Our family welcomes you to Tanzania! Karibu sana!
Tanzania Choice Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $400 to $1,700 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Hilde | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari Expertise & Detailed Planning
Our family has been fortunate to travel to a lot of amazing places, but the Tanzanian safari we took in December was our all-time favorite vacation. We traveled as a family of five: parents and three big kids ages 16-21.The Tanzania Choice Safari owners are an American wife and her Tanzanian husband, who combine an in-depth knowledge of their beautiful country with detail-oriented planning. Brenda and I went back and forth to work out the itinerary, as I explained our interests, until she came up with exactly the activities & types of lodging we wanted. I think that picking the right tour company was definitely key to getting the most enjoyment possible out of our time there.
We flew to Addis Ababa, then to Kilimanjaro Airport, which put us much closer to the parks than Dar es Salaam. We were pleased to find out that large Boeing and Airbus planes fly into Kilimanjaro; if you’re inclined to fly on little planes you can even land in the game parks! Our wonderful guide, Leslie, met us at the airport and we hit the road. We made a quick stop to meet Brenda, Kakasii and their younger kids before we started driving towards the park. They're very warm and they checked in with us during the trip to make sure everything was meeting our expectation. Exceeding our expectations is a more accurate description.
Ngorongoro Crater is known for its incredible density of wildlife, so I didn’t understand why it is located in a conservation area, rather than in a national park. Leslie explained the distinction is that the native Maasai have been allowed to remain with their herd animals in conservation areas, while they were forced to move from the lands that were designated as national parks. I won’t spend a lot of time writing about the wildlife we saw in Ngorongoro Conservation Area or Serengeti National Park, but in four days we were able to see everything we hoped to see and more. Leslie had an incredible knowledge of the animals. And we knew he was correct, because he'd point out an animal/bird and identify it for us, then show us the listing in one of the reference books in the vehicle. One of our fondest memories was watching a dung beetle rolling his ball of dung down the road, repeatedly getting carried away by the momentum and being run over by it, but not quitting. That might be a metaphor for life.
Transportation: Almost every tour group in the parks were in a modified Toyota Land Cruiser. It was plenty of room for our family of five & our duffel/gym bags. They have pop-up roofs that allow you to stand up and take photos. Tanzania Choice Safari provided a power strip in their cruiser to charge our electronics and had an electric cooler for bottled water. We also put other items in it, such as chocolate!
Food: The food at the lodges was quite good. Leslie would pick up boxed lunches for us each day, which we would enjoy at a picnic area in the park. Lunch usually included chicken with a variety of sides and a drink. Vegetarian options seemed pretty common, but vegans would have a difficult time. Leslie would also prepare thermoses with coffee & tea for later in the day. Also, he would put a cloth down on the table at picnic sites. It's a small thing, but it gave us a clean surface for our lunch boxes - we didn't see the other companies showing that kind of attention to detail.
Lodging: The tent lodges were pretty luxurious, including beds with linens, hot showers, flush toilets, mosquito nets, and other amenities. Wi-Fi was available in the common areas of every place we stayed. In the parks most of the staff are Maasai who live in the local area. Everyone who works in the tourism industry there was unfailingly friendly.
Medicine: Our clinic helpfully reviewed our shot records to let us know if we required any immunizations before our trip, then gave us prescriptions of Malarone to prevent malaria. We made sure to bring lots of Deep Woods Off and sunscreen with us, in addition to an assortment of over-the-counter medicines. We hardly saw any mosquitos, but that varies by season and luck. We didn't get sick at all on the trip.
In short, this was a once in a lifetime vacation. We're so thankful that we put our trip in the hands of Tanzania Choice Safaris!
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Email Arlene | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Seamlessly planned, perfectly executed safari!!
Recently had an amazing safari with Tanzania Choice Safaris! Mine was a 4 day safari that included the Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti with an overnight at Rhino Lodge and 2 nights at Ndutu Bush Camp. From planning to the actual safari, every part of this experience far exceeded my expectations.
All of my questions prior to arrival were thoughtfully answered and I was able to correctly anticipate what I would need to prepare and pack for this trip. Not knowing what parks to visit or what should be included to maximize my experience, Brenda expertly crafted an itinerary that simply took my breath away. I now understand why safari tops so many bucket lists and also why so many struggle in planning the perfect experience. As someone from the convention industry I know what goes into any planning process and the amount of details that were handled with ease and to perfection truly allowed me to relax and enjoy this vacation. Not to mention, there was not much planning I needed to do on my end -- that's a true vacation!
From the moment our guide, Leslie, picked us up from the hotel to the sad moment when he returned us there, I felt as though I had gained another friend. A friend who expertly maneuvers a Land Cruiser over all the various terrains (never once breaking down--which there was quite a bit with different tour companies) while pointing out all there is to see in the parks. I really appreciated how much he knew about parks, the animals and his great sense of humor. His ability to read the terrain and the animals, knowing how to make the most out of the experience, when to wait and when to seek out the next thing really made this an extraordinary experience.
I also want to say that while i detest camping, I am surprised to say that one of my favorite things about the safari was staying at the bush camp. It really added something special to the experience. Anyone planning a safari should seriously consider adding this. It's so worth it!
From the bottom of my heart, Brenda and Kakasii, thank you for showing me all the wonders and beauty in Tanzania. It will be a vacation I will cherish and remember always. And Leslie, thank you for keeping us on the road, safe and for seeing way more than just butterflies!
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Email Kattie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A personal, most excellent experience in every way - exceeded expectations!
This is the second time I've been on safari with Tanzania Choice, and I was not disappointed. When I went 10 years ago, Kakasii was my guide, and he blew me out of the water with his natural talent, kindness and overall personality. This time his nephew Leslie was our guide, and he exceeded my expectations. Not only did he make sure we saw what we wanted to see, but he took every opportunity he could to go the extra mile. His knowledge of the animals we were seeing really enhanced the experience, and he not only took our sass and joking in stride, he cheerfully matched our mood and made it a really fun trip.
Brenda was great to work with to put together out itinerary, helping us decide what we wanted when we really didn't know how to make decisions. She took into account what animals we would see where based on the season, what kinds of accommodations we were interested in, and what we felt we could spend. She encouraged us to spend a little extra money to stay in a bush camp and WOW - it was amazing! Truly a one of a kind experience that we wouldn't have even thought to ask for.
Besides a private, personal safari, you are treated to incredible hospitality one would usually reserve for family. I wholeheartedly recommend Tanzania Choice - you can be sure you will get an incredible value and memories to last a lifetime.
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Email Darrell and Linda White | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We trusted Tanzania Choice Safaris and they gave us the safari of our dreams. Highly recommend!!
Our 12-day budget friendly safari with Tanzania Choice Safaris was fantastic and we got exactly what we hoped for. We wanted a company and a guide who would be our partner. The planning process was excellent - our interests, budget and special requests were heard and fully taken into account in the planning of things to see, places to stay and our photographic journal of the trip. Their expertise gave us a sequence of one amazing experience after another. The animal encounters were incredible. Our guide, Kakasii, who speaks 7 languages, guided us not only to the harder to find big animals like Leopard, Cheetah and Rhino, but per our request to see the smaller mammals like hyrax and mongoose, was also attentive enough to spot a chameleon, leopard tortoise and, amazingly, over 100 different birds, as well as dozens of Baobob trees (our eccentric fascination). We quickly saw that you need a guide who has great relationships with the other guides to maximize sharing information, and we could tell that the many guides with whom Kakasii spoke in the quest, enjoyed speaking with him and were eager to share. Kakasii stopped every time we asked, and was great at bird identification and backed it up by showing us from his bird book, being sure to correct himself the couple times his first hunch was off. We saw several infrequently sighted animals like a couple month old leopard and a pile of lion cubs as well as an unbelievable Wildebeest crossing at the Mara River. Brenda and Kakasii went above and beyond with our physical concerns for managing the trip, provided a personally customized tour just for the two of us, and couldn’t have been more hospitable. Having as many days as you have time for is totally worth it with the variety of parks in Tanzania as well as the different areas within each park. Our safari was enhanced by amenities in the Land Cruiser which not all companies have including air conditioning, the ability to charge our equipment on the go, a two-way radio for talking with other guides, a refrigerator for endless cold drinks and a shelf that was a huge help for our camera’s and notes. We highly recommend Tanzania Choice Safaris for all your travel needs in Tanzania and especially an extraordinary animal safari.
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Email DJ | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Serengeti Experience!
My family of 5 with three young children had an absolutely amazing safari/game drive! We had high expectations and they were exceeded: it could not have gone better. Brenda planned the perfect trip based on our needs and budget. Our guide, Kakasii, was incredible....there is no better guide! He knows the park, had the perfect itinerary, was extremely flexible especially with the children, thoughtful, and has a delightful personality. Thanks for a wonderful experience.
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Email Karen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kili Climb and Wildlife Safari
We LOVED Tanzania Choice Safaris! When we first began contemplating our trip, we asked acquaintances who had recently returned from living in Arusha for advice. Without hesitation, they recommended Brenda and Kakasii with Tanzania Choice Safaris. Thank you Brenda and Kakasii for the work you did to arrange and organize our trip, for your advice and attention to detail, and for all the helpful information on your website. We loved our knowledgeable safari guide, Leslie, and there is no one better than Festo to take your daughter to the peak of Kilimanjaro and bring her back down safely. Everything was absolutely first rate!
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Email Emily & Scott | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tarangire, Ngorongoro crater& Serengeti honeymoon safari.
Brenda and her team were so great about everything from start to finish. The itinerary that was made was perfect, and hit all of the things that we wanted to see. Once we arrived we had Leslie and Steve as guides, and they were so great! They took into consideration our favorite animals, and what we wanted to see to try and get us to the spots with the best chance of making it happen. You can't control nature, but we got very lucky with being able to see 2 rhinos, 2 leopards, and a river crossing! Can't forget about the pride of 24 lions! The accommodations were great also! You were really in with nature but it made it all seem so much more real. The jeep was comfortable, food was good, and was very happy there was so much water. Overall it was a trip of a lifetime and we were lucky that we got to do it for our honeymoon! Thank you so much Brenda and team!
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Email Tammy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great customer service and support for a first-time international traveler!
Our trip to Tanzania was a long time coming because of my concerns about traveling internationally. But, being able to make our plans with Brenda at Tanzania Choice Safaris lessened those concerns immensely. Beyond arranging for four days of incredible safari adventure, she was able to explain everything from how to get our Visas at the Kilimanjaro airport to where to get the best exchange rate for US dollars. For this first time international traveler, even her explanations about some of the traditional foods were a great help. Brenda made a number of suggestions on activities for our time in Arusha after we finished our safaris, and even escorted us herself to visit the Shanga Workshop (employment opportunities for people with disabilities) and the Cultural Heritage Centre. Every part of our itinerary was geared to us specifically, not just a cookie-cutter plan used for every one. As a non-native Tanzanian, Brenda has absorbed the culture and tradition of Tanzania. Her love of the country and it's people shows in her efforts to give every one of their clients the chance to learn and experience the things she herself has. I would highly recommend Tanzania Choice Safaris to help you experience a once in a lifetime trip to a beautiful country.
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Email Alessandra and Pasquale | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful adventure inside wild and gorgeous nature
Excellent service, suitable and confortable locations. Everything has been in line with or also above our expectations.
Our guide was very expert and he let us always feel safe and at ease.
Great experience
I really enjoyed the time that Kakasii from Tanzania Choice Safaris served as out driver and guide. His work for us was excellent. He is a very knowledgable guide and a skilled driver. We couldn't have had a better person to take car of us.