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
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.
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.
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.
Don't hesitate anymore; Meru Slopes is your budget safari trip organizer!!!
Me and my husband attended a 4 day safari to Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, and it was way over our expectations! Our guide Omar found us all the "big five" animals and we loved every minute of our trip! The camping spot in Serengeti was simple but sufficient, and we heard hyenas during the night. Last night camping on the rim of Ngorongoro crater was amazing, with buffalos wandering around our tent :) Geoffery was SO helpful with everything from the very first moment when we contacted him informing us through emails and WhatsApp messages. A huge plus was also that transfer from and to the airport AND the night in the hotel before and after safari was included in the price! Thank you!!!
IS
Email Iva | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent!
They are professional and they organized great safari for us. Upon arrival, we stayed in their hotel for a night (also after safari); hotel was really nice, clean and with good wifi. We were in contact with Geofrey, he was really nice, he answered all our e-mails promptly and arranged safari for us. Safari was with another company they are working with. Our driver for first 3 days (Serengetti, NgoroNgoro) was Frederick and we had the best time! Saw many animals and he stopped when ever we asked him to. He also arranged for us to visit Masai village on the way back (we asked him to). There was a chef with us, too; he made us pancakes for breakfast (and that was 5:30 am!!!). Our last day we went to Manyara, changed group, but the driver for that day was nice as well. I think they changed schedule slightly from what we first booked (Manyara came last instead of first day), but we saw everything we agreed so I don't see the problem. I think most of companies on this site work together (people in our gorup booked from different places), but comparing prices we paid, I believe ours was more than fair. We definitely recommend Meru Slopes!
Email xyz | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great
Excellent price-performance ratio! We liked sleeping in tents. The food was very good. The guide and cook were very nice and helpful!
I can fully recommend it
ES
Email Alberto and Rebeca | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Charming People and Experience
We enjoyed a lovely 4 days safari around Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara.
The man in charge, Mr Nassari, was very helpful, taking care of everything we needed: the transfer from the airport, the accomodation, all the payments, and so.
The good skill driver, Hilary, drove carefully and was very kind and funny.
And the cooker, Geoffrey, took care of us with very tasty confort food. It would be a sin not to eat everything in the plates! That's why they called me "hyena".
Both of them were also very helpful as guides, because they know evertything we need and ask about the parks, the animals, the culture...
Unforgettable experience.
BR
Email Tales | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything that was agreed was fulfilled. They were always very attentive and helpful.
Everything that was agreed was fulfilled. They were always very attentive and helpful.
QA
Email Tanu Chopra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was simply awesome , fun filled , adventurous.
To start with David our driver cum Guide was really good. He had a lot of knowledge about each and every thing and very good conmunication skills. All the lodges where we stayed throughout the trip were very good. Good food , great weather and beautiful locations.
Only point of improvement is the Arusha inn where we stayed on day 1 and last night needs a lot of improvement.
Exhilarating and adventurous safari with great lodges in the middle of the wilderness.
Our guide, David, was the most friendly guide we have ever had in any of our trips. He really got along well with the family and was able to provide us with information and his experiences on every stage of the trip. With his help, we were able to see the infamous Big 5 and many more animals. The lodges were spectacular and well located. The only drawback was the initial hotel stay at Arusha Inn which leaves a poor impression and at times, the sub-par safari car which needed servicing often.