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
US
Email Viral | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fraudulent Thief- Don’t Risk It
Here are the reasons why choosing this safari option is just not worth risking for your once in a lifetime trip:
1. Broken down cars (ours broke down and needed to be serviced mid-trip). He will try to say this didn’t happen - well, it did, and we have photos and videos to prove it. We had to wait so long before it was repaired.
2. Broken radio, You will be the only car in the park that can't communicate with other other guides in the park (which will severely limit your ability to see wildlife). We had agreed that a radio would be in the car - and he guaranteed this, but told us it was broken after we had driven 5 hours and were in the park so there was no turning back.
3, Tiny windows (like being in a plane), other operators have jeeps with windows twice the size. Im 5'9 and had to hunch to see anything. He will try to say Tanzania requires all cars must be the same model, this is just not true. Look at photos yourself!
4. Philemon tried to put up into a budget lodge after we specifically discussed the lodges we wanted to be in (and had a written contract). We agreed to the lodges and then he tried to make last minute changes to get us in a cheaper one. What a joke!
5. Philemon tried to cut out a full day of our itinerary (we paid for 5 days, but to save money on park fees etc, he tried to persuade us the safari was only a 4 day trip). We agreed to itinerary e tried to change when we were mid way through!
6. Philemon will require you pay in full upfront. And he is very sweet to work with to start, but once he gets paid in full, he will ignore you and you will receive terrible service from him.
There are so many other operators, just dont risk your once in a lifetime trip. We chose this company because of the tripadvisor reviews, but it appears that they may not all be true. While out on safari, we did meet several couples/families who had chosen Leopard Tours and seemed to love it. They had modern cars, working radios, and very intelligent and knowledgeable guides. We cant vouch for them since we didnt use them, but I would try anything else but this!
Really disappointed.
Just don't risk it.
RU
Email Ivan & mama Ivan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good for first time in Tanzania. From Russia with best wishes.
Our first trip to Tanzania. I really wanted to visit a Safari, see animals in their natural habitat, not in a zoo! Safari tour was booked at the last moment, having received preliminary information from the site SafariBookings.com. several companies responded Promptly, one of them Aardvark Expeditions. Head Philemon Joel (Philemon) immediately contacted us on WatsApp, we discussed the details of the tour and accommodation options. Philemon went to meet us without taking an advance payment, because to make a payment through the Bank did not have time, as well as experience of such payments. Upon arrival in Arusha, Philemon and driver Urio met us at the airport and took us to our hotel! By the way, the transfer from the airport to the hotel and back Philemon organized absolutely free. The next three days we spent in the company of Urio, following the program of our tour. The first day at Tarangire National Park was amazing with stunning views of the African Savannah, with majestic baobabs. We watched as herds of zebras and Wildebeest steadily go to water and back, not paying attention to the passing cars of tourists. At noon they watched a group of elephants hiding from the sun in the shade of trees. Another group of young elephants were looking for water in the bed of a dry river. Baboons strolled along the road in their large family, and surprised ostriches peered warily into our faces) at noon Urio carefully arranged for us to have lunch in a special area. We refreshed ourselves and continued our acquaintance with the territory of this beautiful Park. Urio told us about animals, their habits, embellishing their stories with ancient legends. In the evening we stayed overnight at Eileen's Trees Inn.
On the second day our way lay in the crater Ngorongoro. The territory of the crater is represented by habitats of different animals. Here we managed to see a pride of lions resting by the stream at noon. Very impressed hyenas and warthogs, which in the wild look even more bizarre than on TV) Vast territory of the crater, which during the day move thousands of different animals. The views are breathtaking. Unfortunately, our car was not equipped with a radio and we had to circle around a huge area in the hope of seeing a Rhino and giraffes. At the same time, some cars were equipped with walkie-talkies and could more quickly come to the location of the animals. At noon there was lunch again, and unfortunately it was not different variety from the previous day: sad dry chicken, fruit and dessert. Very upset by the lack of a thermos with hot tea or coffee( the question of food is worth considering for the future, because the whole day on dry rations, not everyone can stand.
On the final day we visited Lake Manyara. Here at last we were fortunate enough to see giraffes and huge herds of elephants going to drink. Surprisingly, this small Park struck most of all, because here it was possible to observe the animals in close proximity to the car. The roof of our car tilted up and it was possible to establish direct visual contact with animals passing by. It was the same sad lunch…
In General, the tour was very pleasant, except for small comments on the organization. Aardvark Expeditions has the potential for growth and quality improvement, but in a highly competitive environment, the service provided and the price look very attractive.
Don't be afraid to go to Tanzania, friends! And we are already planning another trip at the end of the rainy season to visit Serengeti…)
/mr. Ivan & mama Ivan
DE
Email Theo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience on the Kilimanjaro
My Friend and I came to tanzania to work in a hospital for one month. We did this clinical traineeship for our medicine studies and wanted to climb the Kilimanjaro first.
We didn't plan anything in Germany before so we needed someone, who could arrange everything. We had no climbing gear like sleeping bags or hiking sticks as well.
Philemon (the chef of aardvark eypeditions) was very professionell and managed to get us all the climbing gears we needed without paying anything extra. Furthermore, He could arrange the tour within 7 days. We booked it in Arusha but the crew picked us up in Moshi and it was no problem because we had Philemons Whatsapp number, so we could Talk to hin anytime.
The Crew (nine porter, one cook and two guides) was super nice and they took very good care of us. The guides were good informed, speaked good enough english and handled every Situation very professionell. The food was very tasty and sometimes even to much.
All in all was the Tour very nice, well planed and the team was great. The price was okay and Philemon was a great organizer.
I can totally recommend aardvark expeditions.
SE
Email Azra H | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience
Me and my boyfriend had a great safari experience thanks to Aardvark. We did a privat budget camping safari and visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ndutu, Serengeti, Ngorongoro (if I remember well, we did it in 6 nights, and 7 days). Definitely something to recommend if you are looking for a near nature experience! Our guide Godfreay was very knowledgable and made the whole experience even more interesting and fun. With him onboard you don't need a binoculars or to worry that you'll not see all hidden animals - he spotted animals from miles away! We could observe the nature and animals in our own pace, which we really appreciated. Our chef Moses was a real magician and made simple but very tasteful food.
CA
Email N Malik | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Value for Money with Aardvark Expeditions!
My husband and I did a 4 night Mt Meru trek with Aardvark Expeditions. We were very happy with the service that we received. Philemon went above and beyond to ensure that we were satisfied with the service provided by Aardvark Expeditions. He arrived at Arusha Airport to pick us up 1 hour early than our expected arrival time, and was not perturbed in the least when our flight landed more than an hour late. He was available to help us navigate through Arusha, even offering to pick us up and drop us off a few times to help us out. We were also able to rent gear for our climb from Philemon for a very reasonable price. As for the trek itself, we found that the food provided was probably not quite a 'fancy' as some of the (considerably) more expensive tour operators, but it was more than filling and was able to satisfy our picky tastebuds! Overall, we were very satisfied. We would trek with Aardvard Expeditions again, and we would highly recommend them if you are looking for a tour operator that provides excellent value for money.
SE
Email Christian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great service
Philemon took great care about us. Very happy with our safari!
LU
Email Mr. Damara Adhia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari Experience
Had a 5D/4N safari trip with my wife and 2 y.o son in November.
Philemon was fast response and very helpful in arranging our family trip.
Our guide and driver Julio was amazing and took a very good care of us during the trip.
Highly recommended.
US
Email Ejiro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our tour operator with very knowledgable about the animals in the safari and kept us entertained!
This was quite a wonderful experience! It was well worth the cost, and we saw so many animals in Tarangire National Park (leopards, lions, zebras, elephants, monkeys, giraffes, etc.). We were picked up on-time, and we had a whole tour for just the two of us, which made the experience feel personal and intimate. It was quite easy to communicate with Philemon about the itinerary, cost, and expectations. We received round-trip transportation and lunch. I would highly recommend anyone interested to go with Aardvark Expeditions when choosing a tour company! I would also recommend for people to think deeply about when they are choosing to travel and visit a safari as well as which safari to visit because different animals will be present at different safari locations at different times of the year, just to keep in mind!
PL
Email Micha? Lukasiewicz | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
It was amazing trip. We were nicely suprised about our tour guide. He was really friendly and helpfull. Whole trip was really fun. We saw so many plants and wild animals. This was our first time in Africa and he told us about culture. We will go to Tanzania one more time for sure.
US
Email Khalid Saleem | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very knowledgeable of all aspects of the tour
We had a great time,we were able to see all the wildlife close up. The driver was very knowledgeable of all the animals that that we were able to see. I would recommend this company if you are in the area and thinking about safari. Thank you Philemon.