Travel Partners
- Located In:
- Size:
- 100-250 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB, TANAPA, NCAA, Tanzania Top 100, Tanzania Private Sector Foundation & Tanzania Investment Centre
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Amy and John | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Poor selection of subcontracted safari guide, disorganized and inacurate information.
We selected Travel Partners Ltd. though not the most economical because of our initial correspondence with them. Belen was good to work with and did her job well. However, she was in a difficult position as her company was not as professional as she. Most safari companies do not require 50% upfront as do Travel Partners. Before leaving the U.S. we asked if a Bank (cashiers) check for the second half would be OK, and were told in writing that yes a check would be fine. Once in Africa ready to begin our safari they informed that a check was not OK after all and asked for funds to be wired instead. It is very difficult to wire internationally from the U.S. if not there to sign. Travel Partners pushed Belen to push us for the wire everyday during our safari. Most U.S. banks would not have been able to comply, fortunately we had an account at an institution that once all international requirements were met were able to wire. This issue was unnecessary, and caused needless stress. -- We tailor planned a safari to visit several parks in Tanzania spending most of the time in Serengeti including the north Mara area to see the Wilde-beast crossing. Our driver although pleasant was unprofessional and a very poor driver. We had two vehicle accidents during our 5 day safari, one could have been very serious, both were driver related. The vehicle and the driver had been subcontracted by Travel Partners. The vehicle was only in fair condition, (it caused permanent damage to luggage). One accident was a near head on collision at high speed with another safari vehicle (thick dust impaired sight), loss of exterior mirror and severe body damage to the entire length of the vehicle resulted from the accident. It was that close to being very serious. Due to the accidents, we had to ride with other safari drivers until our driver could repair our vehicle enough to continue. We had two experiences in other safari vehicles with other drivers, both were far superior drivers to ours, and the vehicles were in better condition (they even had cold water in the cooler, we did not - sometimes we did not have water at all.) A flight from central Serengeti to Zanzibar was part of our itinerary. Our flight was to leave Serengeti at 11:00 a.m. and arrive Zanzibar at 2:00 p.m. via Arusha. Although not the fault of Travel Partners, the flight was delayed both at Serengeti and in Arusha, so we arrived at 6:00 pm causing a loss of 4 hours in Zanzibar - Belen said she would try to get some compensation from the airline if possible.
--In spite of the above mentioned incidents, we enjoyed the experience. The accommodations were charming, and we were able to see so many animals. Serengeti is very beautiful!
--Overall, I would suggest looking at another safari company to plan your safari. The wonderful experience of being in Tanzania and the parks was not the result of Travel Partners, it was Tanzania itself. A different company could enhance the experience rather than inhibit it.
Reply from Travel Partners
Posted on Sep 11, 2018Dear Amy, we regret you didnt have the best experience in your safari. I would like to clarify some points mentioned in your review.
We have very good and professional drivers as you can see in all our positive reviews, our clients are delighted with them. We hired your driver, since we were in peak season, from another company and we were assured that he was competent and professional. We apologize for his behaviour and we will make sure, as I mentioned to you, that we dont work again with him in the future.
Regarding the payments, most if not all licensed safari companies require a 100% payment, days before arrival, in order to pay all the accommodation and park fees. We facilitated for you a 50% downpayment, and the rest to be paid on your arrival, Also we provided for you the most affordable price considering that you spent 4 nights in Serengeti, with flights from central serengeti to Zanzibar, and accommodation at double tree Hilton for 3 nights.
The planning for your safari trip was very accurate, for months and trying to adapt and tailor all your requirements and budget.
We arranged very well your trip, your good car was available capacity for 7 people, all your accommodation as agreed paid in advance, full board accommodation, all your park fees paid on time, flights tickets were booked months earlier, your transfers, even briefing prior to your departure to greet you and gift of Ngorongoro and serengeti Migration map.
We regret that your driver didn´´´t meet your expectations and was not up to the level, but we find it unfair that you recommended not to use our company, considering that most of our reviews are positive and we have been operating safaris succesfully for more than 10 years.
Can’t say it was the best experience in my life
Things I liked:
- beautiful nature and animals;
- accommodation was perfect;
- the car was new and safe;
And what spoiled my impression:
- our guide wasn’t a real guide. I would say that it was a driver. I don’t remember anything interesting he told us about wildlife.
- a lot of cheating everywhere. It would be nice if a travel company or a guide warned tourists against all those beggars on every step. In a massai village native people literally extorted 40$ from us. It’s one of the points of the tour and I felt unsafe there.
- 5-days tour is very long. In fact, 3-4 days is enough for what we have seen. On the 3 day in serengety the driver dragged time and we drove with the speed 20 km ph. At 3 pm he brought us to the lodge. The only thing we saw on the fifth day is massai village (15 min) and then at 11 am we arrived in Arusha.
- there were a lot of misunderstanding with the guide and the manager. They asked additional money for massai village (100$ pp) inspite it was included into our package. Only my email to another manager helped. Plus, initially we agreed to leave us at the border with Kenya after our tour. They said that it’s no problem, it’s on our way. At the end of our trip our guide asked 100$ for it. That’s so miserable.
Email Himu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good experience with all arrangements taken care of
Everything was very well arranged. Except for our first gate entry which took more than 1 hour everything else was perfectly planned and done. Excellent professional and polite service through out our stay.
CN
Email david.w | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A professional agent with bount resource of Safari
The entire trip was well organized, the guides are experienced and enthusiasm, and also we are lucky enoughto witness the Mara cross several times.
Hope to upgrade the hotel/resort settlement both in Arusha and Lake Natron
Email Iona | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
6-day fly-in safari
Overall, we had a great first-time safari with TravelPartners. Arranging the safari from London was very easy - I was able to tailor our itinerary over Whatsapp and email quickly and efficiently. We paid half upfront by SWIFT transfer and the rest on the ground. Be aware that taxes can be added on to credit card payments, so cash is better.
We flew into the Serengeti on effectively our own charter flight, which was fabulous! We were then picked up by our driver in the Central Serengeti and managed to see a live cheetah kill in the first hour! Our jeep was great - a Landcruiser with a pop-up top. We spent the next few days in the Serengeti seeing all of the big 5 (aside from the rhino) and chasing the migration. We didn’t quite get a river crossing (it was a bit late in the year for that), but had amazing experiences chasing leopards around in the rain and listening to hippos grunting outside our mobile migration camp in the Northern Serengeti.
We drove out of the Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater, where we saw (at a distance) a black rhino - finally! Our accommodation was mid-high end and was therefore pretty impressive.
The national parks have strict clock-in and out times, which we were unaware of, and this affects how much time you can spend in them on safari, so it is very important to ask for this information up front. As a result, we had an extra day of safari time which we wouldn’t have been able to use if we had not negotiated (while on safari) to include Lake Manyara national park - which worked out well in the end.
As you are now not allowed to go on walking safaris in the Serengeti, you spend a lot of time with your driver, so it’s important to establish a rapport. Anderson, our driver, was very knowledgeable and accomodating. When asked, he was able to offer up lots of interesting facts on what we were seeing.
All in all, we had a great safari experience covering more or less the entire Northern circuit. Flying in saved so much time, allowing us to fit more in. Thank you to the team at TravelPartners!
RU
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
best time ever, i enjoyed
i like the animals safari, people and the excellent services of the company, i really appliciate and i would like to come back again and again) Thanks in advance!
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Email David L | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great guide / planner / equipment
Jackson was a wonderful guide. He used his knowledge of the area, experience with the wildlife, and what he learned about us to constantly position us for the best experiences.
Our planner, Timothy, provided good advice and helped us schedule+book lodges and our guide. He was constantly available for questions and very friendly.
The safari jeep was is good working order. No issues across our 7 days.
Jackson drove from Arusha to Serengeti to meet us at an airfield. We then spent the next week working our way back. Great trip.
The accounting team at travel partner is difficult to deal with. Paying by credit card is spotty. Wire transfers take longer than other places. Good luck if you are due a refund.
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Email Ellen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
very professional and friendly.
My experience with travel partners from the start to finish was amazing! I reached out looking to do a Safari and Zanzibar, and travel partners helped me come up with the best itinerary for me. I got quick responses and quick solutions. I loved how flexible travel partners were with what I wanted to get out of my experience. We stayed at the Manyara Safari Lodge for the Safari and it was excellent! The facilities were clean and peaceful and the staff were very lovely! I would recommend travel partners time and time again to anyone that asks!
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Email Sailaja | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Lifetime Experience with Outstanding Tour guides
We just came back home from incredible custom tailored Safari trip . This 10 day tour( 2 days Kenya & 8 days in Tanzania) with family is beyond expectations. Thanks to Travel Partners for making sure trip was smooth and memorable. All in all our game drives with experienced tour guides was amazing and everything was well arranged and service was outstanding. Family had a great time enjoying nature’s wonderful sights. Travel Partners was flexible and could accomodate last minute changes.
We were just amazed by everything we saw and experienced during our game drives. We are so lucky to see “big fives” almost everyday of our trip. Our resorts and camps were really incredible, both from a location, convenience, and comfort perspective. Hilary Baraca and Thomas, our talented guides were very accommodating, hospitable, and flexible and same time attentive to group's needs. Apart from our guides their manager Eric from Travel Partner is extremely helpful in in, it was an awesome and ones in lifetime experience!
It is truly a dream and lifetime experience that i wouldn’t mind to repeat
CN
Email Cassie Lin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
a worthwhile experience
Great safari. We were 12 people but travel partners were able to fit all our requirements. We visited Arusha waterfalls and National park it was really beautiful. Later on we visited Manyara and Ngorongoro crater. The best thing was sleeping in a tent and hear the animals at night. A worthwhile experience recommended to all adventure lovers.
