Fanuel Mateja (President) & Kathy Phinney (CEO)
Breakdown Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $25 to $375 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Steve Paine | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A whole new experience
We have been a lucky couple, who have in our later years, travelled widely and thought we had experienced most there is to see and do. Breakdown Safaris proved us wrong. Firstly, we had never been to any part of Africa apart from the Mediterranean coast and secondly, we had not been on a safari (to speak of) outside of South East Asia. We thought we knew what to expect, but got more than we ever hoped.
Kathy (one of the two partners) was a pleasure to deal with, whilst booking and getting things together leading up to our adventure. As we lived in Australia, Africa was not an easy place to get to, so we decided to visit on our way back from my daughters wedding in the United Kingdom.
Once we had agreed a time and places to visit with the help of Kathy, things came together and a plan was formed.
When we arrived at Dar Es Salaam, Kathy was there to meet us and greeted us like long lost friends, which I believe we had become over the weeks of pre safari contact by email. Fan, Kathy's husband was also there to meet us, with a broad and welcoming smile. We felt we knew these people already, although we had never formally met.
We were taken on our way, to change some money and we were soon in the truck and our way to a nice hotel called the Upepo Gardens, down by the coast for a couple of nights relaxation.
We visited Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park. We stayed at the most marvellous river camp. We visited Iringa in the Tanzanian Highlands, we visited Zanzibar and Stone Town. We had flights in 12 seater Cessna Aircraft from remote dirt runways, we had ferry rides across to Zanzibar and we slept in a mud hut. We had luxury hotels on Zanzibar and we had a more basic type in Ruaha.
We watched animals from such close quarters, we had breakfast by a lake in the open air. We witnessed the scene of the hunt, the feast and natures clean up. We watched animals that I would never have guessed I could see in one vista. As the sun came up, we watched Baboons, Elephants, Impala, Mongooses and Giraffe whist sitting and eating a bowl of Musli with a hot cup of tea.
We experienced something we had never before, sometimes raw, sometimes moving, but never boring. We had Fan, a Tanzanian guide and husband of Kathy, so knowledgeable in all things Africa and animal behaviour. He took us so close to everything, his enthusiasm was so infectious his genuiness so sincere.
Sometimes, we were up at 6am and on the road by 6.30 watching the sunrise over the savannah or the lake. Sometimes we were out at sunset witnessing the bush as the sun went down to start cooling another hot day in Africa.
All of our days, all of our visits, all of our arranged hotels and pick ups were organised without incident by Kathy. When she said somebody would meet us at a certain place, they were there. We at know time had a anxious moment.
Most of all, over the 13 days we became friends and had many discussions about things important to us. We met others along the way who we will always remember dearly. We finished with a nice dinner at the Upepo, where we had started, but this time with the owners. It was a perfect end.
We had been on an adventure, we had been on a steep learning curve, we had laughed, we had cried, we had been on a safari, it was more than we dare expected.
I cannot speak more highly of Kathy and Fan, I hope they continue to get clients and the reviews they truly deserve. Thank you both.
PA
Email Jerin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fanuel made my life long dream a reality!
I must start saying that this was by far the best trip I have ever taken in my life. We found Fanuel on Safari Bookings. We did a lot of extensive research about safaris in Tanzania and the package that Fanuel offered us blew all of the others out of the water both with itinerary and price.
We started our trip with some driving to The Selous game reserve and we checked into a beautiful Lodge with great hosts, excellent food and staff. We did a boat safari in the Rufiji River, many animals even those you aren't expecting to see. Beautiful sunset, it was the perfect afternoon. Next day we went to the Selous and encountered an elephant outside the park that was very curious of us and came up close. Later during lunch we found a lion sleeping in the shelter that was supposed to be our picnic spot. We drove to Mikumi and then visited Udzunwa NP, during the drive we saw a lot of villages and parts of Tanzania we never imagined. The hike was nice to the tallest waterfall in a national park in Tanzania, the view was fantastic and we got to see some endemic species.
We drove then to Ruaha NP, which was by far our favorite. We spent the night in the Cottages inside the park and It has so magical and a lot has to do with Fanuel. He picks every place very thoughtfully and put a magic trip together. We requested the mid range option for our trip, yet we felt like VIPs the whole time. He is very knowledgeable, he is an excellent person not just polite but with a great heart. Everything we saw, and experienced was amazing and that couldn't been possible without Fanuel putting it together, you can trust him making the decisions for you.
Now, almost everybody wants to go to the northern circuit because it's more popular or its the first thing that shows when you look up Tanzania. But the southern circuit is what you are looking for if you want to feel like a VIP with a private Safari, we only encountered 2 or 3 other cars in each place we did game drives, it's like having the place to yourselves, something impossible in the other side.
From the beginning everything was friendly and personalized, he gave us his input regarding dates to have a better game viewing and it worked. A lot of emails since it was our first time having someone plan our whole trip ( accommodation, food, flights, transfers) so we had many questions and he answered them all very prompt.
Thank God everyone took the time to leave reviews about Fanuel on Safari Bookings, there is no other way we could have found him.
US
Email Barbara | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The trip of a lifetime, customized for us, with all the work done by zomeone else!
Amazing experience, planned and executed by owners Kathy and Fanuel. Kathy helped the eight of us design our trip to cover what was important to us and Breakdown Safaris did all the planning and scheduling. All our pre trip questions were answered - gear, clothing, money... Fan guided us through the parks and watched over us when we weren’t in the parks. Every transfer was taken care of, every day was scheduled to do exactly what we wanted, and Fan was always on top of everything so we didn't need to stress about anything. He smoothed out all the bumps (like last minute flight cancellations) and made sure we always got where we needed to be with a minimum of work on our part. Three Parks - Selous, Ruaha and Gombe; several cities - Dar, Iringa, Stone Town; multiple vehicle rides, flights on bush places, transfers by dhow and ferry - and it all worked without a hitch. I can't imagine the work that went into that! All the lodges were great, the Parks were amazing and our guides were fabulous – Fan, Rashid, Sixtus and all the others guides booked by Breakdown. And we were lucky enough to see everything we could have hoped for, and a few things we never thought we would be lucky enough to witness!
CH
Email Karen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing! Going back as soon as possible
From the moment Fanuel picked us up at the airport we had the impression we had booked a superior safari guide. About 6 hours later and through the following day we had the very unique opportunity to be able to confirm this...
We were about an hour out from our camp at the Selous: bridge under water, road blocked by a cement truck. It was a matter of minutes before we were onboard a canoe on our way to another safari car which Fanuel hired out on the other side. Against all odds, we still made it to our boat safari that evening! Fanuel + his awesome truck, didn't. But he made sure to set us up with someone else for our full day game drive the next day - all perfectly coordinated right from his truck/the bridge. This, we thought, was the greatest advantage of having booked a guy that is his own boss and knows the whole town.
Well, turns out, when you get lost off-roading in the Selous then stuck in a mongoose hole for the greater part of a day, you realize there are several other advantages to booking with Breakdown Safari.
1- not all Safari cars are built the same - Fanuel's car, which he gets serviced after every safari, was significantly more comfy than the other car (leg room is amazing).
2- nothing stands between Fanuel and you having the vacation of a lifetime - he is extremely resourceful.
3- this guy is a pro at handling all things "breakdown".
Luckly Fanuel was able to get across the bridge so he could come to our rescue! From the moment he pulled us out of that hole and we rushed to see a lion show beyond our wildest dreams, and until the end of our trip 10 days later, we were incredibly happy with our choice of safari company! We can't wait until we are back for our next adventure :)
US
Email Stacy, Rachal and Liz | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
13/10 Would always always (only) recommend!
The experience my two friends and I had on our safari weekend was more than we could have ever asked for! From our (very) last minute booking to the great food and accommodations that Fanuel arranged for us, (he even followed up to make sure we had a ride to the airport once out trip was over) everything was beyond amazing.
Fanuel helped us to arrange a trip that worked for us both financially and because we were (unfortunately) on a tight schedule. He was always on time (usually early) and was also patient when we weren’t very ‘on time’. We were picked up from our hotel in Dar Es Salaam and made the trip to out to Mikumi for a 3 day 2 night tour. He’s very knowledgeable and was able to answer just about every question I asked on the 6 hour trek to the bush and back which made for a very pleasant 6 hour trip!
I wouldn’t even have words to describe the actual safari and the joy (and happy tears) that it brought to my friends and me. He allowed us all the input in direction that we wanted and let us sit and enjoy the animals presence as long as we saw fit. Fanuel’s knowledge base on the animals was also impressive! His vehicle (Alfa) was reliable and safe for the journey and allowed us to fully experience any part of the park.
Fanuel even accompanied us to explore the local village some and helped us interact with locals to learn about dance and culture that we wouldn’t have otherwise due to language barriers. Even got to dance a little!
I want to thank Fanuel and all that are involved in the experience from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for making this baby giraffe’s dreams come true!
The only thing I wish I could have changed about the trip is that I wish we would have had time for a longer trip because it was so great!
CZ
Email Matt Heys | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Selous and Mikumi
Our trip with Fanuel/Breakdown Safaris was absolutely exceptional. We did a 6 day safari with Fanuel we went to Selous and Mikumi ending in Dar Es Salaam.
All the accommodation, food and activities through out our trip were so good and had something for everyone. During the booking process Fanuel gave us lots of options and worked with us to plan the trip out.
The safari drives were amazing, Fanuel has such a vast amount of knowledge of the areas and wild life and also a passion for what he does which makes every game drive a pleasure. He took in to account what animals we were most interested in and made sure we saw everything in the time we had.
Even driving between through the country is great fun on the crazy bumpy roads see all the villages and the countryside.
Our trip started out badly with our luggage not arriving, Fanu was a hero and spent the next 2 days getting our luggage sent out to us in the bush which was an experience in its self. Without Fanu this would have been a horrific experience but he took all the stress away.
He clearly loves what he does and it shows. We really had the best time and i couldn't rate Fanu and Breakdown Safari any higher our trip was truly exceptional and a once in a life time experience.
We really loved our time with breakdown and Fanu and can't thank him enough for the experience.
DE
Email Chris | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mikumi with family. Safaria beyond the popular
We arrived at airport Dar es Salaam. Started at morning half day at afternoon and full day next. Very lucky to see at start of half day safari lions with babies. Fanuels suggested Mikumi Safari Lodge was wonderful (only the way to the lodge is a little bit rough - we recommend to stay at this lodge very much).
Mikumi is not Serengeti or Ngorogoro, we knew this before, but not many cars in the park and animals that are still behaving naturell was for us more important and that is Mikumi!
BR
Email Marcelo Gasparotto | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Why do you think all reviews are 5 stars?
Why do you think all reviews are 5 stars?
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These guys will make your safari experience be the best one ever.
When my wife and I decided to go to Tanzania for a safari trip we searched about it. A lot.
And everywhere i searched the name "Fanuel" (breakdown safari's main guide) showed up. So we got in touch with him and started doing questions/requests etc.
This guy will legit make your trip the best experience ever. He studied Geography/History/Economics before becoming a guide so he'll be able to tell you ANYTHING about the country.
As for the safari he just knows it all. Where to go, where to be, where to take pics, anything.
After the safari he took us to the ferry to Zanzibar and we said goodbye. But as if it wasn't enough, when we came back from Zanzibar he picked us up at the ferry and took us to the airport!!
I 100% recommend having Fanuel as your guide. This guy will make your trip AWESOME.
US
Email Denise | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Completely amazed at the quality and professionalism of this experience
My experience with Breakdown Safaris went beyond my expectations to say the least. Communications, service, the tours and all the planning were phenomenal. The safari tours including game drives, river safari, walking safari, and chimpanzee tracking were amazing. The guides were professional, knowledgeable and fun. Our needs were attended to as well as anticipated at every phase of our trip. The shopping trip, snorkeling and sailing and all other tours were well planned and valuable.
US
Email Denise | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tanzanian trip and more!
Kathy Phinney and Fanuel Mateja of Breakdown Safaris did a wonderful job of arranging our trip to Tanzania and providing us with the trip of a lifetime. Kathy got to know us ahead of time and set up a custom trip for our group of 8 including our international flights and all of the travel during the time spent in Tanzania. She made sure we knew what to expect including a detailed itinerary. They took care of all of the details and made sure that everything worked as planned. The trip was set up to experience a large variety of animals in parks without the crowds of some of the larger parks. We had a great experience at Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park where Kathy, Fan and Rashid did a great job of finding the animals and sharing their extensive knowledge with us. We enjoyed a river safari, walking safari and many game drives. We traveled to Kigoma and took a boat to Gombe National Park where we tracked chimps where Jane Goodall studied them. This was an experience of a lifetime and one of the many highlights of our trip. We also spent time in Dar Es Salaam, Irringa and drove through many other villages and experienced what life is like in Tanzania before heading to Zanzibar where we went snorkeling, explored Stone Town and spent time at the beach. Kathy and Fan made sure every detail was covered, that we had great food and exceptional lodging and service at every place we stayed. Breakdown Safaris is a top notch safari company that I would highly recommend.