Earthlife Expeditions
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- AMREF, TTGA & TLTO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $175 to $650 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Jeff | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding trip and guide
We traveled to Tanzania in June, and used Earthlife Expeditions for Safari in Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro.
Our guide was Joseph, who was outstanding. He was enthusiastic, knowledgable, friendly, courteous ... everything you could want in a guide. We have traveled a lot, and could not imagine a better guide.
Communication prior to the trip was prompt and professional, no issues at all. As some have mentioned, our safari vehicle showed signs of heavy use, but within the range of what we were expecting. Accommodations were simple but reasonable, and meals were good.
Our experience overall was a solid 5, largely due to Joseph. We had 3 kids (age 18-20) with us, and were extremely happy that their first experience in Africa was so interesting and positive.
As a side note ... Joseph didn't say this or pressure us in any way, but it is clear that tipping is a big part of your guide's income. Make sure you look into the tipping guidelines and bring enough cash.
IT
Email Andrea | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari experience professionally organized
We have been in a 8 days safari in North Tanzania Parks in the first half of August.
We are a family with 1 child (9), 2 daughters and 1 nephew all adolescent.
The organization of the trip set up by Deo and his team was almost perfect, tailored on our family requirements and needs.
The guide selected has been Joseph, also known as "Balo": he is very fluent in Italian, very friendly and brilliant he succeeded in creating a very nice and authentic atmosphere with both my kid and the rest of the adolescent group. Moreover he is very passionate on his job and very competent on naturalistic and cultural topics helping us to appreciate this beautiful country along with the cultural, social and tribal characteristics.
His attitude has always been focused on our needs and preferences showing a true professional approach never improvised. Even during a small accident with the jeep tires we always had the impression Balo had the situation under control and that it was part of the safari adventure!
Finally we found the lodges and tented camps very nice and comfortable as per our expectations.
I strongly advice Earthlife Expeditions if you want to live a memorable safari, well organized and customized on your needs.
US
Email Safari Anne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Surpassed all of my expectations!
Clear communication, quick responses, safety, quality of lodging, excellent food, and knowledgable staff allowed us to enjoy the beauty of Tanzania in a most comfortable and enjoyable way!! Thank you Earthlife, Caudence, who handled our arrangements, and thank you Kessi, you are now a good friend! There are many tour companies in Tanzania. I requested quotes and narrowed it down by quick response, clear itineraries, nice lodging, and price. The quick communication that we received from Earthlife, as well as their assurance that this was OUR vacation and that they would make any changes that we wanted, convinced us to go with them. They swapped out a park for us, added a tour that we wanted, switched the dates, shortened one part of our visit, added another traveler. All inquiries were quickly answered. We were never left waiting or wondering. We were able to email and talk via WhatsApp to the company. Once we arrived, we were picked up at the airport and we were taken care of for our entire trip! Our guide, Kessi, took his job very seriously. He assured us that whatever we needed or wanted, he was there for us. Kessi is so knowledgable about all of the animals and birds. He could spot things before we would ever see them with our binoculars. He shared lots about the history of Tanzania and taught us Swahili and even sang with us! We joked and laughed a lot on this trip! It replenished my soul! So much natural beauty and friendly people happy to share their culture with us. Kessi assisted us when we wanted to purchase souvenirs, so that we could visit places with good prices and he helped us so that we would not be too bothered by people trying to sell us things. He would give us the facts we needed to behave in culturally appropriate ways. In addition, Kessi is a very good driver. I always felt safe. The drivers have to really concentrate on some of the rough roads and he was very focused to assure a good ride. He made it clear that we could see some good things if we were patient to wait. We had some experiences where other vehicles left and we got a good show! In summary, this was a trip of a lifetime and I would absolutely, undoubtedly recommend Earthlife Expeditions!
US
Email Dave & Ruth | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
This is a trip of a lifetime
We wanted the maximum safari during the migration. There are a lot of tour company's to pick from but earthlife had the best reviews that I could find. Now I know why. They went out of there way to do what we wanted and see the most we could see. The tent camps were something everybody should experience. Herman was our guide and I would recommend him as his knowledge of where to find the animals and where they might be going was right on most of the time. This was truly a 5 star rated company right from making the reservations to making sure that everything is just like you want it.
LK
Email Padmini Deepani | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We hadwe had an excellent guide in Mr Goodlouck who was friendly coperative and helpful.
The tour itself went off perfectly to plan. The guide and transportation were excellent. Very reliable vehicle . Sopa lodge at Ngorongoro was excellent. The Mbugani central serengetti tented camp was very comfortable and welcoming. We saw the big 5 and much more. Our guide was very coperative and made every effort to make our safari a sucess. The tour companys planning and execution of the safari was good. No hitches at all.
Email Bankim | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Driver & Vehicle, Good Accommodation & Food
One word I can say is very good just what we wanted. Driver Abu is very knowledgeable, comfortable drive, very good accommodation, only complain first two days pack lunch at Arusha was sub standard. Little bit of lack of coordination airport pickup at Zanzibar.
Otherwise everything we(I, my wife and my son & daughter both are in 20's)are very please with Deo's service and I can recommend any of my friends & family if anybody wants to visit Serengeti.
US
Email Carolyn | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great and trustful safari tour operator that provided us with a wonderful and memorable adventure!
From the first inquiries, I was very impressed with the communications I had with Caudence. Her responses were timely and clear. I felt that Earthlife Expeditions would be a trusted operation and they didn't disappoint. Caudence was very professional as we navigated what my husband and I were hoping to experience as we wanted to see the Great Migration and stay in mid-range tents and lodging. That being said, she proposed the perfect 15 day itinerary with an awesome tour and accommodations. I appreciated her knowledge and expertise. Our guide/driver, Ballela, picked us up from the Kilimanjaro airport and began our incredible 10 day safari portion of our trip. Without doubt, he is the reason we had a fantastic experience. He took us to the Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Western and Central Serengeti and Ngorongoro where we saw EVERYTHING!! Ballela's expertise and knowledge of the area and animal behavior was unsurpassed. His skill set and exceptional timing provided us with the opportunity to see thousands of wildebeest cross the Grumeti, the BIG FIVE, even a cheetah taking down a zebra. He was always willing to answer our questions. I feel we learned so much from him. He even included bird sightings after I mentioned I had a checklist of birds, he proceeded to identify every bird we saw. Perhaps the best part, besides seeing all the amazing animals, were the conversations and stories that were shared with Ballela, those will truly be cherished. I would definitely recommend Earthlife Expeditions!!
AR
Email Marcelo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Epic and perfect!!!
We have had with Earthlife Expeditions the greatest experience in our life. Everything started with the great advices and numerous mails that we cross with its Director Deo Japhet few months before. He patiently responded to all our questions, fears and needs. He gave us a lot of confidence and helped us to choose the best options, the best itinerary and the best lodging according to our needs and dates.
When we arrived, everything was exactly as he promised, perfectly organized. Deo was a former Safary guide so he clearly knows for the time you go the best itinerary and lodging for you. He was the only company from more than 6 from safari bookings that we inquired who gave us specific personalized lodging suggestions that were critical to enjoy the best spots of Serengeti.
I need to write a paragraph apart about the heart of our experience. Our Guide Joseph John. Joseph is a Massai for whom I have no words to described, how much he knows about Botanic, animals including the thousands birds that you can find in Tanzania. Of Course we have seen the top 5, the top 9 and we create our own list of the top 10. He chased the animals with respect and teaches us to stay in a no hurry just watching their behavior. Just an example, one afternoon we saw a Lion Solo hunting, and one sunrise he stop the 4x4 in one place and told us to wait there. We then saw a massive attack of 9 lions to a buffalos greated repelled, we saw a chacal hunting, and everything that you can imagine during the great migration. However, the most important thing was that Joseph immediately became part of the family, we learn to sing in Swahili, he learnt singing in Spanish. and we have had great conversations. All the family was absolutely sad when he took as to the airport to see we off. We really look forward to see him again.
Just few tips. Remember that Serengeti is very big, trust in the itinerary they suggest you for the time you are coming. Remember tented lodges and tented camps are different and the most important ask for Joseph as the guide.
https://www.tripadvisor.com.ar/ShowUserReviews-g297913-d8672856-r598331839-Earthlife_Expeditions_Limited-Arusha_Arusha_Region.html#
Best safari experience I can ask for!
Choosing Earthlife is my wisest decision made for my safari trip! Our trip was made so comfortable and memorable thanks to the professional pre-trip planning done by Caudence and the amazing tour done by Aggrey.
Starting with Caudence: She is the most responsive agent among about 10 agents I spoke to in total. The way she communicates is just hyper clear and customer-oriented, which played an inportant part in building my trust for Earthlife. With Caudence I feel my needs and questions were carefully listened to and addressed, unlike how I experienced with some other agencies who apparently was going after my money and everything they do is trying to make me sign asap. I really enjoyed our communication and our efficiency for confirming the whole trip within only 30+ email exchange. In the end I felt totally safe to make the full payment 3 months prior to my trip (I suggest you do the same because it really saves time and Earthlife can be trusted!)
Next is our Super professional guide Aggrey: this guy is a gem stone in the safari field and I am not exaggerating! He told us he has been doing this job for 7 years and that explains where his rich knowlede for animal and the landscape comes from. We have seen all big 5 (including the rare black rhino) and many more (like python, giant lizard) because this guy has hawk eyes to see them all while driving at 100km/h. Aggrey himself is also a animal fan therefore he is self-driven to seek for big cats and rare animals. As his guests we were really lucky to have been to some best location for seeing animals because Aggrey is so much dedicated to his profession (he drove us like right below a giant tree so we can see really close a huge panther taking a nap on the tree). He is an excellent driver (a living GPS) and you can totally trust him and take a nap after a long safari day while he delivers you safely to your camp. When it comes to shopping, he also knows the places to go. I remembered to help us buy the best tanzanite stone at a good price, he drove us between 2 shops back and forth without complaining. Instead he was giving us advices and talking to the owner for bargaining...things like this is enough to prove that he cares about only one thing:give his guest the best experience by showing true knowledge, respecting the guests’ needs and engaging them in each moment of the safari!
Lastly the company: Very reliable and responsible brand that exceeded my expectations. The company took note of our honey moon and did their best to make sure we get special welcome in our hotels. When one hotel forgot to inform us about a site move (which caused us to drive 1 hour more), the company went harsh on them and asked to apologize with action. As a result, we received a bottle of wine as apology on the second day in the next hotel which is about 1.5hrs drive away. It really shows that Earthlife cares! At the end of the trip, the reservation manager came to our hotel to collect our feedback on the trip, a gesture that again approves their customer-oriented business philosophy.
In summary, earthlife is really great... i cannot imagine our trip being any better for the price we paid. If I go back to Tanzania again, I choose Earthlife again without hesitation!!!!
BN
Email Ian & Michele | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Game Viewing in a Beautiful Environment
The ten day tour took us through Tarangire, Central, Southern and Western Serengeti and Ngorogoro, and there was lots of great game viewing wherever we went. Our guides were knowledgeable and accommodating and also excellent drivers.
The camps we stayed at were in a variety of locations and none of them disappointed, two of the location in particular offered spectacular scenic views. All the camps were comfortable and offered the amenities that you would expect on a tour like this.
The support from Earthlife prior to and after the trip was also fantastic and we would have no hesitation is recommending them to other travelers or using them ourselves at a later date.