Join us for your African adventure!
Alika Africa
- Offices In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- Association for Promotion of Tourism to Africa
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 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
Email MAEH | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best in Class. Knowledgeable. Personal Experience. Individualistic. Trip of a Lifetime.
Duma is an outstanding company. I have been on multiple safaris, Kilimanjaro climb, and Mt Meru climb with the company over a number of years. The owner, Stacy Readal, caters to every trips' needs and builds out wondering plans to ensure the guest gets an outstanding trip, sees wildlife, immersed in the surroundings of Tanzania.
The service, value for money, reliability and experience are all first class. You get a true Tanzanian experience. Experience the Migration or see the amazing wildlife if not migration season (I've seen both).
I can't recommend this company enough to choose for your tour.
Lastly, the company is safety conscious whether that is going up Kilimanjaro or on your safari for the day. They care about you as and individual.
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Email Adriana B | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelievable Full Serengeti Safari
It likely goes without saying that any visit to Tanzania will be worth five stars, regardless of who you select as your guide or where you stay. But it’s difficult to put into words how our time with Duma Explorer, our guide, Isack Msuya, and Chaka Camp made the visit unforgettable in numerous ways, and exceeded the highest expectations.
Planning was stress free and seamless when working with Stacy to personalize our route from Arusha through the southern, central, and northern Serengeti, despite short notice (less than 2 weeks before arrival). Stacy went out of her way to give us multiple options and arrive at an itinerary that was perfect for us. Pick ups and logistics in the park were seamless. Ultimately we did a day at Ngorongoro Crater, a drive from the Crater to the northern Serengeti with game drives in the central, and 2 days in the Northern Serengeti to see the Great Migration and Mara river crossing.
The accommodations at Chaka Camp were the proverbial cherry on top of each incredible day. The setting is stunning and to be surrounded by the sounds of lions, zebras, hyenas, and wildebeest during the night is something we will never forget. The food is excellent and you can be sure you won’t go to bed hungry. We were fortunate enough that Chef Simba and company prepared a traditional Tanzanian meal on our last evening, which they graciously shared. There isn’t much more special than enjoying an invitation to share in someone’s traditions and food culture, and that is a meal I will surely never forget (PS Simba, if you come across this review, I’d love it if you were still willing to share the green banana soup recipe!). Needless to say, Chaka Camp stands head and shoulders above any of our stays during previous vacations.
As to our guide, we were beyond lucky to have Isack lead us through magnificent Tanzania. He is a man who is warm and friendly from the start, eager to answer any and all questions (no matter how obvious or stupid) and teach you about the land he loves and calls home. He is patient and accommodating, constantly working to make your time together unique and special. His years of experience (20+) result in spectacular game drives, navigating off memory alone and traveling to the most remote locations to find the most difficult to spot animals. His passion for Tanzania, the wildlife, the people, and the places, is on full display at all times. He refuses to compromise his respect for the parks and its animals, something we were most grateful for. So often it seems lost that you get what nature is willing to give, and if you can’t respect that, you likely shouldn’t be there. We cannot thank Isack enough for sharing so much wisdom and knowledge. Beyond that, we must thank Isack for sharing his experiences and life with us. Because of that, we feel we can truly consider him a friend.
We firmly believe that a trip is not truly memorable without the people you meet and the relationships you build along the way. And that is what really sets this company, and the experience they offer, apart. Everyone we met along the way were lovingly warm hearted and welcomed us with open arms, as if we were long lost friends. It’s difficult to express what it meant to have people so willing to share their culture, language, traditions, and knowledge so enthusiastically. While we only spent a short time with Isack and Chaka Camp, they will be the first people we seek out when we make it back to Tanzania. Truly, we only wish we had more time.
A quick note about traveling to Tanzania during the corona pandemic. We felt incredibly comfortable at all times traveling through the country, while on drives, and at the lodgings. Tanzania as a whole appears to have taken all necessary precautions to ensure safety. Hotel staff all wear masks and hand sanitizer is abundant. If you feel you can safely travel domestically, you will find a trip to Tanzania just as safe. As a favor to the Tanzanian people, and as a responsible traveler, it’s a best practice to be tested as close to departure as possible, so as to avoid endangering others. Otherwise, there is very little to be concerned with, except enjoying your adventure.
AE
Email Melissa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fabulous 6 Day Private Safari from Arusha to Central Serengeti- trip of a lifetime!
My husband and I booked our Tanzanian safari directly with Stacy, co-owner of Chaka Camps and Duma Explorer, which we highly recommend. You can plan a bespoke private safari staying in luxury tented camps for less than you might think. It really gave us peace of mind to know that we would have the same vehicle and guide to ourselves for our six day safari during the pandemic. If you’re considering Tanzania in 2021- GO! This is the time to visit when there are few tourists. There were only 10 vehicles in Ngorongoro Crate when we visited, often there are 400 vehicles a day during high season. The crater was something we would have skipped under normal conditions due to the crowds and I am so glad that we did not as saw so much wildlife- including critically endangered black rhinos.
One person made this trip a roaring success and that was our guide Isack. He can spot animals from a kilometer away without binoculars! It is truly incredibly what he could find on our game drives and this skill is only surpassed by his vast knowledge of all the animals, birds and flora in northern Tanzania. I learned so much on this trip and we have been on several safaris before. It was our best safari yet! The custom-fitted Land Cruiser with pop top is incredibly comfortable for hours of road travel and has some fabulous features like a picnic table embedded in the floorboard.
We stayed in luxury tented camps- Chaka Camp in Ndutu and Kiota Camp in the Serengeti. Beautifully decorated and oh so comfortable- glamping at its best with delicious food and welcoming hosts!
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Email Hal M. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Safari Experience
If you’ve found Duma Explorers’ website or this review—STOP—you need not look any further for a safari operator. Duma’s owner based in the US, Stacy Readal, will organize an amazing safari for you with transparent and fair pricing, all while patiently answering your many questions about Africa. Stacy lived in Tanzania for 15 years, has been to all the parks she will recommend to you, and has a partner and other staff in Tanzania who will take you on your safari.
I just finished my first trip to Africa with Duma Explorers and could not have been more pleased with both the trip and the service we received before, during and after the safari. I started planning the safari over a year before we went. I looked at literally dozens of safari operators, including all the big names like Abercrombie and Micato, and contacted 4 of them to discuss different safaris and pricing. None of them were as knowledgeable or offered better rates then Stacy and Duma Explorers. None of them allowed me to deal with the owner of the company other than Stacy and Duma. Her detailed knowledge of Tanzania was tremendously helpful when planning where to go in Africa given the multitude of choices. I followed her advice on a number of trip details and was glad I did when we got there.
Our safari consisted of 3 camps in three parks: 3 nights at Kichuguu Camp in Tarangire; 2 nights at Sanctuary Ngorongoro; and 4 nights at Chaka in Ndutu (right on the border of Serengeti); which was followed by 4 nights at Gibbs’ Farm on the border of the Ngorongoro Reserve near Karatu. We also spent the first night resting from the long flight from the US at Rivertrees Inn (about 30 minutes from the JRO airport) and the last 6 hours of our trip resting and having dinner there before our flight home.
Service at all the camps was excellent. But the real star was Duma’s guide and driver, Isack. You will spend a lot of time with your guide on safari given that you will be on game drives 3-6 hours or more every day. I didn’t find that other companies discussed their particular guides with me, but Stacy did right from the start. She even tried to match up our respective personalities to insure a smooth safari. Isack was the perfect guide for us…he was patient with all of our questions, could spot game a half mile before we could see it, was a careful driver (which makes a big difference on TZ’s bumpy roads and when off-road) and was so knowledgeable, other drivers would stop us to ask him questions about the different parks and where to find the animals. And he could not have been more patient or kinder to my wife. He also cleaned his truck every day inside and out which many other guides did not do.
You will get “sticker shock” when you first price an African safari. Don’t let that dissuade you from going. It was the most expensive trip of my life but it was also the one for which I received the best value for the experience. It was magical from the first game drive to the last. If you like wilderness and seeing animals in their native habitat you will love a safari in Tanzania organized by Duma. It was a life changing experience seeing the grandeur of the landscapes and the thousands of animals inhabiting it that you can see in almost any direction you look.
Stacy stayed in touch with us throughout the safari as we were trying to figure out how to get the newly-required Covid test in order to return to the US. Her team in TZ made it happen, and our return was uneventful. And then even after the safari I heard from Stacy about returning money to me for a balloon trip which was cancelled due to high winds. I received excellent service from everyone at Duma from start to finish. And we felt completely safe in TZ as Duma’s guide, Isack, met us at the airport and dropped us off there at the end.
Perhaps the best thing I could say about Duma is that I will use them again when I return to Africa. I have to go back as there is simply no other place like it left on this planet.
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Email Joni | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Safari - So good we did it FOUR times!
Over the past dozen years we used Duma for 4 safaris. It was that good. Stacy is wonderful to work with. You can customize your trips however you like. We stayed in a variety of camps, including Duma’s camps (which were the best). The guides were knowledgeable and knew everything. You will not be sorry to use this company.
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Email Kissila Izidoro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The trip of my dreams!!
Let me start by saying that I have always dreamed of a safari trip to Tanzania. I told my husband of this dream and he decided to surprise me by putting together a 2 week safari/beach birthday trip for us. I’m not going to lie, I was a bit worried about leaving him to plan it on his own (I’m always the one who plan/book our vacations). Thankfully he chose to book it with Duma Explorer, and I could not have been happier! Every single detail was thought and taken care of! From airport transfers, to the registrations in the national parks (I didn’t even know we needed that!), and the location of the lodgings, Stacy thought of everything which gave us (especially me) peace of mind and the opportunity to just relax. The hotels and lodges we stayed were absolutely beautiful with great views and delicious food. Our guide Isaac had over 25 years of experience, and you could tell by the way he could spot animals from a distance and know every detail about it (I’m sure he had superpowers). We saw all the big 5 and then some. We were more than happy with our experience, and I could not have asked for a better way to celebrate my birthday (Christmas and New Years too). This trip will be one I will never forget! Anyone who asks us how to book a safari trip to Tanzania, Duma will be my one and only answer.
This is a very happy and satisfied customer!
RU
Email Yulia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Real safari
We had 6-days camping safari in December 2020 with Duma Explorer and it was really impressive. They helped us to creat optimal program according our requirements and gave useful tips about optimal flights, transfers and recommended very cozy lodge in Arusha. Thanks for Stacy and Omary for the perfect organization.
Our “field” team, guide Ebenezer and chef Jamal, are professionals and they really help us to open wild nature of Tanzania. For example we saw all big 5, different birds and rare animals like cheetah and leopard and got a lot of details for their life and behavior.
Some recommendation if it’ll be your first safari:
- [ ] It’s equator but nights are cool and even cold, warm closes is necessary
- [ ] Showers in the public camps are very basic, you need your own soap, shampoo, towel etc. Camps in Serengeti and Tarangire have cold shower, in Ngorongoro there’s hot water.
- [ ] It’s useful to have repellent, it was no mosquitos but a lot of CC fly
- [ ] Lighters and batteries are necessary for the camping nights
FI
Email Katriina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience all the way!
Duma Explorer was an easy choice for us. Starting from the fast replies we got from Stacy and the reasonable prices considering the quality of the camps, our experience was five-star worthy. Stacy made our booking easy and was very flexible as the situation was tricky with covid and we were afraid that our flights might be cancelled.
A special thanks to our driver Ebenezer! What a gentleman! His knowledge about the animals was unparallel. We also felt very safe with his driving which can't be said of all the drivers we saw. I highly recommend having him as your guide.
The camps give you a great safari experience with luxurious tents and very nice common spaces. One of our main wishes for the safari was that we want tents, so we can be part of the surroundings but still have a comfortable stay. The Chaka Camps were perfect for this. It felt like a dream, watching the sunrise from our luxurious tent and having a cup of coffee on your own patio. I also liked that the design of the camps is very modern with an african twist.
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Email sv | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
DUMA EXPLORER THE BEST TOUR COMPANY IN TANZANIA!
In October our family was hesitant about traveling to Tanzania during the pandemic. However, we decided to go and we are so glad we did! Duma Explorer planned a trip of a lifetime. My husband and daughter climbed Kilimanjaro- which was an amazing accomplishment! My younger child and myself did a safari, trekked through the Ngorongoro Highlands an climbed Mt. Lengai. At the end of our adventures we all met up and spent a few relaxing days at the beach. Duma Explorer made the trip smooth and so easy! The staff and guides at Duma are incredible and we left feeling like they are part of our family! If you are remotely thinking of going to Tanzania, don't hesitate, book with Duma, and they will take care of everything! They are definitely the BEST tour company in Tanzania! If you want to speak with me further, reach out to Stacy, owner of Duma and she will give you my contact information.
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Email Jean M | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We had a first-rate experience with Duma Explorer, from booking to trip execution
Duma was easy to communicate with, even with different people within our group doing some different things for part of the trip.
I only did a one day safari excursion to Tarangire National Park after our Meru and Killimanjaro climbs. But this was a last minute request from us, and Duma pulled it together, no problem. Sweet taste of safari, inspiring some of us to return again for the real experience, the next year. Our experience definitely exceeded expectations.
Our experience working with Duma on our Killimanjaro trip made us sure that we would use them again on any future safari trips in Tanzania. It is also important to me that they are an ethical employer, who takes the well being of their great employees, seriously.
