US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Arusha National Park by Eleanore Avery
Arusha is a lovely half day spent before starting safari. This is only park in Tanzania to see the beautiful bkack and white Colobus Monkey.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
driving through to hippo hill we didn't see much wildlife only a young bull elephant checking us out
We stayed at Hippo Hill campsite, it was very rustic could do with an upgrade on washing facilities. The views from camp were beautiful up close to hippo's in the evening , flamingos on the salt lake in the day. We also went on an amazing boat trip that was organised through one of the parks lodges, it was great for birds with elephants on the banks of the river.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Nxai Pan National Park by Ian
Arriving at the Nxai Pan gate, we were greeted by another track masquerading as a river and informed that we could only be admitted at our own risk. This was a no-brainer as our camp was already set up in there and there was no alternative. As it was getting fairly late, we did a short game drive and repaired to camp for dinner and bed.
Next morning all was well and we set off to see what Nxai Pan had to offer. It was to turn out to be a day mainly consisting of bird sightings, apart from hundreds of Zebras, which was the reason we were there anyway. They were even more plentiful than the Oryx had been in Central Kalahari and our guide estimated we saw between three and five thousand in Nxai Pan. However, the vast amount of rain and the affect it had on the vegetation meant the Zebras didn’t need to migrate so far as in most years. Had it been a normal year he estimated we would have seen three to four times that number.
My first impression of Nxai Pan was how big and open the area is, although only a fraction of the area covered by Central Kalahari. It is classic Cheetah territory and that was what I was hoping to see. I didn’t have to wait long on our second day and we found a female with two young cubs, probably about nine months old. We spent best part of an hour with them as they slowly moved around their range and the cubs played happily with each other, before they moved into cover and we left them.
Next up was another herd (dazzle) of Zebras, and another brief Cheetah sighting, but much of the day was spent looking for Lions. After lunch, we were successful, even witnessing a (distant) mating session. There was a torrential thunderstorm later on in the afternoon, but once this moved through we had another Cheetah sighting, which turned out to be the brother of the female we had seen in the morning.
That brought us to the end of our two full days in Nxai Pan and just left us with a game drive to the gate next morning. We had been trying, unsuccessfully, to photograph a European Bee-eater since we arrived, but every time our guide killed the engine, the bird would fly. Finally we were successful as we found one in an Acacia bush and it didn’t move. Also added a Bradfield’s Hornbill to our list as it posed beautifully beside the track.
My overall impression of Nxai Pan is somewhat mixed. Certainly we saw exactly what we went there for, so we have no complaints on that score. But there are vast areas of the reserve that are inaccessible due to the no off-roading policy. I understand the reasons for this policy and agree with it, but it only works if there are adequate roads to use and that is where Nxai Pan suffers.
US
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Erik
Lake Manyara was my first safari location, and I think it was great as a "beginner's safari". The wildlife is not amazing, but it was enough to get a nice taste of the experience. The birds were pretty spectacular, and it was definitely a good experience overall, but after traveling to Nairobi Natl Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Masai Mara, the experience at Lake Manyara paled a bit in comparison.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nice driver Kpande and proper safari vehicle, much better than 4x4
The experience was really nice, a bit expensive but all tour companies in Tanzania are expensive. There was no way to pay online or by card, had to be cash and we spent time in the morning driving around to get cash from the bank machine, not something you want to do at 4am in the dark in Tanzania! I recommend bringing enough dollars to pay for the trip. They need to update to online payment as not many people carry large amounts of cash for obvious safety reasons. Big disadvantage. Other than that a great company and trip! Our driver and guide Kpande was very informative and friendly. We did a day trip and it was a lot of travel but well worth the time. 4am-9:30pm. The safari truck is very nice with pop up roof, lots of legroom, refrigerator, and sockets for charging electronics etc. I would recommend bringing CDs to play as my phone did not connect to the bluetooth in the truck and there was only one CD on repeat, we listened to Maroon 5, moves like Jagger about 20 times before we asked to turn it off!haha make sure to bring a camera that can take video and panoramics, superb views! Breakfast was ok but lunch was really nice looking out on the savanna while eating! Some improvements to be made to payments and music but overall worth the trip in a authentic safari truck! :D
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
the experience in the park was great, we saw chimps on both treks.
As visitors, we had the experience of being bounced around from car to boat to park without anyone really telling us what was going on. The personal touch, that we have had with other tours was not present. We never met with Joshua and never felt like our business really mattered. With the exception of the last meal, which we bought ourselves, the itinerary was followed and we enjoyed our time with the chimps. I hope that future tours are less impersonal, otherwise I would recommend saving some money and doing this trip on your own.
LT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by ramunaskr
This park is called "Home of tree climbing lions" - never saw any lion in 3 hours trip inside this park.
I've been in mount Kilimanjaro national park. This park is not in the list here.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tarangire National Park by Toffael Rashid
amazing for birds and elephants!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Toffael Rashid
Amazing but also abit like Disney land, its almost too good to be true! You'll see the big 5 within an hour and the landscape is very dramatic. But its quite poor for birding and also feels abit enclosed and claustrophobic compared to other parks.
JP
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Mikumi National Park by Jumbokedama
Too many people, not many big cats.