20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
8 day Private Safari
Meru Slopes - 8-day Serena experience package ☆☆☆☆☆
We had Juma as our driver and couldn't rate him highly enough. He got us into the best places for the best photos, even staying longer than other cars for us to watch the animals, he also gave us the flexibility of start times and what to do each day. You tell Juma what you want and he'll cater for it. He answered our questions about all sorts of topics and was very informative each time. He got us back to the hotel / destination at the best times of day or if we were late it was for good reason to see more animals, which we had specifically asked for. The car had WiFi, electric to charge the phones and camera if necessary, a well stocked fridge (plenty of water, coca cola, wine and beer) and a lift up roof, typical for all land cruisers, for the best viewing abilities but also incredibly safe - like watching elephants walk past the back of the car the same height as you stood up viewing through the top.
Meru Slopes were quick to respond with our initial enquiries and communicated well via WhatsApp in the lead up to the trip. Leonard and the team happily confirmed payment for us as we were paying internationally and were very understanding when it took a few days for the money to wire via multiple international banks. The team arranged hotel/airport transfers for the first and last days and Leonard met us at our hotel the evening before the tour and gave us a full briefing, confirmed the itinerary etc and then again on the last evening to ensure we had a good overall trip.
We specifically booked the Serena package as it gave us very well priced access to Tarangire National Park, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater. We saw all of the Big 5 on multiple occasions across the locations and so much more. Whilst that's not always guaranteed (especially for Leopards and Black Rhino) Juma was listening on the radio and searching all the time for us to see them and it paid off - more than once! The four Serena hotels/lodges were as expected from the photos and reviews seen online, with us rating the Serengeti Lodge the best of the four, but all have their each unique qualities. Make the most of the heated pool in Lake Manyara though!