feel what was going on. Even the final journey to the airstrip was full of excitement and again Chediel making sure we left early enough to be able to stop and enjoy rather than rush through.

Accommodation wise - the Camp was sublime. We loved it and mostly because of the staff there, particularly Babu Trifan ( Not sure on the spelling) who clearly loved the place and made us feel so welcome. The fire, the food, the beds, the hot water - probably didn't need the hot water bottles and they certainly frightened the life out of me the first night!! but that kind of attention to detail - fabulous. I can still hear him, "second shower ready". A truly wonderful wonderful stay. There was the one slight fib, when we mentioned the first night we'd heard growling and Babu told us not to worry as it was the buffalo who come to eat the grass near camp only to find the truth when on the way to the airstrip Chediel said our first instincts were in fact correct and it was a lion - they just didn't want us to worry -and it was a wonderful fib, that we repeated to other people in the following days!!
M&B - October 2010

Sand Rivers - just what we were after

Sand Rivers was just what we were after in a Safari. Being over a river and giving us that view as well was an imagine that will live with us for a long time. Admittedly 7 nights probably was one or 2 beyond what we needed in hindsight, but the extra days luckily meant another lion encounter (purely by chance, we stopped for a picnic lunch in the bush and typically got out and no one had noticed 6 foot from us were 4 lions resting after their lunch!) and rare sighting of hyena’s. So you know Sand Rivers has new management, Mike and Carol, both were excellent hosts and looked after us impeccably, unlike the local monkeys who decided to wreck our room on a couple of occasions, but Mike & Carol got their team to clean up the mess, we accepted it as part of the experience, along with the elephant tearing down a tree next to our room at 2am!

Martin's - October 2010

[Nomad says: 7nts at Sand Rivers is unusual, unless part of a longer walking safari. We normally recommend at least 4nts to get maximum benefit from the area, with one of those nights spent flycamping - a MUST while you are there!]