East African Safari & Touring Company
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1992)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $230 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Jed & Helen from Virginia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded Expectations
My wife and I wanted a real celebration of our 35th anniversary so I sent out feelers on our first safari. I found Simon at East African Safari and Touring Company easy to communicate with and he took our desires and suggested an itinerary that seemed perfect for us. James was our guide and he could not have been better. I would highly recommend him. It's hard to appreciate how a dependable and stable vehicle is important but we did not have the slightest hiccup along many miles of pounding dirt roads. Speke Bay Lodge was excellent with a tour of the fishing village with John. Mbalageti Lodge was spectacular and meeting Alexander there was probably the greatest treat of all. He is a very special young man. The Serengeti was next for three days in a tent. Tenting at 62 years of age is quite an experience but those taking care of us worked very hard making our stay as pleasant as possible and our close proximity to the animals could only be described as way beyond my dreams for a spectacular wildlife experience. The animals along the way and driving into the Great Migration was overwhelming. Ngorongoro Crater and staying at the lodge was another experience that was spectacular. Lake Manyara National Park and Tarangire ecosystem just added to the sensory overload of the wealth of animal life. Boundary Hill was beautiful and "Comando" and "Patrick" would do anything for us. A foot trek with our Massai guide "Papa" is not to be missed. Ol Tukai would not have been so rich a time if it were not for the people there taking care of us. Joel was one I became particularly fond of during our time. They really seem to love to sing and a song from them was another highlight. Simon met with us at the end of our trip and asked for our comments. He put us up in a day-room close to Kilimanjaro Airport for a much needed shower and repacking. Everything about the trip can only be that it "Exceeded My Expectation".
PS. I read so much about crime that I was a little freaked but found that my health and safety were always watched out for and the hearts of the people in the places we visited were more righteous that any I have ever met. I knew the animals would be spectacular but I was not expecting the people to impact me so profoundly.
EASTCO excellent planning, knowledgable operater,and caters for individual ideas.
Here is our trip report from our safari to Tanzania with EASTCO, last September.
This was not our first trip to Tanzania, so we didn't do a normal safari.
We flew with Emirates from Melbourne to Nairobi and stayed the night at Silver Springs.
The next morning EASTCO had organised a private transfer for us to Arusha which was much more comfortable than the shuttles I had taken in the past.
Flexible departure time ,no crowds at the border, and more time to see the sights.
We spent a couple of days in Arusha visiting the markets , Arusha National Park to see the Colobus Monkeys and stayed at Momella Lodge. We stayed here before, my last time was over 10 years ago. The views of Mount Kilimanjaro across the plains each afternoon was the reason we came back . It has been renovated since my first visit and lost a lot of its charm I think as well. I was a bit surprised at how close to the park some of the farms and houses were now.
We then went to Ngorongoro Crater and stayed at the Wildlife Lodge for 2 nights. This was a special place for me as I stayed here on my first visit to Tanzania in 1985. No zebra steaks this time! But the views from my bedroom window were as spectacular as I remembered.
We had two trips into the crater, one early morning which was okay , but it was blowing a cold wind and we did not see as much as I would have thought. The afternoon drive was fantastic, a bit warmer and also not so many other safari goers. We did also manage to see a couple of black rhinos quite close near to the forest.
Then we headed to the Serengeti Wildlife Lodge again for 3 nights. One of the reasons we stayed here was the swimming pool which was built into the rocks, as we were travelling with a 9 year old child and wanted somewhere to relax as well as see the wildlife.
The Serengeti was superb as usual, lots of lions and 2 leopards, we also had a bit of rain and found some migration an hour or so away. The many hyrax around the lodge was constant source of entertainment as well.
The last part of our trip was a visit to Tarangerie, still one of my favourite parks and I never get tired of watching the elephants.
We stayed 1 night at the Safari Lodge , really enjoyed the views and the swimming pool.
We stayed 2 nights at Boundary Hill Lodge. The rooms were very private and the views spectacular over the valley below. I really enjoyed a bath on the veranda while taking in the views and the serenity around me.
We visited a Masai boma, it was about an hours drive to get there ,but the sheer remoteness only added to the overall experience. We did a night drive as well and saw a few impala, genet cat and bat eared foxes.
I think the combination of the Safari Lodge and Boundary Hill Lodge was perfect, two different experiences completely.
Everything on our safari with EASTCO was excellent and I am already making plans for a return trip. So far I have only been during the dry season, so I am looking forward to seeing the Serengeti in March.
Email Liz Preston | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
30 days Exploring Uganda and Tanzania
We have been back almost 3 months now and as our trip is still very fresh in our memory I thought I would write a few comments regarding what was to us sometimes worrying and then they became the most important part of our trip.
It doesn't need to be a 30 day safari for some of the things that affected us to affect others.
Visas:
Often mentioned on forums, do we do this or that. In the end we bought all our visas on arrival and no hassle what so ever. The officials at the borders couldn't have been nicer.
Health issues:
We are a couple in our early 60's and we think pretty fit.
Malaria tablets:
We did visit our local GP and he provided us with malaria prophylactics and we were vaccinated against yellow fever. A quick mention was made of other vaccinations but we politely declined.
We started taking the malaria tabs 2 days before departure and continued with them 2 weeks after we returned. I did expect to turn yellow, we have heard reports of soldiers during WWII experiencing this, we didn't but the most difficult part was to remember to take them.
We were not asked for our yellow fever booklet anywhere except on our return to Australia where were asked to show it.
We didn't have any other health issues, drank plenty of water, and ate everything that was dished up to us.
Vehicle:
We had read a lot of posts about vehicles. Ours was a Land Rover with four seats in the back, and a cool box for our drinks and lunches, this was great. Most of the other safari vehicles we saw were Toyota land Cruiser. We had a really comfortable ride no breakdowns or other issues. The roads were really rough in many areas and potholes all over the place. Dirt and dust became a common part of our day. The roof had a hatch that we could push up when we wanted to, this provided some welcome shade. I don’t think the type of roof with a canvas roll back would have suited us.
Food and water:
We had plenty of water in the vehicle which was supplied by EASTCO and it was topped as we were travelling along when the opportunity arose. We did stock up a bit in Entebbe after we arrived, which was a good idea in retrospect.
The food was generally well cooked and simple. Plenty of fruit and we also had extra in the 4x4.
Breakfast were pretty much standard wherever we went, juice, toast or bread and a sausage or frankfurter with tomato and egg. Coffee and tea is you wished.
The lunch boxes were also very similar, we did avoid the chicken and kept to fruit, juice, bread, and often nuts or a biscuit. Some lodges in Tanzania provided vegetarian pasties and chapattis which when we could have them provided the better lunch boxes. Chocolate was often offered as was the old favorite the boiled egg.
I would insist before you take your lunch box that you have some input into its contents, we always did and it was never a hassle.
Dinner, we had a variety of meals over the month long trip and the most noticeable feature was the excellent soup and homemade breads and rolls . I think pumpkin soup was the best. If you get a chance to sample the local fare do so it was fun. When we were camping we often asked for a local dish and were given it. Pilau was served up once a concoction of meat and rice, quite tasty. We always ate a lot of fruit and drank plenty of water.
Accommodation:
We stayed in a variety of accommodation from what I would call a very luxury lodge, to simple tents and then basic guest houses. I have done reviews of the accommodation elsewhere so here I will confine my comment to one per lodge.
Momella lodge had the old world atmosphere. Boundary Hill Lodge the loo with a spectacular view. Speke Bay the lake. The Boma the bed after a long flight. White Rose Guest House frankfurters. Ngorongoro Wildlife lodge the view. Naitolia camp the best of them all. Camping in Uganda was fun, Camping in the Serengeti not to be missed.
Showers:
Hot water and a shower is an essential part of my daily routine I must have at least two a day.
All the lodges and camps had hot water for a shower and the way it was delivered varied from a simple bucket shower in the tent to a beautiful outside shower under the stars.
Company:
We used Eastco for our trip. It couldn't have been better. In the planning stages, the most important part, we learnt a lot.
Go with your gut feeling, Simon was by far the most knowledgeable of all the TO we emailed, and he did go out of his way to answer all the questions and plan the trip we wanted. After the Egypt debacle and the Ugandan add on, organized on the spur of them moment we can only say “Thanks” it was the trip of a life time and was beyond our expectations.
We did follow the advice on the forum and emailed many operators suggested here, the list no expert provided was an excellent starting point, and slowly we worked out which company would work for us. Quickly eliminating those who obviously wouldn’t. We were not disappointed.
Guide:
Last but not least: Our guide was Inno and you couldn't have wished for a better fit. He was quiet when we wanted him to be, talked when we wanted to. All in all you knew he was there for you.
His knowledge of wildlife was outstanding as you would expect, as well as being polite and friendly.
Tip: we did tip him and one tip we learned was to learn a bit of Kiswahili.
Wildlife:
Almost forgot the reason for the trip. In one word superb, nothing can describe the number of wildlife nor the variety. Standouts would be the Gorillas, Elephants at Tarangire and the cheetah at Seronera.
Email Malpa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Safari with EASTCO
We had a fantastic safari with EASTCO. We had been to Tanzania before and this time wanted to go to some places we had heard of but had not visited. As well as this we wanted to visit some old favourite places Tarangire National Park and Boundary Hill Lodge.
We once again found EASTCO very helpful and flexible in helping us organize a safari that was a bit different.
On this trip we visited Lake Natron. I had heard much about Lake Natron. The drive there was very interesting following the escarpment and driving over lava plains. We camped at Ngare Sero for 2 nights. It was fantastic: the escarpment, volcanic mountains and colourful Lake Natron.
We then drove to Lake Manyara and Ol Tukai, EASTCO's new lodge. This was our first glimpse of Ol Tukai, two thatched buildings with very steep roofs overlooking the distant lake. There was a large herd of giraffe behind Ol Tukai, maybe 30 or so scattered in the palm and acacia trees.
After Lake Manyara we headed for Tarangire National Park and spent hours watching elephants. At times they were amazingly close to us. We then drove to Boundary Hill Lodge, a place we had stayed at before. This is one of my favourite places to stay: spectacular views, giraffe and elephants on the plains below, Masai and their herds of cattle and unique accommodation. Each room is completely private built onto the rocks.
After Boundary Hill Lodge, we headed for Babati and stayed at the White Rose Guesthouse. This is a very simple local guesthouse, but clean and comfortable, very friendly staff. We had a chance here to go to a local restaurant and try local food. We wandered along the lake shore and visited the market. Lake Babati is well known for its hippos and as we were wandering to the market, there was a hippo in the bushes by the road!
Our next drive was to Mkomazi and the Pare Mountains where we stayed at the Elephant Motel.
Same is along the road between Kilimanjaro and the coast, a very dry stretch of country and the dominating features here are the mountains that run parallel to the road, the Pares and further south the Usambaras.
Mkomazi National park is set north of these mountains, itself borders by other mountains to the north and then the dry plains further east. It is a relatively new park, and I had always been keen to visit, and experience the park for myself. The camp we stayed at was set on a slight rise, two large tents and a dining tent, set in some acacias and looking west towards Kilimanjaro.
The next morning we headed towards the South Pare mountains and the village of Mbaga. We reached the local guesthouse where we were staying the night, Toma. The guesthouse is built on different levels out of wood, a ramshackle assortment of buildings, platforms and lounge areas perched on a narrow strip next to the road. This area has many building from the colonial German times and was very interesting.
After breakfast the next day we left for Amani Nature Reserve, heading over the Pares and visiting Chome Nature Reserve, before heading down to the main road, to the coast and then up a steep winding road to the Eastern Usambaras.
After a walk, we continued into Amani and the guesthouse we were staying in for the next three nights.
The difference between here and Chome was striking. Being closer to the Indian Ocean meant that Amani was much more humid and wetter.
Amani is an old colonial town, or town hub, a couple of old stone buildings, one of which was the old Amani Club, which is now the guesthouse.
After our stay at Amani we left for Tanga. The drive was interesting, citrus trees lining the road as we got closer to the coast.
Tanga itself was very interesting. The town is a mixture of old German colonial buildings, some Arab style balconies and typical Swahili homes, tin roofed, with a small porch with a cement bed to spend the hottest part of the days sleeping.
These three nights we camped on the beach between Tanga and Pangani near to a couple of Swahili fishing villages. The tents were small dome tents and we had our own private shower and toilets. They were in a great location overlooking the beach.
Sailing here was idyllic, drifting along under the dhow rigged sail with only the sound of the water beneath the hull.
On the last day we went to Tanga airstrip, where we caught a small plane for Dar Es Salaam and our international flight.
All in all it was a fantastic trip with lots of different and interesting things to see. We had a mixture of animals, fantastic scenery, history and local culture.
I would highly recommend EASTCO who went out of their way to give us the trip we wanted and who were very flexible.
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Email Tourist from S.F. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best trip of our lives, with the best guide ever.
Simon King, the owner of Eastco, arranged exactly the safari we wanted, with the perfect mix of luxury lodges and tented camps, balancing our desire for privacy away from other tourists with our wish to see the wildlife, game drives with extra activities. He answered my millions of questions perfectly, quickly, and with patience. He managed to make our trip more affordable than any other operator we contacted, with far better lodging choices. Our favorite was Boundary Hill Lodge, a spectacular room with a spectacular view. Our guide James was psychologist, knowledgeable naturalist, eagle eyed, kind, humorous, and generous with himself. I cannot imagine a more wonderful person to spend almost two weeks with. We still marvel at our experience every day. Though it may sound like hyperbole, I can't imagine a better trip.
Email Conor Cusack | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
East African Safari and Touring company offer a good balance of budget and luxury
We went on a Safari with EASTCO as a delayed honeymoon and it was a 12 day trip from Uganda at Entebbe through to Arusha. Simon was very good at communicationg and organising the Safari effectively, and by the time we had paid up we fely confident in the company. The Safari was excellent as importantly bot the driver Cosmas and the Landrover were really good (the former being more important than the latter!) The accomodation was of a good standard and the full service camps were a treat, and probably the most enjoyable part. We saw more wildlife than we could have hoped for and had a once in a lifetime trip. Thanks EASTCO, I'm happy to recommend your services!
Email Mackenzie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing safari experience!
This was my second trip with EastCo and it exceeded my expectations in every way yet again! We started out in Uganda staying at Queen Elizabeth National Park before going on to trek with the chimps and then the gorillas. This was definitely one of the best experiences of my life and a definite highlight of the trip.
The staff were extremely helpful, organised, friendly and knowledgeable.
We continued on to Tanzania and the Serengeti and it was yet another amazing safari! Our drivers and guides, Izakyo and Wilson were very well educated on the animals and the environment.
I can’t thank EastCo enough for the amazing experience for the second time!!
Email Beryl Delaney | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Eastco was easy to deal with communication was good, sound helpful advice, professional service.
We had contacted several Safari companies and decided to go with East African Safari Company. Simon at Eastco was friendly and professional he assisted us with advice and suggestions we felt comfortable, confident and in capable hands planning our once in a lifetime trip. Communication was good and all our queries were answered by Simon in a timely manner. We had 6 nights on Safari, 3 of them at Ndutu Tented Camp the staff there were wonderful, food delicious. The time we spent in Serengeti was fantastic it really is the endless plain. We followed this with 1 night at Rhino Lodge Ngorongoro good accommodation friendly staff and good food, Game drive down into Ngorongoro Crater the next morning and it was awe inspiring up on the rim looking down it's so vast, the last 2 nights were at Ol Tukai which was a quiet wind down after the Safari situated overlooking Lake Manyara wonderfully relaxing, enjoyed a great walk with Masai Guides and visited a Masai village all very special. Food at Ol Tukai was the best of all the places we had stayed at. Our driver was brilliant and could spot animals we would have missed seeing without his skill and knowledge. We saw so many amazing animals birds etc too many to list we met some really special people have taken hundreds of great photos and have so many truly incredible memories to cherish forever of our time in Tanzania, thank you Simon and your great team of staff at Eastco for helping us achieve a dream.
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Email Rich L | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime...Thank You EASTCO
My wife and I went on a 12 day safari with EASTCO. Before choosing EASTCO, I read all the reviews. There were many great reviews and some not so great reviews. What I definitely understood that the #1 most important aspect of the trip is the selection of tour guide. Based on many great previous reviews we requested James to be our tour guide…we made this request one year in advance of our trip.
This review is neither a blow by blow detail of our trip nor a detailed list of what to bring or not to bring. This is a review of EASTCO and all that goes into selecting a tour company, accommodations, logistics and the tour guide.
I will begin with the end….this was the most spectacular trip and far exceeded our already incredibly high expectations. Without seeing it in person it is hard to explain the beauty of Tanzania, the spectacular amount of diverse wildlife and the friendliness of the people. We saw it all….the big 5 plus so many other animals and an incredible (surprising) amount of beautiful birds. The month of February means baby animals everywhere in the park….it also meant the migration. You could look in every direction and it would be impossible to count all the Wildebeest, Zebra and Gazelle’s.
The communications with EASTCO was exclusively with Simon King. During the selection and planning phase, I must have sent Simon 20 emails. Almost without exception Simon got back to me within 24 hours. If he was later than that, he apologized and told me why it took 2 days to return my emails.
The selection of James as our driver was fantastic. James is an incredibly good guide (as you can see by all the great reviews). He is very knowledgeable about the parks, the animals (he was a great spotter of animals)….we would say “how would you know it was there?”….remember EASTCO drivers do not use radios to communicate. He was also a very good driver. We drove approximately 1,500KM during our 12 days together. So many times I witnessed out of control safari drivers and others rushing from one place to another. As they rushed past us...inevitably they would miss so much to see from the varied landscape to the far off lions on the rocks. James made our vacation fantastic….that is how important a driver can be for the overall experience.
Our safari car was a Landrover Defender 110 with slightly less than 300K miles before we started and more than 301K after we finished. There are a lot of newer safari vehicles in the parks, but ours was just right for us. Our car had no mechanical issues and several times we pulled over to help out other broken down safari vehicles….mostly Toyota Landcruisers. The vehicle was comfortable and very effective….remember you are not driving down a highway in America, you are on Tanzanian dirt roads with so many ruts and holes.
The logistics of a safari can be a nightmare….there are so many opportunities to miss being picked up or dropped off. The logistics for our trip were spot on and perfect…that is very important and showed the communications between EASTCO and the drivers, greeters, etc were handled without incident.
Our itinerary was designed by Simon and I used the Trip Advisor community to get 2nd and 3rd opinions. We took a hybrid approach to camps/lodges. We flew into Kili and overnighted in Rivertrees in Arusha. The next morning we flew to Mwanza and had a driver pick us up an bring us to Speke Bay Lodge on shores of Lake Victoria. This allowed us to get to the Ndabaka with 15 minutes from Speke Bay to start our safari. Our 1st night in the Serengeti we spent at the Four Seasons Serengeti….our 2nd night was at the EASTCO camp in between Olduvai and Ndutu, this was a basic camp but very comfortable. Our next 2 nights were spent at the Serengeti Savannah Camps and in particular camp #10….we really liked the camp location and the overall experience with Serengeti Savannah Camps. On safari we did the balloon ride with Serengeti Balloon Safari’s…the ride was great (it is fun being in a hot air balloon) but the winds were not in our favor in terms of the migration and we didn’t see a lot of animals while ballooning. After the Serengeti we went to Ngorongoro Crater for game viewing and stayed in the most spectacular lodge & Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. The following night we spent at the one EASTCO camp I would skip and that was Naitolia Camp…we thought this was too far away from everything…but the camp was still very beautiful and functional just not right for us. After Naitolia we headed to Tarangire Park for 3 nights at the Boundary Hill Lodge. I thought that 3 nights were too many at this place…but that was only before I stayed there, we loved our time at BHL. The views are spectacular and we took one full day of just relaxing, reading and playing cards…a great down day during a busy safari. We loved the incredible wildlife in Tarangire and ranked this only behind Serengeti in terms of the wildlife. After 3 nights at BHL we went to Manyara Park for a day of game viewing. We like Manyara for its diverse landscape but the wildlife is certainly less than the other parks we visited. We ended our stays with EASTCO with a final night at Ol Tukai camp on the shore (the shore was one mile away due to the time of year) of Lake Manyara. The following morning James drove us to Arusha airport for our last part of our trip 5 days at the Next Paradise Boutique Resort in Pwani Mchangani…we booked this separate from EASTCO.
One last point, when we were at the Arusha airport Simon King came by to personally see how our trip went…we talked for 10 minutes and we shared our experience with him.
Overall a trip of a lifetime which was made possible by our planning, our use of EASTCO and of course our driver James.
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Email Audra | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the best experience in Safari!
I have just finished a 8 day safari organised with David at Eastco, from the planning stage, payment and eventual safari it could not have gone better.
With all the Tour Operators in Arusha choosing a company is probably the most difficult. We could not have been happier with Eastco.
This was our first safari and this is my first trip report, I read a few others to get a type of format so here goes.
Dates: 8 Days from February 5th to the 12th 2018
I travelled with my partner both in our late 20’s.
Parks Visited: Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu and Central Serengeti. We didn’t want to splurge but wanted decent clean accommodation. Our first night was spent at AruMeru River lodge, good food, clean and comfortable. We met David from Eastco in the morning and discussed our trip, before setting off to Tarangire.
Boundary Hill Lodge exceeded our expectations, the views of the valley below were the best you could imagine. Elephants could be seen from the verandah of the room it was a pretty good way to enjoy a sundowner. The Park itself offered lion, elephants, baobab trees everywhere. The highlight was the drive along the Tarangire River here it was easy to see elephants drinking, Zebra and Impala all over the place. We spent two nights here before going to Ngorongoro Crater.
At the Crater we stayed at the Wildlife Lodge again a lodge with a fantastic view. We did an early morning game drive and again saw animals everywhere. Elephants, buffalo, gazelles, lions sleeping, hyena as well as jackal.
Our 5th night was a highlight of the trip, we camped somewhere in the Serengeti Ndutu I believe and there were wildebeest with babies everywhere, as far as the eye could see. The main predators were hyena and jackal, lions which we expected to see where few and far between. We weren’t interested in birds but the superb starlings and vultures changed our minds, the Serengeti is all you imagined, open plains as far as the eye can see.
On one of our days here we went looking for cheetah, found one lone animal sleeping in the shade of a large tree. While this day was relaxing driving amongst the wildebeest was more fun.
We spent the last night at Seronera before flying back to Arusha in what was the smallest plane we have flown in not only was it scary but rough. The views of the areas we had visited showed us a different perspective.
Vehicle: We had a flat tyre but considering the condition of some of the roads I am surprised the 4 x 4 survived.
Highlight:
Boundary Hill Lodge: the view was awesome, food great more than enough and a good variety.
Serengeti : Wildebeest everywhere.
Eastco: David provided a perfect well planned trip.
Wouldn’t do again: Take the flight.
