Excellent Trip, Excellent Guides, Saw Lions, Hippos, Crocs, Leopards, Wildebeest, Giraffes, Cheetahs and so many birds! - I went with friends on a 6 day camping safari trip with Meru Slopes. We had a fantastic time in Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Our tour guides Nooru and Asantael from Meru Slopes were excellent. Both of them had an outstanding ability to spot wild animals whilst driving. They are also very good drivers and very friendly guys. Staying in the tented camps was also a fun experience. And all of this on a very economical budget. Well done Meru Slopes!

An Incredible, Well-organised and Hassle-free Wildlife Experience - Tanzania was on the top of our bucket list from quite sometime now. So naturally we wanted to make a flawless plan. Since visiting the national parks require expert guides, we started looking for tour operators and found out Meru slopes to be one of the top rated safari organisers. After our trip with Meru Slopes, we can safely say that every good word put forward about Meru is 100% correct and more. Plan your Tanzania trips with Meru Slopes without any hesitation at all. Our coordinator from Meru was Almachius. He is a polite, enthusiastic and a hard-working gentleman who responds to all queries very quickly. We were a team of 6 travelling from different parts of the world. Hence we had several questions about our transit, visa requirements, vaccination protocol and other things. He was patiently responding to all our questions over several months after our booking was made. He will also help you curate the safari schedule according to your preference. For us, the priority was to spend more time in Serengeti. We sent all our preferences to Almachius and he sent us a detailed itinerary which meets our wishes. Not just that, he also patiently altered our accommodations at different locations according to our preferences. He gave us several choices to choose from which are all mostly very good. And needless to say, he also organised our pick-ups and drop-off at different hours to and fro the airport. With Almachius around, we really did not have to worry about the logistics. 1 message to him and it will be sorted. In Arusha, we stayed at Gold Crest Hotel which is pretty centrally located in the city. Though Arusha city is a small place to no major places to visit, the city centre has some nice cafes to hangout. The hotel itself has a nice environment with a spread of food and drinks (special mention: fresh juices) to offer. The staffs are warm and welcoming and the rooms are big, spacious and very clean. The Masai Market is about 15 mins from the hotel which was a good place to buy local souvenirs. The deals in the Masai Market in Arusha were much more reasonable (after bargaining) in comparison to the other curio shops in the safari. On Day 1 we arrived at Arusha and spent the day in the city. Our safari started the next morning with Tarangire National Park which is the home of the elephants. The beautiful Tarangire surprised us with several close encounters with zebras, elephants, giraffes, gazelles and a variety of birds. We spent the next 3 days exploring different parts of east, central and north Serengeti National Park. It will be hard for me to explain the experience in words. The best I can say is that it is like the world of lion King coming alive in front of you. Or if you are a National Geographic wildlife documentary enthusiast, you will feel like you are inside on of them and it is not an exaggeration. Staring from witnessing the great migration, animals like elephant family (big and small - of all sizes), zebras, giraffes, cheetah, ostrich couples, lions and baboons crossing the road right in front of our car or just casually playing around or having lunch - name it and we have seen it all. The special mention does include watching a leopard cross a river and then climb the branch of a tree. They say that the leopards are shy animals and it is a matter of real luck to be able to see them. The drama does not end here. We saw a mommy lioness with 10 cubs walking around the pale yellow Savanah while a Cheetah attacks them. It was quite a sight to see the lioness chase the cheetah away and protect her babies from being hunted. To be honest, Serengeti is a place where anything can happen at any time and it is all full of surprises. We also saw Hippos and crocodiles lazing in and around the pools and the rivers. The variety of antlers in Serengeti was also a treat in itself. September is a good time to see the great migration which is gorgeous phenomenon. Thousands of wilder beasts populate different parts of Serengeti and in search of greener pastures they cross the River Mara in herds. Moreover, many animals including lions are mating and giving birth during this time. We got to see an abundance of lions mating and some cubs too. We saw some elephant, zebra and giraffe cubs as well. We spent our 5th day in Ngorongoro crater - my personal favourite. This region is very different from the rest of the national parks with a hilly terrain, green vegetation and a cooler weather. If you enjoy hilly places, this one is for you. In my next visit, I will keep 2 days just for Ngorongoro. Since there is no scarcity of food, there are a variety of animals coexisting here. The highlight of this region is the double-horned rhinoceros. Oh boy! what a sight it was then a big one crossed right in front of our jeep! Goosebumps! Plus elephants, lions, zebras and hyenas were all over. Special mention - the cute pumba families that were running around here and there (Lion King fan moment)! I think I am missing out on a lot of other animals and birds that I have seen. But I do encourage you to go see them yourself! Now the safari experience - as intriguing as it is, can be also very hectic and challenging! Especially with the dust, bumpy forest tracks and the afternoon heat. To beat all that and to get lucky with the animals you have to be in the right place on the right time. And in that respect we were super duper lucky because we had Patrick as our guide. If you are planning your trip with Meru, I strongly recommend that you as for Partick. This man relentlessly drove us for 12-13 hours daily from one part to the other with the same spirit and enthusiasm. He is a friendly and a smiling person with a hawk-eye who can spot an animal from miles away. Not only that he will patiently cater to all your curiosities and share information about the forest and the animals. He took care of us all day providing us with food, drinks and breaks as per our need until he would drop us off at our camp at the night. The best thing is when we feel all drained after a day's game drive, he will greet you good night with that same warm smile and enthusiasm. He has a great network of informants who was constantly keeping him informed about the sightings of different animals in different locations. He has a vast experience working in this national parks and hence he is very well versed himself about the good places for good sightings. He is also very encouraging and accommodative. There has been moments where we were feeling a bit too tired or an untimely toilet requirement came up - he would patiently take us to the resting spots without any qualms. To enjoy safaris this demanding, it is really important to have an experienced, well-versed and an empathetic person like Patrick to guide you. We were very very lucky to have him indeed! He even taught us a Swahili song ! :) The Masai village visit was a kind of a let down. It was a curated, planned kind of a visit where what you experience is probably not a true depiction of the Masai lives. It was more of a business model where your experiences are stream-lined and regulated. It did not feel very authentic! But surely worth a try as it takes only an hour or so! In terms of weather, early September weather is quite pleasant during the mornings and the evenings with no rains. Only a couple of hours around the noon can be a bit too hot. If you are hydrated and well covered, it should not be a big problem. Some of the accommodations we stayed at are definitely worth mentioning. Eileen Tree Inn was our most favourite where we stayed the night on Day 1 after Tarangire National Park. The property is eco-friendly, beautifully and aesthetically designed and is a good place to chill and relax. They have their own kitchen garden where the fresh produce is used for cooking. Hence the food is yum! And I must mention that the people of Eileen are the best in terms of warmth and hospitality. It is a great place to have a nice relaxed time. In Serengeti, we stayed in the different sites of Tanzania Bush Camp. All of them are in the middle of wilderness but very well equipped to take care of the guests. All the camps work hard to keep the guests safe and make them fresh food and warm fire to unwind after a hectic game drive. For us, the camp in the north was the favourite. But I must say, all of them were very good. Ideally, it is pretty good if you station yourself in on e of the camps and do game drives in the surrounding areas of Serengeti. For us, it was one night in one camp as we were moving from east to central and to north. The camp has its own excitement too as animals may visit you at night. We heard lions and hippos at night. And hyenas and gazelles were casually roaming around outside our tents. But you will not be allowed to more around unescorted in the camps especially after dark. So movement can be pretty restricted. Tips for the safari - Go with an open mind with a lot of sunblock, hats, scarves, shades and water! |It is important to respect the rules and the guidelines. I think overall the staffs of Meru did an amazing job in giving us clear instructions about the dos and donts in the forest and around the animals. Simultaneously, they also ensured that we are comfortable, well-fed and relaxed. It is definitely a 20 out of 10 to Meru (Almachius and Patrick)!

Safari is so cool - Safari is so cool. When I first find information about safari in Tanzania, Kelvin responded quickly and adjust the trip for me very patient. so finally I choose Meru Slopes. When I began the Safari, driver Robert and chef Gadi is very responsible. Robert had his own mind to find animals for us, Gadi’s food is really good! After Safari, I join the Waterfall activity, spend a nice day with guide Fidelis. Good experience in Tanzania, thanks Meru Slopes.

Highly recommended - We had booked the five-day safari tour with Tarangire, Serengeti and Nhorongo Crater.. It was an extraordinary experience! Our guide Samuel is fantastic and has a lot of knowledge about the animals and was highly motivated to show us the best spots and sometimes take a much longer drive to drive them to the northern Serengeti to observe the migration. Our chef Gideon was so funny and really cooked once. The best African food we had in Tanzania! Camping in the wilderness was exceptional. At night you stay in the tent, because the lions are close and you can hear them roar. I can fully recommend Meru Slopes! Super organized and ambitious! Thank you so much!

Amazing Safari Experience - I booked a 5 days tour for my mom and me. I was very happy with the complete organization. From the day one, we had someone picking us up from the airport and dropping us off after the tour, hotel included night before and after the tour to accommodate our flights. We decided to go for the budget tour with camping, and it was lovely. We had a chef (Gidion) that accompanied us to prepare food for every day, that was delicious 🤗 our tour guide (Samuel) was very knowledgeable about animals, national parks, Tanzania etc. we really enjoyed our time with them and learned a lot on the way. Would definitely recommend 👍🏻

very successful week in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater with a highly competent driver - All in all excellently organized, accessible at any time, good service and most importantly all worked out very punctually, airport pickup , hotel and lodges were very nice and clean.

Great experience! - Great experience, the staff was experienced and friendly. We would like to thank Robert, our guide, and Yohane, our chef.

Unbelievable Safari Experience with Meru Slopes - Incredible experience with Meru Slopes over our 5-Day Safari! Each park has something new and exciting to offer and the likelihood of seeing all animals native to each park is very high. We had a fantastic team of people helping us at Meru including our guide/driver Godfrey, our chef Gadi, and the person helping us book Jerome. Godfrey, Gadi, and Jerome consistently met our needs and even went beyond expectations to make sure we were taken care of. I would highly recommend Meru Slopes to anyone looking to do a safari in Tanzania!

Meru Slopes is a best tour operator - I did a 5day budget safari and 1 day Mateuni waterfall and Chemka hot spring. Everything organized very well! Meru slopes owner and other members of the company are very friendly and nice. I would like to go with my family again. Tanzania is a very beautiful country where nice people and wonderful animals are happily living! Thank you Meru slopes family!

Memories for a lifetime! - I wanted to have a once-in-a-lifetime amazing mother-son adventure with my oldest son -- and I could not have chosen anything better than the 5-day camping safari with Meru Slopes Tours & Safaris! Our guide, Andrew, was amazing in his ability to spot even the most well-camouflaged wildlife -- and his driving skills were beyond awesome! We learned so much from him. Our cook, Gadi, saw to it that we had plenty of delicious food. Talk about leaving the world behind! It was as if the sky and the Serengeti were all that exist . . . My son was so enthralled with the whole experience that he is already planning to go back and take his wife. Neither of us could have dreamed we would get so close to the animals and be able to observe so closely Nature at its best. I will always treasure the experience, and I am so glad I got to share it with my son.