Dancing Zebra Safari
- Located In:
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United States
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Member Of:
- Africa Travel Association (ATA) & The International Ecotourism Society (T.I.E.S)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $550 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Barbara | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First class all the way!
We whole-heartedly recommend Dancing Zebras! We went to three national parks as a family. We have two kids - ages 18 and 15. Jessica from Dancing Zebras asked all the right questions and our safari was exactly what we wanted. We loved the private game drives and amazing guide.
I especially appreciated the booklet sent to us before our trip, spelling out our daily itinerary, suggested packing, tipping, etc.
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Email Rita | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing way to celebrate our anniversary
We visited northern Tanzania in February and stayed at several Nomad camps. The attention to detail and service provided by everyone at Kuro Tarangire, Entamanu, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti Safari camp was exceptional. Staff at Entamanu noticed immediately after we arrived at camp that I was congested and recommended ginger tea. By the next morning the congestion was gone and I felt great the rest of our trip. Each of our guides were very knowledgeable about their park and the animals there. They used their experience and knowledge to provide us with unique animal sightings and didn’t just follow other guides around. Camp staff was friendly and interested in our experiences. Our last night On the Serengeti camp staff surprised us with a cake decorated to celebrate our 30 anniversary, which is why we went to Tanzania.
Dancing Zebra listened to what we wanted to do and how we like to travel and put together a great trip for us. Emails were promptly responded to and Jessica always had time to take our calls. We told Jessica what we wanted and showed up to enjoy. Everything was arranged and Nomad handled all the details so we could spend every moment enjoying the parks.
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Email Jason & Allison | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dancing Zebra gave us the trip of a lifetime that we will never forget & live in our hearts forever!
This was truly the most amazing trip that we will probably ever go on in our lives. We wanted something different, amazing and a once in a lifetime experience for our honeymoon, and that is exactly what we had! From start to finish everything went seamlessly and exceeded everything we could ever imagine! From the amazing wildlife spottings during our safari, to the relaxing beaches of Zanzibar we fell in love with Tanzania and all that it encompasses. We are so happy that we had Dancing Zebra, Jessica & Ian along the way, there is no one better!
Within a very quick timeline Jessica planned us the perfect trip. She made everything super easy and really listened to what we wanted to do and see, she hit it out of the ballpark! During our time in Tanzania we had Ian as our tour guide and couldn't have asked for anyone better, we actually don't think there can possibly be anyone better! His friendly smile and personality made us feel so welcomed from the second we stepped off of the plane to the second he dropped us off for our departing flight. He knew the best spots to go to, was extremely educated on not only the incredible wildlife that we saw but also the culture and background of everywhere we went. Whatever we wanted to do Ian was more than willing to show us and made it an adventure we will never forget!
During our trip we visited Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti & Zanzibar. We fell in love with safari and honesty can't pick our favorite park, they were all absolutely amazing and beautiful! Neptunes at Ngorongoro had such an incredible vibe and view of the coffee plantation that it sits on. The Kubu Kubu tents were our favorite!! We would sit on our balcony when we would get back from our drive, overlooking the Serengeti continuing to spot animals and at night we would sit out there and gaze into the beautiful star lit sky...truly incredible! Zanzibar was beautiful and full of culture. Breezes Beach Club was everything we imagined...beautiful white sand beaches, sunny skies and total relaxation! We took a drive to Stone Town which was a great spot to visit, we saw and learned a lot about the historical town.
There was nothing about our trip that we would have changed, everything was incredible bliss everywhere we looked! When we come back to Tanzania, which we plan on booking Dancing Zebra again when we do, we would stay on safari for a few days longer. We loved spotting all of the animals and being able to just watch them for as long as we wanted. Jessica & Ian we can not thank you both enough for such an incredible honeymoon that we will continue to tell our family and friends about, and live in our hearts forever! You both made it such an enjoyable trip and we can't even imagine a better company to safari with than Dancing Zebra!
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Email Jane | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jessica with Dancing Zebra Safari Co is simply the best!
From our first inquiry call to Dancing Zebra Co throughout the trip itself, Jessica was helpful, patient, conscientious, and professional. The trip far exceeded any of our expectations due to Jessica's expertise, attention to detail, and commitment to plan a trip that seemed personally tailored for us. It is clear that Jessica has done her homework and wants only the best for her clients. The Lemala locations in Tanzania were stunningly beautiful and the Lemala staff/guides were extremely friendly, helpful,and hospitable. Jessica is passionate about the safari experience and is excited to share this passion with her clients. We couldn't imagine a more perfect experience thanks to Jessica at Dancing Zebra Co. and Lemala.
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Email John | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
In a word, Dancing Zebra was FANTASTIC -- most helpful with all of our questions and concerns.
Communications: Jessica with Dancing Zebra was super -- always quick to respond to every question we had.
Service: Dancing Zebra provided terrific service in every aspect. Timely and clear. Provided great details, travel hints, etc.
Expectations: Exceeded our expectations.
Safari Tour: The Tour was amazing. The three locations (all Lemala camps in Tanzania) were each different, providing interesting variation. Through emails and phone conversation, Jessica designed a trip that exactly matched what we wanted. She is very passionate about making sure our experience in Tanzania was the best possible.
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Email Mark and Nelly Emmerson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Delivered an unforgettable lifelong experience through local knowledge and attention to detail.
My wife and I had been looking to travel to Africa on a safari for a long time, we had many questions, started with Google and reviewed the many options available to us. One rainy afternoon we attended a travel exposition in Santa Clara where we met several tour operators, but we had no idea how fortunate we were to run across Jessica Mathews of Dancing Zebra. The minute we met her, we knew from friendly smile, detailed knowledge of Tanzania, and the fact that she is passionate about sharing her own experiences to provide others an vacation of a lifetime. After discussing our specific "safari" needs and expectations, she sent us an initial draft itinerary that was extremely well thought out and needless to say we were very excited about our upcoming adventure. After some additional discussions and some fine tuning based on her recommendations we had a detailed itinerary with a daily diary of what to expect. Everything about our trip to Tanzania exceeded expectations, from the time we arrived and met at the airport by our smiling guide until the day we left Zanzibar. A couple of highlights - first off our guide (Ian of Nomad) was exceptional, his knowledge and understanding of animals, local culture and respect for both made the trip very enjoyable. With his guidance we were able to see the BIG 5 (over 2000 photos taken) and so much more, we visited Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Northern Serengeti over an 8 day guided tour; The accommodations and food were also outstanding we stayed at Camp Kuro and Lamai Serenteti where the staff treated us like family, the meals and the rooms were first class. During our stay we also had a chance to visit a hospital (FAME) in Karatu, visit with some Masai children and walk with a Masai warrior to his village which was also very memorable. We finished our trip with 3 days in Zanzibar with some relaxing time on some of the most beautiful beaches ever seen. None of this would have been possible without the detailed knowledge of Jessica, every part of our trip was well though out, and the logistics of all travel was carried out without a single glitch! I would highly recommend Jessica if you and your loved ones want to experience Tanzania, she is wonderful to work with and has the knowledge and passion to make it a memorable lifelong experience!!
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Email John D. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Planned a Perfect Safari Experience and Adventure !!
From the moment we first met Jessica at the Los Angeles Travel Show, we knew we were making the right choice with our safari planner. While there were many safari companies to choose from, Jessica was friendly, knowledgeable, and genuine. It was important to us that our tourism dollars remained in Tanzania and were used to fund local operators, camps, and lodges that were owned and run by Tanzanians who employed Tanzanian staff. Jessica’s focus on cultural authenticity, conservation, and local empowerment was just what we wanted.
Since it was only my wife and I to accommodate, we were also looking for a safari planner who could arrange both shared and private safari vehicles and mix mid-level and luxury accommodations to keep our overall cost reasonable. While we had previously talked with some safari planners who were inflexible with these requests, Jessica planned the perfect trip, with the right mix of rustic, yet luxurious accommodations, and both shared and private safari experiences, in absolutely beautiful and authentic settings. She also worked with very well-respected local operators and incredibly knowledgeable and friendly local safari guides (including our new Rafiki, Ian), who all made our 14-day journey through Tanzania exceptionally special. Jessica and the Dancing Zebra team gave us a trip of a lifetime that was beyond what we had imagined. We can’t wait to work with her again!
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Email Candace S. Brown | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I did not want the trip to end, I was ready to find a job!
Every detail was taken care of, the accommodations were beyond what I expected and the staff were wonderful and welcoming. No one could have ever prepared me for what to expect, but it was like a dream, so Now that I am awake I need to go back !
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Email Dick Cataldi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our Guide, vehicle, choice of camps, length of stay at each and quality of experience was excellent!
Dancing Zebra provided us with a quality guide, Alfred who was amazing in all aspects. Dunia camp was a great fit for our 4 days on the Serengeti, and Gibbs Farm was a wonderful choice for our 2 days in the NgoroNgoro crater area. We had to make some last minute transportation changes due to the schedules of family members living in Tanzania and Dancing Zebra (Jessica Mathews) arranged the changes seamlessly.
Having one guide, Alfred, through both locations was wonderful. Alfred provided excellent viewing opportunities and was very knowledgeable about all the wildlife, plants, geography, and history. We missed not having Alfred for the walk at the NgoroNgoro rim which turned out being a tedious hike through some dense vegetation. Overall we came home with 2000 wonderful photos and great memories. I wish we could have stayed longer.
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Email Jess | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent and memorable Serengeti and Ngorongoro safari
My husband, parents, and I spent 6 days on safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro and had a fantastic time! Communications from Dancing Zebra was excellent prior to the trip. Both Jessica and Abdullie provided great advice and insights in planning and were also very accommodating for some last minute changes in our flight and pick-up itinerary. We loved the extra special touches from both Dancing Zebra (customized printed itinerary book, safari luggage tags) and their in-country partner Asilia (fancy metal water bottles, safari books for tracking animals, airport lounge access). Our guide (Alfred from Asilia) was amazing and our lodging (Dunia Camp in Serengeti, Gibbs Farm near Ngorongoro) was also fantastic. Our guide was professional, knowledgable, flexible, and friendly. We had so many wonderful memorable moments from seeing huge herd of migrating zebra and wildebeest to shared picnic meals in the parks with excellent food and beautiful views of nature. We LOVED staying at Dunia Camp- specifically sharing communal dining, campfire stories, singing, and dancing with the ladies on staff there. Gibbs Farm was a beautiful tropical garden / farm paradise that was a great place to relax after being on safari and spending a long day driving from Serengeti. Food at both places was delicious by all standards (not just 'safari-good') and the boxed breakfasts and lunches were all delightful as well. We would definitely recommend Dancing Zebra to other travelers.