Tanzania Specialist

More focus on their interests, less focus on the client.

We booked a two-week Northern Circuit safari in Tanzania with Tanzanian Specialist in September 2026.

Our guide, Philip Onesmo, was exceptional. He went well beyond expectations and helped compensate for significant planning shortcomings. We specifically requested him based on strong recommendations from other travellers, and his skill substantially improved the trip.

In fairness, the operational side of the trip was handled smoothly, with no hiccups or significant issues. That is a point in the operator's favour.

But that's where it stops. The main issue was the choice of accommodation in the Northern Serengeti. We spent three nights there specifically for the annual migration river crossings, yet Tanzanian Specialist placed us at Angata Bologonja, approximately two hours from the known main crossing points. This cost us roughly four hours of potential viewing each day and undermined the entire reason for including that stop or spending three nights atvthe location. It was also an hour and a half pre-dawn drive to the site of our balloon safari. Angata was also selected for two other locations on our itinerary. Given the repeated use of the same brand, I was left with the impression that the operator's relationship with the property influenced these choices more than our interests did.

They also included Lake Manyara on the itinerary with two nights at Manyara Best View and Spa, which, to my understanding, is owned or operated by Tanzanian Specialist. As we learned subsequent to booking and paying for the trip a year earlier, wildlife viewing at Manyara has been drastically reduced following the floods in recent years, so this stop provided next to no value relative to its time and cost, and did little to serve the primary purpose of the safari.

An extra night at Ngorongoro Rim Lodge also seemed unnecessary. Rim accommodation is expensive, and in our experience one night would have been sufficient. The additional night appeared to support the operator's logistics more than to improve our experience.

When I raised these concerns with the company, I received a boilerplate response that did not address the specific points I had raised.

My advice to anyone planning a safari is to choose an operator that designs itineraries around the client's interests and clearly explains its itinerary and accommodation choices. You should not have to conduct extensive independent research simply to cross-check the operator's recommendations. That undermines the purpose of hiring a safari planner.