Base Camp Tanzania
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- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Destinations:
Reviews
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended...
My husband and I made enquires with Achmed at Base Camp Tanzania three months prior to departing on our safari. I chose Base Camp Tanzania for their price and also experience - from several positive reviews and also having been in business since 1997. Email responses from Achmed were usually within 24 hours. My husband and I did the "8 Day Camping Safari", with a requested change to the recommended itinerary (excluding Hadzapi bushmen and Dagota Tribe visits, instead visiting Ndutu in Ngorongoro Conservation Area) easily done. Additionally, Achmed organised 3 nights extra accommodation at L'Oasis Lodge with half-board (breakfast and dinner, not lunch) with ease - we paid for lunch separately, factoring this into our budget, also including alcohol (Safari beers 500ml are about USD$2.50 each) and tips for the driver, cook and any additional guided tours not included in our safari.
The initial 30% payable-upon-booking deposit was via Wire Transfer, with a scanned copy of our transfer transaction emailed to Achmed. The transfer was confirmed very quickly, with Achmed emailing a receipt of the transfer. The final balance, paid 2 months prior to the safari departure date, was also problem free.
We opted to pay the visa-on-arrival, standing in a fast-moving, lengthy queue at Kilimanjaro. A driver was waiting for us at the airport and drove us the 1 hour drive to L'Oasis Lodge, Arusha. We unfortunately did not carry small USD amounts at this time for tipping the driver or porters at the Lodge. After a day of relaxing by the pool, Achmed met us in the evening prior to our safari to discuss our itinerary. I felt calm, reassured and really excited.
Our safari was awesome! Emmanuel was our driver - experienced, informative (just the right amount), professional yet relaxed, wanting to give us a great experience - he is a fantastic guide. Zacharea was our cook - the food was plentiful, varied and tasty, and considering I have a food allergy (mentioned at the time of booking), I was extremely well fed, and I had absolutely no problems. There was always heaps of bottled water available. The large 4WD with pop-up-top was more than suitable for us (and would be comfortable for up to 4 people) and there were 2 multi-adapter power-points in the vehicle for charging devices. The tent was adequate for 2 people, and bedding was a 5cm (2") thick foam mattress each, so was quite firm to sleep on (I'd recommend taking your own camping foam-roll mattress or perhaps considering the luxury camping option if this basic style is not suitable for your body).
The camping sites were all different - fenced or not fenced, most with warm showers, and squat or western toilets. The list of "Things to bring" from the website was helpful, but don't forget: a sleeping bag, bath towel, body wipes (if you won't take a cold shower), and tissues (not all toilets have paper). Also, stinging flies are attracted to black and white, so neutral coloured clothing is recommended.
I admit that I had low expectations of seeing the wildlife, simply to avoid my own disappointment. I was super happy with my experience, completely satisfied. I feel Base Camp Tanzania really wants their customers to go away very pleased with their safari, and endeavour to provided the best possible experience. Emmanuel was also happy to stop at our request (where practical) for placement of us to the animal/s with consideration to lighting/shadow for photographs. He was great at spotting wildlife, and getting ourselves and assisting others out of a jam (quick-passing, down-pouring storms made the roads slippery, very boggy and created pools everywhere).
I have heard/read several people say that African safaris are expensive. I feel what we paid for our 12 night holiday/8 day camping safari was worth the money for us (if perhaps compared to self-drive) - no time/effort wasted on driving and navigation but completely focused on wildlife spotting, knowledge of the local areas and roads, less risk of getting stuck/bogged if experienced in the driving conditions, answering questions and providing interesting information, access to communicate with other drivers to find out where the wildlife has been spotted, all meals prepared for us, and tent/bedding prepared for us. All airport transfers (Kilimanjaro-Arusha-Kilimanjaro) were also included in the cost of the safari, even thought we didn't start our safari immediately, and also had "rest-days" afterwards.
Achmed met us upon returning from our safari for a chat about our experience (and perhaps to listen to any recommendations, although I had none). I am so very happy with my Tanzanian safari experience and have no hesitation in recommending Base Camp Tanzania.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour company - delevers as promised
I gathered all of the information necessary on the plan for my safari. I invited quotes by email from several companies, meanwhile friends of ours recommended Base Camp whom they have used before and were happy with their experience. I contacted base camp, initially the quote took quite a while to come through and the subsequent emails were not replied, hence, I almost selected a different company to go with. Mr. Achmed replied back just before we confirmed with a different company, the price was comparable to the other company though it was not the lowest. Due to the references, I decided to go with Base Camp.
We were greeted on arrival in Kili airport by our driver, Thomas, who drove us to Ilburo Safari Lodge for the initial night stay. The next day we drove to the Ngorongo Crater. We saw a lot of animals and we stayed at the Serena Lodge on the top of the crater. The dinner buffet at the lodge was very good with lots of choices. The entertainment program was an amazing acrobatics act. The box lunches at all Serenas were very basic, and not anywhere close to the buffet at the hotel. The breakfast had a variety of choices. The next day we drove to Serengeti National Park. We saw lion prides with cubs, leopards, lots of zebras and wildebeest. We did not do the early morning game drives as the lodge was a bit far from the action and the driver suggested that it may be too hard to come back for breakfast. The next day we saw a migration wildebeest heard crossing the road but a lot fewer lions. After Serengeti we drove to Lake Manyara where we saw some elephants and baboons, no lions. We continued on the next day to Tarangire and stayed at the safari lodge before returning back to Arusha. Achmed met us both the initial day that that we arrived and also after the safari and gave us lots of tips. Our driver Thomas was a bit reserved sometimes, but knowledgeable about the animals and spoke decent English. All in all I am happy with our decision to go with Basecamp Safaris Ltd and would choose this company again in the future.
US
Email Jeremy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Operator I have worked with to date
From planning to execution Base Camp was excellent. Achmed respond timely and was an excellent source to assist us with planning. He corrected an issue when one of our lodges went into renovation just before we came. He upgraded us at no charge and assisted my in-laws with a day room before their flight back to the states. He is an extremely personable man that you must meet! We are planning a new trip with him in 2016.
Email Swenglishnick and Zimgirl | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Customer Service and superb tour!
We were recommended to use Basecamp by fellow travellers and it was the best piece of advice we had on out trip. We were looked after superbly by Achmed Philips (the Half German/Half Brummie co-owner), who must be one of the characters of Africa. They were happy to create a safari that catered to our lowish budget, but even so the company policy was not to mix groups so we got our own driver/cook and guide and 4x4 to ourselves. Awesome!! We heartily recommend using Basecamp if you want a great safari in Tanzania.