East Africa Wild Adventures
- Located In:
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Canada
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, APTA & Consumer Protection BC
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $480 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Debra | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
East Africa Wild made our Tanzania safari dreams come true!
East Africa Wild provided us with an experience turning what we thought would be once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list trip to an unforgettable trip that we hope to re-experience soon - only with more days and more stops next time!
Initially skeptical of the many companies offering similar services, Alym put us in touch with another couple in New York who answered my questions and provided reassurance - and they had even visited the same places we wanted to go. Alym was responsive, informative, patient, and ultimately able to accommodate our needs and itinerary within our narrow and specific time frame. We had specific demands regarding the locations that we wanted to see and the accommodations I chose where we insisted on staying, and we were able to do it all, thanks to Alym. Our trip went just as planned, which is to say, much better than we could have expected.
Our guide and driver, Mr. Letawo, was amazing. He has been a guide for years (decades?) and knew where to go, what to see, and answers to a million questions every step of the way. He made sure we saw what most never get to see - zebra trying to cross the Mara, a "cat" fight, the "big 5," and wildebeest crossing the Seronera River. He was easy to get along, accommodating with all of my picture-taking and finding the best possible sites and photo shots, and was very knowledgable.
I highly recommend East Africa Wild - and Alym - to anyone who is trying to plan a trip to Tanzania (and already have) and Mr. Letawo to everyone who wants to go with a private guide.
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Email Michael Reger | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic, very personalized service, that blew our expectations out of the water
Alym was a blessing to find! We looked into 3 other tour providers, and when we first talked with Alym, there was no other choice. We told him our wish list was to go to Victoria Falls, Chobe and the Okavango Delta, then Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and a drive to Nairobi. He asked questions, and learned about the 4 in our group, then set our trip up to fit us. Then we decided we wanted a couple of changes... No problem! He modified our 17 days to exactly to our needs. He and his team nailed it! Our Accommodations were perfect for our budget, and the drivers we had were extremely courteous. Osea had so much information to share in Tanzania. He spotted every kind of animal like magic. In spending 7 days with him, we made a life long friend. In Kenya our driver Steven was so much fun, and worked so hard to make sure out trip ended an a high note. He too had the knowledge of the animals, and so much more. From the moment we walked into the customs at Victoria Falls, to the goodbye at Nairobi airport, there was never a moments concern of safety, direction, or plan. We had a day to ourselves in Arusha, and all other days with our guides were fun filled and comfortable. The vehicles were nice to travel in, and we were confident in our drivers to get to our destinations safely. We believed our trip would be memorable, but we had no idea of the high level of service and personal attention we would receive. I look forward to the chance to return to Africa, and see so much more.
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Email Gary | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfectly Planned and Executed
USE THIS OUTFITTER if you are planning to visit East Africa - Everything we planned went perfect and Alym Bhanji (native of Kenya, owner, and trip coordinator for East Africa Wild) did an incredible job of talking to and learning about my wife and I and then putting together an itinerary that fit us perfectly and then took care of every detail so that it was truly the trip of a lifetime.
Three and a half weeks, four countries (Tanzania - Rwanda - Kenya - Seychelles) , twelve flights, six airport pickups, ten lodges, six parks with permits, and thousands of animals - all without a single glitch.
Alym is headquartered in Vancouver BC so it was very easy to coordinate all the planning without worrying about time changes. He has staff in East Africa that catered to our unique trip and were very accommodating to any and all requests. We took over 9,000 photographs and never felt rushed. Every lodge was incredible (Nature One was a life changing experience), the vehicles were in great shape and every driver was safe, considerate, knowledgeable, and a lot of fun (at one of the camps we stayed in, the camp coordinator went out of his way to tell us our driver/guide Selemani was the best he had seen based on reports from his staff). With no one to compare Selemani with, I can only say that we saw every animal (except an Aardvark which became a running joke) and most birds in the Guide Book including over 70 Lions, 9 Cheetah, 8 Leopards, 3 Rhino, 19 Gorilla, 100s of Hippos - Warthogs - Giraffe - Monkeys - Baboon - ++++, and 1000s of Elephants, -Antelope - Zebra - Wildebeest - Gazelle - and Impala. Selemani was able to spot a Rhino from the top of the Ngorongoro crater over a mile a way without binoculars (we could barely confirm using binoculars). He knew every dirt road in all the parks we visited - it actually seemed like he had made appointments with the animals so they were nearly always where he thought they would be. I guess that comes from doing your job for over twenty years and still loving it. They also arranged six dives and a snorkel trip to see Whale Sharks.
Karim was our guide in Rwanda and was the perfect host setting us up with the best guides for the Gorilla trek. John was our guide in Kenya and was masterful at shuttling us to the different sites - the best being Sheldricks elephant orphanage where Alym had arranged for my wife to adopt a baby elephant so that we were able to get a private tour and spend time with the orphaned baby elephants. I can't say enough about how well the trip was executed, we are veteran travelers and there are always a few things that go sideways but not this time. The biggest hiccup was the room we reserved in the Seychelles was supposed to be ocean view and they showed us a garden view - a quick call to Alym and we given a ocean view room, a bottle of champagne, an apology from the management, and a free dinner. Alym had immediately called the hotel (5:30am his time) and straightened everything out in less than 30 minutes from my call.
The trip came with a cellphone app that detailed out every day and activity of our trip that made the trip easy to track and was great to show friends. We spent about a month soliciting and reviewing bids from twelve different tour companies prior to picking East Africa Wild. Alym submitted a letter of interest within 24 hours and gave us an initial bid within 3days and then spent about three weeks putting the trip together, adjusting the itinerary and confirming all the details. During this time the bid didn't change. From the time we requested a bid until we returned home, Alym would return calls, texts, and emails within a couple of hours.
I can't imagine how our trip could have been any better and it was all due to East Africa Wild.
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Email Jamie and Marisa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A wonderful adventure for our family!
Our family recently returned from our East Africa Wild 15-day adventure to Kenya and Tanzania. Although we had been to Kenya over 30 years ago, we had always wanted to return with our children to have them experience the beauty of East Africa. Our friends recommended East Africa Wild and we are happy they did so. After several conversations with Alym (owner) over FaceTime, he was able to plan the perfect trip/Itinerary for us based on our interests, comfort/activity levels and need for adventure! (Not an easy task given we were 5 adults!) But he did it! The accommodations were fantastic! We mostly stayed at the wonderful Serena Lodges and they were our favourite. The rooms were perfect and the hotel staff were very attentive. Our guides (Newton in Kenya and Saif in Tanzania) were great and worked hard to make sure we saw as much wildlife as possible and answered all our questions, whether they were related to wildlife or local culture. Newton & Saif were always on time and did their best to accommodate any and all requests that were made (we made lots!). We were also very well taken care of by the staff 'on the ground'. En route to Africa, two pieces of luggage were left behind during one of our connecting flights. The tour company staff in Nairobi quickly took care of the problem by tracking our bags, picking them up from the airport and delivering them to our lodge.
There were too many highlights on our trip to list them all but they included a bush breakfast along the Mara River, a private bush dinner accompanied by Masai tribesmen, and of course the many game drives where we saw the 'big five' and so much more! We totally and with confidence recommend East Africa Wild!
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Email Tayler & Seth L. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Honeymoon Adventure - Can't wait to go back!
Alym was amazing to work with from the very start. He took everything we wanted to see & do into consideration, while also staying within our budget. On our way to Tanzania, we missed our connection flying through Amsterdam. Alym was able to push back every part of our itinerary within a 12 hour time period so that we wouldn't miss out on a single aspect of our trip - It was amazing! After landing in Kilimanjaro, every aspect of our trip was seamless. Our guide, Selemani, was wonderful! He was very easy going, easy to get along with, and incredible at spotting different animals. We saw more than we could've ever imagined thanks to Selemani. All of the lodges and tented camps we stayed at were amazing. Great food, friendly staff, amazing locations. After our safari, we flew to Zanzibar for some rest and relaxation. We decided we wanted to go into Stonetown for a day and Alym helped us arrange this as well. Every aspect of the trip exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend East Africa Wild Aventures and we will definitely be booking with them again!
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Email Caitlin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Can't Wait to Go Again!
Our honeymoon safari with a Zanzibar detox afterwards was amazing thanks to Alym and East Africa Adventures! Alym was wonderful and helped us book our safari quickly - and we had even asked kind of last minute but it was no issue. We worked off an itinerary they already had with a bit of customization that Alym suggested which was absolutely wonderful. We're so glad we switched out a lodge to do tented camping for a couple of days.
Our tour guide, Kim, was incredibly knowledgeable and patient - which pays off on safari! He knew every kind of animal and had an eagle eye for spotting animals. We went during dry season, and cannot wait to go back to see what it's like during wet season.
Zanzibar was great too. It was a different feel than our safari part of our trip, but enjoyed it as well and it was nice to relax after long days on safari. I'm glad we booked through East Africa Wild!
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Email Fortunato Caronzo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime, Honeymoon
Since the first contact with Alym back in February 2017 when I started looking for options for my honeymoon, he has been top notch, very attentive and very prompt to respond. He laid out 2-3 fully inclusive options for our honeymoon based on our preferences and price points. The whole process was seamless and easy with no hassles. Everything was organized by Alym himself except the flights to and from Africa. All food, transportation, guide, optional excursions were pre-planned. The service, food and accommodations all exceeded our expectations and we were treated like a King and Queen; each accommodation recognized our honeymoon status as well, which was a nice treat. We felt safe throughout the whole trip and didn't have one bad experience. Our guide/driver was exceptional and very knowledgeable. He was open to discussing any questions we had and very sociable with us. We want to thank Alym and East Africa Wild for one amazing trip of a lifetime. We will be definitely recommending his services to our friends and family whoever is planning on a safari in Africa. Thank you!
Email Julian and Louise | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Simply Stunning Serengeti Safari!
The trip was brilliantly organised by Alym and clearly communicated at all times in the lead up to the trip. He provided good advice on the itinerary and how long to stay in each location etc, providing a balance of accommodations to perfectly suit our request and requirements. He even "arranged" for 3 leopard sightings, not to mention an unforgettable lion pride with cubs on simba rocks.
Our guide, Frank, was faultless and must be credited for his animal sightings (spotted a rhino with his bare eyes at about a kilometre distance!), manners and all round performance.
The overall safari and trip to Zanzibar was pretty much faultless and we would definitely recommend East Africa Wild to others - if we go again we will be specifically requesting Frank as our guide.
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Email Sandra | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly Recommended - Very Comprehensive & Accommodating!
Alym at East Africa Wild was stellar. He was knowledgeable and was prompt to respond to any inquiries. He spent a lot of time answering my many questions and constantly changing our itinerary to fit our needs. We only had 2 weeks in Tanzania, and with so many different things to do and not enough time, Alym helped us find and customize an itinerary that we were very happy with.
The trip was great. The accommodations were comfortable and the food exceeded our expectations. It's comforting to have someone like Alym, who is very familiar with the country and a trusted source of advice. I have already recommended East Africa Wild to friends and family who have expressed interest in going to Africa in the future.
Best Ever!
Our trip with East Africa Wild Adventures could not have been better. Alym responded to our emails very quickly and his plans for us worked perfectly. He catered our trip to our exact desires. Every connection was on time and we were met by friendly and knowledgeable people. The safari was wonderful and our guide made sure we saw every animal possible. Our accommodations lived up to our expectations. We could not have been more satisfied.