Owner & Safari Expert of Red Soil Safaris
Red Soil Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $170 to $700 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
NL
Email Jeroen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great company that aims to deliver a great personalized safari
It was our first safari in Tanzania and we were a bit unsure of which parks to visit/ where to stay. We made an initial request for a safari of a week and based on our budget we selected an appropriate package. Following the request for a quotation, Noel contacted us on WhatsApp. The communication was great throughout and resulted in a package that fit all our wishes. Some accommodations appeared to not be available, but an upgrade was arranged instead - all in good communication.
Once arrived, Noel made sure we arrived safely by checking in with us. We booked a day ourselves to relax before starting the safari and also on this day Noel made sure we were okay (the safari had not even started).
When we were picked up by Sebastian (we were very lucky to have Sebastian), we were impressed with the car. It looked clean and was a proper safari jeep!
The safari itself was amazing. We went to Arusha NP, Tarangire, lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and lake Ndutu. If you can, ask for Sebastian as your safari guide. He is very familiar with the national parks, knows so much about the animals and the environment and above all is a great person with an amazing personality. It really makes the difference when you’re on a safari for a week!
After the safari we were dropped off at the airport for our flight to Zanzibar in the evening.
Thanks for the great safari Noel and Sebastian!
Email Leigh | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional
From start to finish the Safari was excellent and the customer care was second to none.
Our flight out was disrupted which meant we arrived a day late, first thing in the morning rather than in the evening. Red Soil took it in their stride and picked us up with no problems which settle us down as flight issues are always stressful.
The 7 nights of Safari was full of great national parks, and all the of the food / accommodation was more than we could ask for. Much better than anticipated. The level of customer service in all of the hotels was excellent and the staff were super friendly.
Our Safari Guide called Sebastian did a great job. You could tell he had years and years of experience and knew the parks extremely well. You knew he loved his job, his passion for nature was clear for us to see. He was a professional throughout.
We will return to Tanzania Safari ourselves, and as such would recommend Red Soil to anyone who is thinking about going.
PT
Email Veronique | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The ultimate Tanzania trip
Communication with Noel, before the holidays was perfect. Quick and detailed replies and good suggestions.
During the trip we had the best guide ever. Very knowledgeable, friendly and funny.
We enjoyed it tremendously.
CA
Email Erik | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic experience
Our safari with Ashley as our guide was an absolute delight. His professionalism, knowledge, and patience made the journey enjoyable. Noel, the owner, was fantastic to deal with, creating a seamless experience from start to finish. The food was exquisite, and the ease of booking, along with simple pick-up and drop-off, added to the overall excellence of the trip. Despite one unfair review, our experience was flawless, earning them a well-deserved five-star rating. Highly recommend this highly experienced and professional team for an unforgettable safari adventure.
CA
Email Sarah Wong | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful!
Our group of four had an amazing experience with Red Soil Safari and I can't recommend them enough. Our guide, Ashley, was not only incredibly knowledgeable about the area, providing fascinating insights, but also displayed the utmost professionalism. Despite encountering car trouble, Ashley ensured our safari remained on schedule, showcasing admirable dedication and timely problem-solving.
Moreover, I must commend Noel, the booking coordinator, for his exceptional service. Noel made the entire booking process seamless, demonstrating excellent communication and customer care. Together, Ashley and Noel contributed to an unforgettable adventure. I look forward to booking with Red Soil Safari again in the future.
CZ
Email Radek | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Average services, had some issues
We decided to take a safari tour to Serengeti from Arusha. First I would like to say its a nice area and we saw all animals what we could, so we are happy to did this trip. However there are some things that was not perfect as you would expect - safari car did not have A/C (did not work!!) so it was too hot first day so we wear exhausted. Also, the road is very dusty and car not good for dusty roads and the driver had open windows nearly all the time, we did not understand if he likes dust in his lungs. Also we sent in advance some diet requirements that was not met in our lunch box and the boxes were just a little, not a normal lunch. We have seen in picnic points what some other companies could do, so this is a very weak pain point and would expect more. If we would return? Probably not by car to the area, better going to fly and spent days directly at lodges in Serengeti park.
Reply from Red Soil Safaris
Posted on Mar 12, 2023Thank you for giving your feedback regarding your Safari trip with us and thank for admitting your wildlife viewing expectations were met. However, we appreciate when our guests clarifies points where they think their expectations were not met as you have described in the above comments. But it’s not fair to give some comments on issues which are out of our hand for example “THE DUSTY ROADS” which it’s not our job as a company to make sure the roads are not dusty it’s the nature of the roads and all visitors use the same roads there are no other routes.
- Regarding, the issue of Air Condition in the vehicle, please note that during your game drives you requested the Roof to be opened throughout your game drives as you made a lot of stops for animal viewing, so in such scenario where the roof is opened how can the A/C be turned on and for that reason the air and dust that passes through the roof needs an outlet which is the reason the drivers window needs to be open so that he gets fresh air and in order to get a good sighting of the animals for you.
- Regarding, the dietary requirements, I am super surprised on your comments as I handled your Lunch Boxes personally to ensure your requirement was met from your Lunch boxes on the first day to ensuring I asked your Safari guide to make sure every morning and evening all your meals met your dietary requirements at the hotel and even on your last day when I met you at the airport for feedback I asked you and you were happy of our services. (Regarding, the point of you saw how other companies do at picnic points, you should bear in mind that there are two options of how we serve lunch on the picnic points which are Lunch Boxes which most operators offer and hamper which can be offered depending on the budget. So the fewer companies that you saw having different Lunch service it’s because their package was Luxury, which for us we normally offer even for our standard package but for your case we already made you alot of favors for free that we couldn’t still offer you the Humper service. So considering your budget which was very limited and still you had a lot of demands even when I suggested or recommended otherwise. ( Remember I offered you my package but still you requested more and more out of the package while refusing to add the required amount I requested you to pay. The needs you insisted were the likes of wanting to do two national parks in Day 1 which was Tarangire and Lake Manyara which you insisted even though I told you it would be a rushing tour, Also refusing to overnight outside the park and insisting to overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge even though your budget wasn’t enough, but as a sign of good will I decided to meet all your requirements for the sake building good relationship for future business but seems like you took advantage of all the hassle I undergone just to meet your expectations even though you didn’t have the budget to accommodate the services you received. ( I have the emails showing all the refusal to pay the requested amount and insisting that I should try to accommodate you with your budget)
In the interests of balance, I should also point out that you commented to me personally that the drivers and the accommodations you stayed in were excellent, but no mention is made of that in your feedback. I do hope that readers will read this reply in full, as it answers the misleading comments that you have unfortunately chosen to include in your feedback. As can be evidenced by the many comments from other satisfied visitors, we are a reputable, well-established locally owned company with a true passion to give everyone an excellent experience. To suggest that you have been offered ‘average service’’ by us is disappointing and wholly inaccurate. We are of course disappointed that some services did not meet your expectations, but trust that the above clarifies the position.
Regards,
NOEL MANN
Owner & Safari Expert.
CZ
Email Jakub Cmuchalek | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
High quality service for best value to price ratio!
Once in a lifetime experience.
Let me begin with Ashley - Ashley is profesional tour guide doing it for 10 years and he is excellent animal spotter and see animals where others dont. We had seen big 5, he knows very well terain and he has adjusted the whole safari according to our wishes and needs.
From owner - Noel side all great. From initial communication to pickup at airport to drop off. All went smooth and been organized perfectly. I am not always over positive but this time I must say I enjoyed the whole safari on maximum. All accomodations were excellent. Clean, staff friendly, awesome interiors. We had dreams of safari lodge, tukaone camp ( excellent thing in center of serengheti! ) and eileens trees in. All been great. We had awesome 5 days. If you hesitate, dont. Ref soil safari are profesionals who deliver great service and I can really recommend them as trusted tour guides.
FR
Email Fany Cérèse | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best quality price report ! Impeccable service!
We chose Red Soil Safari after much research and requests for quotes for a safari that allowed us to visit 3 parks including the serengeti.
Red Soil's offer was by far the most interesting with quality accommodation (we are traveling with a child) at an affordable price.
Noel was very helpful, he picked us up the day before at the airport and helped us book train tickets to dar es salaam (which was not so easy).
Our guide, Ashley was great, very attentive to our pace and very efficient in spotting the animals.
An extraordinary experience that I highly recommend!
Many thanks Red Soil!!
(automatic translation from French)
CA
Email Sia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Such an amazing trip , we will never forget
I submitted a request to a number of operators to plan a group trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar for August 2022. I was matched with Noel. His travel company Red Soil Safaris has surpassed our expectations and provided an amazing experience we will never forget. The accommodations were top rated, and we had a fantastic time there. In fact, all the accommodations we stayed at were phenomenal. They were beautiful, clean, each room had an amazing view, the staff were very attentive, and the food was top notch. Noel even planned a few surprises for our group at the Camp in Serengeti.
Noel booked all of our in-country transfers (both by car and plane). All we had to do was show up at the lobby of each accommodation at the time specified and everything else was taken care of. Our driver Peter was exceptional as well. We spent our 8 days Safari through Tarangire, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Manyara and a cultural tour in Lake Eyasi which was out of the world experience. Our driver had many years’ experience, he was very knowledgeable about all of the animals. Within 5 minutes landing at the air strip, he took us straight to see many of the animals, especially a family of cheetahs eating their prey! On our morning game drive, we saw lions feasting on a buffalo, we also saw a leopard with a vulture in a tree.
We then ended the trip visiting Zanzibar’s beaches, a spice tour & Stone Town.
I highly recommend using Noel and his travel company for travel tours, safaris and vacations in the future and look forward to working with him again! Asante sana!
Email Violet | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent at his job.
My brother, cousin, and I have had an African safari on our bucket list for a long time. The time finally came! From reading the reviews and seeing about the expeditions on the tv, I have known for a long time that I wanted to do a safari in Tanzania. When the time came I reached out to Noel whom I was recommended by a friend. Noel took care of all my questions and everything was completed seamlessly.
Our excellent guide was Ashley. We can't say enough positive things about him! Professional, extremely knowledgeable, entertaining, flexible with the schedule, and the absolute best driver there is! We had categorically the best time and saw more animals than we could have dreamt of seeing. Furthermore, all the accommodations were outstanding. In addition to seeing all the wonderful animals, some other highlights would be visiting the orphanage (Arusha), stopping at a Maasai Village and watching the animals from a hot air balloon (Serengeti National Park).
After the safari portion, we ventured to Zanzibar for relaxation. Had a wonderful tour of Stone Town and Prisoner Island. The turtle sanctuary was a nice surprise.
Booking our vacation through Noel and his company Red Soil Safaris was the best thing we did. Additionally, kudos to Ashley (Masai)- he was the best.