Geofrey Nassari, founder and owner company.
Meru Slopes Tours & Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $480 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
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Reviews
BR
Email Eduardo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good!
Good! I did a 4-day camping safari. Just be aware that if you go solo you might have to share a tent.
DE
Email Joris and Luise | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 4day trip to serengeti, ngorongoro and tarangire.
Finding Meru Slopes and Communication:
We found Meru Slopes Safaris on Safaribookings and were surprised about the good reviews and the cheap price. After contacting Geoffrey, we immediatley got different offers and he always answered emails within hours. The tour operators were very flexible and compromising.
The Safari and accomodation:
Accomodation was one day in a hotel in arusha before and after the safari, and tents during the safari trip. It was very basic but our cook Godfried was good and ambitious to fulfill all our wishes. Our tourguide Innocent was very dedicated. He told us a lot about the national parks, the animals and took us to the best spots. We saw the big five and many more than expected.
All in all we had a great trip and would highly recommend meru slopes to anyone who is looking for a budget tour. You simply cant expect more for this price.
US
Email John | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding 4-Day Budget Safari
We were 3 American friends that used Meru Slopes Tours and Safaris on the 4 Days Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongo Crater. We traveled in mid-March 2017.
Finding/Booking the tour: Meru Slope Tours and Safaris is highly recommended by Safari Booking and it has some positive, neutral, and negative reviews. You can’t please everyone, but if something has only 5-Star reviews then there’s a good chance it’s been doctored. I emailed Mr. Geofrey Nasari asking for prices and information and responded within 24 hours to every email. He was very professional and even entertained about 10 random questions and tour changes. He was extremely dedicated and I highly recommend him. You can also contact him on WhatsApp and he will get back with you quickly in English. We paid via bank transfer and the tour company has a bank through the US that will back up the transfer to Tanzania. His price beat his competitors by about $400.
Getting there: The cheapest option is Ethiopian Airlines. This tour included a trip back and forth to the Airport, which would have been about $100 each way without it. The driver (Emanuel) was very accommodating and punctual. He had a sign waiting for us and we rode in a van to the hotel.
Arusha Tourist Inn Hotel: This hotel is owned by the Safari Company and your first/last night are included in your price, saving you more money. It is very basic but clean. The three of us were in one room that had 3 twin beds pressed together. The outlets worked (they are British standard so bring an adaptor if US or European). There is a bathroom connected to the room with a Western toilet and a shower with hot water. Sheets, soap and towels are provided. There is free wifi in the lobby so you can let your loved ones know you arrived and the front desk is manned 24/7. There is a small restaurant that makes breakfast every morning for free (usually eggs, fruit, toast, and coffee) and lunch and dinner are available, but the menu can be limited based on what they have. Remember this is a basic hotel to start and end your trip. There are more luxurious places, but they can be very expensive. For my group looking for a budget safari, there were not many complaints. As the front desk to call a cab for you and they will even negotiate a good price to check out some things in Arusha. Go to Snake Camp and see all the snakes, crocodiles, and lizards that you missed on your Safari. It is also the only snakebite treatment facility in the area and it treats the local population for free. Cool bars in the area that are safe are: Via Via and Snake Camp.
The Safari: Hands down one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have traveled to Africa 5 times now for work and leisure and this will be incredibly hard to top. We had a driver (Innocent, his actual name) and a cook (Godfried) that travel with you. Each place was different, Lake Manyara is like driving through a forest, the Serengeti was plains and desert and Ngorongoro crater. We camped in a tent with twin beds and a connecting shower/bathroom the first night (they even had a bar at the site with musicians and a tumbling show that worked for donations). The second and third nights we were in camping tents with community showers and bathrooms at the site you walked to. Those sites did not have hot water in the showers. We still can’t believe how many animals we saw. There were elephants, hippos, baboons, giraffes, leopards, lions, cheetahs, herds of zebra and wildebeest and even some rhinos. We saw the Big 5 over the whole trip, but not in any one park. Innocent would give basic information, let you take pictures and move on. He had tons of information but didn’t lecture and let you enjoy the animals. He kept us on a good schedule with us only feeling rushed at the very end. He also networks with the other drives over the radio to help each other bring the tourists to where the other animals are located. The camp food was not particularly luxurious but there was plenty of it. We had 6 people in our truck and it was everything from meat and potatoes to spaghetti to fried chicken. A couple days we did packed lunch so we got to eat outside on the hood of the car while seeing giraffes around us in all directions. One thing I did not realize is that you’ll spend about 12 hours total driving to the different national parks. It’s really the only way to get around unless you do very expensive flights between parks. Make sure you tip your driver about $10 per person per day.
Return: Our group divided as they were doing an additional day and we were driven back to the Arusha Tourist Inn.
Overall: This is a budget camping Safari that was well worth the price. If I do a Safari again, I will definitely use this service and I highly recommend it to anyone except those who want to spend the money on hotels instead of camping. This group takes away the hidden costs of the Safaris like your lodging first and last night and travel to and from the airport. Most importantly it is owned and operated by locals. Many of these companies are owned in the US, UK, or Germany so it is nice to support a local group instead of 40% of your overhead going to a company outside the country. There was one hiccup where our guide’s credit card magnetic strip was broken so I had to pay for the park entrance fees and get reimbursed by Geofrey upon our return. Geofrey reimbursed me as soon as we returned, paying me in cash immediately, accepting responsibility, apologizing and giving my group some souvenirs to make it right. This is Africa, things will not go 100% as planned. Seeing the customer service and how hard he works makes me know his business is going to make it. Pick Meru Slope Tours and Safaris for a great price and great customer service.
CA
Email Yin | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari Fantastic Value
Our 4-day Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongor camping safari far exceeded our expectations which had been high based on reviews of previous travellers. From our initial planning stage to our departure at the Arusha airport, communication from Geoffrey Nassari, the tour company owner who also owns Arusha Tourist Inn Hotel, was always prompt, clear, direct and respectful. He was patient when we needed clarification or confirmation. The company designated staff at the Nairobi international airport took good care of us until we boarded the shuttle bus to Arusha. The shuttle bus arrived ahead of time and the substitute driver on that day did not realize that we had to be dropped off at the hotel. An enterprising cab driver at the bus stop tried to impress upon us that he had been sent by Geoffrey. When we finally had Emmanuel, the tour operator manager, on the phone, he resolved the situation quickly and satisfactorily. At the end of the safari, Emmanuel called from Arusha to ensure that we were aware of the identity of the designated driver to pick us up as our safari guide Paul had to extend his service for the remaining 4 travellers. We were quite impressed by Emmanuel's attention to our concern for safety.
The safari itself was just fantastic. Our guide Paul Shayo is a great professional, experienced in spotting wildlife, including the elusive leopard, communicative and very knowledgeable about wildlife, the environment, the local and Masai culture. He readily shared his passion about his job, and put in time and effort in the game drives to ensure that we had the most opportunities to see what we had come a long way to see. He allowed the whole group sufficient time to take all the pictures we wanted. We were awestruck to see so many different animals and birds, and the beautiful landscapes. We count our blessings to be paired up with Paul as our guide. Salim the cook made delicious soups, stews and picnic box lunches. He pitched tents and was always in a jolly mood smiling, singing or humming. He even showed us the working of the communal kitchen where cooks from other safari groups each worked in their own station. A busy happy place. A younger cook was proud to let me know that Salim had been his mentor.
There were many added values to the Meru Slopes safari package such as the pre- and post-safari hotel stay, airport pick-up and send-off, sleeping bag and towels. On our first night, the campsite was overbooked and we were given complimentary upgrade in a lodge. On the second and third night, there was no lodge on the campsite. However Paul and Salim managed to get extra tents so that 4 of the 6 travellers each had a single tent and at no extra charge. That's what superb customer service looked like.
Thank you, Meru Slopes staff and safari team, for giving us a dream safari experience in East Africa. We hope to return.
Email Tarang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic and comfortable experience! Highly recommended!
Me and my colleague joined a group of four others for safari in Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater lake. Everything was very well organised prior to the trip. This included airport transfer from Kilimanjaro, hotel accomodation in Arusha both before and after the safari, and obviously, the whole safari incl. accomodation.
Our driver, ziggy was an experienced guide and knowledgeable on best times and locations to see everything. It helped that we had our own guides to the animals and birds, allowing us to identify most of the not so obvious species. Our cook, buga was fantastic, always ready to cater and an all-round jolly character. He made a variety of great food, some of which was local food but more catered to the 'western' palette.
All of our accomodations were brilliant, after Tarangire we stayed near Lake Manyara at what can be described as more of a 'glamping' type of place; zip up tent in a wooden hut with 'en suite' wc and shower round the back. In the serengeti we practically camped right in the middle of all the action, hearing lions roar at night was extraordinary and the clear night sky was incredible for star gazing. Our camp site overlooking Ngorongoro was idylic and the perfect site to get down to promptly get down to the crater in the morning.
Over the course of the safari we saw hundreds of bird species, the so-called 'big five' and many many other animals. The wildebeest migration is thoroughly impressive and so is just about any animal that you see. We also saw some action which was pretty savage (hyenas mauling down a new-born calf) but that is nature! Again, credit to our driver for spotting this and getting us to the spot promptly. No description of mine can quite describe how great of an experience this all was, everything was absolutely fantastic. Thanks to Meru Slopes, highly recommended, well worth it and they made the whole experience a delight.
US
Email Brad | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Emanuel, Geoffrey were good to work with in booking our Safari. Paul was an excellent driver/guide
Overall very good. Took the 3 night 4 day tour from arusha. Clearly spelled out the itinerary and we were thrilled with the animals that we saw.
US
Email Faith | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Above and beyond. Wonderful safari experience
We chose this safari mainly because of the reasonable price and good reviews. We were impressed from start to finish with the amazing service and care taken by the company. The best part by far was our guide, Hillary who went the extra mile to make sure we saw as many animals as possible. He is really an expert in his field so the tour was very informative. He answered countless questions and made sure we got the most out of our four day safari. Highly recommend.
Email Dr Graham Etherington | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic 4-day safari
A work colleague and I took advantage of being in Tanzania for work to go on the Meru Slopes 4-day Tarangire - Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater tour at the end of January, 2017.
Firstly, I have to say what great value for money the tour is. For around USD 750 each, you get picked up on arrival and dropped off for departure at Kilimanjaro airport, which is about an hour’s drive from Arusha, where the tour departs. The price also includes overnight accommodation the night before and the night after the tour (so you actually get 5-nights accommodation in total). The hotel is basic but clean and breakfast is included.
I’ll break the rest of the safari down into sections so you can read the parts you’re interested in.
Vehicle
On the tour you travel in a Toyota 4WD, which accommodates up to 6 tour passengers, the driver/guide and the cook. The vehicle has a raiseable roof so all tour passengers can stand up in the vehicle during the game drives and get great views and photographs of the wildlife. The vehicle quite roomy and provided good views of the surrounding countryside even when the roof was lowered. It was dependable for most of the tour, but developed a problem with the suspension on the penultimate day which the driver fixed for the final day.
Accommodation
Arusha. The pre/post hotel was quite basic and also quite noisy (from outside). There are other accommodation options available when booking, so if really want a good night sleep ask for other accommodation options. We picked up a couple who had stayed at a nearby guesthouse who said that they had no problem with noise at their guesthouse. Wifi is available at the hotel, but in truth it’s only really usable around reception and not in the rooms. The rooms themselves were clean and functional. There was hot running water, a flushing toilet, clean towels, mosquito net and a TV. No air-con or fan, but the windows open to let in the cooler night air, but also the early-morning noise. Extra nights should cost around USD 25. If you book as two people (like my work colleague and I did), then you’ll be allocated a twin room. You might want to pay the extra USD 25 for your own.
Safari. This was a camping safari, so we spent each night under canvas. The first night was spent at Sunbright Campsite next to the small village of Mto wa Mbu, on the north side of Lake Manyara (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g7044962-d10357037-Reviews-Manyara_Sunbright_Lodge_and_Campsite-Mto_wa_Mbu_Lake_Manyara_National_Park_Arusha_Re.html). This was really ‘glamping’, with big two-person tents already set up, with beds inside and running hot water in the shower/toilet behind each tent.
The second night (in the Serengeti) was proper camping. Everyone helps to erect the tents. There’s one tent per two people, so even if you are travelling alone you’ll still have to share if there are other lone travellers. This shouldn’t be a problem as you’ll already have spent a full-day together having had some great experiences and become friends with the other travellers. The campsite was much better than I thought it would be. It had toilet/shower blocks with hot running water, a cookhouse, and a dining area. Spending the night camping out in the Serengeti was an absolutely top experience. For a whole hour before we went to bed, we all just lay on our jackets or blankets staring up at the crystal-clear night sky, pointing out planets, stars and constellations, with the occasional brilliant flash of a meteorite zooming across. The rest of the night was also great, I’d occasionally wake to the sound of baboons giving their alarm, groups of hyenas patrolling the savannah or the pride of lions that were stationed a few hundred yards away from the campsite! At one point in the night there was a lion just a few yards away from the tent, roaring away in response to the larger pride nearby. This was actually really exciting and not at all frightening. You’re told when you arrive to stay in your tents at night and if you really need to go for a pee in the night, just go outside the tent – good advice!
The third night is spent on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater at the Simba campsite. The crater campsites are typically much busier (about 15 tents at the Serengeti campsites, 40 at Simba), but noise wasn’t much of a problem as everyone will be getting up at 5am to head down to the crater for sunrise. The facilities were similar to the Serengeti, although not much hot water to be had in the showers.
Safari staff
For the safari, we had a driver/guide ‘Zigi’ and our cook ‘Booga’.
I presumed that we’d be doing our own cooking, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out we had a cook of our own. Booga was a great cook and the food was very good, especially considering the basic facilities we had. Tasty soups, chicken and fish mains, banana fritters, etc for the evening meals, toast, omelettes, chapattis, tea/coffee, mango, etc for breakfast and a packed lunch for midday picnics. Booga was also a really nice guy, always smiling and helped out with setting up and bringing down the tents.
Zigi our driver and guide was obviously very experienced at both. He knew his way around all the parks we visited very well and seemed very popular amongst the other guides from other companies. His network of other guides along with his knowledge of the parks meant that he did a great job at finding us all the popular animals (e.g. in the first afternoon in the Serengeti he located lion, cheetah and leopard). As with Booga he was really nice guy, always willing to share his knowledge of the areas we were visiting. The only criticism I’d have is that although lots of effort and concentration was put into seeing the really popular species, less attention was given to other animals. For example, if I’d not pointed out an antelope species that was unfamiliar to me near the road, we would have just driven past the only Hartebeest of the trip. It would have been nice to see attention to getting us the biggest range of animals during the whole trip, not just the most popular ones. Other than that, both Zigi and Booga were excellent and we’d never have had anywhere near as good of a trip without them.
Animals
The range of birds, mammals and reptiles we saw on the trip was incredible and would warrant a separate review in itself. Other than not seeing any crocodiles (the dry season is a bad time to see them due to the lack of water) I can’t think of a single animal that I expected to see and didn’t. Massive herds of migrating Wildebeest, a leopard with two cubs feeding on an Impala, Spotted Hyenas hunting down wildebeest, the cutest baby elephants, 4 species of cat and 150+ species of bird (my speciality). The morning that we spent in the Ngorongoro was one of the best experiences of my life. Everything was really great and I can’t recommend this tour enough.
Summary
This was a very well organised tour and excellent value for money. Even though I’m in my 50s and used to a somewhat more luxurious lifestyle (gone are the days of British camping holidays for me), given the option I’d still go camping instead of staying in lodges. You get a fantastic feel of being closer to nature on a camping safari (I’ve done the safari lodges in Kenya, so feel qualified to make this remark) and I’d definitely use Meru Slopes again if (when!) I return to Tanzania.
Tips:
Download the Google Sky Map app before you leave. It came in really handy to look at the night sky in the Serengeti. I bought a Vodacom sim card to use during my trip. You can still get a pretty good signal right out in the remotest parts.
Luggage – take as little as possible and leave any suitcases at the hotel before you leave. You’ll need to keep your luggage with you in the tents and they’re not big enough to take large suitcases. We took and shared a large duffle bag with all our stuff in it. If you minimise the amount of luggage in the back of the vehicle, this also means that there will be less need to put overflow into the main passenger space of the vehicle.
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Email Jennifer | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari, and great deal!
We just returned from a 5 day safari with Meru Slopes and Tours. The price was very affordable for a fantastic quality of a tour! We saw the big 5, and had a very similar experience to those who paid much more for a safari. The food was fantastic, we slept in both a permanent tent (with a real bed) and a pop up tent, and we loved having both the quality of a mattress in the permanent tent, and the excitement of sleeping in a tent surrounded by wildlife (especially on the rim of Ngorogoro, simply amazing). I'm not positive that the campsites are the same for all of their tours, so you need to be a bit flexible in where you stay, but our experience was really great. I don't believe we stayed in all campgrounds as initially quoted, but it also seemed to be a better quality than was quoted, so it was a pleasant surprise.
Our guide was fantastic (we had 2: Estome and Mosa), and worked very hard to help us see the big 5 (it is very difficult to see the Rhino, but he got us there in time to see it). Both guides were fun to be with, knowledgeable, so it seems the company has a great supply of guides. Our group we were traveling with was also so much fun. That is definitely the luck of the draw, but we were pleased. The food was great, their system in place is very unique in that you have your own cook, and it's very pleasant to have a warm meal at the end of the day. The food was fantastic, and again, the budget element of this tour was not felt.
Geoffrey was also great to work with, which is why we ultimately chose Meru Slopes. He was the MOST responsive out of all the tour companies. It can be a little strange organizing the tour from a different continent, and his quick responses were very assuring. It was also a pleasant stay at Arusha Tourist Inn, a very simple but chill place before and after the safari. The inn itself is filled with backpackers going on safari or climbing Kili. Beginning with picking us up from the airport, and then the return connection, it was easy and hassle free, and a fantastic deal. We also paid them a bit more for them to organize a trip to the waterfall in Arusha on the way back to the airport, which was above and beyond. We explored Arusha a bit, and Geoffrey even offered to take us to a party on New Years Eve, but unfortunately we got in too late to go, and instead walked around and watched all the fireworks. Sidenote: we didn't have any problems in our wanderings around Arusha, even though some say to be wary at night, just don't carry bags that can be snatched. The longer we were in Tanzania, the more we felt very safe and felt the friendliness of the people. The safari definitely is safe, so no need to be worried about that.
Things to be prepared for: Be a little flexible, it is a budget tour, it is in Africa, and you will be camping. We were a little worried when we arrived when we were told we were doing 4 days with one group, then the 5th day with another, but it was very seamless and was not a problem. They worked hard to make sure we got the dates we wanted, so I would count that as a positive. Their priority was to ensure we had a nice safari, and they were always concerned how we were doing. Also, the foam mattress under the sleeping bag was very comfortable, but a little musty smelling. We aired them out before putting in them in the tent, which helped. Bring toilet paper, as the campgrounds do not stock it. The roads are very bumpy to the Serengeti, and dusty. Of course, not the tour's fault, and everyone takes the same road (including the luxury tours), just be prepared.
Overall, our experience was simply incredible, and I would highly recommend this company for a fantastic and surprisingly affordable tour.
BE
Email Virginie & Tom | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cheap safari for a veruy good quality
Safari always means spending a lot of money. However, when going to Tanzania, you cannot miss the occasion to to on a safari tour. I was surprised to see that you still could get 5 days safari for a decent price (875$/pers). I was afraid of the quality of the safari for this price but I was surprised in a good way. The price determines more the lodgement and maybe the food a bit; but that is all. If you do not mind sleeping in a Quechua tent (everything was foreseen: mattress, sleeping bag, cushion, etc.) and that you are not looking for a 5 stars meal neither (still, the food was good!), then definitely go for this tour with Meru Slope. We have seen everything (except a rhino, but that is the nature's rule; you are never sure you will see all animals) and our guide, Steven, was great! He knew all the good places and he was patient; he is working for 15 years I think, but still he is passionate (more than some other guides who stopped only 30 sec or even did not stop at all when passing by interesting animals or great landscapes). He also gave us plenty of explanations.
The only negative point was the fact the organization did not tell us in advance we needed to bring cash to pay the remaining amount (same for other people in our group), which led to quite some discussions. So do not forget to bring all the money with you because they do not take cards (unless you do not mind being charges for getting 5 times money at the ATM...because you can only withdraw like 140$ equivalent) This is the only reason why I do not give 5/5.
Thanks again for this great safari, especially to Steven, this was an amazing experience I will never forget! I would not change anything!