$993 pp (USD)
2 travelers on Start dateThis Tour Is Offered By
The Amazing Shadows of Africa Guiding Team!
Shadows of Africa
- Offices In:
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United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
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KERWZATZUG
We are Shadows of Africa, an international team dedicated to sharing the beauty and wonder of Africa with the world. With both local offices and international offices, our team is a multicultural, multilingual family who are passionate about Africa’s wildlife, culture, and natural beauty. We live and breathe the African experience, and we are here to bring that experience to the world. We specialize in tailor making your tour to ensure you get the perfect safari!
Reviews167
Be very careful booking with this company.
I rarely write negative reviews, but I feel obligated to share our experience with Shadows of Africa.
My 15-year-old son and I booked a safari and Zanzibar vacation with the expectation of a premium, well-planned experience. We communicated our expectations clearly before booking and trusted that the itinerary would reflect what was promised. Unfortunately, that was not our experience.
With the exception of our final safari stay at Tembo Tembo Camp and our outstanding guide, Gerald, this trip was a tremendous disappointment.
At our first lodge, we were forgotten at dinner. No one came to pick us up, so my son and I went without dinner that evening. The room was also not clean. At another lodge, the accommodations were so cold that we left within minutes because they were simply not suitable. Throughout the trip, when we reached out to our travel advisor for help, we felt our concerns were not taken seriously and were not resolved.
Our current resort in Zanzibar has been the biggest disappointment. In our opinion, it is far below the standard that was represented to us. The property is unclean, the food has been poor, and it does not reflect the quality of vacation we believed we had purchased.
My son and I travel internationally many times each year, including to developing countries, so our disappointment is not based on unrealistic expectations. It is based on the gap between what we were promised and what was delivered.
The one bright spot of our trip was Gerald, our safari guide. He was professional, knowledgeable, kind, and truly exceptional. Tembo Tembo Camp was also excellent and demonstrated the level of quality we expected throughout the trip.
I sincerely hope Shadows of Africa takes this feedback seriously. We invested a significant amount of money in this vacation and expected much better planning, accommodations, communication, and customer service. Unfortunately, based on our experience, I cannot recommend the company.
Reply from Shadows of Africa
Posted on Jul 1, 2026Dear Kimberly,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, both here and directly with our team. As we mentioned to you personally, we are genuinely sorry that your trip was not the experience you had hoped for. We know this was a special journey for you and your son, and we regret that parts of it did not meet your expectations.
We're pleased that Gerald and your stay at Tamu Tamu Camp reflected the level of quality and service we aim to deliver on every trip, and we've passed your kind words on to him directly.
For the benefit of future travelers, we'd like to provide some additional context. Your trip was booked within our mid-range accommodation category. During the planning process, you received photos, detailed descriptions, and direct website links for each suggested property. For your Zanzibar stay, your travel consultant presented four different accommodation options, allowing you to choose the one that best matched your preferences. You selected Turaco Nungwi (4-star) from those options. The safari lodges—Sangaiwe Tarangire and Angata Ngorongoro—were chosen from our recommended options. All three accommodations have received a 2026 TripAdvisor Award of Excellence. We mention this simply to help future guests understand that your experience is not representative of the feedback these properties typically receive.
Regarding the temperature at Angata Ngorongoro, this is unfortunately something we cannot control, as it is a result of the crater's high elevation and climate rather than the lodge itself. That said, we appreciate that this can come as a surprise to guests, and we will make this information much more prominent in our pre-arrival communications so travelers can pack and prepare accordingly.
We would also like to highlight that our team is available 24/7 to assist when unexpected situations arise. When you decided to leave Angata Ngorongoro, we arranged alternative accommodation within 20 minutes. Our records show that our team responded promptly throughout your journey to provide assistance whenever concerns were raised.
We recognize that travel experiences are subjective, and while we respect your perspective, it does differs significantly from the experience reported by the vast majority of our guests. We strongly believe there is always something to learn from guest feedback, and we will be reviewing your comments with our team to further identify opportunities to improve our communication, pre-arrival information, and processes, helping to ensure all future guests have the best possible experience.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Feedback—whether positive or critical—helps us continue to improve, and we wish you and your son all the very best in your future travels.
Warm regards,
The Shadows of Africa Team
KR
Exceptional Six-Night Private Safari in Tanzania
We had a six-night private tour, beginning with one night at Ikumbi Lodge, two nights at Tamu Tamu Serengeti Camp, two nights at Africa Safari South Serengeti Ndutu, and the final night at Four Points Arusha.
Overall, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience with cute animals, amazing nature, and kind people. Among everything, two things stood out the most about Shadows of Africa.
First and foremost, our guide, Mr. Edwin, is well-experienced, skilled, and very knowledgeable. He efficiently identified the locations where specific animals would appear, enabling us to witness numerous rare animals and unforgettable moments in the wilderness. He also explained many interesting animal behaviors to us — personally, my favorite was the “zebra-hugging.” Most importantly, Mr. Edwin is a genuinely good person. You can easily see that he is a friend to everyone along the way! By the end of our trip, we had also become good friends. When we visit Tanzania next time, we will surely ask him to be our guide again.
Second, although we had little information about the food quality beforehand, during the trip we learned that the meals we had were far better than those provided by other companies. We even had a fun moment when a client from a different company joined our lunch table to try our food. Indeed, except for the two days when we stayed at Africa Safari South Serengeti Ndutu, where the food was somewhat underwhelming, we enjoyed our meals very much.
Overall, this journey exceeded our expectations in every way. From the breathtaking wildlife encounters to the professionalism and warmth of the team, Shadows of Africa delivered an unforgettable safari experience. We are truly grateful for the memories we created and would highly recommend them to anyone planning a trip to Tanzania.
Laura was consistently thorough and kept us well informed through the entire process.
It was so reassuring to know that Laura had every aspect of this trip planned down to the last detail. We could not have asked for a better experience. Communication and planning was excellent throughout the whole process, just one little mishap in regard to our WhatsApp group being directed to the wrong person so information was not received at one point leading to a bit of confusion. Other than that everything was meticulous. The accommodation and food was absolutely superb. Drives were often long on bumpy dusty roads but to us this only added to the experience of Africa and always gave us plenty to look at along the way. Our driver, Edwin was brilliant and all of us formed a great friendship with him during our time on Safari. We highly recommend him as a driver/guide. We would definitely use Shadows of Africa again for any future trips here.
SI
Exceeded expectations
Shadows of Africa provided a completely seamless and exceptionally well-organized journey from start to finish. Every detail was carefully planned, communication was clear and prompt, and everything was tailored to our wishes and needs. Throughout the entire trip, we felt we were in safe and highly professional hands.
The organization of the whole itinerary, accommodations, and safaris was outstanding. Everything ran smoothly and effortlessly, with great attention to detail. The guides and partners they work with are extremely experienced, knowledgeable, and passionate about what they do, which made our experience even more special.
Shadows of Africa doesn’t just offer trips — they create unforgettable, personalized experiences. Because of their professionalism, reliability, and genuine care for their clients, we highly recommend them to anyone looking for a stress-free, top-quality safari and travel experience in Africa.
Exceeded our Expectations!
We were two couples from Australia, keen photographers, travelling for 15 days through Kenya and Tanzania. Right from the beginning, Chris (who has now left SofA) tailored a tour to our liking, with responses and communication prompt and easy to understand. After a rest day in Nairobi, Philip picked us up for our first few days in Kenya, travelling to Lake Naivasha, then three wonderful days in Maasai Mara. The vehicle had all we wanted, the accommodation and meals were beyond my expectation, and the animal sightings were incredible! We then crossed the border to Tanzania where we met our next guide/driver, Zamo. Another three nights in the Serengeti where we stayed at the Melia Serengeti Lodge (I highly recommend!) with safaris each day, seeing leopards, wilderbeest, zebras, cheetah, lions, impala, black backed jackal, gazelle, birds.....you name it! From here we travelled to the world famous Ngorongoro Crater for a day and night, seeing elephants, black rhino, cerval cat, flamingoes, hyenas, grey crowned cranes etc. Another two nights at Lake Manyara and safari through Tarangire reserve with heaps of elephants and the boabab trees. Lake Eyasi was a real surprise, and we spent a day with the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes which was really interesting. Another night in Arusha, then back across the border to Philip, and on to 3 days in Amboseli. As amatuer photograpers, we were over the moon to get shots of elephant in front of Mt Kilimanjaro, leopard in a tree, lion in a tree, cerval cat, grey crowned cranes, and this was mainly in part to the expertise and knowledge of Zamo and Philip! We had great service, the locals were really friendly and helpful, the Lodges and food were exceptional, we saw so much, and I believe the cost was real value for money. I would not hesitate to recommend Shadows of Africa!
Other Safaris & Tours28 – Offered by Shadows of Africa
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4-Day Fly in & out Serengeti Tamu Tamu
$2,528 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)
Mid-range Tented CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Serengeti NP, Central Serengeti NP, Arusha (End)
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8-Day Northern Circuit Tanzania & Zanzibar
$2,191 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & HotelYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Jambiani (Zanzibar), Zanzibar Airport (End)
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5-Day Serengeti Safari - Medium
$2,676 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Lake Manyara NP, Central Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Highlands, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
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6-Day Tanzania Adventure Safari
$4,299 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Karatu (Town), Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
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![6-Day Active Safari with Empakai Hiking]()
6-Day Active Safari with Empakai Hiking
$3,329 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Tarangire NP, Empakaai Crater (Ngorongoro Highlands), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)
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![6-Day Big Five Safari - Luxury]()
6-Day Big Five Safari - Luxury
$3,471 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tourLuxuryLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Arusha (Start), Arusha NP, Lake Manyara NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Highlands, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire NP, Arusha (End)
