Crater Explorer Tours And Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $185 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Theo K. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour with knowledgeable and friendly driver and good cook.
I was looking for a tour to book so i reached out to a few companies. Emmanuel was quick to respond to me and called me to provide me the details of what I was interested in. He was answering every single question i had on Whatsapp. I did the Lodge option for 4 days which i would highly recommend over the camping option if camping outside is not for you.
Emmanuel really provided me the itinerary of the trip with all the lodges that I would be staying at. The driver Joseph was AMAZING, he made sure that we saw as much as we could, he has an amazing eyesight and could spot animals from a long distance and take us there. We also had a cook accompanying us (Nathan) and I was extremely satisfied on the quality of food he was able to make, especially in the middle of nowhere. We always had some salad, main dishes and fruits or desert. Nathan always made quality and tasty food. The safari experience was something of a lifetime we saw all big 5 and much more. Ngorongoro felt like heaven especially with the sunrise. I would never forget this and would recommend to friends.
US
Email Karl | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They made sure I was able to experience Tanzania to the fullest
I LOVE SERENGETI. Thanks so much to Crater Explorer Tours for getting us set up with such a great safari. They were really flexible and accommodating for our trip and made sure we were able to see the parks after Kilimanjaro. Saw all the big 5 and also determined my own Ugly 5 haha. Our driver was really patient and knowledgeable about all our animal questions. Would recommend Crater Explorers and working with Emmanuel for anyone looking to explore Tanzania!
We did a camping tour and it was so awesome actually sleeping in the midst of these parks. I felt safe but also a part of the action. We saw giraffe pass by our tents as the sun set! Food was delish, there was always hot water for coffee, and we got surprise wine to share over dinner! 10/10
NO
Email Emad | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari tour
Fantastic experience. That was once in a lifetime experience. I have had a lodge safari and the lodges were amazing.
DE
Email Halina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It was very beautiful
It was very nice, everything was very well organized. Food was very tasty and fresh. Praise to our driver Frank and cook Manuel. Saw Big 5 and much more.
(automatic translation from German)
CA
Email GMG | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A remarkable experience
Firstly, I booked this safari for early January 2022, but had to reschedule for COVID-related reasons. Emanuel was very accommodating and got me into a group for the same safari in late February, on the exact day I needed in order to fit the excursion into my new itinerary. Secondly, while the seven of us (two couples and three solo travellers) participating in this trek had all originally booked with different safari organizers (I with Crater Explorer), and I don’t know if we were put together by design or by chance, but it was a fantastic bunch; we had almost ceaseless conversations and laughs through the long drives and over meals.
Also part of our group was George, the amazing driver and guide we were assigned to. Not only did he know the name and facts about every animal we saw, he was an affable guy, as well as very adept at getting a land cruiser out of a muddy rut! And, while which animals one sees is a matter of chance, George also tried his best to seek out as many as he could. In the end, we viewed cheetah, African buffalo, yellow baboons, black rhinoceros, African leopard, Giraffe, lions, African bush elephants, spotted hyena, jackals, Thomson’s gazelles, bat eared fox, hippopotamus, cape hare, Grant’s zebra, masai ostriches, marabou stork, secretarybirds, kori bustards, crowned cranes, superb starling, African sacred ibis, lesser flamingoes, helmeted guineafowl, and probably others I’m forgetting. Each of us had a seat by a window and the pop-up roof was open often.
Camping in Serengeti National Park and on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater is an unmatchable experience. I wasn’t particularly pleased to find I had to share a tent with one of the other solo guys in the group. But, it was tolerable for two nights. The food was what one would expect on a camping trip.
All-in-all I’m really pleased I embarked on this safari.
HU
Email Ferenc | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best journey of our life
It was the best journey in our family's whole life. We were with two little children (2,5 and 4,5 years old) and firstly we can't find safari tour who are able to organise safari for as young children. But we had contacted the leader Emmanuel and he made me know everything about the safari.
The driver (David) was very polite and he knows everything about the circle of life of the National Park and Conservation Area. He always ask about the children are OK or not. We have a lot of good hot dishes during the whole safari, It was nice to have a picnic in that area. The driver always know where we are supposed to go in order to see the wildlife. We have seen almost the big five (except Leopard), but the best moment of the safari was that one male and one female lions layed under our jeep in Ngorongoro Crater. It was very-very avesome.
The Lodges was great first night was in the Serenity Hereditary Lodge in a well-suited five stars camp in the middle of the Serengeti National Park. The second night was in the Serena Lodge which has a great view to the Ngorongoro Crater It was avesome to see the animals from the bed.
Everything was really professional and we have the best time in that journey.
CL
Email Sofia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Experience
Wonderful experience, we did a joining group safari camping Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, they pick us and drop off in our hostel and we were able to see the big 5 and a lot of other animals, the experience with the gruop was amazing and we made good friends, our guide Mandela was excellent and give us a lot of useful information about everything, and the cook Charles did incredible meals for all of us.
Chatting and arranging everything with Emmanuel was the best, he is a very kind man and he made sure that everything planned went well.
SD
Email Tariq | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience with true professionals
Emmanuel is a true professional committed to quality customer service. This company provided me with the experience of a lifetime. My tour guide, Joseph, was amazing as well. He went out of his way to ensure I had the best experience, which I did. He's an intelligent man and a joy to speak with along the journey. He can provide an answer to any question you have regarding the animals.
The accommodation provided in this tour is top notch, especially the second night (if you're doing 3 days).
Overall, this company checks all the boxes. They handle everything from start to finish and really take anyway from the stress of planning it all.
DE
Email Florian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3-Day Lodge Safari to Serengeti + Ngorongoro
I planned my Safari from Germany so I was relying on reviews. I used Safaribookings.com to send requests to several companies. Since I didn’t know whether they would respond I sent out 5 requests. Turned out they were all very attentive, but Emanuel from Crater Explorer exceeded everything. He responded to the request via mail after less than an hour and sent me information via WhatsApp as well. He also provided a lot of pictures and called me several times to make sure all my questions got answered. He’s really interested and you’ll feel very well taken care off.
The payment process was a little confusing since they use Pesapal, which doesn’t work with all mobile providers in Germany (they block them and you get an error shown). After figuring out how to use it I made a down payment of 20% via Pesapal with my credit card and had to add additional money because of 5% fees. The same occurred when I paid the outstanding amount via credit card in Arusha (I did because I didn’t wanna take out that amount of money in cash). So the payment process and fee structure might be something that could be improved but in the end all the money went where it was supposed to, so no deduction here.
Since this was my first Trip to Africa, I didn’t know what to expect and was a little nervous about the upcoming experience. I flew into Arusha and a driver with a private car picked me up there and brought me to the arrival hotel (Venus Hotel) which was very nice and included within the overall price. I got a briefing with Emanuel himself this evening and my pick up scheduled for 6 am the next morning. During the briefing, Emanuel told me that we’ll be a mixed tour from different companies due to the COVID lack of customers
The safari started by collecting all the participants in Arusha and bringing us to a camp site, where we switched from Mini Van to Safari-Truck, meeting up the tour guide (Salim was simply an awesome guy with a lot of experience, which would prove very useful during the Game drives!) and the cook (Abou didn’t really speak English but tried his very best to accommodate all of us perfectly during our trip!) who would join us for the next days. We got a nice breakfast there and then went on our way to the parks.
The Safari itself was just one of the best experiences in my life and I would recommend everyone to do one if he or she gets the chance to do so. Absolutely Incredible!!!
We even had a mixed group regarding the level of comfort (2 including me were staying in tented lodge and lodge and 4 were staying in camp sites). Since you leave very early each morning, you don’t get to have breakfasts at the lodges, which I found a little inconvenient since I got annoyed by the breakfast boxes very quickly and the lodges had great dining. Besides this, the Serengeti Tented Lodge was quiet nice and the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge was simply an over the top exclusive hotel with a stunning view into the crater (and a shower up to European standards which was very nice after a long day of game drives). The drive in between the campsite and the lodge every night made it kind of hard to have nice sit togethers after the safari days but this is totally on COVID, since they usually put together homogenous groups regarding the places where the participants stay.
Again, the Safari experience was just absolutely amazing and I do 100% recommend a Safari in general and Crater Explorer as a Tour operator!
Since Emanuel wasn’t driving with us during the Safari, he decide to drive me to the airport on my departure day himself (together with his wife which, which I thought to be funny) to ask me everything about the safari and whether everything was up to my expectations. Guess that shows how interested he is in his customers well-being and that all things can be figured out with him!
Again, Emanuel, Salim, Abou ( and off course my super awesome Safari group from Sweden, China, and the Netherlands) thank you so much for making this once in a lifetime experience possible! And to come back to the Safari itself, we had a big game rate that was almost unreal (Big Five completed more than once with several sights even of the less common rhino and leopard)
100% recommended!
AE
Email May Chen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trusted safari agency
The agency took great care of me as a solo traveler. We a lot of cute animals :) saw all big fives. My stay at the lodge inside the national parks were also amazing. This is a trusted company.
