Jan 22, 2025
Beautiful holiday on Zanzibar and tanzania. - In one word: wow.
Started on zanzibar, flown to arusha and then on safari
One location even more beautiful than the other, seen a lot, super nice lodges with great beds, showers and good food. It's not a zoo so it's not a certainty you'll see the whole Big 5.
We came to 4 the leopard we just missed, but cheetahs with little ones and lions with little ones.
Flying back to Zanzibar first 1 day to Stonetown (could have been two) and closed at the beach in a nice resort.
Thank you Anouk for the good care.
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Oct 23, 2024
Big Five - On our 9-day safari through Tanzania we visited Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Through our great guide we had the opportunity to see all the big-fives. He has an outstanding local knowledge and an extensive knowledge of Tanzania's flora and fauna. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot.
We would definitely go back on safari with him!
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Oct 15, 2024
Holiday of a lifetime - This was the holiday of a lifetime!! Every single day we were seeing amazing animals. Our driver/Guide was John and he was soo knowledgable and always had the answers to questions. We absolutely loved every day. The lodges were amazing and the staff were all so kind & helpful.
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Oct 14, 2024
A trip of dreams - An incredible trip that far exceeded my expectations. It was a trip of dreams. The accommodation was comfortable and unique, creating a great base for the most amazing game drives. We saw so many animals, our guides (Englebert, John and Justine) were kind and knowledgeable, allowing us the time to take in sights, but also moving us along when they knew there was an even bigger surprise around the next corner. The driving was exhilarating and the experience of our guides allowed us to get close to animals and get the best views. The food on the trip was delicious and welcoming after the long days. All staff were so lovely and helpful. I would recommend this trip to everyone!
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Oct 14, 2024
Trip of a lifetime - John, our jeep driver made this the most amazing trip of a lifetime. He was so knowledgeable, great fun, friendly and made the trip so memorable. I think he had the craziest bunch of women to deal with and we all had a blast. Nothing was too much trouble and he got us to every sighting possible. Would absolutely recommend everything about this wonderful trip, it certainly made lifelong dreams come true. Can't wait go back very soon. Thanks to John, Justine and Engelbert.
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Oct 14, 2024
Amazing adventure, with experienced, knowledgeable guides. - Well well, what an incredible time we had! We were a group of 19 people in total. We were met at the airport and despite 15 of us arriving a day and a half late (thanks Qatar Airlines), there was good communication from the operator and they knew exactly what was going on and were waiting ready for us for our arrival. The first four in our group had arrived on time and had started their safari without a hitch.
The accommodations were all in good condition and had everything required - even down to shower gel and body scrub, so no need to bring these things with you! The staff at the accommodations were just amazing, all smiling and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. Some would even break into song whilst serving food - and taught us to sing in Swahili too! Something I will never forget!
But of course, the reason we went to Tanzania in the first place was to see the wildlife, and oh my, we weren't disappointed. Our guide Engelbert was incredibly experienced, knew everything about the wildlife, and was an expert at keeping people happy too! I watched him deal with a few curved balls from people and he never got stressed, he just worked out how to solve the problem with a smile on his face! Your guide can make or break your safari. 10/10 for Engelbert!
We saw so many different animals from Elephants, to hippos to rhinos, right down to the zebras and wildebeest, to lions, cheetah and the holy grail - leopards. Engelbert knows the Serengeti like the back of his hand and took us down the quieter 'back roads' where we didn't come into contact with all the other safari vehicles - it was like having our own private safari a lot of the time. In fact one of the days we did have our own private safari, there was only our group, and no sign of anyone else for miles...
Would I recommend? 1000% yes! If you're on the fence, do it! You won't regret it! I'm still considering going back next year!
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Oct 13, 2024
Great safari experience with excellent guide - Safari: Tanzania has stunning scenery and wildlife to offer. The animal masses have inspired us. Not only do you see a herd of zebras, wildebeest or giraffes from time to time, but animals are everywhere. The scenery is no less impressive: from baobab trees, cactus trees and iconic acacia trees to the infinite expanse of the Serengeti or the cracking of the salt crusts under the shoes of Lake Natron -- we have had a perfect combination of places that allowed a beautiful cross-section through Tanzania's diverse nature and wildlife. In our safari car we had a cooler with enough water available. We had a lovingly packed lunchbox with us on every safari day. If you prefer to enjoy your lunch in nature, be sure to talk to your guide beforehand, otherwise you will go to designated picnic locations. The advantage of this is that there are also toilets. However, all tourists come together in these places and correspondingly many stalls are often there.
Guide: We were lucky to have had an excellent and very experienced guide with our guide Peter. In addition to the typical places to which many tourists go, Peter has also taken us to a lot of spots that are less frequented and where you can experience one or the other rarer animal undisturbed and very close - cheetah, lion, leopard. Peter has a good feel for the animals, did not drive (like some other guides) into the escape routes of the animal herds, but often parked the car on the edge (yet quite close) of an animal group, turned off the engine and waited with us. The result: The animals are usually curious after a short time and come to one by themselves. Through Peter we had numerous wonderful experiences where elephants, giraffes, zebras or cheetahs etc. came very, very close to our car out of curiosity. Only this has allowed us a breathtaking experience with the animals that we had so much hoped for. Full confidence in the guide is therefore very important.
Camps: Each camp is located in a different special place in Tanzania. With each camp change, the nature, temperature and wildlife has changed: while it was very hot at Lake Natron, it was quite cool in the mountains at Camp Massai Boma and you were happy to sit by the fireplace in the evening. In each camp you get two bottles of water a day. The power supply was quite unstable during our stay, even hot water was not always available. It is advisable to always have the available flashlight on hand in each tent so as not to be suddenly surprised by darkness.;) Internet is only available in public places such as the restaurant and reception. However, the speed and stability is very poor, which has often led to problems with card payment during Check-out at each camp.
All camps are lovingly and individually designed and very clean. The service staff is top: very friendly, courteous and helpful. The food was good. We follow a vegan diet, which we shared before we started our trip. Every camp had this information. We had some options to choose from for every dinner - only with the packed lunches it didn't always work. The variation between camps could be better coordinated. Almost every camp during our stay had pumpkin soup. ;) We would have liked more typical dishes like ugali. You noticed that the dishes were adapted to the tourists. However, we would also like to discover the cuisine of a country.:) If you ever have two nights in a camp, it is worth the camp team to approach local dishes. They often take these wishes into account and are also happy about the interest in the typical cuisine.
The Lake Manyara Camp is unfortunately partially inundated by the flood waters a few months ago, which makes some tents and the original restaurant no longer usable. The camp team has set up very well alternatives: The restaurant is now in the heart of the camp and a new tent area has been created -- but the experience that can still be seen in the current images on the site is no longer the same. Here we would have liked more transparency in advance.
In general, we would have liked more information about the preparation for the individual stations before starting the trip. For example, we had a hike to a waterfall in one day. The route was a kind of canyoning that would have required water shoes. Our guide had kindly helped us out and still got shoes.
We recommend that every traveler bring good binoculars to maximize the safari experience.
What we do not recommend is visiting a Maasai village. This service is quite expensive, which would be okay, because you support an entire village. However, the villages are geared towards this: after the typical welcome dance in front of the village, one finally found sales tables lined up in the village, which then took up much of the "tour" inside the village. Too much touri sales show for too little learning about the everyday life and way of life of the Maasai.
All in all, we had an excellent safari experience. The experience is also very dependent on the guide. We can only highly recommend Peter -- ask if he might be available for your trip before you start.:)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 22, 2024
Amazing safari experience - Amazing safari experience. We saw all BIG 5 - lions, leopards, elephants, rhino, and buffalo - and the great migration. The staff, guides, facilities, and food were excellent. Full recommendation for the trip.
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Jul 14, 2024
10 Day Safari with Hamisi - We are a family of four with teenage kids. We all really enjoyed our guided tour of the National Parks in the North of Tanzania. Hamisi was our guide and he was excellent. I would highly recommend him. He was brilliant with our kids and made the trip both fun and interesting. He has a very good knowledge of the National Parks and was always giving us interesting information. Hamisi was very keen that we saw as much as possible and we were delighted with what he was able to show us. Hamisi is an excellent driver on very difficult roads and we always felt safe in his care. Many thanks Hamisi for an excellent trip
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Mar 27, 2024
Spectacular Experience Throughout, With An Amazing Guide - My wife and I did a 10 day safari experience with Hamisi as our guide. The experience was even better than I expected! After Hamisi picked us up at the airport, he asked which animals we'd like to see the most. We told him giraffes and elephants. Sure enough, within the first several minutes after arriving in the first park, Hamisi was able to show us both of those animals!
This was just the beginning. For the following days, Hamisi clearly demonstrated his skills in knowing where to find animals, how he chatted with other guides to get current tips on where to find animals, and his skills at driving the Land Cruiser.
Throughout the safari, there was never a single question we asked Hamisi that he was unable to answer. We asked a lot of questions, some seemingly obscure, and he always had an answer, whether the topic was animals, ecosystem, cultural, or anything else, including obscure questions about dung beetles!
There was one moment in the middle of the day where a hole formed in the Land Cruiser's exhaust system, requiring repairs. Hamisi handled this very well, stopping at a small town before returning to the park. Hamisi's instinct was to protect us and keep us separate from the locals in this town, which I think is appropriate for many tourists. My wife and I however typically travel without guides, going deep into local villages. When we conveyed this to Hamisi, he understood and we were able to freely explore the town while the truck was repaired. We also expressed desire to eat at the local BBQ joint nearby. He was hesitant, again due to how typical guests travel, but when we made it clear we knew the risks but wanted local food, he agreed and we all had a fantastic lunch together. In the end, the repair took an appropriate amount of time and set us up for success for the rest of the trip.
Over the course of our time on the tour, we saw every animal on the list except for the elusive leopard. We were totally satisfied with the animals we saw!
Our tour included a few non-animal experiences. The walking tour through a small town was very informative, illustrating how tourism supports the community. A day-hike with a Maasai guide to a waterfall was exquisite, perfectly warm water that we could wade and swim within. One optional addition was to make a visit to a Maasai village. This was separate from the tour and I give it mixed reviews: the dancing and welcome ceremony was great, and seeing into the homes and asking questions of the local chief were very informative. The downsides included that the chief was very fixated on pushing the sales of their handicrafts, lied about Maasai attending school in one of the huts while pressuring us to donate to the fictional school, and lied about the materials used in their jewellery such as claiming that the villagers manufacture the silver discs which are very clearly manufactured by machines. All of this was outside Hamisi's control or influence, so all blame lies on the Maasai village chief.
The lodging throughout the tour was great. We chose the middle-tier package which meant we were staying mostly in large "tents" which were canvas structures set up on concrete pads, including full electricity, a full bathroom, and a fan. All of these were comfortable and suitably outfitted. The meals at all of the lodgings ranged from good to great. The box lunches supplied for each day of safari provided more than enough food.
In the end, we found that in addition to all of the things we learned and experiences we had, that we had developed a friendship with Hamisi. He is a caring, attentive and positive young man who is an excellent guide. I have only great things to say about him, and we look forward to staying in touch with him in the future!
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