African Savannah Team
African Savannah Trekkers
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- TTB, TTGA & TLTO
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
ES
Email Aman | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Competitive prices, great communication but below average guide
We have mixed feelings about African Savannah Trekkers. Before booking our safari trip with them, we read all the previous reviews about the company and were very excited about the trip. The reviews were positive and we were sure that we had made the right choice. Maureen was super professional and the communication was professional and prompt. She answered the thousands of queries we had. No complaints there.Kudos to her.
Any safari trip in Africa is going to be memorable but what makes it extra special is the guide/driver who takes you on the adventure. This is what did not work for us. Horaz, our guide was punctual and drove well but that is where it ended. There was lack of energy and commitment from his end. We felt that he did not have adequate knowledge about the parks and animals or maybe he just did not show it. He did his job but the bare minimum. It felt a little rushed at times. We expect the guide to be more interactive and share stories/past experiences or anything that shows he has passion for his work. The whole experience felt very mechanical.
The worse part is that on our second day, Horaz directly told us that he wanted an 80 USD tip. This was very odd for us because tips are given when one is satisfied with the service. We were definitely going to leave a tip but it has to come from the heart. This way we felt that we were bullied into giving a hefty tip which our guide did not deserve. We were quite angry after this incident and it had left a very bad taste in the mouth. I definitely think that the management should address the issue and refund that amount. The entire safari experience does not come cheap. We are paying a lot of money and for most of us this is a once in a lifetime adventure.
A lot of the past reviews only mentioned Eli who also happens to be the owner of the company. Eli has got excellent reviews and I was quite disappointed when we found out that our guide was not Eli.
Again, the company is fantastic and has very competitive prices. But please make sure that you get a good guide.
CA
Email Don Wright and Deborah Loren | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our safari was everything we imagined and more
We reviewed dozens of safari tour operators, and all offer variations on the same multi-day itineraries. We settled on African Savannah Trekkers for a couple of reasons. They offer a four-park, six-day safari at a price comparable to the cost for a three-park, four- or five-day tour advertised by other companies. They are a small outfit based in Arusha; we didn’t want to deal with a big UK or US based company. And they were willing to organize the balloon safari for us and fit it within the itinerary. Once we confirmed our booking, they arranged it so that we could pay by credit card because we were travelling and did not have access to others means of payment. Maureen, who handles logistics and Elisante, our driver/guide, came over to see us at our Airbnb home in Arusha the day before our safari started and that was much appreciated.
Our safari was everything we imagined and more. Elisante got us deep into all the parks (Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Lake Manyara) finding us lots of families of elephants, herds of zebra, wildebeest, Cape buffalo, and gazelles, numerous hyena, jackals, leopards, cheetahs, lions, and many weird and wonderful birds. He was happy to let us watch animals for as long as we wanted — we noticed other safari tours paused only long enough for a photo or two and then took off.
Elisante was also very good at getting us a great view of animals, especially the big cats, even when other safari trucks were already on the scene. We expressed interest in seeing the flamingos in Lake Manyara National Park, and even though the lake was quite dry, he knew to go all the way to the viewing platform near the hot springs and sure enough, thousands and thousands of flamingos! Afterwards at our hostel in Arusha when we talked to others also returning from safaris, their drivers did not take the time to do this, a pity since this is the iconic attraction Lake Manyara has to offer as the rainy season approaches.
Lastly, we appreciated that one of the lodges Maureen booked us into is a social enterprise. Hhando Coffee Lodge is owned by the local Catholic diocese and hires local people in all capacities and purchases fruit, vegetables, milk and meat fresh from the village. The lodge also maintains a small coffee plantation and roasts it’s own coffee — and offers the best cup of coffee we’ve had in months on the road!
We felt in good hands with Maureen and Elisante, and highly recommend African Savannah Trekkers!
US
Email Alyssa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The trip of a lifetime!
Our trip far exceeded any expectations! Our guide, Elisante Ayo, was extremely knowledgable, professional, humorous, and accommodating. Always cold beer in the fridge! Really went the extra mile. Because of him, we saw cheetahs devour a baby wart hog, lions matting, zebra birth, and literally too much more to fit in this review.
US
Email Laura & Darin Rasmussen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
I didn’t see my review on the page! We fell in love with our guides and porters to Kilimanjaro
We fell in love with Philomena and Elisante- felt like family. On safari we saw all the big five and more! We stayed in the best places, made relationships far and wide and we are blowing up social media on this company!! We love you all so much!! Laura & Darin
IN
Email Vivek Joshi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Dream Fulfilled- Tanzania WildLife Safari
The trip was very well planned by Maureen , to suit our requirements and needs.We were 4 vegetarian family members., visited in August 2019.
It was 6N/7Days safari tour to Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara.
we are photographers from India and it was our dream to visit Serengeti for photographing Wildlife.
The vehicle 4x4 Land Cruiser was in very good condition.
The given accommodation at Country Lodge-Karatu, Hhando Coffee Lodge-Karatu and Green Hills Tented Camp at Serengeti , were very good .The Lodges were clean, provided us with good Vegetarian food throughout our safari tour.
Our Guide Horace was a knowledgeable person having a very good eye for spotting the birds and distance animals. He was quiet and answered all our queries promptly. He is safe driver, punctual and was friendly with us.
Serengeti is Mecca for wildlife/nature photographers. Here we enjoyed all three days viewing and photographing Gazelles, Lions, Cheetahs and Leopards. We were lucky to see Lioness and Cheetah hunting Gazelle.
We will Highly recommend African Savannah Trekkers.
All in all it was a Great Experience of Life Time -viewing and Photographing Wild Life of Tanzania!!!
US
Email Ed and Wendy (Colorado) | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience with African Savannah Trekkers!
We met our guide, Eli, on the Kenya/Tanzania border. He guided us through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater for 4 days before flying out of Arusha. We stayed at the Kubu Kubu Tented Camp and the Ngorongoro Farm House, both were fantastic. Our guide, Eli, was very knowledgeable and really great to be around for our time there...the game drives he took us on were amazing! Absolutely fantastic experience and would highly recommend African Savannah Trekkers. Trip of a lifetime...
JP
Email TOTO | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You meet nice people in this company
I went on 4-day tour with African Savannah Trekkers, and I am very convinced I made a right decision. I would recommend them for the reasons below.
1. Swift and Timely Response to Inquiries
They were always swift and timely in responding to questions by email. I got response always within 24 hours, while other operators had been slow or did not even respond at all.
2. Honest and Creative Proposals
I sent them what I wanted to do there without knowing much about geographies and traffic conditions over there. They came back to me with a few proposals with honest downsides at each options. That helped me to make a realistic and no-rush scheduling, which eventually I found very satisfactory.
3. Good follow up
I was traveling in the middle of India before going over to Tanzania, and I got a phone call from them to double check my arrival schedule. One of the concern you would have in a country you have never been is if they would show up at the airport or hotel. My concern was completely gone because of this call. The driver was at the gate of the airport, for sure when I arrived at Kilimanjaro airport.
4. You meet nice and hardworking people there
The drive is very nice gentlemen always tried to show me the best of the Safari. Gets close to animals, turns off engine, takes time until I am fine. I managed to see all animals I wanted to see. Also he is really hardworking man, making sure I get on the car always clean and tidy every morning. Their Toyota Landcruiser becomes literally dirty after a whole day on natural Safari roads. I saw him working quietly showering the Toyota and cleaning up seat matts when I was eating dinner under the sunset. Took a rest after me, and got up earlier than I everyday.
5. Reasonable Cost
I got some proposals from some other operators, and I found them most reasonable. Very transparent.
US
Email Chloe | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing Safari Experience!
My husband and I had an amazing 4-day 3-night trip from Arusha, visiting four parks: Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara and Serengeti. Eli was an excellent guide; highly knowledgeable, friendly, very accommodating, and a very safe driver. We really appreciate that Maureen supports Tanzanian business, and were happy to join a Tanzanian-owned tour company. Everything was very well organized and on time. We really enjoyed our experience and would recommend this tour company to anyone wishing to go on safari in Tanzania. This 4-day itinerary is a great way to see lots of animals and experience the different landscapes that Tanzania has to offer (savannah, mountainous, rift valley, rain forest, etc.). The Serengeti landscape is absolutely unmatched and is a must-see!
DK
Email Jesper Wittendorff | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Comfortable and very diverse tour with countless of unforgettable wild life encounters
With so many National Parks, and with so many tour operators to choose among, how do you make the right decision? Well, we sure feel like, we hit a home run. With African Savannah Trekkers we got all we had hoped for.
We took a 4-day tour in the Northern Circuit and it was breathtaking from the beginning to the end. We started in Tarangire and quickly got the impression that our guide had eyes like a falcon. He spotted so many animals that we never would have spotted ourselves. One time, we looked at some elephants, and while caught in awe and desperately looking for the perfect camera angle, he casually said "have you also seen the Lion"? And just in front of us, hidden in the tall grass, was a Male Lion taking a nap. This was our first encounter with the big cat, and there were many more to come.
We had all the time in the world, and we never felt rushed. We went to Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Maynara, and it was very interesting to see the animals in very different settings. The company was very flexible, and helped arrange a surprise Hot Air Balloon tour for my girlfriend in Serengeti. I can only recommend booking your tour with African Savannah Trekkers, they were so nice and the tour was awesome.
FI
Email Jukka | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Safari experience!! Highly recommend!
What a wonderful Safari! Everything was well organized by very knowledgeable and friendly staff from the beginning to the end. The atmosphere that they created provided a nice feeling throughout the whole trip. Everything was done exactly as we wanted and all our wishes were taken into account in a personalized way. The game drives were amazing and the driver/guide could always find the best places for viewing the majestic animals. We saw four parks - Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Tarangire and enjoyed every one of them. We would travel with African Savannah Trekkers again anytime and hope to do that one day! Travelling with them will provide the best that Tanzania has to offer!