Reviews

We came with a fixed idea: five parks in eight days, because that is what the brochures we had been reading offered. Neema wrote back and gently explained that we would spend most of it in the car. She suggested three parks and more time in each.

She was completely right. The three days in the Serengeti were the best of the trip precisely because we were not rushing anywhere. Our guide Baraka found a leopard on the second morning and we sat with it for over an hour. On a five-park itinerary we would have had twenty minutes and a schedule to keep.

What struck us was that the same people who answered our first email were the ones who met us at the airport. There is no handover to a partner company, no different name on the vehicle.

We saw two river crossings in three days, which we understand is luck as much as planning, though being in Kogatende for three full days rather than one clearly helped. The mobile camp was better than we expected: proper beds, hot water, and dinner under the stars.

We only had four days between other commitments and half the operators we contacted tried to sell us the Serengeti anyway. Humble Cat said plainly that four days does not include the Serengeti unless you enjoy driving, and offered Tarangire and Ngorongoro instead.

That honesty is why we booked. The crater at dawn was extraordinary and we did not feel short-changed for a second.

Five nights in one park sounded like a lot when we booked and felt like too few by the end. Emmanuel knew the Seronera valley intimately and was happy to sit at a sighting for as long as the light held.

As someone who photographs, having a guide who understands why you want to be somewhere at 06:10 rather than 07:00 changes everything.