Zanzibar office team ready for your services
Soul of East Africa Safaris (Uhuru Travel)
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Member Of:
- TATO, ZATO & ZATI
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Lauren | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous Vacation!
We booked an 11 day Luxury vacation with Uhuru Travel & Tours which included a safari to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and NgoroNgoro Crater. Let me start off by saying that the country is absolutely GORGEOUS! The people were friendly and the animals we saw on safari were so beautiful. I was shocked at how many animals we got to see. It was beyond what I had imagined! What a once in a lifetime experience it was!
We stayed in some really fabulous luxury accommodations, and some more mid range as well. We did run into some trouble with payment issues for getting into the parks that gave us some setbacks. We also had our car break down twice, which is understandable once you consider the bumpy dirt roads they are driving on all day long, but did take away from some of our time spent in the parks on Safari, and also made us really close to missing a flight. My one complaint would be that although we booked a "luxury" safari, the car we received for our safari was more in line with "budget" level. It was quite old and obviously also needed some work. Although the car was older, our driver/safari guide John was absolutely wonderful. He was helpful and informative and we really enjoyed his company.
After Safari, we flew to Zanzibar where we spent some time in Stone Town, and then Karafuu beach resort. Uhuru arranged all of our tours, flights within the country, and transfers between places, and delivered on all aspects. We always had someone pick us up/meet us whenever needed and all accommodations and arrangements were taken care of with no issues.
Although, I was concerned on our first night when we arrived, as well as the next morning. Our itinerary simply said early morning game drive after breakfast, but there was no indication of timing. The person that had picked us up at the airport and driven us to our hotel had no information for us as he was just the driver Uhuru had arranged. We did not know what time to be ready the next morning or if anyone would be showing up. Because of this we got up super early and then just waited to see what would happen. We finally heard from someone at 8am saying they'd be there at 9 to pick us up. I did not like being left hanging and wondering what was going on. It would have been better if they'd left some information for us at the hotel or called us the night we arrived. Or at least given us a specific time on our itinierary so we'd know when to be ready to go.
So that lack of communication from Uhuru upon arrival in Tanzania was a little bit dissappointing, but the communication we had before the trip with the planning process was great. We spoke with Abdhalla while booking and he was great at answering all of our questions and was very quick with his replies.
So all in all, there were a few small concerns, but in the end everything worked out well and we really did have an amazing trip booked through Uhuru.
IT
Email Roberta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Selous Game Reserve,3 days
Fast communication.
Good service.
the tour respected the program and the expectations are met.
the driver and the guide were kind, punctual and very helpful.
FR
Email Jimmy Leroy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect !
All was perfect ! Since the beginning, Margaret responded to all our questions and explains us the detailed program.
Thanks to Uhuru for finding us a french guide, for the same price !
Our french guide, Mariam, was exceptional ! We learned a lot during the safari ! Thanks to Nestore too, our excellent driver !
Uhuru can purpose others many services (taxi, hotel reservation, excursions, etc..), just asked to Margaret when she will contacts you.
Email Eliana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Impeccable service from Margaret, she is kind and attentive. Brilliant organisation of our trip.
Having looked online to compare Safari deals for Selous on SafariBookings.com, I came across Uhuri Travel & Tours. As this was very last minute, I wasn’t expecting we would get the dates we wanted, however received a prompt reply from Abdallah R. A. Who was very friendly. I was then put in touch with Margaret who thankfully corresponds through WhatsApp which makes things so much easier when trying to organise a trip!! She was so attentive and answered all of my questions thoroughly. The organisation of the trip was brilliant and on the dates we wanted. she got a driver to pick us up from Dar to Selous, the Jimbiza camp where we stayed was amazing, the plane rides from Selous to Zanzibar was a wonderful experience and so happy Margaret organised this upon our request !
We would have organised some tours in Zanzibar however as one of my family members was unwell, we didn’t get to do this, Margaret’s compassion was very heartfelt.
Thank you again, I recommend this company to all! So glad I found Uhuru, it’s affordable and the staff are wonderful!!!
DK
Email Steen and Susanne | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari with great highlights. 12 inspiring days in Tanzania and Zanzibar for a family of 5 grown up.
We went to the best national parks of Tanzania: Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Lake Natron, Lake Manyara. After that we went to Zanzibar for a relaxing stay. On the safari we saw a lot of interesting animals, and our excellent driver was very informative and easy to cope with. The staffs at the tented camps were helpful, and the cooperation with the bureau solved a disturbing problem with the flight transportation. On Zanzibar we arranged excursions on the island and had an interesting stay in Stone Town.
The only small problem was a guest manager at The African Sun Sand and Sea Resort who was a bit strenuous.
US
Email Marci Rhodes | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Can't say enough positive for our family vacation with 11 and 13 year olds
From start to finish, Abdallah with Uhuru Travel and Tours was prompt and had everything super organized and had the best people working for him. We were traveling with another family. Kids were 11-13. Four kids and Four adults. We all went in one big safari jeep and it was SO MUCH FUN with our driver, Julius. He was part of our family and was so calm, patient and loved to laugh with us. He cared so much about the land and showed us everything. We saw all animals and he knew when we were ready to move on or just keep watching. We all could tell that other drivers respected him and he was sought after at the gate entrances with hellos and chit chat. This made us feel so good. He was a wise soul and just perfect with the kids. We all love and miss him! There are some days you are in a jeep for NINE hours. You want to like your driver and trust him. Julius checked every box.
Everything we booked from start to finish was impeccable. Flights , extra tours, lodging and timelines. We hit so many parks and had the BEST people to people cultural experiences. We had brought clothing , balls, candy and school supplies just in case and we mentioned to Julius that we would like to stop at an orphanage or somewhere to share with local kids. He looked up a orphanage that he drove by quite a bit and we stopped a couple days into our trip. It was a huge highlight for our kids and us. We played and hung out with the children. It was really fun and special.
If anyone wants to reach out, I can answer any questions. I was super hesitant to book just because I wasn't sure of Uhuru Travel and Tours and there was nothing on Trip Advisor , but I can assure you that we were extremely pleased. We live outside of San Francisco and have very active kids - this trip was perfect. It is important to know that at some of the lodges we were in two separate rooms - beautiful rooms, but there aren't a lot of accommodations that had 2 double beds in a room. Sometimes we had adjoining rooms and sometimes we were right next door to each other or shared a deck . Abdallah had told us this, but I want to express that it was always figured out and we were right next door to each other. It was really perfect accommodations. We stayed in 3-5 star lodges.
We did 10 day safari and cultural experience in Tanzania and 4 days in Zanzibar. Everything was taken care of by Abdallah and I mean everything. Best service and Julius was a phenomenal driver and person. We knew we were being taken care of on day one! The personable service was excellent.
There was a Uhuru Travel representative who met us at the hotel going and leaving Arusha. His name was Mr. Loy. Such a sweet man and he explained everything and answered all our questions. I didn't even know there would be someone to meet us so that was a bonus and put everything at ease right away. We bought stuff on safari and Mr. Loy kept it so we didn't have to bring it to Zanzibar. Than he met us when we flew back in a parking lot and gave us our souvenirs. When we went on a "safari blue tour" in Zanzibar that we booked thru Abdallah after we arrived to Zanzibar. We had our own guide with the group we were with and felt special. I can't even explain in words how our trip was besides PERFECT! Get the WhatsApp as we communicated thru that. All communication was prompt. Enjoy! Trip of a lifetime for our family!!! We travel quite a bit and this one is towards the top!
WE MISS JULIUS and Tanzania. Beautiful people. We always felt safe and taken care of!!!
IT
Email Francesco Fracastoro | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, they respected all commitments.
We knew about this agency only through Safari Bookings. We planned the tour together, with several changes. The answers to our questions has been always very quick. They choosed for us two lodges in two national parrk, one in Mikumi was excellent (9/10) but the other in Selous was at a lower level (6/10). They booked on our request another excellent lodge in Mafia and everything was ok. All activities has been interesting and well organized. The driver who accompanied us was very experienced.
US
Email JB | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Uhuru Travel exceeded all of my expectations for this tour!!
I worked extensively with Margaret to coordinate the perfect Tanzanian vacation for my family. We tailored the tour to our exact needs and everything went off flawlessly! My kids said that two of the hotels were the nicest hotels we have ever stayed at. The African Tulip was beautiful and the staff was very attentive and couldn't have been nicer! At the Acacia Farm Lodge, we were greeted by the staff singing a song to welcome us to the property. The rooms are spread out around the grounds. We were a family of five, so we had a two unit villa that was fantastic and our windows looked out at the coffee plants. The property is a working coffee plantation and farm.
Nicholas, our safari guide, was fantastic with 24 years of experience! He found so many animals and made sure that we were always well positioned for animal viewing.
Margaret (Uhuru Travel) was fantastic in coordinating our tour with special requests like squeezing in a trip to Olduvai Gorge, visiting a Tanzanian school for my wife (a Ph.D student and a teacher), and a sunrise balloon tour in the Serengeti. We concluded our stay in Zanzibar, with the safari blue snorkeling tour, two nights in Stone Town and then two nights in Nungwi. What a fantastic trip! At every arrival and departure, a representative from Uhuru Travel met us to introduce us to our guides and ensure that everything was as scheduled and ready to go. I highly recommend Uhuru Travel for your safari/tour needs! You won't be disappointed.
BE
Email Sandy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful offroad experience
UHURU is a very serious and reliable organization.
We had a gorgeous trip in Selous Park with our family (5 persons)
Driver was great and friendly and very flexible.
We manger to see wonderful animals, kills and other offroad landscapes.
Proposed lodges were perfect.
I would recommend!
DE
Email Igonda Kloeblen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
For a short notice planned trip, this was an excellent and efficient experience.
Was amazing, Camp Bastian (the accomodation) was amazing too.For a trip booked and planned two days before departure, everything was really done well.Our tour operator (Anton) was really experienced and patient with us and our three year old daughter.All in all, I would definitely do it again, and would highly recommend this agency.Abdalla's communication was always on point, very fast to reply to queries and efficient. :)