Best bird trip ever! (June 2024)
Reviewed in June, 2024
We just completed a 15-day bird photography safari with Cisticola Tours and the experience was fantastic from start to finish. The level of client commitment and personalized service was outstanding. We have taken many bird tours with both large international companies and small local ones in South America, Central America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada. Without question, Cisticola Tours is by far the best company we have worked with. Washington was a pleasure to deal with. His response time was nearly instantaneous; he answered all our questions, and helped us design a private tour that exactly fit our needs. The lodgings he chose were superb and placed in uncrowded locations in the heart of five national parks. Martin Joho was the best bird guide we have ever had. His knowledge of Tanzanian birds is phenomenal. Martin was exceptional at finding the birds and getting us great looks and photographs. We have gone on bird tours before and come home with a huge bird list only to ask ourselves when going over the list, “did we really see that bird?” Not so with Martin. He was unbelievably talented at getting us great looks at nearly every bird. We had by far the highest ratio of bird photos per sighting of any trip we have every been on. We saw well-over over 300 species of birds and were able to obtain quality photos of the vast majority of them. We told Washington that we were not serious listers, but rather wanted to spend time with the birds as well as enjoying the other wonderful mammals and fauna of Tanzania. The relaxed pace of the tour allowed us to spend hours photographing displaying and mating Gray Crowned-Cranes, waiting for a Saddle-bill Stork and a Bronze-winged Coursier to emerge from the high grass, or cisticolas, warblers, sunbirds, apalis, batis, barbets and other small tricky birds to emerge from the shadows deep within a tree to land on an unobstructed branch to allow for a decent picture. Never once in 15 days did we feel rushed. Martin answered every hard, repetitive and stupid question with knowledge and grace. Our mammal guide and driver, Boniface, was equally exceptional. He is an incredibly safe driver and possesses extensive knowledge of the mammals, plants and trees of Tanzania. Like Martin with birds, Boniface was adept at finding great photographic opportunities. For a quick example, he located three species of jackal (Black-backed, Side-striped, and Golden), three coucal cats, an african wildcat, more lion cubs than safari vehicles, two leopards, six cheetahs (two cubs), chameleons, dung-beetles, 3 species of mongoose, two genets, a spitting cobra, and a huge host of larger mammals. These were more than simple sightings. We spent an entire evening watching a pride of lions play with their cubs and then stalk a heard of zebra, viewed two Coucals copulate, and spent an entire morning with three young playing cheetahs without a safari car in sight. He also placed us right in the middle of the sea of migrating wildebeest, zebra and other ungulates extending as far as our eyes could see. Perhaps the most intense experience involved a morning with a gorgeous young female cheetah. As we were photographing her resting in the sun, a large male lion emerged from the high grass. As the cheetah stood up, we realized she was injured, and couldn’t put weight on her back leg. The lion immediately recognized this and charged. My elation turned to horror as I realized that I was about to witness the lion kill this beautiful endangered animal. Boniface slammed the car into gear, raced the lion and was able to position the car between the two animals just seconds before lion would have been on her. The lion lost interest and walked away. Boniface called a Tanzania cheetah rescue agency and sent in the GPS coordinates and pictures of the cheetah’s wound. The day were on our way to the airport, Boniface texted us the good news with pictures. The agency had tracked the cheetah, tranquilized her, fixed her wound, and had killed a gazelle for her to eat. It was a perfect ending to a perfect trip. If you are considering a trip to East Africa, do yourself a favor and contact Cisticola Tours. Whether you are a serious lister, photographer, or just a casual nature lover, Washington will design a tour that is just right for you, Martin will get you on any and all birds you want to see, and Boniface will show you East Africa at its best.
Reviewed by KateWill1, USA.
