Candice at Carol Tree helped us plan the best safari in Tanzania - always responsive to our requests and super flexible whenever something turned up. The itinerary and logistics were perfect for our first-ever safari as a big family. So knowledgeable and friendly - I loved the energy that really manifested in every aspect of the trip! I thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but now I want to come back to Africa! Thank you!
Where do I even begin?This wasn’t just another holiday for us - it was my 40th birthday trip and a lifelong dream that meant absolutely everything. From the very first phone call with Mike, I knew we were in safe hands. He was incredibly knowledgeable, patient and always happy to answer my endless questions. Nothing ever felt like too much trouble.Every single detail of our Kenya and Zanzibar itinerary was perfect. From Tamarind Tree Hotel, to our unforgettable stay at Offbeat Mara Camp, and then finishing in Zanzibar, everything exceeded our expectations.I’ll never forget landing in the Maasai Mara. As we left the airstrip, we saw our very first lions and I burst into tears. It was such an emotional moment after dreaming about going on safari for so many years. That feeling is something I’ll carry with me forever, and it’s thanks to Coral Tree for making that dream a reality.The whole trip was seamless from start to finish. Every transfer, every lodge, every recommendation and every detail had clearly been carefully planned. We never had to worry about a thing - we could simply enjoy every moment.Since we’ve been home, so many friends and family have commented on our photos and videos, saying it’s one of the most incredible holidays they’ve ever seen. I’ve already passed Mike’s details on to several people because I genuinely wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Coral Tree to anyone.Thank you, Mike, for creating memories that we’ll treasure for the rest of our lives. This holiday was more than I ever dreamed it could be, and we’re already talking about coming back in a couple of years - hopefully with our
Coral tree helped us plan the perfect first safari trip! We worked collaboratively on n the front end to plan a trip catered to our wants. The trip itself was seamless, we felt extremely taken care of, with little worry of any logistics.
Working with Cameron has been an absolute pleasure, right from the start. From our very first conversation, he has been friendly, knowledgeable, incredibly responsive and always happy to help, no matter how many questions or requests I've had...and I've had a lot!As someone who specialises in South Africa, his knowledge has been invaluable. Planning a trip there for such a big group naturally comes with a lot of questions, but I've felt completely reassured throughout the process. Rather than trying to upsell experiences or recommend things that weren't right for us, Cameron has taken the time to really listen to what we wanted and has suggested options based on genuine local knowledge and experience. That honesty has given me complete confidence that we're in safe hands.Communication has been excellent throughout. Cameron has always been available, patient and proactive, making what could have been a complicated planning process feel straightforward and enjoyable. It's clear that he genuinely cares about creating the best possible experience rather than simply booking a holiday.I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Cameron and team to anyone looking for a luxury South Africa specialist. His professionalism, warmth and attention to detail have made planning this trip a genuinely enjoyable experience, and I can't wait to see it all come together.
How could we plan a 50th anniversary celebration trip with kids and grandkids that would create memories forever? Mike at Coral Tree helped put together a trip that exceeded every expectation that we had. All 16 of us felt like we were living in a dream beginning with the most stunning accommodations, incredible food choices each and every day, to the most fabulous guides and staff taking us to see and experience beauty that almost felt fake. Everything ran so smoothly because Mike was so detail orientated, so experienced and so understanding of what makes a family safari different then an adult safari. We highly highly recommend Coral Tree Travel company to make your dreams come true.
Mike in coral travel was extremely helpful in planning our family Africa trip. His extensive knowledge of Africa made our decisions well informed. Looking forward to a great trip
This is a review of the Coral Tree consultation service. Hopefully, we will be able to give an equally glowing review upon our return from the trip itself!Though we love going on South African safaris, we were looking for something a bit different this time around—and Malawi seemed to perfectly fit the bill with its unique blend of safari, mountains, and the wonders of the lake. We initially started planning a trip to Malawi for October ’27. Not being very familiar with the country, we figured we would use an agent, giving us plenty of time to do our research and make some good choices.However, a sudden wedding announcement meant we needed to bring the trip forward by an entire year—leaving us only four months to prepare. We were skeptical that any company could put it all together on such short notice. What kind of compromises would we have to make?As it turned out, we needn’t have worried. A phone call connected us with Coral Tree and the outstanding Cameron Raffan. We talked through our wishlist and preferences, and within a day or two, we had a starter itinerary. That required a few revisions, and true to form, the new draft was with us first thing the next day. Then we decided to extend the trip just a bit to include another night in the safari camp. No problem! We even asked, "What are the chances of getting a few nights on Mumbo Island?" Cameron took it all in stride and set to work adjusting the schedule so we could include that too.Throughout the entire process, we were kept fully informed of progress and advised whenever choices needed to be made. Questions that occurred to us about all sorts of practicalities were answered right away. After about a week, our perfect Malawi trip was completely sorted. Even better, all of the documentation provided was beautifully presented, clear, and highly detailed. So its clear that behind the very personable service from team members, there is a very well designed system.We usually consider ourselves pretty good at booking our own trips, but this was a case where we truly needed professionals with first-hand knowledge and local contacts. With Cameron and Coral Tree Travel we got all that wrapped in a friendly five-star service. We feel completely assured too that Cameron and the Coral Tree team will be tracking our progress to make 100% sure that everything runs smoothly in October. All in all, this has been a marvellous experience to date. Coral Tree Travel should be justly proud of Cameron and the top-class service they provide.It feels entirely fitting that our journey to the “Warm Heart of Africa” should begin with an company that shares that same warmth, passion, and care. Many thanks Coral Tree Travel!
Our challenge - plan a multigenerational family safari for 16 individuals from ages 6 to “low 70s” including 8 children. When we located Coral Tree - challenge resolved! Mike’s area knowledge and contacts made this so easy! The camps selected were ideally suited to our needs, the individuals working the camps (guides, support, chefs, and senior staff) were amazing; every detail of our entire trip was planned to perfection- from arrival and transfer logistics to in- country transportation, and Mike and team were communicative, responsive, and resourceful at every point along the way - from planning the tripto accommodating the needs of family members arriving on differing dates to last minute itinerary revisions. We enjoyed the trip of a lifetime and our entire family attributes a large measure of that result to the first important decision we made in selecting Coral Tree Travel to advise and assist us.I could add so many specific details to further support our Five star review - but that isn’t really necessary. Rest assured that you will be in great hands if you select Coral Tree Travel toassist you in planning a life changing adventure!
The booking process has been exceptional Much exchange of information until we appear to have booked the ideal package The booking process was clear and uneventful
My family went on a trip in Zimbabwe organized by Rosanna at Coral Tree Travel and we had the most amazing time. Every lodge, excursion, and transfer was meticulously organized, reliable, and excellent. Experienced amazing encounters with wildlife, enjoyed relaxing days at our beautiful accommodations, and never had to worry about the logistics once we were there. Would absolutely recommend this agency for your next vacation!
Rosanna planned a spectacular itinerary for our family of 10 in Zimbabwe. The choices she made were exactly what we needed. She was accessible, delightful to deal with and knowledgeable. Highly recommend.
So far I can only comment on the planning and booking, but I'm very excited. Ben Wallis was really helpful in taking time to work out my requirements and put an itinerary together which suited us. This is far more than we normally spend on a holiday, so we needed to take time to make it right. Ben was very patient, and reassuring.Looking forward to it so much
We are still at the booking phase with Cameron Raffan from Coral Tree but we are very pleased with the itinerary he has created for us in Zambia. We are a three-generation party of ten and had very specific wants. Cameron has met these perfectly.
Coral Tree Travel have been great at planning my family safari for next year. Ben understood exactly what I was looking for, and using his extensive local knowledge has put together a fabulous itinerary for me, my children and grandchildren. Highly recommended.
I discovered Coral Tree from the Sunday Times and have dealt with one of the founders Mike Kelly regarding booking an Kenyan family safari holiday for 13 in 2028. I have found Mike to be excellent to deal with. He is extremely knowledgeable , very patient and easy to deal with. They are now working on a beach holiday for my wife and I to recover from the safari!
Cameron has been absolutely brilliant during the booking process, the trip isn't until August 26, we are hoping for the actual experience to match the booking process.
Mike has planned a phenomenal trip for our family on very short notice! He took our interests into consideration and organized a trip that the entire family is excited to experience.
I have recently booked a trip to South Africa through Coral Tree. Candice has been amazing from the start of the process - so knowledgable, helpful and patient with my ever changing ideas and itinerary! She has planned the most wonderful trip for us and really taken account our needs as a family. Thank you Candice and Coral Tree.
Ben was an amazing help! He arranged a fabulous itinerary for our 3 generation family of 10 for a combination safari and beach adventure in Kenya that was flexible and family friendly. He was very patient with my many questions and very prompt with detailed answers. I can’t recommend Ben and Coral Tree more highly!
Cameron was an amazing help , we set him a vague idea of what we wanted and he didn’t disappoint. Offered several options with a vast knowledge of each area / accommodation. We had two separate consultations booking for June 2027 . Dealing with Cameron was an experience in itself and the presentation extremely professional, we could almost see ourselves in Nairobi . 100% I would recommend
After lots of searching for the right safari operator for our honeymoon I came across coral tree and I am SO glad that I did! If you’re still searching then you can breath a sigh of relief - you’ve found the best one!From the first call I had with Cam I knew we were in safe hands, Cam designed a perfect itinerary that ticked every box and fit our budget, and was super accommodating for any changes we requested.Communication was perfect, Coral tree are just wonderful to deal with, we were made feel like we were the only clients, Cam even gave us his personal number to contact him if we needed while we were on Safari over Christmas Day - going truly above and beyond his job to make sure we were always taken care of. We appreciated the transparency, pro activity and consideration by Cam and Mike when we feared we may needed to postpone our trip due to the political unrest in our destination country. Luckily not - the trip itself was unbelievable- our tour guide Messinga from Asilia was truly an expert at his profession and kept us laughing and learning over our 9 day Safari tour. Every accommodation selected by Cam for us was better than the last, the tours perfectly mapped and we felt so safe and taken care of at every point.Our entire trip was perfect down to every tiny detail and we are forever grateful to everyone at Coral and Asilia for making our honeymoon unforgettable ❤️ Tara & Eoin
We contacted Coral Tree travel when we were looking to plan our honeymoon. From the first contact, we felt that a personalised service was at the heart of what they did. They listened to our requirements, providing travel suggestions and adapted the suggestions when we were exploring options. The information given was clear and easy to follow, and at each step of the enquiry/booking process they were available to answer any type of questions, via email and phone, whenever needed. They booked all accommodation and airport transfers, and while we booked our own flights, offered to check that everything was correct before we booked. The airport transfers were well-organised and personalised, along with the accommodation. The agents were helpful and friendly throughout the enquiry stage, booking, pre-travel and post travel. We had no faults with the agent, and would recommend others to use them, as well as returning to plan holidays with them in the future. We feel their excellent knowledge and expertise, enabled us to have a tailored and exceptional honeymoon in South Africa (on Safari) and in Mauritius. Thank you to all, especially Candice, who was always responsive to our questions, providing helpful advice and guidance.
Coral Tree Travel put together a bucket list Kenya and Tanzania experience for the whole family of 12. Options were explored, costings provided, bookings made, all seamlessly, and the entire safari summarised in an excellent report. The service could not be faulted.
We just booked our family safari with Coral Tree. Mike helped was plan everything from stepping off the plan until when we head home. We don’t have to worry about a thing! He gave us great insight and suggestions which we didn’t even think of. He is extremely knowledgable of the area! We can’t wait for our safari adventure!
The service I have received from Ben at Coral Tree has been absolutely brilliant. Apart from having great local knowledge, nothing has ever been too much trouble and I feel he is so invested in making our family trip a memorable one. Thank you!!
Just planned our itinerary with Mike. He has been absolutely brilliant, extremely welcoming, friendly and efficient to what we needed on our trip.The itinerary sent through was great, very detailed and helped looked at alternative options to some of the days we wanted to move around and include within out trip. The savings and deals he has managed to get have made the trip that much more enjoyable.This trip is for our honeymoon and couldn't have asked for a better experience with booking such an in depth trip. Stress free, attention to detail 10/10.
Have a big celebration coming up 2027 and Candice from Coral Tree has been amazing at working with us as a family of 5 to book both a Safari and Beach holiday to Kenya. She has incredible knowledge in this area and able to ask the right questions of us to get to a booking that looks truly amazing.
We have just finished booking our South African adventure for the summer and Rosanna did a brilliant job of making sense of our family’s travel style and was incredibly responsive at moving dates around to fit our needs. Brilliant service and wonderful advice.
It has been so refreshing to deal with this company. Great communication and advice on helping us plan a very special three generation holiday. Well done.
A trip to Africa has been a dream trip for over 40 years and I have slowly been saving to make this happen for our family of 5. As I began my research and consulted with a few agencies I had lovely conversations but was told our budget was too small and I felt like I was being encouraged to take more "cookie cutter" trips. Within the first few minutes of my chat with @Cameron Raffan I was reassured that our budget was absolutely fine and he spent much of the time wanting to hear about myself, my family and what we were hoping for on the trip. After that conversation Cameron was willing to rework the trip several times to ensure that it matched our expectations, our style of travel and sense of adventure. He was thoughtful, kind, incredibly helpful and really seemed to enjoy planning this with and for us. We leave in one month and I feel absolutely confident in the plans we have made and truly believe that we will be working with him again for a second adventure within the next 5 years (gorillas and chimps here we come!). The level of thoughtfulness of the entire team at Coral Tree and their communication has been top notch. I am so deeply grateful to Coral Tree Travel for helping make this dream come true and I will write an update once we have returned!
We have recently been in contact with Mike and his team at Coral Tree Travel and to date, have had a very positive and professional experience. Mike has been efficient, helpful, professional and flexible to our needs in everyway so far. Our numerous questions and demands, whilst researching a dream holiday, haven't phased him, in fact he his exceeded our expectations in terms of responsiveness, advice, explaining options and ensuring we get exactly what we want later in the year. So far so very good!! His presentation, and willingness to spend his time with us over the Christmas period on flights and zoom calls was above and beyond. Can't wait for the holiday build up in the coming months, not to mention the safari of a lifetime! Thanks Mike :-)
Mike came highly recommended to us from friends in the UK and Canada and we are delighted to be working with him to arrange our safari in Tanzania and beach stay in Zanzibar. His local knowledge and commitment to curating the best holiday for our large group has been invaluable. We can't wait to go!
We recently returned from a wonderful safari in Tanzania, expertly organised by Cam from Coral Tree Travel. Our group consisted of six friends and we were able to travel as a party in our own jeep exclusively and the choice of driver/guide was first class. Our trip included a variety of accommodation stays, perfectly suited to our request and well placed to see everything we wanted to see and much more than we expected. The trip included a balloon flight over the Serengeti which provided us with memories we will never forget. Our safari was perfectly concluded with a trip to Zanzibar. We would wholeheartedly recommend Cameron at Coral Tree Travel to put together an incredible package for your safari.
We have booked a family safari to Kenya in October 2026.The sheer volume of information on the internet is over whelming and knowing who to trust with such a 'big' trip made me very nervous. However, the advice and assistance received from Rosanna in planning our trip so far has been exemplary. She took the time to find out what our boys enjoy doing in order that lodges and activities could be tailored towards their specific requirements. Knowing too that she has been to the lodges and beach resort that we are going to, has given me the confidence that our trip will be exactly what we're looking for.
Coral Tree provided truly exceptional, outstanding service from start to finish. I decided to book a last-minute holiday to South Africa with less than a week to plan, and after sending an enquiry, Coral Tree immediately called to help bring everything together seamlessly.We spoke with Ben, who was incredibly helpful, enthusiastic, and genuinely invested in creating the best possible safari experience for us. Despite the tight timeframe, he was amazing throughout the entire process.Ben booked us for three unforgettable nights at Shamwari Safari. From the moment we arrived, everything was perfectly organised - personal meet-and-greets at the airport, smooth transfers, and the most incredible staff at the lodge. Every detail felt thoughtful, personalised, and effortless.I cannot recommend Coral Tree highly enough. Their service exceeded all expectations, and I would absolutely use them again without hesitation.
We have just booked a trip to Southern Tanzania for next autumn. Mike, at Coral Tree, has had endless patience with two rather demanding clients(!) resulting in an itinerary which perfectly matches our requirements. We cannot fault his attention to detail and friendly support.
Coral Tree absolutely exceeded our expectations.Cameron took the time to really understand our requirements and used his extensive knowledge of Kenya to create an itinerary that has the whole family excited.We approached several well-known agencies while planning our trip, and none came close to the level of customer service and local insight that Coral Tree provided.The way the itinerary was presented—clearly showing distances, locations, and how each stop fit together—made everything so easy to visualise and understand. We couldn’t be happier with the experience so far.
Mike has been brilliant in organising a family holiday/safari for 3 families incorporating a 50th birthday celebration. He had to deal with customers with different requirements across multiple time zones, which he did with patience, attention to detail and has come up with an incredible itinerary that caters for everyone's needs. Would highly recommend!
Cam has been fantastic at helping us to plan our Honeymoon. Starting with very little idea of where we wanted to go, other than ‘Africa’, Cam helped us to understand all the options available and built a totally bespoke holiday for us. He had great local knowledge of all the camps and locations, also arranging some special add ons for us.
We’ve just returned from the most incredible holiday, expertly organized by Cameron and the Coral Tree team. It was our first safari, and thanks to Cam, we visited every place we hoped to see and experienced even more than we could have imagined. The planning was flawless and completely seamless. Communication was fast and very efficient.When additional friends decided to join us at the very last minute, Cameron immediately found solutions and adjusted our itinerary without any stress on our side. He understood exactly what we wanted from the trip, and his deep knowledge of Tanzania, the stunning lodges, and the different safari experiences was truly invaluable in crafting the perfect journey.Every detail was taken care of for us, right down to a beautifully prepared itinerary, a helpful packing list, and quick answers to every question we had. Toward the end of our trip, when the political situation in Tanzania caused our return flight to be cancelled and the entire country lost internet for days, the Coral Tree team still managed to step in and ensure we were safe, supported, and able to make it home smoothly. Their thoughtful approach and incredible foresight made all the difference.I am beyond happy that we chose to plan our trip with Cam and Coral Tree and can recommend them wholeheartedly 100%.Already looking forward to the next one! Thanks so very much
We've just booked our third trip with Coral Tree Travel, this time to Zambia in October. Having had a really successful trip to Kenya in August 2024 and wanting to return to a different African country, the only people we considered booking with were Coral Tree. Mike planned a great trip for us - he listenend to what we wanted, chose three very different safari camps and then Diani beach for R&R. Again he hit the nail on the head and gave us exactly what we asked for. We had a couple of issues whilst we were away and we contacted Mike. He responded immediately and sorted things out efficiently and without fuss and we felt very well looked after.So we've had fun planning our trip to Zambia and are looking forward to it enormously.Thanks again, Mike and well done!!Update:November 2025It's a month since we returned from what was the most wonderful trip to Zambia and Malawi and we have a new memory every day from our first glimpse of the mighty Zambezi river to arriving by boat at our first camp (Potato Bush Camp) to remembering the elephants in Kutali camp preventing us from getting to the boma to elephants up close and personal when we in a canoe to watching mating leopards and a lion with his kill in remote Kuyenda Bushcamp. And then the memory of Likoma Island - we fell in love with it the moment we landed. Beautiful island, beautiful people and spectacular Kaya Mawa.On the trip, the food was fantastic, the guides were knowledgeable, welcoming, protective - we felt completely safe at all times, and the logistics were non-problematic.This was possibly our best holiday ever!Thank you once again Mike, for yet another superb African adventure. We are looking forward to planning the next one with you.
We have just returned from a family safari in Kenya and had the most incredible time! We have four kids, ages 10, 8, 6 and 3 and the logistics of finding places that were suitable for large families and for young kids was difficult for me to do on my own. I looked up several family safari companies to help us and settled on Coral Tree because of their great reviews, their excellent communication, and the amazing lodges they recommended from personal experience that I never would have found otherwise. Rosanna was so great to work with and helped with every little detail leading up to the trip, she made it so easy for us. I will be forever grateful to her for planning this most unforgettable holiday for our family!
We've just booked a family safari and beach holiday with Coral Tree Travel, having received an exceptional level of service from our travel consultant, Cameron. He has planned an excellent itinerary for us after listening really carefully to our family's requirements.
We chose Coral Tree to organise our Safari trip this year because from the outset they listened to what was important to us and what we wanted from the trip. The result was a truly magical experience tailored to our families. Both Charlie and Cameron designed a once in a lifetime visit to Kenya and Zanzibar and everything was so well organised we just relaxed and enjoyed every moment. Cameron was always available to answer any questions (even on his day off!), gave us great advice on packing and applying for visas and ensured everything we needed on our trip was accommodated (inc. dietary requirements and a fridge for medicines in our camp tent). I would recommend anyone to trust Coral Tree to organise their next adventure and we are so grateful to them for creating the best holiday we have ever had, far exceeding our expectations and leaving us with wonderful memories.
Great experience booking our special holiday for 2026. Rosanna was extremely helpful her knowledge and great communication was very much appreciated.Thank you
This has been our best vacation ever. It was more than a vacation but an extraordinary experience. We'd like to give full credit to Mike, whose arrangements made our trip to this new continent perfect. The airport pickup, light aircraft, camp in Serengeti, lodge in Zanzibar were all perfectly arranged, very comfortable that we wouldn't want it any other way. Mike was in constant contact with us thru the whole process (one year before the trip till one week afterwards!). We were also well informed about everything (visa, insurance, luggage, tips and cash, etc) that needed to be prepared for the trip. We really can't think of anything that could be better than this. Highly recommend!!!
Mike was great from start to booking, he helped me understand all of the options available and put together the perfect package for my family safari trip which has been a dream for a long time. Highly recommend their bespoke service for anyone looking to book their next adventure (and where you won’t be just seen as another number which is the experience I had elsewhere). Coral tree travel, don’t look anywhere else!
