The Safari Soles Team
Safari Soles
- Offices In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2018)
- Member Of:
- TTB & TAT0
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $1,800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
DK
Email Anders | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An overall good experience with room for improvement
What we liked
- Our main contact person (Boniface) was super quick at responding and always very friendly and informative.
- The lodge we mainly stayed at (Arusha Farm House) was beautifully constructed, had a nice garden with pool, bar and sofas and a well equipped gym
- Both the safaris at Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro were absolutely amazing and we saw many of the animals that we hoped to see
- Between the two safari days we stayed at Suricata Boma Lodge, which blew our minds with its stunning views over Lake Manyara, friendly staff and authentically designed rooms
- Our guide on the Foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro tour (Balthazary) was happy and cheerful, and very knowledgeable. He shared lots of stories and facts about the places we visited, giving us insights into the life of the Tanzanian people today.
The coffee farm was also an incredible experience. We were given thorough insights into the production of coffee, from coffee berry to processing, and finally, to drinking it. It was the best coffee we have had in years, and the lunch we were given was the best food of our two weeks in Tanzania.
What could be improved
- The food was generally of a low quality. On the last day of our time with Safari Soles, one of us had a severe stomach infection (Campylobacter) because of the food. As we are writing, it has been two weeks since we came home and the infection has still not gone away. No guests should ever experience this again and we hope that this will be looked into.
- Although Arusha Farm House was beautiful on the outside, it was a terrible experience in. The acustics were awful, our entrance card had to be activated every day, the bed was hard, there was no hand soap, only half of the sockets worked, there were no bed lights and in the end, our toilet got clogged. Luckily, many of these things can be fixed quite easily and we really hope that this will be improved going forward.
- Our safari guide (Abouu) was mostly very quiet and did not communicate a lot with us. This was especially present on the first day in Tarangire National Park where he several times drove on, although we wanted to see the animals for longer, e.g. the giraffes, that we only saw once.
After we posted the above review, the owner of Safari Soles got back to us with a long and sincere response. He apologized for our inconveniences and promised to follow up with the relevant parties. Although it does not change the mixed experiences we had with Safari Soles, we very much appreciated the sincerity in this response.
CA
Email Sara Cote | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly team and great time for our Safari in 4 different parks
First, we have chosen Safari Soles after contacting and discussing with 3 other tour operators. Communication was friendly, easy and documents sent with details of our tour of great quality. Price for Mid-Range Safari (4 parks) 6 days + 1 day walk to the waterfall was a bit lesser price than 2 of the other agencies. One agency was less, but documents were not of great quality. So we chose Safari Soles.
Our guide was on time the first day, very "pole-pole" all through the tour, nice and smiling. We had good talks and greatly appreciated Saïd, as a french guide, he knew the animals and names (I asked a lot of questions about animals).
The jeep was not as new as other companies we saw and seats needed cushions added to be confortable, but we had no trouble with the vehicule, even in mud, we never stayed stuck, our guide was a pretty good driver!
We had a great Safari tour and we loved Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Our guide always took the time to bring us were he thought we would see birds and animals, we are such animal lovers that he did that "extra mile" for us.
The "hotels" that were planned were all nice and some were incredible, like the Suricata Boma Lodge, Farm of Dreams Lodge and Serengeti Safari Haven in Serengeti center & Ndutu. All the meals we ate were delicious, at the hotels and even as lunches because we had the Big Lunch Box with "hot complete meals" NOT cardboard box lunches. That was great, we really appreciated it.
Because it was our 20th couple anniversary, we even did the Balloon flight with Serengeti Balloon team and it was amazing! The team was so nice and smily, the flight was great and smooth and the breakfast after was delicious.
We had a memorable time in Tanzania!
Thanks to Safari Soles & Saïd
NL
Email Anastasia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A challenging but beautiful Mount Meru hike
We organized a 4-day Mount Meru trek with Safari Soles, including a briefing day and three days of hiking. Overall, our experience was positive, and Patrick’s communication made planning easy. Our guide, Antipas, provided a clear and thorough briefing, and we could rent any extra equipment on-site, though some rented items weren’t as clean as we’d hoped. The hike itself offered incredible scenery, with diverse landscapes changing as we ascended, and we were lucky with the weather—just a bit of rain on our descent.
The accommodations were comfortable, with a nice lodge the first night and private four-bed rooms in each hut along the trail. We were also provided with a private chef, and the meals were consistently warm, tasty, and energizing—truly appreciated after each day’s hike! The first day’s route was very manageable, with the second day a bit more challenging. Our guides were supportive, friendly, and spoke English well, helping us at every step.
For future trekkers, we’d recommend considering a four-day hike (rather than three) to make the summit attempt more comfortable. Our schedule required us to either summit just after arriving at the second hut or start at midnight, leaving little time to rest. An additional day would allow for better acclimatization at 3,500 meters. In our case, two group members felt mild altitude sickness above 4,300 meters, but our guides ensured we descended safely, despite the challenging descent in the dark.
For context, we were a group of four 30-year-olds in good shape with low to moderate hiking experience. We suggest discussing your fitness level, trip expectations, and each day’s route (including altitude, distance, and hours of hiking) with Safari Soles to ensure a well-suited itinerary for the best experience possible.
BG
Email Stefan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very helpful in the organising of the trip
We had a great time in the Tanzania national parks thanks to these guys. Bryson helped us make sure that our flights to and from Arusha will carry our extra sports (kitesurf) equipment free of charge.
During the safari we had everything we needed and we saw the Big 5!
I only wish our guide was a bit more talkative and would explain more things.
Email Christian Nordström | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We got everything in our 6-days safari that the company had promised in their program.
We are very satisfied with everything. The service, communication and the whole trip was great. We hade a good driver and he always tried to make us happy.
KR
Email KY | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience in my life
Safari tour in Africa was one of my wishes in my life.
I was looking for a tour company for it and chose this company because of timely replies from Bryson.
The safari tour itself was perfect.
I saw a lot of animals and almost of big five except rhino and experienced wild life of animals by myself.
During the tour, I could see the driver, Chery he did his best to satisfy us and the cook, Thula also.
But there were some inconvenience to me.
One is the hotel before safari tour and the other is some supplies for camping like towel, soap and so on.
It was free but the hotel was too small for 2 persons, noisy not proper place for foreigners.
And it was not informed that I had to bring a few things for camping.
Reply from Safari Soles
Posted on Nov 6, 2019Thankyou ky :), we are happy you enjoyed the trip with us & welcome you again to tour with us in future but (i owe future clients an explanation on the inconvenience on your side) the hotel we use is the greatest value option for budget travellors we use more comfort hotels for our mid range packages & even luxury hotel for a luxury tour package.
on your last day you opted to arrange your own accomodation we then informed you on mid range & luxury ones you opted for the luxury but to point one thing out is you choice of accomodation would have cost us half(50%) of the budget safari tour fee (for 2 nights before & after safari).
To our future clients who will book a budget trip all accomodations through the tour are upgradeable at your own
& it is important to know accomodation is one of factor to distinguish a budget, mid range & luxury tours other factors considered are privacy, fly in park options etc
thankyou & welcome again
ES
Email Francisco Camallonga Andres | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable experience!!
Bryson gave us all the facilities to make the safari to our liking, days, parks, hotels ... He was asking us during the wasap safari how everything was going.
During the safari our guide and driver was great and very attentive to everything.
Thanks for all!
ID
Email Amani Asvalayan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very well organized.
These guys did a great job organizing everything and were extremely knowledgeable. You will be amazed how keen their eye sight is whilst we are touring the wildness. They can spot animals before you can see them. Full marks and kudos to the team.
US
Email Alison | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great 6 day safari
We had an amazing 6-day Safari with Safari Soles and Ernest as our guide. Happiness George helped coordinate the trip and was super responsive, happy to customize the trip for us, and even helped with last minute changes over a holiday weekend after we had a flight issue.
Ernest was the best guide and really made the trip amazing!! He is very knowledgeable (taught us about Tanzanian and Maasai culture, words in Swahili, and about many animals and birds), and had eagle eyes for animal spotting - we saw the big 5, ugly 5, cute 5 and more! Ernest was well-connected with other guides and we appreciated his communication with other vehicles to make sure we saw all the highlights (including multiple leopards and rhinos)! We were impressed by Ernest’s professionalism and his genuine and warm demeanor- we felt like we left with a new friend.
Finally the hot lunches, drinks, outlets in the jeep, and binoculars were nice touches. Thank you Safari Soles, Ernest, and Happiness for a great trip!! We highly recommend Safari Soles and Ernest for anyone looking for a special trip.
US
Email Caroline Harvey | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari Soles is the best tour operator + Innocent is the best guide!
My friend and I chose Safari Soles as our tour operator based on online reviews - and we are so glad that we did. From the moment we arrived everything was lovely. Our transfer driver, Eric, was so friendly, even though we had a 3am pickup. Our first lodge, Arusha Farm House, welcomed us warmly even though it was 4am.
Our safari guide, Innocent, was amazing beyond words. He ensured that our safari experience was everything we could’ve ever dreamed of and more. He knew so much about the animals and helped us spot the most amazing things on safari, including three cheetahs eating a gazelle (and about 5 more cheetahs on other days…) three leopards, 25 lions, and even woke up at 5am on our last morning to ensure we saw a rhino in the crater (we saw two!). Beyond the safari experience itself, Innocent took it up on himself to ensure we were always comfortable and taken care of at our lodges. When he dropped us off on the last day we truly felt that we were leaving a friend behind! We can’t say enough good things about this guide and would 100% recommend that anyone booking with Safari Soles request him for your trip.
We also had a great experience with Renata, who helped us plan our safari from start to finish. Her responses are so prompt and she’s always happy to help! Safari Soles has a good relationship with many amazing lodges and camps. We were especially smitten with Farm of Dreams Lodge and Safari Haven. We also stayed at Ang’ata Ngorongoro Camp on my birthday and the staff filled with restaurant with song & dance to celebrate and brought out a cake! Everyone we experienced on our trip was amazing and we’re so grateful that we chose Safari Soles!
