Join us for your African adventure!
Alika Africa
- Offices In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- Association for Promotion of Tourism to Africa
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
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Email Suman | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Customized Trip of a Lifetime
Duma Explorer organized a custom safari for 6 nights/5 days for my family and friends and it was absolutely fantastic. From the accommodations (tent camps) to the food to the customer service provided by our driver and camp staff, every detail was well thought out. We visited Ngorongoro Crater, Seregenti National Park, Ndutu and Tarangire. I was so impressed by our driver, who was able to spot animals from a mile away but also was incredibly knowledgable. He knew where to go, how to find the big 5 and his driving skills were first class. We chose to stay at the camps that Duma owns and they were beautiful. You felt like you were in a 5 star hotel room only you were glamping! It was really cool to hear the wildlife at night, including lions roaring! We had delicious food cooked throughout and hot showers to order. They even brought us tea/coffee in the morning directly to our tents. If you want to go on a safari with the highest level of customer service and stay in comfortable and thoughtful camps, you should definitely book with Duma. Stacy is very easy to work with through email and very responsive.
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Email Jen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding in every way!
Every aspect of our experience from start to finish was exceptional. Stacy was so helpful and responsive as we were planning over email. Our guide Kawaga and our tour blew us away. The camps we stayed in were so luxurious and the service was impeccable. It was the experience of a lifetime and I can’t imagine how it could have been better.
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Email Ellen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Short, 3-day safari
My daughter and I took a three day safari with Duma Explorer in January. We were in northern Tanzania for other reasons and wanted something we could fit in our schedule. I contacted a few companies looking for a moderately priced private safari. I chose Duma because Stacey was responsive, discussed options, and answered all my questions. Additionally, I liked that they employed their own guides and owned and maintained their own vehicles (many companies hire guides and rent the vehicles by the trip). Even though we weren’t hiking, their membership in the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (https://kiliporters.org/what-we-do/) told me they treated their employees well, which was important to me. (They were founding members.)
We went to Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Our guide-driver, Sifuni, was excellent. He was so passionate (in his quiet way) and so knowledgeable about the animals. We were amazed at his skill finding distant animals we could only see with binoculars. He provided so much information about the animals and knew when to stay put because he thought the animal we were watching would move. He was determined to help me get photos of distant rhinos, using my phone and binoculars, which was successful. He was also a skilled and very safe driver both on the highways and on the muddy park roads. He paid attention to our comfort and interests. He didn’t make us stop at any souvenir shops, which we were not interested in and which I’ve heard many drivers do. My daughter and I really felt his goal was for us to see as many animals as we could. The Land Cruiser was not brand new but solid and comfortable. We were provided plenty of bottled water, binoculars, and guide books (although after an initial look at the books, we found Sifuni could answer all our questions).
I also chose Duma because we stayed in the Tarangire Park one night and in the crater rim another, which meant less driving and more viewing time. Both lodgings were very nice. In Tarangire we stayed at Kichuguu Camp, a beautiful and luxurious tented camp that was much more of a high end accommodation than we expected. The second night we stayed at the Rhino Lodge, a comfortable and friendly mid-range accommodation. (While we wanted a mid-range price, I think Duma will also arrange higher end lodging.) The food was great at both places. We were provided with large bag lunches each day that included a variety of foods. Additionally, Duma arranged for our guide to pick us up at our out of the way location between Arusha and Moshi. Finally, we stopped by the Duma office the first day and saw their vehicles and facilities.
I was pretty anxious about finding a safari company, especially because I was not looking for a high end company that had offices in the US. (Duma does have staff in the US, which makes payment easier.) Even doing a lot of research, it is a leap of faith to send money off, but the Duma safari turned out to be so much better than my daughter and I expected. I highly recommend them and am happy to answer any questions.
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Email Kapish Goyal | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kilimanjaro Climbing 8 day lemosho route
I had the opportunity to fulfill my dream of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. The trip started with Duma explorer.Our head guide name was Emanuel Mungure. I was once sick , Emanuel found me and gave me medication to feel better. Emanuel, Always went above and beyond to take care of us with availability of water and handling our luggage including carrying mine while i had altitude sickness.I wouldn't be able to conquer and realize my dream without his help.. It was full of exotic experiences, including both high adventure and tranquil moments. We met the locals, learned history, witnessed incredible sun rise and sunsets , and most of all got to know the country's culture. This was all facilitated by our wonderful guide, Emanuel. He orchestrated the trip in his meticulous style, yet provided us with enough freedom to make it exciting. although Samuel had been working as a porter he helped me on the last day if the summit by carrying hot beverage without which it was not possible for me to accomplish my climb.Thank you so much for your attention to detail and for a wonderful lifetime memory!
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Email Enid | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari ever
Duma Explorer is an exceptional company. Stacy Readal worked with us to plan an 8 day safari and took care of every detail from pick up at Kilimanjaro airport, a two night stay at the beautiful Rivertrees Inn to an 8 day safari.
We stayed at 3 tent camps owned by Duma and one owned by another company. There was no comparison. While the other camp was nice, the Duma camps were exceptional. The staff was professional, welcoming and attentive. When we asked for adjustments to the packed lunches the camp chefs came to talk to us to understand what we wanted and produced wonderful options. The ability of the staff to provide tasty, varied meals in the bush is truly incredible. The tents themselves are solid and once inside you can’t believe you are in a tent. Comfortable beds, sitting tables and chairs with a fully equipped bathroom. Furniture is locally made, beautiful and comfortable. Each camp has a different theme and artwork to reflect. Camp fires are made in the evening and the settings are beautiful. The managers of the camps are friendly and helpful. Chaka sent us off with a song and dance. The manager at Kiota arranged to have the toiletries bag with my malaria pills that I left in our tent flown to Arusha in time for me to get it before boarding our flight to Zanzibar.
And then there was our incredible guide and driver Chaduu. I can’t say enough about this wonderful man. He was kind, considerate and very knowledgeable. He patiently answered our many questions even when we asked two days later because we couldn’t remember all that he had told us. He knew where to find animals, spotted them from far away and got us very close often just feet away. He explained the animals behaviour, knew the names of the many bird species and talked about how various plants are used. Chaduu was also an excellent driver navigating wet, muddy, slippery roads sometimes resembling small rivers. We saw numerous other vehicles get stuck in the mud and twice stopped to help pull jeeps out. Chaduu always stopped if another Jeep needed help.
Don’t miss Tarangire or Nudtu if the are doing a safari. In Tarangire we saw 100’s of elephants and many other animals. In Nudtu you are able to drive off road and get close to the animals. We also did an interesting tour in Mto Wa Mbu where we learned about crops, bananas, how different tribes build their homes and much more.
Duma provided a trip that we will always remember. Thanks to all of the great Duma staff.
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Email Tori | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 Day Tanzanian Safari - AMAZING Experience
My husband and I had the pleasure of going on a 7 day safari with Duma Explorer. We went to Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater. The safari was the greatest experience of our lives and we could not have had a better time. I am so happy in our decision to go with Duma and we loved all of the Chaka Camps!
We felt unbelievably lucky to have had Ebenezer as our guide. He made us feel comfortable and welcome immediately and calmed any nerves we may have had. He knew EVERYTHING and we were asking what felt like 100 questions a day. He was kind and compassionate, always checking on people pulled over and checking in with people along the way. We could tell immediately he was a truly good person. In addition to all that, he was an unbelievable guide. He was able to spot things forever away and almost always saw things before my husband and I did. He spotted many things throughout the day that other groups around us missed. We had a few other tour groups (not Duma) tell us they wish they had our guide!
We will be suggesting Duma to anyone we talk to that’s interested in planning a safari, and I hope they are fortunate enough to have Ebenezer as their guide!
Trip of a lifetime!
I booked and planned our 10 day safari with Stacy. We stayed at three of Duma's camps - Kichuguu, Kiota and Chaka. They were all exceptional! Do bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper, or if you have a wild imagination. The animals make a lot of noise at night, but rest assured, the camps are very safe. Each and every staff member at all three camps were outstanding - we have never met such warm, welcoming and sincere individuals! Everyone was incredibly attentive, engaging and a delight to be around. The accommodations were beautiful ("glamping" is an understatement) and the food was delicious, but it was the staff that really made it special. I will also write individual reviews of each camp - but a big warm thank you to Charles and Jubilate at Kichuguu, Eric at Kiota and Godlisten and Amani at Chaka Extra!
The game viewing was incredible! Watching different animals of all ages interacting in their natural environment left us speechless. We saw jackal pups pop their heads out of their den, a 2 day old elephant learn to walk, a female lion try to entice a male lion to mate, hyenas hiding in the brush, wildebeest crossing the river, lion cubs playing, a baby hippo who's colouring had yet to change and was still bright pink, and so much more.... We strongly recommend tailoring your choice of parks based animals you are most interested in seeing. I love big cats and therefore chose to spend 5 nights in the Serengeti. A special thank you to our guide Isack who was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging and could spot a lion in the distance while driving 60km/hr down a dusty road! We shared some great stories and a lot of laughs during our time together.
I also want to point out that throughout my interactions with Stacy and our observations during our safari, Duma Explorer is truly dedicated to nature conservancy. Their guides are extremely respectful of the animals and their habitat. Unfortunately we observed other companies going off the road, chasing animals and driving far to close to them. Isack always stayed on the road and approached the animals quietly and slowly, making sure that both we and the animals were safe at all times.
After our safari, we flew from the Serengeti to Zanzibar and stayed at the Sunshine Marine Lodge. The on-site dive shop, DivePoint was excellent. Again, Stacy co-ordinated all of this for us and everything ran smoothly.
If you are looking to book a safari, look no further - Stacy and her team at Duma Explorer will ensure you have a trip of a lifetime! Stacy is incredibly responsive and made all the difference when we contacted her mid-safari with an issue. She resolved the situation quickly and effectively and even contacted us at that time to follow-up and again after our trip. Stacy truly cares about her clients and their experience.
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Email Patrick | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An AMAZING Safari
What an AMAZING trip!!! Stacy Readal, we want to thank you for setting this all up and making it so easy. From all the initial decisions to the end of the trip, everything went so smoothly. We were extremely impressed by your prompt replies and keeping us up to date. After much investigation we found DUMA to be the best pricing for our trip!!
The safari was nothing but AMAZING. Our driver, Sifuni was able to show us a black Hippo with a baby (that was so phenomenal), two Wildebeast crossings - some people stay for days and never see one, the Big Five and so so much more!! Sifuni was always looked out for us making sure that we were comfortable and safe. We are grateful for his amazing knowledge, providing us with just the right amount of information regarding the animals, birds, trees and shrubs and also the rules and regulations of the parks. One thing that we were really appreciative of was, that he always tried his best to keep us out of the dust and we all know how much of that is around We loved your camps Kichuguu Camp, Kiota Camp and Chaka Camp Extra, there is nothing like sleeping in a tent in the wild with animals around in the night. The tents were so comfortable, just like home. The showers were a bit quirky, but we enjoyed them! Everyone was so friendly at each camp and made our stay really memorable. There was nothing that they would not do or try to do to make our stay so enjoyable. Loved the camp fire at night! Our last night at Chaka Camp Extra was so memorable as all the employees gathered and entertained us - can't believe that they sang soooo well!! They also sang to us as we sadly departed the next day, we recorded it and we will be playing it regularly to bring back those wonderful days on our trip!
Thank you DUMA for making our trip so memorable!!!
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Email Suzanne S | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent trip with Duma
Duma arranged a fabulous trip for us. Stacy was a pleasure to work with, we loved every place that we stayed and our guide--Wilson Shange--was excellent.
All of that was great, but the true test of a tour company is how they respond when the unexpected occurs, and the Duma staff was incredible when we ran into some difficulties during our trip. Right before leaving on our trip we were apparently bumped from the lodge where we were supposed to stay while in Ngorogoro due to a government meeting filling up another lodge. We remained blissfully unaware of that difficulty, only receiving a lovely email telling us that we had been upgraded to an incredible retreat for the 2 days at the Crater. Then, on our flight to Africa, my husband broke a tooth. We emailed Milcah, our Duma contact in Arusha, during a layover and when we arrived at Kilimanjaro airport our driver was aware of the tooth situation and took us directly to a dental clinic in Arusha.
A few days later, while at the retreat center at Ngorogoro, my husband fell ill and we could not travel to the Central Serengeti as planned. One call to Milcah, and we were booked at a lovely hotel nearby where my husband could recuperate before moving on the next day. Not only was that change made smoothly, but we received an email from Stacy checking in on how my husband was feeling.
We are so thankful to Stacy, Milcah, and the entire Duma team for an amazing trip and would recommend Duma to anyone looking for an adventure in Tanzania!
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Email Leilani | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Organized, listens to needs, responsive, creative and handles issues with solutions.
Duma Explorer is an expert at communicating from the start to finish! The amount of money is cause for careful examination and possible referral in this investment. After introductions via email with Stacey Readal owner/founder the interaction was smooth. By the time I had to send the total amount I was more than comfortable and thoroughly excited for the Safari planned a year in advance.
The 10 day Safari was guided by Shange Wilson. His knowledge and experience made our trip safe and flawless. We fell in love with his warm, calm spirit. The animals, birds and wildlife was absolutely incredible! We were blown away that there is still a place on earth where the great animals still roam in peace and harmony, of course until someone gets hungry. We did see a kill and that happened so quickly, it wasn't a big deal.
I highly recommend Duma Explorer as your go to when it comes to an African Safari!