Kenya & Tanzania team at Tarangire Sopa Lodge.
Travel For Change Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Member Of:
- ASTA & TRA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Susan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely Brilliant!
From beginning to end we were VERY well cared for. Email communication was fast, efficient, and thorough as we planned the trip. In country the local manager made sure to greet us in person at the beginning and end of the safari, and also checked in by phone with us during the trip. Our accommodations throughout our 9 day safari were exactly what we wanted, and according to budget.
Safaris in Tanzania are not recommended for people who need everything to go exactly as planned at all times; it's just not realistic. The roads are "washboard style", the vehicles take a beating, the days are long, and the dust is extreme ... stuff happens, so you have to be willing to go with the flow and let it be part of the adventure.
While on safari our guide, Kelvin, was a delight, and very skilled at managing any challenge that presented itself. Funny, bright, knowledgeable, committed to safety, and ever so patient with our endless questions.,, we could not have been happier. One thing we especially appreciated was that he didn't push to make sure we saw "the big five". We wanted to see what we could see, and see it well, but we weren't collecting numbers. In the end, we wound up seeing SO MUCH MORE than we had ever hoped for. He was especially great at helping us identify birds, and letting us watch their behavior for long periods when we desired.
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Email Allison | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari experience from start to finish
Once in a lifetime! I am so happy we found Travel for Change. Patricia worked with us prior to our trip to make sure we fit in everything we could in the short period we were in Kenya for (4 days with 3 on safari). We were a group of 3 women travelling and it was important to us that we felt safe, comfortable and taken care of and all of those things happened! Eliud was a great starting point for us as he arranged our airport pick up and connected us with our fantastic tour guide Martin.
We selected the SemiLuxury option for our 3 day safari. Our first night was spent in luxury at the Dusit D2 in Nairobi before our safari - one of the safest best hotels i think i have ever stayed in while traveling abroad. For our first night on safari, We stayed at Camp Ilkeliani which i could not speak higher of - the staff there was incredible, the views from the sundowner were unbeatable and our tent was so comfortable. We also stayed at the Lake Naivasha Lodge which was amazing - animals in our backyard. We really wished we could have enjoyed more of this lodge but the sunset, bbq and animals were amazing.
This trip was unforgettable! We saw all the animals we wanted to, experienced the African culture in what felt like a very genuine way and connected with the environment. 10/10 would recommend.
CA
Email Nate | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wow! A Great Little company.
My wife and I did a lot of research before settling on Travel For Change to do our Safari. The initial correspondence was excellent with all our questions answered and the information provided was helpful. This was the initial reason that we picked this company. Upon arrival to Kenya, they sent a driver and guide to meet us and take care of our transfer to the hotel before we headed out. These guys saved our bacon as the hotel was not ready and we would have been stuck if it had not been for them.
The next day we began our safari and were greeted at our hotel by our guide, Francis who was to be our point person for our safari. We could not have got a better person. He was everything we expected and more. The safari was a 6 day/5 night journey that took us through 3 parks and through it all, Francis went above and beyond to ensure our safety and comfort. His skills were amazing and took us to around each park and made sure we got to see what we wanted. In a nutshell, he made it a special trip.
This is a smaller company and their flexibility and attention to detail, made our safari a truly special memory!
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Email AJ Slater | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Trip, Great Experience.
Elliot and our Guide Patrick handled everything and provided us with a great Safari to Hell's Gate, Lake Naivasha and the Maasai Mara. We had a very good time. Patrick went out of his way to make sure we saw a huge variety of animals.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime
My wife and I have just returned from the most memorable trip we have ever experienced.Travel For Change Africa's 7 day safari in Kenya was well organized and true value for money. We chose the semi luxury package.It provided us with comfortable accomodations like the world famous Treetops wher we looked out of our bedroom window at elephants, water buffaloes and many other animals and birds.All our meals were tasty and the staff were super attentive to our needs.What made our trip so special was that it was a private safari with a guidewho was passionate about his work. Martin ,our guide/driver went out of his way to make it the most amazing trip ever.He was good humoured and knowledgeable. We saw all of the Big Five animals and more,including cheetahs and leopards. We even saw a heron swallowing a snake, a hyena finishing off a water buffalo, a leopard dragging its kill up a tree and many other unforgettable sights. Thankyou Martin,Patricia,Eliud .
We have no hesitation in recommending your company to our friends and anyone who wants to experience a trip of a lifetime. We look forward to another trip to perhaps Tanzania next year.
Email Yassine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a trip!
We have been on a Safari in Kenya organized with the amazing help of Patricia. She promptly answered all of our questions and really helped in deciding what choices were best for our trip.
We have chosen the Semi Luxury package and all of the lodges/camps we stayed at were exceptional and in amazing locations.
Do ask for Patrick! He was our fantastic guide during this trip, in addition to being a very enjoyable person to travel with. He really made sure we were able to see the big5 and so much more in excellent conditions. We really had good time and will probably come back some time.
Thank you Patricia and Patrick and all the travelforchangeafrica team for the excellent tour organization. We already recommended you to our friends when they would be travelling to Kenya.
IT
Email C & M | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
MANY THANKS to Travel for Change Africa for an unforgettable experience in TZ! We'll be back!!
We just returned from a fantastic experience in Tanzania - thanks to Travel For Change Africa (TFCA). This was our first trip to Africa, and our first safari. We did a lot of homework and spent quite some time vetting potential tour operators before deciding to work with TFCA. Below are a few reasons why. They:
- made us feel like we were in very safe hands from the start
- are extremely friendly and professional in their approach
- provided us with clear, prompt, and detailed communications from the very beginning
- promptly answered all of our questions - and we had LOTS!
- gave us lots of insights into what to see & do - including what made sense, based on the time we had available
- worked together seamlessly as a team
A bit more about our experience:
We had 10 days in Tanzania and TFCA helped us put together a great itinerary that allowed us to see and do lots, at the right pace. We visited National Parks/Conservation areas, but also less touristy sights such as local markets and shops. TFCA understood that we wanted to see the spectacular scenery & wildlife, but also get a good idea of the local culture and traditions. And they also were great about putting together a journey that combined game drives with activities such as walking/hiking. In terms of accommodations, we chose mid-range lodgings and were very pleased with the selection that TFCA made for us. They were clean, comfortable, well-maintained and offered a nice variety of food. We requested one place ourself (because of their permaculture activities) and TFCA was very good about including that on our list of accommodations.
There are no guarantees about which animals one will see on a game drive, and that's something everyone needs to understand before going on safari. That said, our guide/driver Joshua was fantastic at driving at the right pace to allow us to soak up the scenery and listen to his stories about the vegetation, animals and surroundings. He was always kind, patient, easy-going, and open to share so much with us. Moreover, we loved that he was so respectful of the environment and animals. We noticed that there were several drivers/guides who would really drive up too quickly/closely to the animals, but Joshua was always very conscious of our approach. Throughout our journey, he took care of everything we needed - hakuna matata! We're still amazed at how he could drive AND spot animals at the same time - some at a huge distance. He tells us that we were lucky to see all of the so-called Big 5, but we feel much of that was thanks to his lucky star and "expert eyes/nose/ears"! We're very conscious that spending 9 days with a "stranger" could be challenging, but in our case, we really had a lot of fun & laughs with Joshua and felt he was a joy to have around. A real "people person".
Throughout our journey, the "home team" checked in with us to make sure we were happy and had all we needed. Patricia and Silvia were keen to make sure our needs were being met. They had no reason to worry - TFCA delivered beyond our expectations and we couldn't have asked for more. They were so easy to communicate with - such a pleasure! And we loved their personal approach.
We really had a fantastic first "taste" of Tanzania and are grateful to TFCA for providing us with this unforgettable journey. We feel we have made new friends. And we are already looking forward to returning!!
MANY MANY THANKS to Travel For Change Africa for such a memorable experience!!! "Asante sana" and "tuta ona baadaye"!
DE
Email Mary&Sven | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari totally customized to your needs
We can really recommend to book a Safari tour with Travel for Change africa. As we had already fixed Start and end Dates, we had to customize the safari to the very end including a visit to famous ngorongoro crater and due to a recommendation of a friend also to go to Serengeti national Park which is a huge distance for a four days safari. Travel for Change did this perfectly and we had an amazing time with incredible lodges. We slept at rhino lodge and kubu kubu tented camp. Both lodges are absolutely fantastic. Our guide named Eli prooved to be an 'eagle eye' who detected e.g. Cheetahs earlier than our binoculars. Incredible ;-). Eli was a great guide providing us with all information needed during the safari. Really nice guy.
DE
Email Toma | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lifetime experience
Million thanks to Travel for Change Africa company for our unforgettable honeymoon :) Before our wedding, we started to look for nice experience that would not be so easy to forget like usual beach holiday. Safaribookings.com was a good web to compare various Safari providers. Our only wish was to have it quite short due to limited holiday time. Travel for Change Africa had a great offer which was 3 day long. Anyway, when we started to chat with company directly (best regards to Patricia!) our plans changed a bit and we were convinced to go for 4 night Safari in 2 parks. We visited Mikumi national park, and as well Selous reserve. Between these parks there is quite a long distance to drive, so we spent some time on the road which was also very nice because we had a chance to see local life.
All in all, everything was really perfect- Patricia and her team made a great job advising where to go, giving tips for travelling, and well offering several different options that we would be able to choose. All our questions were answered and we booked the trip. We did not have to worry about anything. Our wonderful German speaking guide Emmanuel met us in the airport, and together with the best driver-guide in the world Iman took care of us during all our stay. In the end they arranged flight tickets to Zanzibar for us to continue the journey.
This was our first safari ever, so can strongly say - I was expecting expecting to see a huge zoo, but this was far away from my imagination. It is stunning when you drive through the field and suddenly see a giraffe or zebra close to you in the bush. We brought back thousand pictures. Other tourists we saw were on group rides, with the open cars, and more or less sticking to the routes. and they definitely were jealous for us because we could drive wherever we wanted or to watch something as long as we wanted..
So to sum up, I strongly recommend Travel for Change Africa - excellent communication, very polite and helpful staff, perfect organisational skills and customer oriented attitude. 10/10!
To the ones who are still not sure - go for safari, you will never forget this experience.
And we are definitely coming back just next time during migration :) See you soon!
DE
Email Stephanie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing and really good organized trip!
We really enjoyed the trip with travel for change. The trip was well organized, we had great accommodations and really loved the places we went to. Patricia helped us a lot by deciding where to go and how to arrange the trip. Her answers were always prompt and with very good informations about the options.
Martine was a great driver with good sense for all the animals. We saw everything we wanted and even a lot more. Everyone was very kind and we didn't have any bad encounter. Thank you so much for a great time in Kenya.