Our Amazing Guiding Team!
Shadows of Africa
- Offices In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $175 to $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
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Email Gabriella Bianchini Palma | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Flawless: everything organized to perfection
Communication was excellent, the service top notch, we got more than expected, the tour was as programmed and a bit of good luck helped a lot on spotting many animals during our safari. the guide, Loma, truly made the difference. Very nice and professional guide and person.
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Email Brent Oya | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wine Tasting Tour
Janice is very professional and has a great knowledge of wine and she knows a lot of Cape Yown’s history. She is very personable and will make any tour a special memory, we loved our day with her and would highly recommend Janice and her tours.
Email Tony n Louise | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
50th B'day trip of a lifetime
We chose Shadows of Africa as Inge was so helpful and was able to answer all of our questions and tailor a trip for our needs and budget. After arriving in JRO airport a driver took us to our first night's accommodation at the Moivaro Lodge in Arusha. The next day we met the lovely Dullah and Philemon our guide and driver and set off on our travels. We did Tarangire NP and headed off towards Serengeti NP staying at Bougainvillea Safari Lodge in Karatu and then onto Sametu camp for two nights. We then did the Ngorogoro crater and stayed at Marera Valley Lodge in Karatu. We ticked off the Big 5, saw a kill and had a close encounter with three cheetah juveiles who used our jeep as a lookout post. Our Serengeti balloon trip was an amazing experience with breakfast under an acacia tree. Our guides were very knowledgeable and the nicest guys too.
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Email Sarah R. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime! - contemplating on booking? JUST BOOK IT!
Our safari experience was more than I ever could have imagined! We booked an 8 day trip including 5 day safari through Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorogoro Crater and 3 nights in Zanzibar to end the trip. The safari was by far the best part of the trip - I highly recommend visiting all the parks we visited! We saw all of the Big 5 animals and even got the chance to see 2 leopards up close which is hard to find! All of this is due to our amazing driver, Sule. He made this trip all that it was! Sule was incredibly knowledgeable, fun and personal, and is a very experienced driver. I never once felt unsafe and he made the experience so much fun. I definitely recommend asking for Sule - we got so lucky having him as our driver! Overall, shadows of Africa did an amazing job. They are great at communicating prior, during and after your trip, booked the best places for us to stay, and truly made this experience very enjoyable. I highly recommend booking with Shadows of Africa!
DE
Email Karolina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
best exprience ever
Fantastic communication, fast responses, top of the top in organization — everything what we wanted to see and do, was organized for us. We had the best guides ever, and we felt super welcome during the whole tip. We will recommend that place and use this company for our next African trip. :)
Email Pablo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome Safari experience!
We did the four day Safari with Shadows: Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
Since initially contacting them we got the response from Inge who was super helpful during all the process of deciding what to do and where to stay. She also helped with all practical questions such as weather, clothing, tips, etc.
Our tour guide was Moody and he was absolutely amazing. He always tried hard to get us everywhere so that we could spot all the animals with the best views.
He has lots of experience and was able to respond all of our questions with knowledge.
The food was very good and we had picnic lunches including soup, a few options for main dish and some fruit or desert. Everything served with proper plates and cutlery which is nice.
We would 100% recommend Shadows and Moody as a Safari guide.
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Email jokemaster | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 Day Safari trip with Charles - BEST TRIP EVER - 5 Stars - 10/10 - August 2020
We researched and decided to make a last-minute safari trip to Tanzania after reading about the COVID restriction. We contacted numerous safari tour operators, and Shadows of Africa immediately stood out with their quick response and budget-friendly options. Our main point of contact before arriving in Tanzania was Lies. Lies was very quick to respond through Whatsapp and helped cater the trip to our preferences. Typically planning a safari takes months in advance, but Lies got everything set up in the span of 2-3 days!
We literally finalized the trip and paid our final bill on the same day we flew to Tanzania (a 24-hour flight). We were crossing our fingers and hoping everything would go well the moment we arrived at the airport since there was no way to contact while we were in the air.
We finally arrived at Kilimanjaro airport, showed our COVID results, paid for Visa, picked up our luggage, and then headed out to the arrival lobby.
Charles, our safari specialist, was holding up a sign with our names. Once we went to him, we were immediately greeted and brought to our epic safari truck. He helped us load the luggage, provided us with masks, gave us hand sanitizer, and wiped down the car's seats and door handles. We were exhausted from the trip, but little did we know that we were about to embark on the safari experience of a lifetime.
Our itinerary was as follows: Arusha, Tarangire, Masai Village, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater.
We are not going to go into the details of each day of our trip. But having Charles as our guide in Tanzania made the experience that much more memorable and unique. We have never met a guide who is more knowledgeable, hard-working, and has a passion for wildlife like Charles. The way he drove us around each park and showcased each animal to us was terrific. We had a goal of seeing the big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and African buffalo) and Charles went above and beyond and made sure we saw each animal. Charles even drove 100 kilometers deep into Serengeti just to show us cheetahs. Charles was so dedicated to making sure we saw all the wildlife, and we were so happy.
You know you have a great Safari tour guide when all the tour guides on the road are asking Charles for guidance on where to spot the animals. Charles can spot wildlife many miles away without binoculars, and we were always amazed. Charles's positive attitude is infectious and puts a smile on your face. He was social and friendly and conversed with us on the long drives.
Each day was an exciting new experience and allowed us to see so many of Tanzania wildlife. On our first day in the Serengeti, we were heading back to the camp after an exciting day time game drive. But we got lost because the original camp closed down due to no tourism. What should have been a scary experience, because it got pitch dark in the Serengeti turned into one of the most exciting adventures on the trip. We experienced a nighttime game drive, and Charles was pointing out all the animals as we were driving at night. I wished we would get lost every night!
Overall, we have ZERO complaints about the trip. We had such a fantastic experience. The parks were so empty because of COVID, so we really felt like we were the only ones and could see all the animals without interruption. Lies professionally handled our booking, and Charles expertly guided us throughout Tanzania.
If you decide to do a Safari, we wholeheartedly recommend Shadows of Africa and ask for Charles!
AT
Email Sophie Brunner | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very nice company, super flexible and definitely to recommend!
We had a really nice time with Shadows of Africa and our guide and can definitely recommend this company!
The service is really good upfront and tries to find the perfect offer for special requests.
We had a last minute change, which was no problem.
The lodges are very nice, the food is good, the car in a good condition and the driver very experienced and nice!
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Email Brock Rexius | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime!
We are an adventurous, well-travelled family that goes to great lengths to make sure our trips are well-planned and ultimately "epic" in nature.
We could not be happier with the job Inge and Moody did in fulfilling that goal.
From day 1 in the planning process, Inge (and Shadows of Africa) stood out above every other safari company. Inge was detailed, kind, honest and answered EVERY question we had in a timely manner... ultimately building the perfect trip for our family. She bookended a well-balanced blend of national parks with eye-opening cultural experiences that became some of our favorite moments of the entire vacation.
Getting paired up with our driver (and now "friend") Moody was the icing on the cake...and really moved the whole experience from epic to "magical". Moody was kind, knowledgeable, protective, sensitive and delivered a one-of-a-kind experience that we'll be talking about for the rest of our lives. Moody is obviously well-respected and loved in his field by his peers. I can not tell you how many times he was greeted lovingly by other safari guides, park staff and even people on the street. He has a passion for both the animals and the humans in his sphere. Consider yourself blessed if you are paired with this friend!
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Email Anne Hatfield | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
These guys are experts at planning perfect safaris!
We did a seven day/ six night safari with Shadows Africa and it was the most incredible trip of a lifetime. We’ve traveled a lot and felt like very confident trip planners, but quickly realized how important a travel agent is when visiting Africa. You absolutely need someone to help you plan it who is an expert in where the animals are at what times of year, the best lodges and camps to stay in, and just navigating the culture there. Tanzania is like no place we’ve ever been, and there is literally no way you can plan a trip to a place like this by yourself.
Inge Olgert was our travel agent and planned the most incredible trip for us within our budget. She helped us to choose the most spectacular lodges and camps. Each of our accommodations surpassed our expectations. They were all immaculately decorated for luxury, comfort, and the perfect safari theme.
Shadows of Africa handled all the logistics for us. Our guide Moody Kabongo picked us up at the airport, helped us with all our bags, and transported us everywhere we needed to go. He taught us all about the culture in Tanzania, and knew about every animal we came across. I don’t think there’s an animal he doesn’t know about. These guides seriously know their stuff. We were extremely impressed. He was so friendly, and we trusted him completely. We had the vehicle to ourselves for the whole week. Moody basically just handled everything for us (all the park fees, travel navigation, and luggage), while all we had to worry about was taking pictures of all the animals we saw and enjoying ourselves to the fullest. Moody easily became one of the best parts of our trip. If you end up traveling to Arusha, he is the guide you want. Moody is the absolute best.
Shadows even handled all the covid logistics for us there. The guides, lodges, and camps all took covid very seriously there and did their best to operate safely. We had to get covid tests for traveling back to the US, and our guide was able to schedule it for us and take us to the clinic. This clinic was pretty remote and pretty much everyone was not speaking English, so we were extremely thankful to have our guide handle everything for us.
I cannot speak highly enough of this travel agency. Everyone we worked with planning this trip was an absolute pleasure. Inge Olgert is an expert and is among the best of the best at putting together memorable trips. Moody Kagongo was the best guide we could have asked for. These people helped us to have the best trip of a lifetime. Because of their hard work, we’ll have incredible memories we’ll cherish forever. If you’ve ever dreamt of going to Africa, you want these people to help make it happen.
