Reviews

Average User Rating
4.9/5

Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 75
  • 4 star 14
  • 3 star 3
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 2

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 1-10 of 94 Reviews
Matt   –  
Hong Kong HK
Visited: May 2018 Reviewed: May 6, 2018

Email Matt  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of Matt and not that of SafariBookings.
Did not get picked up, terrible experience
1/5

It all went well before our trip. We got our quote, discussed with the company various information about our trip and pick up time, our number of guests etc... And we were anticipating our first safari experience.

We did not get picked up eventually. We have waited for an entire hour at the pick up spot, but we never saw the guide coming. In desperation, we tried to contact the company through all possible means -- WhatsApp, email, calling their number, and even trying to search for more contact information. All the call numbers cannot be reached, and no reply from the WhatsApp and email whatsoever.

We ended up losing all hope and ran to the town, booking another company in last minute.

We got contacted 3 hours later via WhatsApp, and we were told that the phone of the contact person has been stolen and thus the events that occurred. By then we already agreed to take an offer from another company. We were also very disappointed by the explanation, since we doubted whether it is entirely impossible to inform us via email, something that can be accessed with any laptop computer. We could also be easily found at our pick up location and informed in person, but we never saw that happen.

All in all, it was a terrible experience, and we wish that this would not happen to other travellers.

Desiree   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: August 2018 Reviewed: Aug 21, 2018

Email Desiree  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Incredible experience that exceeded expectations
5/5

With the huge range of tour operators and safaris available, I contacted 8 different operators. Donatus came back to me straight way with useful information, a budget price and a cheerful attitude. This looked the best value for our purposes as we were travelling on a budget. It far exceeded our expectations in every way. The staff were friendly, the food was exceptional and included a delicious breakfast, packed lunch and 3-course dinner freshly cooked. The atmosphere at the camp was friendly and relaxed and our living quarters, whilst basic, were comfortable. The boat safari was our first experience and we stopped to watch the sunset. The 4x4 experience the next day was incredible as our guide ensured we saw every animal possible, sufficient time at each stop and provided lots of interesting information on the animals, birds and plants. Early the next morning we had our walking safari led by a bushman with a big heart, a great sense of humour and lots knowledge. Yes, the journey takes about 6 hours to Selous, but it is such an incredible experience you quickly forget the drive! I really recommend both the safari and the tour operator.

Belen   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: September 2017 Reviewed: Sep 17, 2017

Email Belen  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Amazing experience
4/5

We booked a five day safari to Selous and Mikumi NP. Before going on safari we were a bit worried since we didn't have to pay deposit and everything was arranged via whats app. Upon arrival at Dar es Salaam I met the owner of the agency and everything was perfectly fine. They picked us up and together with another couple went to Selous. The first camp was beyond expectations. Great view and the tents were quiet luxurious. The boat safari was great to experience as well. The walking safari is more a bush walk and was quiet disapointing. The game viewing was beyond expectations and we saw many animals. During the five days we had a cook and he made sure that everyday we had good food with fresh ingredients. Our driver William was very helpful and explained us many things. The camp in Mikumi was a bit more basic. The park is less touristic which was nice. Overall, we had a great safari!!

Fenna and Levijn   –  
Netherlands NL
Visited: September 2017 Reviewed: Sep 16, 2017

Email Fenna and Levijn  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of Fenna and Levijn and not that of SafariBookings.
great safari with very good Gide/driver and amazing cook.
3/5

We just had an amazing safari in selous-mikumi-ruaha (7days). The driver (William) drove really safe and had al lot of knowledge about the animals and provides answers to every question. He's really experienced, knows the parks and the surrounding areas. Even when the car broke down he made sure it was fixed as quick and possible and that the safari wasn't compromised. The cook (Amos) was really friendly and happy all the time. He made delicious food (even for us vegetarians). We loved his veggie pies and he even made bush pizza! He made a lot of delicious food (often more than we could eat) and enjoyed taking care of us.
All the places we stayed where good especially the one in Ruaha which was inside the park! Because it's a rather new company we didn't really know what to expect. Just make sure to check beforehand if you sleep in or outside the park!! There where some small misunderstandings in our case but the company is open for feedback and we are happy with the way they solved the issue.
The only thing we didn't like was the walking safari. You won't see any animals and it outside the park. We also didn't like the way the bushman acted out all the things the local people did in the past. Some of the information was interesting but he was pretty loud and he was pretty focused on elephant dung (drinking from it, smoking it etc).
Concluding: great safari with very good Gide/driver and amazing cook.

Tea   –  
Slovenia SI
Visited: October 2018 Reviewed: Oct 26, 2018

Email Tea  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Experience we will never forget
5/5

We took 3 day Selous safari with boat ride, park visit 4x4 and walking safari on last day. Mr. Donatus expained everything about safari trip via mail and he replied imediatelly on all my questions. It was first safari for us.
They pick up us in hotel in Dar on time at 7.30.
Wiliam, our guide, is a person with a lot of knowledge about park and history of TZ. We saw a lot of animals and it was a life experience.
Camp is basic, but beautifull. Tents with toilet and shower.
Food was delicious, better than we expected.
I reccomend this tour to everyone.

Emmely   –  
Belgium BE
Visited: August 2017 Reviewed: Sep 6, 2017

Email Emmely  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Good value for your mony-great service
4/5

I would like to thank you for the organisation of the trip!
>
> We really enjoyed it!! Perfect on time. The travel by car is 5 hours, but the view and stop for lunch is nice.
>
> Maybe some suggestions for the futur : a voucher in pdf (more
> reliable/more professional) + upgrade the bathrooms (use of wood on
> the walls or something else)+ chairs in the tent to sit outside or for
> you clothes.
>
> Dinner and service at the camp were great.

> Safari was amazing : elephants, lions, zebras,hippo,... really nice

Nahla   –  
France FR
Visited: February 2018 Reviewed: Feb 5, 2018

Email Nahla  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

professionnel ,quality/price
5/5

Hello, we are a couple having stayed from 02/02/2018 till 04/02/2018. We liked the place, the welcome was warm, the roo and the private bathroom toilet were clean. The meal prepared by the chef was delicious. The staff was nice and very helpful our guide ' Saloum ' (saddened for the spelling:-)), was very kind very nice, he took care of us during the stay, he even found us a flight for return. Mr Donatus was very professional, thanks to him we were able to reserve and to program our safari from France . I strongly recommend thank you for all Nahla

Simon Betterton   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: December 2017 Reviewed: Jan 15, 2018

Email Simon Betterton  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The whole trip surpassed our expectations, with a wonderful guide.
5/5

Everything about the tour was brilliant. It wasn't comfortable at times - bumpy roads, accommodation with no electricity for 21 hours a day - but that was all part of the experience. And our guide, Saloum, was amazing - so helpful and flexible. He found us every animal we could ever have hoped to see in the parks, including a leopard and tree lions. All three places we visited - Selous, Udzungwa and Mikumi, were fantastic, and so free of other tourists. I highly recommend this tour, given that it was much better value than others we found.

Simon   –  
Canada CA
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 30, 2018

Email Simon  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Simon and not that of SafariBookings.
Beautiful Mikumi and Udzungwa spot but choose another operator
1/5

We highly recommend to go to Mikumi and Udzungwa, but not with these folks.

Here is an excerpt of what we sent to the tour operator:

"
Our guide was great and both parks are stunning, however we are mostly disappointed by the trip.

First of all, the way to Mikumi was 8 hours. We could see on the map that it was not close but we expected 4-5 hours top to get to an activity. It was instead 8-9 hours both ways, which on a 3 days Safari is a lot of time spent travelling. Knowing that beforehand would have greatly impacted our decision to do this trip.
This also meant that we arrived late to Mikumi national park and did only about 2 hours of game drive, but still had to pay the 82.60 USD entrance fee, which we paid again on the second day.
At the end of that first day, the lodge was comfortable but we had no running water for the sink, shower and toilet.

On the second day, the last minute change to stay in Mikumi and not do the planned hike to a waterfall meant that we did a game drive for the entire day, this was really disappointing since we chose this Safari for the hikes and activities on foot, but after two days we only sat in the Jeep, which again would have make us greatly reconsider taking this trip in the first place. Now another important point is the fact that the park was being torched to leave soil for the new grass. Because of this, the park was somewhat empty due to animals running away from the fires. This is a yearly event which we did not know would happen as outsiders, but we would have expected you to warn us when we did the booking at that time. Especially since we were spending much more time in Mikumi. So for the second day we rolled in circles for hours looking at the same few antelopes and zebras. It got to such a point that at around 4pm we simply told the guide to go to the hotel. We would have done it much earlier but we wanted to be respectful of our guide who tried so hard to find something interesting.

On the third day, we finally got out of the car to do a hike, but looking at all the available hikes in the beautiful Udzungwa (94.40USD) we felt like we missed a great opportunity to hike more. That last day finished late, at around 9pm we were dropped at Dar but we did not have any diner along the way, leaving us to wander in Dar after dark for food.

As for the money, we were also disappointed that you did not told us before that the park fees were to be paid by credit card. We withdraw a lot of extra chillings which we did not use in our remaining days in Tanzania and which we cannot convert in Canada. Around 200,000 unused chillings which were withdraw with a 15,000 fee, and then converted in USD at the airport again at a large fee. Also, the entrance fees were supposed to be around 80 USD per day, but the last lark ended up being a total of 259.60 USD (not 240 USD)

Finally, there were a few other points in the description of the tour, such as a visit to the Masaii and a python in one of the Mikumi lake, which apparently did not exist according to our guide. We choose your tour among other reasons for that and did not visit the Madrid village.

Overall, the guide and parks were great, but the whole management of the tour is simply sub-par.
"

From there we would have written a 2-3 stars above, but the response of the operator was aggressive and accusing us of lying, which is pathetic since all of the promises were clearly written in an email, so we had proofs.

The last email we received mostly stated that since the tour was a budget one, it was okay to offer the minimum and cut on what they deemed unnecessary. So if you don't like being played with, I recommend choosing another operator.

Salvatore   –  
Italy IT
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jul 12, 2018

Email Salvatore  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Excellent value for money and delicious food
5/5

We made a three days trip in Selous and we were really happy of our choice in terms of location and tour operator
The tour operator met all our requests in terms of timing.
The communication was easy and precise.
Our guide Seloum was really professional and tried to comply with all of our requests.
The camp was very nice and well mantained and the food was absolutely delicious: good quality and variety and well prepared.
The overall price very good if compared with other proposals.
I will recommend!

Average User Rating
4.9/5
Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 75
  • 4 star 14
  • 3 star 3
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 2
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