HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip of a lifetime in Tanzania - shoutout to Elly
Our group of 4 did a private 6 day safari tour and are happy to say it exceeded our expectations! First day we paid extra to go to the Materuni falls and coffee experience, which was a fun little adventure. Our guide/driver Edson was kind enough to offer a hand when some of us were struggling down the slippery paths. We then had Elly as our guide for the safari for Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Elly was extremely experienced and knew exactly where to go to find the animals. His eyesight and ability to identify animals was astounding. We were able to see the big 5 all thanks to him. He would ask us whether we had specific interests or things we wanted to see and then would customise our route accordingly. He was also very patient and considerate - he somehow managed to stay calm even when we were all screaming in the back because our fear of insects. In addition, he also made sure we were informed of the upcoming plans and had excellent time management. By the end we felt like we had a friend and were sad to say goodbye to Elly!
As for the administrative staff - Gift Tembo helped me book from start to finish and was very responsive. He would even reply in the early/late hours in Arusha and come find us to make sure everything was going all right. Even when I wanted to make small tweaks to our schedule, he would be able to make the corresponding changes immediately and provide me with updated, detailed itineraries. The hotels he chose for us were also very nice.
Thanks to the team at meru slopes, we had a great time in Tanzania and the trip felt very complete. Would highly recommend booking with them!
Date of experience: May 2026
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Small, personal and the reason our Namibia trip was excellent!
We did a 10 day self-drive across Namibia with Claire at Lark Journeys and the whole thing was handled really well. This is a genuinely small outfit where one of the owners is the person actually planning your trip and looking after you on the ground.
Claire pushed us to add two nights in Damaraland, which ended up being the best part of the whole trip. She put us in small lodges throughout, mostly 8 to 12 rooms each, which was a much better fit for us than the bigger properties we have stayed at elsewhere. She also knew which places had good kitchens and which ones to skip.
What we did not expect was how present she was. She came to the airport the day we landed and walked us through the entire route in person, covering how much foreign exchange to carry, which fuel stops to use, where to break for food, restaurant picks, and a long list of small local tips that made the self-drive much easier. She checked in on us through the trip, and then came out again on our last evening for a drink before we flew home.
Communication, follow through, value, all in order. If you want someone who treats your trip like their own, this is the right call.
CZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari of a Lifetime
I will start with:
"If I could give this company 10 stars, I will happily do it!"
When we first found this company on safaribookings, we really liked the offers they had, but we were a bit sceptical, because of the low count of ratings. However, we decided to "take the risk" and I can tell you, it was the best decision we could make!
From our tour operator Faith, who was the sweetest and the most helpful in anything we set our mind to, to everyone person from Jambo Bwana we met.
With Faith we took one of their standard offers and then we started to customize it. Faith was finding solution to all our wishes and the communication with her was swift and simply pleasant. She was also there for us during our whole tour and even helped us with some bumps we had with the airline on the last day. She managed to fullfill all our wishes perfectly.
On the day we arrived to Arusha, our two Safari guides(we needed guides that speak different languages, as our group was diverse) Patrick and Zuberi, waited for us with huge smile on their faces, despite our delay.
We clicked instantly with them and started our safari week with big smile on our faces and lot of laughter with our 2 boys:) and kept continue with this vibe our whole tour.
Guys knew all the right spots, where to find the best animal encounters and could spot animals from what seems like 3km away.. We managed to get the whole big 5 within 4 days and many, MANY more, mainly thanks to the boys knowledge.
Patrick knows everything about the animals, their behaviors and the native tribes. Due to his friendly and fun nature and deep knowledge, he is a guy you want to have on board. Zuberi is, despite his young age, aspiring to become an amazing Safari guide aswell. They managed to make our Safari tour the most memorable trip I have ever taken. I have done Safari couple times before and there is no way to compare my previous experiences to what we experienced. From accommodations, guides, sightings, service and all the things you can and also cannot imagine. The tour was once in a lifetime experience. I will never stop recommending them.
If you're looking for an operator, that can make all your dreams come true, this company is your best bet🙌🏽
We are planning to do another one in the near future for the great migration and we already know, who we will be choosing for it.
Jambo Bwana Expeditions and the whole team, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you❤️
Want a flawless travel experience? Viatu is the ONLY choice for your African itinerary.
Viatu offers a top-notch travel planning service that truly stands out. Present their team with your preferred travel dates, destination, and budget, and they will craft an itinerary that exceeds expectations. Through video consultations, their travel coordinators take the time to understand your preferences for experiences, transportation, food, and accommodations, and before long you’ll have a fully developed itinerary complete with thoughtfully curated activities and dining recommendations.
As your trip approaches, Viatu not only reconfirms all accommodations and activities, but also monitors changes in the region along with updated reviews for lodgings and excursions to help ensure a premium experience from start to finish. Their planning process includes ongoing video consultations and even a comprehensive pre-travel review within the final 30 days before departure.
During the trip itself, Viatu provides access to a 24/7 concierge service that can assist with any issues or needs that arise along the way. The level of service, attention to detail, and overall professionalism is exceptional. It’s difficult to imagine a better travel planning experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great day Safari!
Tman was an excellent guide! He made a good attempt for us to see as many animals as possible and was very informative.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
EAJS was responsive, well-organized, and safe.
If you are in Uganda, you MUST go gorilla trekking!! This is such a unique opportunity specific to this region and you cannot see mountain gorillas in captivity. It was an absolutely amazing and humbling experience! It feels so surreal to see the gorillas and you get SO CLOSE to them. I sat 6 ft from the silverback. It does not feel scary, they are used to humans and truly majestic, gentle beings. I felt very fortunate to visit them in their habitat. My guide, Eddie, was a great companion who made me feel safe as a solo female traveler. I was picked up from my hotel in Kampala and dropped off there as well. Eddie was happy to stop wherever I wanted along the drive to Bwindi. We stopped for lunch at Flamingoz Restaurant and Bar right across the street from the Equator Monument. We did our Equator visit on the way home on Sunday. The last 1.5 hours of the drive are absolutely stunning from a cliffside road overlooking the valleys and lush green mountains. Eddie was happy to stop and allow me to get out of the van to take pictures along the way. I stayed at Gorilla Mist Lodge (mid-tier option) with a standalone room that had a porch overlooking the jungle. There was no light pollution and the stars were beautiful. The lodge will provide you with a packed lunch for the trek. The WiFi was pretty reliable and I also got service there with my international phone plan. I got lucky and there were no other tourists who happened to be on my trekking day so I felt like I got the VIP treatment from my trekking team. Highly recommend hiring a porter to carry your bag and help you along the hike, it supports local workers and costs $15-20. They will give you this option after the morning welcome performance by a local dance group (my group was the Bugarama Cultural Dancers Group). I recommend wearing gaiters and good hiking boots or waterproof boots with a good grip. Parts of the hike are through jungle bush without a path at all. You could wear gardening gloves but I honestly only wore these for a brief part of the hike. They will give you a walking stick. After my trek, we headed to Lake Bunyonyi which is a unique aspect of this tour company and part of why I chose it! I stayed at Keije Resort and I went for a 2-hour kayak ride on the lake which did not cost extra. Keije is directly on the lake with a beautiful common space. I did not get service or WiFi there. Be sure to bring multiple types of small bills for tipping the various people involved in making your trip great! There are typically two rangers/trackers who go ahead of your trekking group to locate the gorillas, two gunman (front and back of group to scare off jungle elephants if needed), a head ranger guide, porter, and sometimes a student ranger. There is also typically at least two staffers at each lodge that you will interact with (someone who carries your bags into your room and the host). Regarding payment, you will pay 50% up front (they will walk you through the options and steps, it was painless) and 50% the morning you are picked up. If you plan to pay by card the morning of pick-up, I would contact them two weeks in advance to confirm this. This was the only hiccup I had with the company but was quickly resolved and they created a link for me to pay securely online. They were very responsive to emails and made a WhatsApp group for communication the night before my trek. Would definitely recommend EAJS! I also went to Murchison falls with the same guide, Eddie, the following weekend for a 2-day safari that included a trip to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary which was a unique addition from other tour companies.
Murchison Falls Tour review
I also had a great experience with EAJS for my two-day Murchison falls tour! I chose this company because they included the hike to the top of the falls, the Nile boat cruise, a brief sunset game drive on the way to our accommodations, and an early morning game drive, and a visit to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary. I feel like other similar itineraries did not also include the trip to the sanctuary which I really enjoyed! I had the same driver, Eddie, for both weekends which was comforting. He was always happy to tell me more information about Uganda, Luganda phrases, and the animals I was seeing. I chose the budget option and stayed at Parkside Safari Lodge which is just outside the park and had some of my favorite food of the trip so far! I had a standalone room and I was able to get good service with my international plan. The first activity was visiting the top of the falls which is about a 1 hour easy-level hike. You will get very wet close to the falls! I wore quick dry clothes and was completely dry by the time I got back to the car. We immediately went from the falls to the Nile boat cruise (we were slightly behind so did not grab lunch, though this is part of the itinerary, per my choice as I had snacks with me and we stopped for a brief coffee/snack on the way to Murchison). I think the timing of the boat cruise around 2 pm is ideal for seeing more wildlife as this is the ideal window for when they seek out water. I saw hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks, giraffes, elephants, warthogs, and many different types of birds! After the ~3 hour cruise, we went on a sunset game drive through the park to reach Parkside lodge and saw baboons, hartebeests, Uganda kobs, oribi, elephants, and other animals along the way. On the early morning game drive I saw many giraffes, vultures, Cape buffalo, monkeys, etc. I did not catch any predators like lions or leopards unfortunately but friends I met on the tour did see a leopard! We then had lunch a Ziwa rhino sanctuary and I completed an easy trek on flat terrain to the rhinos. I was fortunate to see five zebras along the way as well! I saw seven rhinos and I was within about 10 ft of a grazing rhino at one point! It was an awesome experience and my guide Martine was a great storyteller who provided interesting backstory about the rhinos and the sanctuary’s history. I would absolutely recommend spending time in Murchison Falls and EAJS. Don’t forget to bring money to tip the boat tour guides, the rhino sanctuary guide, your host at your accommodations, etc. I would recommend trying to add a night time game drive to your trip, if possible, to increase your chances of seeing lions and leopards!
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My tour guide was Tmal and he was great! Very knowledgeable and fun!
This trip is reliable and good value for money. You also get a delicious lunch halfway through alongside experienced tour guides
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very efficient company.
We went to Karongwe with Safari Link. The shuttle was great and all the processes too.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best operator for safari planning
We had an amazing 5-day tour with Serengeti Morning Dew. Everything was well organized from start to finish, and the team was friendly and professional. Our guide was knowledgeable and made the experience even more special. The accommodations were comfortable and in stunning locations. Highly recommended!