Amazing experience.
Both guides were great and we were happy to see the largest gorilla family just two meters from us. We would highly recommend to travel with this agency.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Impressive professional service, excellent safari guide, cook and amazing wildlife!
My sister and I joined a 4 day safari to Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater with Meru Slopes Tours & Safaris. I was really impressed from the prompt responses to our beginning enquiries to the actual tour itself. We arrived at Arusha airport where someone was waiting to transport us to the hotel. We had a one night stay before and after the tour at the Arusha Tourist Inn Hotel included in our package. The hotel was clean, with hot showers and comfy beds with mosquito nets. They have a lovely restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious vegetable curry and fresh juice! The safari definitely exceeded my expectations for budget camping. The tents included a mattress and pillow, and sleeping bag if you needed. They were set up for us at the campsite, though we did help as I think its all part of the fun. We had amazing food cooked fresh for us everyday by our safari cook. Best cucumber soup ever! In terms of facilities the campsites had flushing toilets and showers - I would take an extra roll of loo paper next time! Our driver/guide had great local knowledge and did the best to help us to see lots of wildlife, which we did! Overall we had a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend Meru Slope Tours & Safaris. A huge thank you to Geofrey and the team!
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything was great
The guide was excellent, tried to fulfill every wish.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was unforgetable experience to us for the nature and wildlife.
good communications
personalized service
we are lucy to watch how the cheetah hunting.
AR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
beatiuful travel with beatifull people.
They selected very well the hotels, travels, etc.
the guides taked care of us in every time.
we enjoyed all the moments in the safaris.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!!
Being a solo traveller in East Africa, I was somewhat cautious about going on safari, however LEM carnivore tours were fantastic they tailor made my safari to fit my needs. Vincent organised my 4 day tour and was so accommodating. His communication was second to none ( even replying to my email at 4am) He organised my collection from my hostel and made sure I was able to join a safari group ( as i was limited on time).
The tour guide was so knowledgeable and spotted animals from a mile away. He was able get us so close to them without breaking any rules. He took his time driving around giving us ample time to take pictures and admire the animals (Unlike other tour guides who think they're on a rally drive. )
The chef took pride in what he served and all in all I can't fault the tour.
I had an unforgettable experience and can't rate LEM carnivore tours highly enough. Fantastic is an understatement.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This Blew Away My Expectations!
I recently returned from an amazing safari experience in Tanzania. I traveled there along with several members of my family; we were a group of 8. Initially there was a feeling of concern and hesitation because our overall price quote was so much lower than other friends of mine who have done similar safari's in Tanzania. Anna was so helpful and attentive to our questions and concerns and did a fantastic job making accommodations for us despite us being a large group and planning only a few weeks before the trip. She was very patient with us despite us changing itineraries and sending a plethora of emails. We were given two safari vehicles and had them to ourselves. The vehicles were more than large enough and equipped with device chargers, a drink cooler, and an easy-to-lift roof. I can't say enough about our drivers, Salehe and Oswald. They were the perfect combination of helpful, professional, courteous, and so fun! They made us feel like we had priority over other vehicles in giving us the best views of the animals. I would not hesitate to seek them out if and when I return. Our first safari day was at Lake Manyara which was a fantastic first day. We were fortunate to see lions in the trees, which is unique in the world only to that region. We stayed at Eileen's Trees Inn which was a short drive to Ngorongoro Crater. The lodge had very nice clean rooms with hot shower and a comfortable mattress. The food was outstanding and served in buffet manner. On the way to see Ngorongoro Crater was a visit to a Maasai village. I will say that it was interesting and enjoyable to interact with them and learn a bit about their culture. What left a slight bad taste in my mouth was the fact that it was a "show" and not authentic. They were also extremely pushy in selling us souvenirs which they "claim" are handmade there but are the same as the items seen in any gift shop in the city. They are also extremely highly priced and are practically forced upon us in unrelenting fashion. The visit to Ngorongoro Crater was truly spectacular with its diversity of animals, up-close encounters with lions and a nicely prepared box lunch under an acacia tree with a spectacular view. Our safari included a lot of travel time as we wanted to travel to the Mara River in the Northern Serengeti in hopes to see the great migration of wildebeest with a river crossing. Well, our hopes were fulfilled as we were able to witness all those things. The tent lodge where we stayed, Serengeti Heritage Camp, was MUCH higher than my expectations. The tents had as much room as a typical hotel room with a king bed, comfortable mattress, porcelain sink and flushing toilet, and hot shower. The food there was like a fine dining restaurant. The staff were so friendly and accommodating and so attentive to our needs such as luggage handling, etc. They also made us feel safe with all night guards to watch for animals, as our tents were obviously right there in the middle of the Serengeti with no fences. I had a curious zebra walking around my tent at night so come expecting to hear wildlife both far and up close! Overall I can't say enough about how wonderful my safari experience was and would not hesitate for a second to highly recommend Lion King Safari.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Trip!
We did the trip with Dhula last year and it was just amazing. Dhula is such a kind guide who not only showed us all the animals but also told us a lot about the culture and the country. The organization, accomodation, food and value-for-money was excellent and I would always recommend to go again with this organization!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was a very pleasant, safe and exotic travel experience
Communication with Kenneth was very warm, he was always available and would check on everything being okay at regular but also not too frequently so as to be disturbing. Masai Mara and the wildlife cannot be described In Words, needs to be experienced. The animals were like I'm live in national geographic, lovely giraffes, zebra, we saw the migration of wildbeast, 5 sets of lions in different combinations in 1 day. One was a troop resting withncubs, one was a honeymoon couple, one was alone drinking water, one lion and lioness in the grassland whom we saw very closely. Also saw hyenas, vultures, leopard, cheetah and many many birds . Wish we had kept one more day for Masai Mara, the caravan picked us from the airport and was with us through the safari. The guide was knowledgeable and experiences and showed us good sightings but was a bit arrogant and particular about timings, tried to push us to shop at designated places (which were expensive) but we enjoyed buying stuff from locals on roadside at the entry point to the park.
We also visited Zanzibar and that experience was out of the world, the guide there Muhudini was very pleasant and showed us around very patiently, the place was beautiful - lovely waters and snorkel. Also saw dolphins on the boat ride. Enjoyed plantation and the culture of the place, everyone should consider incorporating Zanzibar islands in their Africa travel. All in all the entire trip was very well planned and we were welcomed at all places with good hospitality and returned back safe and sound, and since Kikwetu is local to the trip was exotic and in our budget
MT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond our expectations!
As my wife and I were planning the Safari we got in touch with Paul and he basically took care of every little detail - from the hotel transfer to the accommodation, from the meals to the guided tours - everything was covered and very well organised.
Before we came to Tanzania we had a number of clarifications and Paul answered everything in an exceptionally friendly manner and in a timely fashion. Paul was able to come up with an itinerary that suited us perfectly and was custom made around our schedule. Paul stayed in touch with us until the minute he greeted us at the airport, together with our guide, James.
On our way to the accommodation, Paul explained everything - from the logistics to the actual safari. He also informed us that James, our guide, will be with us during the whole day and during our meals, starting with the breakfast all the way to dinner. At first we were very skeptical, but after the first dinner, James was exceptionally nice. During our meals he would explain what we were going to do the following days, but we also discussed other things because as both James and Paul highlighted that this not just a simple holiday, but one in which everyone involved can get to learn about the different cultures and countries. In fact, with James we discussed a number of aspects, from the ecological side to the economical aspect of the Safaris as well as the socio-political facets of Africa. These discussions gave our Safari a different twist as we were able to understand a number of things that perhaps go unnoticed from pictures and videos that we were accustomed to see.
During the actual Safari, it was evident that our guide was an expert in his field. He was able to identify and answer most of our questions (given that both my wife and I have an ecological and biological background, most of the questions were challenging). James was humble enough to admit that he does not know everything, but it was obvious that he would look up what we would have asked him and discuss it the next time we met.
After the Safari and on our way back to the airport, we were greeted by Paul once again who drove us to the airport. During the drive he asked us for feedback and to see what we liked and perhaps what can be improved, not just during the Safari, but even in relation to our itinerary and our day to day interactions with the locals.
To summarise: Tanzania Roadside Expeditions took care of everything even contacting the different accommodations to ensure that we do not waste a lot of time travelling from one park to another so as to make sure that we do not waste a single minute and make the most of our time. The communication was excellent, as was the services of Paul, and of our extremely knowledgeable guide, James. I would sincerely recommend Tanzania Roadside Expeditions to anyone, especially to those who are visiting Tanzania for the first time, since they made our stay simply delightful. Keep up the excellent work!!!