CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An outstanding Arusha experience, especially for birders
We visited Tanzania in mid-June and had three transition days in Arusha before and after our safari, so we booked the Arusha city tour with Tanzania Songbirds Safaris, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.
Our guide, Isra, arrived at our hotel ahead of time each day. The vehicle was comfortable and well maintained, with a dedicated driver, allowing Isra to focus entirely on guiding and answering our questions. Since it was just the two of us, he was very flexible and adjusted the itinerary to match our interests. In the first day, we ended up spending several enjoyable hours exploring the Central Market, which became one of our favorite experiences in Arusha. We enjoyed the tour so much that we booked Isra again for another day to continue exploring the city and the Maasai Market. After we finished our safari and returned to Arusha, we spent our final day with him visiting Lake Duluti and a local coffee farm near Arusha.
What impressed us most was Isra's knowledge and genuine passion for sharing his country. Before our safari, he introduced us to Tanzanian history, culture, wildlife, and everyday life, which gave us a much deeper appreciation of everything we experienced later in the national parks. We had many enjoyable conversations about nature, Tanzanian culture, his experiences as a safari guide, and the daily lives of local people. We learned far more than we expected from a city tour. He also recommended several local restaurants (Uzunguni City Park and Khan's Barbeque), all of which were authentic and excellent. Throughout all three days, Isra was kind, patient, professional, and gentle. As two female travellers, we always felt comfortable, safe, and well looked after.
As birdwatchers, we were especially delighted by his knowledge of and enthusiasm for birds. Not all safari guides are knowledgeable about birds, so if you're a birder, you'll definitely appreciate touring with Isra.
Whether you are looking for a short introduction to Arusha or considering Isra as your safari guide, we highly recommend Tanzania Songbirds Safaris. It was an excellent experience from beginning to end.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Warm & Wonderful Introduction to Tanzania
Before arriving in Tanzania, my partner and I had already booked our safari, so we planned to spend two days exploring Arusha before heading to the wild. The experience was so enjoyable that we immediately booked Isra for a second day.
Isra made us feel comfortable exploring the city on foot. He patiently answered all of our questions and shared fascinating insights into Tanzanian history, ethnic diversity, politics, religion, culture, and everyday life. It felt more like spending time with a knowledgeable local friend.
Our favorite stop was the Central Market. Isra explained how the market is organized and why different sections developed the way they did. We also got to see what local people buy and eat, and even sampled a few local products. Without a guide, we probably wouldn't have ventured so confidently into such a large, busy market.
We also loved the coffee farm. Having visited coffee farms in Colombia and Hawaii, we found this experience unique because we followed the entire process, from harvesting to brewing, at a small organic farm. The coffee was excellent, and we brought a bag home to Canada.
Isra is friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about sharing his country. If we hadn't already booked our safari before arriving in Tanzania, we would definitely have considered him as our safari guide. We highly recommend Tanzania Songbirds Safaris.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventurous, out going, and lots of fun.
Our safari with Plex Africa Safari was truly one of the highlights of our trip to Tanzania. From the very beginning, everything was organized, professional, and stress-free.
A huge thank you to Ricardo and Aicha, who were incredible guides throughout the experience. They were knowledgeable, friendly, and genuinely passionate about making sure we had the best safari possible. We booked a private safari, and they made the experience feel very personal by taking the time to search for every animal we hoped to see. They exceeded every expectation we had.
Communication was excellent from start to finish. The team kept us updated every step of the way, arrived on time for hotel pickup, and made the entire day run smoothly. The pricing was also very fair for the quality of the experience we received.
Even though we didn’t go in with many expectations, Ricardo and Aicha completely surpassed them. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and dedication to giving us an unforgettable experience made all the difference.
If you’re visiting Zanzibar or Tanzania and are considering a safari, we highly recommend Plex Safari. You won’t be disappointed!
CO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excelent service
Operator is very reliable, they really take care of the tourist, facilities, transportation, patience looking for animals. ¡Food is great!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mesmerising experience.
Clean country. Kind and tourist friendly environment. Good food.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Safari trip
Our guide Estomih went above and beyond for us on this trip. Not only did he thoughtfully stock the vehicle with everything we’d need, he also brought along a bilingual illustrated wildlife guidebook with both Chinese and English text.
The fridge was fully stocked with water, red and white wine, and beer.
He’s incredibly experienced and always gave his absolute best, letting us get much closer to the wildlife. I’d almost given up searching for cheetahs if it weren’t for his persistence — and in the end, we spotted two separate cheetah families!
This was such a wonderful, unforgettable safari. Thank you, Estomih, for making our trip so joyful.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lovely experience, very much worth the price
Communications were easy/clear and derive was phenomenal. Amazing value for money, has everything handled including pick-up to hotel (chosen location), entrance fee, informative drive, drop off. Definitely recommend and plan on using them again upon revisiting :)
Excellent value for money
Just returned from a safari holiday to South Africa. We chose Viva Safaris for two reasons. Good reviews and Patti Landau!! Her excellent communication skills in answering all the information we requested and her warm personality gave us the confidence to go ahead.
Viva safaris is a well organised operation with an outstanding team.
The guides, kitchen staff and drivers were a pleasure to interact with and made the holiday so much more fun and enjoyable.
The only downside was the shower fittings and maybe some suitable accommodation for couples at Tremisana. The rooms are quite cramped with a double and two single beds !!
We will never forget Tremisana and Pumusa and take this opportunity to thank each and every one at Viva Safaris ( Patti, Ed, Rocky, Smiley,Andy and kitchen team at Tremisana) ( George, Nellie, Sanzo and Zakiel at Pumusa) for doing an awesome job. Though we did not get to see lions and leopards we did see an amazing array of animals. An incredible experience on the whole!!
Hope to be back one day soon to do it all again and hopefully see two of the big five we missed out on !!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing!
I hiked Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro and followed that with a safari over a 19-day period. Altezza provided an unbelievable experience with a great itinerary with exceptional staff. For the two hikes, everything was geared toward getting us to the top and keeping us safe with proper acclimatization, ample food, ensuring that we drank enough water, walking slowly and twice daily medical check-ups. All 14 members of our group successfully summitted Kilimanjaro. I was a sold client on Meru and successfully summitted that as well. My guide for the safari to Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangerie and Lake Natron was experienced (40 years of leading safaris) and led us to everything I wanted to see. All in all, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Glad i did it!
I joined a shared tour and was lucky to have the same driver and guide, James Mwaura, throughout the entire trip. He was incredibly fun, answered all of our questions, and made the experience even more enjoyable.
During the safaris, he always managed to find amazing spots where we could see all kinds of wildlife, especially the big cats. His knowledge and tracking skills were truly impressive.
The low-budget accommodation consisted of camp stays with covered tents, each equipped with a private bathroom and shower, which was much more comfortable than expected.
Overall, I can highly recommend both the tour and James as a driver and guide!