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Email Tom Milligan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Trip, Great Guide, Great Accommodations
Tanzania is a beautiful country and we really enjoyed the part of our safari that was in Tanzania. The wildlife is so varied and many times is pretty close to your vehicle. I think our favorite park was Tarangire, with the amazing baobab trees, plentiful wildlife and changes in elevation. The Serengeti was of course really fabulous, too, and seeing the migration was one of the more memorable experiences of my life. While in Tanzania, we stayed at Tarangire Safari Lodge, Rhino Lodge in Ngorongoro, Heritage Seronera in the central Serengeti and Heritage Mara in the northern Serengeti, and we enjoyed each place. They are all a little different, but each one had unique qualities that we thoroughly enjoyed. We all felt that we would be happy to stay in each of them again. The food was fine, but due to an allergy to red meat, I couldn't really sample a lot of the entrees, but others in my party seemed to enjoy their food a lot. The vegetables and fruit were very good and the breakfasts were a great way to start each day. I suggest you be sure to find out what kind of transportation you will have and try to go with a company that will transport you in a Toyota Land Cruiser and not a van. We had Land Cruisers and they are the vehicles that are built to take the punishment the roads in Tanzania will dish out, which is considerable. The company we used, TravelPartner, furnished us with a great guide in Tanzania (and Kenya, too, but TravelPartner contracted with Wildebeest Travel for him). Thomas was interesting, very knowledgeable about animals, plants, etc., and was funny. He also did everything he could to give us the best ride possible on the rough roads. He learned very quickly the kinds of things we were interested in seeing and did everything he could to make sure we saw them. He made sure to put us in good position for pictures, most notably when we saw a lion pride taking down a zebra and at three different migration sites on the Mara. If we were to go to Tanzania again, we would want to have Thomas as our guide. Every day we saw new and amazing things. The only thing I would do differently is try to spend more time at each park and each lodging. I would use definitely use TravelPartner again, would want to stay in the same lodgings and would want Thomas as our guide. I don't know of any way to give a better recommendation than that.
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Email Clare | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experience thanks to this fantastic company
I would highly recommend this company. Everything was just fantastic. We had trouble with lost luggage on our way to Tanzania and the guide, Freddy was so helpful sorting it out resulting in their safe arrival. He was so knowledgeable on safari and his sharp eye meant we saw all big 5! We were so impressed with the food, Robert the cook was highly skilled particularly when you take into consideration the lack of equipment / supplies when out in the wilderness.
The only thing we could fault was the Fact that the truck was a little old and had high seats meaning if you’re over 5 5” you’d have to duck down slightly to look out the window. They do have newer trucks though with lower seats so it depends on who the guide is.
Overall it was a once in a life time experience and we would recommend Shemeji to anyone interested in a budget safari in Tanzania.
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Email Muniza Hassan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything we imagined and more!
If you are at all on the fence about booking a safari to Tanzania/serengeti, I say book now!
I'll start with the cons:
1) long turnaround time to hear back from tour company prior to trip. We had to follow up several times on multiple occasions, and it still would take 2 to 3 weeks for us to get a response.
2) no a/c or minifridge in keep, although advertised. The weather was mild enough that we did ok, but the afternoons would get unbearable when the jeep wasn't moving.
Pros:
1) CLEAN! We have been to several national parks across the US, and travel frequently internationally as well, and by far I was so impressed with the cleanliness of the parks and especially the restrooms at the parks (random I know, but still important!)
2) safe! We never once felt unsafe, not from animals nor from locals when we went roaming around in the city. Although aggressive salespeople, the people are harmless.
3) the beauty and the nature and the animals! We saw everything and words nor pics can do justice to the beauty of the serengeti and also the ngorogoro crater.
4) our guide hassan was very well informed and had an answer to all of our questions. He was very mild mannered, detailed, and made sure we were comfortable at all times.
5) the food is nothing special, but we didnt really go for the food anyway.
Email Dawn Hip | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everyone, should see and experience Tanzania
It was unbelievable. I was super worried about my 25yr daughter (Jacinta) safety, so I went with her and made sure we booked a great company. Mid/Range tour Serengeti with Lion King Adventures for 7days and everything was perfect. I’m pretty fussy and was totally blown away with service, accommodation 5+, security, food and the most amazing people we met, including locals.
Would highly recommend Arusha Giraffe Lodge prior or after tour. Arrange Lodge driver to pick you up (low price), because you really need security and safety at all times. Best(chef-Jasin) in Arusha and beautiful accom/family owned. My son is head chef in very exclusive restaurant and would very much love meet Jasin and learn his techniques. Staff incredible, a must especially if you like lovely accommodation, secure place, transport at decent price. Please tip well, they deserve every penny you can afford. Much better than a 4.5* hotel and they never ask
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Email Adriana Bowman | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safari was a fun experience but communication was difficult.
Overall experience was nice, food was average, tour guide was knowledgeable. A variety of experiences was challenges but was rewarding. The most difficult time was the beginning process with making final payment and change in safari package which caused an extra day stay. This was inconvenient and conflicted with other schedules. There was no insurance, warning of roads and safety. Driving up the mountain with no guard rails and the driver was driving fast and sometimes cloudy and raining.
Email Lindsay Prescott | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely wonderful and enjoyable
I thought the safari was great and seeing so many animals was wonderful. Camp Bastion was nice although it would have been nice to have a bit more free time there so we could use the pool and have a relax.
The only negative is that it is a long drive- nothing can be done about this but it was tiring.
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Email Sruthi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime in Tanzania
We just returned from a 10 person family safari to Tanzania, and it was a trip of a lifetime. Helena from Soul of Tanzania helped me plan this trip over several months and she was a pleasure to work with. She patiently answered all my questions and was extremely accommodating throughout, including multiple changes to the itinerary, accomodations, and number of people.
Every place we stayed in was clean, beautiful, had impeccable service, and served delicious food. We had several vegetarians in our group and they had no issues with meals. We heard lions and hyenas outside our tent in the Chaka Camps at Serengeti and Tarangire, had beautiful views on our balconies at the Serena Ngorongoro, and fabulous rooms at Escarpment lodge in Lake Manyara. The staff in each place was friendly and helpful, and we had a comfortable stay throughout the safari.
Our guides for the safari were unbelievable. They told us stories from their personal experiences of over 10 years, and kept our group entertained. They were also very patient with our large group which also included a 1.5 year old. Thanks to their efforts, we saw 56 (!!) lions, 12 cheetahs, a cheetah kill, 2 leopards, and countless elephants, giraffes, hippos, antelope, hyenas, wildebeest, zebras, and buffalo. We also spotted a caracal, elands, and other rarer animals thanks to the keen eyes of our guides. The guides were knowledgeable about these animals and made sure we found and saw the animals as close-up as possible while prioritizing our safety.
We opted for a balloon ride over the Serengeti, and this was an unbelievable experience to see animals from a bird's-eye view. The champagne breakfast which followed in the middle of the Serengeti was amazing as well.
Soul of Tanzania coordinated our trip from start to finish, and even had a check-in point before we began the safari to ensure our expectations were met. They also coordinated our transfer to the next destination in Nairobi, where we stayed overnight before flying to Cape Town. I plan to use SOT again whenever we return, and highly recommend their services to anyone thinking about a Tanzanian safari.
*This review is also posted on TripAdvisor*
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Email Stefano Sala | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari in August, simply amazing
Incredible experience! We saw serengeti and ngorongoro. Onesmo was exceptional both as a guide and as a driver. Always helpful and above all very good at driving and always before all the other jeeps to see the animals. Salim the cook was also very good. Tanzanian style lunches, all good and healthy. Stayed in a tent inside the parks. The camp was more comfortable. Brushing your teeth with zebras is priceless. In general I recommend 100% of this agency.
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Email Ofir Ottolenghi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a wildlife! You must come and look
We visited selous game reserve for a three days of safari. On the first day we had a boat tour on the river. Saw many birds, crocodiles and hipos. Enjoyed a spectacular sunset.
We expected a tent for the night, as was written in the reservation, but we got a very nice small building with toilets and shower between the trees and monkeys.
The second day was a full safari day. Lets the game begin! Lots of zebras, giraffes, gnus, impalas, two elephants in close look, four lioness eating a pumba from a distance of three meters, hyena and lots more. We could not expect more than that (a leopard would be nice...)
The last day started in a morning walk in the bush with the giraffes and pumbas and two rangers explaining about the bush. Very interesting.
And now to the long drive back to Dar es Salaam. With nice scenery and small villages.
In the beginning we arrived Dar es Salaam by ferry from Zanzibar. The ferry was very convenient and on time. On the way back to Zanzibar we took a flight. Except for a dally in the flight it was very good. Only 20 minutes flight.
The bottom line - I deeply recommend Tanzania and Zanzibar (which is part of Tanzania) as a target for a different excitement and vacation .
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Email Meg | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely incredible!
The wildlife is absolutely incredible in Tanzania. The scenery is breathtaking and the accommodations were amazing. Not one bad thing to say! Our guide was the best possible guide we could have had. We were sooo happy we got the chance to tour around with him. He made the journey so much fun! All around the experience was everything we imagined and more.
