Review of Raymond
Ray is an excellent guide, wanting to give us the Safari we want. Attentive to our interests from animals to birds to photography. Observant when we wanted to linger for more photos. He also had the right mix of birds for us. We wanted to see birds as a secondary objective and Ray sensed that we were not ornithologists and didn’t need every bird identified but just some of the larger or more colorful ones.
On my birthday Ray talked with the cook at camp and arranged for birthday cake to be the dessert of the evening. The staff as they usually do began dancing and singing throughout the dining area carrying a cake. They came to our table and sang “happy birthday.” That’s going out of his way for guests. A most memorable birthday for sure.
“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.”