Vision Safari & Tours

Great experience, but:

Just came back from a 7-day safari and I’m overall very happy with the experience.

As a solo traveler, I was placed in a group with clients from other agencies, which is common with smaller companies that outsource to larger ones. That said, my guide Mallissa was absolutely exceptional – professional, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful, especially for photographers. If you're reading this and booking your tour, I highly recommend checking if you can be placed with him.

From the agency side, Hellen was incredibly supportive. In the months leading up to the trip, she answered all my questions promptly and even texted me every day during the safari – something I truly appreciated.

However, I’d like to highlight a few downsides and offer some advice for future travelers:

You will likely be traveling with people staying at different lodges or camps. This means mornings can be inefficient if others in the group are late. Even a 10-minute delay per person can cost you a valuable hour of safari time – which, given the cost of these trips, translates to a lot of wasted value. I fully understand that guides must treat clients with professionalism, but if fellow travelers are consistently late, don’t hesitate to politely speak up.

Some tourists behave inappropriately around wildlife – yelling, making noise, and showing little regard for the animals. While this might be an emotional reaction, it can disturb the animals and ruin the experience for others. If this behavior continues, I suggest calmly asking for silence. It’s important to maintain respect for both the animals and the group.


A couple of issues I encountered with the agency:

I was required to pay the tour in USD while in Tanzania, despite the fact that the use of foreign currency for local payments was officially banned in May. I was expecting to pay in Tanzanian shillings at the equivalent rate, but that was not an option. While I understand that paying in USD is still common practice, it is technically illegal and contributes to broader issues like currency instability. The agency should address this and align with local regulations.

On the last day, a different guide (not Mallissa) took me on a Kilimanjaro hike, which I highly recommend. Everything was great until the end, when the driver who helped me with my luggage at the airport asked, “Do you maybe have some money for me and my family as a tip?”
While tipping is customary in many places, the way the request was made felt uncomfortable and unprofessional to me. As a European, I believe tips should be a reward for exceptional service – as was the case with Mallissa – rather than something expected just because an employee was present for a short interaction. I assume this was a one-off, but I recommend the company train their staff on how to handle such situations more appropriately.

In conclusion, despite these minor issues, I still believe the company’s management deserves five stars. I would definitely recommend them – and especially my guide, Malissa.