Our Head Guide Nico and our Signature Hot Lunches
Soul of Tanzania
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $400 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
US
Email Yili | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy to contact from the US side, but was hoping for more transparency and/or details of the trip.
Our experience was very mixed, starting with a guide (his name was Losioki) who made us feel very unsafe and dismissed. On the first day when he picked us up from the Tanzania/Kenya border, the car wouldn’t start from the parking lot, that should have been the first red flag. After trying for 5-6 times, the engine finally started. Then later in the day as we were making our way to Serengeti, the vehicle began making weird noises as we were driving through a rough road. He had to stop several times to check, but decided to keep going. When we asked what was going on, he repeatedly brushed us off with “don’t worry” in a very condescending tone, even saying it five times in a row at one point, as if we were overreacting. Eventually, two pieces of metal fell off from under the car while we are still driving, which was a clear hazard. Only then did he admit the vehicle couldn’t continue and arranged for someone else to pick us up. We waited in the middle of nowhere for an hour in a very hot weather condition. The car picked us up happened to be going to Serengeti as well with another couple who was on a private tour, so we hitchhiked with them and we did not hear from the guide the rest of the day.
After this experience, we contacted the tour operator when we got to the hotel to get a new car and a new driver the next day, but they did not end up making this arrangement. I fully understand how difficult it is to get a new guide when we are already in the park and there are some operating difficulty to make this work, however at this point I feel like our safari experience was already tainted by this bad start and we just didn't feel great about the guide.
The following day, he returned and insisted the car was now fine. We decided to give this another chance and went on to do our first game drive in the park. Only 15 minutes into the drive, we went across a three cheetahs sighting with heavy traffic (20+ vehicles), the car stalled completely in the middle of the jam. He had to get out and coordinate a bump start, which was extremely stressful and further confirmed our concerns. When we tried to calmly explain that we didn’t feel comfortable with him or the vehicle, he constantly interrupted us with “listen to me” and “calm down,” which only made things worse. We also explained that this is now the third time we had problems with the vehicle, and having just done the masai mara safari, we know that if this keeps happening during a traffic jam, which is very common when there are rare animal sighting, we cannot bump start the car every single time. It's neither efficient nor safe. Serengeti is a huge park and we are at the risk of being stalled in the middle of nowhere again.
At that point we asked to be dropped at the visitor center so we can contact the tour operator. When you are in a foreign country on safari, your guide and vehicle are everything, and we were supposed to spend the next 5 days with him, and this was absolutely not the experience we signed up for and we didn't feel like this arrangement would work and I felt extremely uncomfortable even staying in the same car with him. We obviously understand that this kind of accidents happens, the car gets broken down often during safaris. The problem is mostly coming from him not being transparent with us, when knowing that the vehicle had underlying issues, he continuously dismissed our concern. We waited in the visitor center (which was miles away from our lodging) for a couple hours so our tour operator could make some calls and get us a new car.
Thankfully, things completely turned around with Lawrence, who became our new guide. He was the exact opposite—professional, kind, and safety-focused. He checked his car often, explained everything clearly on where we are going, what stops we are making, and went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable in all aspects. On top of that, he was incredibly knowledgeable and helped us find amazing sightings, including leopard cubs and lion cubs. He also shared so many fun facts that really enriched the experience. In addition to the big animals, he is also passionate about plants and birds, so we learned so much from him.
While the first two days left us very disappointed, Lawrence delivered excellent service and saved our trip. Because of the contrast, we’re giving a two star overall. But if you do decide to book with this tour company, we strongly recommend requesting Lawrence (if it's an option)—you’ll be in the best hands.
Email Emma | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable, incredible experience!
I can’t express enough with words how incredible our Safari was with Soul of Tanzania. We visited Tarangire, lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Eyasi. Our guide throughout our entire trip was Thadey Benny, he truly went above and beyond to make sure our experience was unforgettable and it would not have been the same without him. We cannot recommend this company enough and if you get the chance to do a safari then we highly recommend that you request Thadey to guide you through your experience! Thanks so much for the last 8 days it was pure magic!
US
Email MatthewM | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you to Morris for an unforgettable experience!
After doing three days of Kenya safari at Maasai Mara, we met with Morris at the Tanzania border and he took us through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro parks over the next four days. Right off the bat, the day he first brought us to Serengeti we had told him we had not yet seen a leopard yet and he made it happen within a few hours of entering the park. He was an excellent driver, guide, and adventure partner. Would absolutely recommend him for any trip.
Email Nikki | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A highly proficient outfit
Having dreamed of going on safari my whole life, my trip to Tanzania lived up to everything I hoped for and more. The Serengeti and Ngorongoro can take a lot of the credit, but Soul of Tanzania also played a big role.
Despite making mistakes in my trip planning, complicated by my travel partner pulling out at the last minute, Manuel was still able to expertly fit everything I wanted to do into the few days wedged between two other bookings I had made beforehand. He did so with short notice and without over-charging! If only I had known I could book all my tours and accommodation with the one company. Having contacted many agencies, I am extremely pleased with my final choice.
Ramadan, my amazing guide, maximised every minute of the few days I had on safari. His zoological knowledge was extensive, and he was able to find all the animals I wanted to see, including the big five (rhinos twice, incl mother and calf). Ramadan was happy to answer my incessant questions about animals and obviously has a genuine love of wildlife. Like Manuel, Ramadan was very patient and calm with my planning mistakes and being such a high-maintenance first-timer.
I can't wait to go again… but next time I will get Soul of Tanzania to organise everything.
US
Email Stephanie | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experience!
I can't say enough good things about our experience with Soul of Tanzania and our guide, Cleopa. Our booking agent, Hugo, was incredibly helpful and answered all of our questions promptly.
Upon arrival from Kenya at the regional airport in Tanzania, our guide, Cleopa, was there to greet us. He made us feel very comfortable from the moment we met him. We climbed into the Land Cruiser and immediately set off to 'look for lions' in the park. As luck had it, we not only found lions, but also a rare sighting of a leopard sleeping in a tree, the carcass of a recent kill hanging beside it, a Cheetah with a small cub next to the road, as well as hippos, several hyenas, male lions sleeping atop rock outcroppings and a mother lion and cubs perched above us on a large rock idly observing us as we observed them. Just when we thought we couldn't top those, we came across two female lions and several cubs devouring a zebra they had recently killed. Amazing! And all in just one afternoon!
Cleopa used his skills as a guide, along with his network of friends and colleagues, to find where the wildlife was, and the best spots to take great photos. He even stopped to help another guide change a flat tire, and was always willing to lend a hand when needed.
Our accommodation while in the Serengeti, Tamba Tent Camp, was very comfortable and we enjoyed dining in the large main hall. The food was terrific and the staff were wonderful. They also had a lovely pool which was very refreshing after a long hot day in the vehicle.
Our trip continued with lunch amidst the Great Migration (amazing!), a long drive across the Olduvai Gorge, on to the Ngorongoro Crater and eventually to our last stop at Lake Manyara. We continued to see incredible sights all along the way and our accomodations, Lion's Paw in the Crater and Best View Lodge at Lake Manyara were top notch with incredible views and the nicest people!
Cleopa continued to find amazing wildlife moments, great lunch spots, and washrooms just in time! He always made us feel safe and his knowledge of wildlife behavior was impressive, to say the least.
If you are looking for a safari company who can meet all of your needs, wants and desires for an amazing trip to Tanzania and all of its wondrous sights, I highly recommend Soul of Tanzania! And, ask for Cleopa to be your guide. . . he's the best!
Read less
FR
Email François | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Avoid it at any time
I am sharing my experience transparently, as I believe it's important for others considering this tour operator.
For a 7-day safari, I paid over $9000 USD. Based on my experience, I felt the value received was significantly below what I anticipated, making it a deeply disappointing trip.
As an experienced traveler who has visited over 60 countries, this particular journey stands out as my most challenging and unsatisfactory travel experience to date. My personal belief, given what occurred, is that I was misled regarding the quality of the service.
Based on my personal experience, I would strongly caution others to thoroughly research and consider alternatives before booking.
I am available to provide further details that could potentially assist others in making informed decisions.
Sincerely,
François
US
Email Akram | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, knowledgeable, beautiful!
I booked a one week trip in Tanzania. Our guide Moris was absolutely amazing. He is very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. He’s an expert in navigating the parks. We went to Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangire. It was an amazing experience. Beautiful country and amazing people. We saw all big 5 and many other animals and birds. Moris made it entertaining as he told us many facts about the animals we saw. Highly recommend. We traveled as a family with 2 and 11 years old.
US
Email Eric Chu | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you Soul of Tanzania and Morris
After our 4-day trip in Kenya, we continued our journey in Tanzania. Morris was our guide. He was extremely experienced, and his humor made the trip more fun. He took us to Serengeti, and we were lucky to see wildebeests migrating to Maasai Mara on the road TWICE! We
experienced the serenity of the Ngorongoro Crater in the early morning and spotted black rhinos there! We also got to taste the local food, and it was delicious! The visit to a Maasai village was definitely another highlight of our trip. We saw many baobab trees in Tarangire National Park in addition to many animals. Morris was very helpful and resourceful, and he definitely enriched our Tanzania trip.
Thank you, Morris!
PT
Email Maria João | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent and very professional
We chose to go on safari with Soul of Tanzania based on recommendations from friends, and we're thrilled because it was undoubtedly one of the best experiences of our lives. Soul of Tanzania is owned by a Portuguese man. I arranged the safari via email with Mr. Soul of Tanzania. We did the one-day safari in Tarangire. Our guide was incredible, attentive to every detail, searching for the best spots to see the animals up close, and even seeking out the most difficult-to-see animals so we could have that moment. We are very grateful for their dedication and for making it an incredible experience. Many thanks to the entire Soul of Tanzania team.
Email Brandon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari of a lifetime with the best guide, Deo!
We just returned from the most unforgettable safari in Tanzania, and we couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Deo. From the moment we met him, it was clear we were in the best hands.
Deo is not only incredibly knowledgeable about the wildlife and landscapes of Tanzania but he’s also one of the most genuine, kind-hearted people we’ve ever met. Every day he showed up perfectly prepared ready to give us the experience of a lifetime.
We saw everything we could’ve hoped for, lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, giraffes, and more, and we know that much of that was thanks to Deo’s sharp eye and deep understanding of animal behaviour. He was patient, thoughtful, and always made sure we were comfortable and safe.
What started as a guided trip quickly turned into a friendship we’ll carry with us for life. Deo, you made this journey more meaningful than we could’ve imagined. Thank you for sharing your country, your knowledge, and your heart with us.
Asante sana!