BG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience with great staff and organisation
Going on a safari has already been a dream for me. So, when we decided to make the step forward and go to Tanzania, we (as many others) decided to research online about the companies, offering safari services. It turned out that there are so many of them so I just checked the reviews on Safaribookngs and Tripadvisor and sent a request to 4-5 different companies. From the first mail Suricata made an impression with the well structured and minute-by-minute schedule of the safari, sent by Hilary. So, after a week of discussion and some tailor-made changes, we had the final schedule: Lake Manyara on the day of arrival (1/2 day), 1 full day in Tarangire, 2 days in Serengeti and 1/2 day in Ngorongoro crater.
The price was ok compared to the other offers we had but the communication was really smooth and quick and that is why we chose Suricata.
Honestly, I had high expectations but these guys managed to exceed them.
The safari was perfectly organised and the whole experience was amazing. Special thanks to our guide Freddy and our cook Tito. Freddy was so knowledged, with lots of information not only about the wildlife but also about the country, economy and practically everything we asked him about. He was always smiling, positive and we learned a lot a lot new things from him. Tito on the other side was preparing delicios and freshly-cooked food even at 2300 metres above sea level (on the edge of Ngorongoro crater). We had breakfast, lunch, dinner + coffee breaks every single day and the food was amazing.
These two guys were working really hard but they enjoyed their job and it was so obvoius. You can't just escape from falling in love with the place, the mood, the whole atmosphere.
Few words about the safari itself - we had 2 overnights in Twiga Lodge which was ok, 1 night in Seronera camp and 1 night in Simba - both campsites were quite good and we had even hot water in Simba. It was again above my expectations. Last overnight we stayed in Arusha in Gateway lodge.
I can hardly recommend more these guys and the Suricata safari in general.
There was only one thing I did not like and it was an additional stopover we payed for - in a Maasai village just near the Simba campsite. It did not look authentic and all the time they were trying to sell us staff with very few words about the history and the customes of the tribe. But it was our decision to visit a Maasai village, after all. Nobody pushed us to do it.
So, yes, you should believe all the positive reviews. I recommend Suricata and if one day I have the opportunity to come back to this nice country, I will definitely choose them again!
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely wonderful
Highly recommended! One of the best experience in my life. The possibility of seeing animals in their natural habitat is amazing. We had 3 days trip with 2 nights at Camp Bastiani. Safari lasted more than 10 hours until we have seen everything we wanted. Everything was organized perfectly and Sylwia can help you with anything. You can trust her with everything :)
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabolousssssss & Excellent trip
Mwanje and Image travel team arranged for our 6 day luxury trip in Kenya. From the get go, the experience that I've had with Image travel was perfect, detail oriented and clear. Mwanje has been patient and timely with all our questions through email. Mwanje planned an excellent 6 day glamping trip across Amboseli, Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru based on our preferences.
Honestly, I didn’t but expect it to be this great when I started. And that's because we were nervous whether we choose the right Tour company via SafariBookings. But, after the trip, I can truly tell that this was our best ever Camping Safari trip. Being vegetarian I had no issues with the food these resort camps served & they took excellent care of us. Our Image travel guide was Joseph - he’s certainly the best guide we can ever ask for. Very informative, energetic, sharp spotter, quick decision maker and able to navigate the toughest terrains (Mara had heavy rains when we arrived n without Joseph I’m sure we would not have found Entim Mara) . He’s a gem of a guide n a very nice person to have guided us in our Safari. Taking a trip with Joseph, we were able to spot all Big Five! Joseph is a very experienced guide and we were super glad to have him guide us!
Overall, 5/5 for Image travel for making our dream Safari vacation the best it could be & kudos to their team for an amazing coordination! Highly recommend this trip to all who want a relaxing, adventurous glamping trip!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
If I could do it again I wouldn't hesitate
If you could gurantee the same team, group and even half the wildlife encounters I'd book it up tomorrow. We were very lucky with both the wildlife and to have such an enthusiastic and fun group of guides and guests - which made the trip all the better. The locations are stunning - in two days in the Murchison falls national park we saw the big 5 and had an epic balloon ride at sunrise.
Then we were off to Ziwa for Rhinos and the rhinos, with the smiles getting wider as the wildlife encounters got better. At Jinja even novice rafters got to experience the thrill of white water and again the provided photos and videos had us all laughing and reliving the day. The Adrift campsite was also brand new and had great facilities. So the experiences built, Murchison has impressive waterfalls and the boat trip was a good way to get out of the heat of the day. Gorilla tracking in Bwindi again had us being lucky, being in the middle of chimps hunting, a once in a lifetime opportunity and not something to be expected, but if you get to experience time with the enigmatic chimps you cannot be disappointed. Queen Elizabeth has less diversity of wildlife but still provided lots of Elephants and on the river you see birds and elephants everywhere. Lastly the gorillas - I did two treks and they were both different but magical experiences.
The first involved a long trek but we were surrounded by a group and followed them, experiencing interactions with several different family members. This would be a tough trek if you are not physically fit and used to walking up hills. The second trek involved spending an unforgettable hour with Xmas, the largest silverback in Bwindi and his 1 and 2 year old babies. We could not see other members of the family and the trek was shorter and easier, but a very close and magical encounter - when a baby gorilla looks at you from less than 7m you get a sense of how special and privileged your time with them is. You are also given certificates to help remember your time with these beautiful animals. The trip to the genocide museum was a very poignant reminder of what Rwanda has been through as well. Some facts - the trip involves a lot of early starts and quite a bit of travelling.
Your reward is the trip of a lifetime. The truck is large and spacious but keep things in the lockers or that room fills up quickly. If I could do the same or similar trip with the group and crew I would book it tomorrow, if you promised me half the wildlife too I'd still jump at the chance. Thanks Ngoni Safaris for another epic adventure.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeds expectations!
We chose Everlasting Tanzania because they had great reviews and fit our criteria of being a local company and a member of KPAP. We live in a tourist area ourselves and I thought of how important it is to me that someone does not come in from out of town, use our resources, and then take the tourist money with them back to their own communities. If I'm in Tanzania, I want their communities benefiting so we avoided going with an American or European company.
Who you pick for a guide company is the most important decision you will make and we lucked out! Everlasting Tanzania has so much more going for them that I didn't realize. Their guides are their company owners. So when the weather sets everyone on the mountain up for failure and our guides have the experience to know that the weather is going to suck on summit night but calm down midmorning AND the control to change your itinerary to combine two days so you can do a day summit and succeed. It was heart-breaking to see 50 people turn around and not summit that day but so cool to have the entire crater to ourselves! Our guides even spoke to other guides and told them our plan of forgoing the night summit start. Evidently a lot of companies schedule everything but use local guides. Those guides cannot change the itinerary for the group away from what was planned. That sucks and there were a lot of disappointed people who trained hard, spent a bunch of money on this trip, and turned around without summitting. I'm so happy we made it to the top! We also changed where we camped after summit night because the wind was so terrible that they knew no one would sleep well. I love sleep so that was a great decision. Having the ability to modify as needed for the benefit of us was worth picking Everlasting Tanzania in itself!
Other benefits include complete knowledge of the mountain, how our body reacts to altitude, and the weather on the mountain. One of our guides has summitted more than 300 times. The other guide was literally on the mountain the morning before he picked us up at the airport. They know what's going on. Just do everything they say. Eat the volume they tell you. It's absolutely delicious food but the huge quality was difficult for me. I felt uncomfortably full after every meal but felt amazing hiking. We drank 4-5 liters of water every day. We walked slowly when other groups passed us. Everything you do the first several days is to get your bodies ready to summit. They know exactly what they are doing. Your best chance of getting up that last day is doing exactly what they say. The last day is not easy but with the right guide, it's possible!
Also- make sure you go with a company that properly filters your water like Everlasting Tanzania. We talked with people before our trip that went with a company that boiled the water but because they used the same containers with the pre and post boiled water, they also used a sterilite filter to ensure the water was okay. You will be drinking a lot of water. Don't go with a company that requires that extra effort. We never additionally filtered any of our water or avoided any food they gave us including fresh fruit and vegetables and neither of us had any issues at all. Their staff knows how to take care of our weak American stomachs. We brought the filter with us but after talking with our guide who said that none of their people ever have problems, we decided to trust them and were absolutely fine. The filter pumps directly into your water bottle and bladder so it has no opportunity to get contaminated. Traveler's diarrhea would end you on this trip so I'm happy we went with a company in which we didn't have to worry about that! This also goes for any lodge during the safari- any drinking water, fruits, or vegetables that they give you are safe.
At first, I thought it was unnecessary to get a private tour but I was grateful due to all of the changes we had to make. This company only does private tours so the price they give you is for a private tour. Their prices are incredibly competitive with those that put you with a big group but you get their complete attention. It felt strange that we had 15 people (2 guides, 1 cook, and 12 porters) working to get us two up the mountain. But not having to share a mess tent or toilet with anyone during covid was really nice. And we could not have been as flexible with our schedule changes with a bigger group. If you are going to do something like this, do it right so you only have to do it once!
Our itinerary also changed last minute to include an extra night at the Safari lodge in Arusha and altering our safari to get covid tested. For an extra $50, Everlasting Tanzania picked up a doctor from the hospital and brought him to our hotel for the covid test so we did not have to wait in line and figure out their local hospital. WORTH THE $50! We got our results back that same afternoon and were able to go on the safari without worrying about whether we'd get the result back on time before our flight.
We did a two day safari. We went to Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater Parks. Both were incredible. The volume of animals that we saw was impressive. Our guide, Soloman, was incredibly knowledgeable and great at spotting the animals. He was the first to spot a leopard and it took me a while looking through binoculars to find it. How he saw that while driving, I don't know! Thanks to him finding it and us pointing it out to another guide who called it in on the radio, everyone in the park was able to drive over there after we left and see it! We also saw 6 lions, 3 black rhinos, and tons of waterbuck, impala, baboons, vervet monkeys, golden jackals, spotted hyenas, elephants, giraffes drawf/banded mongoose, hippos (in and out of the water!), more elephants, zebras, warthogs, buffalo, wildebeest, common eland, thomson/grant's gazelle, and still more elephants then I knew existed, and tons of birds (cormorant, egrets, herons, ibis, storks, flamingos, cranes, vultures, guineafowl, weavers, ostrich). The parks were beautiful and Tarangire was unique with the baobab and acacia trees. The safari vehicle was super fun with the pop-up top so you can stand and view the animals. As with the theme, they had more snacks and drinks then we could consume. It was comfortable but too short of a trip!
This company ran like a well-oiled machine from the moment they picked us up from the airport to when they dropped us off after the safari. The porters were kind, professional, and amazing at their jobs. All the transportation was reliable and on time. The safari was two days of solid animals. Every lodge that we stayed at had wonderful staff and amenities. The food was great. The rooms were great. The flowering landscaping and swimming pools were great. This was truly the vacation of a lifetime and the only thing I wish was different was having more time for a safari. We are honestly looking at returning in a couple years and doing Mt. Meru and a longer safari. It was that good. You will not regret booking with Everlasting Tanzania!
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wishing for 360 days long adventure !
October 2020... My wife and I booked through Adventure 360 a game drive in Tsavo West National Park and stayed 2 nights at Saltlick Safari Lodge... Honestly, we should have booked at least 2.nights more and explored more corners of this beautiful game park. The lodge was one of the best we ever stayed in... Sunset was superb Coming back from viewing some game kills up close by a band of Lions... While Elephants and Zebras and antilopes and Baboons brotherly came to the water hole just under the lodge... One word... MAGICAL
THANKS ADVENTURE 360... I wish to have 360.days adventure with you... We'll be back
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I can recommend safari with Big Time Safaris
I chose the 6 day safari with Big Time Safaris because the price and reviews were good and I wasn't disappointed. Martha from the office was helpful with additional issues because due to insufficient number of people the plan of my safari was changed but I finally saw everything. Though it took 1 day longer. The guide Jackson has a lot of knowledge and willingness to show animals. We saw a successful lion hunt. I guess I'll never see anything like that again. the end of February was also a good time because we saw a lot of young animals.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Safari Experience
If you’ve found Duma Explorers’ website or this review—STOP—you need not look any further for a safari operator. Duma’s owner based in the US, Stacy Readal, will organize an amazing safari for you with transparent and fair pricing, all while patiently answering your many questions about Africa. Stacy lived in Tanzania for 15 years, has been to all the parks she will recommend to you, and has a partner and other staff in Tanzania who will take you on your safari.
I just finished my first trip to Africa with Duma Explorers and could not have been more pleased with both the trip and the service we received before, during and after the safari. I started planning the safari over a year before we went. I looked at literally dozens of safari operators, including all the big names like Abercrombie and Micato, and contacted 4 of them to discuss different safaris and pricing. None of them were as knowledgeable or offered better rates then Stacy and Duma Explorers. None of them allowed me to deal with the owner of the company other than Stacy and Duma. Her detailed knowledge of Tanzania was tremendously helpful when planning where to go in Africa given the multitude of choices. I followed her advice on a number of trip details and was glad I did when we got there.
Our safari consisted of 3 camps in three parks: 3 nights at Kichuguu Camp in Tarangire; 2 nights at Sanctuary Ngorongoro; and 4 nights at Chaka in Ndutu (right on the border of Serengeti); which was followed by 4 nights at Gibbs’ Farm on the border of the Ngorongoro Reserve near Karatu. We also spent the first night resting from the long flight from the US at Rivertrees Inn (about 30 minutes from the JRO airport) and the last 6 hours of our trip resting and having dinner there before our flight home.
Service at all the camps was excellent. But the real star was Duma’s guide and driver, Isack. You will spend a lot of time with your guide on safari given that you will be on game drives 3-6 hours or more every day. I didn’t find that other companies discussed their particular guides with me, but Stacy did right from the start. She even tried to match up our respective personalities to insure a smooth safari. Isack was the perfect guide for us…he was patient with all of our questions, could spot game a half mile before we could see it, was a careful driver (which makes a big difference on TZ’s bumpy roads and when off-road) and was so knowledgeable, other drivers would stop us to ask him questions about the different parks and where to find the animals. And he could not have been more patient or kinder to my wife. He also cleaned his truck every day inside and out which many other guides did not do.
You will get “sticker shock” when you first price an African safari. Don’t let that dissuade you from going. It was the most expensive trip of my life but it was also the one for which I received the best value for the experience. It was magical from the first game drive to the last. If you like wilderness and seeing animals in their native habitat you will love a safari in Tanzania organized by Duma. It was a life changing experience seeing the grandeur of the landscapes and the thousands of animals inhabiting it that you can see in almost any direction you look.
Stacy stayed in touch with us throughout the safari as we were trying to figure out how to get the newly-required Covid test in order to return to the US. Her team in TZ made it happen, and our return was uneventful. And then even after the safari I heard from Stacy about returning money to me for a balloon trip which was cancelled due to high winds. I received excellent service from everyone at Duma from start to finish. And we felt completely safe in TZ as Duma’s guide, Isack, met us at the airport and dropped us off there at the end.
Perhaps the best thing I could say about Duma is that I will use them again when I return to Africa. I have to go back as there is simply no other place like it left on this planet.
RO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Animal Planet live
It was an amazing experience, I recommended your services
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
One of our best trip experience
Our safari tour with Ngoni safaris was a dream! We visited three stunning parks during the day and stayed in beautiful and welcoming lodges in the evening. Something to point out is that our guide was so well-informed cautious and professional that our journey was brought to a whole other level by him. Could not recommend this tour enough! Hope to come back one day.
