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
NZ
Email Christina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Memorable 14 days Safari
I rated our experience with Uhuru Travel 5 star, despite we had a small issue. The safari was amazing, we had memorable 14 days in Africa National Parks.
I chose Uhuru Travel was because they had the itinerary which suited us the best, and good value. Also most of their reviews were positive.
The communication with Mr. Abdallah R. A. was excellent, the information from him was prompt and helpful, our itinerary was amended to suit our requirement.
We had two very experienced drivers, Silas in Kenya and Zablon in Tanzania. They took us to see all the animals that we wanted to see, and they always stopped at the perfect spots for viewing.
We went through Kenya and Tanzania border twice, we were very impressed with the drivers handovers, it was quick and hassle free for us.
Our vehicles both in Kenya and Tanzania were old, but they didn’t affect the quality of the safaris.
Our accommodation were mid-ranged loges and tent, they all had beautiful ground, and good food. But some lodges’ cleanness standard were different from western standard. But I think they were still very good considering the water quality there.
Although we had a small issue about drinking water supply from Uhuru Travel’s operation Manager Mr. Loy in Arusha. Mr. Abdallah R. A. tried very hard to rectify the issue even after our trip. We were very impressed.
Hope this is helpful for fellow travellers.
US
Email Ann | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari! Our guides, Abraham and Meshalu were beyond wonderful.
I originally booked our safari with Uhuru because I liked their unique itinerary where we had the opportunity to meet several different Tanzanian tribes as well as see the Big 5 in multiple different Tanzanian national parks. We brought our two teenaged son with us and they said it was the best experience they have ever had. Also, the hotels and lodges that Uhuru booked were wonderful. Abdallah was always communicative with us and once we arrived in Tanzania, we knew we were in good hands. Safety was very important to us and we felt that Tanzania was a safe and welcoming country.
US
Email Diane | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic African Safari and Beach Holiday
To begin with Uhuru Travel communicated promptly and helped us plan our safari and beach holiday in Tanzania. Uhuru Travel was always on time to help us make our connecting flights and provided transport within Tanzania that wasn't part of our safari. We absolutely loved our Safari! We saw so many animals, more than I expected , and close up. Our safari driver, Zablon, was excellent at spotting animals and informative. He also has a nice personality, calm disposition and good sense of humor. We did have a few issues along the way, such as the Land Cruiser didn't want to start for the first couple days. Zablon, usually left it running or if we part on a hill he could pop the clutch and it would start. Our 2-way radio was only a one way. I had to use my credit card to get into a couple of the parks because the pin number didn't work on Uhuru's card. I was reimbursed but wasn't sure I would be at the time. Also the itinerary I was sent didn't match the timeline of our trip. As a result our lodging in the Serengeti wasn't planning for our overnight stay, but once again our driver came through and we were allowed to stay. Even with all of this we still feel we had an awesome experience, these were minor issues and everything turned out for the best. Our beach time on Zanzibar was excellent! Uhuru Travel is an honest company and I would travel with them again.
Email Gill | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Two day tour from Dar Es Salaam to Mikumi National Park
Excellent organisation, great two days with great support and communication from Uhuru . Fantastic guide Julius picked us up from home, and worked really hard to ensure we had a good time. Camp Bastion was a lovely place to stay and we had some fantastic wildlife encounters. Would highly recommend as a magical two days.
Wonderful help, good service, and honest & friendly people
The company was very helpful in all stages of planning for the safari. They promptly answered all my questions. In the end I didn't use them for the safari itself but they assisted me in choosing a hotel in Zanzibar and transportation to & from the airport at very reasonable & fair prices. They offerred me other services but were not pushy about it which I greatly appreciated. The driver was on time and very willing to answer questions on the way. I mistakenly gave the wrong time for my return flight from Zanzibar. The office noticed the mistake & the driver successfully got us to the airport in time for us to board at the last minute. If they hadn't noticed my mistake we would have missed our flight. This is a great company, with good service, and honest & friendly people. I highly recommend them.
TR
Email Burak | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect service
We decided to go safari 3 days before we leave Zanzibar. it was like a last minute decision. They replied my request from safaribookings in minutes with a perfectly detailed offer. After chatting with Abdallah on whatsapp we decided to take the offer. We paid via credid card. Then the dream started. There is a plane from Zanzibar to Selous. They take yoy from plane and you directly go car safari. So i reccomend you just to take back packs. We had trouble to carry our luggage. We ve seen Lion , Elephant , Croc , Hyppo , Giraffe , Hyenna and even African wild dogs. The camp we stayed was perfect. The other day tge river boat tour was also amazing. I strongly reccomend Uhuru tours.
A trip to remember!
Lets start off with the positives...
Communication went really went, I also received a reply on the day. Which was great.
Our guide and driver Abraham was fantastic!!! He was really friendly and made our safari something we will never ever forget! Thanks Abraham!! We saw and learnt so much from him!
There are some negatives however,
After receiving the quote and saying yes, we were told that there was a mistake in the price.
One of the places we chose to stay was further away, of which we were unaware of. Uhuru did not know of this either and we therefore had to pay 100 Dollars extra for our transfer. We found this out on the day we arrived. This is something I think could have been avoided if researched prior to our arrival or maybe when making up the itinerary.
Some of the paperwork had not been done timeously so we missed a few hours on 2 days due to waits at the gate waiting for paperwork to be submitted.
Despite the negatives, this was a trip of lifetime and something we will cherish forever. The positives definitely outweigh the negatives but if Uhuru could improve on those small things it will only benefit them. It was definitely a trip we could not have done on our own!
Thanks Uhuru and most of all Abraham for the most amazing trip!
CH
Email Petra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exellent
The safari was exactly as described in the program.
The accommodations were amazingly beautiful and clean.
The driver was always on time. The staff were very nice and answered all my questions very quickly.
We were very surprised how everything worked out excellent.
I can highly recommend this company
Thank you very much !!!
CH
Email Aybi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Tour, thanks to our driver Abraham
Wonderful 7 days safari in Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara.
Everything went well, very nice and comfortable hotels and lodges. Escarpment luxury lodge in Manyara is way nicer than other places during the safari.
The driver Abraham was amazing: gentle, calm, funny, skilled driver, an absolutely astonishing ability to spot every single animal, anywhere. He knew so much about all the animals, their behaviour, characteristics, what is safe to do, when it's more dangerous. It was crazy. He made the safari more than enjoyable, and that's I think one of the most important part. He also has a very good English, which helps if you want to discuss/ask questions.
You’re going to spend almost 100% of your time with your driver/guide, you should better be sure to appreciate him. I highly recommend him.
You can just ask Mr. Abdullah (the owner) about him, he is very fast and responsive, by mail, WhatsApp. No communication problem at all and very helpful when needed.
The tour itself was just like a national geographic documentary … but in real life. We had a lot of time, and I think that makes it easier to multiply your chances of seeing all the animals, in all the situations (eating, sleeping, playing, chasing, walking…). An yes, we saw everything you can imagine seeing in Tanzania (except the climbing lions). I guess under 4 days, you might have to reduce the number of parks, rush a bit too much and so on.
Now the positive points are said, it may look like an ad, so let’s go to the negative points:
It seems that no matter what the company you take, you may have to face mechanical problems (I read many sorties before going). Then the difference between a reliable company and less trustworthy one is how this problem will be handled and how much time you’ll waste. We had a 4x4 in an ok shape, not the newest, not the oldest, but fine however, in the first day of the safari, it had some problems starting, we had to push/be pushed few times. I requested the owner to fix it by SMS. The day after we went to change the battery, 15min in a garage, and it was done.
It’s expensive. Yeap, very expensive. It’s not really related to the company I would say, more to Tanzania in general.
We also booked the Mount Meru through them, nothing much to say, it's a pretty standard tour, and there isn't much difference between the tour operators.
Conclusion: I would go back through Uhuru travel, without any hesitation (and make sure Abraham is available :-).
NO
Email Anja | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic!
We went with Uhuru travel to Tarangire national park, Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater and Lake Manyara, and our guide was Abraham. We had a fantastic trip, the food was great, our guide was super, very knowledgeable and nice and our accommodation splendid. Especially our last night at Rhino lodge. We would really recommend this company.