IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Easy wildlife spotting and in quick succession
We left our hotel rather early in the morning to enter the crater hoping to leave behind the crowd. A large number of sightings and in quick succession are possible as the crater or in fact the Ngorongoro Caldera holds a variety of mammals and birds. All mammals are contained within the crater and most of them live here till they die, without easy access to the outside world.
Within a few minutes of entering the Crater we were rewarded with a sighting of a Serval cat, which according to our driver is not rare but difficult to spot. Then started a series of spottings, rhinos, elephants, gazelles, hyenas, lions, kori bustards, wildebeests, ape buffalos and many birds.
If in a short while one wants a taste of African wildlife then one must visit the Ngorongoro crater.
Go there early in the morning and take in the wonderful landscape in the early morning sun. The landscape changes with every minutes with the sun changing the quality of light swiftly.
In a couple of hours and after more than 20 minutes with the black rhinos we decided to drive over to Ngoitokitok Springs for our breakfast, Ngoitokitok means a bubbly spring and this is a great spot to spend some time watching the Hippos grunting, coming close to the shore and staying away at a respectful distance. Weaver and other birds coming over to share your food, the ducks making noise all add to the wonder of this place. A drive to Lake Magadi to watch the flamingos though from a distance and at the same time watch the numerous mammals that graze there will make one believe that this a Garden of Eden.
The walls of the crater offer a great background for photographing the animals here in the open crater and this along with the quality of light make it a photographers delight.
No visit to Tanzania can be complete without a visit to Ngorongoro crater.
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Tanzania by Hari L Ratan
Great wildlife, hospitality, kind people make it a great destination.
DK
Super good guides!
I went on a 2-day one night safari with Kilimanjaro Vacation Company in May 2015.
We were 12 people traveling together, which made bookings a bit complicated. Also the information provided to do the transfer wasn't quite sufficient initially for the international tranfser.
However we made it work and the guides and the parks were amazing! Very nice safari vans as well!
The camp we slept at was a bit dissapointing though, as it was basicall justy tents in on lawn in the courtyard of a hotel. And you had to bring you own towels, which we had not been informed beforehand.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 3-day safari to Mikumi National Park
We booked a 3-day safari in Mikumi National Park in March 2016 for two persons with Hello Tanzania. It was a last-minute booking, as we started the inquiry on Friday and wanted to leave already three days later on Monday. Originally we wanted to visit Selous too, but as we leaned from Ms Mwajabu of Hello Tanzania, that is impossible in March, as it is rainy season and the lodges are closed. Ms Mwajabu was very pleasant to deal with. She reacted immediately, sent a complete itinerary, consisting of transfer from and to Dar es Salaam, two half-day and one full-day game drives, all meals, soft drinks and snacks on the way, and a stay in a mid-rang lodge. She answered all our questions, booked a very nice lodge for us (Camp Bastian Lodge), and arranged a driver and a car to pick us up where we stayed in Dar Es Salaam on Monday morning. She also made sure that the staff at the lodge knew about our dietary preference which is vegan, so absolutely no animal products. We paid the fee, $600 per person, in advance, plus a 5% service fee, via the online payment provider Ms Mwajabu selected.
The drive from Dar to Mikumi took about 6 hours, including two bathroom breaks on the way. Mikumi is a beautiful national park, with vast open landscapes and mountains in the background. There is so much wildlife that you can literally spot animals at almost every corner. Already during the afternoon drive on the first day of our safari we saw baboons, impala, shoebill, giraffes, elephants, warthogs, gnus, and zebras. On the second day we also saw hippos, lions, vervet monkeys, a monitor lizard, water buffaloes, vultures, marabous, superb starlings, crowned lapwings, and many other birds and butterflies. We visited during the beginning of the rainy season, so not all roads were possible to drive on, but we definitely saw a lot of different animals and species in those three days and took hundreds of beautiful photos through the open roof of the safari vehicle, a 20+ year-old Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. Watching the animals in their natural habitat was what we came for, and we were rewarded with an absolutely wonderful experience, which we will certainly remember for the rest of our lives. The driver had good knowledge about the different species we saw and did his best to answer all our questions about the animals, their English and Swahili names, their behavior, and all kinds of peculiarities.
We also enjoyed our stay at the lodge very much. The staff was friendly and attentive, the property is situated in a beautiful garden, and our dietary preferences were met by providing us with delicious vegan meals. The room was clean, if a bit small, had two beds, a fan, mosquito nets, and had a shared bathroom (which we didn't have to share as the other rooms in our cabin weren't occupied) and a veranda with deck chairs. The property includes a restaurant and a bar with comfortable seating around a little fire pit, which keeps the mosquitos away from the guests.
Unfortunately the old vehicle broke down twice on our trip: on the first afternoon due to a defective fuel injection which kept us sitting in a mud hole at a 30-degree sideways angle for almost two hours in the middle of the park, until the driver had arranged help and the safari car of the lodge picked us up. The second time it was because the battery had died during our drive back to Dar. We were stuck in Chalinze, 120km from Dar, for another two hours, until the driver had bought and built in a new battery. Also, one of the rear passenger doors didn't open, and the air conditioning wasn't working either, which is a bit of a drag on a 6-hour drive at 34C, especially when sitting in Dar's traffic jam. The driver was very apologetic about the vehicle incidents, but it would have been a more pleasant experience in a more reliable and comfortable vehicle.
While we were very happy with the game drives, the driver tried several times to cut them short. On the second day, he wanted to drop us off at the lodge already after lunch, even though we had booked a full-day game drive. On the third day, he wanted to leave for Dar already in the morning, even though the itinerary had promised us another park entry and half-day game drive. Although we had already seen animals of all species after the morning of the second day, we enjoyed watching the animals very much, so we had to insist that we wanted the full program as booked. The driver was also not aware of our dietary preference and on the way to the park stopped at a place in Morogoro that had chicken soup for lunch. We rejected and waited until we were at the park, where we had a nice lunch made of rice and cooked vegetables.
Apart from these small glitches the safari was a truly great experience, and I hope we will be able to return someday to Tanzania to see more of the gorgeous nature and wildlife this fascinating country has to offer.
Cape Vidal Park
Cape Vidal is an amazing destination. The place is beautiful. The staff at the park were friendly and helpful. The only (Constructive ) criticism that I have, is that log cabin no. 3 is in bad need of repair, we had to be moved to another cabin for the next night, as it leaked like a sieve. The other cabin (no. 10) was in better shape, but the water in the toilet had to be switched on and off at the tap as it ran continuously. In general the state of repair is not good, and a sharper eye is needed in management. Taking all that into consideration, it was still a great place to stay!!
NL
Experience level: first safari
A wonderful experience in Tanzania
We had a wonderful time with Quest. The weather was fantastic. Each day brought something new. From the moment we arrived at the airport to the time we were dropped off, we were well looked after. The itinerary worked out really well. I would definitely recommend them if you are seeking a great experience at a good price.
In general very happy with the service
Everything was very good specially the driver-guide and cook.
The only issue we had is when we were entering Serengeti we had to pay the fees of the park which was about 600 USD. Everything was supposed to be included and payed in advance. However, Noah return the amount payed the day after through Paypal.
However, as I said before, apart from this issue, everything was very good.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The service was great, as was the actual trip. I'll recommend it to everyone!
I've had an absolute amazing first safari experience thanks to Afric'Aventure! I'll definitly recommend Afric'Aventure to everyone back home. Thanks for the amazing time and service!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A good mid-range safari experience
Overall, the safari was good and services were well provided. Food and accommodation were good, as expected. People (guides, cooks etc.) were nice. The only thing that was maybe less easy was the preparation and the communication before the safari. Some informations were lacking or could have been provided much more in advance.
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
Great tour, nice food and great camping, near masai mara tribe.