Excellent, first-rate!
Maningo has a deft touch, both in interpersonal relations (his great sense of humor, and ability to imitate American accents helped) and in sensing the group’s interests and needs. If I had to make a criticism, I’d note our occasional frustration as to where he was taking us on game drives; at times we would have liked to know that, “we’re driving down near the river, hoping to see X or Y,” but I’m pretty sure he was reluctant to spell out his plans because he didn’t want us to get our hopes up.
Talking to travellers we met I felt most of them thought THEIR guide the best in the business; with Maningo, I’m pretty sure he really WAS one such guide!
“Excellent staff. Casey was extremely responsive in planning the trip. I had certain things I did and didn’t want to do, he tailored our experience accordingly (and with keeping our budget in mind). The trip was perfectly proportioned, mostly because of him. Our guide on the ground, Wilfred, spent 12 days with us. We couldn’t have asked for someone better. We became comfortable companions, easily sitting together in silence over long drives or telling stories during dinner. He didn’t wait for us to ask something, he anticipated our needs. When he saw we didn’t finish our lunch boxes, he asked us what we liked and didn’t like. He made sure to relay the information to the hotels and we finished out lunches going forward. He saw I had an itch to get into the Wildebeest migration. Even though it was far away and our chances of finding it could be small, he made sure it happened. The staff set everything apart, especially when we compared it to our tour companies we saw in the area.”