Happy safari guides from Aardvark Expeditions
Aardvark Expeditions
- Office In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $650 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
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Email LarryW | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Multigenerational family of 17 enjoyed a 7 day safari complements of Aardvark Expeditions.
Being together with our three children and 15 grandchildren for the adventure of a lifetime! Seeing another part of God's world in a safe multigenerational environment. We had 3 safari outfitted Land cruisers operated by 3 extremely competent and courteous guides. We ranged in age from 76 down to 4 years old. We covered hundreds of miles. Had great accommodations every night with gourmet dinners and hearty breakfasts every morning and enjoyed picnic style box lunches every day for lunch. We saw everything there was to see (the big 7) the cats, the wildebeests on their caving grounds! We were well satisfied with the value of our 7 day expedition. our nightly accommodations all offered WIFI and cold beers to wash down the trail dust. Everything about our expedition went like clock work, from the time Philemon picked us up at JRO until he returned us there 9 days later.
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Email DBW | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Philemon is a professional that provides all services in safari contract , extremely likable.
You will get your money value, plus so much more in the amazing safari that Philemon provides. Our family group of 17, ages 4-76! have a lifetime of 7 days of amazing animal drives with Aardvark Expeditions, elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, Cape buffalo, zebras, baboons, Dik diks, ostrich, elands, antelope, crocodile, hippos, many birds, and lush plants and trees!
Aardvark Expedition’s provided 3 large vehicles and 3 outstanding guides for our family group, all guides were well equipped to find the animals and full of information about their habits.
The lodge accommodations were perfect in comfort, scenic views, and well trained staff to provide good meal choices, Including attentive needs for a gluten intolerant child.
Aardvark Expeditions accommodated airport transportation to and from the airport, they were trustworthy in the services provided, and flexible with family requests.
Mount Meru and Uhuru Peak 5,896 masl in mid December 2021.
Mount Meru and Uhuru Peak 5,896 masl in mid December 2021.
Because i had a short timeframe i decided to do Mount Meru for acclimatization and then Mount Kilimanjaro via the Umbwe Route.
I chose Aardvark Expeditions because it is a local Trekking and Safari Specialists operator based in Arushavand I was more than happy to use their services. In fact Philemon Joel organized everything in a short timeframe with many special wishes from my side, and they have the Headquarters in Arusha which is shown on the company's website.
As i am from Switzerland, i am used to hike on the Alps and climb the mountains. So Mt Meru for me was just the perfect warm up peak, but more important, it helped a lot to acclimatise to the altitude. So, it is what it is, just study the mountain...for regular hikers it will be a very pleasant peak, for others, make sure you're fit enough for this challenge.
Mount Kilimanjaro via the Umbwe Route is the shortest trail to the peak of the mountain. It is also the hardest. I was more than happy to pick this route because it fitted my fitness level and was a pure adventure for me. I didn't see any climber on this route for the first two days with a very step track through beautiful mother earth. And here, in the middle of nowhere, are the little things that matters, and it is reassuring to have the right and experienced tour operator. Just to have a waterproof tent, hot coffee and a warm meal gives you the power for the next days...
In this environment everything takes time and you will have plenty of it between the activities. So make sure to bring your favorite book or something else you like to do. Also, hiking up is just the first part and do not underestimate the part of killing the meters by walking down.
I had ten days for both peaks, and it was just perfect for me. Next time i will climb Kilimanjaro via Marangu Route, the most comfortable
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Email Claudio | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Philemonn from AARDVARK Expeditions LTD organized a beautiful six day Safari for us following exactly our specific whishes. The Tour took us to Tarangire NP which in our opinion should not be overlooked, to the exceptional Serengeti NP as well as to the Ngorongoro crater. Finally, there was also an excursion to the beautiful forest of Lake Manyara. The organization and realisation of the Tour took place in an absolutely professional manner. Our driver and guide Donatus won us with his exceptional ability to find not only, in many cases repeatedly, the "Big Five" (lions, buffaloes, rhinos, leopards and elephants) but also a multitude of other species of fauna and flora of the region. His notions on the matter as well as on the geography of the places and the customs and culture of the peoples of the area, as well as his incredible visual ability, which allowed him to notice animals even at a very long distances and while driving the vehicle, was extremly precious. His friendliness, kindness and his sense of duty aimed at guaranteeing us a unique experience at all costs and his ability to read our wishes from our lips many times even before we had expressed them made this experience truly unforgettable. In this sense we highly recommend Aarkvard expeditions and especially the guide Donatus.
GA
Email Zelia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good experience !
A very good experience with Aardvark Expeditions, which is a very attentive and professional company. Philemon is someone very available, who responds quickly to messages and who helped us a lot to organize our visit. The guide (Judicate) was very knowledgeable and very kind. The cook was very knowledgeable too, we had a blast! We were able to see a lot of animals in the different parks of northern Tanzania, especially in Ngorongoro, which is a fabulous crater to discover. Do not hesitate to contact Philemon to organize your stay.
FR
Email Ludovic | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
excellent safari, great organization, the guides do their best for our well-being
we were able to see a lot of wild animals and multitudes of birds with splendid colors.
this safari is a great emotion.
the organization and the friendliness of the guides are perfect.
And the meals were very good
I highly recommend Aardvark-Expeditions.
Email Karen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Safari with a personal touch
We decided to arrange our Safari in Arusha, as we wanted to make sure the Company we used was reliable, reputable and honest. We visited the office of Aardvark and found the owner to be very professional, knowledgable and flexible for our needs. He gave us a very good price, an excellent very well informed guide who knew the Serengeti well and a great cook who prepared tasty meals. The campsites we used were great and we even got to hear Lions roaring and Buffalo and Elephants in the campsites as well. The mattresses and sleeping bags were also good quality and warm, especially important on the Crater rim of Ngorogoro which is very cold at night. The jeep provided was clean and even had a fridge and charging sockets for your camera's phones etc. Every little detail had been thought of. I would highly recommend Aardvark as being well organised and trustworthy. We would definitely use them again on further trips.The owner even visited us after we got back to make sure we'd enjoyed our time away. A lovely personal touch.
Email Ian (and Jenny) | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Glad we chose Aardvark!
My wife and I considered dozens of tour companies. Glad we went with Aardvark! We told the Manager (Philemon) our budget and preferences, and within hours he replied with a customised itinerary that met our needs. He provided a great, well-stocked Landcruiser with lots of space. Our driver (Donatus) was very friendly, professional, and was honestly masterful at spotting wildlife we otherwise would have missed. He genuinely wanted us to have the best possible safari experience and really went out of his way (and off the beaten track) to achieve that. Also, the hotels they arranged looked good on TripAdvisor, but were even better in person, and the “budget” tented lodges in the parks seemed pretty luxurious to us! One recommendation would be for the driver to share more information at the start of the journey and at the start of each day, so we’d know more about driving durations and what routes in the parks we was planning. The distances are vast, and if you’re not careful you can get pretty wiped out, but if you proactively ask for this, I’m sure Aardvark would accommodate. Thanks for the memories!
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Email Chete | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic!
Really great and awesome experience!! With many safari companies, we were really apprehensive choosing one but Aardvark company really made our trip. They went over and beyond to make sure we had a great time. Philemon the manager and Orio our driver were superb in every way - picking us and dropping us off at the airports( we came through the two different airports) as promised. The lodges we stayed in were really nice. The lodge in Arusha simply spectacular - excellent food and service - at affordable price. Our driver Orio very well versed in the local history and of the parks. I can't say enough how much we enjoyed our trip and many thanks to Aardvark. The trip was very affordable (compared to others we saw online) and well worth every penny. We'll be back!! Chete.
DE
Email Jan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great planning and great adventure (Safari at Arusha National Park and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro)
Me and a friend of mine came to Tansania for volunteering. We thought about climbing Mt Kilimanjaro but did not plan anything before we flew over. When we arrived at Arusha we talked with our hotel staff about our plans and they connected us with Philemon and Aardvark. When we met with Philemon the planning and negotiation process about the two tours were easy and transparent. Philemon was very open and did not push us to any premature decicsons. Moreover, it was possible to book a Tour that starts in a week, so very spontaneous.
Safari Arusha National Park:
We got picked up at our hotel in the morning on time by our Safari driver and drove to the park. The Safari itself was great. We saw giraffes, buffalos, antelopes, zebras, warthogs, flamingos, monkeys etc...
We made a lunch break and a lunch box with enough water were included.
After the driving Safari we also did the walking safari. I would strongly recommend that! While walking you can really get into the nature and get close to the animals. Especially many giraffes were to be seen. Our ranger who took us on the walking Safari was great and could answer almost every question perfectly. After that we got dropped of at our hotel again.
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro (Machame Route 7 Days)
First of all, we didnt have any climbing gear, so Philemon organized everything (without any increase in price). At our first day we got picked up at our hostel at Moshi and started the climb. We took the machame route and 7 days. The route was very beautiful and the extra day was good for acclimatization. Our crew was very nice. The two guides were very well trained and guided us safely to the top. We had to take 9 porters for all of our stuff. When we planned the tour, Philemon expected it to be only 6 or 7 porters. So we had to pay a little bit more tip than expected. (Thats the only negative thing i can think of). After the climbing we got dropped of at our hotel in Moshi again.
All in all both trips were great and I will remember them all of my life!