Our Head Guide Nico and our Signature Hot Lunches
Unlimited Expeditions: The Soul of Tanzania
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $400 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
Email Lolita | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Seven Day Safari
The name of the company itself says much. The 'soul' of Tanzania was definitely revealed to us on our incredible seven day safari through its amazing variety of wildlife, beautiful people, delicious food and outstanding service. It all began with Helena, whom I contacted asking for an itinerary and quote. I had contacted several other safari companies but Soul of Tanzania immediately stood out because of Helena. Her replies were so warm and friendly and welcoming. She replied promptly to every email, answered all my million questions and put together a fantastic itinerary for my husband and me. And tailored it to fit our budget as well. Our guide Emmanuel was just excellent! So knowledgeable, friendly and always happy. He knew every bird and animal! We had lovely, lengthy conversations about every topic under the sun and learnt so much about each other's lives and cultures. Our itinerary included Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, Lade Ndutu (Southern Serengeti), Central Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Crater. All the lodges we stayed at were perfect in every way - food, rooms, service, surroundings. Our safari drives were amazing and we saw a mind boggling number of animals and birds! We were truly in wildlife paradise. We were pretty much the only people who had a 'hot lunch' every day of the safari while most tour companies only provided a boxed lunch to their guests. Emanuel would spread out the pretty Masai style table cloth and lay out all the dishes. There's usually wine provided at every lunch, but we chose beer (all included). Having a cold beer with lunch on a hot safari day is the absolute best! Our safari vehicle was always kept clean by Emanuel and it was well stocked with cold water (thanks to the mini fridge), juices and beer. There was a charging point to charge our cameras and phones too. In addition to the great service this company already provided, Helena went above and beyond to provide us with after-safari service as well! Our camera got damaged as I accidentally bumped the lens against the side of the car when our vehicle hit a ditch during a game drive. I am now in the process of submitting a claim to our insurance company and I had to get a letter about the incident. Helena once again rose to the occasion and promptly sent me a well drafted letter all within a a few hours of sending my request! Now that's what I call outstanding customer service!
All in all, we loved our experience and we will forever cherish all the beautiful memories we made in this beautiful country. Asante Sana Soul of Tanzania!
US
Email Daniel Pleasant | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzanian Safari of a Lifetime
After a lifetime of dreaming and a decade of planning, my wife and I finally took our first African safari in July/August 2018. One of the best decisions we made was selecting Soul of Tanzania to handle our week in northern Tanzania.
From our first request for information, the staff was always responsive to our many questions. Because of our time difference, I would send our questions in the evening, and could count on answers waiting in my inbox in the morning. It made planning hassle-free as we finalized our itinerary, customized the way we wanted.
We decided on an eight-day, private guided safari in Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti, with a side trip to Olduvai Gorge and a balloon safari in the Serengeti. Soul provided us with four levels of accommodation to choose from in each area (five in the Serengeti), so to keep within our budget, we chose the most basic level, comprising Planet Lodge in Arusha, Rhino Lodge at the crater, and Ang’ata tented camps in the Serengeti. All were adequate for our needs, and Planet Lodge was outstanding.
But the element that makes or breaks your safari is the quality of your guide. Here’s where we really scored. Soul matched us up with Edward, a twelve-year guide who seemed to understand us immediately. From the first day, when we came upon a lion hunt in Tarangire, Edward had a knack for finding the animals we wanted to see, then having the patience to wait till we could get the perfect shot. He worked with us on a daily basis to come up with the program for the following day. From talking to other guests on safari, it was apparent that others weren’t having the variety and quality of sightings we were enjoying. That was all because of Edward’s superior knowledge and skill, as he found lion and cheetah cubs, not one but two leopards, and even a dik-dik (five minutes after I said I wanted to see one).
Edward was also great at producing our signature, envy-inducing hot lunches, and was a charming dinner companion to boot. Our last memory is of Edward, waving with both arms, as we took off in our small plane back to Arusha.
Kudos also to Ben in the front office for checking in periodically to make sure our safari was meeting our expectations.
We highly recommend Soul of Tanzania!
CN
Email sara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience
Just coming back, Soul of Tanzania made our trip a lifetime experience, esp thanks to our guide, Ahmed, who beard in his mind every road in Serengeti, and is rich of knowledge of animals, which made us to see so many lions. We can tell that he loved his job, everyday he drove a lot and show no tired, and he also knows a lot about photographing, always helping us to catch good light. BTW, we enjoyed our warm lunch and even wines, wow, thank you so much, Soul of Tanzania. Highly recommend to my friends.
Email Peter | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari experience
Two of us spent 9 days with our wonderful guide Roger. We saw a great deal of the Northern Circuit of Tanzania during our trip and finished with day at Lake Eyasi to see a local hunter gatherer tribe.
We spent a while researching our options and felt SoT offered good value for money with a good review history.
Roger was excellent. He loves birds and was able to offer a lot of knowledge about them, but was equally able when it came to the other wildlife too. His expertise was apparent when it came to busy situations - he was always a step ahead of the game and able to get us the best spot to view the wildlife before other cars moved into position. He taught us some Swahili and we enjoyed our long journeys with him.
The northern circuit is absolutely fantastic. We saw so much during our week there and I would highly recommend it. Soul picked out good lodges/tented lodges for us to stay in, and as others have mentioned, the hot lunches we had were the envy of other tourists everywhere! The car was comfy too.
The only thing I would mention is we had a day at Lake Eyasi at the end of our itinerary (as suggested on their recommended itinerary). It was certainly a worthwhile trip, but in hindsight very expensive - it was charged at the same daily rate as the rest of our safari, despite not incurring the same park fee costs etc. While worthwhile (and geographically convenient on the way home from safari), I'd consider looking at other cheaper alternatives to see the Hadzabe!
All in all, I'd highly recommend SoT for your Tanzania safari.
DE
Email Viviana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just excellent! Amazing 16 days Safari Tour at it’s best
Just excellent! Not to miss if you are planning a safari trip to Tanzania
If you are planning a safari trip to Tanzania, you may find difficult to select a tour company. It took us a lot of effort to select one for our 16 days 20th anniversary trip last January. So glad that we came across Soul of Tanzania!
Everything was planned to the detail, to the best standards.They let you participate in the planning process, with a selection of routes, national parks and lodging. Once there, everything runs very smoothly, starting with a perfect conditioned vehicle and your guide picking you up at the airport, to a extensively informative meeting with Iris Duba, the Operations Manager in Arusha. Cant thank enough her to her assistance all along the 16 days trip. she is available for any questions or issues that may arise.
Our guide, Herman, is just fantastic. An amazing person, very friendly and nice to be with, with an incredible knowledge of wildlife of all sorts. We recommend him to anyone for such an adventure!
Please feel free to contact me here if anybody has questions about this review.
Viviana & Martin, Munich, Germany
CH
Email Herbert and Ursula | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Tour with Soul of Tanzania
Our customized 8-days safari trip was well organized and perfectly accomplished by our guide and driver Pius.
The itinerary was well-balanced so that we encountered a great number of wildlife. We had to face adverse weather conditions with flooding but Pius managed us through any difficulties with great skills and coolness. He never lost his patience and was very firm on matters when the situation required it. His knowledge about flora and fauna is impressive, and he proved to be an excellent lion, leopard and cheetah whisperer. We were very happy with Pius and can unconditionally recommend him and Soul of Tanzania to any interested party.
There were so many highlights that it is difficult to list them. The whole package was inherently consistent with every day providing some new experiences. One of the big highlights was definitely our balloon ride over the Serengeti. This is a unique experience.
Over all it was definitely a memorable journey in Africa’s Nature and our experience with the very friendly people we met all over the country. Good hotels and good food, sometimes great food (Ndutu Lodge) completed our adventure.
ES
Email Laia P | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just amazing!
Last week I came back from one of the best trips I have lived so far and which I will always remember. Two friends and I travelled to Kenya and Tanzania for 15 days and we had the chance to live the essence of Africa, its beautiful and different landscapes, its animals and its people. We did a long safari of 10 days (Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire), spent one day in Arusha, did a short trekking in Materuni and flow to Zanzibar, where we stayed the rest of our trip.
My friends and I agree with the fact that doing a safari of 10 days can be too much. I love animals and I enjoyed a lot watching them. However, it is true that once you have seen so many giraffes, impalas, zebras and wildebeest, it is no longer exciting to see more of these animals. That’s why we consider that maybe with 4-5 days in a safari would be enough. The best parks to me are Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
Having explained a little bit our experience of this trip I would also like to give me opinion regarding the agencies with whom we travelled: Spirit of Kenya and Soul of Tanzania.
On January we bought the flights from Barcelona to Nairobi and once we got them I started getting in touch with lots of agencies, Spanish and foreigner ones. I rejected most of them due to its expensive prices. We were aware that travelling to Africa was expensive but we wanted to find a more “affordable” agency but without having to renounce to the things we wanted. At the end I finished discussing our trip with only a few agencies and among them there was Spirit of Kenya and Soul of Tanzania, the agencies with whom we shared our amazing experience in Africa. From that moment, the only aspect that we took into consideration in order to choose one agency or the other one was the treatment received from the beginning.
Vanessa was the person with whom I discussed everything from the first instance and her help, kindness, predisposal and willingness to offer us the perfect trip were crucial factors to make our decision. She always answered my e-mails and questions very quickly (many of them in less than 24 hours) no matter the time it was. Her e-mails were clear and very detailed. She was very patient with all my requests and my constant changes of opinion. She offered us different combinations of routes and activities attending our preferences and she gave us too different accommodation options taking into account its level (high, medium, normal).
The treatment received from her as well as from the agency never changed and remained the same during the whole trip. Before our trip I read many opinions of different people and some of them explained that their agency adopted a carefree attitude once they made the first payment of the price. This was not our case and the agency was always willing to help and to make our trip possible. In addition, we were in touch quite often since they had to confirm us the booking of the different accommodations chosen.
Even when difficulties ahead they acted honestly and quickly. There was a misunderstanding with the total price of our trip since in the final version of the contract it was stipulated one amount and after having paid the 50% of the same they notified us that the sum of the total amounts was wrong and that the final price was higher ($ 1,500 more). From that moment I discussed all this issue with the general director. She apologized for the misunderstanding and offered us different solutions to avoid the extra cost. Besides, she offered us to the possibility to cancel the reservation and to refund our money as well as to maintain all the reservations made in the event we decided to continue with a different agency. Finally, taking into consideration all the options we had, we decided to continue with them and we only had to modify a little bit our itinerary in order to reduce the final price. Moreover, they also offered us an upgrade on the Tanzania side to their premium line: better jeep (we could charge our phones and cameras), better food (including wine), unlimited water bottles during safari of 1 liter and a fabulous guide. Also, I have to mention that, while in Arusha, where we were spending two nights in the same accommodation, we asked them to change the second night since we were not comfortable in the place we booked (it was dirty, the insect screen was broken, etc.). The agency answer very quickly and they changed our accommodation for the next night free of additional charges.
Having set the aforementioned, I would sincerely recommend both agencies (Spirit of Kenya and Soul of Tanzania) and if I had to repeat our trip I would clearly do it with them again.
US
Email Susan and Andy Desai | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Memories for life with Soul of Tanzania AAA+
We booked our tour with Soul of Tanzania in February 2017 with tour dates of July 30 - August 7 2017. In hindsight booking with Soul was the best decision we made to make this trip a luxury safari experience and memories that we will cherish for life.
Pre-Tour: Responses to all emails from Joao, Luis and Iris were prompt and specific. No fluff – straight to the point responses that shows clear understanding of request. So in the end – you get what you are promised. We booked an eight days tour airport to airport.
Upon- Arrival: Soul of Tanzania car received us at airport. What impressed us most was that their driver waited till 3:00 AM in the morning when flight plans for one of the couples travelling changed last moment when they missed connection and reached Kilimanjaro in wee hours.
The Safari: Four things that made our safari a memory of lifetime.
First – the guide – Benedict. He is excellent - wonderful, patient, understands animal behaviors and has sixth sense on when action may be forthcoming. He is serviceable and shares detailed history and animal traits. Now we know Soul of Tanzania has many guides who are equally qualified, but we are beyond happy with Ben. Without Ben, this experience could not have been same.
Second – Vehicle. Our Toyota Land Cruiser was well maintained, had refrigerator, charging stations and was washed every day for best clean experience. Very comfortable for six.
Three – Food – Our premium upgrade provided hot breakfast, lunches and dinners served on tablecloth in real cutlery and premium wine at lunch. Quite a feat to relish in middle of nowhere. Ben was very considerate of food restrictions and preferences.
Four – luck and patience. Once again this is where Ben helped us find right excursions and his read of animal mood to say if a kill or river crossing was imminent. In my view if you leave it to locals and stop second guessing their instincts, you have better chances of seeing the best.
As to our safari, lots of details here but in a nutshell –
Day 1 – Mount Kilimanjaro
Day 2 – Tarangire national park . Saw a baby elephant calf milking his mother. Spent evening with Flamingoes at Lake Manyara.
Day 3 – South Serengeti – close encounter with Cheetah. Spent half day with Maasai tribe
Day 4 – Central Serengeti – Started out with lions in love act and drove through seeing tens of thousands of Zebra, Wildebeests and Giraffe migrate towards great river crossing
Day 5 – North Serengeti , wildebeest migration and river crossing at Mara River – Giant croc kill
Day 6 – Day of Lions in Central Serengeti. Saw over 40 lions in a day. Saw a gazelle give birth and newborn take its first step and lioness chase and kill a gazelle… circle of life
Day 7 – At NgoroNgoro crater with microcosm of all the wildlife at Tanzania…
Day 8 – Arusha coffee plantation, shopping and flight home
Post Safari – Iris met us to take our feedback. She is professional and genuinely interested in how they can drive continuous improvements.
In summary – while there are many tour operators with good credentials, you cannot go wrong with Soul of Tanzania.
ES
Email Justo & Mónica | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our lifetime journey
My husband and I went on safari for five days and we can say, without a doubt, that it was the best journey of our lives.
First of all, we would like to highlight Sandy's management, because with her help, cooperation and quick feedback we were able to tailor the trip to our needs. We were guided from the beginning about different alternative routes, we were provided with different suggested lodges, where we could stay, and left it up to us. Moreover, we must underline that never, even when there were setbacks before the trip, did they forget about us.
Secondly, we would like to give a big thank you to WILSON, our guide during the safari. WILSON is an attentive, friendly, helpful, polite, very intelligent, knowledgeable about the places, the weather, the animals and a very patient man. From the very first moment we connected and we will always remember how lucky we were to have him to elevate the experience of our journey. We had interesting conversations, he solved all our doubts (which were not few) about the flora and fauna in Tanzania, he told us curiosities and anecdotes and we learned with him the true meaning of HAKUNA MATATA.
Our safari started with the pick up at Kilimanjaro airport. Later on, we went on the safari through Tarangire, where we were lucky enough to see a lot of animals (baboons, elephants, giraffes, impalas ...) and after the game drive we moved to a lodge overlooking Lake Manyara (Kilimamoja Lodge) where we rested. What to say about this place: IMPRESSIVE. We will write the corresponding review on the page, but the attention, the details, the location, the room and the love, made our experience there excellent.
From there we left the next day to Serengeti via Ngorongoro (we saw lions, leopards...) and spent the night at Karibu Sametu. This camp enchanted us. The welcome was excellent, with exquisite manners and politeness. They took us to our room (always accompanied so as not to find any surprises) and we loved it. Spacious, beautiful, elegant and with a glass window from where we could see the sunrise of our dreams. It was simply a fantasy.
En route through the Serengeti, we arrived at the Melia Serengeti. The change of scenery was incredible, especially now in the rainy season. On that day we had the opportunity to see crocodiles and hippos, among other species. Of the Melia, which we will also review, it goes without saying that it is a paradise on earth. The facilities are breathtaking and the staff members (we had the pleasure of meeting Fernando and Nacho (Melia Ngorongoro) were charming, thoughtful, friendly and made us feel at home. It's great to see young people with such energy, enthusiam and a desire to take on the world.
The last two days were divided between the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara. The final night of our stay in Tanzania was at the Karibu Lion Paw Lodge. I don't think there are enough words to describe the beauty of the facilities, the breathtaking scenery, the service and friendliness of the staff and all in all, like living in a fairy tale.
The food was excellent in each of the lodges and the picnics were exceptional, due to the location and the surrounding nature and, above all, thanks to WILSON who took care of even the smallest detail.
We are very happy that we chose Soul of Tanzania via Safari Bookings, because thanks to them we will always remember the trip of a lifetime.
ASANTE SANA
US
Email Tjiska | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Organized, efficient, professional, experienced, and responsive to your personal interests.
The tour went exactly as planned but included some flexibility to take advantage of seeing as many animals as possible. My guide, Benny, was extremely knowledgeable and experienced at tracking animals enabling us to see a wide variety every day to the extent that it was almost jaw dropping! The personnel have a sincere commitment to making this a memorable experience for you and go out there way to ensure your trip meets all your expectations. Mine went beyond - not only did I see so many animals but I learned a lot about their social behaviors and surrounding habitat which made the viewing so much more meaningful and inspirational. Accommodations are first rate as is the hospitality offered capping off exceptional days with warm, welcoming comfort. I recommend Soul of Tanzania to anyone looking for an unique, fully satisfying, professional and exceptional value for a game drive of a lifetime!