Base Camp Tanzania
- Located In:
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Destinations:
Reviews
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.
CA
Email debra | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
did not deliver
We decided to go with Basecamp Tanzania after reading the excellent reviews, in particular, the comments about the guides .... "incredible", "extremely knowledgeable", "beyond exceptional", "made experience most memorable", "walking safaripedia", "extremely competent", "taught a lot about animal behaviour and ecosystem", etc. etc. Pretty impressive. Unfortunately our experience was nothing at all like the reviews, extremely disappointing. We got a driver, not a guide, who could barely speak English. Attempts at communicating were frustrating and led to misunderstandings. We drove in silence. He stopped when we asked but often drove off while we were still taking pictures. He provided no information about the animals, the environment, etc. On his advice we changed when we visited the crater because he said morning would be better. It was completely clouded in, no views, to which he said mornings always cloudy?? This company was much more expensive than other tours we looked at but given the reviews thought it would be worth it. Not getting a proper guide, feel we paid too much for an experience that did not deliver what was promised. They had to have known this person spoke little English and was not a proper guide. All we received from the company was an apology. Missed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity.