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
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kilimanjaro, Culture, and Safari
I highly recommend Brian Mengoriki and Ecological Wilderness Adventures to anyone considering an African tour. I found Brian on the internet and was thrilled when two of his references were acquaintances. My family of four traveled with EWA on a private tour to do a partial climb of Mount Kilimanjaro, visit several tribes (nomadic, blacksmiths, wood carvers, and goat herders), and camp in the Serengeti. Our experience was unparalleled. Brian is extremely organized and responsive. He listened to all of my desires and requests and planned the perfect itinerary for our family. He met us at the airport upon arrival and made every transition smooth. We loved he variety of accommodations he arranged and the food was amazing! Brian's experience growing up in the Ngorongoro Crater was evident when we went looking for animals. He knew what time to leave and where to look for every species. We had front row seats to the best Africa has to offer. We definitely felt that we "saw" Africa in the two short weeks that we had.
IL
Email Harvey Sapir | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The only way to see Tanzania wild life!
This year was my second trip to Tanzania with Brian Mengoriki and Ecological Wilderness Adventures,
the first trip was last year in May.
Both times the experience was outstanding.
For my original trip in 2012 I discovered EWA and Brian on the Internet, as I was looking for a unique safari experience, with the maximum possible photography opportunities.
From my first email communication with Brian, I knew I had made the right decision.
All his planning and suggestions were absolutely first rate.
The 2 trips were in very different times of the year, and very different accommodation options. In 2012 the 3 weeks were built around lodges (all of them chosen by Brian were excellent in every way - food, rooms, atmosphere, etc) and the object was to see a number of different parks, each with it's own special characteristics and photo opportunities. We saw it all - elephants, leopards, lions, cheetahs, all the buck, birds, flamingoes, buffalo. Brian was a tireless and professional guide, who always knew how to be in the right place at the right time.
This year Brian planned a different type of trip - the main object being to photography the immense herds of the wildebeest (gnu) fighting their way across the Mara River. We spent 1 week at a bush camp right on the Mara River, then another week in another bush camp in the middle of the Seronera, concentrating on getting up close to the big cats.
The river crossings are absolutely unbelievable - hundreds, sometimes thousands of gnu making the crossing, the noise, the excitement, the water splashing, the incredible jumps made by full grown gnu from the river bank into the water, and of course, the huge (I mean huge) crocs cruising the banks and the water.
The bush camps are definitely a very different experience from a lodge, and one I heartily recommend.
Nothing can beat a glass of red wine around the campfire, watching the African sunset, and reliving all the excitement of the day's adventure.
Missing the Serengeti and Brian's brand of safari already!
Email MaxiMelb | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A safari with a difference in Tanzania
A safari with a difference is what we experienced with our guide/company owner, Brian Mengoriki of Ecological Wilderness Adventures.
I organised our safari online directly with Brian and his staff and I couldn't speak highly enough of their attention to detail and the prompt and efficient service provided during our dealing over the internet.
Nothing was ever too much for Brian, as we visited numerous reserves and parks in our quest to source wildlife. We saw every animal we had hoped to see along with 100's of birds.
Our time hunting with bushmen, joining a blacksmith along with his numerous wives and children - all added to this unique safari.
The varied accommodation was fantastic allowing us to experience all aspects of a memorable holiday - tree-top lodges, tented camps to luxurious lodges - it was great.
We will always remember our camp in the Serengetti sitting by a huge camp fire at night watching the stars, listening to the wildlife and chatting the hours away.
We couldn't speak highly enough of Brian Mengoriki and his staff at Ecological Wilderness Adventures who contributed to our most memorable & enjoyable African experience.
We can't wait to go back and revisit Tanzania.
Thanks you Brian and Ecological Wilderness Adventures for providing a safari we still talk about and revisit with family & friends.
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Email Leeanne Alonso | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Perfect Safari for the Whole Family
I tell everyone- if you’re going on safari- you should go to Tanzania and you must go with Ecological Wilderness Adventures! When my mother offered to take the entire family on safari, she put me in charge of arranging it. I first wanted to find a Tanzanian operator so that we could support Tanzania directly and have local guides. I also wanted to find a good price and an itinerary that visited a wide variety of sites. I found Ecological Wilderness Adventures on the internet and started a conversation with Brian Mengoriki and his staff. I was a bit nervous about booking such a big trip with an operator on the other side of the world without knowing much about them, but my fears were quickly abated. Brian and his staff were attentive and flexible and allowed us to modify the tour schedule to suit our needs, which were varied since our group was comprised of five kids ranging in age from 6 to 14 and ten adults including young parents and grandparents. Brian arranged for us our own personal tour with three safari vehicles and three guides!
Our experience with Ecological Wilderness Adventures was absolutely amazing and was a once in a lifetime experience for all of us! A year later, we are still talking about all the animals we were able to observe closely including 9 cheetahs! Countless wildebeest! 635 elephants in one afternoon! And a pack of Wild Dogs on the hunt! We loved the beautiful scenery, the wonderful lodgings at all the sites, and all the fun that we had with our friendly guides. The itinerary developed by Brian was perfect- we visited five national parks, each with their unique habitats and animals, which made the tour interesting every day. The safari was well paced for all of us, with a range of activities each day including game drives, visiting local villages, tasty lunches, and opportunities to walk around.
The kids never got bored and were actively engaged by our guides at all times. They especially loved sticking their heads out of the roof of the vehicles and trying to count all the animals we saw. Our visit to a Masai village was especially fascinating to all. The safari was also well suited to our “older” travellers who enjoyed the scenic views and delicious food at our distinctive and comfortable lodges selected by Brian. Since our tour was during Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we were delighted by special celebrations such as waiters dressed like Santa serving champagne!
As a biologist and natural history tour guide myself, I was especially impressed by the expert level of knowledge held by Brian and our other two tour guides. They knew the common and scientific name of every animal and plant we saw and had detailed stories of their natural history. They also had fun facts and stories to entertain the kids! Besides being knowledgeable, they were funny and helpful and quickly became good friends with our entire group. We all still keep in touch.
The entire tour was absolutely perfect and we would highly recommend Ecological Wilderness Adventures to everyone interested in an African safari. You can’t get a better value or more amazing experience than traveling with Brian and his friends.
CA
Email Margaret Mills | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip to remember-excellent guides and wonderful opportunities to view wild animals of the area
We were extremely satisfied with all aspects of the trip. Overnight on the plains of the Serengeti was an experience I will never forget! Being adventuresome, I appreciated the many amenities we enjoyed even in the wilds. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone wanting to experience Tanzania. Saw lots of elephants, giraffes, wildebeests and lions.
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Email Kim Hanson Memphis, TN | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Pleasant Surprise
We were recommended to Brian from a couple that had gone on a Safari with him for 17 days. I said to her, didn't you get bored? Her reply was " It wasn't long enough". I had called a friend of mine that had been on a Safari in the past and asked if her and her husband would go with us. Four of us planned the entire trip over the Internet with emails to Ecological Wilderness. The 15 day trip was just fabulous. After our experience with Brian (owner), I would book another trip with him immediately and do it all over again. We saw and met several other guides on our trip and I felt that Brian had such respect for the animals. His incredible knowledge had me asking him questions all the time. 15 days was not long enough.
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65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everyone says their guide is the greatest, but unless they're talking about Brian, they're wrong.
What a fantastic 15 day adventure with Brian and Ecological Wilderness Adventures. He recommended and we tweaked our stays in Tarangiri, Serengeti and the Crater. Here, almost a year later, our memories are sharp, vivid and unforgettable. In large measure, due to the friendliness, knowledgeability and humor Brian shared with us. Animals were fantastic, but the variety and beauty of the birds was astounding. And Brian was our constant, attentive educator and friend. If you safari to Tanzania, go with the best. It will dramatically increase both your pleasure and understanding of this amazing Africa.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Surreal safari
after spending the last 2 years exploring the 7 continents, my final adventure came down to a safari in Africa. I spent months preparing and researching where to go and what to see. Listened to many of my friends from all over the world. The Outfitter that best exemplified my needs and tastes was with Ecological Wilderness Adventures. Spent many phone calls via Skype with Brian to arrange it so that I could spend over 2 weeks seeking the best spots to have a safari. What it all came down to was the quality of the guide and the service he rendered. Without a doubt, in all 4 regions of Africa that we toured, Brian exceeded my expectations. His experience and knowledge surpassed what I thought possible. You know you have e best guide when others are flagging him down asking where he could recommend they take their clients. On one occasion we spotted a leopard- which is my favorite big game animal- walking across the river. Instead of chasing after it like all the other guides, he went off in a different direction. When I asked him why we weren't headed after it like the others, he replied that we were going to where it was headed. Sure enough we parked under a tree 10 minutes before the leopard arrived and climbed into the tree where it had stored it's kill. All the other vehicles had to park behind us as we got the front row seats and best pictures possible. His guiding skills are incredible and the camps on the Serengeti we stayed at were 5 star resorts in a camp out on the plains. The entire trip was way beyond what I had envisioned having done almost everything, now only the best will do. That means Ecological Wilderness Adventures will be the only phone call I make for the next safari.
Fantastic Trip. Exceeded Expectations.
Brian is an experienced and excellent guide. His Land Cruiser was comfortable for our family of four. On our 10 day safari we saw more animals and birds then we could have imagined. Too many lions to count all close to our vehicle. We saw lions and cheetahs hunting. Countless elephants wallowing in the mud and water. Brian is trustworthy and really seems to enjoy his guests. Our 23 year old daughter celebrated her birthday while on safari and Brian made sure it was special. We'd recommend Brian's company to anyone looking for a Tanzanian safari.
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Email Mary Lee Tennant | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An Excellent Family Safari !!!
Christmas in Tanzania resulted in a trip of a lifetime. Fifteen family members were able to experience a wild life safari of their dreams. Ages 6 to 70 years, enjoyed viewing the hordes of animals up close for ten days in a variety of surroundings. Brian's attention to details was wonderful : a Maiisi Santa serving champange on Christmas morning, breakfasts on the "trail" , stories for the children aound a campfire in the wilds, and always an appreciation of the area and the birds and animals. The meals served in the wilds were excellent , tents were very comfortable and lodges were "first class". Brian and his guides/drivers , Jarad and Francis, were most helpful and catered to our every need or suggestion. At no time did we feel unsafe , in the city or on the trail . We loved our safari . We are ready to go again !!