US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Truly exceptional, infusing the experience with meaning and connection.
Stellar experience from first contact to send-off at the airport. Book with Sababu. This was not my first safari in Tanzania but it was by far the best! It was exhilarating but also moving.
I traveled with a group of 10 friends and family members to Tanzania in mid to late November for two weeks. We visited the Maasai Lodge, Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu, the Serengeti, and Zanzibar. Denise (a cofounder of Sababu) was an excellent and thorough coordinator from our first email exchange through traveling with us throughout the safari. We were originally a group of 13 when we booked. Three members of the group had to drop out for various reasons before our travel dates and Denise handled the changes quickly and clearly. We booked 3 vehicles so we had plenty of space to move around and get the best pictures. Our guides were Robert (the other cofounder), Samson, and Peter. They are all amazing! Funny, informative, enthusiastic, eagle-eyed, skill-driving, and accommodating.
Travel with a purpose is at the core of Sababu’s practices, not just a nice tagline. Rather than just a token ‘good deed’ during a given safari, they invest in the communities they operate in. They support businesses like the Amini Maasai Lodge as being mutually beneficial for their guests and the locals. They make clear the connections between travelers and their impacts on the unique people, animals, and environment of Tanzania.
Sababu does not stop at cultural tourist traps where locals are treated like animals on display at a zoo. Our interactions with the various tribes and people of Tanzania were always on their terms. We still had our deeply impactful ‘good deed’ moment, when we stopped by the boma of a struggling Maasai family far from the tourist zones. Sababu has been slowly making their way along a route helping a new family in the area each time. We supplied them with solar lights to improve the women’s lives inside their dark homes and several water filtration systems to keep their families healthy. Robert and the other guides always ensure that the women with the youngest babies and kids get one of the water filtration systems as infant mortality from unclean water is high. The guides prepped us in advance explaining the interaction and the impacts of the supplies. They are careful about giving people things that truly improve their lives without altering their way of life and minimizing environmental impacts.
Sababu is equally as committed to preserving the land and animals of Tanzania. From supplying us with reusable water bottles upon arrival to teaching us about the complexities of conservation, Sababu integrated us into their efforts to protect this special place. You can feel good about your decision to travel with Sababu.
Enough cannot be said about the guides' enthusiasm for what they do. From sun up to sun down, they live and breathe for wildlife. On two of the days of our trip, only two vehicles went out with some of our group remaining in camp for some rest. While making the best of a day in camp, the remaining guide clearly would have rather gone out on the adventure. The two guides who were out with us joked around about all the things that the camp-bound guide was missing out on. They goodnaturedly teased him upon their return about all the animal sightings he had missed. They all truly love what they do and it shows.
As for the food, I have unusual food allergies (nightshades) that were a struggle to accommodate at all of the stops. Other members of the group with gluten, lactose, and onion intolerances were catered to more easily. Every camp tried their best and Denise was wonderful about ensuring our dietary restrictions were communicated and adhered to. Box lunches are always a lackluster affair but the packed lunches at camps where we stayed multiple nights were good. The food definitely caters to Western tastes. Dinners were filling and delicious.
Upon arrival, we were met with a sign, a warm welcome, and a clean vehicle. We loved the cultural experiences offered at the Amini Maasai Lodge, taking full advantage of guided nature walks, spear throwing, school and church visits, beading, and sundowners. We packed a suitcase full of books for the schools as English language children and teen books are harder to come by for them. When we dropped off the books, we got to meet some of the students and get a tour of the facilities. It is a unique and fulfilling place to spend a couple of days recovering from travel and connecting to Tanzania.
Tarangire is a great first taste of the wildlife of Tanzania. We were surrounded by large herds of elephants twice. Several brushed against our vehicles during our first encounter. We stayed at the beautiful Lemala Mpingo Ridge Lodge where we could see giraffes and elephants grazing from our balconies and even had a genet visit.
Climbing up into the mountains we were met with the unbeatable vista of the Ngorongoro Crater. We were lucky enough to see three rhinos and a wide variety of birds and animals. The zebras, buffalo, and flamingos put on quite the show. We stayed on the crater rim at Lion’s Paw Camp which is situated conveniently next to one of the entrances to the crater without sacrificing the magnificent view.
Next, we visited Ndutu, a conservation area Southeast of the Serengeti with short grass plains and patchy woodlands. Because of the unusually early rains this year, the migration herds had already arrived in the area despite it being the off-season. We only saw four other vehicles during our entire stay in the region. We had exclusive and spectacular game viewing including a temporarily solitary lioness and her three young cubs with a wildebeest kill. The cubs couldn’t decide if they wanted to play on/with the corpse, eat it, or nap on it. It was macabre and adorable. Because the area is not a national park, vehicles can drive almost anywhere they want which is a dream for photographers. We stayed at the Lake Masek Tented Camp. This is the only accommodation that was a repeat for me from a previous safari. It has been improved by a sizable pool overlooking the lake since my last visit. Animals wander by regularly including a large number of giraffes and hippos. It is a relaxing camp with enthusiastic staff.
Our final stop on the mainland was Serengeti National Park. Unless you have visited the endless plains dotted with rock outcroppings called kopjes and the occasional tree or oasis, you cannot picture the vastness and the abundance of large mammals. In some areas, literally, as far as the eye can see, there are thousands of animals. We were lucky enough to see three different leopards out of their trees and walking about, one of which walked right through our camp before dinner. We stayed at Lemala Nanyukie Lodge, a gorgeous camp with private plunge pools for each tent. My mother had to exit hers when an elephant approached the pool for a quick drink. The food and drinks were excellent as were the camp facilities. This was the only camp that required armed escort during the day as well as at night to and from our tents. On our last morning, the necessity of this was made clear when a lioness perched on the rocks overlooking the tents. A minute’s drive from camp we found the rest of her family enjoying the remains of a kill from a few hours earlier.
Zanzibar was a tropical (humid) dream. We ended our trip with several days at Baraza Resort, an Omani-esque beachfront resort with opulent private villas, good food, and an excellent spa. The ocean is warm, turquoise, and tidal. There are plenty of activities and several of our group enjoyed scuba diving through a partnered dive shop. For the less nature-inclined members of our group, it was a welcome indulgence in creature comforts.
Denise crafted the perfect shoulder season itinerary for our group. Her insights and recommendations were invaluable. We loved all of the accommodations that she helped us select. She even managed to find us some incredible off-season deals. She is flexible about communication and always clear and supportive.
Again, book with Sababu. It will be one of the best travel experiences of your life.
AE
Amazing place and amazing people
The country is lovely people are very friendly and always there to help . The safari company we booked with was great checking in us all the time and making sure we are ok . Will defently go again
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Go there
Mokoro trip is a great experience. You can enjoy the okavango delta with its beautiful nature and animals. Perfect catering by mosu safari
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stunning wildlife and scenery and warm welcoming people
Amazing experience. Rainy season not so rainy and not crowded so a really peaceful intimate connection with animals and amazing photography opportunities. Great choice of places to stay and really friendly helpful staff everywhere we went.
Our tour company Soul of Tanzania was excellent. Great itinerary. Amazing guide (James Ellie) who was full of knowledge but not overbearing and very skilled at finding the highlights.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing authentic experience, breathtaking and humbling!
Bison Safaris arranged the most wonderful 7 day Package to include Maasai Marra, Nakuru and Ambosile National Reserves. The scenery in these parks where different but all equally breathtaking. To see these wonderful animals in their own habitat was a wonderful experience, from the big 5 to the comical Meer Cats! I fount that everyone we met were so welcomeing and genuinely wanted to ensure we had the best possible experience. From the hospitality/accomadation staff to drivers and Kenyans in general, we did not have one negative experience. I would highly reccomend Kenya as an adventure holiday destination.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Una agencia local cercana y professional
Local agency eyes on serengeti is very Pro, with experienced drivers and a lot of knowledge of parks, animals, locations, local people. They gave us everything done and organized in all kinds of detail and adapted to our needs. They also advised us on routes visits and accommodation without deception.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Intentional
We absolutely loved touring with Laxatrails. From the beginning, Peter worked diligently to create a perfect itinerary for our trip. He was a top notch communicator and made every detail of our trip to our preference and budget. Our guide, Raheim made us feel safe and was intentional about helping us see all that we could during our time. Everyone was so kind, communicative, and intentional about making our dreams come true. I would 100% book with Laxatrails again!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent; from start to finish!!!
Simply AMAZING!!! From the very beginning, Anna was so incredibly helpful with the whole planning process and was there to answer any questions at any time. Going into our trip, I felt very confident that everything would be planned and taken care of for us. Our guide, Salani, was the absolute best. We could not have asked for a better guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the land and wildlife and seemed to know almost everyone throughout the entire country of Botswana. We could tell we were in good hands from the very first day. He always seemed to know right where to go to get us in the right places at the right time to get the best views of the wildlife. And I definitely cannot go without complimenting our entire team: MP, KT and our bush chef, Nem. Some of the kindest and most helpful folks you could ever meet. And even after having to pack up camp, drive several hours on rough roads, and reset our camp in another location, they were there with a smile on their faces; ready to help with anything we could ask for. And Nem's cooking.. WOW!!! So yummy and exactly what we needed after long days on game drives. The animal sightings we had were out of this world and beyond what we thought we would see. The itinerary was perfect, from the locations, to the experiences (game drives, boat tours), and ending with a lovely lodge stay in Victoria Falls. It was all exactly what we wanted and expertly and carefully crafted by the wonderful people at Sekanka. I would not change a single thing about our tour and we all even said we would need to request our same team for the next time because they truly made everything so wonderful. In Salan, we trust! We would recommend this company to anyone looking to journey into the Okavango Delta and tell them, with 100% confidence, that they will have an amazing time!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Coops is passionate, knowledgeable and thoughtful.
I cannot speak too highly of the experience my wife andI had on our. Tour of Southern Africa.Coops is well connected and highly respected and the places we stayed the guides we had were outstanding.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
More than what we bargained for!
My wife and I went on the 12 day package for our honeymoon. If you like seeing amazing wild animals, experiencing all different types of safari, staying in varied traditional and luxurious accomodation, sampling delicious African cuisine (we're now addicted to malva pudding), and immersing yourself in Zimbabwean and Botswanan culture, then this is the tour for you.
But don't expect any big lie-ins! Activities are absolutely crammed into this tour, each with their own unique aspects, largely increasing the variety and amount of wildlife you see. We were very happy to see the Big 5 during our trip. Every day was well curated, from the pick ups to the food provided, and Simon was always available on WhatsApp to answer any schedule questions we had.
All of the staff involved were professional and helpful. Simon and Pebbles were particularly knowledgeable and friendly, and we felt at home with them. We also loved hearing their really interesting insights and entertaining stories about Zimbabwean and Botswanan culture as we drove between locations.
