Simple stays with essential amenities. Typically guesthouses, hostels or hotels rated below 3 stars — clean, no-frills, and great for value-conscious travelers.
Comfortable and reliable 3-star stays. Expect private rooms, en-suite bathrooms, and solid amenities — a great balance between comfort and cost.
Upscale 4-5 star hotels and lodges. Enjoy high-end service, refined comfort, and premium locations — ideal for travelers seeking extra indulgence.
This tour provider hits it out of the park on the big wins: safety, logistics, and expertise. Their guides conducted twice daily health checks, measuring blood oxygen to ensure we were acclimating appropriately and they had medication ready to cover any malady. On summit day they carried oxygen as a safety measure that I found necessary after experiencing altitude sickness and the team even provided it to another suffering climber whose guides were not carrying oxygen. Not all guide services have these safety measures!
The logistics flow was impressive from the get-go with airport and hotel shuttles. The camp logistics on-mountain was even more so. We’d depart camp after breakfast, they’d have tea and snacks set up along the trail, and we’d arrive at lunch to find the mess tent already set up with lunch ready, just to find it and our sleeping tents set up again at the end of the hike with tea and popcorn waiting and dinner shortly to follow. The consideration that the Porter team put into our comfort was overwhelming.
The expertise of the team was unquestionable. The company clearly takes hiring very seriously and recruits knowledgeable guides. Professionals across the board whom we greatly trusted.
With the big wins checked off in style, the company goes above and beyond with personal touches that make the trip truly memorable. I think the most memorable for us was the tradition and ceremony that the team brought to the experience - celebratory group singing and dancing especially, even cakes and champagne! Then small things like hot water bottles to keep sleeping bags warm really made us feel well cared for.
Wij hebben de 7-daagse Lemosho route gelopen en dankzij dit fantastische team hebben we samen met onze gidsen Ringo en Mahamoud de top van Kilimanjaro – Uhuru Peak – bereikt!
Ringo en Mahamoud waren buitengewoon deskundig, geduldig en motiverend. Hun kennis van de berg, hun aandacht voor ons welzijn en hun constante aanmoediging hebben een enorme rol gespeeld in ons succes. Zonder hen hadden we dit nooit gehaald.
Daarnaast willen we ook het hele ondersteunende team bedanken: de dragers die met zoveel toewijding alles de berg op brachten, de ober die ons telkens met een vriendelijke glimlach bediende en natuurlijk de chef, die elke dag opnieuw heerlijke en voedzame maaltijden bereidde. Het voelde als pure luxe om op deze manier verzorgd te worden tijdens zo’n uitdagende trekking.
De combinatie van professionaliteit, gastvrijheid en persoonlijke aandacht maakte deze ervaring onvergetelijk. Wij kunnen van harte aanbevelen aan iedereen die de Kilimanjaro wil beklimmen!
I loved everything about Madagascar. I have had 4 trips with Explore and feel safe knowing they will look after me. The accommodation was excellent, we stayed in some really luxurious hotels. Our guide was excellent, very knowledgeable. Whatever I asked him to ID (insect, animal, plant) he knew what it was, even giving the Latin name. I recommend this trip and hope to return to visit the north of the Island one day.
Active and outdoor
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Hut, Guest House, Bungalow, Resort
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Antananarivo, Ifaty, Ambohimanga
Antananarivo, Ifaty, Ambohimanga, Andasibe, Analamazoatra Reserve, Antsirabe, Lake Tritriva, Ranomafana National Park, Isalo National Park
Everything about this trip was great. From the help we got from Hamisi at the office in selecting the route, preparation materials, smooth payment to the actual trip.
We definitely could not have done the trek without the wonderful and professional support from senior guide Shaban and his colleagues. They made sure we were in the best condition to tackle the mountain.
The six of us all made it to the summit and it was an unforgettable experience.
We had three days safari after Kilimanjaro and Tanzania is an absolutely beautiful country. We saw numerous animals and birds and also managed to see the Hadza people in Rift Valley.
It was my first time on a safari with my wife, I was amazed by how many destinations and experiences were included in the package we paid for. You get all your basis covered, access to the parks wildlife, locals and much more!
Wildlife safaris and game drives
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Lodge, Camping
Age Range
18-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Arusha, Nairobi, Masai Mara, Tar
Arusha, Nairobi, Masai Mara, Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, Simba Camp
Our honeymoon also took us to Queen Elizabeth NP, Kibale NP and finally Bwindi NP in southwestern Uganda. Boaz our guide for the trip from Entebbe was an amazing, sharing his extensive knowledge of flora and fauna. We spent a lot of time in the safari vehicle and I am happy that it was comfortable for the bumpy off-roads. Gorillas was really special! When I looked straight in their eyes I could not help but admit that we share common DNA. Accommodation spots were well appointed and perfect.
I would not hesitate to recommend the local travel specialist
Wildlife safaris and game drives
Tour Type
Private Tour
Accommodation
Lodge, Eco Lodge, Hotel, Resort
Age Range
15-85 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Bwindi Impenetrable National Par
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Entebbe, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Forest National Park
1) Airport pick up from Mount Kilimanjaro airport to moshi: excellent and on time. Eli is a safe driver.
2) 7day Lemosho route: guide, Good Luck, was professional and caring. Helped checked luggage pre-trek to ensure I have all equipment and clothing, potential risk assessment for the hike. Most importantly he helped me to reach the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro successfully despite being 4 hours later than everyone due to my slow speed.
3) Team: one guide, one chef, (Amos), one waiter (David). These were the main people who spoke to me. Great English. 4 porters who helped me as I was walking like a snail and had some slight toe injuries. Full team was very attentive to my needs and preferences of food, comfort level, questions about anything about Mount Kilimanjaro. Very friendly and patient crew.
ClimbingTrekking and Hiking
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel, Camping, Tent, Hut
Age Range
7-85 yrs
Operated in
english, french, german, spanish
Destinations
Kilimanjaro Lemosho route, Kilim
Kilimanjaro Lemosho route, Kilimanjaro, Moshi, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, Londorossi Gate, Shira Camp One, Moir Hut, Barranco Camp, Barafu Camp, Mweka Camp
This was an amazing experience. Most of the accommodation was excellent, however, the house boat on the delta was not the one mentioned in our final itinerary, and the rooms were very small, however the staff on board were excellent and looked after us well producing excellent food in a tiny kitchen. The staff at Batonka lodge in Victoria Falls deserve a special mention too. Travel was via an open sided vehicle which was excellent for viewing animals but got very cold and blustery on the two days of long journeys, make sure you bring warm clothing, gloves and a scarf or mask to prevent breathing in dust. There were two long travel days, particularly the day traveling through Namibia, the border crossing took longer than expected due to the introduction of a required visa a few months earlier. An extra night slotted in Namiba would have taken the pressure off. I cannot fault our guide/driver Phenyo, his ability to spot wildlife was extraordinary, he was so knowledgeable about every bird and animal we saw and had an excellent understanding of animal behavior which he passed on. He looked after us from start to finish and was always so positive.
I chose this trip for the wildlife abs it did not disappoint, from a pack of hyenas eating a dead elephant to a leopard resting, multiple lions and what seemed like hundreds of giraffes and elephants to mongooses and even honey badgers. The optional boat trip at Chobe was another highlight. If you like wildlife then this is the trip for you. I loved every minute.
Wildlife safaris and game drives
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
I thought every single day was the best day of my life... Until the next day came along and overtook it, and then the next day and the next...
The Okavango Delta is pure magic. Easily the best place to see wildlife in Africa (and I have been to most of them on Contiki's). Its remote, there are barely any other tourists on safari out there and it felt like we were truly in Africa, experiencing it for how it should be and not a tourist destination to see wildlife. The camping set up there is awesome, you arrive and everything is set up from your tents and bedding, to a fire place to sit around at night, to a dining tent and chill tent on the river to watch elephants come downt to drink in the middle of the day - right in front of us! On the Game Drives we saw lions and even Wild Dogs (Painted Wolf) pups as well as the adults on the hunt. The safari vehicles had fridges to keep the beers cold, charge ports for our phones and a roof to climb on to watch the sunset over the Delta's waterways while lions were calling in the distance.
The Meerkats at the salt pans were amazing to see go about their day without even giving us a glance as we got close for photos and the sunset on the pans where you can see the horizon 360 degrees around you was extra special.
And Chobe was out of this world... That sunset on the river when everyone had left the park but we stayed in it at Contiki Special Campsite, plus the leopard in the tree... Goosebumps...
And I nearly forgot the adrendline and pure adventure of Victoria Falls. Bungeeing, rafting, heli flights, walking safaris... It has everything to get the heart racing but also some activity from sitting on safari vehicles. I guess some of the activities are pricey, but I felt super safe doing everything and would always rather pay a higher price for safety on the adventurous activities. I'd reccomend them all! The accommodation here felt so fancy with swimming pool, the spray of the falls in the distance, elephants drinking at the waterhole in front and out the back you could safely walk into town to do some shopping or exploring...
A trip I could VERY easily do again and again. Every safari drive is different with varying chances of seeing different animals doing different things (drinking/eating/hunting/playing with babies etc etc). Every drive felt special and unique...
The Africa bug has bitten me hard - I cant wait to go back
Natural landmarks sightseeing
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Camping, Hotel, Lodge, Tent
Age Range
18-35 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Victoria Falls, Maun, Chobe Nati
Victoria Falls, Maun, Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans, Okavango Delta
