Meet the Team - eTrip Africa
E-Trip Africa
- Located In:
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United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- ATA, IATAN, IGS, KPAP & CODE
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Danielle | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you Ben & Aurelie!!!
My friend and I tend to wait until the last minute to make travel plans, and only settled on flights and travel dates about three months before arriving in Africa. After a separate 3 day gorilla trekking safari in Uganda, we flew into Tanzania to start our 7 night safari.
Everything about the booking process was easy. Ben was very helpful in answering our questions and tailoring to our specific needs (we flew into Kilimanjaro instead of Arusha; he made sure our driver met us on time when the airline switched our flight times only the day before arrival). Things were just as orderly from the moment our guide Livingstone picked us up from the airport. No detail was overlooked. We were sent off with a crate of books and binoculars (imperative - thank goodness we had them as neither of us packed our own for space/weight reasons). We loved staying at their home the nights before and after the safari; the house staff was wonderful, and meeting Ben and Aurelie in person to discuss the trip was really great. They even set us up in two separate rooms since the house was empty at the time. Food was delicious, and it was nice to have those little luxuries of wifi and hot water. The camps we stayed at were great (and most of them felt much more luxurious than "moderate"). Our favorites were probably the two Serengeti camps - Nieleze & Flycatcher Bologonja. Livingstone was full of knowledge, and very kind and friendly throughout our week together. We didn't want to leave him to fly to Zanzibar! Speaking of, we are so glad we decided to book the final Zanzibar portion of our trip through e-Trip. All of our ground transfers were pre-arranged (we spent one night on Chumbe Island off the coast of Zanzibar - a must see in my opinion), as were our flights to and from the island. We went with Coastal Aviation per Ben's recommendation and it was top notch; the price of the ticket included the tourist departure tax & they even bumped us to an earlier departure when seats became available. They also have an offsite lounge you can use if you have long layovers at DAR; just make sure to contact the airline beforehand so there is a driver there to meet you (DAR is actually two airports - we landed at the smaller airport and were departing via KLM from the main airport). Much better than sitting outside the airport for hours.
It's been six weeks since we returned and I can't stop talking about the trip. Really a trip of a lifetime (yet I hope I can make it again some day!). Wouldn't hesitate to use e-Trip again; they were fantastic!!
TR
Email Gokce | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent organization and guides
We really enjoyed our trip. Everything went according to plan. Great guides! Thank's!
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Email Pete and Nancy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our experience was tremendous, we saw more animals and beautiful scenery than I ever expected.
Our guide David was excellent in all areas -- finding animals, knowing all about them, knowing their behavior -- and overall took such good care of us. He communicated well, let us guide our schedule to a certain degree and showed us his country in such a wonderful way. Everything met our expectations -- lodging was very good and a variety of camps and lodges. Food was very adequate. We felt safe during the entire time. Before leaving we had email communications that were adequate to answer a few questions. It was a great trip!
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Email Jeff | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
8 day Kilimanjaro and 10 day safari
Fantastic experience. They coordinated both my solo trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho route as well as a 10 day group safari afterwards. Aurelie and Ben were responsive via email with answering questions prior to the trip and made some very valuable recommendations that made the trip even better.
The support crew for the successful trek, led by the guide Ignas, did a great job and I couldn't have asked for more. Everyone was very friendly, supportive and hard working.
For the safari our guide David was amazing. We started calling him the animal whisperer as he seemed to know where the animals were going to go before they did. He always seemed to know exactly where to drive or park the vehicle to get the best view of the animals.
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Email Tristan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
My colleagues (all conservationists) went on safari in the north of Tanzania after a work trip.
We had a fantastic trip! It was the 'low budget' option, but felt far from it. The trip began and ended in Arusha at e-Trip Africa's guest house (wonderfully comfortable - felt like home). We toured Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and the Ngorogoro Crater - all beautiful and unique. We saw almost everything we wanted to see, and it was a great mix of exciting and relaxing - perfect for unwinding after a long work trip.
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Email Wanda Higgins | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A dream fulfilling, life changing, God affirming, stunning adventure.
We were looking for something more than just an African Safari, we wanted to meet the people and experience the country in a more complete way. E-Trip Africa did everything we asked: visit a school, visit with local tribes and villages, hot air balloon ride, and visit and see as many animals and national parks as possible. They knocked it out of the park! As we rode along with our incredible guide David on the third day, I was moved to tears by the scope and nature of the country. Every aspect of our trip was prefect, from the guide, vehicle, sites, planning, timing, food, lodging and the total experience. We were one of the few groups (6 of us) who can say we have seen the big 7, although our guide told us not to brag... I give E-Trip Africa my highest recommendation, and outstanding company with outstanding people.
Excellent safari and lodging in Moshi
The safari was well managed and above my expectations, communications were clear, and the staff and food at the Researcher's Rest were amazing. I highly recommend.
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Email Frank | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing journey among the people and animals
Through the entire planning process all of our questions were answered completely and in a timely manner by Ben or Aurelia. We were well prepared. David, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and was a friend after just a short time. He explained the life cycle of even the most minor of the animals. After identifying flora or fauna he passed around one of his many reference books showing the details of each species. I am not really sure what we six expected but our safari will certainly stay in our hearts and minds forever.
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Email Gordon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you for the Tanzania Safari
It has been over weeks after come back to Bay Area from Northern Tanzania. The splendid scenes and amazing wildlife of Serengeti are still around my head all the time. It was a great lifetime experience to touch the East Africa nature.
I really appreciate the help from Ben and Aurelie back to early 2015 and then extends over 2 years to this year. They always response my questions quickly, even it is repeated and maybe non-sense, with detailed answers. I know no one that has been in East Africa before. Actually I have no any idea, except the information from the Internet forum, of how this safari will look like . Anyway the 9-day Safari is a great one. It is beyond my expectation. We are lucky to see the wildebeest crossing the river as well as many different species including the big 5. I also have to thank our guide Alladin. He is an experienced "modern hunter" that always bring us to the right places at right time, such as he is the first one to rush to the Masai Mara River to get the best spot to watch the crossing.
Again the trip is great. I am really appreciated the help and services from eTrip Africa. Hope to come back again soon.
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Email Linda | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Helped a dream become a reality.
Working with e-Trip Africa could not have been easier. From the quick response to our first email until the last goodbye, everything was seamless. I was stunned when after several emails, Ben Jennings asked to set a time to call me to better help plan our safari. Ben was kind, patient, and informative as he listened to and answered my unending questions. His response to emails was timely. If he was busy and unable to respond completely, Ben would sometimes send it quick note informing me of when I should expect to hear from him. He wanted to know our expectations.
I was never pushed to alter our budget. Yes, we spent more than the original budget, but this was due to our desire to meet our expectations. Well into the planning of our trip, we decided to add the hot-air balloon ride. At Ben's suggestion, we added returning to Arusha from the northern Serengeti by plane and we were so happy to have listened to him.
Ben took the time to be at the airport with our driver/guide upon our arrival. He demonstrated a true desire to make everything flawless.
We we're fortunate to spend our 10 days with the fun, smart, kind, witty, eagle-eyed David. It would be impossible to have a better guide. David was a patient teacher. As he learned were interested in all the birds, animals, trees, and flowers... David always took the time to explain and point out everything. He would turn off the engine of our land rover to explain the behavior of an animal and tell us why he wanted us to sit and wait. He never drove away without asking if we were ready and had finished taking the pictures we had wanted. His wealth of knowledge was amazing. He wanted us to know about the country and the culture of the people, enhancing our trip in every way.
There was one poor experience to our trip... the moment when we had to say goodbye to David, our teacher and friend.