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Alexia Claudel
AE
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 18, 2019
Email Alexia Claudel | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
What a regret to have chosen Hello Tanzania. Amazing country though
Last minute free lance guide not aware of the plan, angry at hello Tanzania the whole trip. So not in good mood to show us the beauty. Dirty and old 4x4. Permits to national parks not done on time. 3 activities cancelled on 6 because permits were not done. Had to argue with Sylwia and SAlum during the whole trip. 2 weeks of mails and complaints after our return to get refund. We finally received the due amount. Unprofessional company, giving fake excuses. I would say almost a fraud. This company should not be listed on your website. I saw after our trip so many bad comments on trip advisor, half of them were deleted. Just a pity to have trusted this company named hello Tanzania .
Darrell & Olivia W.
US
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 17, 2019
Email Darrell & Olivia W. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Dream Honeymoon
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EVERYWHERE. We saw the young of almost every single animal that we encountered on the safari, which made for fantastic photos.Our tour guide, Julius, was GREAT. He knew so many facts about the wildlife and the landscapes, and he somehow always knew where the animals would go. He always predicted their direction and got us over there, away from the rest of the vehicles and up close and personal with the beautiful animals. He always tried his very best to help us see everything we wanted to while we were there. We were totally pleased with our experience with him, and we definitely recommend requesting him if you are able to!
The only negative side to Tanzania is that there is a constant pressure to tip. Even if the safari company tells you that you don't have to tip the locals, the locals make it awkward if you don't (tipping your tour guide and ranger is totally understandable, but the tipping expectation is totally out of control everywhere you go). If someone cleans the public bathroom you enter (which is every single bathroom), they stand around waiting for you to tip them. If someone rolls your carry-on one room over, they stand around waiting for you to tip them. Our worst experience with this was when we went to visit a Masai village without being warned that they would be expecting us to pay (if we had known this fact, we would have opted out of it). When we got there, the chief's son welcomed us..... and told us that he charged a $50 entry fee. We just stood there with our jaws dropped open. (I am sure they are used to retired, more wealthy tourists, but we were just a young, newly married couple who was gifted this trip. We are definitely used to budget traveling and avoiding super pricey places, so this was a total shocker.) We, then, turned to our driver and asked to leave because we simply couldn't afford it. We were told, however, that we couldn't leave because we had already driven 30 minutes to get out there and they had prepared everything. We were dumbfounded at this answer. The chief's son, then, asked us what we could afford. We uncomfortably said $20, which he accepted. It was an extremely awkward situation, and neither of us enjoyed the Masai village at all because of how pressured and cornered we felt. We just wish they would have been upfront about it instead of being sneaky (we later found out that they pretty much do this to everyone- surprise them with the fact it costs money after you are already there). If you are thinking about going on a safari in Tanzania, just bring extra $1 bills for tips everywhere you go and be warned that "Do you want to go visit a Masai village?" = $$$$$$.
Other than that factor, though, Tanzania was an absolutely incredible experience. From the incredible wildlife, to the really fancy and fun glamping tents (which all had bathrooms and showers in them), to the unbelievable experiences we had, it was truly the greatest way to start our marriage off. We absolutely recommend booking your safari through Shemeji Safari, and we can say from personal experience that the end of August/early September is a fantastic time to go!
Jean Luc
BE
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 16, 2019
Email Jean Luc | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 days of extreme beauty!
The five-day safari was marvellous ! We saw amazing sceneries, very diverse across the 5 days. We were extremely lucky to see the Big 5 and more. Our guide, Omar, was a true safari expert and his experience was at times reassuring. Camping in the natural parks the last 2 nights was very special and watching the sunset in the morning was magical. Accommodation was good as well as food, thanks to Babu, our cook, who was very sweet.
Michael
US
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 16, 2019
Email Michael | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Had a great time on my safari, it ended up being a lot of driving as expected but couldn't have asked for a better guide and we got to see all of the animals we wanted to!
Malcolm J Leitch
US
Visited:
July 2019
Reviewed: Sep 14, 2019
Email Malcolm J Leitch | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
I saw more animals in one week than in the past 60 years of my life visiting US National Parks.
The weather was perfect, not to hot and not to cold with no rain. Wonderful wildlife and so many gorgeous birds.
BestDay Safaris made the trip as comfortable as possible with top notch accommodation, even the overnight stay in a tent in the Serengeti was luxurious, with flush toilets and a 4 poster bed.
Our guide was the best, he accommodated our desire to stop and take a picture of everything we saw. He could spot wildlife while he was driving that we had a problem spotting with binoculars. His knowledge was encyclopedic of both the wildlife and the culture.
I would thoroughly recommend BestDay Safaris to anyone wanting to have an amazing experience in Tanzania.
Tor Stølen
NO
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 13, 2019
Email Tor Stølen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience. Recommended.
Lots of poverty and little or no shopping opportunities. Safari must be experienced but long to drive and very poor roads. When you arrive at the national parks, the experience is amazing. Once in a lifetime experience. Recommended.
Kane Fadima
CI
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 10, 2019
Email Kane Fadima | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing journey through Tanzania tresors
With Kiliholidays safari, we went for a 3-day trip in Mikumi and udzungwa. In mikumi, we didn't have the chance to see the lions but seeing the elephant was great. The driver and guide was very nice and welcoming. I definitly recommend Camp Bastian for hosting in the region : great meals, great service and very nice rooms.
Gonzalo Perez-Caballero
ES
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 9, 2019
Email Gonzalo Perez-Caballero | 50-65 years of age
Dream come true
It has been incredible to enjoy seeing wild animals leaving free, as if time had stopped there (for europeans as me).
The scenery, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, etc... it's something I will remember forever, and that must be protected.
People in Tanzania are very kind, and always smile, showing that are not neccesary lots of things to be happy.
The journey, safari and extension to Zanzibar has been perfect. Soul of Tanzania taylored it according our indications and with our amazing guide Ayoub we enjoyed every moment and minute of it.
The experience in the safari watching animals in their natural environment it's unforgetable.
I will recommend everybody, if can afford, to enjoy this authentic travel in space and time, now that it is still possible, and assuring that you won't regret.
JK
GB
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 9, 2019
Email JK | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventure of a lifetime! Arusha - Lake Manyara - Ngorongoro - Serengeti - Mara River - Zanzibar! :D
The itinerary above thankfully worked out very well for us. This was an anniversary trip which started from the UK. We flew to Dubai and stayed there for a few days to break up the journey and give us a chance to relax whilst knowing that there was a stark difference to our holiday setting on the horizon which added a further element of excitement.
We flew in to Mt Kilimanjaro airport from Dubai, the flight landed at 4am and we were met promptly
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by our driver Hassan. We were then taken by road to The African Tulip Hotel in Arusha. We took a full day of rest before starting our safari the following day. I would highly recommend this as it gives you the chance to gear up for safari without feeling drained from the outset.Arusha is a small town with a few hotels, I felt the main attraction for Arusha was its location as a respite following a long flight. Arusha is around 1 hour drive from Mt Kilimanjaro airport. We did go out during the day towards the clock tower but we felt the locals were a little overbearing, one local walked with us the whole way, although he was friendly it was difficult to enjoy the walk as a couple.
African Tulip hotel is a perfect place to stop and wind down, it has more than enough facilities including great staff, Anthony was great as well as Anoop the hotel manager, he was kind enough to upgrade our room to a larger suite with balcony.
Our next hotel was Ngorongoro wildlife lodge. The view from each and every room and the main hotel balcony is phenomenal. You see the whole of the crater beneath you and I would recommend one night here which is enough to enjoy the dinner and views with early morning for sunrise watching the clouds roll over the hills into the crater. Everyone is on safari mode and there is a real sense of adventure.
The bathrooms in the lodge are a little small and basic but they are sufficient. The power goes out between 11pm and 5am but this wasn’t a problem for most people as safari timing is usually: sleep at 10-11pm and wake up at 6-7am throughout your whole safari.
It got very cold at night but the hotel was kind enough to supply us with a fan heater which we used to really warm the room up before power went out.
The next hotel was Serengeti Tortillis camp. This was our first time in tented accommodation and it was a great experience. The tent is spacious and has all the amenities you need. The staff were very friendly and attentive. A hot shower has to be requested and is ready in 5 minutes. I felt this type of accomodation was the best way to experience the Serengeti.
Our next hotel was Mara Kati Kati tented camps. This is a mobile camp which follows the great migration. This was very similar to Tortillis. The staff were friendly and food was well prepared by an on site chef. The only negative was that during the shower there is a member of staff stood outside the tent topping up the water when you ask for it, each top up doesn’t last long so that didn’t give the best privacy.
Sunset by the dining area is a great way to experience the natural beauty of the Serengeti.
Our final stop was Warere beach hotel in Zanzibar. I truly felt this was the best hotel in Zanzibar. This was purely because it felt like a safe, relaxing haven. We did venture into Nungwi where the majority of hotels are but it was far too busy, there were too many locals trying to sell their tours or goods and too much of a party vibe.
Zanzibar is the perfect location for a wind down post safari and warere is the place to do this. They looked after us really well, they even set up a private honeymoon dinner by the pool and gave us another room for a late checkout.
Good luck and safe travels!
Nikolai
RU
Visited:
July 2019
Reviewed: Sep 9, 2019
Email Nikolai | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful places, beautiful nature, rich wildlife, nice people
My journey lasted almost two weeks, including Zanzibar, safari in several National parks in mainland and trekking in Usambara. To organize the trip, I turned to several companies and guides, all of them left the best impressions, which I've already shared in special reviews. This journey was one of my most memorable. Among all those who helped me in organizing it, I express my gratitude to the site safaribookings.com, which was very useful in establishing contacts and negotiating.