Bestday Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $1,590 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
PH
Email Jeiel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Remarkable 5-day safari (Tarangire-Serengeti-Ngorongoro Crater)!
I booked my 5-day safari through another tour agency, but since I was alone, I was given to Bestday Safaris instead. It turned out to be a perfect tour. We are a group of four tourists and our driver was nicknamed “Six” and our cook was “Rama.” Having only four people inside the eight-seater Toyota Land Cruiser gave us enough space to move around the vehicle to take pictures and enjoy the magnificent wildlife and landscapes.
Our itinerary was Tarangire-Serengeti-Ngorongoro Crater. We went on a morning drive to Tarangire National Park and it was a perfect sighting for plenty of elephants. We stayed the night at Mto Wa Mbu and our supposedly tent accommodation was upgraded to a tented bed with makeshift toilet and bathroom. Food was nice especially the leek soup.
We then headed to Serengeti via the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We did a detour to the Olduvai Gorge after requesting this to Six the night before. This was not part of the tour but a trip to “The Cradle of Mankind,” was good especially to people interested about human history like me. This is where they found the 6 million-year-old skeleton of “Lucy,” the small-brained species known as Australopithecus afarensis.
We stayed at Serengeti for the next 3 days and 2 nights and it was not even enough to cover the vast plains of Serengeti. However, we were very impressed with the wildlife we saw. We saw the Big 4 (out of the 5) on all three game drives. We didn’t see the Black Rhinoceros since these are found in the southern part of Serngeti. We had a choice of going South to look for the Rhino and complete the Big 5 or go North and experience the Great Wildebeest Migration. We decided to head north for the rare chance of seeing the migration, since this event is only seen in Serengeti. We did not see the actual river crossing since it was too early when we visited Serengeti in June, but we were able to see millions of wildebeests and zebras along the way, enough to feed the whole of Africa! We stayed in tented camps for the 2 nights and experienced the safari nightlife while enjoying the symphony of bird and animal sounds, including lions, hyenas, jackals, among others.
Six was an excellent driver and guide with 15 years of experience. His “gut” feel where to find the hardest-to-find ones like the big cats (i.e., lion, leopard and cheetah) were amazing. If he sensed a big cat on a rock or perched on a tree, he will stop the car and look through his binoculars. As we were leaving Serengeti, the amazing thing happened. Until this time, we haven’t seen a cheetah yet and were quite disappointed. We only saw a thin white line and thought it was a gazelle lying on the ground. But why would a gazelle lie down that way? Six stopped the car and looked through his binoculars, and lo and behold, it was a cheetah lying on the green grass with its white belly facing us! We stayed there for about an hour hoping it would stand so that we can take a photo of its full body. Not only did it stand, it slowly went our direction looking for something, until it crossed the road about 5 meters from our vehicle. It was a splendid moment, and it happened just as we are leaving Serengeti.
On our way, we visited a Maasai village and joined the locals in their traditional dance. There were about 120 of them in their village and they herd cows, goats and sheep. They were nomadic and look for place near a water source. However, during dry season they needed to get water from Arusha and pay a good sum of money to transport it to the village. They get money from visiting tourists which help them in their daily lives.
We then went to Ngorongoro Crater and stayed there for the night. Our morning game-drive was also spectacular as we saw all of the Big Five. We saw the buffalo, elephant and lion within minutes apart. We saw a lion within 5 meters off the roadside. It was sitting at first and then a few minutes later it stood up and slowly walked away. Majestic scene! Next we saw the black rhino from a distance, probably more than one kilometer off the road. It was blurry even on the binoculars but still we saw it. After seven hours of morning game drive, we decided to leave quite disappointed we haven’t seen the leopard. Six said it was very hard to see the leopard on the crater floor since there were very few trees. These animals now stay on the forested slopes where trees abound. However, these slopes were not accessible by car. As we are nearing the exit, the amazing thing happened. Our driver stopped the car to talk to another driver going down the crater. The other driver told us that he just saw a leopard crossed the road a few meters behind. Upon hearing this, we got excited. Our driver started the car and continued our way up slowly so as not to startle the big cat. After a few meters, I saw the leopard in the bush on the roadside, just 5 feet away from my seat. My window was half-opened already but I was awestruck and half-frightened I was not able to move. The leopard, frightened just like me, quickly jumped out of the bush and onto the road. Our driver tried to come nearer by going backwards, but soon the big cat walked onto the bushes and out of sight. What a sight it was! We got our wish to see the Big Five in one game-drive with the rare sight of a leopard walking on the road with a full body view. Remarkable indeed!
Overall, my 5-day safari with Bestday Safaris was a blast and their service is highly commendable!
Tip: Bring jackets and layers as camping at night can be very cold as temperatures drop below 10 C, especially at Ngorongoro Campsites which is about 2,400 masl.
Email Eric | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania 3 Day Safari with BestDay Safaris
My daughter and I just got back from a 3 day Safari to Serengeti National Park and Ngrorongoro Crater with BestDay Safari. Peter, Managing Director of BestDay Safaris, was very responsive during the booking process and was very prompt on answering questions and providing any requested information. The accommodations, Katikati Camp and Rhino Lodge, were very conveniently located which allowed for quick access to both the Serengeti National Park and the Ngrorongoro Crater. The safari vehicle was very clean and our guide was a great driver. We were able to see the “Big 5” which made the safari a great experience. I would highly recommend Peter and Bestday Safaris.
good experience with Bestday
We went on 3-day safari in Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Dullah Omary is our guide who works for Bestday Safaris. He is a good guide. We saw big five and many other animals. We took a very good picture of a lovely lovebird due to his professional knowledge and patient waiting. We even took a glance of lilac breasted roller. Besides, sunrise is very beautiful in Angani camp. This safari is an unforgettable experience.
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Email Fredrik | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
4 day safari
Planning our safari with Bestday Safari was quite easy as Peter is very quick to respond and come with suggestions for the safari. He arranged airport transfers and hotel before and after the safari, making our stay in Arusha very pleasant. Godfrey, our guide, had very keen eyes and showed us a lot of what Tanzania has to offer. If you're planning on going on a safari, I would highly recommend Bestday Safari.
Travelers tip: If you're planning on paying the bulk of the safari in cash like we did, I would recommend bringing it in dollars. The highest valued bill in Tanzania is 10 000 shilling, approx. 5 US dollars. Due to limitations per withdrawal from the ATM, we almost had to camp at the ATM to get the amount we needed.
CN
Email Murphy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Safari with BestDay in Serengeti and Ngorongoro
My friends and I went on 3 days safari with Best Day in Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Everything worked out perfectly. Our guide very nice and helped, we saw the big 5 and others. Accommadation was fantastic everywhere and the food delicious aslo, and all of employee were very nice. We can say that was the amazing safari experience we had so far. Thanks to the operater Best Day.
Excellent Service That Can't Be Beaten
I first contacted Best Day Safaris about 2 months prior to my visit. Right off the bat, Peter was really accommodating and answered every single question I asked (even not directly related to his tour service). He provided me with the documents I needed to help facilitate my visa application and gave me lots of tips for the upcoming travel.
Not only did Peter arrange for our safari but helped booked our local flight from Zanzibar to Arusha and back. This turned out to be a great blessing as local Tanzania flights get changed all the time as I found out. He kept as up to date with the flight changes and arranged for our hotel transfers. I was really amazed at how much trust he extended to us. He practically bought our plane tickets in advance and we only paid him upon arrival at Arusha before starting our safari.
Peter also extended the best deals. Seregenti Sopa Lodge was running a promo due to the low season and Peter offered to "upgrade" our tented accommodation to Sopa with no add-on. My wife really enjoyed Sopa Lodge.
Our safari driver was Godfrey, and he was absolutely amazing. He had the eyes of a hawk and could see animals very far away without the aid of binoculars. Because of him, we were able to complete our quest for the Big 5 (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo).
Even after the safari, Peter still brought us around town upon my wife's request to see some gemstones. This was really over-and-above the call of duty, yet Peter personally brought us to his friends selling gemstones and gave us a really good deal, then sent us off to the airport personally.
Over-all, I highly recommend Best Day Safari. You cannot possibly go wrong with choosing them!
Email CStanley | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bestday Safaris Exceeded our Expectations
We planned our safari in short period of time and initially thought about using a tour group until I read about the private tours. We requested information from six different companies and Bestday (Peter) was the most responsive through the information gathering process. He quickly responded to my inquiries and adjusted our itinerary to give us what we were looking to do in terms of accommodations etc.
Freeman picked us up at the airport in Kilimanjaro and took us to our hotel the first evening. We wanted to stop and get water on the way and he had no problem doing that for us. He was very friendly and personable.
Godfrey was our guide and he exceeded our expectations in every way!! He always made a point of getting us up as close as possible to the animals. He was very patient and I never felt rushed. He has such a keen eye for spotting animals and we would have missed many animals if it weren't for him spotting them and pointing them out. He was very knowledgeable and informative about the animals, their habits etc. We saw more than we ever dreamed we would see including many lions, black rhino, a couple of cheetah and a leopard. We even saw a lion kill a wildebeest! Again, fully exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend Bestday Safaris!
The only thing I would note is that you do need to wire money which was a bit scary as we are accustomed to using credit cards but everything went off without a hitch.
Thank you Peter, Freeman and most of all, Godfrey for making our trip the most amazing experience. We appreciate it!
Sincerely,
Carol & Mark Stanley
SK
Email Tom | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3-day Call of the Wild
My wife was on a business trip in Tanzania for the third time and hasn't seen anything but airports and hotel rooms. This time she had a weekend off between conferences so I decided to fly down and meet her for a 3-day Safari what turned to be the best 3 day vacation ever!! Prior to arriving in Kilimanjaro we were talking, organizing the trip with Peter. He was very helpful and responsive to our emails. Because we only had 3 days to spare, we wanted to get the most out of it and decided to have a private tour - just my wife, myself, and Jackson (our driver and guide in one person) in a Land Cruiser. This way we didn't have to depend of others or make compromises. Our trip included: 2 days in Serengeti NP and 1 day in Ngorongoro Crater plus we visited a Masai village and learned more about their way of life. Jackson was very knowledgeable, friendly, and really cared we have the best time. We were very lucky to see all Big 5! (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard) and herds of wildebeests, zebras, and hippos, monkeys, lots of birds...the list goes on and on. Accommodation was excellent. We spent the first night in a tented camp in the heart of Serengeti where I tasted the best pumpkin soup, enjoyed gorgeous sunset, and was woken up from a sleep by a strange noise...first I thought it was Jackson laughing in the next tent just to find out later it was hyenas :) Even though it seemed impossible, the second day in Ngorongoro was probably even better adventure. Out of nowhere, a pride of 14 lions stood up from the tall grass and started walking toward us. We followed them across the crater until they settled again. Apparently, they were in a hunting mood. We sat there patiently, waiting for what happens next as three clueless buffaloes were getting closer to the pride. It was just like National Geographic in 4D - a jaw dropping experience seeing lions in action, their strategy of attack...just amazing, lost for words. I bet Safari is also on your bucket list...do it! This trip far exceeded our expectations. Hope to go back one day.
Email Jordan Shaw | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
We had an incredible time. Peter was easy to work with. He was very responsive to emails. The safari was a 3 day trip to Serengeti and Ngorongoro and was more than we ever expected. Our driver was very friendly, polite, and very knowledgeable about the parks and wildlife. The tented campsite and lodge were great too and the cost overall seemed very affordable when compared with some of the other companies. Just a very friendly company that did not disappoint. We really had no complaints at all and felt the trip was top-notch from start to finish.
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Email James | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Better than we could have ever imagined!
We were in Tanzania for a work trip and thought it would be a great idea to fit in a weekend Safari if possible seeing as this is not an opportunity you get very often. We contacted Peter a few days before arriving in Tanzania and told him our plans; the place, day and time we´d be available from and then the day and time we´d have to leave to fly back home to Europe. Basically we had two free days and asked him if it would be possible to arrange anything, we really didn´t mind what as this would be our first Safari experience for most of us (3 out of 4 people). He got back to us quickly and proposed a very interesting trip plan. We contacted Peter again once we were in Tanzania just one day before the proposed Safari start date (we left it a bit last minute as we didn´t know if it was going to be possible considering our work agenda) to confirm that we´d like to go ahead with their Safari. Peter was very attentive and sorted everything out. We visited Tarangire Park and the Ngorongoro Crater...simply amazing. Our guide/driver was Godfrey, he did an incredible job spotting all the animals for us and pretty much from the first minute we met him he was one of us and we all got on great. In the crater we even managed to see a couple of black rhinos cross in front of us about 15 metres away...very very lucky. We stayed in two different lodges; both of them were nicely located, clean, provided great service and great food. To conclude, the country itself is a spectacular place, specially these areas around the Arusha area, but being able to share this "mini adventure" with a team of competent and friendly professionals such as Bestday Safaris was just the icing on the cake. Thank you.