CA
Highly experienced tour operator - we are so happy to have booked with Benson!
The best guides we could ask for in our first trip to beautiful Tanzania! We hired Benson Safaris for (1) a 5-day safari and (2) a 3-day Mt. Meru trek. From the moment we arrived in Arusha to our airport drop off for Zanzibar, we were taken care of by Benson’s team the whole way through.
We were picked up on arrival into Arusha by Zablo and transported to the Ilboru lodge…where Benson was there in person to go over the details of our trip. The very next day we were picked up by our Guide – Peter – for the next five days to the Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorogoro and Lake Manyara parks. Peter was extremely knowledgeable and friendly.
After our safari we were then picked up (again from Ilboru lodge) by Shaban and his team of ~4-5 porters to climb Mt. Meru over the next three days. This entire team again was very friendly – and patient! – with us throughout the entire climb. We felt very safe and in good hands for the duration of the trek.
In summary, Benson Safari is an excellent tour operator with some of the best guides that we’ve ever travelled with!
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Locally based with a trusted tour operator with over 17 years of experience.
Simply remarkable. Trustworthy. Fluent in English. Experienced crew gracefully lead by Sam Diah who surpassed my expectations during our 5 day walk in the Rift Valley from Longido to Sunken Crater. A must and an extraordinary way to discover Maasai culture.
There were 17 of us from Canada in the group supported by 17 wonderful Tanzanians who catered to us impeccably.
The food was plentiful and delicious, the camping in the provided tents, foam mattress and bedding was comfortable, the warm showers after our daily hikes were delightful, the route through the Maasai villages was memorable and the pace was just right.
Our head guide was Philomen, a local Maasai who knew were to take us. He would spot the hidden wildlife, we even met his family and friends along the way. While quiet at times, he did not shy from sharing his way of life. He even helped me fetch “52 cows” if I was to marry! This is part of their traditions to offer cows to parents of the potential bride.
I also continued on with Tanzania Travel Company on a three-day safari to Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara and Tarangire. Our guide was Godfrey who is an excellent driver with hawk eyes. He would spot the far away rhinoceros and wait till we had our fill before moving on to the next viewing spot. Fan of the lions (they are after all, as he says “king of the jungle”) we got close up to them during our daily drives through the parks. Such fun!
I hear Tanzania Travel Company is extremely well known for taking trekkers up the Kilimanjaro. Perhaps that will be my next trip with them. Ask for Richard as a guide. He’s climbed up the mountain with groups over 100 times. He would be someone I would trust considering his experience.
Get in touch with Sam Diah for your holidays in Tanzania - from treks to hike to safaris to accommodation to internal flights, he will be happy to help you make your trip the most memorable. Fluent in English. You’ll be glad you booked your trip with him.
Thanks Sam and the crew!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fikiri was a wonderful guide with lots of knowledge about the animals, very safe and personable.
The tour surpassed my expectations. The lodging, food, cost and guide were great. There was never any confusion. Even when the vehicle broke down Fikiri was able to fix it without impacting the tour too much.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
WOW! A vacation of 2 life times.
We’ve traveled to over 20 countries and this is the best vacation we have ever had.
Right from the get-go this was an exceptional experience. The clear, detailed and professional itinerary, the ease of booking this trip, Elias’s help in tailoring the itinerary to all our needs, we truly felt like people not just a number. The months prior to the trip Elias answered all our questions and concerns quickly and concisely. He advised us of adverse weather conditions and suggested alternative lodging to make our safari as pleasant as possible.
This wonderful service didn’t end there. John, our naturalist and driver, met us at the airport and on the trip to our hotel explained in detail what we would be doing the next day. He would explain our next day’s adventure every night for the rest of the safari. John was our wonderful guide, answering all our questions and seeing to all our needs on this ten day game drive.
We visited Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. But the heart of a safari is the animals. Here are just a small taste of our wonderful encounters:
We watched in awe as a huge herd of elephants, with babies in tow, passed in front of our Landcruiser.
We gazed at a family of graceful Giraffes walking across the open savanna and then watched as they picked the choice leaves from the tops of an Umbrella tree.
A pride of lions sleeping in the grass, the mama was nursing a cub while magnificent male was alert and watching.
Magnificent Zebras, Wildebeests and Thomson’s Gazelles peacefully grazing on the plains.
We saw dozens of Hippopotamus’ bathing in the river, we were stared down by a big male Cape buffalo guarding this turf, we saw majestic leopard snoozing in a Baobab tree, and Vultures, Jackals and Hyenas scavenging for food.
We watched monkeys foraging in the open fields, and a troop of Baboons hiding in the grass by the side of the road.
We also sang, danced and had a jumping contest with the colorful Maasai tribe. A lot of fun.
However, the highlight of our safari was the Great Migration! Tens of thousands of Wildebeest and Zebras, stretching from horizon to horizon queued to cross the Mara River. Then the crossing was complete mayhem; Wildebeest and Zebras scrambling to reach the other bank, truly an exhilarating experience.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Vacay Ever
I am so glad that I went. I asked many people their favorite travel location. Almost unanimously, I was told Africa. I am now among those people. I have done some wonderful travel internationally as well as domestically. I describe my experience as the feeling I had standing in Notre Dame cathedral for the first time. What was better, was feeling that way every day.
I had great service from Odyssey both before and after. I wish we could have stayed longer in the resorts, 2 or 3 days. Some of the drives were very long. Our guide was great.
We saw the big 5 as well as a lion honeymoon. That sure cracked me up.
Seeing the wildlife has deepened my reverence for life itself. Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic operator
My father has been telling me to take him to Tanzania, the country he was born in for as long as i can remember. He has been wanting to go back to see the 2 towns he grew up in. I always said no as i thought it was too dangerous (what was i thinking? Its not!). As my parents hit their 40th wedding anniversary I thought it was now or never and began researching. 55yrs is long enough for dad to wait!! I contacted at least 20 companies and was about to give up when i came across a few recommendations for Ubon Safari. So, i contacted them. From our first encounter, i knew Umang and Beena (Bee Gossain) were the people who were going to make my dads wishes come true and off we went planning the most incredible trip. I was put at ease instantly, no question was silly and no request too much. Questions repeated over and over were happily answered. I felt incredibly confident and excited. No concerns whatsoever, all thanks to the hard work, time and effort Umang and Beena put into planning these trips. They are so dedicated that they go to Africa for a few months every year to meet with hotels and give feedback. When we hit a number of issues on the holiday, they were right there with us working hard to resolve them. To know we had that help immediately is no small thing. Beena and Umang are so passionate about giving the best trip, they wont rest if any small thing goes wrong until its resolved. Their drivers and cars made this trip that much more amazing...7 days in Serengeti and 7 in Zanzibar can be hard going on some of the rough roads, and in the boats, especially for my mum who has severe rheumatoid arthritis but the cars were so comfy you dont notice and the drivers so good you feel safe. Mum had no problems! Unknown to us Beena had arranged a surprise bush dinner, which was incredible and a last min hot air balloon ride, which was so much fun. We also had ppl travelling on excursions with us to ensure my parents were well taken care of...its these small things that made the trip. We were spoilt! I cant thank Ubon enough, I cant recommend them enough and we can't wait to book another trip with them. Sadly we cant join them on the amazing trip to south serengeti and Zambia next year, which will be epic. If you want to go to Africa contact Ubon, you wont be disappointed.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
10d Tarangire Manyara Serengeti Ngorogoro migration private couple. Fabulous highly recommended.
Fabulous and recommended to everyone we know. During enquiries Naiman was excellent and responded quickly and accurately, arranging our tour according to our preferences. We wanted to visit the major parks but also catch the migration during a river crossing which was in N Serengeti during our visit. Payment of deposit directly with follow up completion is ok and worked.
Accomodation was at Tanganyika lodges which exceeded our expectations and was excellent value for money. Food at lodges very good and reasonable prices for alcoholic drinks too. Packed lunches decent. No hot drinks or table cloth for lunch, fine by us, just bring a flask and fill up in the morning.
We had a private couple tour due to our preferred itinerary. Highly recommended as Steve our tour guide and driver could tailor the entire experience to us. Vehicle was the standard long Landcruiser, same as every other tour, except it didn't have fripperies such as phone charging points for each guest. Fine by us! The vehicle was reliable, we even helped pull out another tour's vehicle which got stuck.
Steve is very experienced and was lovely and perfectly pitched throughout. He just knew the land and the animals and knew when to wait and when to move on.
Parks were superb, loved Tarangire and Serengeti central and north. Would love to return to west and south.
Price wise this company is competitive compared to others for similar products and delivers an excellent experience in the animals, accomodation and overall safari enjoyment.
Instagram @fongsphotos
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Serengeti wakanda tours were amazing. They were arranging everything exactly the way we wanted and even more. We did the 5 days northern circuit safari. Our tourguide was awesome and very proffesional. He did the very best to show us the big five and gave us good position for taking pictures.
We would highly recommand wakanda tours to everybody who wants to have a great safari.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari with top organizational and driver
The experience with Shemeji Safari was top notch. We travelled for five days through Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Beside the beauty of the natural parks/protected areas, I must say that the whole organization before the trip and the experience we had during the trip were outstanding. Emma, with her precise and fast answers to many inquiries before the trip and Beni, our driver, who during the game drives, was always a step ahead of all the other drivers in relentlessly finding the big 5 (we saw rhinos more than once in different parks...that is extremely seldom) and passionately explaining animals habits. We strongly recommend Shemeji for the quality they delivered and above all for the attention/passion we felt before, during and after the safari. Congratulations for the great and tough work you carry on.
P.s ask to get Beni as a driver. This experienced guy spots animals from unbelievable distances and has a non common passion/understanding for what he does
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible personal attention to detail, listening to your wishes and turning them into your dreams.
Beena and Umang Gossain and UBON safari are simply two incredible individuals who give their all to every detail of your trip. We were kept updated on our itinerary and had constant contact prior to departure. On arrival in Kenya it was obvious we were going to be very well looked after. We then flew to Tanzania, what magic. All the hotels they had chosen for us totally matched not only our needs but our desires , I had specifically asked to have a room somewhere by a watering hole. I got it and it was perfect.
The guides they use are exemplary, full of care and knowledge, the airline Auric is excellent, the hotels are wonderful and all the hotels speak highly of the couple themselves as people .
The Serengeti was the most exciting, exhilarating and obviously tiring experience, but we saw everything. My husband did a balloon trip which he said was a marvellous experience and I joined him for the extraordinary champagne and cooked breakfast in the bush that I could have imagined . Everything is thought of down to the tiniest detail. Simply brilliant trip , so well organised and nothing is too much trouble if things need to get changed for whatever reason. They care and it shows.
