Let me & my team surprise you! Christopher Samwel
I Dream of Africa
- Offices In:
-
Netherlands
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2003)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $230 to $1,250 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
US
Email Kayla and Donald | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Knowledgable, professional, and an experienced local!
What a wonderful experience! My husband and I went on an 8 day safari and were not dissapointed. From initially booking the trip, the communication was very personable compared to the other tour companies we reached out too. Chris was an exceptional guide! Being a local, he was very knowledable about Tanzania, the National Parks, and esspecially the wildlife. You can tell he is very passionate about what he does and enjoys doing it. I am so glad we opted for the camping safari, it did not dissapoint. Chris had all the camping gear and loves being out in nature. His cook, Jeffrey, made delicious meals for us every day. Camping made our safari an even more memorable experience. Even if you don't want to camp, Chris can accomodate you with tented camps and lodges. After traveling to Tanzania and seeing all the big tour companies, I am very happy we chose a local, family owned company. I feel like we received a more personable, memorable experience and supported the local commutnity. The amount of wildlife we saw was unbelieveable and we have a lifetime of memories from our trip. We will definitely be using Chris again for our next Safari and will be reccomending him to all our family and friends!
MT
Email Corinne | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Responsive, helpful, professional, knowledgeable and friendly
We first chose I Dream of Africa because they support a foundation which takes care of street children in Moshi - Watoto Foundation and because they are a local company and support the local economy. They have been responsive from the very beginning, Christopher got in contact with us immediately and Wilmke has been amazingly professional. She has replied to all our queries and guided us from long before we arrived in Tanzania. Our guide Ayubu was very knowledgeable, professional and passionate and the team who took care of our meals and camps - Alex and Japhet made us feel at home in the middle of the Serengeti! We visited Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara...all wonders of nature. We highly recommend I Dream of Africa!
NL
Email Anna | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A dream came true.
In 2016 we had a wonderful camping safari with I Dream of Africa, visiting 4 national parks (Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorogoro, Tarangire). But we had one more dream: to visit the Serengeti en see the migration. This happened in October 2018. We booked with Christopher again. We had kept in contact since our first trip.
It was a very happy reunion! Christopher and Warren (his son) fetched us at Kilimanjaro Airport and drove us to Songota Lodge where we spent two nights. From there we flew to Seronera Airstrip. In the meantime Christopher and Japhet (cook) had driven to the Serengeti and set up camp in Lobo. Christopher fetched us from Seronera and we had a two-hour drive to Lobo, during which we saw so many animals! Arriving at Lobo campsite Japhet met us in his white outfit with a tray of drinks, and a big smile! We were all very happy and emotional, meeting each other again.
We spent 12 days in the Serengeti beginning in the north at Lobo, and ending in central Serengeti at Seronera. Both Lobo and Dik-Dik were public campsites.
It was very relaxing to be in one place for a few days at a time. The tents were our “home”. We enjoyed sitting in front of them overlooking the wide open space of the Serengeti - watching the zebras, gnoes, antelope, giraffe and buffaloes pass bye. At night we heard hyenas giggling and lions roaring. We weren't afraid as Christopher had explained how to behave ... and to keep safe. We had a few gamedrives every day- sunrise to sunset. Christopher's expertise was amazing. He found so many animals. Everything from Big Five to the Small Five and everything in between - including the huge migrating herds. Christopher taught us a lot about nature, birds and wildlife behaviour.
At the campsite, Japhet was always busy looking after us with meals and drinks.
At the end of the safari we drove to Seronera airstrip, embraced with a warm and tearful goodbye.
We had a never to be forgotten time and recommend Christopher and I Dream of Africa to everyone!
And this saying is true:
You can leave Africa, but Africa never leaves you.
Email Thomas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable experience
With two fellow students we decided to do a safari while we did an internship close to Mwanza.
Out of two safari’s I did this one was the most incredible.
First of all because of the guide, Christopher, who knew the perfect places where to camp and where to drive. He understands that privacy is key to the experience and we camped a few times with almost no company. During game drives we had several incredible encounters with leopards, lions, cheetahs, elephants and even rhino’s. A combination of luck and skill of Christopher, who has ridiculously good eyesight.
Second the service was perfect as everything we wanted during the safari was taken care of. Especially the food was very nice.
And lastly because Japhet en Christopher are just amazing company, We loved Christophers stories about the wildlife, and Japhets’ jokes.
Would love to do this trip again!
NL
Email Maria | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable safari
In one word: GREAT!
The safari we (a family of 5 persons) had in Tanzania with Christopher and his team is unforgettable. He is a passionate expert-guide with a lot of knowledge and experience and he is a very good driver too. Also: Christopher is a very nice person !
We learned a lot about wildlife (from the Big Five to the little termites), about the balance in nature, the dangers of climate change. Christopher is always searching for new possibilities to observe the animals, away from the touristic routes. Instead of following other jeeps, we were often alone in a beautiful and vast landscape, experiencing unique encounters with lions, elephants, special birds etc.
In the evenings, around the fire, we shared experiences and stories. The ambience was always nice. Christopher told us also a lot about culture and tradition, the young history of Tanzania and the challenges of today. He felt very responsible for us, ensuring that we had a good time from the beginning to the end. The food Geoffrey made was excellent every day, made with attention, love and humor!
We did not stay in lodges, we preferred camping: hearing the beautiful sound of nature in the night, watching giraffes and zebra's nearby, in the amazing early morning or evening light. Our tents were always in a beautiful spot with the best view.
Idreamofafrica is a little Tanzanian company. Personal contact, flexibility, a good atmosphere are main characteristics. We preferred to support a local Tanzanian company above booking with a foreign, European travel organization. It turned out to be a very good choice!
We really recommend Idreamofafrica to everyone and wish Christopher and his team all the best. We hope to see them again soon.
IT
Email Luigi e Patrizia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
my best African safary experience
An experience in Africa is always something special that leaves you feeling great and makes you carry in your heart that feeling that only those who have tried it recognize as "mal d'Africa". I traveled in almost all the countries of southern Africa but, the wonderful experience that I lived with my wife Patrizia in August, led by Chris, the best guide I know, is and will remain indelible in our minds. The Dream of Africa is precisely the realization of a dream and thanks to the expertise and skills of Chris we have lived the experience of a real private camping safari. Nothing is left to chance, from the planning of stops in the camping areas, to the daily safaris that are organized in the parks where indescribable emotions are lived, until the evening return where we find Japhet who, with just as much mastery prepares delicious dinners in the heart of the savannah. In our nine-day trip we visited the Parks of Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, the crater Ngoro-Ngoro and the Tarangire. We were lucky enough to see the lions climbing on the trees, to experience the thrill of a night safari in Lake Manyara, on the Mara river we had the opportunity to see the great migration of the wildebeests, an incredible show, hundreds cattles that in a neat row of Indian cross the waters to go to the green areas where they can find more food and water. An incredible show that nature offers us! not to mention the exciting encounters with groups of zebras, giraffes, antelopes, buffaloes, hippopotamuses, elephants and for all the surprise of finding ourselves in front of a meter away a lioness with three affectionate puppies! what intense days! and in the end the magnificent sunsets that only in these lands can be admired. We recommend to those who intend to organize a safari and live a real experience in Tanzania to contact without delay our friend Chris and his team of I Dream of Africa, we do not we'll never thank him for the magical days and nights spent together.
NL
Email Renate Teuwsen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream come true
Before I started to write this review, I read the reviews of other guests. I could just copy and paste their stories, we've experienced only positive things as well!
From the 2nd till the 9th of August we went on a Safari with Christopher. We are a family with three children (12, 12, 13). The trip was planned easily with Christopher via email. We went from Arusha to Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater to the Tarangire National park. We stayed at several lodges and tented camps (Kati Kati). We liked them all: the food, the service and the accomodation itself. I specialy loved the little "Ric" lodge, with the lovely Roos, who baked a great cake just for us! We saw so much nature and animals, really impressive. And we've learned so much from Christopher. The children couldn't stop asking him questions about the animals and their behaviour. Also good to know is that Christopher is a mechanic from origin, so no need to worry when the car is having some problems and the lions are watching you :).
For us this was a fantastic experience and we would without any doubt advice "I dream of Africa", to everyone!
NL
Email Gijsbert and Hanneke | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
we will be dreaming sweet dreams of africa forever!
We just returned home after a wonderful camping safari with Christopher and Jafhed (sorry if we spell the name wrong, we loved your cooking!). From the moment we were picked up at the busstop in Arusha, we knew we made the right decision to choose "I dream of Africa". We immediately felt at ease with Christopher, who brought us to a wonderful lodge in Arusha, for a last night in civilisation.
The next morning we were on our way! We saw 5 parks: Arusha, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorogoro and Tarangire. Every park had her own charm and Christopher had so much to tell about every park. It was never too much trouble to pause the car, so we could take a picture. The campsites he had selected, were amazing. Nice and quiet, in the middle of nature and wildlife. Every campsite had his own visitors, varying from monkeys, elephants, a genet and our favorites: hyenas!! Camping inside the parks adds a whole new level to being in the wild. While we were camping, we were spoiled with some of the best meals we ever tasted, all served with a big smile! We even had a cake on new years day, with a lovely message written on it.
Christopher is the best in spotting animals, he knows everyting there is to know about the animals and the parks. You can tell by the way he talks, that he respects nature and he treats her with love. He also told us a lot about the country and the population.
We could go on and on, describing how amazing our trip was, but we can only give you one advice:
Book your safari with Christopher, we promise you it will be an experience you will never forget! We certainly won't!
CH
Email Anja, Andrea and Kathrin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect safari-adventure!
In July/August 2015 we made the „budget-tent-safari - 8 nights/9 days with Christopher and Japeth. After sleeping in the nice freedom-lodge, we got picked up and drove to the Arusha National Park where we did a bush-walk with a ranger. That was one of the highlights, getting very close to the giraffes and buffalos. The next parks were: Lake Manara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro-Crater and last but not least Tarangire. It was a very nice trip: Always tenting in the National-Parks where you get the chance to hear and see the animals that come close to the tentground during the night. The meals, cooked by Japeth were always very delicious , varied and nice arranged. Our guide Christopher is very experienced and has got a huge knowledge about the nature and animals. He sees and hears them where we didn’t notice anything. He is very uncomplicated and fullfills all the desires. His is on a high level. With the two of them we felt like in a small familiy – always in a good mood, a lot of laughing and all the time we felt very safe!!! We recommend „I dream of Africa“ to all people who look for the perfect safari-adventure!
NL
Email Erik Berkelmans | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari to the migration.
Christopher Samwell owner of " I dreamed of Africa" organized an unforgettable safari experience for our family of four. We did a tour from Arusha over the Serengeti to the Mara river to view the migration, we visited lake Manyara, Ngorongoro crater and Taragire national park as well.
We arranged everything by email. Christopher reacted always very fast and had good suggestions for the tour. We booked a 11 day safari with lodges and tentedcamps. Everything was organized perfect, even better as expected! The decision to do business with a local Tanzanian company worked out perfect.
During safari we experienced what more then 25 years guide means. Christopher speaks very well English, is a keen game spotter, even when diving he sees animals that we didn't noticed at all. He knows the Parks as the back of his hand and has knowledge of animals and their behavior. Above all Christopher is pleasant travel company.
I recommend Christopher as a fantastic guide and reliable touroperator. I am sure he can arrange the best safari whatever your budget is.