US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari - personalized planning and excellent guide!
African Savannah Trekkers planned a personalized safari for me for March 2020. I was in Arusha for a conference and began planning my safari only a month or beforehand. I emailed African Savannah Trekkers and had great experiences emailing with Philomena Amsi. She was always very responsive and patient to some delays in response from my side. She worked with my to design the itinerary that I wanted and best suited what I was looking for. On the first day of the safari, she came to meet me with the driver and we were able to go through the itinerary and confirm that everything was set.
Eli was my driver and guide for the 7 days/6 nights. We visited Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, the Ndutu area, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Ngorongoro crater, and Lake Manyara National Park. It was a busy 7 days but I had a great time and Eli was wonderful with maximizing the game drives. It was the rainy season and Eli did an excellent job navigating the roads!! And he was always willing to let me sit and watch the animals from the vehicle for as long as I wanted and waiting on my prompt before moving on. I brought my camera too and Eli was always willing to stop whenever I saw a new bird or a wanted a photo of the 1000th wildebeest.
I was traveling alone and had great conversations with Eli. He's very informative and shared lots of great information on the animals, landscape, and Tanzania. Traveling alone before, I found it can be tricky for guides to maintain the right balance of conversation while also not overwhelming the traveler.
Eli dropped me off at the Kilimanjaro airport in time for my departure flight and overall did a great job of managing time.
I highly recommend African Savannah Trekkers and am so glad that I booked my first safari with them!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Well Organized
I liked how organized they were. They took care of us really well and ensured that we got value for our money.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Responsive and helpful
They were always very responsive and helpful with all our enquires before the trip. They helped to set up everything from the airport to the safari camp and back. Our driver, Iddy, was super friendly and professional with a confortable van. Plus, we really appreciatted the camp upgrade, we went to camp Bastian and it went above our expectations.
Regarding the safari, we were lucky with the drivers Amiri and Yakari, however we weren't so lucky with the animals and the weather (march is raining season and we knew it, but fortunately it only rainned after lunch and in the days in Zanzibar we were presented with lovely sun).
Thank you!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari experience with Reputable and Trusted company
I did the 2 day Tsavo East safari with a colleague. We were picked up near Watamu and started our safari with our driver and tour guide Abdul. Abdul was a great guide and driver! Absolutely recommend. Very friendly and knowledgeable about the park. He also arrived even earlier than the time expected and was extremely professional. The entire experience was great - from contacting the company to finishing our safari, and everything in between. Kennedy reached out with a detailed itinerary, was extremely responsive in communicating, and was very helpful and clear when giving all the information to us. Very easy process and no hiccups along the way. We stayed at the Voi Wildlife Lodge which was very nice and had a pool. The food there was also delicious. On the way back on Day 2 we stopped at a nice place for lunch where we had a full meal and the staff was wonderful. Every accommodation place we ate at our stayed was fantastic.
One of my favorite things about this tour is that all costs were included and there was no surprise extra fees. The one thing you did have to add (besides tipping your tour guide/driver) was drink fees at meals, which was trivial. This is also clearly stated in what is included/not included. If you want to buy souvenirs there is a good shop before entering at the Sala Gate that our driver took us to. The workers there are very nice and have a lot of good items; I only wish I had brought more cash. They do take card which is helpful - however if you would like to help out the locals they appreciate cash more than card.
We were lucky Abdul had a set of binoculars, these are definitely necessary. I also wish I had a big fancy camera to take some nice photos of the animals, so recommended. We went the first weekend of March and it was hot - we had to wear shorts and tanks. Even at night it was pretty hot; I packed a couple of layers expecting it to be colder at night. This was not needed. One light layer was fine for going to dinner at night and in the car for the morning safari. There was also not a lot of mosquitoes because of the wind which was very nice. This was a good time to go weather wise, but for safari views there was a lot of greenery - there was definitely animals that I'm sure we easily missed because they were blocked by the bush. Something to keep in mind if you have a flexible travel schedule.
Overall - fantastic and reputable company, easy to book and communicate with. If you are looking for a great 2-day safari in Tsavo East, look no further than here.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
MangiEmpire Tours
Great organization, Great adventure in Mikumi National Park!!
I‘ received several quotes from different Safari tour providers, but finally I chose Mangi EMPIRE Tours over the other 5 companies. This Company was answering very fast, provides smooth and clear itinerary with a reasonable price tag.
Communication was exceptional from the inquiry stage until when we landed back home.
There was consistent emails/whats-apps to let me know of the plans and they were very understanding answering all my questions.
This company was great at arranging everything even down to someone collecting us from the airport that also provided us with assurance and allowed us to pay before the day.
Our driver was funny and arrived promptly early morning after breakfast at our hotel in Dar Es Salaam to collect us ready for the tour. He provided us with snacks for the journey that were so needed so early in the morning!
Our safari instructor was phenomenal and his knowledge was beyond the average, we had a great 3 days with him in Mikumi National Park. And due to his wealth of knowledge he knew the park so well and we were able to see lions on the hunt, pythons, lion cubs and even porcupine needles that we would've never seen.
The hotel picked for our accommodation was amazing and was definitely an experience with a great safari feel.
The team here did a great job and would definitely recommend to all.
GR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime experience!
It was a great experience! We didn't expect to see so many animals. To begin with, the safari itself is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We even saw baby elephants and lions. And a lot of zebras. Our driver, Mandela, was always scanning the site for animals and he was able to spot them easily! He was also a great driver! Our chef, Pius, was also great as he could cook nice food under difficult-cooking conditions!
As it is a safari, you must be prepared to leave your confort at home for the majority of the days (we stayed in tents for 2 nights and 1 in a nice lodge). Food, accomodation, taxi from the airport to the hostel (before and after the safari) and from the hostel to the airport was included.
SK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfectly organized trip!
Kind owner (Tunu) organized our trip from the beginning to the end a we were very satisfied. The guide (Alfa) was also great and he showed us a lot of animals. It is hard to imagine a better holiday.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well organised,excellent guides/staff,good accommodation
From the moment we inquired about a Safari Holiday with Viva Safaris everything was taken care of, cannot recommend them enough, if you're looking for a Safari in the Kruger,look no further than Viva Safaris
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was great!
It was really a great experience being three days on the way in the beautiful landscape of Kenya and already on the way to the safari we saw a lot of different animals.
Thanks a lot to the driver Maxwell,
he drive us safe to all places and told us a lot about the animals on the safari. Also teaching us a lot of being patient, in the wildness sometimes you see a lot of animals, sometimes the animals are hidden very well, then it’s the best time to enjoy the drive, the landscape and the good company of the group.
And thanks so much to Lilian for the great Organisation, and having a lot of patience answering all questions.
CL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best week of my life! Asante Tazama!
Have a blast thanks to Tazama! The whole experience was so amazing, since day one till the last day. Even before arriving to Nairobi, Antony was really kind and always answering my questions, doesn´t matter the time. We had to change hotel in Samburu because of the flood, but Antony booked for us a better hotel with no extra charge! But now going to the experience, e and my girlfriend had the best 7 days of our life. We had the best guide ever, Alex, he was such a good driver, good guide and he knows everything about the animals and from Kenya... but when I say everything, it´s everything! Now I know that they are more than one tipe of giraffe, funny but true. All the driving, the accommodations, the visit to the villages, everything that Tazama provided us, was first class. And now I´m already getting a quote to come back for great migration, and of course with TAZAMA. I know you have many companies in Kenya, but choose this one and I promise you, you won´t regret it.
Antony and Alex and everyone in Tazama, asante and hope to see u soon!
Hakuna Matata