DE
Almost great, Shadrack and Abraham as a guarantee for the success
We used a comparison website to book a safari that included Tarangire, the Serengeti (including the Great Migration), the Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara. This led us to Meru Slopes. We communicated with Shadrack via WhatsApp. He made a very good and professional impression, which is why we booked the 6-day safari with him for $1,250 per person. A 15% deposit was required. We also really liked the option to stay at the Arusha Tourist Inn—arranged directly by the agency—both the night before and after the safari. A shuttle for pickup and drop-off was also included, but we didn’t use it. Upon arrival, there was a briefing in the evening, and after we returned, there was a debriefing to discuss the positive and negative aspects. We really enjoyed all of that. Shadrack did an absolutely outstanding job.
There were three of us, and we were crammed into a truly dilapidated Jeep along with three other tourists. Even before we set off, the four tires on the vehicle (as well as the two spare tires) had so little tread left that it was no surprise we had to stop a total of six times to change tires. The speedometer, fuel gauge, and odometer were also broken. The windshield had several cracks and chips, the armrests couldn’t be adjusted, and most of the windows either wouldn’t open or wouldn’t close properly. However, we also lost over an hour because the office failed to send the paperwork to the Lake Manyara National Park rangers in time. So we stood there while everyone else was able to pass through without any problems.
The cook on the safari usually prepared very delicious meals, but he never stuck to the agreed-upon times. That cost us time (sometimes more, sometimes less) and added up to well over eight hours. He also never once made arrangements for our guide to eat with us, which is why we had to go get extra cutlery and dishes every time. Most of the dishes were cold, and despite being told that there was a vegetarian in our group, he didn’t accommodate her needs. Overall, though, it was great that we were served meals prepared for the whole group each time, whereas many other tour operators only provided pre-packaged lunch boxes.
Our guide was Abraham. He was always very calm and level-headed, had detailed answers to most questions, explained things thoroughly on his own initiative, and drove the vehicle well at all times. He handled the constant tire changes quickly and did an excellent job in every other respect as well. He was the reason the safari as a whole turned out to be such a successful experience.
The Arusha Tourist Inn hostel is also definitely worth recommending. The staff were always very friendly and accommodating. The rooms were spacious, clean, and well-equipped. The only downside is that the walls can be a bit thin. Hot shower water takes a few minutes to come on.
Conclusion: Overall, we really enjoyed our experience with Meru Slopes. The key factors in its success were, above all, Shadrack as the organizer and Abraham as the guide. With a different vehicle and a different cook, the sometimes extremely negative aspects of our experience could be immediately addressed, making Meru Slopes a top choice for safaris.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall good tour
Pros:
-great guide (Saddam)
-car not packed, so easy to shuffle around
-Saddam went extra mile to get jacket
Cons:
-Lake naivasha boat not included: what’s the point of including lake if need to pay extra? note: they’re transparent about this.
-mediocre lunches, limited variety, and not suitable for all diets
-not transparent about Hell’s Gate pricing. Needed to pay extra 15$ at gate
IL
Great experience !
This safari was amazing! I’m honestly at a loss for words when it comes to the Masai Mara — it’s definitely a must-do when visiting Kenya.
Peter Elohim, our guide, was great! We had such a good time with him, and I 100% recommend him!!
However, we would have appreciated it if the agency had been more specific and transparent about Amboseli National Park. They should have given us more information beforehand so that we could have made a more informed choice. Had we known, we would have skipped Amboseli and opted for a 4–5 day safari instead.
In our opinion, 3 days in the Masai Mara and 2 days in Nakuru would have been perfect!
Overall, it was an unforgettable experience, and we will cherish the memories of this safari for a long time.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
overall we had a really great experience - but the 1 day full on Safari was pretty exhausting
The communication via e-mail beforehand with Jessica from Lekobe Adventures Safaris was really good, we had all the informations we needed and she was always friendly.
The communication in Zanzibar with the people who coordinated our flight and the payment was not 100% smooth, e.g. at first we were told the flight is at 4pm but then it was at 3pm but apparently that's quite normal that the flight times to the mainland change on short notice (Jessica had told me this in advance). And although it said on the booking description that on the first day a lunch would be included we didn't get any, that was a little frustrating because we were quite hungry. And then in the evening the dinner was very late but we had to go to the night game drive so we couldn't enjoy the really good food (!) as we would've and even couldn't finish the dinner.
But these things were basically the only things that were not good.
The flight to Tanzania was short and all good - we even had the possibility to have a look into the cockpit and take photos!
At the Nyerere "airport" our guide was already awaiting us and we were excited to find out that we were the only two in the jeep (although I had booked a shared safari and there would've been space for up to 6 people). Our guide Tiko was super friendly and giving his best to give us the best Safari experience and see as many animals as possible in the short time (3h night game drive + from 7am-3pm the next day with a lunch break) and take great photos & videos - a camera with a good zoom really pays off here!
Sadly we couldn't find any lions the whole day (but neither did any of the other Safari tour jeeps that we met) but we saw (baby) elephants really close which isn't guaranteed either and we just enjoyed being in the Tanzanian bush - the vastness and variety of the landscape is amazing!
In the afternoon we had a boat trip and although we were already pretty exhausted from the 7-8h safari in the jeep before, we enjoyed it a lot. We saw lots of crocodiles, birds & hippos and could enjoy the beauty of God's creation before we had to go back to civilisation in the evening. Although we were so tired, our flight back to ZNZ was early in the morning the next day. So, all in all, it was only a one day Safari + the 3h night game drive.
As said, overall we had a really great experience but it was also pretty exhausting. Next time, I would like to do a longer Safari with less programm in one day, and I could imagine booking with Lekobe Adventures Safaris again. :)
And not to forget: our stay at Mufasa tented camp was amazing! The staff were very friendly, the food was excelent and we felt safe the whole time.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour guide does his best
We were 3 and went for a 4d3n safari tour covering tangarire, serengeti and ngongoro.
What was great:
- our tour guide/driver, Aaron deserves a shoutout for going above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience in spotting animals and general comfort. He is extremely thoughtful, great sense of humor, and knowledgeable in masaai culture and safari.
- our lodges were comfortable and quite impressive in terms of set up. One night we had a impromtu night safari with giraffes and zebra eating right at our backyard!
- Justin, who arranged the tour, was detailed in following up and making sure to support as needed. We had our luggages delayed the first day and Justin helped contacting the airport and had them delivered to our lodge in time before the tour.
What needs improvement:
- we are 7 in the group and somehow we were splitted into different accommodations every night. The distance from each was very far (more than 20km) and it absolutely makes no sense as it wasted alot of time and created stress for everyone and cause late arrival in the evening. It is hard to understand such arrangements that is not cost effective.
- despite repeatedly mentioning there is vegan and vegetarian among us, half of our lunch contained meat and we had to remove it. I wish this is taken care of.
Conclusion: live like Hakuna Matata and adapt accordingly and enjoy the experience :) do be prepared that plan can change. Overall i would still recommend the tour.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great personality
The tour guide has a great personality and answer every question. Very knowledgeable.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pleasant
The experience was enjoyable, the guides were very friendly, and the Karatu and Serengeti lodges were wonderful.
(automatic translation from Spanish)
BE
Excellent customer service even
I reached out to Kilipath African Safaris while planning a solo trip to Tanzania for my 40th birthday, and Happy was wonderful to work with throughout the planning process.
Happy was quick to respond, clear and detailed in every answer, and patient with the many questions I had as a first-time safari traveller. She adjusted itineraries thoughtfully based on my preferences and was always warm and professional, even when I ultimately chose a different operator for budget reasons. I'd genuinely recommend reaching out to her if you're planning a safari the level of care she puts into the planning stage says a lot about the company.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience seeing all the animals across 3 national parks
We had a great experience overall. We enjoyed all the 3 national parks and every animal sighting got us joy. All the 3 lodges were great. The Lodge staff were all friendly.
Some areas we felt could be of improvised were the options of picnic box of hot lunch. We prefer box lunches but the only option was hot lunches which did not stay hot. Also the quantity of the picnic lunches needs to be checked as it was less. Also we understand the drivers/guides are experienced on bush roads, but maybe they need to be mindful of the speed.
