Top Selected Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2020)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $170 to $600 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
DE
Email Paul | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An unforgettable family safari
I usually do not write reviews, but after this trip I genuinely felt that I had to share our experience. This was much more than simply going on safari. It became one of those family experiences that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
We are from Germany, and before the trip we were honestly a little uncertain about booking with a local Tanzanian company rather than a German operator. My wife and I speak English very well, but our little daughter does not speak English at all, so naturally we had some concerns about how everything would work.
Those concerns disappeared very quickly.
We started our journey in Arusha and spent some time exploring the area around Mount Kilimanjaro with our daughter before beginning the safari itself. The trip to Materuni was absolutely beautiful. We visited local villages, experienced a coffee tour, ate traditional food in the village and visited the incredible Materuni Waterfalls.
Later that afternoon, we went to the Chemka Hot Springs. Swimming among the palm trees, jumping into the small natural pool using the ropes and simply enjoying the peaceful surroundings was such a beautiful experience. We would strongly recommend including these experiences before starting your safari. They are completely different from the national parks and give you another perspective on Tanzania.
Then came the safari.
And there is one person who deserves the vast majority of the recognition for how incredible this experience became.
John.
From the very beginning, John was much more than a driver. His knowledge, experience and personality made such a huge difference throughout the entire trip.
Our first national park was Tarangire, and within about five minutes we saw our first lion hunting zebras. It was an incredible start.
What impressed us most about John was not simply his ability to find animals. It was his instinct.
There were several occasions when we arrived at a popular wildlife spot and saw many other safari vehicles gathered in the same place. Sometimes there was already something interesting happening, but John would look at the situation and decide that we should continue.
He knew that there might be something better somewhere else.
And again and again, he was right.
John clearly knows these parks extremely well. He understands the animals, knows their behavior and has an incredible feeling for where something special might happen. For us, that was extremely important because we did not want our safari to feel like simply driving from one crowded tourist spot to another.
We wanted to experience the wilderness.
John understood that perfectly.
He was also fantastic with our daughter. Spending hours inside a safari vehicle is not always easy for a young child, but John was incredibly patient and kept things fun and playful. That made a huge difference for us as parents.
After Tarangire, we stayed at Manyara Best View Lodge, which was absolutely beautiful. The infinity pool and the views alone were incredible. We would definitely recommend spending at least two nights there, especially because it works perfectly as a base for combining Tarangire with the Ngorongoro Crater.
Ngorongoro was another incredible day. We saw rhinos, lions and our first male lion of the trip. We even watched a small lion family taking down a large wildebeest.
Once again, John somehow managed to find exactly the right places at exactly the right time.
From there, we continued into the Central Serengeti, which became our personal favorite part of the entire journey.
We stayed at Sound of Silence, with beautiful tents situated on a plateau. The main tent was stunning, and sitting around the campfire in the evening with the park rangers while hearing lions, hyenas and elephants somewhere out in the darkness was an experience that is almost impossible to describe.
The wildlife in the Central Serengeti was incredible.
We saw a huge pride of eight lions, a leopard sleeping on a rock underneath a tree, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, elephants and eventually the Big Five.
And once again, John was the person who put us in the right places to experience these moments.
The final part of our safari took us to the Northern Serengeti, where we stayed at Olmijoho Camp. We also had a beautiful Bush Dinner at sunset with an incredible view across the Northern Serengeti.
The Hippo Pool was another highlight, with countless hippos and crocodiles.
But then came the moment that completely exceeded everything we had experienced before.
The migration.
We had already witnessed two smaller river crossings, which were amazing in themselves. But then we came across an enormous crossing of thousands upon thousands of wildebeest and zebras moving through the Mara River.
The entire spectacle lasted somewhere between 45 minutes and almost an hour.
We simply sat there watching and could hardly believe what was happening in front of us.
John told us afterwards that even he had never seen a crossing that large before.
It was absolutely spectacular.
Looking back at the entire trip, we genuinely believe that John was responsible for a huge part of what made our safari so successful and memorable.
The parks, the lodges and the incredible landscape are obviously important. But ultimately, the person sitting in the safari vehicle with you can make an enormous difference.
And John made that difference for us.
His experience, his knowledge, his patience with our daughter and especially his ability to recognize where the best opportunities might be made this trip incredibly special.
If we ever return to Tanzania for another safari, we would choose John again without hesitation.
For that reason, we are very happy to give Top Selected Tours five out of five stars.
If you are considering a safari in Tanzania, our strongest recommendation is to ask for John.
He knows the parks, understands the animals and has an incredible instinct for finding those special moments that you simply cannot plan in advance.
Thank you for an unforgettable experience. 🇹🇿❤️
We will never forget Tanzania
Email Simon G | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience
With the excellent booking process, the guide arriving exactly on time and the wonderful safari experience, I cannot fault Top Selected Tours.
The safari exceeded my expectations. Our guide just seemed to know where to find those elusive animals and we saw so much. The included overnight lodges were perfect at the end of busy days.
Booking flights, safari and accommodation later in Zanzibar was straightforward, better value and felt like I was supporting the local economy more. I would have no hesitation recommending Top Selected Tours over a package holiday.
AT
Email Irene & Markus | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very forthcoming and professional
We had a great experience with Kinaru, who was our guide for our 5-day-safari at top selected tours. The service was great from the beginning, since they offered airport transport even though we stayed in Arusha for one night before the start of our Safari. Kinaru made us feel very welcome from the beginning and we soon realized, that we were lucky to have him as our guide. Besides teaching us a lot about the wildlife and how a respectful behavior towards nature and animals while being on Safari looks like, he also taught us a lot about his culture, which was very interesting and insightful. We would always choose top selected tours again.
Superb! No dull moment with tour guide , Jackson!
Outstanding Safari Tour Guide – 10/10!
Jackson was, without a doubt, the best tour guide I could have asked for! His extensive knowledge and 17 years of wildlife experience truly made our safari an unforgettable experience. He knew exactly where to find the animals and had an incredible ability to spot wildlife, even when they were hiding.
Jackson was a true professional, passionate about his work, and dedicated to providing an exceptional safari experience. Beyond his expertise, he has a golden heart (lending a hand with a colleague with a flat tire truck). He was incredibly patient, kind, and respectful toward me as his customer and, equally importantly, toward the animals and their natural habitat.
I highly recommend Jackson to anyone looking for an outstanding safari guide. His professionalism, knowledge, patience, and genuine love for wildlife make him exceptional at what he does.
10/10 — Absolutely superb! Thank you, Jackson, for making my safari so memorable!
Email Richard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A fantastic safari tour company who go out of their way to make an amazing experience for you
The whole experience from Tol Select tours was 1st class from beginning to end. prompt swift and efficient communication from the very start of the booking made us feel at ease. The first day our driver Isiaya arrived right on time. What a friendly and knowledgeable person. He got stuck into the safari right away. Nothingness too much trouble for him. He has this 6th sense to know where to go to see the wildlife. We were so blessed to see the ‘Big 5’ within the first two days. He is such a credit to the company. The lodges we stayed in during the safari were amazing. Particularly the one in the Serengeti. That was truly magical. The whole experience was out of this world. It was booked as 60th birthday present by my wife along with two other friends. It was an amazing experience made all the better by the 1st class service provided by the company and our driver Isiaya. I would not hesitate in recommending Top Select tours and of course our driver Isiaya.
Email Karen D | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania Safari
What a fantastic adventure!
Wow, what an amazing time we had on our safari with Top Selected Tours. The whole experience was faultless from start to finish, with great communication. We managed to see the big 5 plus many more animals. The trip included visits to Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongora Crater and Lake Manyara national parks. The safari vehicle was very comfortable despite the bumpy roads. Accommodation was excellent especially the camp in the Serengeti (we didn’t get eaten by any lions).
A massive shout out to our guide Isaya who was brilliant. His knowledge, driving skills and sense of humour were simply the best. I cannot praise Isaya enough and highly recommend both him and Top Selected Tours to anyone thinking of booking a safari to Tanzania.
Email Fiona Goulder | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic tour operator who provided the most wonderful safari experience, could not fault anything.
We booked our safari trip with Top Selected Tours on high recommendation, and they did not disappoint. Communication (with Adabert and Jackson) throughout the booking process was excellent, always responding quickly, confirming receipt of payments and adapting our itinerary to meet our flight changes. Isayah was our guide and we were just blown away by his kindness, knowledge and dedication to make our safari the most wonderful once in a lifetime experience. Whilst animal sighting are natural and out of his control he made so much effort to enable we had the very best experience. We were fortunate enough to tick of the big 5 in the first 2 days of our safari, and saw so many animals in different landscapes. Accommodation was excellent (we did the 4 day/3 night Rhythm of the Wild tour) and the vehicle was comfortable with plenty of food, and drinks provided. Would highly recommend Isayah as a guide and Top Selected Tours as an independent company.
IT
Email Silvia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What an amazing experience!
Jackson was an incredible safari guide and made our experience truly special. His knowledge, passion for wildlife and great sense of humour made every moment unforgettable. He was attentive, patient and always happy to share interesting insights about the animals and nature.
We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Thank you, Jackson, for the wonderful memories — and for your incredible eye for spotting wildlife!
IT
Email Enrico | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kind, expert, hawk-eyed
Jackson is not just an amazing safari guide, he is one of those rare people who make an experience truly unforgettable.
Kind, funny, incredibly knowledgeable and, above all, a true lover of nature. His passion for his job is evident from the very first moment you meet him. He treats both his guests and the wildlife with genuine respect, and no question is ever left unanswered.
Thanks to his knowledge, patience and enthusiasm, we experienced the safari in a completely different way. He didn’t just show us animals; he helped us understand and appreciate the wild.
Our journey would not have been the same without Jackson leading us. We are incredibly grateful for the memories he helped create, and we hope to meet him again one day.
Thank you, hawk-eyed Jackson!
Email Karen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A safari with Top Selected Tours will bring your dreams true!
Wow, wow, wow is a phrase we heard often from our excellent guide John as we experienced so many amazing things with him on our 5 day safari through Tarangire National Park, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater and he was indeed right to say this!
We saw the big five multiple times with up close views.
We witnessed a herd of elephants having fun bathing, a pride of lions 23+ eating their zebra breakfast, sleeping leopards and cheetahs, munching giraffes, mating lions, migrating wildebeest making their river crossing to name a few!
Bird watching was also amazing from the smallest, most colourful, eagles, vultures, secretary birds and Kori bustards to the huge ostriches.
The accommodation at the lodges and tented camps was excellent with wonderful, friendly staff. Food was abundant!
Our private transfer from
Nairobi was arranged through Jackson and was an easy option to get to
Arusha in comfort, with the drivers guidance at the border crossing.
We did a private tour for the three of us and so had plenty of space to move around the 7 passenger seats pop up roof safari jeep. A comfortable vehicle with extra padded cushions for driving along bumpy roads.
The price was very good value overall and we couldn’t have asked for more on our trip. Remember to bring a good amount of extra cash for tips as is the culture here for everything.
We have no hesitation about recommending Top Selected Tours - Adabert was very helpful getting the trip booked along with Jackson taking over when we arrived, any questions answered.
Ask for John to be your guide and you too will be saying
Wow, wow, wow with him like we did!
Karen, Brian and Ben from U.K, and Scotland
