The Amazing Shadows of Africa Guiding Team!
Shadows of Africa
- Offices In:
-
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:
- Price Range:
- $250 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
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Email Elsie | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Epic! Trip of a lifetime!!!
Epic! Amazing! Exceptional! But words really can't do justice to the the experience we had with Shadows of Africa Tanzanian Safari. We felt like we were part of a National Geographic special. We saw so many animals, so close up. Herds of elephants, zebras, wildebeests, gazelles, impalas, giraffes, lions, hyenas, warthogs, moneys, baboons. We counted more than 45 different species of animals and birds, and I'm sure our list is not complete. We spent eight days on safari in Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, which also included a visit to a Maasai village, a sunrise balloon ride followed by three nights at a resort on Zanzibar. The accommodations were amazing. The lodges were beautiful and even the tent camps were way more luxurious than we expected, complete with giraffes walking by and lions roaring at night. Our guide was Alex Pao (or Poa?) and he was exceptional!!! We were a group of six women and he kept us all in line:) Knowledgeable, funny, professional, accommodating. And finally, I would like to give a shout out to the Shadows of Africa team -- Karen Maki, Frank and Inge! They were wonderful, responsive, accommodating. I can't say enough good things about them or our experience as a whole and would highly recommend them to anyone considering a Safari experience!
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Email Ryan Loew | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easily the best experience of my life
Apologies as this will be a long review, as I tend to write a lot. The 11 day safari with Shadows of Africa easily was the best trip of my life. First, let me start with Karen. Karen treats you like she's been your friend for a long time that just happens to be a safari specialist as she's extremely personable and clearly wants you to have the best possible experience. Despite being 10 hours ahead of me, she responded to any and all questions I have within minutes and I question if she ever takes a break. Throughout the whole process, she has been amazing...Karen, if you read this, I can't thank you enough. My other notable tour specialist was Frank that handled everything in Tanzania. Frank...Frank is on top of everything, literally calling me the second we got to the Tanzanian border, giving us suggestions on how to tip, what to do, and literally was on top of everything in Tanzania. Also, Frank is extremely genuine as well, following up daily regarding how things are going, what we love(d), and is again is just on top of everything.
Secondly, the guides. Our first guide was George who clearly has a ton of experience in Masa Mara and Kenya, and was on top of where to go and was on top of where all the animals were. George is very nice guy and on day 2 of safari I was elated on the experience he gave us and also can't say enough great things about that man. Our second guide, Charles Joseph, is younger, super enthusiastic, and is obviously very proud of his country and loves sharing whatever he can about Tanzania as well as anything related to plants and animals. Also, after traveling with him for a week I'm seriously impressed on how he can remember where everything is throughout such a massive area without a map, as I need GPS to go across town. We did have a transfer, Nickson, great young kid who is also enthusiastic about his town and country; hope his pig farming business goes well. Lastly, our last guide, Martin, friggin pro at everything Amboseli, suggesting good photo shots of Kilimanjaro, animals, and again, extremely knowledgeable about the region.
Lastly, a far as the accommodations and food, everything was top notch. We did do the 11 day tour and the nights in Masa Mara and Northern Sarengheti were in raised tents, but the staff more than made up for it as, how often in your life do you see lions, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, elephants, etc...
My only one real suggestion is if you do plan on doing the 11 day tour, if you're looking for gifts, wait to go to the large shop in Arusha as they by far have the best prices for souvenirs, as the local shops outside Masa Mara are kind of a rip.
To finish, we loved our safari and if/when I come back to Africa, I will be sure to contact Shadows of Africa as they went above and beyond.
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Email Annie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Trip Thanks to the Best Team
I stumbled upon Shadows of Africa when I started planning my family safari trip in January. I reached out to multiple safari companies, but none was as responsive, patient, and knowledgable as Karen from Shadows. She created the perfect itinerary so the 4 of us could visit both Maasai Mara and the Serengeti, and wrapping the trip up with a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater. Throughout the trip, Karen and Frank would check in with us via Whatapp to make sure everything was okay.
Our guides, Steven in Kenya and Charles in Tanzania were very friendly and experienced. We saw so many cars stuck in the road but we never did (except when we tried to help another car). We saw a lot of rare animals because our guides knew where to go and they always found the spots before other people did.
Like the others mentioned, our packed lunches were another level compared to other groups. Charles would roll out table and chairs with actual utensils and table mats. And the food tasted amazing with warm veggies, meat, rice and spaghetti. Every lunch in the park included a bottle of wine too! Others would look at our table when they were all eating their boxed lunches. 😅
Also, be sure to include Tamu Tamu as part of your stay if you’re in Serengeti. It’s a new camp operated by Shadows and it’s so beautiful.
Email Ben | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari and Tanzania experience! Couldn't of asked or dreamed of more!
Fantastic travel company. Organised an amazing two weeks for us to go on safari, experience Tanzania, and relax in Zanzibar. They planned everything for us, family of four, and then delivered it with excellence. We had the best guide for the safari; extremely knowledgeable, planned each day to give us an amazing experience, and respected the animals and landscape we were in. We saw and experience everything! All the accommodation was amazing, lodges, tented camps, etc. Each night a new and amazing experience. Spent time meeting with local people, learning the culture, etc., eye opening! And then relaxed in Zanzibar, an amazing hotel with the best beach. Everyone at Shadows of Africa went the extra mile to make everything perfect for us. If you want the best you have to choose Shadows of Africa. Get Karen to plan everything for you. And get Eugene to be your guide. Thank you!
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Email Hector X Cruz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Trip of a Lifetime!
I had dreamed of visiting Africa for 45 years, ever since I was 6 years old. When I was finally able to begin planning my long awaited trip, I researched the countless operators extensively.
I wanted a company with a proven track record of delivering bespoke, individualized itineraries suited for what I specifically wanted to see in my dream safari. I didn't want a package deal put together for just any tourist.
I'm incredibly blessed to have found the great people at Shadows of Africa. My point person for 9 months was Karen Maki who was very knowledgeable and tailored a beautifully curated tour hitting my main focus areas: the Great Migration, a River Crossing, the Big 5, the Maasai Mara, the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Lake Amboseli.
During those 9 months, she patiently revised and changed lodging and accommodations until they were just right. I can't thank her enough for her patience, professionalism, and flexibility.
I had incredibly high expectations for this trip and Shadows of Africa delivered in every way.
I want to specifically thank our guides: Anthony, Zamo, and Charles.
We spent the most time on our trip - about 8 days - with Zamo, and he is an exemplary guide. Without him, our adventure wouldn't have been anywhere near as incredible as it was.
Zamo is an extraordinary safari leader, supremely knowledgeable about the wildlife, their behaviors, territories, and the landscape. His skill in anticipating and predicting animal movements put us in the exact right spot for remarkable encounters dozens of times.
Most incredible of all, I told him that my biggest dream was to see one of the legendary wildebeest river crossings. I knew it was difficult to see one and there was no guarantee, but thanks to Zamo's expertise, tenacity, and perseverance, he put us front row to an absolutely breathtaking crossing of thousands of wildebeest across the Mara River from Tanzania into the Maasai Mara in Kenya.
It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life and I owe it all to Zamo Tito. He is a credit and an asset to Shadows of Africa.
Were there some hiccups? Of course. There are bound to be a couple in journeys of this length and complexity, but Shadows and their personnel handled everything in due course.
I highly recommend Shadows of Africa. Don't hesitate in using them to book your dream African safari!
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Email Kari | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Birthday Trip with Shadows of Africa – Kenya, Tanzania & Zanzibar
We just returned from a phenomenal trip to Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar to celebrate our 50th birthdays. Shadows of Africa made it truly unforgettable! From start to finish, they took care of every detail — even helping us smoothly handle a last-minute flight change.
Karen was incredibly responsive and worked with us to create an excellent, personalized itinerary that blended cultural activities with thrilling safari drives through a wide variety of stunning landscapes.
Our guides, Mercy and Loma, were excellent — knowledgeable, kind, and always going above and beyond. Loma used his expertise to get us a front-row view of the Great Migration crossing — something no one else we spoke to was able to witness! We were shocked by the sheer number and variety of animals we saw throughout the trip.
Staying in tented camps gave us the full safari experience, and we absolutely loved the picnic meals out in the wild. The itinerary was perfectly paced, blending adventure and relaxation, and every lodge and meal exceeded expectations.
This was truly the trip of a lifetime — we can’t thank Shadows of Africa enough for making our milestone birthday celebration so special. We 100% recommend them to anyone planning a safari or East Africa adventure!
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Email Lisa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari tour!
We booked a two week Safari with Shadows of Africa - one week in Tanzania and one week in Uganda - as they were one of the few Safari vendors that were able to accommodate both countries. Karen was great and very responsive in the booking process and gave us a number of recommendations to ensure our trip was to our liking. Our two tour guides were Charles (Tanzania) and Ziwa (Uganda). Charles had an eagle eye and was able to spot leopards and rhinos for us that we would have never found on our own! Both were extremely knowledgeable and friendly and were always focused on ensuring we had a wonderful trip. We highly recommend Shadows of Africa!
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Email Marco | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari in Kenya & Tanzania!
I had such a great time on my safari in Kenya and Tanzania. My guides were warm, friendly, enthusiastic, very knowledgeable, and excellent drivers. In Kenya, my guide Peter has a 6th sense for finding active animals, and we saw a cheetah hunting, lions mating, and an elusive leopard, among many others. In Tanzania, my guide Eugen pointed out interesting displays of animal behavior, birds, and unique plants as we tracked the “Ugly 5” as well as the big game. A highlight was having lunch outside in the Serengeti as we watched wildebeest!
I booked this solo trip for mid-June on just a few weeks notice so logistics were critical. When I inquired with several companies, Karen replied very quickly, answered a couple emails quickly, and was able to arrange a call with me (despite a 10 hour time difference), and advise on camp/hotel choices, activities like a balloon ride and a Masai village walk, and logistics like visas and what to bring. Everything went very smoothly with airport transfers, walking me through the Tanzania border and getting a visa, and being flexible to adapt the day’s schedule to my interests. The camps and hotels were great across the board and the food was delicious!
CA
Email Ana L | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Honeymoon
We booked with Shadows of Africa for our honeymoon trip and had a fantastic time. Prior to the trip communication was easy and we felt that all our questions were answered promtly and effectively. As first time Safari travellers we had a LOT of questions. Any requests or changes were easily accomidated and our specialist Karen was wonderfull.
The real magic happened once we got onsite and we ended up having an unforgettable experience. Our guide Charles was very knowledgeble, helfull and overall was fantastic.
The lodges were wonderfull and during our trip there was an issue with one of our originally booked camps and prior to arrival we got upgraded to another camp that ended up being our favourite stay during the trip.
I apreciated the environmental commitment and the elimation of single use plastic bottles at most camps and the safari vehicle. We were given a metal water bottle and the car came equipped with a 20L jug of water. Most of the camp also provided drinking water in jugs.
Email Ruth | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fabulous Chimps and Gorillas tour in Rwanda - beyond our expectations!
Great tour with cultural and wildlife aspects. Our guide Paul Ruganintwari was very helpful and good company. Hotels were excellent, and meals were included, with just alcohol to be paid for. 3-course dinner each evening. Lovely scenery with plenty to look at while Paul drove to the next location.
Really enjoyed the kayaking on Lake Kivu
We were fortunate to see so many chimps ( including a baby ).
Gorilla trek was beyond our expectations and we were very lucky with the weather. We watched a large family group including a silverback, 4 mth old and 1 week old baby.
Take USD for tips, but before the tour we needed Rwandan Francs for Kigali.
I chose to pay for a porter to help me on the slippery bits of path and to support the local community.
We hope to return to Africa soon and I would be very happy to travel with Shadows of Africa again. We were very impressed. Thank you to Karen for all her help with the organisation of the trip and fast communication.
