Sunny Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 100-250 employees (Founded in 1982)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $240 to $1,460 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointing
For my husbands birthday, I booked a 6 night safari. I made the mistake of booking with Julius t. Safari in Kenya. Although, he has excellent reviews for Kenyan safaris, he subcontracts out safaris in Tanzania.This is how we ended up with Sunny Safaris. Our driver guide Khalifa, was unfriendly--not engaging at all. His English was poor. he tried to change the itinerary to suit his needs. We relied upon other guides to find wild life. We paid $6000 usd --very disappointing---older beat up land roovers
IT
Email Simona&Silvio | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice experience, but critical points (management of time, communication, food)
Nice experience, although with some critical points. Communication before departure (we booked the safari online, before arriving to Tanzania) was very good: Masha promptly replied to all our (several) questions, although during the safari we discovered that some points were not so accurate (e.g. I asked information about electricity in the camps, and I was told that it was available in all them; but in 2 places there was no way to charge batteries and mobile phones.. I think this information is important and should be mentioned before). We enjoyed our gamedrives, although we were quite disappointed by their duration.. by reading the program you cannot really perceive how much time you will spend in the camps, especially for breakfast/dinner breaks.. many times, we noticed that we were the last to leave in the morning and the firsts to come back to the camp (also, one morning we asked our guide to leave 30min before - NB. everyone else left at 6.30-7.. we were told that we had to be ready for breakfast at 7.30, so we could leave only more than an hour later, when the cook had finished recollecting all his things - in order to have more time to try to see the most difficult seen animals of the big 5 - in the end, we could see only 3 of them -, but we were told that the cook needed more time to prepare breakfast and our lunch boxes, so it was not possible.. another time, because of an error in the office, we had to wait for a person coming to the gate of the Ngorongoro crater and pay for the entrance fees, which caused a 30-60min delay (we didn't see the rhino, and I know you have to be lucky to see animals, but by loosing time in this way certainly doesn't help). On the other hand, both the guide and the cook were very kind. Finally, one very important thing should be mentioned: after the last dinner we had we got both sick, probably because of the meat or some other foods which had not been properly preserved during the 5 days of the safari. I know we opted for the budget option, but we still spent more than $1000 per person, so, honestly, we expected more.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome family vacation
Our family of 5 (ages M53, F53, M22, F20, and F17) decided to climb Mt. Kili and then go on a safari in Tanzania. Our guides (Sylvester and August) were great and although it was cold on the final day of the climb, we were all successful getting to the top of the mountain. Everyone was in decent shape, so don't think you can just show up, but the key to making it up the mountain is acclimation; do the 7 day trip. We tackled the Machame route and were not disappointed. I'd recommend using foot-warmers (maybe 2) in your boots as you climb to the top on summit day.
Our Safari lasted 8 days and were fortunate to see everything we hoped for. Highlights included: The Big 5, cheetahs, 3 wildebeest crossings in the northern Serengeti and even some lions mating from 15 feet away. Simply amazing. David, our guide, was the right fit for our family and was a pleasure to be with throughout the entire trip. He even introduced us to his favorite local restaurant in Arusha on the last night, making it a trip that was truly memorable.
Sunny Safaris helped create a trip that was tailored to our requirements of 'somewhat rugged', not too expensive, yet with the right amount of luxury/comfort to keep us in budget. After tenting on the mountain, we spent our evenings in nice, yet simple "luxury tented camps" where the service was great and the facilities were excellent. Other evenings we were in the Sopa Lodges in south Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire. We also visited Lake Manyara. If you are short on time, you can have a great 4-5 day trip and simply go to the Crater and then the Serengeti. If you want to go to the northern section because the wildebeest are crossing, strongly consider flying. We had 8 days so driving was an acceptable and cheaper alternative (saved $1200), but we also had one long day of washboard roads that lasted about 8 hours.
For our family, this trip will be one of the most memorable trips we ever take. If you enjoy the outdoors, learning about life and world around you, and are open to new and adventurous things, this type of trip needs to be at the top of your list.
BE
Email Hubert Raeymaekers | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wat we wanted : professional and customer oriented
We were a group of 6 in the jeep : two parents (in lodges) and our son, together with 3 friends of him (in tents). We experienced Sunny Safaris as a 100% professional and customer oriented agency : in spite of the two different formula's in one jeep, everything went smoothly and as planned (prepayment, paper work, logistics, payments on site etc). Also the agency contacted us during the safari to know how things were going (highly appreciated) : we confirmed that our driver (Peter) and cook (Charly) were arranging a fantastic safari in Lake Manyara,Seregenti,Ngorongoro and Tarangire. Suggestion : replace the Tarangire (last) day by an extra day in Serengeti. When going back we will chose Sunny Safaris again.
NL
Email Erik-Sander & Emma | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great last minute service & very good value
We booked our safari two weeks in advance after some very helpful advice through e-mail. We decided to do a 5-day camping safari incl. Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater.
On our way to Kilimanjaro airport we missed the connecting flight at Nairobi. We had to wait over twelve hours and arrived in the evening instead of early in the morning. Just four hours before arrival, I requested Sunny Safaris to arrange an pick-up from the airport and a hotel booking in Arusha (all through e-mail). They arranged both perfectly, and we could start the safari early on the next morning. Paying a small part of the remaining balance in TZS instead of USD was no problem either (we had to pay for new flight tickets cash at Nairobi).
The safari itself was just amazing. We were lucky to see the early arrival of the great migration around Seronera. We saw each of the big 5 at least three times. The experienced driver/guide and cook (Pessa and Vincent) did a great job in making our adventure unforgettable.
We inquired different companies and Sunny was by far the cheapest. It seems there is little difference between companies in terms of service and meals on the campsites. So it felt as great value for money us.
The only con we can think of is that the vehicle looked a bit older than the others around, but we had no problems except for one flat tire. But it was very comfy to have a 8p vehicle just for us...
Definitely recommended!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was so impressive, words cannot express, how it was.
The communications was great. Our guide did a great job, he saw every single animal, I would never have seen. He could explain to us a lot, about the landscape and the animals. He drove very carefully and took very good care of us. Our cook did also an excellent job. We got a lot to eat and it always tasted very good. The safari was my highlight of the vacation and I really enjoyed. Would like to go back.
SE
Email Ida and Fredrik | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the best travel experiences ever
We went on safari with Sunny Safaris during our honeymoon. It was an amazing trip, 5 days in Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Ngorogoro. We had a very experienced and skilled guide, Khalifa, who showed us all the big five! He knew exactly where to go to get the best chance to see the different animals and he was very accommodating to our wishes the entire week.
A couple of mornings we wanted to go earlier, 6 am before everyone else, to be able to spot the animals hunting in the morning, and this was no problem. Our guide arranged so we could have the breakfast with us and later that morning he made us a beautiful breakfast picknick. That morning we managed to see a leopard eating his pray and a cheetah hunting gazelles in an enormous speed over the fields.
Khalifas excellent guiding made us see more animals than we would have been able to dream of. We saw tens of thousands of wildebeests and zebras, hundreds of different gazelles elephants giraffes buffalos and hippos, at least 50 lions, 3 leopards, 1 rhino, 2 cheetas and lots of other predators, flamingos, pelicans, eagles and other colorful birds which Khalifa knew all the names of and could tell a lot of facts about. The best park was Serengeti where we were completely alone most of the time, able to observe the animals without distraction from any other cars and were able to take all the pictures we wanted.
We were very curious and had a lot of questions. Our guide told us a lot about the areas we passed, how the people were living and he took us to a Masai village and an orphanage when we asked him. He was very kind and polite, his English skills were good enough, he drove safely and he was very careful that we would be satisfied with the trip.
We booked the trip through a Swedish travel agency, ToppAfrika AB, which in turn hires Sunny Safaris for the safari trips. The entire travel was smoothly arranged by Sunny Safaris, we had no problems during the trip, the accomodations were great and all time schedules were held. My husband and I travel a lot and this trip was one of the best things we have ever done. We can really recommend our guide Khalifa and Sunny Safaris.
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Worth Every Penny!
My best friend and I joined the 4 days safari tour (Lake Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro). We are extremely happy with Sunny Safari. They are extremely professional and answered all our questions (very prompt reply - emails). When we reached Sunny Safari office at Arusha, we were greeted by Jesca. She helped out so much on arranging our lodging in Arusha and replied all our emails patiently (it was out 1st trip to Africa - we were quite nervous). The driver/ guide (Mr Abbas) was extremely helpful and showed us so many animals (we even saw cheetah, leapords and rhino). While our cook Marcel (Dr for the stomach - that was how he addressed himself) was really amazing. Who would have thought of sugar coated popcorn at a safari campsite? And not to mention the hot ginger tea. We really love it. If I have chance to go to Tanzania again, Sunny Safari will definitely be my choice. Thanks guys!
Worth Every Penny!
My best friend and I joined the 4 days safari tour (Lake Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro). We are extremely happy with Sunny Safari. They are extremely professional and answered all our questions (very prompt reply - emails). When we reached Sunny Safari office at Arusha, we were greeted by Jesca. She helped out so much on arranging our lodging in Arusha and replied all our emails patiently (it was out 1st trip to Africa - we were quite nervous). The driver/ guide (Mr Abbas) was extremely helpful and showed us so many animals (we even saw cheetah, leapords and rhino). He forced us to wake up early but it was so worthy as we managed to see hippos return to the pool. While our cook Marcel (Dr for the stomach - that was how he addressed himself) was really amazing. Who would have thought of sugar coated popcorn at a safari campsite? And not to mention the hot ginger tea. We really love it. If I have chance to go to Tanzania again, Sunny Safari will definitely be my choice. Thanks guys!
One of the best experiences of my life
My boyfriend and I did a three day camping safari to Manyare, Ngorogoro and Tarangire in December 2014 leaving from Arusha. Our driver, Abdul, was incredibly knowledgable and was able to answer all our questions. He also ALWAYS managed to get us in the best positions to see all the animals and in the three days we managed to see pretty much everything. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I would HIGHLY recommend it to everyone. The campsite we stayed up was spectacular, the amenities were very clean and the chef made sure we were never hungry (and the food was delicious!).