Happy World Safaris
- Located In:
- Tour Types:
- Budget & mid-range tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Website:
- www.happyworldsafaris.com
Reviews
IN
Email Pradeep Kumar Sharma | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experience.......awesome trip
Our family (me, my wife, my son and his wife) have just returned from Tanzania after a great experience of a 7 days trip with Happy World Safari and I must admit that we will cherish the memories for the rest of our lives.
We had picked Happy World Safari for the trip based on internet reviews and as it turned out we were extremely lucky about our choice. Our trip was planned well in advance for December 2018. After a long trail of email exchanges with Mr. Joseph, the owner of Happy World Safaris, we decided to include Tarangire, Ndutu area, Ngorongoro crater and of course Serengeti in our itinerary.
As regards the services, during the planning and booking stage itself we found Mr. Joseph to be very professional and patient and we started to feel positive about our upcoming trip. His responses were quick and his inputs and suggestions later turned out to be spot on. Above all Mr. Joseph is a gem of a person and very helpful by nature.
In addition I would like to put in a word about our driver and guide Mr.Tony who was also a nice person, an expert driver and had a very sharp eye to notice the game while driving. There were plenty of times when he stopped the vehicle, reversed a bit, picked his binoculars and showed us animals barely noticeable by naked eye. On one instance as we drove by a pond, he asked all of us to look hard towards what we thought was a rock and we realized it was a huge croc. As it was rainy weather, at times our 4 x 4 land cruiser got stuck in the sloshy mud and both Joseph and Tony displayed their expertise to resolve the situation. On one occasion, after getting out of the sloshy mud with the help of another vehicle, Tony had to drive fast so as not to get stuck again and vehicle skidded left and right in the mud avoiding the thorny bushes which required a high level of driving expertise. It was as though we were on a speedboat rolling and pitching on water. We all admired this awesome team of Joseph and Tony and those moments will remain forever etched in our memories. We were visiting Tanzania for the first time and to put it briefly the best compliment we can pay to Mr. Joseph and Tony is that we feel that this will not be our last trip as we all wish to go back again with them in future. To put it mildly the service was excellent.
As regards the arrangements, everything was handled in a professional manner right from welcome at Kilimanjaro airport, checking in at various lodges during the entire trip and final dropping at the airport. All the lodges were great experiences and we will remember all with fond memories. We stayed at Maramboi Tented Camp, Ngorongoro Farm House, Ndutu Safari Lodge and Serengeti Sopa Lodge. Accommodation was clean and food was delicious including the packed lunch boxes for our daily trips.
Our vehicle was a Toyota 4x4 Land Cruiser with plenty of space for four of us to move around and handle our cameras. There was no problems for charging our camera batteries etc. while on the move. Vehicle was robust and well maintained which gave us confidence on difficult terrain and a feeling of safety.
Although it may vary from trip to trip, but we were very lucky to spot a wide variety of game including the big five. We were fortunate to see some animals at hand shaking distance including a Lion eating a Wilderbeest, a pair of Cheetas next to our vehicle, an elephant having a mud bath, a leopard on a tree and a pride of lions just relaxing.
Overall it was a dream vacation and we had a great value for money trip and I would recommend all who are planning a trip to Tanzania to go with Happy World Safaris for a memorable experience.
Email Liz Williams | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful experience. We felt well looked after and had a fantastic time.
We are a family of four with two children aged 15 and 11. We had a fabulous and memorable safari arranged by Joseph with Tony as our excellent guide to Tarangirie National Park, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorogoro Crater.
The standard of accommodation was very high. We particularly liked the tented camps in the Serengeti, and we saw an amazing range of wildlife including the 'Big 5' and many other animals and birds. Tony was the best guide we could have wished for; extremely knowledgeable, a fantastic driver, very patient with all of our questions and a lovely person.
We had excellent service from Joseph from our initial e-mails to all the way through our safari. Joseph was always quick to respond to e-mails and provide different itineraries until we decided on what we wanted. I have no hesitation in recommending Happy World Safaris for anyone considering an independent safari in Tanzania.
US
Email Suraja Roychowdhury | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Tanzania Safari
Nine of us went on a trip to Zanzibar, and a safari to the Serengeti for 8 days in August 2018. I think I speak for everyone in our group when I say that we had an outstanding trip. Joseph Mkony was very helpful and responsive during our planning sessions. In addition to helping organize the trip he also organized getting my daughter's luggage from Dar-es-Salaam to Arusha.
We loved the safari- so many highlights that it's impossible to say which was the best. We saw 4 out of the big 5 game at close quarters, and the rhino at a distance. We were also lucky to see the wildebeest migration. Joseph (a different one:)) and Sammy are excellent drivers and guides. Their knowledge, patience and good humor really contributed to making our experience memorable. Please give them our heartfelt thanks.
The hotels were very good too, with Melia being outstanding. Olea was nice, but they could do a few minor things to improve their rooms a lot. Their food was excellent. The Mara Heritage camp was an unique experience, and I think it was Shree's favorite. The Sopa lodge was nice, but very crowded. Golden Tulip was a good hotel, with wonderful large suites, the only downside being the location, outside the city. We also had an interesting side-expedition to a Maasai village- very touristy!
Thanks again for arranging such a memorable trip for us. All of us are most happy to recommend your services!
CA
Email John | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Trip to Tanzania
We spent a great a trip arranged by Joseph and guided by Tony to Arusha National Park, Tarangirie National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorogoro Crater. An experience of a lifetime made more enjoyable by Tony who is a was a very gracious, knowlegable, funny and good natured guide. I would encourage anyone considering a trip to contact Joseph at Happy World Safaris to discuss your trip. Joseph also arrange a beautiful 4 night stay on Zanzibar for us which was a great way to end our trip.
US
Email Luiza | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We didn't want to leave Ruaha, and part of the reason was because of our amazing tour guides!
I did a 5 day Safari with Happy World Safaris and it genuinely was the experience of a lifetime. I travelled to Dar es Salaam in mid-June 2018 and was looking for safari options all around Tanzania. After being recommended Happy World by someone on TripAdvisor, I decided to write to them to get some more information on it. I spoke directly to Joseph, who was very helpful in answering questions I had, and which parks would be best suited for me. We decided that Ruaha was the way to go. After giving him a rough budget, we built our own itinerary with his help. We were picked up at 7am from our hotel in Dar and drove all the way to Ruaha (~12 hour drive) - although it seems long, it was actually wonderful! We got to travel through the country, which is an experience in itself. Although the jeep is not very new, we were extremely comfortable! Joseph (our guide) and our driver (Alpha) were extremely friendly, helpful, funny and entertaining throughout the journey. Ruaha was beautiful! We saw a plethora of animals (even wild dogs, which were highly unexpected), and Joseph's/Alpha's knowledge was very useful. We had an all-inclusive package, with breakfast, lunch and dinner being provided throughout the safari. We had dietary requirements which Joseph eagerly accommodated us with. It was a wonderful experience and highly recommend Happy World! Thank you again, Joseph and Alpha, for a marvellous trip!
US
Email Angel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A Happy Week with Happy World!
Happy World Safaris was a great experience for my friend and I. We went in early June 2018 on a 5-day trip to Tarangire NP, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti NP.
Managing director Joseph was very communicative and adaptable. He even went out of his way to help try to find my phone which was stolen while traveling to Arusha. Only issue was that we budgeted off a 'shared trip' rate, which later went up because there were no other travelers during our selected date. We did get the Land Cruiser to ourselves though.
Driver guide was Toni and he was awesome. He knew my main goal was to finally see a leopard, and he sought out the best hiding spots until we saw one! We all became good friends by the end of the trip. Serengeti Safaris can be expensive, but definitely a once-in-a-lifetime, must-see trip!
US
Email Brittney | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An easy, budget-friendly safari program perfect for experiencing the Serengeti's astounding beauty.
I went on a Happy World Safari with three friends from college at the end of May and really enjoyed my trip. Our safari was 4 nights and we went to Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We had a landcruiser, guide, and cook to ourselves which was great. We opted to stay in tents for a more budget-friendly safari and it was more comfortable than I imagined. The tents were very big and the guide and cook set them up and took them down for us each day. They also provided sleeping bags and thick, foam sleeping mats. The camp sites were decent, nothing fancy, but we slept well each night and spent most of our time on the road anyway. The food was amazing whenever it was prepared by the cook; at some parks all the safari guests receive the same boxed lunches which were ok, but every tour company seemed to use them. The car itself was really nice and even had a mini-fridge and chargers. This safari company was also very flexible and accommodating—we designed our own itinerary, lodging, and food preferences and they worked with us to make sure we had airport transportation sorted. I would definitely recommend Happy World. The guide went out of his way to make sure we saw some amazing animals and I was blown away by the beauty of the Serengeti.
BE
Email Paul dauwe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable close to nature and wildlife experience in North Tanzania
Together with my wife, my sister and my brother in law , we had a six-day safari in North Tanzania with HAPPY WORLD SAFARIS from April 26 until the third of May. It was a 'once in a lifetime experience'. We booked this safari directly with Happy World Safaris after I recieved very good references from a friend who traveled with them before. After a few emails, Joseph Nkony ( the owner) proposed us a program that was fully based on our expectations. It was also cheaper than similar programs that are offered by the travel agencies who operates from Belgium and the Netherlands.
From the moment we were picked up at Kilimanjaro airport everything was arranged perfectly. We didn't have nothing to worry about, the service was great.
The first night we stayed in a hotel in Arusha, and the days after we visited Tarangiri National Park, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorogoro crater. We stayed in lodges and tented lodges, both very comfortable arrangements. Especially the tented lodges in the middle of the Serengetti offer a special close to nature experience.
We spent six days on game drive in a full equiped landrover with Joseph and Tony, the driver guide. They are very experienced in wildlive, nature and ecology and they showed us a very wonderful and intens view on nature and wildlive in North Tanzania. With their experiance spotting ‘the big five’ seemed easy, but they also gave us the experiance of hundreds of thousend Gnoe’s and Zebra’s preparing fort the great migration, a hunting lion and heyena, a juvenile leopard hidden in a tree, giraffes, hippo’s, crocodiles, al kind of antilopes, monkeys, pumba’s, vultures, eagles…. On my demand they also gave a lot of attention at the fenomenal variety of birds living there. They also initiated us in african culture and especially the way of live of the Massai.
Happy World Safaris proved to be a very reliable organisation. During the trip Joseph and Tony became more than just a guide and driver to us. Thanks to their professionalism, their respect for wildlife, nature and African culture, their reliability , sense of humour and warmth this safari turned out to be an unforgetable experience for the four of us. Thank you Joseph and Tony. I’m sure we ‘ll meet again.
Paul en Marianne from Belgium.
NZ
Email Emily | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience
My husband and I went on a 5 day / 4 night camping safari (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Seregeti and Ngorogoro Crater) with Happy World in February 2017 and I can honestly say I will never forget it!
We had the jeep to ourselves, which even though it was a bit of a splurge for us, was definitely worth it. To have the freedom to spend as much or as little time as you like on different locations and wildlife was absolutely amazing and I would recommend it to everyone.
The camping was fantastic, our cook Enoch always made delicious food and LOTS of it, and there is nothing else quite like sleeping in a tent under the stars and hearing wildlife all around you. The mattresses and sleeping bags were also surprisingly comfortable! It was so nice to unplug and get away from technology and really immerse yourself in nature. That being said, make sure to bring lots of camera batteries! :)
We saw so much more wildlife than I even thought possible in those 5 days, and this was definitely due to the amazing skills of our driver Zebe. He could spot just about anything when all we could see was a grassy field or trees. He also is just a great guy and we had lots of really interesting chats with him about Tanzania and life in general!
The whole process of booking the safari was great - we were recommended Happy World by a friend of ours, and after our initial back and forth with Joseph (the owner) we were so impressed that we didn't actually bother looking elsewhere because we knew we'd found what we wanted. He was always on hand to answer ANY questions we had and really helped us plan the perfect itinerary. When we arrived in Arusha he came to meet us at our hotel and answer any more questions, and also met us after the safari to make sure that everything lived up to our expectations (It did, and more). Joseph is also a fantastic guy, we left feeling that we had made a new friend for sure!
I would highly recommend Happy World Safaris to anyone looking for a really authentic, easygoing and excellent value safari experience in Tanzania.
BE
Email Katrien Van Bastelaere | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great service, very nice crew, wonderful safari and memories to last a lifetime
We had a great time with Tony, the driver/guide en Enock the cook. Tony had excellent knowledge of the animals (including birds), about Tanzania, about the Masaai people, and was very correct and respectful of nature and wildlife (which we found very important). Enock was a very sweet man, who made us breakfast, lunch and diner. We have two vegetarians in our family, and he took very good care of all of us. Joseph was very helpful with the planning, very fast en easy communication and very flexible. It was a great experience. We recommend camping, because it made the experience very intense!