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Ofir Ottolenghi
IL
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 19, 2019
Email Ofir Ottolenghi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a wildlife! You must come and look
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
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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 .
Meg
CA
Visited:
September 2019
Reviewed: Sep 19, 2019
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.
Gonzalo Perez-Caballero
ES
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Sep 19, 2019
Email Gonzalo Perez-Caballero | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect safari experience with Soul of Tanzania
Since we arrive to Tanzania we realize that people from Soul of Tanzania were always worried to satisfy our needs (food, shopping, what to see, where to stop, etc...)... so finally we enjoyed a lot seeing all animals we dreamed to see in their environment, and with the additional information provided for our fantastic guide Ayoub ( he was always trying to satisfy everythinh or place we want to see or go). We expend 6 incredible days thru Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire parks seein (and feeling) what we have seen many times on tv.
The extension to Zanzibar was also amazing with tropical beaches and also visiting Stone
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Town in a half- day tour. Relax, rest and enjoy every moment.I can finish without recognizing that every people we met was incredibly kind and always smiling and helping tryning to make us feel the best possible. I will never forget Karibu, Hakuna matata,... thanks to all of you,
The expirience is unforgotten, something to remember forever. Anything I can say or any photo I can show will be far to show what we lived there.
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.
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!