Hapana Nyoka
Totally awesome. Brilliant. Amazing. NASCAR-worthy. Cunning. Eagle-eyed. Compassionate. Attentive to detail. Adventurous. Great sense of humor. I don’t know if I can come up with enough adjectives to adequately describe Fulgence’s performance. He has an amazing ability to get you to the absolute perfect viewing spot, somehow maneuvering so that you can see the animals better than anyone else. And when you are ready to move on, he knows to wait just a little longer and, sure enough, that sleeping lion with stand up, stretch, and walk away or the leopard will decide to come down out of the tree. His NASCAR-style driving got us to the African wild dogs right before they disappeared and got me to the wildebeest river crossing just in time. I know that everyone says their guide is the best at finding animals but I am convinced that his ability to spot animals is unparalleled. He would see animals that I had a hard time finding even with the binoculars.
In regards to going above and beyond: We discovered, as we were leaving Arusha, that we had left the plug adaptor for our converter strip in the outlet at the hotel. We resigned ourselves to it being lost permanently but Fulgence contacted the hotel and arranged for the adaptor to be brought to us. Asante sana.
And, finally, his sense of humor. When you spend 10-11 hours a day in a vehicle with someone, it certainly helps if you have a similar sense of humor. Ours meshed completely and, although I am not 100% sure I want to be remembered as Mama Nyoka, just hearing that will immediately remind me of what a wonderful time we had.
“Every detail was meticulously planned and perfectly suited to our needs. It was obvious that Karen paid careful attention to how we prefer to experience travel and matched us with a guide who perfectly suited our style. Barney was incredibly professional and let us set the tone and pace. He is an outstanding guide in so many ways; he quickly read us and we bonded immediately. Throughout the journey it was obvious that Barney is well respected by the other guides and they often follow his lead because he knows where to go and how to find the animals. He is also an incredible photographer–I got to a point where I just handed him my phone and he meticulously captured our trip. With no exaggeration, our 8 days with Barney were life changing and we think of him each and every day.
While we requested clean and comfortable accommodations with private baths, every place we stayed far exceeded our expectations. Nyikani and Mara Mara were the standout favorites. I have spoken with folks who were unsure and had reservations about the food that would be provided. We ate incredibly well–food was more than plentiful, very good to extremely delicious, and the soups were the best I have ever eaten. Service was consistently exceptional.
Honestly, we can’t say enough positive things about our experience and have been recommending Access 2 Tanzania and Barney to all we can.”