35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
0/5 — Extremely Disappointing and Deeply Mismanaged Experience
My experience with Soul of Tanzania was profoundly disappointing. What should have been a once in a lifetime safari, became one of the most stressful and financially damaging trips we’ve ever taken.
Despite having paid the full cost upfront, none of the Tanzanian portion of our itinerary was delivered after civil unrest and a government mandated border closure made it impossible to enter the country. This was completely outside our control. Instead of assisting us or sharing the burden, Soul of Tanzania placed all the financial loss on us. We ended up more than USD $10,000 out of pocket for services we never received, including charges for add ons that were never provided.
Major issues we encountered:
• No accountability: They refused to refund the true value of the undelivered services, only offering what they managed to recover from suppliers.
• Unhelpful and condescending communication: Their representative repeatedly hid behind cancellation policies, suggested we might face further charges, and pushed us toward travel insurance rather than taking responsibility.
• Contradictory information: Their emails were inconsistent, they denied previous statements, and they communicated with our driver without our knowledge while ignoring our urgent messages.
• Poor crisis management: During a period of confirmed fatalities and escalating unrest, we were left without reliable contact, emergency support, or a clear plan.
• Forced downgrade: We were diverted to a significantly cheaper lodge we did not choose, yet were still expected to absorb the financial loss.
• Slow and evasive responses: It took nearly a month to receive even a partial reply, all while we continued to incur emergency expenses.
For a company that markets itself as a premium operator, their behavior was anything but. They were evasive, dismissive, and entirely focused on protecting themselves rather than supporting their guests during a crisis.
Bottom line, if you value professionalism, transparency, safety, and basic fairness, I strongly recommend avoiding Soul of Tanzania. Their handling of our situation was negligent, unethical, and extremely disappointing.
We would not recommend them to anyone.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Exceptional service, terrific variety, amazing guides
Quotes, changes to itinerary and questions pre tour were dealt with very efficiently. My tour was exceptional thanks to respectful, caring and thoughtful guides and driver Anna & Gerrard going above and beyond. Occasionally when photo opportunities didnt arise with locals and animals they created them. The tour had terrific variety and the surprise zip gliding through rainforests was really appreciated. True value for money. Thanks heaps!
HU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Packed with adventures
We had a truly lovely safari experience from start to finish. The planning and organization were excellent, and Nancy, who helped with the booking, was incredibly flexible and helpful throughout the whole process. She made everything easy and smooth for us, which we really appreciated.
The itinerary itself was very well thought out and flowed nicely. During the safaris we were incredibly lucky and saw so many animals, including some that are quite rare to spot, like a leopard, cheetahs, and even both black and white rhinos.
Daniel, our guide, was very kind and he made sure we always felt comfortable and well taken care of during the drives.
The accommodations were amazing, and the food was extremely good, which made the whole experience even more special. It was also really nice to support a local business, which made the trip feel more personal and authentic.
Overall it was a wonderful experience and we would happily recommend this safari to others.
CA
Okavango Adventure
Having spent 10 days with Sox and his crew camping in Moremi Game Reserve, we felt very well taken care of and were impressed by the attention to detail Sox gave to the organization of our trip. He and his crew of 3 were very professional and tuned into the individual needs of the 6 members of our group. As a guide, Sox had a sixth sense about where to find animals and accurately reading their behaviours. Every day there was an exciting and sometimes rare sighting and we were all sad to leave at the end. We felt safe at all times given Sox's lifetime of experience living around the wildlife, and the caution he used when there was potential danger. Our cook consistently prepared delicious meals with good variety including freshly baked bread - he clearly loved and took pride in his cooking. The 2 assistants did the work of setting up and breaking camp and generally kept things in order with precision and efficiency. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and the warmth, friendliness and sense of humour that Sox and each of his crew had contributed greatly to this.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A dream coming true!
Wauw! What a journey! The safaritrip was really beautifull, breathtaking! We saw so much animals and came real close with the wild animals. I would recommend everybody to go with rafiki tembo tours. Our guide name was Eric, what a joy! He made us feel safe and gave his fullest to give us a journey of a lifetime! Again thank you so much! If I ever come to tanzania again, I definitely call you guys for another tour.
For me it was a dream came true❤️
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfect Tour (for female solo-traveller)
I contacted Wagatil Safaris on very short notice, only three weeks before my departure. Pretty responded immediately and prepared an itinerary for me.
The communication via WhatsApp was very friendly and professional. Pretty kept updating me whenever she found alternative, better hotels or optimized the route. Whenever I had questions, I always received a very quick reply.
I booked a 5-day tour through Rwanda and Uganda including hiking, Golden Monkey trekking, Gorilla trekking, and chimpanzee trekking. At my request, I spent the first day on my own in Kigali and was picked up the following morning by my driver Andrew. As a solo female traveler, I felt very comfortable and safe with him.
Andrew has a very pleasant driving style, is very friendly, and explains a lot about the country and its people. I also found it really sweet that after a few days I learned that Pretty checked in with Andrew every day to make sure I was truly happy with everything.
The individual excursions were perfectly organized. It was breathtaking to see the animals in the wild. The nature is incredibly beautiful and the experiences are truly unique.
It was also very nice to meet Pretty in person during a dinner.
I can recommend Wagatil Safaris 100% and would definitely book with them again.
It was absolutely worth every penny.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Animals make the safari memorable — but a guide like Prev makes it extraordinary.
Five extraordinary days in Etosha, where the wild still matters. Time in the bush always reminds me how small we are in that vast, relentless landscape, where every creature — from the tiniest ant to the mighty lion and great elephant — is engaged in the simple, uncompromising struggle for survival.
What made this trip truly special was travelling with Prev Tsvigu, owner of P.E.A. Tours and Safaris. Prev has a Wildlife Management degree from the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and his knowledge of the environment, animals, and birdlife is extraordinary. But what sets him apart is his emotional intelligence. He reads the room effortlessly, laughs easily, and has the most even-tempered, thoughtful way of guiding his guests through the bush.
We saw an astonishing range of wildlife — warthogs, banded mongooses, a giant python swimming in a pan, endless antelope, zebra, blue wildebeest, giraffe, lions, cheetahs, leopards, a running rhino, elephants, and countless birds, whose names Prev rattled off faster than I could keep track.
The trip simply would not have been the same without Prev’s calm, patient presence. Travelling with him was a privilege. And the experience. Unforgettable!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top pick for a once in a lifetime trip - so grateful
Planning my first safari with Tanzania Choice Safaris has been more than I could have hoped for. From detailed and clear pre-trip documentation, to a custom itinerary catering to the needs of a pack of 50 plus women (we need a lot, haha) to a pre-trip briefing call to banish any lingering uncertainties, Brenda went above and beyond to ensure we were prepared and excited for our trip. From the moment we landed to being dropped off at the airport, the team went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed while still relaxing and enjoying ourselves.
Now to the safari itself...absolutely amazing. I have traveled extensively my entire life; low budget / high budget and everything in-between. I've seen and done some pretty cool and unique things, but this was arguably the greatest trip of my life. Everyone who has seen my photos comments on the look of joy on my face in every single one. I felt like I was given a true gift. Part of that would be the innate splendour of Tanzania and Zanzibar but also the incredibly high quality of the tour operators who planned and executed our safari. And I would be remiss to not call out Joseph "The Machine" as an unparalleled tour guide who not only kept us safe while showing us everything possible, but also shared stories of his own life with a generosity of spirit and kindness that truly made a lasting impact. One of us might have shed a little tear upon saying our goodbyes to him. We will all miss his laugh and easy smile.
If I am lucky enough to ever make it back to Tanzania, I would not hesitate to book with Tanzania Choice Safaris again. Highly recommended.
CA
Incredibly well planned and executed climb up Mt Kilimanjaro. A trip of a lifetime!
If you’re looking for your next adventure then I HIGHLY recommend booking a safari or a trek up Mt Kilimanjaro with Kiliclimb Africa Safaris. Thanks to their incredible team our group of seven successfully summited Mt Kilimanjaro in Feb 2026.
Even though I’m not the most experienced hiker and got sick during the trip, I felt incredibly safe thanks to the leadership and expertise of our guides. They would consistently monitor our energy levels throughout the hike and made sure we had proper footing during steeper ascents.
As well, I want to thank our entire team that helped us throughout the journey. All the guides, chefs, camp managers, and porters exercised a tremendous amount of care in their job and worked efficiently to get camp up and running! Thank you for taking such good care of us 🐨♥️!!!
To conclude, if you’re looking for a fun, memorable trip filled with hiking, singing, and dancing (yes that’s right), then make sure you reach out to Moses from Kiliclimb African Safari’s. He runs a great team, and Kiliclimb African Safari’s is locally run and operated in Tanzania!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Serengeti Smile brought us close to heaven!
Needless to say, Tanzania's wildlife and nature is simply incredible - witnessing it first hand is an unforgettable experience (in 7 days, we toured visited Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorogoro, Southern & Central Serengeti and Lake Eyasi). But above all, in Hussein we found an amazing guide to navigate through the multiple parks. Hussein - with his sharp eyes to spot rare wildlife; his skills to master bumpy roads, floods and challenges of nature - while always being calm; charming, extremely knowledgeable, punctual, flexible, funny and kind - is what made this trip truly a once in a lifetime experience. Hussein 100% made sure that all of our needs were met at all times. 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The planning ahead of the Safari from beginning to end was absolutely on point, with Erick being super quick to respond, flexible in ensuring that all of our wishes are reflected in the programme.
We will come back to enjoy another trip with Serengeti Smile during the dry season, that's for sure. So: see you soon!