Swala Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1999)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $275 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Merideth | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our trip of a lifetime!
I had the pleasure of working with Stephen for over 2 years, planning this once in a lifetime trip. Stephen was patient with all my questions and itinerary changes. We had a private tour. The accommodations he picked were indeed luxury out in the bush. The people of Tanzania are welcoming and gracious.
And there are not enough adjectives to complement Joachim as a driver/guide. A masterful driver on the worst of roads, made sure we were comfortable, picked the best spots to get our pictures and was very easy to get along with and a great sense of humor. With all the dusty roads and dirt tracked into the vehicle, each morning we got into a clean truck for the day’s drive. Joachim has a wealth of knowledge of the animals, birds of his country.
Planning on a return trip.
IT
Email Alex | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An Amazing lifetime travel experience, thanks to Swala Safaris and ChaCha (our tour guide) !
We did our Safari in February 2024, visiting all the major national parks in Northern Tanzania: the Tarangire, lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
I will not go in day by day details, also because every travel or safari experience is unique! But what we alived was truly amazing.
Amazing, not only because we saw animals of all kinds: all the big five (Rhinos, Elephants, Buffaloes, a Leopard and many Lions), Hyenas, thousands and thousands of Zebras and Wildbeasts, Crocodiles, Cheetahs, Thompson gazelles, many species of birds. But, also, because we had the privilege of experiencing unique situations such as: lions hunting, lions meeting, we spent a day with Hadzabe tribes and Maasai, even the experience of having a lion passing close to our tent overnight!
I'm an amateur potographer, I have been to many countries in Africa doing safari (Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Madagascar....), but this was really a lifetime experience.
And now let me thank who made all this possible. Thanks to Stephen and Jasper from Swala Safaris for their patience in fullfilling all my wishes, taking care of any single detail (from car's equipments to room types in lodge/accommodations) without surprises......from paper to reality! And, thanks to ChaCha our super, amazing guide/driver, full of skills, knowledge and full of a contagious enthusiasm......simply number 1! TOP !
Thanks! Alex, Enzo and Paolo.
Email Liz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable safari experience, thoughtfully planned by Stephen and fabulously guided by Evod
Our safari was planned for June 2020 and due to Covid was postponed and rearranged 4 times, eventually happening in September 2023. Throughout this extended planning process Stephen was so patient and reassuring, booking and rebooking lodges and amending the itinerary to best suit the changing seasons. All the parks we visited and all the lodges/camps we stayed in were different and each was wonderful in its own way.
We started at Tarangire and were absolutely blown away by the number of animals we saw and how close we got to them. Next we went to Lake Manyara and enjoyed the very different landscape, and watched close up, elephants and baboons with their young plus a huge python resting after a big meal. Third, and possibly our favourite, was the Ngorongoro Crater, so many animals in a stunning setting and a fortunate opportunity to witness a large herd of water buffalo chase off a pride of lions. Our final park was the Serengeti, again a different landscape, and further new experiences; we had as much time as we wanted to watch lions, leopards and cheetahs close up; driving close to thousands of wildebeests during migration and 2 opportunities to see a group crossing the Mara river.
This great safari was made so special by our wonderful guide, Evod. He was hugely knowledgeable and experienced in his role and his ability to spot animals at distance while driving was incredible! Nothing was too much trouble; happily stopping and manoeuvring the jeep so that we could get the perfect view; getting out books to show us pictures of birds and trees; patiently identifying the same animal or bird repeatedly when we forgot! His driving was exemplary and his ability to mend the jeep was amazing. We would thoroughly recommend him and were very sad to see him leave at the end of the trip.
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Email James Brown | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Tanzania Experience
I decided to visit Tanzania in late September of this year (2020) for a trip in December. From the start Stephen with Swala Safaris supplied me with all the information I needed and was very attentive to my concerns. I couldn't have had a better group of people with me for summiting Kilimanjaro: (my spelling could be off) Nelson, Tosha, Sadick, Badick, Isaac and Mtwi all worked to ensure my comfort and that I would reach the summit. The food was great (Tosha received training at a culinary institute; it showed.). I had the feeling that the team really cared about my well being and health; it was a very rewarding six days. The safari part of my trip was amazing, often dazzling. Joachim was my driver. Not only did he endeavor to provide me with the best safari experience possible, his degree in wildlife management gave me keen insight into what is one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Joachim's acumen and a little bit of luck resulted in some experiences I will never forget (I got some amazing photos). Light and darkness, life and death: it was all there in stark relief -thank you Joachim and Swala. I also got to meet the owner of Swala, Jasper. He takes a real interest in the backgrounds and experiences of his clients. Everyone with Swala is nice, friendly, and caring; that is the type of experience you will get with Swala Safaris.
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Email William | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible Vehicle - Great guide
We were extremely disappointed with our experience with Swala due to the dilapidated condition of the vehicle we were put in. The car was clearly greater than 20 yrs old, super high mileage and in terrible condition. It was very underpowered and clearly badly misaligned. To go straight, the steering wheel was at 4 o'clock. We were always the slowest on the road; our guide did not seem comfortable driving the vehicle at regular speed. 3 of 6 seat belts were nonfunctional, passenger doors couldn't be opened from inside and none of the seats had headrests. The "cooler" did not cool so drinks were always warm. We had several harrowing moments. Leaving the Serengeti, the car made a sparking noise and smoke came out the dash vents. Fortunately, after waiting a bit, it restarted and smoke stopped. Another time, while climbing out of Ngorongoro crater, transmission popped out of gear and the car made a bad smell and initially, would not go back in gear. We held our breaths the rest of the trip out of the crater. Also, the brakes started squeaking horribly and we needed to take the time to take it to a local mechanic because we had no faith that the car could be safely driven. Thank god for our outstanding guide, Sunday, who not only was extremely talented at picking out wildlife and providing a fountain of knowledge regarding animals and habitats but also possessed much needed mechanical skills. Throughout our 7 day safari, I did not see a single other vehicle in nearly as poor condition. Honestly, we felt very unsafe and several times seriously considered abandoning the rest of our trip out of safety concerns..
So if you are looking for a safari with an extra dose of discomfort and fear, Swala is for you. Otherwise, I'd stay away. Sunday our guide, however, was outstanding and I would go again with him (with a different company) anytime.
FYI: Our car did not resemble any of those in their pictures. My guess is they are too embarrassed to show it..
CA
Email Rajamohan Jayaraj | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything went well from day one ,from emails, to picking us and dropping us off to the airport.
Rose was very efficient she was one of the few tour operators who responded quickly and we got what we wanted for the price we paid in fact maybe a little bit more. As we had requested Felix to be our guide we got him, this was from numerous excellent reviews about him was the reason we asked for him. And he lived up to the expectation.
Although the time we went was not the peak season for wildlife we managed to see the big five!
We would highly recommend Swala Safaris!
We had a memorable safari this time as compared to the last safari in Kruger three years. I know wildlife don't have a schedule it is luck or being there at right time and the Serrengetti and the Ngororo will definitely live up to thier expectation.
CA
Email Jessica | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great communication to organize the tour, and amazing guide and experience while on safari!
Rose was so patient throughout the organizing process. It is quite overwhelming for us, a lot to consider and so many unknowns. However, Rose was patient and guided us nicely through the process. It gave me the confidence to pick Swala, and we are so happy that we did. She put together a wonderful safari. Our guide/driver was excellent. He is an extremely experienced driver and knowledgeable about the park and wildlife, plus great company to have along on journey together. We learned so much! This was an incredible experience and I would highly recommend it to everyone.
AE
Email Mette | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic!
We (family of 5 with kids aged 18, 15 and 7 years) did a 7 night safari with Swala Safaris in December 2017.
From my first contact with Rose, she was fast to reply and answered all my (many) questions. She made it easy to plan the safari, and gave suggestions for good camps within our budget.
We asked for Filex as our guide, but Rose told us, he already had another tour at the same time, so not possible. Then I asked for Steven, and luckily he was available - what a great guide!
Right from the pick up in the airport all the way to the goodbyes at the same place he was such a kind, knowledgable man. His driving skills were excellent, and he was able to spot animals, that we needed to look for both 3 and 4 times.
Best thing was his patience - he must have answered at least a million questions from the kids and us, yet he never seemed to get tired of explaining about animal behaviour or how you could tell male from female on everything from zebras to leopards. Steven also stopped the car, every time we wanted to take pictures of animals or landscape, so it felt like we had all the time in the world (and could take better pictures)
We wanted to get an early start every morning, and Steven would be there on time or before.
One thing that really amazed me, is when he found out we liked the feeling of having the whole park to ourselves, he decided to take less traveled routes, so we had almost all our sightings to ourselves even though it was the "busy" season, and even inside Ngorongoro crater he managed to keep us away from the crows. Some of our private sightings: leopards in trees, lion cubs playing, serval cat, cheetah with cub, giraffes, elephants, zebras, wildebeest, hippos - even the elusive black rhinos and many more. Everyone can drive to where other cars are parked to see stuff, but a real guide can find the sightings himself!
We had a special adapted Land Cruiser all to ourselves (private safari), it was well maintained and I noticed the tyres looked brand new. The cooling box worked very well (in fact sometime the water froze to ice), we were able to charge batteries for cameras (and other things if needed) in the car. Even though we're tall Danes, there was enough space for all of us in the car, and during game drives the roof could be lifted up, so we could chose to sit or stand for viewings and pictures.
On our last day we had an early dinner in Arusha, and Rose made sure there was a birthday cake for our oldest 18th birthday that day, a nice touch.
All in all we had an amazing time, and I have no hesitations recommending Swala Safaris to other travellers.
CH
Email Paul | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable, a must do!
We got the tip about Swala Safaris from a friend who was extremely satisfied, we hesitated and didn't want to rush into anything but from the first contact with Swala and the prompt, helpful team we knew we had the right team. I thought traveling with my elderly parents was going to be an issue but our guide was always helpful and understanding. He was extremely knowledgable and if he didnt have the answer the spent the night researching (above and beyond what we expected). In the end we saw all we wanted to see, it was only a problem that it had to end :)
I would definately recommend Swala to anyone!
LV
Email Artūrs K | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and very helpful company with great service
We booked our 5 day camping safari with Swala safaris and it was perfect safari experience. It was our first time safari and Rose was highly professional to suggest best options for us. It was well organized, we were picked up from bus station and all our transfers were arranged prior and after safari. We had the best cook possible - Abdela. He is a wonderful and very expierenced cook and treated us very good (compared to other companies seen troughout the safari). Also our driver was highly professional and safe (no issues whatsoever).
Overall I would definitely recommend Swala safaris and do another trip with them if I was visiting again.