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Email Nathalie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing, one-time experience!
- the wildlife was fascinating and the safari is a must-do in Tanzania
- food was good depending on the location and even the lunchboxes provided were more than necessary
- unfortunately our guide did not explain very much about wildlife etc but only pointed out the animals once we were around them
- it was a lot of driving around but I would always do our route (Lake Manyara, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro NP) the exact same next time
- however, beware that guides will try to put you in alternative accomodations than booked, just make sure you stay stubborn ;)
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Email Gary Ellwood | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything we had hoped for. All the animals, and the overwhelming beauty that is the Serenegeti.
Visiting the Serengeti evokes dreams of animals everywhere, close up experiences with them, big orange sunsets over vast plains, and the lasting memories that play in one's mind forever. Our trip there was all these things and more. Yes, we saw the big 5 twice over, with a close proximity that was astounding. We have come home with all the photos we dreamed of. I will admit, the drive across the high desert to the Serengeti was a bit rough, but it is Africa.
Four things stand out, if you are considering this adventure. The accommodations and meals were beyond excellent. The time spent with the Masai people was soul stirring. The simple beauty of the Ngorongoro Crater was stunning; a singular place of beauty in this world. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, was our guide, James Saituti. A modern masia, James was so very knowledgeable about all the animals we saw. He knew the terrain well, and put us in all the right spots to see everything. Indeed, more than most of the other travelers we met. We sat in the middle of the Wildebeest migration, and saw a cheetah make a kill. He took care of us like were family. Our suggestion is simple: hire Shadows of Africa, request James, and have the time of your life.
CA
Email Alan Stewart | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience, incredible value!
My 24 year old daughter and I booked the 3 day 2 night safari to the Serengeti and Ngorongo Crater a few days before arriving in Tanzania. The company, Suricata safaris, picked us up at Kilimanjaro airport, drove us 45 minutes to a simple clean hotel in Arusha, drove us to meeting point just outside the park where we boarded a Land Rover and spent 3 amazing days traveling through the 2 parks viewing an incredible array of wildlife and unspoiled nature. We saw all the main species except rhinos and most from a very close distance. We camped in tents with mattresses and sleeping bags and meals supplied. The food was basic but plentiful. We went to bed with Cape buffalos grazing a few dozen meters away and woke up to a herd of zebras all around us. Hyenas and monkeys were also about looking for leftovers. Almost all our time was spent on game drives, each us with a window seat and pop up roof for great viewing and photos. After game drive on 3rd day we were driven back to hotel in Arusha for the night then to the airport the next morning. All of this for $800 Canadian dollars each! I highly recommend this trip to anyone who doesn’t mind camping and is willing to forego the luxuries of the fancy and expensive lodge experience. A huge thanks to Hilary and Derek and their professional staff for offering such an incredible and affordable experience!
PT
Email Vitor Manuel da Silva | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great!
Manyara Ranch(3 days)- Very good wildlife- Lots of elephants; giraffe; goose; jakal; lions; buffalo; Zebra; waterbucks, stripped yeana, etc. Good and comfortable camp; very friendly people. good food; good guide.
North Serengeti (Nomad Safari camp 3 days)- fantastic wildlife- lions (big prides); leopard; chitas; black Rhino; hypo; crocks; Eland; Yena; bat eared fox and of course Zebra, wildebeest and the cross of the Mara river (unforgettable). Big variety of scenarios, from big plains to more thick bush. Green landscapes and showers during the night, but nice temperatures and sunshine during the day. Facilities at Nomad Camp were excellent and we had a feeling of being in Africa. Food was very good, personal very friendly and professional and the guide very competent and diligent.
Ikuka- Ruaha (4 days). fantastic views; very good scenic beauty. Dry miombo forest (quite different from Serengeti). Lost of elephants, giraffes; Zebra;birds; buffalo; some waterbucks; some Elands; fantastic sunsets; but we were not lucky enough to see big cats (only one lion far away). The resort was very good. great room with fantastic views excellent food; friendly staff; very professional runned; our guide Habibo, was excellent: very competent; very diligent with a remarkable knowledge about the fauna and flora.
The cons: Tse Tse flies in Serengeti and Ruaha may be annoying. We got a few bites through our clothes. So far no disease (more than one month over).
The organization (Paul Tickner)- everything worked perfect and smooth: transfers; flights; camps; Hotel at Dar-Es-Salem.
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Email Ashley Robinson | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely amazing. Such a beautiful place.
Everything about Tanzania was lovely. I have not been on Safari anywhere else but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is going on Safari for the first time.
The wildlife and scenery was amazing. It was incredible to see so much seemingly unscathed land in one moment in Serengeti National Park.
The infrastructure surrounding the tourism industry seemed well organized, inside and outside of the government.
TW
Email Chyi-Yeu Lin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
One great journey to see the wildebeest migration and river crossing.
Weather in August was perfect, with plenty of animals to watch. Accommodations and food were generally good. Our driver and tour guide was superb. Highlights were the 4 times of wildebeest river crossing we saw during 4-day stay in Mara River area.
BE
Email Leen van Den Broeck | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our safari in The North was a wonderful experience
We visited Serengeti, Lake Natron, lake Manyara and ngorongoro in 6 days with Safari Makers.
I can definetely recommend them.
We traveled with our 2 sons of 8 and 10 (budget camping safari) and our guide (Hamisi) and cook (Hadji) were the best!
If you are thinking about booking a safari, book with Safari Makers!
Email Charity Njoki | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The experience was amazing, i loved everything about the tour
The wildlife experience was amazing i saw all kinds of animals also the weather was very favorable. Tanzania has amazing food variety and very delicious.
I would recommend everyone who wishes to travel to try Estlion safaris it's very affordable and has great customer service
TW
Email HHH | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience!
Throughout the stay in Tanzania,the weather was extremely nice!
Only in Zanzibar there's a bit of rain al most every day at noon.
The temperature was around 20-30 degrees Celsius every day, very nice!
My favourite part of the trip was the Serengeti National Park,it was amazing!
We saw lots of animals there.(Lions,elephants,leopards,cheetahs,vultures...etc.)
It was also the first time I've lived in a tented camp.
Only you need to be very careful about your personal belongings.(I lost my passport case and ID card,not sure where I lost it...)
The driver was a very nice person, we loved our trip very much!
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Email Sumit Dasgupta | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience, an experience made that much better thanks to a great guide
Our primary reason for going to Tanzania was to visit the Serengeti, which included Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Oldupai Gorge and Ngorongoro. Our tour was through Kilidove Travel which provided a safari truck and driver (Jackson) for just the 2 of us. It was a fabulous trip and a lot of credit goes to our superb guide, Jackson, for the diligence with which he searched for the big-5.
The taxi driver we hired to get to Arusha and back was also very helpful. We paid him a bit extra and he took us all the way to Kilimanjaro National Park and showed us around.
The hotel in Arusha was excellent and the staff there treated us very, very well.
Overall, we have come back with a wonderful experience and opinion of the country and its people.
