Reviews
US
Email Travel Africa Now | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful Safaris!
I have traveled with Safari Legacy on three trips! Excellent guides, accommodations, food and service throughout. Expectations always met. Allowed time for photography. Have been to Tanzania/ Kenya/ Rwanda with SL. Very pleased with the stateside process for booking. They took care of everything. Would use them again as they have been in business for over 50 years and support wildlife preservation.
Knowledgeably guided, nice accommodations, expert driving.
Guides went above and beyond to find every animal on the Tarengeti and Sarengeti lists! Accommodations appeared to be among the best available in each area where we stayed. Phone and email communication was good.
US
Email LND | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari Legacy were fantastic
I felt I had to write this review of Safari Legacy having read the only other review which gave them 3 stars. Especially as my experience was almost the opposite!
Safari Legacy came highly recommended both by a tour operator here in the USA and friends who used them last year. In particular, we requested Norman as our guide 6-months ahead of time. Norman exceed expectations. He was very knowledgeable about animals (I am a zoologist), and he adjusted our itinerary once he saw we had 3 serious photographers in our party and were more interested in game drives than using the luxury of the camps. Norman knew enough about photography to try to position the vehicle so the sun was positioned correctly. More importantly, we wanted to capture the golden hour so most days we left the camps before sunrise and returned after dark. Told you we were serious about game drives. Norman also filled us in about life in Tanzania and the different tribes, languages etc. This was really helpful to have an understanding of Tanzania and its history.
We preferred the more rustic tented camps compared to the couple of lodges we stayed in. The tents while rustic had toilets, hot and cold showers and electricity so they were by no means 'rough accommodations'. Kikoti Camp at Tarangire was very close to the Park, despite what the previous review said. Further we saw plenty of animals driving from the park to Kikoti. At Kikoti we were awakened both nights by animal activity. The first night it was a giraffe grazing in front of our room not 20 feet away. The second night it was a large animal that we heard underneath our hut. In the morning I discovered very large leopard prints around our hut. Hence why the camp provides guards to take you to and from the main lodge after dark! It seemed overly dramatic at first until you see a large predator's prints. Also the second night an elephant had eaten one of the trees on the grounds of the main lodge. Further, we went on a night drive while at Kikoti. This was probably the highlight of the trip for my wife (I wasn't as impressed because I couldn't take photographs) and we saw a significant number of animals.
On this trip we also did Arusha NP, Ngorongoro and Serengeti NP including the Western corridor and Grumeti River.
Another thing about Safari Legacy, the owners are very involved with anti-poaching. They are quite outspoken despite receiving threats from poachers. This information came from locals not the people of Safari Legacy. Safari Legacy also supports a school that we visited on the banks of Lake Victoria. So they are well respected in Tanzania as a professional safari organization and helping the communities.
The one negative I would give them was the quality of the Toyota Land Cruisers. Our vehicle had seen significant wear and tear. Norman told us they were getting new vehicles in July.
I expected so much more
I had been on a Safari in Kenya about 10 years ago. It was fantastic. This time my friends had decided to travel with Safari Legacy. I had been thinking about a safari with my wife as she had not been to Africa before, so we decided to join them. The sales team was very good and provided us with all of the perfect answers. We were quite confident and felt good until we got to Tanzania.
On the ground the only thing that was above average was the vehicle. It was a very new Land Cruiser. Much better than the safari bus I had used years ago. Our driver was not very motivated and seemed to be in a rush all the time. The camps, particularly Kikoti Camp at Tarangire was just average. This camp was very far from the park and there was no sign of wildlife. Due to the high price tag I was expecting a whole lot more. I understand that prices are much lower in the off season, thus we expected to get a little more for our money. Just to be fair, my wife was quite satisfied with the trip, but I think that it is because it was her first time and she did not have anything to base the experience on. She did feel that the guide was not nearly as friendly as the Tanzanians we met in the camps. He was rather push and often talked about how low his salary is. We have no idea what he is paid, but based on what our trip costs, he should be paid well. And if not he should take it up with his boss and not with us.