Reviews

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 41-50 of 77 Reviews
Hannah   –  
United States US
Visited: August 2017 Reviewed: Sep 19, 2017

Email Hannah  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Excellent Custom Safari
5/5

We booked our honeymoon 10-day Tanzania safari in Ruaha and the Serengeti through Paul Tickner, and were so glad we did! While booking, he was in constant communication about our preferences, giving us advice and a good idea of what we could expect at each camp. Once we were on our trip, we began to truly appreciate the amount of coordination required! Everything was arranged perfectly - flights, car transfers, hotels, safari camps. It all went off without a hitch!

Regarding Ruaha specifically, we found the park to be wonderful! The animals stay close to the riverbed during dry season, so it's common to see many different animals (baboons, giraffes, impala, wort hogs) all together at once, which is truly amazing. The days are hot, but not unbearable, and there aren't as many cars as you'll find in the Serengeti, so it's a more personal experience.

Could not recommend Paul or Ruaha more highly!

Lori   –  
United States US
Visited: July 2017 Reviewed: Aug 10, 2017

Email Lori  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Fantastic Custom Safari Exceeded Our Expectations
5/5

This was our first safari, and with zero experience we needed a lot of guidance and hand holding while planning our 21 day adventure in Tanzania and Zanzibar. Hannah was a tremendous help, responding quickly to every question and concern. The safari camps were fantastic, each one unique but of similar high quality. The food was wonderful, healthy and delicious. Paul was our guide in Ruaha, and his knowledge, expertise and good humor were a highlight of the trip. We recommend Paul Tickner Safaris without hesitation, and are confident that we made the right choice in safari companies!

Haidong YIN   –  
China CN
Visited: July 2017 Reviewed: Aug 10, 2017

Email Haidong YIN  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Excellent safari trip
5/5

Eerything arrange well. Campsite are all great. Much satisfied with Paul.

Cynthia   –  
United States US
Visited: July 2017 Reviewed: Jul 29, 2017

Email Cynthia  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The safari Paul arranged for us far exceeded our expectations.
5/5

I was a bit skeptical when arranging this vacation on-line, however, Paul was in constant communication and answered all questions in a very timely manner. We gave him a budget and he set up a perfect safari for us. It was truly a trip of a lifetime for my husband and me.

David Griffiths   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: June 2017 Reviewed: Jul 2, 2017

Email David Griffiths  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Enabled us to have a superlative safari experience in three Tanzania Game Parks, one south two north
5/5

Paul was easy to communicate with, and helpful in his advice, which quickly enabled us to agree the plan for our safari (and subsequent beach) holiday, based on choices for which we could subsequently only be very grateful. Our experiences in all four places to stay exceeded any expectations possible. Our experience in Ikuka in Ruaha was really outstanding. In the other locations, his arrangements for our driver/guides were excellent, so that we really felt we were being looked after at every stage in the holiday. An outstanding holiday in every respect.

Joe Fontaine   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2017 Reviewed: Jun 27, 2017

Email Joe Fontaine  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

A professional customized worry free Tanzanian wildlife viewing safaris of a life time.
5/5

The best part of the trip was it was customized to our desires and budget making it a very personal and enjoyable wildlife viewing and photographing safaris in a fabulous country teaming with wildlife. Working with Paul and Hannah was an excellent experience from the planning stages thru the monitoring of our travels till the end to provide a worry free adventure. His choice of seasonal timing, use of companies and accommodations was excellent. The staff at each location was friendly and professional often doing the extra effort to make our stay even better. The food, cooked by chefs, and service was very goo. You never left the table hungry and the bag lunches were more than enough and very good. The guides were professional and ethical, leaving a viewing area after an appropriate amount of time to allow others access or to not disturb the animals. Their knowledge about wildlife, history and the people was very good. As a wildlife biologist I can attest to the credibility of their wildlife knowledge. The great handling of the logistics was the worry free part of the trip with a driver or guide always taking you to the appropriate place at the right time. Domestic flights by Coastal Air provided excellent service by skilled pilots.

The cost of our 17 day customized trip was less per day than a canned group trips we investigated. I would highly recommend using Paul Tickner Safaris to guide you or provide an affordable personal adventure of a life time. We will be using Ticket Safaris again.

Barbara   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2017 Reviewed: Jun 26, 2017

Email Barbara  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The Ultimate Personalized Safari Experience
5/5

Paul Tickner helped us plan the perfect safari for us, keeping in mind our interests and abilities. The result was a memorable three week experience that included (at Paul's suggestion) some much appreciated rest and relaxation before the long journey home. This trip of a lifetime far exceeded our expectations - and our expectations were high! We were impressed by Paul's meticulous attention to detail. We were always met as we stepped off our internal flights by a representative ready to whisk us away to our next adventure, our guides were knowledgeable and professional. We were privileged to have Paul himself as our guide in Ruaha, his home turf. His knowledge of the ecosystem and culture truly enhanced our experience. We loved it all so much, we want to return!

Iris   –  
United States US
Visited: January 2017 Reviewed: Feb 23, 2017

Email Iris  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Unforgettable experience with impeccable service
5/5

Paul Tickner Safaris arranged my trip to southern Tanzania to the Ruaha National Park and nearby area in January 2017. I was a bit hesitant prior to the trip as it was my first visit to Tanzania and I was traveling alone. I absolutely enjoyed every part of the trip, thanks to Paul's arrangement and company!

The lodge Paul arranged, Ikuka, was spectacular! The service there was impeccable with amazing staff. The view from the lodge overlooking the Ruaha National Park was something that will stay with me the rest of my life! The safari guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Paul also took me to visit local conservation projects which were the highlight of my trip and shared with me his expert knowledge on the African wildlife.

Paul is a highly experienced safari operator with solid wildlife conservation knowledge and experience - which are an important factor for me when booking my travel. I can't wait to return to Tanzania and explore other parts of the country.

Thank you, Paul Tickner Safaris, for an unforgettable experience and lifelong friendship.

Gustaf   –  
Sweden SE
Visited: January 2017 Reviewed: Jan 17, 2017

Email Gustaf  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Safari in Selous and Ruaha
5/5

The experience Paul provided us was better than expected. We couldn't be happier with how everything turned out.

Chris   –  
United States US
Visited: November 2016 Reviewed: Nov 7, 2016

Email Chris  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

All the good, none of the bad
5/5

Paul, who I found through this site, did an outstanding job of organizing and guiding my 4 night/5 day photo safari to Ruaha, which we selected based on my initial criteria. He communicated well and effectively, organized all my transfers from the time I stepped off the plane, through my day in Dar, to the time I checked back in. Ikuka lodge, where I stayed, was brilliant (reviewed on Facebook and Tripadvisor). I was concerned that a solo guided trip would be prohibitively expensive compared to the group tour I had expected, but by starting one day later (low season), and not reserving a separate vehicle, we were able to keep the cost within my budget- and in fact we ended up have a vehicle to ourselves the entire trip. Paul did not merely meet my expectations, he exceeded my hopes for this trip; and I have for years travelled on average 200k miles a year globally, so I can say I think my expectations were reasonable.
Friends with more experience of East Africa ( a niece lived there for a year, and has been back many times) had warned me about the dust, the insects, the food hazards,the heat, and the crowds. I experienced none of that- it was hot midday but cool in the mornings and reasonable in the evenings when we did our drives. If you are going to Ruaha, I would recommend Paul in particular, and local Ruaha guides more generally, as they do work together where those coming from Dar do not know the park as well, nor do they share information. In a typical 3-4 hour drive we might see 4 or 5 local vehicles from other camps, always stopping to chat and trade sightings. Along with multiple fresh lion kills (we saw lion on 10 of the 11 drives, counting the trip to and from the airstrip), endless elephants, antelope of all types, hippo, herds of giraffe, zebra, buffalo, we also had an exceptional leopard experience, once with a fresh kill where he stayed in view while we watched for the better part of an hour, and again later that day, after he had moved a short distance. As well as very sharp eyes (the leopard was invisible to me until pointed out under a tree) Paul has a broad knowledge of animals, birds, plants (rattling off the latin names), tracks, bird calls which was both helpful and interesting. Ruaha for me was magical, I cannot recommend the park, Ikuka or Paul more highly.

Average User Rating
5.0/5
Rating Breakdown
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