Reviews

I have just returned from a safari/beach holiday which I booked through Timbuktu. This is the second review that I have written regarding this trip. The first review was in relation to the booking experience which I could not fault and was professional, helpful and friendly. I arranged my trip through Timbuktu having priced up the exact same trip with two other Safari specialists. I saved myself £2000 per person by booking with Timbuktu. I told Joanna, the safari specialist handling my trip what I wanted to achieve from the experience. For me that included staying in safari accommodation that felt like a part of the safari environment and not apart from the safari environment. I wanted to try to catch the end of the Great Migration as it was leaving Tanzania and crossing into Kenya. Luxury was optional but I was not prepared to compromise on comfort. I told Joanna where I wanted to stay and for how long. Joanna was very helpful was able to discuss pros and cons of my choices and to advise me and propose other options that I hadn't considered. I booked a total of two hotels and three safari lodges. My final stay being in a hotel on Zanzibar after an 8 night safari. Other companies charges more and tried to get us compromise on what we wanted but with Joanna's help we had an absolutely bespoke safari holiday experience. My other review discusses all the ways in which I was assisted by Joanna throughout the process in greater detail. Once the holiday was booked all I had to do was to turn up. I was travelling with my mum who is in her late 60s (exact age undisclosed to save her blushes). The ground support arranged by Joanna was second to none. From the moment we were collected from the airport in Arusha to the moment we were picked up from our final hotel in Zanzibar we were in good, safe hands. The morning after our arrival in Arusha we were met by a representative of the ground support team who briefed us and provided us with a beautiful wallet with all of our booking and transfer information inside. It also included a map of East Africa, some decorative luggage labels and information leaflets. In addition my mother and I were provided with pre-registered membership of the air ambulance support programme, so that in the event of a medical emergency we would be airlifted to the nearest major hospital after which our own personal travel insurance would kick in. This being my first safari I have no idea whether or not this is provided as standard when booking a safari but it was something that impressed both my mother and I. It was a consideration that hadn't crossed our minds and it made us feel very safe and looked after. After the briefing we were introduced to our driver and guide, Charles. What an incredible guide and driver he turned out to be. Charles looked after us so well. His knowledge of the flora and fauna of East Africa was incredible. His reading of animal behaviours was outstanding. He knew when it was worth watching that lion for a little bit longer, when to back off or drive on from the posturing bull elephant, he knew when an unremarkable wildlife sighting might turn into something special. My mother and I are keen amateur photographers but we kind of have 'all the gear and no idea' so we are quite slow. Charles had the patience of a saint and gave us as much time as we needed to get the shots that we wanted. I went out on safari thinking thinking that I would be grateful for anything that I saw and genuinely the parks we chose just kept on delivering and delivering and delivering. We visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorogoro Crater and North Serengeti (Grumeti and Mara Rivers) but full credit to Charles' guiding for giving us some very special moments that we will never forget and which I truly believe we might otherwise have missed. It would be easy to consider it pure luck to find ourselves with a guide of Charles' calibre but having experienced such a faultless service from start to finish, from booking right through to final transfer, from Joanna and from all of the ground representatives that we met, I am confident that the top class service we received from him is indicative of the standard expected and offered by Timbuktu when arranging safaris. We opted to drive the entire route of our safari, rather than opting for a light aircraft transfer from Ngorogoro Crater to Migration Camp in the Serengeti. Charles therefore drove us every mile/kilometre of the way. We had quite a lot of ground to cover and most of the way was safari road and not tarmac. Charles' driving skills were incredible. What an expert! We felt safe at all times, even when the roads were occasionally particularly rough. My mother who has driven for a living for over 30 years had nothing but praise for his driving ability and his courtesy towards other drivers on the road (discourtesy between drivers is a major bugbear of my mum's). We had the entire vehicle to ourselves and my mother and I made full use of the space each day. Every morning when we got into the 4WD, the interior was spotless having been swept and washed down the night before. Charles' timekeeping was impeccable (more than I can say for our own some mornings) and he was always well presented and smart. I did have a little anxiety before the trip at the thought of being confined in a vehicle for 8 days, day in and day out with the same driver. My anxiety was totally unnecessary. We met Charles as strangers and we parted as friends. Charles was an integral, special and unforgettable part of our trip. Charles stayed with us right up until our onward flight to Zanzibar left Lobo Airfield in the Serengeti. In Zanzibar we were met at the airport and taken to our hotel. Again we were given a full briefing and welcome pack and we were asked for outward flight information so that all our return flights could be confirmed ahead of departure. It was a seamless transition from safari to island beach holiday. The return transfer went just as smoothly and we were driven to the airport in plenty of time for our flight off the island. The prospect of booking a safari holiday on this scale started out as quite a daunting task. Timbuktu took the stress out of the process, saved my mother and I a lot of money and made the build up and anticipation of the trip such a wonderful part of the whole experience. I was apprehensive about using Timbuktu at first as I hadn't heard of the company before but I was able to check out their credentials and book with confidence. I will definitely be booking through Timbuktu again in the future and I make no hesitation in recommending their services in this review. Timbuktu delivered our dream holiday to us without ever compromising on quality and for a fraction of the price.

Very friendly staff to help me in the booking! Amazing experience in the trip itself, with an unforgettable birthday weekend Safari!

Johnny and his team were fabulous to work with on both of our trips to Southern Africa. We cannot wait to organise our next one with Timbuktu

Fantastic

I have yet to go on my planned safari and so this review relates to the booking phase of my relationship with Timbuktu Travel. I have had such a wonderful experience booking this holiday. I have never felt so in control of arranging each stage of my trip. I came by Timbuktu Travel after attempting to arrange my safari beach holiday with other more well known travel agents. I was very clear and specific about what I did and didn't want. The other agents tried to, at best, make tweaks to my plans and at the worst end of the scale completely ignored my wishes and substituted other options. Timbuktu offered clear and helpful advice in relation to options I had chosen and I have arrived at what I believe is my perfect itinerary. I have dealt mainly with Joanna is the U.S. but have also spoken with Katherine in the U.K. I am based in the U.K. Joanna has been my main point of contact (by email) and she is an absolute delight. She has shared elements of her own safari experiences, offered me advice and guidance as well as practical tips and hints. She has answered my many questions, some of which I am sure have been quite obvious or silly. Her responses have been timely and detailed. I value her expertise and her willingness and generosity in sharing it. I can honestly say that after having the experience of trying to book with other agents I am so pleased to have happened across Timbuktu Travel. I actually found them online in a moment of despair as I was becoming resigned to booking something that wasn't quite what I wanted and costing more than the budget I had quoted. I input my dream itinerary into the Timbuktu build your own safari web tool and I requested a quote. The quote I was given beat what I had been quoted elsewhere very significantly and I was able to discuss the options I had selected by email to make sure that they would meet my needs. I have given Timbuktu Travel 5 stars for the booking experience alone because I have never had such a positive experience when planning and booking a holiday and they (Joanna mainly) have helped me to put together the trip of my wildest dreams.

Fantastic trip and very well organised. The itinerary worked like clockwork and Timbuktu gave an accurate representation of what we could expect. Without doubt our future African adventures will be in the hands of the Timbuktu team. Many thanks again