This was a great tour and excellent value for money. Yes the truck does not have air con, yes some... read more
This was a great tour and excellent value for money. Yes the truck does not have air con, yes some... read more
I joined this group when it reached Victoria Falls and before it left for Botswana. This review... read more
I had a fantastic time on this accommodated Cape Desert Safari Tour. It was perfectly organised. All the accommodation was great. We also slept 2 nights in a tent, which was easy to put up. The truck we used was perfect for this kind of trip. It fits 26 people but we were with 10 (included driver and guide) so we had plenty of room. These trucks are comfortable for the unpaved roads of Namibia.
It had a freezer, cool boxes so we could keep our drinks and food cold. With the big windows you have a perfect view and this combined with the hight of the truck makes it excellent to go on game drives.
You will spend a lot of time on the truck but you will pass through the most beautifull and varied landscapes.
Seeing the wild animals in their natural habitat is fantastic.
Being from Belgium tto much light pollution), I had never seen such a beautifull sky full of stars.
Our driver (Khumbu) and guide (Philile) were amazing. They did everything to give us a good time. The meals they prepared were outstanding. Never had better meals during an overland like this.
They clearly know what they where doing, are very professional, gave us lots of information.
The optional activities on this trip were great as well and of good value.
I can definitely recommand this trip and company for your trips to Africa.
Dear Werner
Thank you for taking the time to review your trip with us and we are glad you enjoyed the Cape Desert Safari Accommodated tour. It's always great to hear that our crew were able to show you how special this part of Africa is and that you enjoyed the facilities in Namibia and South Africa en-route.
We shall pass on your compliments to your Acacia tour crew - Khumbu and Philile.
Kind regards,
The Acacia Team
The main problems I had with this tour was our guide and the issues at the national parks. It just seemed like the itinerary made it seem like you had more game drive time than we actually got. This is the main reason I came and spent so much money, to see the animals. when 1400 of my 2800 dollar tour was just to see the national parks, I felt like we were cheated out of time there. out of the five game drives that were on the itinerary, only one was even close to a full day. the tour was good at getting us out early in the morning, but would frequently make us go back early in the day. the itinerary only had one masai village on the tour, yet we went to two, an extra one that was outside the masai mara. this cut that day shorter, it was supposed to be a full day in the park, yet we had to leave to be at the masai village. i would have rather had more time at the park than go to two masai villages, especially as this wasn't on the itinerary. the first day at the masai mara, we ended up only having about two hours on our first game drive and on the way back for dinner we heard there was a leopard off the side of the road... this was the one thing I wanted to see and it is rare to see anyway...we told the driver that another car saw a leopard and he acted very annoyed and said
Dear Cherstie,
Thank you for your post following your recent tour with Acacia.
Precise timings for gamedrives depend on various factors - such as where in the park viewings have been successful in preceding days - but two hours on the first afternoon after arriving from Nairobi sounds normal, and for the 2nd day, two shorter drives – morning and afternoon - often preferable because it maximises the likelihood of sightings when it’s cool and animals are more active. In each case vehicles must be outside the reserve by 6pm.
In regard to the Maasai villages, our scheduled visit is to a village near Arusha in Tanzania but in Kenya we will stop outside the Mara if members of the group request.
Your message was cut off but if you wish to email us with your feedback I’d be pleased to investigate anything arising from your trip. Please send to info@acacia-africa.com
Kind regards
Arno
I joined as a camping guest but only actually camped for 3 nights where we had excellent facilities. In Swaziland we were able to upgrade from camping to log cabin dorms for just 15rand a night. On the final night we were in permanent tents with beds and linen.
All locations had excellent communal facilities.
There was lots of meals included and catered for vegetarians and gluton free too. The food was very very good. Jack was our guide and a fabulous guide and chef!
Lots of included activities and everything was arranged perfectly.
Compared with other tour operators, Acacia were much cheaper but do not compromise on quality so highly recommended - cheaper than doing this route independently too.
Dear travelaholic007,
Thank you for taking the time to review our 7-day Kruger, Swaziland and Beach Overland Tour. We are delighted that you enjoyed your tour with us. We make every effort to include a variety of highlights in each country visited and to supply good wholesome food along the way.
We hope to see you travel with us again.
Kind regards,
The Acacia Team
The one week tour with Acacia was phenomenal, however as they say it is just a 'taste' of Africa, there is so much more to see and do! On this tour there is a good amount of included activities that will leave you with great memories and incredible photos.
Dear Rex S,
Thank you for your amazing review. I do believe the memories you made will last a lifetime. They say ‘The eye never forgets what the heart has seen’ ~ African Proverb.
We hope to see you again for another Africa adventure.
Kind regards,
The Acacia Team
My most memorable trip ever! My favourite part was the mokoro canoes in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. 100% recommend Acacia😊
Remember to bring warm clothes and a solid sleeping bag if you’re camping, the temperature drops ALOT as soon as the sun goes down.
Dear Embla V,
Thank you for taking the time to write about your experience and including the details of what to expect and bring on tour. The 19-day Desert Tracker camping overland tour is certainly a firm favourite and highlights the best of Namibia, Botswana and the mighty Victoria Falls.
I do believe the memories you made will last a lifetime and hope that you'll consider visiting Africa again soon.
Kind regards,
The Acacia Team
Not long back from this tour and I had a great time so I thought I'd let others know. Overall, the tour was well organised and the guides ensured we felt safe at all times. The truck was well equipped and I was surprised at how comfortable the seats were - so comfortable I was able to sleep despite the 'African massages' along the way. Despite the fact that some of the journeys were quite long, being able to sleep certainly helped. Some of the journeys on this trip are quite long but they are unavoidable if you want to see these parts of Africa. Anyway, the route was quite scenic and the guides provided info about the surrounding area along the way and we stopped every so often to stretch our legs. The main guide, Sammy, also informed us when to stock up on snacks and drinks at the better supermarkets as a lot of the local shops were poorly supplied as you can imagine. Most of the stops had some form of toilet however my group found that the bush toilets were generally cleaner (this is Africa after all). The tents provided were pretty good and the mattresses were spot on too. I have to say, one of the things I was anxious about before going on the trip was the quality of the meals as catering for large groups often leads to small portions of massively overdone food but both Sam and Ali were great cooks and we always had plenty to eat. We also stopped at local kitchens to try some of the local cuisine for lunch which was another good experience. Our particular group had lots of allergies/food intolerances (seafood, nuts, dairy, gluten and shellfish to name a few) and Sam always provided options for these people - to the extent that one person had to reject his meals so they could use up some of their own food to create some room in their suitcase. Finally, our guide Sammy was excellent along the way and his local knowledge was invaluable for us between helping getting currency changed to recommending where to buy gifts etc. One of the more negative reviews says to do this trip on your own steam which seems like a very romantic idea but without being able to speak the local language (Sam can speak 8 apparently) and knowing how to deal with the corrupt policemen you will only end up wishing you had someone like Sam guiding you.
Bad point: When I was at Lake Malawi the lake was quite rough so snorkelling wasn't going to be worthwhile but I guess it's just one of those things and Acacia can't exactly control the weather
Highlights of the trip: South Luangwa - we were fortunate to get VERY close to a pair of lions in heat The Serengeti - seeing The Great Wildebeest Migration was spectacular
Overall, a fantastic trip and would highly recommend travelling with Acacia
Dear Rcrozier
Thank you for taking the time to post about your experience on our 21 Day East African Explorer travelling from Livingstone to Nairobi. We'll be sure to pass the compliments on to Sammy & Ali as I'm sure they'll be thrilled to hear their hard work was appreciated, and that their local expertise helped share some of the special magic of the African continent. It is unfortunate that some of the days on this tour are quite long in terms of driving, however, as you say, it's the only way to get to see the highlights throughout these 4 countries. We hope to have you travel with us again. Regards, Sabine