Company Director
Lucas African Adventures
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Hannita | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lucas puts his heart into it!
Before I begin praising Lucas for his generosity, thoughtfulness, patience and safety, let me start by saying this. Most of the Safari companies are run by European or American companies. Lucas is a Tanzanian man Who is working hard to start his own company for African safaris and adventures. Lucas has a quick, adaptable, hard-working attitude, resulting in phenomenal “inside scoop” tours that also support the Tanzanian economy.
We went on a luxury trip, and WOW! everywhere we went was so hospitable, comfortable, and safe.
LODGING- Bring your swimsuit! The hotels were so charming and clean and unique. People welcomed us warmly and enthusiastically. Most of the places had shampoo, body wash, conditioner, and hot running water. (If you want to do a camping-in-real-tents style, that’s an option too on Lucas’ other tours. Bathroom facilities are available even there).
FOOD - The cooks are experts. Actually, most of the food we had was more western, but with some local flavors and styles, so we stayed pretty healthy throughout the trip. Lucas spoiled us with hot lunches every day. Because we would be out adventuring for most of the day, lunch would be a little later, around 2-3, so I was glad that we brought some snacks from home. But even though I am prone to getting “hangry”, I did just fine. There was coffee and tea everywhere we went!
DRIVING - The nature of safaris requires a lot of driving, I’m not gonna lie. We used these fun Land Cruisers that were comfortable enough, spacious, and had roofs that pop open. A lot of the roads are bumpy dirt roads, but even my mom who does not like road trips or bumpy roads did just fine. Lucas is also a trained and good driver, able to navigate challenging terrain safely. He also said that he adjusts for people based on their needs, maybe doing less driving in a day and taking more breaks. There is a decent amount of getting in and out of the car. definitely bumpy!
ANIMALS - ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! I never thought I would see so many animals so close in their natural habitat. No, they don’t plant the lions for tourists or have fences. ;) Birds of all shapes and colors, big land mammals living “in perfect Harmony“ as Elton John sings— it’s like the Lion King! I think my favorite were the hippos with their funny grunting noises!
BUGS - we went in September, towards the end of the dry season, and it was definitely very dry. We do not have any problems with bugs. In fact, we didn’t really see any.
CULTURE - Lucas was so gracious to answer my millions of questions. He was very happy and open to share about the culture. I would recommend looking at his website too for some tips. The people in general were so friendly and gracious and kind. Home: Lucas' Africa Adventure (lucasafricanadventures.com)
LOCAL TRIBES— visiting the local tribes can be quite a learning experience. We had the honor of seeing 2 groups of people, the Hazdabe Bushmen people and the Maasai. It was very interesting to see how the Hazdabe lived off the land, and also some difficult stark realities between men and women. At the end of the tour, we have the opportunity to buy things that the local people have made. But since the people live off the land, they don’t really need money, and it goes to buying alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana, so that was probably the most uncomfortable part of the trip. The local guide and translator said it was still OK to buy things in support of the people. Next time I might just buy one thing out of support for the people and go in with a predetermined budget ($20 maybe) for something small. The Maasai visit was definitely worth it!
SHOPPING - probably the most expensive country I’ve been to when it comes to souvenirs. There actually were not very many places to buy gifts. Sometimes the hotels or national parks would have a small gift shop. Otherwise the local tribes had some beautiful things for sale. (It’s an awkward experience actually, just just be prepared to feel pressured and pay a lot.) But honestly, this isn’t actually all that important in the long run. The memories and stories and people matter more.
TIPPING – we never really got a clear answer on this. I think you are supposed to tip as you feel is appropriate, like from the heart, and it’s based on the quality of service. I would bring some smaller bills, because they do take American dollars. I left Colorado postcards with a little note at the hotels we stayed at, and that seemed to be a really special thing. Even in Norway (our layover), they emailed us thanking us for the postcard and note!
BATHROOMS – probably some of the cleanest bathrooms in the world. Attendants are constantly clearing them. There were also little hoses (like a bidet) everywhere we went.
PACKING LIST – getting excited to go!? Some good things to remember: chapstick, long pants and closed toed shoes if you’ll go to the bush, sunglasses maybe, snacks, candy/gum was helpful for the dusty long roads, the postcards were a hit, HOODIE (aka sweatshirt, it actually gets chilly at night!), comfortable clothes (capris, lightweight pants, t-shirts, extra socks; you’ll get real dirty/ dusty), pen and journal to write experiences, extra camera batteries possibly, PMA (positive mental attitude)! :)
FLIGHTS – we had a great experience with Ethiopian Airlines. My dad thought of a great way to book the trip. First of all, it seems that most flights at this time go through Europe to get to Africa. He booked round trip tickets Denver<>Oslo for the full 14 days. And then round trip tickets Oslo<>Kilimanjaro airport for the 8 days in Africa, leaving some wiggle room for “adventures in travel” (delayed or canceled flights, weather, whatnot). The layover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was totally fine. Iceland Air was fine too, but just a heads up, you’d have to buy food. We weren’t eating on the planes for covid precautions, so I have no comments on the food for either airline. The food in the Iceland airport was expensive but good.
OVERALL – this trip was such a gift. We are incredibly grateful. I really can’t believe how many animals we saw (there is no guarantee, but when we went, we saw 14 lions in one day!) Happy hippos, elegant elephants, graceful giraffes, warthogs doing their thing, zebras and wildebeest grazing together, even a rhino from a distance! We learned so much about Tanzanian culture even though we were very much in the tourist bubble. The people were so kind, so beautiful, so generous of heart–it’s hard to describe! Hakuna matata is a new word in my vocabulary. :) Karibu Tanzania . Welcome to Tanzania.
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Email Mat N | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a Life Time experience
Spoiler alert: This is tour is not meant for those who typically do all-paid beach vacations. African safaris are rusty and rugged, but you will forget all about that once you get into the Serengeti park.
Lucas is private and custom tour operator. You will discuss the plan and route with him. He has an amazing personality, customer care attitude and he is very safety oriented. You will be with him all the days of the tour. He knows the area like the back of his hand and he had memorized the names of all birds and animals. He knows the terrain and area well (No GPS as there are no cell signals). He goes by his knowledge, instincts and sometimes radioing his net work of friends (especially getting getting hints on where the big cats are hanging out).
We had a group of seven that fits nicely in the modified (I.e., ruggedized) Toyota Land Cruisers they use. These vehicle are bare bone rugged beasts (no AC), some of the roads are unpaved and rugged.
If you have the right mindset, you will totally enjoy the safari
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Email Angel K. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Guide Ever!
One of the best experiences ever! We went on a weekend safari with Lucas and he customized the trip to fit our short schedule. We were able to visit both Ngorogoro Crater and Serengeti National Park.
Lucas planned a full schedule to maximize our time (14 hour days). In addition to the parks, we also visited a Maasai village, multiple gift shops, and the Tanazanite Experience Center. He was super flexible and even took us to a local waterfall hike in Arusha (not planned on the original schedule) a few hours before our airport departure.
From the moment we landed, Lucas took care of everything. This included food, lodging, and transportation. We rode in an awesome fully decked out Land Cruiser which the roof pops up for max viewing! The food consisted of amazing local rice dishes (what we‘d requested) and the lodges were 5-star accommodations.
Most impressively, Lucas was extremely knowledgeable and knew the name of every plant, animal, and bird we asked about. Like EVERY BIRD. Lucas had field guidebooks with him and flipped directly to the pages of each plant/animals we inquired. This is is specialty so if you're looking for more than just a guide who can drive you around, Lucas can tell you endless facts about all the local species.
Lucas drove through the parks like it was the back of his hand and took us to some of the best spots for wildlife viewing. I honestly wasn't expecting to see so much with just a meager two days to spare, but saw more wild animals than I imagined (outside of a zoo setting).
I'm definitely coming back for a much longer safari next time and 100% rebooking with Lucas.
Note: Bring USD cash - the entire area accepts the US dollar, and in some places it's preferred over the local currency. Lucas also prefers USD cash as he fronts all the costs for the hotel reservations, food, and park entrance fees/permits.
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Email Francesca | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable adventure!
In February we were able to enjoy a private photography safari through Tanzania visiting the Ngorongo, Serengeti, and Taranguire National Parks as well as a trekking along the foot of Kilimanjaro and Lucas made our trip an unforgettable experience. From the first moment he was very attentive and involved in ensuring that we could observe and photograph the animals from the best perspective. A great professional!!
Super recommended!
Asante sana kwa kukaribishwa kwako Lucas
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Email Matina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Definitely recommend Lucas African Adventures
We had a great time with Lucas! He has arranged everything for us, from airport transportation to great food during our safari days and good accommodation bookings. He was very kind, having chargers on the vehicle and free WiFi. There was a big selection beverages and fresh fruits in our lunch. He was trying his best to meet our requirements such as visiting the bank or starting the day a bit later. We would definitely recommend him! ( 3 days safari tarangire ngorongoro and manyara )
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Email Marie and Fred | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect
we had a great stay with Lucas and his French-speaking guide. Thanks to him, we were able to discover a lot of animals. We recommend his Safaris agency which will satisfy you. excellent organization, very attentive to its customers.
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Email Roxana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Unforgettable time - Amazing, Marvelous with Lucas and Lucas' African Adventures
Lucas is a very knowledgeable guide. He knows all the trees and bushes species. He knows each animal from the area. He was able to take us to all the different parks. We did an 8 day trip to Tarengeri, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti.
Lucas is excellent at finding the animals. We saw the big 5! We saw so many lions, a variety of birds, African buffalo, hippos, etc .
The food was excellent. We had delicious lunches with chicken , rice, fruit, juice. Very high quality.
Lucas is a very professional, caring man. Lucas is very outgoing. I highly recommend Lucas' African Adventures.
