Grassroots Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $160 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Christian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Safari off of the beaten tourist tracks
We had a great safari with Grassroots. We booked a pre-defined package and saw Udzungwa, Ruaha and Mikumi. The idea was to see the parks and areas of Tanzania that were not flooded with tourists. This worked quite well. With Yunus we did have a very knowledgable guide and a very safe driver. Both of which is of the utmost importance. Since we were traveling on a tight budget we chose a "camping-safari" and Grassroots delivered. All in all we thought it was too much driving but the country is huge and so are the distances. Since we started and ended in Daressalam we lost almost two of our six days for very long driving days. In the future we would think about that twice and plan differently. On the other hand we did get a good impression of the real Tanzania with its little villages and how people really live.
Grassroots is a small company and transfering money via international alley into local tanzanian accounts is not always easy and needs some trust in the unknown as well as bringing lots of dollars in cash but it was worth it. We would recommend to use some other form of international accepted payment like Paypal or the like. This would make thinks much easier for your customers and would safe you a lot of money in currency exchange and hustle.
Anyways - all in all we would definitely recommend Grassroots for the more southern part of beautiful Tanzania.
US
Email Scott and Giovanna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great cross-country experience (Dar to Ruaha and back) with knowledgeable and thoughtful guide.
We chose Grassroots Safaris because we liked the idea of a journey across Tanzania rather than touching down on the coast and national parks only. We traveled from Dar Es Salaam through Morogoro and Iringa to Ruaha, stopped for a great hike in the Udzungwa mountains, visited Ruaha NP for several days, and then drove back with a stop in Mikumi NP. The drive in the safari vehicle is long but totally worth it! Every stop was planned carefully, but allowed our intergenerational family group (which included grandparents and teenagers) enough flexibility that we never felt pressured or rushed. We loved seeing the variety of the Tanzanian landscapes, from mountain ranges to highlands to baobab forests, villages, road-side markets, Masai herders, etc. Both in Ruaha and Mikumi we saw tons of animals including lions and a leopard. Our guide, Fikiri, was THE BEST. He was knowledgeable, thoughtful, flexible, patient, and we truly enjoyed getting to know him on this trip. He was always happy to answer our many questions on his country, its history, the variety of its cultures and languages, as well as the animals we saw. You will be lucky to have him as your guide.
Your partner for the safari in Tanzania
I used their services for a 3-day safari in Selous, with lodging at Wilderness Camp, which is a great lodge with wonderful people.
Everything went as scheduled. The car they used was a good old Land Cruiser which showed its age but turned up confortable (as it can be with a safari 4x4). What was agreed was delivered in exactly the terms agreed. The safari was nice, and the driver Simon was a very good and knowleadgeable driver who managed to get us in the most exciting zones of the reservation, even thou he is "a man of few words", to say the least. So we did not really had a guide, but that worked fine for us, no worries here.
So all in all, Grassroots is a partner in which you can trust, and their prices are amongst the chepest you'll find for what is delivered.
Highly recommended!
AT
Email Jacek | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour, worth recommending
We made Great Southern Tour in August, we are very satisfied. The tour - well structured, organised and carried out. The communication prior to the tour - good, all information/explanations/answers provided without delay
- our driver - guide very friendly, helpful, familiar with wildlife, dedicated, excellent driving skills and sense of humour
- accomodation modest but clean and comfortable enough (Hippo Camp - extremely nice)
- food tasty and well prepared - no stomach problems expiereinced
- a few minor obstacles/shortcomings during the tour well handled/solved.
- distances between the parks are huge and travelling might be exhaustive, but our kids survived without complaining
CA
Email Kristen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Could not have found a better tour operator, guide or route to experience Tanzania!
Right from the first correspondence with Micky the service from Grassroots Safaris was A+. Micky took great care to accommodate all my requests (and there were many) and always responded to my emails and inquiries in a timely fashion. He organized every little detail and made me feel very comfortable and confident in the whole process. Grassroots went out of their way to ensure my family was well taken care of, transported to and from Dar es Salaam and touring around Southern Tanzania, to what feel have to be some of the best spots in the country. Fikiri (our driver and guide extraordinaire) was the most careful and cautious driver, he was very punctual but also understanding of our need for frequent stops, and really made the whole experience top notch. He was an amazing safari guide and has a great eye for spotting even the most hidden animals. He is also very knowledgable and explained so much about all of the wildlife and their way of life, it really added a lot of value to the trip and we all left feeling like we had learnt and experienced so much more than we ever expected. The accommodations that Grassroots planned for us were seriously 5*, the service, food and scenery blew us away at each stop, the only regret was that we couldn't stay 2-3 nights at each place!
I honestly cannot thank Fikiri and Micky enough for planning and executing the best family safari I could have ever imagined, it far exceeded my expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend Grassroots to anyone looking for an extremely personal, affordable, tailored safari experience!
Thank you again,
Kristen
CA
Email Pauline | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fikiri was a wonderful guide with lots of knowledge about the animals, very safe and personable.
The tour surpassed my expectations. The lodging, food, cost and guide were great. There was never any confusion. Even when the vehicle broke down Fikiri was able to fix it without impacting the tour too much.
EE
Email Karin M | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well organised and very profession guide
Communication was very good and the operatir waa flexible and accommodated to our needs and last-minute changes. Our driver/guide Fikiri was absolutely perfect. Calm, knowledgeble and a very safe/secure driver. Highly recommended company and guide!
FI
Email Anni | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari and trekking in Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Mikumi and Udzungwa national parks
We had an amazing adventure with Grassroots Safaris! In all nationalparks the safari went smoothly and we could even catch the big five in their natural surroundings. The views were breathtaking and we had many cozy picnics on the way. In Udzungwa we even did a small trekking on the mountains and swimming in the Sanje waterfalls. Such a fun day! Drivers were professional and reliable and all the arrangements were very well done. My expectations were definitely exceeded with a true adventurous trip!
FI
Email Matti | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience with Grassroots Safaris!
We took a 3 day safari adventure in Mikumi national park and Udzungwa mountains trek. Everything regarding our safari with Grassroots Safaris was excellent!
Communication:
Micky answered all of our (many) questions before the safari very fast and accurately.
Driver/guide:
Our driver and guide, Fikiri, was a great guy! He spoke very good English and told us many interesting facts about the animals and the nature in Mikumi park. Fikiri's driving was very safe and fast, he managed to find us all the great animals in the park including giraffes, zebras, hippos, impalas, elephants and even lions with their cubs! Fikiri is a real professional with many years of experience. He made our safari truly unforgettable!
Accommodation:
We spent the nights in Camp Bastian next to Mikumi park, and the place is amazing! Staff was extremely welcoming and made us feel like home.
Overall pure 10 out of 10 points, 5 stars, mark of excellence experience that we will never forget. Worth every penny! We made the right choice to go with Grassroots Safaris. No points to complain about, I highly recommend Grassroots Safaris!
BE
Email Sonya | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Trip
We had an amazing trip with Grassroots Safari. We booked a 6 days trip Mikumi, Ruaha, Udzungwa. Fikiri was our guide. He is an expert in Wildlife and we learnt a lof from him. He could reply to all of our questions regarding the wildlife, trees, flowers,... He is very respectful of the animals and nature. We had the opportunity to see lions, elephants, hippo, croco, leopard,... We felt very well with him and had a lot of fun. The cooker Mashaka was very cool and we had a great meal every day. Bennett was our guide in Udzungwa area. He is very knowledgeable about the forest and villages in the region. All of the organization of the trip was perfect. I strongly recommend Grassroots Safari. Thank you for everything guys. We will never forget our first safari in Africa.