Thank you for the opportunity of expressing some comments about your company and the service delivery regarding our personalized trip. That in itself shows that you care which is constructive and makes a client feel that they are special. You are obviously going the extra mile and that's so good to know as this was a trip of a lifetime to celebrate nearly 30 years of married life for us.

What we believe stood out for us was the response time to our queries. Initially when we contacted your company we understandably approached other companies to glean comparative costing. Because of the unique itinerary and our nominated time frames other companies found it harder to give us quotes. You were by far and away the quickest of all the responders.

In addition to being the most efficient regarding the quote, you offered site links to recommended destinations which no other company offered. It was good to view the resorts and get a mind set of what to expect.

You also explained why certain costing were seemingly exorbitant and that was different to other companies who simply told us it was a certain price and didn't want the long dialogue or explanation route as it was , we
believe, out of the ordinary charter arrangements and possibly they didn't know first hand why certain flights were the price they were.

We were also struck by the comments you made regarding some routing and certain plane flight companies which at times were problematic - but you had warned us of their more than occasional rerouting and we were therefore not so dismayed when it occurred. I refer to the connection /link between Mombasa and Zanzibar which did not arrive and we were rerouted back to Nairobi then out to Zanzibar. So thank you for that.

The meet and greet arrangements went off particularly well in most places. All personnel were helpful and the arrival and departures by and large went very smoothly considering the flight rerouting by the airline.

The Zanzibar Stone Town tour guide was superlative. He was outstanding and gave us undivided attention. We felt that was great value and to be escorted round the market place and slave stations was like walking in a living museum The duration of the tour was lengthy by our request and it went by seemingly quickly. This was because we enjoyed it immensely.

The Little Governors Camp experience was terrific in every respect. Our guide in the vehicle was fantastic and his knowledge of game and spotting whatever you nominated was unbelievable. His knowledge of birds was also excellent. He was caring, attentive and informative. A great ambassador for Africa and for your company.

The Fundu Lagoon Resort at Pemba was outstanding. All personnel there care and deliver great service. The waitrons are all fantastic. Beach dinner experiences and superb variations of meal menus plus changes of venue for dinners were wonderful.

It was in all respects a happy experience with no anti climaxes.

I wanted to let you know the Ms Raquel Trujillo returned from her Africa trip and she absolutely loved it. Her words, “it was like a dream come true”, the service and people and the accommodations were above and beyond. She’s telling everyone about your company and what a terrific job they did. I know I was excited to hear all about it as well I’m sure that your are too. I just had to pass the glowing report on over to you.

Thanks again for all your help in making this so perfect for her.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Our Safari trip was a highlight of our time in Kenya. I find visiting a new country and traveling around is always tricky but the pressure was taken off and we didn't need to worry about a thing for the 3 days because of the service of AfricanMecca Safaris. The communication was superb and personal (and we booked during Christmas 2008 holidays) and we had lists of contact numbers for once in Kenya. 

The Tsavo camps (Severin and Satao) were spectacular with unbelievably friendly service and welcome. I will highly recommend these camp lodgings. I liked the fact that we felt there was a good support network through the Safari's for the local communities with the planned rest stops at village shops. Beautiful people and so much to experience. Our guide, Tim was amazing at spotting game and was so informative and friendly.

We have really fond memories and the whole experience was a complete delight from booking to drop-off to witnessing Lion's feeding on their kill, a Zebra, and viewing Elephants 100 metres away from our tented accommodation at the watering hole in Satao Camp. 

We had door-to-door service and we were staying off the beaten track so this was a concern but the coach driver was there, early, ready and waiting. We returned to different location and that was not a problem either - Hakuna Matata! We plan to return for Safari with AfricanMecca soon. We miss Kenya, the people and their beautiful country already.

Asante Sana Altaf and Raza, it was wonderful!

Many thanks,

I recently returned back from my honeymoon in Kenya which included a safari and Indian Ocean beach vacation. We had a wonderful time on our honeymoon safari in Kenya. Apparently they don't get many people form "the States" there as almost everyone we met assumed we were from England. And if I had known so many people were going to talk to us about President Obama I would have studied up on him more so I had more to say!

We loved all of the camps - each for different reasons. The Satao Camp at Tsavo East had the least amenities but the animal experience was great and so up close you literally had to walk through them to get to your tent, and herds of gazelles and water buck slept surrounding the tents the first night. We shared a jeep with a family (Mom, Dad, kids 6 & 8 years). After that we had a private jeep for the remainder of the Safari. The second camp Satao Elerai was beautiful!! The first night we went to watch the sunset with the other guests and had what we describe as a "happy hour" champagne, drinks and appetizers. And the animals at Amboseli Notational Park were amazing. We saw live wildebeest births, a pack of hyenas looking for a kill, elephants so close to the jeep that you could reach out and touch them! At the last camp, Severin Safari Camp we had the most luxuries, including a pool and spa, but not as many animals in the Tsavo West Camp as the others (although I will say that it had rained the 2 nights before we got there and some of the roads were flooded which meant that we could not access all areas of the park). But we did to see numerous animal including a pack of African Hunting Dogs which our guide Finneas said was a rare sighting. Also some lions killed a zebra at our campsite on our last night there right near the last tent! We loved having the pool to keep us busy during the day between game drives and as it was summer there and quite hot - to cool us off. 

Our final stop was the Leopard Beach Resort (which took a bit long to drive to) which was very nice as well. The door to our room was decorated with a braided palm leaf arch with flowers and a "Just Married" sign which we were not expecting- so that was a nice surprise. The resorts main areas (lobby, dining, pool and beaches) were very nice, the room needed some updating though (it reminded me of a hotel at the Wildwoods in NJ) but it was fine. On the Friday night of our stay there, they had a beach BBQ as the dinner. They moved every table and chair from the indoor dining area down to the beach, with linens and candles, a live band and the biggest outdoor BBQ I have ever been too! It was impressive.
Overall, the food was exceptional. I fully intended to be able to lose a couple pounds while on this vacation - but that was not the case. Every meal was either a buffet, or 5 course a la carte dinner. We had fondue and we got to grill our own meat at our table, and of course there was plenty of Versus Wine and Tusker Lager to be had. It was definitely the experience of a lifetime!
Finally, I learned a lot about Africa, the camps and lodges (some that we did not stay at but visited), animals and where best to see them (we did not see any rhinos, but I know where I can if we ever go back). Again - Thank you to AfricanMecca for helping us plan the trip/honeymoon of a lifetime!

We had an AWESOME trip to Benin, Ivory Coast, and safari in Kenya (with your AfricanMecca team). The safari guide, Raphael was so good it felt like we had to part with a dear friend at the end. The hotels and tent (especially the tent!) were top notch. I really enjoyed the decorating details of the Masai in Amboseli. One Masai offered ten cows for my daughter Sarah,. Was that a good deal?? :) I have never seen such overjoyed enthusiasm in my 15 year old for every game drive. He was practically beside himself!! We saw all the animals, and some very big insects, that we wanted to see except for hippo, and gators, and leopard. I lost count of the elephants, cheetah, and lions that we saw - and so close!! I would love to return to Kenya someday and recommended it to my daughter for her honeymoon. I can easily see how you can fall in love with a country. Although we didn't see any animals during the Masai Mara balloon ride, the experience was priceless. I would have liked to see Olduvai gorge and the anthropological site of the Leakey's, but we did drive through a lot of the rift valley. I can truthfully save we bounced and zig-zagged along a considerable piece of Kenya- it was the rainy season and the roads were horrible everywhere. Benin was a really good contrast to Kenya and my daughter, Sarah was asking about the possibilities of Kenya advising Benin on tourist infrastructure, services, etc. We also enjoyed visiting the Karen Blixen Estate and the pottery women's factory to spend time before going to dinner and home. The cats at the Carnivore restaurant were a friendly "ending" to our safari. I took so many pictures and videos that I made them into a one and half-two hour presentation that will be presented at our church in October. The presentation of our church's gift to an orphanage in Cotonou, Benin and the children's singing in welcome will be a highlight.

All of this would have been very much harder to accomplish without the tireless effort and expertise of Raza Visram and AfricanMecca!- especially given the several difficulties that sprang up along the planning way with flights from Benin to Kenya. THANK YOU so much to all of you.

In appreciation,

Hi AfricanMecca and special greetings and thanks to Raza Visram, Our Best Of Kenya Tier I safari was really wonderful. Everything was perfect. Excellent top notch service from AfricanMecca!

1. The pick ups and drop offs were perfectly scripted - very prompt and courteous service!
2. Airline flights on time, or even early...amazing coordination of our pick ups, flights and accommodation by AfricanMecca!
3. The tented camps were all fabulous, with great food and excellent service:
- Tortilis Camp in Amboseli was great - very modern, best dinning room and bar, great view of watering hole
- Larsens Camp in Samburu was even better - best location, right on the river, friendly management, amazing pool and hot tub
- Little Governors Camp in Maasai Mara was superb - best food, best wildlife. We got to see many, many animals...and saw the big five plus........we have thousands of great photos!
4. The Balloon trip over Maasai Mara was fabulous as well - worth the extra money!
5. In addition, we had super weather with hardly any rain and even got to see the end of the Migration (late, still going in Nov)!
6. Everything was fantastic! Could not have been better!!!!! Bravo!!!
7. Best of all was the wonderful, courteous and personal service we received from Raza Visram in planning and organizing our trip! He was very prompt in getting back to us and answering all our questions. His knowledge and expertise on Africa was greatly appreciated as he provided us valuable assistance on how best to plan our trip (great idea to do fly ins, saved us loads of time). Absolutely excellent customer service!

Thanks very much for making our trip really memorable. I wholeheartedly recommend AfricanMecca !!!!

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Second Visit To Africa with AfricanMecca In April 2008

Everything was perfect with my trip to Zanzibar - airport transfers on time - Zanzibar Serena and Pongwe Beach Hotel - fabulous! Tours: city tour and spice tour - great! I even visited Zanzibar Gallery and Mercury's Restaurant. Excess baggage went as you predicted - I paid $55 from Nairobi - Zanzibar and nothing for excess baggage on the return flights - luggage checked and boarding passes obtained all the way from Zanzibar - Montreal, Canada (I just gave a small voluntary bonus/tip at Zanzibar airport in respect to any issues that could arise re excess luggage). So, everything was perfect. You provided excellent service once again!

After researching many tour operators, I stumbled across AfricanMecca Safaris. It was very reassuring to get advice from a pair of natives with indepth knowledge of their country. The Visram brothers were extremely responsive to all of my requests and spent extensive time educating me about my options in Kenya and helped me to create a customized itinerary based on my interests. In addition, both Raza and Altaf were on call when we missed our connection in London and when we wanted to make modifications to our itinerary while in Kenya.

We also met up with Raza Visram at Governors' IL Moran in Masai Mara.

My husband and I had a trip of a lifetime in Kenya and have recommended AfricanMecca to many of our friends. We can't wait to go back again!

Dear Raza,

I want to thank you for being the very best travel partner to design and arrange our spectacular trip to Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar.

From the very beginning you stood out as someone who really understood what we needed to do and where we needs to go to have a memorable trip. I had a lot of very specific requests and you addressed every one of them to my complete satisfaction.

It was a very complicated trip -- five "mini" trips spread over 16 days. You continually impressed me throughout the year of planning with your attention to detail and thoroughness. All the materials that you sent were extremely helpful. And, your web site is by far the most complete, exhaustive summary for anyone traveling to East Africa.

It was such a pleasure to work with you. My calls and emails were answered very promptly, regardless of time. The accommodations you recommended were superb. We loved them all -- Giraffe Manor, Wilderness Trails, Governor's Il Moran, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and Mnemba Island Lodge. Each had its own personality and each was a unique experience.

Your guidance on the people and culture proved to be invaluable. We found both to be beautiful and unforgettable.

I am thrilled to have found you and AfricanMecca and I have already recommended you to several of my friends and colleagues.

Jambo AfricanMecca Team,

We wish to thank everyone involved with our trip to Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro Climb and Tanzania safari. There wasn't one thing that went wrong with our trip. All guide were on time and very pleasant. The accommodations surpassed our expectations and the whole trip was perfect! The Machame route climb on Kilimanjaro was very exciting and more difficult that I expected. The guide and porters were excellent and the briefing we received the night prior was very informative. The food was very good considering the environment. The safaris to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti were fantastic and very beautiful. All in all, the perfect trip for my son and myself. Thanks again and enjoy the pictures. My son took about 1500 pictures, if you are interested in seeing more, please let us know. Asante Sana

Hi Raza,

I thought I should pass on my thanks to you and your organisation for the superb choice of resorts (Little Governors Camp and The Retreat At Matemwe In Zanzibar) you recommended and the faultless organisation in arranging my wedding, safari, hot air balloon safari and transfers between Kenya and Zanzibar. I managed to keep most of it including the wedding a surprise from Alex (although immigration officials do ask awkward questions about intended length of stay etc.!) for most of the time and she was equally delighted with the trip.

Thank you for making it a perfect and memorable wedding in Zanzibar.

Dear AfricanMecca,

I could not think of any other better way to tell you about our superb safari that you organized in Kenya than to send you my 11 year old's safari Journal which will give you an accurate sense of how incredible the experience was. Thank you for your professional services. They are truly appreciated.

An 11 Year Old's Safari Experience With AfricanMecca

Day 1:
Woke up at 6:45. I had a light breakfast. AfricanMecca met us. Then we left for Tsavo East National Park. It took us around 2 hours to get there. The roads were a little bumpy. After a little while we reached the park. On the way to the hotel we saw a lot of animals. We saw Gazelles, lions, Gerenucks, Maasai Giraffes, and common Zebras. Then we got to the lodge which is called Ngutuni Lodge. First they gave us a cold towel to wipe our face with and some juice. Then we had lunch. Then at 3:00 we went for our Afternoon game drive. We saw Elephants, Impalas, Ostriches, buffalos, and Guinea Fowls. We even saw an elephant cross the road right in front of us. Then we went to the hotel, had dinner, and then we went to bed.

Day 2:
Woke up at 6:00. I had a light breakfast. Then we left Tsavo East. We are going to Amboseli National Park. It took us around 5 hours to get there. Then when we got there we checked into The Ol Tukai Lodge, then went to our room. First we relaxed for a little, and then we had lunch. Then we went for our Afternoon game drive. We saw Giraffes, baboons, elephants, hyenas, lions, and cheetahs. We even saw the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, and 2 elephants fighting. Then we went to the hotel and had dinner. Then we went to the room and went to bed.

Day 3:
Woke up at 6:00. Then we went for our Early Morning game drive at 6:30. We saw lions crossing the road right in front of us and a Red bill stork eating a snake. Then we went to the hotel and had a light breakfast. Then we went for a walk. After that we had lunch. Then at 4:00 we went for our afternoon game drive. We saw lots of animals. Then we went to the hotel and had dinner. Then we went to the room and went to bed.

Day 4:
Woke up at 5:30. Then we left Amboseli. We are going to Tsavo West National Park. When we first got to the park we went to Mzima Springs which is like a nature trail. We saw hippos, monkeys, and lots of different types of trees and plants. Then we went to the hotel which is called Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge. First we went to the room. Then we had lunch. Then we went for our Afternoon game drive. We saw a leopard and 14 lions sitting along the road. Then we went to the hotel and had dinner. The food was really good. Then we went to the room and went to bed.

Day 5:
Today we are leaving Tsavo West. We are going back to Mombasa. We had the best time of our lives. In the next few days, we will be returning to New York. We will miss all the wildlife of Africa. Thank you AfricanMecca for making it a trip of a lifetime.