20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A truly special trip with exceptional service and care from TTC.
I have just returned from a trek with Tanzania Travel Company. Starting at the foothills of Mount Longido, a sacred Maasai mountain, our group of 12 trekked across the floor of the Great Rift Valley right to the foothills of the visually stunning Crater Highlands. We walked in the footsteps of ancient Maasai warriors covering a total of 74km in just 4 days. Sam, William and Clement from Tanzania Travel Company were with us every step of the way, keeping us on our feet and moving forward, and teaching us about their beautiful country and its history.
The scenery was breathtaking and the landscape was scattered with Maasai bomas and the people who live in them. We were privileged to meet some of the locals along the way and experience a Maasia market in Kitumbeine. We were constantly surprised by what we saw, I remember leaving camp at sunrise on the second morning and after less than a mile we were face to face with a family of giraffe enjoying breakfast.
We were camping for 5 nights in the wild African bush, but the team at Tanzania Travel Company looked after us so well that we felt at complete comfort and ease from the moment we arrived and every moment of the trip was pure luxury. We were treated to tea and coffee in our tent upon waking in the morning and returned to the camp each day to an ice cold foot bath a warm bush shower. The food was exceptional from African stew to meatballs or Cajun chicken. The chef, Antony cooked an impressive variety and even home baked bread in a hand built underground oven.
When our physical challenge was over we spent a day on a Safari drive at the Ngorongoro Crater, its plains are filled with wildlife and we were spoiled with sightings of lions, hippos and zebra to name a few.
This trip was a truly special one, not only for the scenery, wildlife and interaction with ancient maasai communities, but for the friends we made at Tanzania Travel Company. Every single member of the team went above and beyond to make our trip comfortable and memorable. Tanzania and all of the team at Tanzania Travel Company will have a special place in our hearts, until we return again.
If you’re thinking about visiting Tanzania don’t think about it any longer, book a trip with Tanzania Travel Company. It will be the trip of a lifetime.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Summiting with Eastern Sun
When looking for a company to arrange a Kilimanjaro climb, I must admit I was overwhelmed with the number of operators out there and found it difficult to know which operator could be trusted. After getting a few quotes from various operators, I found Eastern Sun on Safaribookings.com and was impressed with the speed of their responses to my initial emails. I was also impressed with how cheap they came up when compared to other operators. I was a bit nervous that they were so cheap that it was too good to be true, but any concerns I had were soon resolved on the morning of our trek.
Our pick up turned up at our hotel in Arusha at the arranged time and took us on the long drive to the start of the rongai route. The drive took us most of our first day. We were a little put out that we were only told at Marangu gate to kili that plastic bottles are not allowed on the mountain as we had planned to use these. In the end we had to arrange to borrow our guides' bottles. In future I believe this should be made clear in the booking emails. We were also a little annoyed that we had to pay $10pp to hire leccy poles when we thought they were included in the price.
Once we had resolved these issues we continued with our drive north. Once we got out of the jeeps, there was a lot of sitting around, but were soon on our way with the trek. On our first night we were pleastantly surprised with the quality and quantity of food provided by our chef Stephen. Throughout the trek we were well fed and never went hungry once. In terms of water, although I had water treatment pills I was told the water was treated, but later found out it was not. Fortunately we didn't get ill following this mix up (I think its pretty low risk anyway), but had to treat our water for the rest of our trip. For anyone looking to go on a trip, I'd advise taking water treatment pills just in case.
In terms of our guide (Arnold) and assistant guide (godfrey) we were very impressed. Not only did they make great company, but were also informative and made it clear that safety was put first. Our guide measured our heart rate and blood oxygen levels at least once a day and gave excellent advice based on years of experience on the mountain. If you go on a trip and use one of these devices (it takes a reading from your finger) ladies make sure you are not wearing nail varnish as this skews the results. Unfortunately I got bad altitude sickness symptoms at kibo (basically the worst headache i've ever experienced) but arnold's advice to take ibuprofen (I was already taking diamox)worked perfectly and I was able to summit feeling great!It was reassuring to know that Arnold would not have allowed us to summit unless he thought it was safe to do so.
All in all we were impressed with Eastern Sun and despite the minor issues we had, we were impressed with the service we received making it a trip we'll never forget.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari with ups and downs but definitely worthwhile
As a group of 56 people we took a 3 day safari at the end of September to see the beautiful Serengeti. We booked our trip over Fourways Travel Agency and were guided by Masumin Safaris. The communication via mail was really friendly and easy.
1st day - 22.09.14:
09.30 Pick Up
10.30 Buying groceries
11.30 Driving
The Car was in moderate shape. Nice to have 8 seats for ourselves and enough space for our luggage. The cigarette charger was not working (I guess we wer expecting to much from Tnazanian standards).
13.30 Start Safari
14.30 flat tire (rear right)
15.00 pushing car (engine didn't start)
17.15 2nd flat tire
19.00 ride to camp with another company
19.45 arrival at camp
The time at the campsite was truly intense. One is used to see animals in cages at the zoo. In the Serengeti it is the other way around. For our own safety we were eating (Meat smells delicious for wild animals) in a big fenced hall. It was a mind-blowing experience. Being a guest in the wild, where the animals are superior. This “humiliation” felt amazingly good!
On part of the agency, the tents were pretty old (e.g. broken zipper) however we could fix it and were probably once again expecting to much from Tanzanian standards. Maybe this experience helped us too.
2nd day - 23.09.2014:
05.30 wake up (planned start of safari 06.00)
09.20 departure new car, Start of safari
18.30 finished game drive
I will never forget this day. Even though we started late we had perfect timing, being able to see a gepard hunting from under 20m distance. We were so excited when he finally began to run and chase the antelopes that were lying in the savanna around 100m away. The leopard chased one of the younger antelopes down and running with a speed of around 100km/h he managed to jump to catch the antelope by the neck and tear it down. We were so stunned and almost all of us had tears in our eyes. The rest of the day was full of great views and thousands of beautiful animals. For a fee of 15$ we were invited to visit a Massai village and exchange thoughts with some of the English speaking villagers. We visited the huge Ngorongoro crater and saw all of the local animals – even one of the few rhinos. Thank you so much.
3rd day - 24.09.2014:
06.00 wake up
07.30 breakfast
08.30 Start of safari
10.15-11.00 break
11.00 Safari
17.00 Return to Mwanza
The last day was a combination of returning to Mwanza (our starting point) and more Safari. We saw a family of elephants, many young giraffes and plenty of Zebras, Gnus and Buffalos. We returned to our starting point and received our car, that we were allowed to park at the company. The next day we received a refund for the missed hours due to the broken tires, which were 20% of the expenses of the agency. The rest (more that the half of the money) goes in to Serengeti park fees and is not refundable.
Overall, the agency and the gear was ok, the guides and the food were good and the Serengeti was perfect! Thank you so much for this unforgettable experience.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Magical Experience
Our trip was one of the best things we have ever done. Being a complex trips with many transfers and game drives we were pleasantly surprised at how everything worked like clockwork. It was perfect and we couldn't have asked for more. The terrain is gorgeous, the animals are fantastic and people wonderful. We are very fortunate people to have experienced that part of Africa.
20-35 years of age
Great price and friendly staff
I had an awesome safari in Kenya courtesy of Savannah Jamboree Travel. I contacted several tour operators, but Jamboree convinced me with a great offer and quality services. They didn't disappoint either since my time in Kenya was the best I have ever had. Thank you.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great timing and a good tour operator
I had a fantastic time in Kenia. I had fears of Ebola but after getting assurance from some of my Kenian friends and the safari operator, I decided to travel to Africa. Such an amazing continent and beautiful culture. I loved the food, animals and the friendly people. I thank you for making my holiday fantastic. Cheers!!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
I have always wanted to go on an African safari so my sister and I went on a 4-day camping safari with Kilidove. We started at Lake Manyara National Park, went to Serengeti National Park and then the Ngorongoro Crater. Joshua, our guide, knew everything about all the animals and their whereabouts - even spotted all the big cats up close and a black rhino! Camping was super fun and our chef, Noel, cooked the best dinners. We felt very safe and comfortable the whole time. If you're looking for an unforgettable trip, look no further - Kilidove takes care of you! Thank you George!
IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic memories to treasure for the rest of our lives!
We returned from our holiday to Tanzania and Zanzibar a month ago and are still enjoying talking about every aspect of our trip! When we set about booking a safari, we tried a local company in Ireland who offered us very limited options. We found the safari bookings website and entered our requirements. We were so fortunate to find Safarihub as a result of our search. From the moment I contacted Zuzana less than 2 months before our planned trip, we were confident that we were in good hands. She responded promptly to our emails and booked a wonderful itinerary for our 7-day safari.
We thoroughly enjoyed each of the national parks that we visited, starting out in Arusha National Park, then Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and finally Lake Manyara. Ngorongoro was definitely the highlight but we really wouldn't have missed any of them as each was such a different experience. Our accommodations were all wonderful, each surpassing our expectations. We particularly loved Lake Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp, Ikoma Safari Camp and Tarangire Safari Lodge.
It is when things don't go according to plan that you realise the importance of having booked with a reliable company. We encountered a problem with our booking in Tarangire Safari Lodge, when we were booked for the following night instead of the night we arrived. The manager was extremely helpful and sorted us out with very comfortable tented accommodation as the bungalows were all full that night. We were really impressed with the response of everybody involved. We emailed Zuzana about the problem and she organised an upgrade for us in Ngorongoro to Sopa Lodge via the local company Sunnysafaris. We felt really well looked after and not at all disrupted by this, as it was so well managed.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of our trip was spending the week with BJ as our guide. He was absolutely wonderful, a skilled driver, extremely knowledgeable with eagle eyes for spotting all the wildlife (we got to see the Big Five!) and always anticipated the animal movements so that we got the best views and photos! We thoroughly enjoyed learning from him about all the animals, birds and trees that we saw every day on our travels. He never tired of our questions and spent as much time as we wished observing the animals. He took really good care of us all week and we so enjoyed his company that we were very sad to part at the end of the week!
We would highly recommend Safarihub and Sunnysafaris as they provided wonderful efficient and friendly service and ensured every aspect of our safari was the best we could possibly experience! Thanks so much to everyone and Safaribookings website for a brilliant service.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Polite, helpful, efficient, caring,went the extra mile
6 ladies climbed Mnt Meru. The entire team sent by Kilidove was amazing and nothing was too much hassle.They negotiated prices at the hotel for us and went the extra mile to make us happy - awesome experience even when we didn't speak Swahili!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Service! 100% Recommended
It was our first time in Africa, so I decided to book a tour operator to maximize our short time in the region. As I didn’t have any contacts, I decided to look up in the internet for tour operators.
I contacted about 5 of them, but from the minute I spoke to Melissa Oberholzer, I knew this was the tour operator I would choose! (Even though the prices of other operators were lower).
Melissa and her company provided an outstanding and efficient organization of what has been one of the best holidays of our lives!
Despite contacting her only 2 weeks before our trip, she was able to tailor make it exactly the way we wanted!. She put together a wonderful and very organized schedule so we were able to visit the best places that South Africa, Zambia and Namibia has to offer, in only 2 weeks!
Her disposition to organize such a wonderful trip in such a short period of time, plus her availability to answer every question we had (even at 11pm on a Saturday!) made our trip much more special, easier and relaxed.
We had the most wonderful time, and saw the most amazing sites in each of the countries we visited! But most importantly, the services that she chose for each of our stops (drivers, guides, hotels, etc), were excellent, extremely punctual and friendly. Everyone took great care of us while making sure we were happy and satisfied at all times.
All in all, it was really a wonderful and stress-free experience! And I would definitely hire their services again. I also recommend this tour operator to anyone planning to travel to Southern Africa.
Thank you very much and all the best!!