SMILE WITH US TOURS IN AFRICA 2024
Smile With Us Tours In Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $490 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Amelia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic safari yet again
Second time asking Jacob to arrange our safari
We requested the same driver (Salum) for both visits and he did not disappoint.
I would highly recommend speaking to Jacob from smilewithustours as he can tailor your safari to your needs and his prices are fantastic too!
Fully held our hands from hotel pick up in zanzibar, through the airport and the other side in Tanzania
US
Email Jim | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Customized our safari to meet our needs and desires and great value for the price!
I worked directly with Smile with Us Tours in Africa to book a 9-day safari in southern Tanzania to the lesser visited parks--Nyerere, Mikumi, Udzungwa Mountains, and Ruaha National Parks. I was assigned to the travel program as curator of education at a top US zoo, so I knew wildlife safari operations and possibilities. I purposely chose these lesser visited parks as I wanted to experience African ecosystems and wildlife without the crowds and swarms of vehicles--I wasn't disappointed as three days we only encountered two to four other vehicles! We saw a plethora of wildlife, including birds and the landscape was beautiful and the ecosystem was intact.
Smile with Us Tours in Africa worked with me to customize their 8-day fly by safari and even arranged a visit to a site they had never gone to before. They listened and added a variety of activities, 2-night drives, a walking safari with rangers, and two cultural experiences with the Maasai. The daily itinerary was full, but our driver/guide shortened a couple of days so we could relax at our "camps".
The three camps where we stayed at were very nice and the staff worked diligently to take care of our needs and desires. Smile with Us Tours offered the option to upgrade our camps if we wished. The food was varied and offered a variety of local and continental dishes. There were always choices and plenty of vegetables and fruits.
Our driver/guide went out of his way to listen to us and work to meet our wishes and expectations (as much as possible). He worked 12-14 hours each day and provided us with some extra experiences and tastes that were not part of the itinerary. It was nice to have additional guides join us and help lead the safari drives, boat trip, night drives, hikes and walking safari. Our driver/guide recognized that he needed to improve on his English comprehension, but overall, he very good as a leader and his personality was fun loving, yet serious and concerned that we had a great experience.
The land cruiser was adequate, but showed some wear and tear as the roads were rough on a vehicle. There was plenty of room in the vehicle and the roof raised to allow all of us good viewing of the wildlife we encountered. We had a couple of minor maintenance issues, but they were remedied quickly or taken to the "shop" after we were dropped off at camp.
All in all, great value for the 9-day safari and I would recommend you book with Smile with Us Tours in Africa.
Email Lee | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
From the absolute start we were treated exceptionally.
Our driver Abduhl was very prompt and couldn’t have been nicer
The flight over was amazing and once we arrived at the park the same treatment resumed
Our guide Kennedy and our driver Dula were an amazing duo! We managed to spot so many animals and Kennedy was on hand to give us information about them. His knowledge of the whole savanna was incredible. I’d give this tour 100 stars if I could.
PT
Email Rodrigo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very competent, knowledgeable and professional team
Excellent safari experience with Smile With Us. Everything went well, a very competent, knowledgeable and professional team with a lot of empathy for us. We always feel safe and accompanied. Very happy with this Safari. I recommend Smile With Us. Congratulations and continue your work showing Africa and defending the environment and animals.
IT
Email Vincenzo Cipullo | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Organization
We are a family of 4 adults with 3 kids from 9,6,3 and all was perfectly organized from our arrival in Dar to Safari to our resort in Zanzibar - the kids and my daughter really enjoyed the Safari as was their first time - excellent
US
Email Raag | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Prompt, reliable, responsive, and great value for money
My family recently (July 2024) completed a 14 day safari in Tanzania (plus a couple of pre & post days in Arusha and Dar Es Salaam). Of these, 7 days were in the North (covering Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro), and the remaining 7 days were in the South (covering Nyerere, Mikumi and Ruaha). It also included a couple of flights within Tanzania. The entire trip was arranged with the help of ‘Smile With Us Tours In Africa’, and I have nothing but nice things to say about them. All planning, booking, payments, etc. were centrally coordinated by Jacob, who has been absolutely wonderful!
I started by requesting an itinerary from Jacob. He was prompt, and the itinerary he shared covered all the parks I wanted to visit. I worked with him closely to fine-tune the number of nights in each park, change specific camps / lodges, and add extra activities like walking safaris and night safaris. This took several iterations, and Jacob was always very prompt in sharing the revised itinerary. I was working with a couple of other providers as well, and Smile’s quote was the best for the itinerary I wanted. Once everything was to my satisfaction, I finally booked the safari with him in July 2023 by paying 30% of the cost in advance (with the remaining due a few days before the start date).
Considering the amount involved ran into 1000s of dollars, I was apprehensive about the advance as well as the final payment. After all, I would be paying the whole amount before the safari had even started! What if Smile couldn’t deliver, or if things went wrong? Fortunately, my apprehensions proved to be completely unfounded!
From booking till the beginning of the safari, Jacob kept me informed periodically about the progress regarding hotel bookings, flight bookings, etc. He was also very responsive whenever I had any question – he typically responded within a few hours of my email, which was amazing considering the time difference of 7 hours between the US and Tanzania! A few days before the start of the safari, he also shared his local contact numbers as well as the contact number of the guide assigned to me.
Once my trip started, the execution by Smile / Jacob was flawless. All airport pickups and drop-offs were on time, and the guides / drivers assigned to me were pleasant, welcoming and knowledgeable. The camps / lodges were excellent, and the 4x4 Land Cruisers assigned to us both in the North & South circuit were in excellent condition with comfortable seating, a built-in fridge and outlets for charging.
I firmly believe that the true test of any organizer is when things go wrong, and Smile / Jacob shined there as well.
We had 2 nights booked in a lodge in Nyerere (Nyerere Tented Camp). When we reached there, it had a lot of things that ticked us off: the atmosphere was not at all welcoming, it had hygiene issues, and it had geckos – lots of them! Having geckos on the walls is one thing - this place had so many crawling on the floor of the restaurant!! I brought this up with Jacob, and he immediately found an alternate accommodation for the second night – and this was during the high season!
Another instance of making things right was when our Land Cruiser broke down on the last day (which is not a reflection on the condition of the vehicle – the best of vehicles break down in the tough conditions of these parks!). Jacob worked with our lodge, and arranged a game drive through them to make sure that our experience didn’t suffer and we ended our trip on a happy note!
All in all, I had a very positive experience with Smile / Jacob from the beginning of the planning to the end of the trip. I would not hesitate to utilize their services again, and whole-heartedly recommend them!
A special shout-out to our guide Salum Msese (aka Salim) – he was absolutely wonderful, and went above and beyond several times in the 7 days we spent with him on the Southern circuit. Just to give an example: We had a day full of driving (Nyerere to Mikumi that took 9 hours), followed by a night game drive (3.5 hours) - and he did it with a smile, without any hint of tiredness. The next day, he did an early game drive and then another long drive (Mikumi to Ruaha that took 7 hours) - and this was after only 4 hours of sleep! Salum was always eager to show us as many animals as possible, and took every effort to ensure this – he followed lion footprints, spoke with other guides, and made sure we had the best possible experience.
IE
Email Simona | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Above our expectations!
We couldn't have asked for a batter experience in Tanzania!
Smile with us gave us the best support and value for money that people can find in the market.
Extremely punctual and friendly, our driver Salum met us at the airport first thing in the morning when we arrived and throughout the week he was able to accommodate every single request.
From the beginning the planning process was simple and straightforward and we always got quick responses by email when needed.
Thank you very much for all your hard work and effort,
Asante Sana!
Simona&Davide
IT
Email Marco | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professionalism and competence
Fantastic 5 night safari at Mikumi, Nyerere and Udzungwa Mountains parks with Smile with us.
The staff we communicated with for the organization was very helpful and prepared to accommodate our requests.
The guide Hassan speaks good Italian and managed our entire trip with great professionalism.
The driver was competent and professional.
The hotels we stayed at (Bastian Camp and Nyerere Tended camp) are quality hotels with great accommodations, exquisite cuisine and exceptional staff. The hotel inside the Mikumi park (Bandas camp) offers very simple accommodation and cuisine but still equipped with everything you need.
Doing this type of safari by car was fascinating because it allowed us to see and learn about many local realities.
Mikumi and Nyerere parks are smaller parks than those in the north but with the great advantage of a lower presence of tourists. Nyerere is still a rather authentic park! We spotted, even very closely, giraffes, antelopes, elephants, lions, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, hyenas and various birds.
The excursions to the Masai village, the safari boat and the trip to the Udzungwa Mountains were fantastic. Particular and curious is the walking safari of about two hours with Doctor Simba to discover the traditions linked to the different plants of the savannah.
In short, an INDIVIDUAL safari and not a group one, EXCEPTIONAL!
Congratulations Smile with us!
(automatic translation from Italian)
Email Joana | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great adventure!
We have done a 2 day safari at Nyerere Park and it was simply amazing!
Our guide, Mr Maarufu (Mr Famous) was the best! Always available to answer our questions, loads of knowledge about the animals and the areas and most of all, always funny! Made us feel comfortable since the beginning!
It was an adventure of a lifetime! Cannot recommend more!
Just amazing!
DE
Email Celine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fulfilling a lifelong dream
Dear team at "Smile with us",
My mom, my sister, and I had the pleasure of participating in a two-day safari organized by your company. I must say, we are absolutely thrilled! Our guide Murshid went above and beyond to provide us with the best possible safari experience, despite our limited time. His kindness and care made us feel safe and well taken care of throughout our journey. I cannot emphasize enough how grateful we are for that.
As German visitors, "Smile with us" helped us fulfill a lifelong dream, and we couldn't be happier. We are already planning to come back in the next few years - this time for a whole week! We are impressed by your ability to tailor individual trips according to customers' wishes. The fact that we had the entire vehicle and our guide exclusively for us made our stay even more enjoyable.
Thank you to the entire team at "Smile with us". You have made us overjoyed!
Warm regards,
Celine