Africa tour operator
 

We are a family of 6 and are hoping to take 3 weeks to discover Africa and then a stop in Dubai. I have looked at African Dream Safaris (Focus mainly on east Africa) and Micanto which has a 8 or 9 day East African tour and the African Adventure Company which has a 21 day tour that really included everything we wanted.... South Africa, East Africa, and Victoria Falls....but the price seemed much lower then the other ,tours so I feel I am missing something, Does any one have any thoughts or information on these safaris.

We thought about doing East Africa on a tour and then South Africa on our own via a private rental and just seeing sights but then we felt we may have to give up Victoria Falls. I am just not sure.

LMK

Have you considered putting together a safari just for the 6 of you rather than going with something pre-packaged and having to be with other guests? You certainly have enough people to have your own vehicle and it'd be nice to set your own pace rather than be at the whim of what a larger group wants to do. I'd suggest rather than looking for a package tour, talk to some safari planners and tell them exactly what you want, your budget and the time you have available. I've only been to East Africa but know that there are many planners out there who can also handle South Africa. Take a look at Africa Travel Resource (they post other trips they've put together for other clients with camps/lodges/prices including in South Africa), Expert Africa, Gamewatchers. Maybe others can chime in with help for South Africa? I'd not mess around with something that doesn't exactly hit the mark like a packaged tour would.

I agree with Amy, you can design your own safari with that many people. Even four people would make it doable. I have used gamewatchers twice now and tell them when and where and they put together a price and itinerary for me. I would not go with a packaged tour. Debbe

though I have read some negative things, we used Lion World travel for our upcoming East Africa trip and have been quite happy with the service so far. check their site

I cannot recommend the WildSource enough as a tour operator. From beginning to end Shannon, Annie, and the rest of the team were wonderful to work with. We used the Wildsource for our most recent African Safari in Tanzania. They can put together a customized package for you. They are extremely knowledgeable and are very helpful in making suggestions for an itinerary. If you utilize a personal guide, Deo is not only an amazing guide but an incredible person.

GDKSS, I’m happy to hear that about Wild Source since I’ve booked my next safari with them. I’d heard great things from fellow Safaritalkers but it’s always good to hear more! I’d have recommended them here, but I was unsure if they dealt with South Africa too. I know they do excellent work in both Kenya and Tanzania. I’ve heard good things about Deo too! Glad you had such a good time!

Interesting that others have worked well with Wild Source. I emailed them with a fair amount of specific information and never heard back from them. Considering that a bad sign, I looked elsewhere.

That’s very odd, artsnletters. I made an initial enquiry, was invited to provide a few ideas, which I did last Thursday and this afternoon received a beautifully presented and well thought out package, very detailed.

Maybe somehow yours went missing?

we used chalo africa (sangeeta) for both of ours. i also reached out to wild source - much more responsive for our first safari - not so much for our second.

shouldbe, that's the only reason I can think of why they wouldn't have responded if they are a good company. I gave enough detail about what I was looking for to give them something to start with and make it clear I was serious. The outfitters I liked best wanted to talk after they got my original email, and that cut down on what otherwise would have been a lot of back-and-forth by email. Some sent a link to a standard itinerary they offered, but it didn't meet the parameters I laid out in my original email, and I didn't want to write back and say, no, that's not what I had in mind at all, when I already gave a lot of info about what I wanted. I guess my best advice for operators is to set up a phone call early to get a feel for what the person wants.