CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Priceless, Amazing 13 Days in Kenya-Tanzania!
We want to thank Mr. Otieno and his staff for providing us with such incredible services. We don’t know how you could provide us with such an action-packed adventure, marvelous accommodations and meals for such a low price!
We were greeted happily by our guide, John, even though we were more than 2 hours late arriving in Nairobi after midnight. We were impressed from the 1st night at Eka Hotel. On our 1st safari day we went to Lakes Naivasha and Nakuru where we saw both White and Black Rhinos and Flamingos just to name a few. We realized immediately how knowledgeable our guide is and how he has such good eyes in spotting animals. Lake Nakuru Lodge was beyond beautiful!
Day 2 was a bit rough as we had a bit of car trouble on the way to Maasai Mara so we spent about 2 hours in Narok. Our 6 other companions went on ahead in the other vehicle on schedule. We arrived at the Maasai Mara Park gate around 7PM and our John had to negotiate our way in as the park gate was already closed. We were delighted to be greeted by the wonderful people at Osero Lodge and wonderfully surprised by the accommodation – again! Food and staff at Osero Lodge contributed to making this trip unforgettable.
We happily spent a few days in Maasai Mara, which is so appropriate considering how rough it is to get there. Animals were plentiful. John always knew how to be a step or two ahead of the animals so we got great views/photos of them. We saw swathes of animals, big and small! We spent half a day on the Mara River watching countless hippos. A few hours in the Maasai village where we watched the Maasai Dance and were taken inside their compound was interesting.
We headed to Amboseli after Maasai Mara. We stopped at The Carnivore Restaurant (our request) in Nairobi for lunch which we DO NOT recommend at all. The service was absolutely horrible and so slow. The food wasn’t too bad but if you are looking to get some exotic meat then you will be disappointed. There are plenty of other local, reasonable and more authentic bbq shacks everywhere. Ask your guide to stop at one.
We had our first view of the magnificent Kilimanjaro on the way to Kibo Safari Camp. We fell in love with our room. The sight of Kilimanjaro just outside of the room was unbelievable!
Amboseli is famous for large-tusked elephants and we saw plenty of them. Great photo ops for photographers here as you’d be excited to get some shots of animals with Kilimanjaro in the background.
Time to head to Tanzania. Our guide, Michael, has keen eyes for birds and plants. A couple of hours in Lake Manyara before heading to Octagon Lodge. We sighted some blue monkeys and more flamingos.
Spending a night at the Serengeti Savannah Camps was a wonderful surprise! Staying right inside the Serengeti out in the open?!! Nothing beats this! Bed was so comfy too.
A day trip to Ngorongoro Crater was as beautiful and plentiful as you could hope for. If you have more time you might see the rhinos and elephants. We had a marvelous time.
Zanzibar was a nice finishing touch to the trip. The hotel was our least favourite in the whole trip. We were supposed to stay at Zanzibar Ocean Blue but the reality is nothing like the pictures we saw on their website (maybe we were at a different hotel?). We hired a car to go to Stone Town and walked around ourselves. It was an adventure. We asked our driver to take us to David Livingstone’s House (old British Consulate/Expedition HQ) but he had no idea where that was. He got a policeman to help us, who took us there, and with the help of a civil servant, we got a private tour. It was very moving.
Word of Advice to all Travelers – Please be prepared to tip your guides generously. Your servers, hotel staff, the Maasai guards at your lodges and cleaners all depend on your generosity. Bring lots of US dollars in small bills. You will not regret it. Asante Sana.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya safari
Six person family group safari. It was awesome! John was there at the Nairobi airport at 11 pm to get us safely to our hotel. Back the next morning to send us off on our adventure.
We did the flying, small plane, trip to Masai Mara. Lovely resort on the game preseve. Excellent food. Excellent guide who drove on road, off road, to get us up close and personal with the animals. Wonderful photos. Lions, elephants, giraffes, more! Our guide was great, and they all help each other, on their phones identifying where they best animal sightings are. They second morning we had a lovely open air champagne breakfast buffet at the aptly named Hippo Pool.
Flight back to Nairobi, then to Amboseli, an altogether different environment. Flat, savannah with marshland with a gorgeous view of Kilimanjaro. Wildebeests here, plus more elephants. More variety of birds. More lions. And monkeys. They warned us to shut the sliding glass doors, not just the screen, when you left your room. Or the monkeys rip the screen, ransack your stuff, eat your snacks. Really.
Back to Nairobi, where John delivered us to our hotel, and later to the airport. We could not have had a better time. The sights, the accommodations, the food, the transportation: everything was wonderful. We were well taken care of from start to finish. I’m someone who usually sets up my own trips, doesn’t do tours, but I totally appreciated the excellent care that went into this one.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent!
We had an incredible trip and Afroriginal made the dream of my father come true. I wanted to give him an unforgettable experience but barely knew where to start. Through a colleague I heard about Afroriginal and with all the enthusiastic stories and marvelous pictures I contacted them to see what was possible for us. After various emailing, my numerous questions (which were all answered) they designed a tailor made program which included all our wishes in terms of accommodation, time and budget. Going into Serengeti and staying in a Tented Camp was most impressive, you're in the middle of the nature and we felt being a guest of the wildlife. Afroriginal enriched our lives with all the beauty Tanzania offered. Fay as a guide was amazing, he took up the daily challenge to surprise us with the most beautiful landscapes and variety of animals. It's impossible to describe the feeling, you just have to experience it yourself. Next time I'll put my trust in Afroriginal again easily, they are reliable, flexible and willing to think along with you. I can definitely recommend Afroriginal to everybody who wants to have a trip which stays with you for a lifetime.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent experience, very nice and helpful guys
Francis and Angara Tours staff have been kind, helpful and very competent. They know the places very well and they always do their best to make you feel comfortable in a friendly and respectful manner. I would recommend them for any kind of tour.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour organizer - Jane
We took a 5 day private safari with Kenan and it was a great experience overall. Jane took the time to customize the itinerary based on our needs and all requests were accommodated. We specifically asked if accommodation can be confirmed with the exact camps listed (because we didn't want to be given alternate camps) and Jane took care of it even before confirming. The safari itself was outsourced to a good guide in Tanzania as we just toured Tanzania and Emmanuel who took care of us during Safari was great. Jane and we would have exchanged about 50 emails and she was patient with all the emails making us feel well cared. This made our decision to go with Kenan although we had quotes for more than 20 companies. We would say that its bit on the higher side in terms of cost but I think you get what you pay for. Safari was private with good hands and all the accommodation was top notch. Almost we felt home all 5 days. Almost all requests were honored during Safari which in turn speaks for the experience Jane has. Most of all Jane welcomes us at Arusha airport and ensured everything has been taken care. She welcomed us with honeymoon gifts and we felt very good about it :). Thanks Jane for putting together an amazing safari experience for us. The only thing we wished was to have informed that Serengeti is far more better than Tanrangire so that we would have stayed in Serengeti more than exploring all but again that we don't think is anyone's fault. Looking forward to taking another Safari with Kenan in the future :).
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari experience
We took a 5 day private safari with Siafu and it was a great experience overall. Emmanuel who I believe is the owner took care of us very well. The safari was planned well and catered to our needs. Although we had to rush with the days we had, Emmanuel was able to accommodate all our needs. If you want to reserve safari where-in you want service, at home feeling, flexibility/deviation from plan, above and beyond then Siafu will serve your needs. Emmanuel has got the experience and patience to give a more enjoyable safari for all.
We booked the safari via a tour operator from Kenya and we were told that Siafu/Emmanuel will be taking care of our Safari on the ground and that we were with very good hands of Emmanuel. Reached Mt Kilimanjaro airport around 8:30 and Emmanuel along with tour operator were in the airport for welcoming us. After brief introduction we started driving to Arusha for our night stay at African Tulip hotel. To our surprise we were upgraded to a suite as we mentioned it was our honeymoon. Emmanuel explained the plan for next day and with that we headed to our suite for sleep as were really tired after flying for more than 16 hours from New York.
Next morning Emmanuel was waiting to pickup at the hotel lobby at the said time. We then left to exchange some currency and buy some snacks and drinks for the safari. On the way we got water and coolers along with a to-go box of lunch all ordered ahead by Emmanuel. We then headed straight to Serengeti but on the way we stopped at Ngorongoro crater view point, multiple gates for payments, pit stops etc. And we took some good photos and Emmanuel accommodated all our requests for wildlife viewing even though it was not in the plan. Although we reached Serengeti late and it was time to check-in to the hotel we requested for a very brief game drive - Emmanuel with a smile accepted our request and we saw Cheetah, Hippos and other herbivores during this drive. Then we rushed to Kubu Kubu Luxury Tented Camp and we were amazed how they have built this camp in the middle of nowhere with all the luxury. View was amazing from individual villa based camp, open top bathroom and a big pool overlooking Serengeti plains. We relaxed after a shower and dinner was served with western style food and it was great.
Technically first day of Safari in Serengeti we left Kubu Kubu and went on for game drive after packing boxed lunch. Endless plains as they say for Serengeti was magnanimous, majestic and breathtaking. More than wildlife viewing it was the nature that attracted me and got me addicted. We saw most animals this day in Serengeti and this includes cheetah, leapord, giraffe, elephants, deer, zebra, hippos, wildebeest and lots of birds. Emmanuel went above and beyond to find cheetah's in less taken roads and rocks. We took some amazing photos and videos. Towards the end we didn't want to leave Serengeti as the plains were just amazing in all directions. Temperature was scorching but the cooler quenched us with cold drinks. Emmanuel took time to explain about nature, animals and he shared his experiences which made us realize that he is a very responsible person towards nature and wildlife and his thoughts about preserving them for future generations. After bidding good bye to Serengeti we then headed to Ndutu area for the night stay. It was time to check in to Lake Masek tented camp, another establishment of Tanganyka wilderness camps. Similar to Kubu Kubu this had some views of the lake, good food and accommodation. We met the owner of Tanganyka camps here, an energetic guy explaining about the camps. Dinner and off to sleep. They have staff accommodation for guides in most of these camps.
Second day was drive to Ngorongoro crater from Ndutu area. On the way Emmanuel stopped by a Maasai village and he suggested that they prepare good barbecue goat - So we decided to try along with tour of Maasai village. The meat was chewy and not to our expectation but later learnt that most people there eat meat this way. Then we proceeded to the crater. Emmanuel skillfully took the descent into the crater and drove until around 3pm for some animal sightings. This place was filled with millions of animals. He then spotted Rhinos very far and we had to use our Binoculars for viewing and with that all big five were done officially although we want to just live there and explore more :). Wrapping up crater game drive we then proceeded to Kitela Lodge for that night's stay. This place has got a small organic plantation, pool and good restaurant. Another good dinner/food and good sleep here.
Final day of game drive was in Tarangire and we drove to this park from Kitela lodge. Tarangire is more for local/day trips from Arusha. It was flooded with lots of vehicles and it was also very dry because of the time of the year we visited. But we saw many elephants and took some good pics here. As it was dry and not as good as Serengeti or other places we decided to wrap up the drive early and head to Maramboi camp to relax and unwind in the pool. Soon after we reached we had to witness a sandstorm but after this it was snacks, pool time and dinner with some amazing views of the wild.
Last drive of Safari was to drive back to Arusha for our flight to Zanzibar. We took it light and drove slowly to reach Arusha airport. We asked Emmanuel to take us to a local restaurant for authentic Tanzanian food. He took us to a small restaurant by the airport and treated us to Fish gravy and Ugali. The food was good to try :) After all this it was time to bid goodbye to mainland. Emmanuel helped us with the luggage until security counter before saying goodbye. We then boarded flight to Zanzibar with all the memories.
Overall the safari experience was safe, authentic with good service at the hands of Emmauel. And we would definitely recommend Siafu/Emmanuel for any of your Safari bookings. The only thing we wished was to have informed that Serengeti is far more better than Tanrangire so that we would have stayed in Serengeti more than exploring all but again that we don't think is anyone's fault.
EE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good planning, good service, efficient and kindly.
We had the group of 15 people, we've spent 12 days in Tanzania, Safari and Bagamoyo beach holiday. Trip was great and very well organised by Ene Lepp and Emmanuel Bildad. Start from there, everything went well. Our tour guides, they are so knowledgeable, and experienced, answered all the questions we had, and we really enjoyed our time spent with them. Many thanks to Ene and Emmanuel for making our holiday unforgettable. I'd definitely recommend Siafu Tanzania Safaris to everyone looking to visit Tanzania
GR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing experience
The guide was really nice and helpful, interested in what we wanted to see. Hakuna Natasa was their motto and they tried to make us feel this way.The food was really good too.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing service. Couldn't be better!
We were in Kenya for 10 days and Savannah sound safaris were responsible for our transport. The staff were amazing-especially Danson! They were punctual, friendly, knowledgeable and the safari at the end was brilliant- seeing everything we could wish for. Would definitely use them again and would recommend them to anyone.
GR
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Optimal preparation and excellent execution of the tour as suggested. Perfect driver and animal guid
Bernard submitted us several offers for a three week safari based upon suggestions of our friend Professor Dr. Manfred DIETRICH, the Honorary
Councillor of Uganda in Hamburg. We chose one of several possible routes, and were always astonished how much more we experienced beyond our expectations: excellent acommodation, thrilling tours into the wilderness, social contacts with various people, excellent knowledge of wildlife, fauna, people......