Serengeti Wildlife Experience

It was an excellent trip. As ever with Explore trips a key part of the quality of the trip is the quality of the tour guide. Aston was excellent. His driving was steady and safe. He was kind and courteous. He did his utmost to enable us the see as much as possible. He looked after us very well. The Tortilis camp sites were amazing. They were comfortable and the facilities were excellent. The staff could not do enough for you...hardly letting you lift a finger. So far so good BUT Firstly the vehicle we were in was clearly very old and dilapidated. The seat upholstery was falling a part to the extent that it was so angled that I had to struggle not to slip off the seat...on one occasion I did fall off...fortunately I was not hurt. The vehicle leaked ..fortunately we only had a little rain. There was no air-conditioning so especially on the longer rides it got very hot and the windows had to be closed because of the dust. The seat belts were there but not really usable. On the plus side it didn't breakdown and Aston ensured that it was as clean as possible each day and that water was readily available. However I expected more from an Explore trip and feel I had paid for something better. Secondly we got bumped from the Tortillis camp in Ngorngorn. It was late when we got there and then we had to turn round and go to another site that was greatly inferior. That meant we were extremely late getting there. Our guide had not been told about the change. There was no running water in the tent bathroom. Water for washing was in a jug and flask. There were no electric points for charging things. This had to be done in the communal lounge. And the power was not adequate to charge the groups gadgets. There was no WiFi, although to the credit of the staff there they did provide a hot spot for a short time both mornings. The food there was fine and the staff realised our dismay and did their best to meet our needs and give us a pleasant stay with encouragement from our guide Aston. This wasn't the standard I had paid for and I was very disappointed. I have travelled a lot with Explore over the last 30 years or so and have never complained about anything. I have always had good trips. To show my confidence I am at the beginning of a 6 tour hop round Africa. I always enjoy trips because that is my mind set. But I feel very strongly that I was let down by these 2 crucial aspects of the trip and did not get what I paid for.

This holiday delivered on every front. We saw so much wildlife and enjoyed the variety of parks and environments. We were very lucky in having a small group and this added to the enjoyment. The Tortilis camps are fabulous and on 2 occasions catered for only 4 guests eight 18 staff. The tents are wonderful and met all our needs. However our fellow guests did experience issues with hot water for their shower on several occasions but staff did endeavour to resolve the issue each time. Hamse, our guide, was great and also helped us arrange an air balloon trip over the Serengeti which enhanced the overall trip.

A really excellent trip. In just over a week we had game drives in several different environments (forest, open plains, the Ngorongoro Crater) and had some truly magical experiences. Visiting the Olduvai Gorge to learn about humans' early ancestors was a moving experience. Our visit to a Maasai village helped us to see and understand something of their way of life. We stayed mainly in luxury tented camps (Tortillis Camps), which were spotlessly clean, very comfortable and run by a team of very helpful staff.

Great tour