Jambo Bwana Expedition

WORTH IT but room for improvement

Stanley, the owner, was fantastic for all pre-trip communication, very clear and attentive, answering all questions and reserving a place for us whilst we waited for visa.

The safari trip itself was hosted by a guide from another company which we were not informed about, but the guide Omar was very experienced, knowledgeable and well-informed with great attitude and a big smile. We were so glad we had Omar for our entire 5 days and built a good relationship with him but many other travellers were not so lucky and were thrown around different cars and groups. This was a surprise to us having different people in the car each day as the organisation from the office seemed very chaotic trying to accommodate different itineraries. Unfortunately this practice led to our itinerary being changed around on Day 2 (Lake Manyara first instead of Serengeti). We went along with it and still visited all the destinations but it was less ideal than our original itinerary. Also, we didn’t realise that group tours bundled travellers living in different accommodations (eg. campsite vs lodge) so there was quite some time wasted on driving for pick up/drop off, especially in Serengeti where accommodations were 45mins or more apart.

When we reflected this to Stanley, he was very sorry and did his best to make it up to us. We trust that he will sincerely make improvements for future tours.

On the positive side, seeing the animals - including all Big 5 - in person was an absolutely AMAZING experience, as was meeting travellers from around the world! Accommodation at the lodges was great, clean and comfortable, but be aware that camping public campsite is not for everyone with shared sleeping bags and very basic, sometimes extremely dirty, toilet facilities. A chef came with the group to cook for us and he did a great job with hot lunch and dinner so we were well looked after meals-wise! You definitely do get a good “African massage” from the bumpy roads but the car was comfortable and provided a great view (aside from when it broke down few times).

All in all, some questionable organisation norms and unexpected car issues aside, it was definitely worth it seeing the wonderful animals and the magnificent landscapes!

For first timers like us, we recommend checking with your tour company if you will be with the same guide the whole trip, and if on a group tour like us, whether your itinerary will be honoured. Also, we found that 24 hours in Serengeti is way too short as it is such a HUGE area and much time was spent driving long distance in and out of the park, as well as dropping/picking up other travellers from their accommodation. In hindsight, we would go for an extra night in Serengeti for more dedicated game drive time and to take it all in.