Ecological Wilderness Adventures
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TALA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $2,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email John and Chris | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top notch guide, food was great and the wilderness was incredible.
The trip exceeded all expectations. We had an expert guide that showed us all the highlights - the cats, the migration etc. All of the staff was polite and provided great service. The big surprise to me was how great the food was - expect to gain a few pounds on the trip. We also had stops at a Masai village and local town. These tours should not be missed. The guide picked is up at the airport and made sure I visit was care free until we left.
Email Deborah | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
2-Week Safari - Beyond all High Expectations
Our family of 4 - 2 parents and two kids in their twenties - just spent 2 weeks in Tanzania with Ecological Wilderness Adventures, on safari. It was an amazing experience in every way. The owner, Brian, and my husband had multiple exchanges over email prior to our trip to plan the safari to our satisfaction.
We were met at the airport by Brian and our guide for the two weeks, Amir. Amir, was incredibly knowledgeable, had an amazing eye for spotting animals, was a fabulous driver on incredibly difficult roads, and had a great sense of humor. We feel ever so lucky to have had him as our leader for the trip. He knew where to be when, when to wait longer to see something spectacular, when to suggest changes to our itinerary, etc. We couldn't have been happier with him. We saw all of the animals we expected to see and many, many more. The animals were simply amazing. Seeing them in their own world was such a treat.
Our accommodations were all great. We stayed in a mix of lodges and tented camps. Each was great.
Amir says we now have to come back right after the rainy season because everything is so different then. And I have no doubt we will. When we do we will use Brian and Amir again.
Email Tom W | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Two perfect weeks on safari!
Brian, at Ecological Wilderness, did an amazing job planning our safari. We had never been to Tanzania, but had several friends who had gone. We shared our thoughts and ideas with Brian and he created a draft itinerary. I made some comments and suggestions and he happily revised the itinerary to reflect our ideas. Brian always responded quickly to accommodate my requests. We eventually arrived at exactly the balance of animals, culture, hiking and beach time (in Zanzibar) that was ideal for our family of four.
Our guide was terrific. Fun and knowledgeable. Equally adept at spotting animals and explaining current events in Tanzania. A great resource.
We loved the mix of staying is some lodges and some tents. The tents were not roughing it -- great bed, hot shower, flush toilet -- but allowed us to be closer to the animals.
CH
Email Claire | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Breathtaking experience!
I was in Arusha on a work trip and only had one free day at the end of the conference before flying back to Europe. One of my colleague, who himself was just back from a 2-day safari with Brian, recommended Ecological Wilderness Adventure so warmly that I did not hesitated too long. We booked the trip last minute but the organisation of the 24-hour safari was absolutely seamless. Brian came to pick us up at the hotel at the end of the day and drove us to The Acacai Farm Lodge in Karatu to spend the night. We were therefore able to enter the Ngorongoro National Park very early in the morning (around 7am) and be one of the first jeeps in the crater. Brian is a wonderful guide and a great person who made our safari an unforgettable moment. He has countless stories about the region wildlife, culture and history, and he’s such a good storyteller. I learned so much in 24 hours! We spent a good 7 hour inside the crater and then had to leave for the rather long drive to the airport (but always in Brian’s good company!). He even spare us Arusha’s vicious rush hour by taking a shortcut to the airport. The whole experience was breathtaking and I could not recommend Ecological Wilderness Adventure more.
Hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro with Dismas.
A+ in all categories. Brian was invaluable in the planning and his communications and explanations made the pre-trip planning oh, so easy.
The expectations...hmmm, getting to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro was a once in a life time experience. Because of my Dismas, my guide, cook, and my porters, I experience NO physical effects and just had a wonderful time.
If you think you can't.....you can with Ecological Wilderness Adventures :-)
Email Terry Gardiner | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari - packed with adventures!
We went on a three week safari with EWA to many parks in Tanzania. We saw all the birds and animals and found ourselves in the middle of the great wildebeest migration, wow. A very cool part of our trip was visiting four different tribes, including the Hadzabe hunter gathers. Our guides were first class and able to provide information on animals, birds, flora, history and geology of the countryside. Accommodations and food were excellent and tailored for those with special food needs. We have done some high end tours to Antarctica, Arctic, Galapagos, Bhutan, Sahara, National Geo etc. and Brian and his staff certain match or exceed the best. The tour was customized to match up to our eight member group and all the members personal need.
The trip was so fantastic for birds its convinced me to take birding up - I recorded over 200 species of birds, most with good pictures with a modest lens.
Each day seemed to top the next with new adventures and sights. Even our last drive to the Serengeti airstrip produced a pride of lions with three month old cubs and a leopard hunting through the tall grass. A great send off to a wonderful trip.
Email Dee Regan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A truly Fantastic adventure!
This trip was like a dream come true. My husband and I are both biologists, and we couldn't have asked for a more reliable, knowledgeable, trustworthy guide. Gerald is just the best! His English is flawless, and his knowledge about the wildlife and countryside is boundless (and you can be sure, we asked loads of questions!) I was apprehensive about the trip at first, never having been to Africa or gone on Safari, but the minute we got off the plane and saw Gerald waiting for us, my worries evaporated. He was such a funny, lively companion, a thorough scholar, and a true gentleman. Gerald protected our interests, was patient and responsive to our requests, and he was also a great deal more considerate of both the wildlife and other drivers than many of the other tour groups we saw on the trip. We had a truly amazing experience, and I cannot recommend Gerald and this tour group highly enough. My husband and I were completely awed by the trip, and we were so blessed to have such a wonderful guide!
Email Nan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Second Safari with EWA equaled the first—Wonderful!
This was my second safari with Ecological Wilderness Adventure (last one was in 2014). Again, the driver/naturalist/tour guide was amazing! He knew all the animals and their habits well. We found a leopard snoozing in an acacia tree and our guide, Gerard, said "We'll wait. It's about to rain and the leopard will come down out of the tree when it rains." That's exactly what the leopard did! Additionally, the accommodations and staff at our Serengeti Savannah Camp were excellent. We had comfortable tents, delicious meals and wonderful hot showers every evening. I hope I get to do a third safari in Tanzania. If I do, it will definitely be with Ecological Wilderness Adventures. They are amazing!
A great travel experience with a knowledgeable driver/guide
We booked our vacation after my son and daughter in law came back from a safari and sent us their pictures. Having now been on a safari ourselves, I can tell you that the whole experience is one to be remembered. Our driver/guide was Ameri who had previously worked for a number of years as ranger, there was nothing that he did not seem to know and explain to us. When we were driving along he would suddenly stop and say "see that ... over there?" when he pointed out where to look, we saw animals quite plainly but they blended into the background so easily, that without him we would surely have missed almost half of them. Even when the other guides around seemed to be drawing a blank Ameri would quietly take us to another spot and for sure, the wildlife would turn up there.
We found the camp staff very willing to help and the food was always excellent, nothing seemed to be too much trouble for them.
I can thoroughly recommend this safari to anyone who is interested in getting closer to nature.
Visited October 2015
MX
Email Laurel Patrick | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I got much more than I asked for…lucky me.
For my long awaited first African Safari, I wanted a custom, private tour, Guides knowledgeable in flora, fauna (especially birds), customs, history and geology and luxurious tented camp facilities.
Friends who had visited Africa on many occasions recommend Ecological Wilderness Adventures. They could not have been more right! Applause, bows and cheers to Ecological; experts in flora & fauna, knowledge, service, gracious upbeat attitudes, excellent equipment and comfort. I got much more than I asked for…lucky me.
To locate animals, Brian and his Guides relied on ‘reading’ the animal signs, in depth knowledge of the habitat and familiarity with the maze of back roads and water holes, past experience. These chaps know their stuff! They would willingly spend the entire day seeking unique safari experiences from a pack of wild dogs (very rare to find in Tanzania) to a full hyena den and all the species between. Brian’s ‘normal’ was to be the only safari vehicle in the area reveling in the unique and full wonder of the animals.
(A surprise to learn that many of the ‘other’ tour companies rely on constant radio contact to locate the animals. Who knew? Radio contact is a jarring, invasion of distracting foreign noise and the radio ‘tips ‘mean that masses of Safari vehicles end up at the same location, together ogling the same animals. Not the experience I visualized.)
I will add that though it was not on my priority list, the camp food was simply fabulous! Creative, fresh, eclectic flavors; certainly another grand surprise from Team Brian.
What a joy top to bottom, beginning to end. The experience of a lifetime that I sought was granted because of team Ecological Wilderness Adventures. I cannot recommend them more highly. Oh by the way, beyond the Big 5 and endless other fantastic species, we identified 215 bird species. !!!!