Galloping Safaris Staff with Director
Galloping Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Member Of:
- ASTA, TATO, TTB & EAWLS
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $225 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DK
Email Christina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Two great days with Galloping Safaris
We had a great time with Galloping Safaris in Tarangire and Ngorogoro national parks. Walter was very easy to communicate with and quick to reply. Ayubu was a great driver guide, very knowledgeable about the animals, landscapes and with a great sense of humor. We saw so much in two days! Especially enjoyed seeing lions hunt in Ngorogoro. Very nice stay at Simba Lodge with great food.
TN
Email Zakaria Jbara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible
Incredible experience:
Excellent guide aware of our needs
Very comme lodge with beautiful view
Very beautiful landscape with the animals in ngorongoro and tarangire
FR
Email Jane Khoury | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Even better than expected!
Walter and our guide Lawrence made our safari in Tanzania a complete success, exceeding our expectations. During the preparation of the trip, Walter responds quickly to the messages, which is more than appreciable, he is very good advice because he masters the routes perfectly. He was waiting for us at the arrival airport despite the late hour.
Lawrence is erudite, inexhaustible on all animals and patient as we pestered him with questions. He drives like a gentleman on bumpy tracks, which is very appreciable, his English is fluent, it is very pleasant to converse with him. He knows the right spots to ensure his passengers see everything they dream of. For our part, with the exception of the pandas (sorry Lawrence!! ;-)) we saw all the animals, he answered all our expectations and requests, flawlessly.
There is no need to go through a intermediate travel agency in your country, go directly through Walter, communication is easy and mutual trust is obvious.
US
Email William | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A professional, well organized, thoughtful, and caring organization
Jul 2021 • Couples
If you’ve ever contemplated or “bucket-listed” a Safari in Tanzania, Galloping Safari’s is the choice guided excursion. Walter Tenga, director of operations, put together a all inclusive luxury tour of 4 national parks on a nine day stay. The three of us were greeted upon landing by Walter then escorted to a nearby luxury accommodation for our first night stay in Arusha. The following morning Walter introduced us to Lawrence, our private guide for the next nine days. Lawrence, a fifteen year guide veteran with a big smile and jovial humor made this Safari a personal and intimate experience that has left us so grateful and honored to call him a friend. An expert and naturalist on the flora and fauna of the regions we visited, his wealth of knowledge was unsurpassed in spotting, identifying, and placing us in the best position to photograph. I’m still editing and marveling at the 2,000 plus pictures captured!
We visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro crater and Serengeti national parks. Walter also added some cultural stops into the itinerary, a visit to a Maasai village and a stop at a working museum/art gallery. All so added was the highlight of our Safari, a hot air Balloon ride across the Serengeti to see the migratory Wildebeast from above!
Our accommodations thru-out were world class. Each night we were graciously catered to at each of the Sanctuary, Lemala and Four Seasons resorts on route.
Walter and Lawrence nurtured us throughout the Safari even as I told ill, (from a medicine reaction a was prescribed. That’s another story).
Walter’s planning and guidances eased us through in-field COVID testing to arranging our bush flight from the Serengeti back to Kilimanjaro.
I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and the expert planning and guidance of both Walter and Lawrence. We are daily recounting the stories and pictures to friends and loved ones.
WOW!!!
US
Email Sarah J | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Honeymoon Trip of a Lifetime
Walter and Lawrence crafted a perfect itinerary hitting all of Tanzania’s highlights while staying in luxurious accommodations. Our game drives were highly productive seeing all the Big 5, even hard to spot leopards and rhinos due to their keen eye. The Serengeti and the Crater are truly what dreams are made of. Witnessing the Great Migration, sleeping among lions and buffalo and getting a few feet away from lions will leave us with memories to last a lifetime. These packages are not cheap but the caliber of the experience more than outweighed the expense. We are happy to count Walter and Lawrence as friends for life.
US
Email Barbara | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely well organized, knowledgeable and careful
The most difficult part of this tour was getting a COVID test BEFORE we got to Tanzania. On the safari, it was a breeze! Walter set up the testing appointments at the airstrip and handed us our hard copy results before we got on the return flight. It couldn’t have been easier. NOW is the time to go! There are hardly any tourists and we saw loads of animals close up and personal, even the elusive cheetahs and leopards. Many lions; many baby animals. Take the balloon ride for extra $$$- it is worth it, and the company even let my brother make up a day he missed due to illness. Our tour guide, Lawrence, has eagle eyes and incredible knowledge of the habits of animals and birds. I felt entirely safe in his hands; he is an excellent driver on rutted roads. Be sure to look for birds- remarkable plumage and colors! The accommodations were top notch with great to excellent food, including gluten free. I have an odd personalized anti- inflammatory diet and never went hungry. The lodges are sublimely soothing- we took a few afternoons just to hang around watching the herds pass by. I even did yoga with an elephant. How about a personalized swimming pool on your porch? No kidding! At Kuria Hills Lodge! We did the luxury tour and it was worth it. These memories will sustain you for years. Go and rejoice in Nature’s wonders!
US
Email Ken | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unfortunate Experience
Galloping Safaris took our money for a trip they did not deliver. Our hotels were not booked or paid for in advance, as promised. We chose activities that they did not take us on and did not respond to our questions and requests to have our trip as planned. Walter was avoidant of our texts and phone calls, but offered to meet us in person to make it right and explain himself on our last day in Tanzania. We drove for hours to meet up with him and he never showed. Walter has offered to provide my group a refund of some funds, which we accepted, but he has not followed through with that promise. I strongly urge you to pick a different company for your safari.
US
Email Melinda | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Broken Promises
I booked a safari though Kenya and Tanzania with Galloping Safaris in 2019. Walter provided a nice itinerary for myself, my husband, and my two best friends. Other providers were less expensive, but Galloping Safaris had great reviews, so I went with it. Walter demanded prompt payment, that the money be wired to him immediately, which we did. The safari took place in February 2020. There were several issues throughout, including Walter and his staff not listening to requests to change small parts of our trip, lying about why we couldn't go to a place we planned to go, and skipping events we had paid for all together. We had paid for two nights at The Four Seasons Serengeti, and Walter instead had our guide take us to a less expensive hotel three hours away, one that was riddled with tsetse flies, without letting us know that we wouldn't be staying at The Four Seasons as planned/paid for. We demanded that they take us to the Four Seasons as planned the next day, but when we arrived the staff at Four Seasons let us know that Walter had not paid for our stay, and we were left sitting in the lobby. They told us that Walter often does this, and they do not extend credit to Galloping Safaris anymore, so we would have to wait until he paid to be taken to our rooms. We asked the Four Seasons staff to confirm the rest of our trip with the hotels in our packet that were booked, and not one of them had been booked or paid for. My guess is that Walter is unable to pay for the current clients' reservations until the future clients give him cash, which is why we were stuck waiting without paid reservations even though we had submitted payment in full to him many months earlier.
When we had issues with the trip Walter ran from us, ignored our calls, had our guide disappear. We drove hours out of the way on our last day of travel to meet up with Walter and settle up our issues, and he never showed up.
Through phone calls and emails Walter acknowledged that he was at fault and owed us a refund, which he never sent. We have contacted him multiple times and its always one excuse after the next.
I have traveled all over the world and have never felt as scammed as I have with Galloping Safaris. I strongly recommend that you book your trip with a more reputable provider.
US
Email Deepak Mehta | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Name And A Great Game. Outstanding
Walter and his crew ( in our case Emanuel and Lawrence) are truly and gem. We started out months before the scheduled trip as customer and vendor and by the time we left Africa, we were friends and family. We tend to be somewhat demanding travelers and Walter was superb in meeting our needs. Our trip was meticulously planned months in advance with charter flights and 5 start luxury accommodations in N. Serengeti, Tarangiri and Zanzibar. With the exception of one preferred type of accommodating, Walter delivered all. Unfortunately one accommodation was booked and the replacement suggested was top notch. No regrets at all. Walter is a very simple and straightforward owner who communicated well and answered every question we had. He met as upon arrival in Nairobi and flew with us to Tanzania to ensure all was set-up as we desired. We had two vehicles due to the size of our party with two excellent guides, Emanuel and Lawrence. Vehicles were well maintained and very comfortable with charging ports and refrigerators on-board. Both guides were very courteous and knowledgeable of the jungle. Our kids loved them and they enjoyed our kids and us. We stayed at three separate accommodations in Tarangiri, N. Serengeti and Zanzibar. All three were 5 star and with beautiful camps, lodges and villas. All three places had chefs that cooked to our delight and service was top notch. Walter, Emanuel and Lawrence made our 9 night trip special and memorable. I would strongly suggest working with them to create and tailor your itinerary. They will deliver every-time. Reliable, honest and trustworthy with a personal touch. Priceless!!!
US
Email Genese and Joseph | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary 13 Day Luxury Safari
We have just returned home from our 13-day luxury Safari adventure that included Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, and Selous. We are both having a little trouble adjusting to all the loud noises, crowds of people, and that lost connection to the presence of wildlife about us. In short, we had a life changing experience that neither photos nor mere words can convey. However, we can tell you what made the experience and adventure possible was all the careful planning and attention to detail that Galloping Safaris provided. We cannot praise Walter Tenga enough for all that he did for us. As promised, Walter was waiting to personally pick us up when our 5am flight arrived and took us to enjoy a wonderful breakfast. Afterwards he reviewed our itinerary with us making sure that all our needs were met.
We booked this trip eight months in advance for my 50th birthday and our anniversary. As I was somewhat nervous, I sent many emails to Walter, with questions, to which he always promptly and patiently replied with explanations and assurances. Four weeks after booking our air travel with Turkish Air and placing a down payment with Galloping Safaris, we were notified that our outbound flight had been cancelled and that we would have to book a different flight. Through emails exchanged with Walter he offered us alternate solutions so that the rebooking could still be managed within the budget of our Safari. Then in March, after paying for the balance of our trip, we read that Azure Selous, one of the camps on our itinerary had closed because of forest clearing in preparation of construction of a dam. After I frantically sent off an email to Walter, we learned that he had already been finalizing a rebooking at another equally amazing camp. I think in the process of trading emails, Walter came to understand my preferences, and made one last upgrade substituting the &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater lodge for the previous Highlands Camp. That change thrilled me beyond words and our stay there was amazing but more so, Walter had apparently arranged a surprise celebration for our anniversary and my birthday as the staff from &Beyond not only set us a special dinner table but also performed a traditional dance and song for us complete with rose petals thrown over us.
And then, there was our amazing guide - Lawrence. We liked him from the moment we met him. His laugh is infectious, his knowledge of the flora and fauna in-depth, and only surpassed by his keen eyesight at spotting animals. We spent many a happy day on game drives with Lawrence and he somehow always managed to locate various animals and position us for not only wonderful photo shoots but also to enjoy intimate moments with the animals where we could observe their special behavior. Like Walter, we cannot praise Lawrence enough. He was the most gracious guide, and wonderful person, always making us feel very special, and sharing insights into the Tanzanian people. It was tough saying goodbye to him when we flew off to Selous.
We had told Walter that we were looking for memorable experience. With Walter’s planning, Lawrence as a guide, and all the wonderful, friendly, and accommodating staff at all the camps and lodges we stayed, we felt very special and genuinely welcome, and had a trip that was every bit as we had hoped for and even beyond.
There are literally hundreds of tour operators offering all types of packages, consider yourself fortunate if you have discovered Galloping Safaris; book with them if you are looking for your trip of a lifetime.
Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions.