All in all a great safari

Difficult to know where to begin but certainly another magical experience! All 3 camps were superb and to end up at Greystoke was as good as any beach holiday with the added bonus of 3 magical days with the chimps. 

I think the highlight was the chimpanzees, made all the better for having to make an effort to get to see them. ( Makes it more rewarding) . We were amazed at their size and the human traits they exhibited even at one point having a mother bring her baby towards us to clearly show her off!

A mass of wonderful bird life (we are becoming twitchers with all these visits!)

Hundreds of Hippos and crocs trying to compete for water in Katavi 

Great food in all camps

Great staff / knowledgeable guides / excellent accommodation.

All in all another great safari leaving us wanting more and just as keen to return as soon as we can!

Nomad - superb all the way round

Nomads was superb all the way round.  The camps were fantastic and the mix of mobile tents and small permanent camps was perfect for our family.

We loved the game in the Western corridor - and the camp, staff and food was outstanding.  It really set the tone for what was to come.

Lamai was an unexpected treat!  What an amazing location tucked into the kopje.  We were really pampered with the beautiful suites, sundowners looking over the Mara plains and dinner under the stars.  Oh, and the pool!  Truly decadent… Susanne and Bas were wonderful hosts.       

Katavi was an adventure!  Hippos in camp on the way to dinner the first night, only to be repeated each of our four nights there (along with many elephants) and a few hyenas. Game viewing was awesome (crocs, hippos, leopard, lion and tons of birds).  Claus and Jill made us feel like family.  Although we had Chediel as our private guide, the Nomad guides were great as well.  Special thanks to Gabriel, Mohammad (Moody) and Paul.  Top notch, all of them.

Mahale was like no place on earth.  The setting is spectacular.  Lake Tanganyika was an oasis.  Wonderful swimming, snorkeling and kayaking.  The camp and facilities were world class – there could not be a finer location for a sundowner bar in Africa than Mahale!  We saw plenty of chimps, hiked to the waterfall for a refreshing late afternoon swim, took the dhow for a sunset cruise and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Paul and Lala were fantastic.  They were great hosts and their local knowledge of the chimps, birds and Africa in general added so much to our visit.  Special thanks to Robert who was our Nomads guide.  He was great.

Chediel (“Chedi”), the private guide arranged for us, was a huge contribution to our overall experience.  Chedi was so knowledgeable about everything from animals to birds to local culture to geology.  We spent 12 days with him (from early morning game drives, to flights across Tanzania, to sundowner time and dinner).  He was simply outstanding.  We learned so much from him and truly enjoyed his company every day.  All the Nomads guides looked up to him as a legend.  He was really great.

Sand Rivers - loved every minute

“We loved every minute at Sand Rivers. Mark and Chloe were splendid hosts and the house staff were very attentive. 

Special praise for our guide Kakae who really enriched our who African experience through his knowledge and personality.”

McNaughtons - July 2011

Serengeti - fantastic experience

I want to thank you for the fantastic experience we had in the West Serengeti thanks to Nomad in general, and to Ally Kea, our guide, in particular. We stayed for 3 nights in Serengeti Safari Camp

Ally is a very special person, very kind, very open, very friendly and also very funny. He took really good care of us, with great professionalism and a lot of kindness and warmth. Also, he is an incredible guide. He has a special gift and a great patience to drive around on a very pleasant pace and in the proper areas in order for us to see as much game as possible.

Furthermore, and this was an incredible plus, Ally has a fantastic knowledge of the animals and the area. It was a real pleasure and a very enriching experience to learn so much details about the wild life and the nature of the Serengeti. He told us that he went to a guide school before working for Nomad, and that Nomad sends him once a year on a training session to update his knowledge. I want to let you know that this is a huge advantage for your guides. It really makes a difference with the other company we traveled with.

On a side note, the car was great as well. It was a real treat to have access to a mini-fridge, a very nice thought to include blankets and most of all, it was very convenient to be able to charge properly our cameras in the car.

Finally, we loved Serengeti Safari Camp. It was our favorite camp. The service was excellent and very friendly, we really enjoyed the quality of the food and the location was outstanding. 

CT - June 2011