ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best safari guide out there
My husband and I had a 5 day safari with them. It couldn’t have been better!! John was our guide. He knows all the parks perfectly and could take us to really good spots. We were amazed by him in Serengeti, he made sure that we saw the big 5, and spot all the animals that we were hoping to see. The communication was very easy during the whole process. Before even starting, Frank was always responding to all our questions very quickly and effectively. Thank you guys for everything!! Continue being this excellent :)
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful experience across the board
We were a group of two families: 4 parents and 3 children aged 8, 9, and 10. We traveled on a wonderful 9-day safari organized by Jerry Tanzania.
Before choosing to work with Jerry Tanzania, I did a lot of internet research, combing through Google results and reading reviews and advice on several sites. After early interactions with a few candidates, Jerry Tanzania bubbled to the top as my first choice.
Suffice it to say that this turned out to be a *great* choice. At every step of the journey, from itinerary design, to adjustments in reaction to new needs, to the safari itself, our experience with Jeremiah, Shirima, Michael, and the whole Jerry team was wonderful.
Throughout the pre-booking phase, Jeremiah was super patient as I asked questions, sometimes even springing new constraints on him (e.g. flight schedules). A typical safari might be shorter than ours and will include one more park than we visited (we didn’t go to Serengeti). It is a testament to Jeremiah's flexibility and expertise that he was willing and able to design us an unusual itinerary that gave us more time in each park, fewer hours each day in the car with the kids, and a wonderful experience altogether. Jeremiah listened to my ideas and incorporated some of them, but he was also able to say when they didn't make sense. Overall we got very friendly, effective, responsive, and personalized communications.
The day before our safari began, while we were staying in Arusha, Jeremiah and one of our guides, Shirima, personally came to see us. Not only that — one of our suitcases had been lost by the airline, and they personally went to the airport and retrieved the suitcase for us. They even had to negotiate with the airline employees...amazing service. In that meeting, we arranged logistics for the morning departure and discussed preferences and expectations for the whole trip. This gave us comfort and confidence about the trip.
We stayed in 3 lodges: 3 nights in the Tortilis Camp Tarangire, the Escarpment Lodge near Lake Manyara, and Lion’s Paw Camp at Ngorongoro. All were wonderful. Our favorite was Tortilis, where we could hear animals outside our tent at night, but never felt unsafe. Every time I ventured outside the tent, for example to watch “bush television,” someone from the camp staff ended up joining me and making my stay even better. Once we played drums together, another time our son got to practice throwing a Maasai spear! It was the people on staff who made Tortilis our favorite. Lion’s Paw has a beautiful facility, very friendly staff, and great food. Actually they all had great food. The mornings at Lion’s Paw (2200m elevation) in August can be very cold!
The only thing that could have been slightly better about our trip was that we had some short (~30min) delays when entering the national parks. Evidently we had paid our park fees so long ago that the exchange rate had changed, and now the amount paid was listed as one dollar too much — something the parks’ computer systems had trouble dealing with. The first time this was a surprise to all of us, and certainly not anyone’s fault from Jerry Tanzania. By the third time I did feel like maybe it could have been anticipated and dealt with by phone before we arrived that day.
For two families we had two safari vehicles. Though we could have crammed into one large vehicle, this was another recommendation from Jeremiah that I would definitely pass on to others with a similar size party. It gave us flexibility, for example for one car to head back to the lodge early if someone was feeling tired. Thanks to Jeremiah and Shirima and Michael, we did shorter game drives than you might with a typical all-adult party. That said, I was surprised at how long the kids remained engaged every day. They loved the animals. They enjoyed taking their own pictures. They loved being able to stand up in the vehicle as it drives through the bush. Not until our last day did anyone express a wish to go back early.
If you measure the success of your safari by how many different animals you see, ours was a complete success! We saw two cheetahs eating a fresh kill. We saw lions mating. We saw a lone buffalo chasing two lions away. We saw the Big Five and many more. My favorite less-well-known animals were the Serval Cat and the Secretary Bird.
Our guides, Shirima and Michael, were excellent. They were knowledgeable, flexible, accommodating, friendly, everything you want. It was also evident that they really love the animals and the nature in their country, and that they enjoy their jobs. This of course was contagious. I’m not sure if they frequently get families, but they were perfectly happy to accommodate children’s specific needs such as needing more frequent bathroom stops.
After we arrived back in Arusha, Jeremiah came to see us again and collected feedback about our experience. I was delighted to see that he was listening to how things went and thinking about how he might adjust his recommendations for others in the future.
I felt that the overall experience with Jerry Tanzania was very human. It always felt like we were listened to and watched out for by experts, but even more than that, it felt like we were connecting with real people who also saw us as people, not just customers.
Overall I can only express a hearty, unconditional recommendation for Jerry Tanzania. I don’t write a lot of reviews on the internet, but the experience with Jerry was so good that I want to do what I can to reward that!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fast responder, adjusts itinerary based on request and well organized
What an AMAZING safari experience! Well organized, professionally managed and stress free tour with all big 5!
BEST Tour Organizer : We had brief discussion about my tour day before my safari which helped me trust him more. He was very quick responder so I had all my questions answered when I was in the US.
BEST Safari Driver/Guide: Livin Macha is very expert in wild life. He drove extra miles to show us all the animals with a right angel. We saw all big 5!
BEST Service : Food, camps, lodges and crew - everything was perfect! I had best time in camp site sleeping with lions roaring sound. Lodging was clean, with hot water shower and towels. Staff was kind, considerate towards our request. We had extra sleeping bags and mattresses - I used them because it got cold in campsite. Water was supplied.
BIG 5 : saw all big 5, even Rhino! Chita hunting dear, loins hunting dears, failed hunting act by crocodile but chase was very good etc. Colours Africa managed our group very well, we became family and last day was very emotional with our guide. Watching wild animals from so close was the best life experience I could have.
Extra Service: Godlisten was very flexible in adjusting my itinerary. He provided me car pick-up and drop off for my adhoc request.
STRONGLY recommended Safari tour. In Tanzania, you need perfectly organized tour to have best experience.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
On time, supportive
The transfer was excellent. The driver was very kind, supportive and can assist you in case you need. I arrived on time at my destination point
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
Organization at the top from the first contact until our departure! Everyone took care of us! Unforgettable safari, incredible accommodations in the middle of the savannah... Philippo's camp in the middle of the savannah has a service worthy of a star thanks to Innocent who is just incredible in his kindness and delicacy with the customers. Thanks also to our guide Joël and our driver Antoine who are adorable, spending 6 days together leaves memories and enriching exchanges! Thanks to Philippo for his visit to the camp and to Joseph who was very patient because we don't speak English perfectly... It was fabulous!
(automatic translation from French)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fast and efficient booking followed by a fantastic first experience in Rwanda.
I (36 year old female from the US) had a great solo trip to Rwanda with Abu as my guide. On the booking side, Frank was professional, knowledgeable, and prompt in assisting me with proposing itineraries and helping me book my gorilla trekking and golden monkey safari. Prices were significantly lower than what I had been quoted elsewhere for the same itinerary using the same hotel. They organized my stay at the 5 Volcanos Boutique Hotel and my stay was very comfortable and the food was great. Abu was a knowledgeable and personable guide and I enjoyed his company for my 5 day trip. During the whole trip, I completely trusted my guide and outfitter and felt completely safe and looked after. My overall experience was fantastic and I would happily book future travels with them again!
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great personal atention from Lindie
We spend three days at the chobe Safari , first night in the OLD HOUSE, wonderful little hotel with a fantastic cuisine, and then 2 nights in camp with all commodities really, great food and attention from all the staff, and the game was just fantastic, big herds of elephants and giraffes constantly around us, we saw twice leopards and twice lions, many zebras, hippoes, and thousands of Impalas around. Best weather in August, NO FLIES NOR MOSQUITOES, in general fantastic, then 2 days at the falls in the Palm River Hotel, really top hotel, thank you Indigo Safaris for an amazing trip.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great service
From the moment we enquired about the holiday it was stress free and perfect. The communication was great and we asked many questions that were answered quickly. Nothing was too much trouble. Throughout the whole experience we were very well looked after.
under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, professional, and personal
One of the best experiences of my life! The tour was incredible and personal, I felt well cared for and looked after. The team were genuinely interested in me and my friends, and were never afraid to engage in conversations and joke about with us (important for young travellers like me and my friends!). The tour was great value for money - we couldn’t find another operator that provided the same experience at such a low cost.
We saw all of the big 5 thanks to our wonderful guide Mylord, and were fed wonderful food and wine (!) by our new friend Musi.
I couldn’t recommend this enough. A once in a lifetime experience I’ll never forget.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent planning and choice of accomodations
Tanzaniaspecialist provided an interesting Safari route, with great accomodations. Everything was very well organized and communicated clearly.
The concept of travelling with a personal guide in a landcruiser works very well and ensures you can make personal decisions around interests and travelling times. Also lots of opportunity to take beautiful photo's and ask questions.
Overall a fantastic experience!