Regional Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- TATO, ATA & ZATO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful people, service and value.
Our experience with Regional tours and its staff was incredible; they were caring, attentive and quick to respond to our requests. I simply can't say enough good things about this company. Working with Maturaf to plan the trip was informative and easy; we were able to plan out exactly the trip that we wanted without any up-selling or complication. Maturaf seemed truly focused on providing what we wanted and offering up great suggestions when we weren't sure how to proceed. We met many people on holiday in Tanzania that were basically doing the same trip as we were but paying a significantly more money to an out-of-country company. Regional Tours is a completely local company so your money stays where it should; in country. The camps and resorts that they chose for us were better and cheaper than the ones we chose for ourselves (fortunately we only chose for ourselves on two nights). If you are going to Tanzania then you need to contact this company and give them a shot at your business; if your rich you'll probably choose someone else but if your like me and this trip was a big financial expenditure then you'll love the money that you save. Everything was top-notch.
I want to add some comments about our safari driver Emmanuel; it's hard to imagine a better companion. On safari you spend a great deal of time with your driver and he can make or break your entire adventure. We didn't understand this when we planned our trip but hit the lottery with Emmanuel. He was an ambassador for his country; a blessing to his company; and a role model of his industry. His patience, knowledge and kindness added greatly to the best vacation of our lives.
We'll probably never be back to Tanzania; but if we do go then I guarantee that we will call Regional Tours.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience
I went on a Safari recently in February with my best friend. The tour was arranged very well -- excellent activities, hotels, and our guide - Didas - was a true highlight. We saw "The Big 5" (lion, elephant, rhino, cheetah, and leopard) within the first two days! It was very nice to have a blend of safari/beach trip as well -- Tanzania/Zanzibar combo is recommended. Maturaf planned us an amazing trip, although at times he was slightly unresponsive over email. Still, highly encourage others to use this tour provider and request Didas as their guide!
SE
Email Siw Chui | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional and friendly, quick to reply to questions.
Maturaf at Regional Tours & Safaris is very professional and pleasant to deal with. He swiftly responded to any queries, was honest and suggested good solutions. Regional Tours & Safaris tailormade a very good programme for us (4 adults and 2 children) according to our requests. It included overnight in Arusha, a five day safari at Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, in Ndutu and Serengeti in lodges/tented camps followed by five days in Zanzibar. It was very clear what was included in the price and what was not. Everything went extremely smoothly, there was always a car with driver/guide waiting to pick us up. We made several internal flights with three different companies and they all worked perfectly, they were even often ahead of schedule!
A special thanks to William, our excellent guide, who made our safari a memory for life!
In Zanzibar we stayed at Villa Kiva, which is an ideal hotel for people who like a green, quiet and relaxing place, and cats!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari guide and wonderful lodging!
My best friend and I went on a 10 day trip- 5 days safari and 5 days in Zanzibar. Our safari guide , Didas, was amazing! He was able to spot animals from a distance without evening using binoculars and was extremely knowledgeable and kind. The lodging- hotels and tented camps were beautiful and the food was great. We liked our hotel in Zanzibar - the Z Hotel - a lot. The only issue is that its far away (at least an hour) from most of the main attractions in Zanzibar- Stone Town, the national forest, spice tour, ect. Fortunately we were mainly there to dive, so we weren't really affected by that. However, given that there are many other great places to dive on the island, I'd probably pick a location closer to everything else next time. The only small complaint we have is that the gentleman who arranged our tour, Maturaf, became very unresponsive to email as soon as we put down our deposit on the trip, including neglecting to correct errors, like the spelling of my friends name and the fact that I'm a woman and we were not a couple. This caused a couple small hiccups at the airport and hotels were we ended up having to share a bed because he'd listed the room as wanting one bed. All in all, great trip and would use them again!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guide, good value for money
Maturaf organised 6 nights on safari in northern Tanzania and Zanzibar for my husband and I. His correspondence before booking was professional and he was flexible in tailoring the trip to work with our schedule. The rates were very competitive and now, after having seen the accommodations and experienced the luxury of a private tour, I think Regional Tours offers great value for money. Once we had paid the deposit and before the trip, there was a noticeable lack of response/information from Maturaf. For example, we would have liked to see confirmation from each hotel/camp that our bookings had been made, and although Maturaf told us repeatedly they would be forthcoming, they never were and so we made these confirmations ourselves directly with the hotels/camps. Once we arrived in Africa, Regional Tours proved to be very reliable and everything went smoothly – although we did always wonder after the poor correspondence we had received before arrival. Our driver/guide, Didas, was very helpful in recommending when we should make a start in order to cover what we wanted to see, and it was so lovely to have the flexibility of a private tour in our own jeep. Didas was a great driver (our game drives never seemed as bumpy as what others told us to expect), amazing at spotting wildlife, and knew so much about the parks – he’s been a guide for 12 years so he knows his stuff! The accommodations that Maturaf chose were lovely as well – even the tented camp was the poshest tent I’ve ever slept in! The only slight hiccup was that we had been quoted that bottled water was included on the game drives, but were told when we started our first day that it wasn't, which left us in an awkward situation as we had no internet connection with which to confirm this with Maturaf, and led to a mild case of dehydration for my husband that first day. In the end it wasn't a big deal as water was cheap and it only cost us $10 or so for the whole trip. Overall a great trip and I would use Regional Tours again.
Well planned fand accommodation is good our guide Emanuelle was courteous.
We enjoyed the tour very much although we could have easily done it in 7 nights rather than 9.
Accommodations were good except in Arusha. The driver was good but didn't supply much information unless we asked. The car was good but we are glad, we never needed it for a fast get away because it took a long time to start.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful!
Moses our tour guide was amazing, he cared about us and the animals. We saw everything we'd dreamed of and more! Both the food and lodges along the entire safari were excellent. I do encourage others to try the tented camps, they are luxury too!
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everithing has gone perfectly
We asked for a tour tailored on our personal willigs. Everything has been well planned and organized. Lodges and camp sites were excellent and so was the Zanzibar Hotel. Our guides/drivers were good, patients, friendly and have explained us many things about Tanzania. It has been a wanderfull holiday and we will remeber it for a long time.
IN
Email Nikil Rangadas | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Maturaf and his team are great guys , and they were very efficient and motivated
Excellent safari in Manyara, Ngorongoro & Serengeti and the the stay in Zanzibar too. Will definitely recommend Regional to others. I wish them all the best in the business
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Even though we kept changing dates and itinerary, they worked with us until we figured out all the details. Everything went very smooth and we are very happy. The itinerary we did was 4 days of safari's and 4 days on Zanzibar. It was a perfect plan and a great vacation. Guides were professional and courteous, saw all the possible animals, and took thousands of photos. Thank you!