"Benson Safaris: Thrilling Adventures Await!"
Benson Safaris Tanzania
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB & IGS
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Loretta | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Benson Safaris created an amazing trip for my family to celebrate my daughter's Make A Wish trip!
Our guide Nelson was wonderful and so knowledgeable about the Serengeti and the awesome wildlife that we saw each day. Nelson was great at spotting the animals and answering all of our questions. We loved our accommodations and especially enjoyed staying in the tents and seeing the zebras, elephants and wildebeests from our porch. The service at all of our lodgings was top notch. The Tanzanian people are very polite and extremely helpful. This was a trip of a life time for our family!
Email Andrew | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We experienced tailored service from start to finish
We had no idea about what to look for in a safari holiday, so we got quotes from a number of operators we found on the web. All we told them was our planned dates. We went with Bensons because their response was full of positive suggestions and a detailed itinerary from the off. Pendo was a very responsive correspondent as we thrashed out the final itinerary and she got us hotels in all the price brackets we requested, mostly mid-range but one luxury two-night stay.
The only question mark in our minds at this stage was over payment of the deposit (and subsequently the balance of the account); if a potential client does not have a first-hand recommendation, it does feel a little risky to transfer large sums of money overseas to people we have never met! Surely there is a way to facilitate credit card payments? PS FYI sending scans of cards isn't a lot more reassuring than money transfers.
All that said, we couldn't fault the care taken of us when we got to Tanzania (a late arrival due to a missed connection was accommodated seamlessly). Throughout, we were in the care of our guide Amini, and travelling in a very comfortable Land Cruiser. We started with a long day's drive (10 hours) to the Western Serengeti. Even though this must have been a challenge for Amini, he still accommodated our desires to stop regularly to see wildlife, just because it was the first time for us, although he knew better views were available later in the trip. The Lahia Tented Lodge was a very special experience, all-inclusive with great service and excellent facilities, perched on a commanding bluff.
Amini took us for two days seeing every animal the Serengeti had to offer, we visited a Masai village then Ngorongoro, a staggering "lost world" where we enjoyed picnicking next to the hippo pool. Then we went to Lake Manyara, experiencing our only disappointment of the safari in not seeing tree-climbing lions (no fault of Benson's!). After a night at the Farm of Dreams, we rounded off our tour with a tour round the village of Mto wa Mbu. We got a great insight into a number of traditional lifestyles and crafts, followed by a nice lunch. We did rather regret having bought wooden souvenirs at the African Galleria when we visited the very craftsmen who were making and selling those products!
In summary, we had a wonderful trip with a friendly and knowledgeable guide, and from initial enquiry until our departure we were well looked after throughout by Benson's.
EC
Email Maria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience!!!
I was undecided between Tanzania and Kenya... Ever since the first minute communication with Bensons Safari with Pendo (unbelievably kind and efficient) or Benson was flawless and super fast and they convinced me about Tanzania. They arranged an amazing adventure for us in Tanzania, unforgettable game rides guided by our friend Peter, not only a professional and knowledgeable guide, but a wonderful human being, who now we call our friend!!!. My kids 17,15 and 10 managed to see all the animals in their wish list!!.
Special mention to Lahia Tented Lodge accommodations also and particularly the staff, Jesse,Eva, Joyce Ashura,James,Veronica and
Salomon... all of them made us feel pampered and special, they truly look that they love what they do and the privileged place they take care of!!. Our only regret was that our stay was too short.
I’ve always thought that an African Safari was a one and only lifetime experience but now thanks to Bensons team I know that hopefully this was only the first of many more to come ... unforgettable Tanzania!!
DE
Email Doerte | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar – Great organization and service
Communication and service provided by Benson Safaris was very satisfactory from the first day (starting in Germany) to the last. Despite some obstacles during the trip, such as a missed flight, the interaction with Benson was easy and problems could be solved fast and uncomplicatedly.
The accommodations suggested by Benson were all to our liking and we felt very comfortable at any point in our trip, so our expectations were definitely met. During the Safari we were accompanied by our tour guide Cassie. He was an excellent driver, fluent in German and great at spotting animals – just generally a very pleasant person to be around.
In addition to the safari we also had an amazing time climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. It was a great experience, which wouldn't have been possible without the incredible crew accompanying us up the mountain. Both, guides (Shaban, Dickson and Omary) and porters, made us feel safe and comfortable and helped us reach the summit with joy.
Also during our third part of the trip, Zanzibar, the service provided was great and especially the transportation was reliable and good.
If we are traveling to Tanzania again, Benson Safaris would be our first choice to plan the journey.
CA
Email barry jacklin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Benson Safaris makes it so easy from booking your safari up until the time you depart for home
Right from the time we first contacted Pendo at Benson everything was handeled in a prompt and professional manner. Pieta our tour guide was the best. We had many laughs and many animal sightings on our safari. He is very good at what he does and all the drivers work together to give their guests the best experience possible. You should be proud of the tours you give. The tent camps were very well managed and the service from everyone was ecceptional. The wild life is amazing and right at the side of the road. It felt like being in a Nat. Geo. program. The abudance of wild life is almost hard to comprehend but there they are. Had one of the best times of our lives thanks to every one at Benson.
US
Email Clyde | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wow, what an adventure!!!!!!!
We had a blast with Benson Safaris. Communication with Benson before the safari was very good with quick responses to requests and questions.
Our guide made the trip special. He was dependable, a great driver on dirt, mud and stream crossings, and was always there for us. He was patient and gave us as much time as we wanted for pictures. He has great eyes to find animals and continually tried to get better angles and lighting for us. We saw an incredible amount of wildlife, including cubs of lion, cheetah, and leopard. He also went way out of his way to get us close to a rhino late in the day when most other guides were taking their customers to their camps. He made the whole trip a fantastic adventure.
Accommodations were generally very good. Generally they were comfortable and everyone was so friendly and helpful. Only the migration camp in the North Serengeti was a little rustic but still okay considering where you are. I understand that more luxurious accommodations are available if that is important.
If you want a tour guide who continually talks, providing information and trivia, then our guide would not be for you. But, if you want someone who works very hard for you and gets close to lots of animals, then Kessy is for you. We were thrilled with our week with him and our total experience with Benson Safaris.
GR
Email Nickos Yoldassis | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very Organized, everything was great
I have no words to describe our experience, it was amazing indeed.
US
Email Anya Hartshorn | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Peter was amazing!
We were very impressed with Benson Safaris. The people we communicated with beforehand (Benson, Pendo, Viktor) were all very friendly, eager to help, and professional. Pendo and I exchanged SO many emails in the year leading up to our safari and she was always so kind and willing to answer my questions. We were bringing our family of six and neither my husband nor I had ever been to Africa, so we were not really sure what to expect and wanted to make sure we were well-prepared. Pendo was so friendly and helpful. (I just wish I'd had the chance to meet her!)
Peter was the guide we were matched with and we were so pleased. He was incredibly kind (he was amazing with our four boys!) and the knowledge he had about the animals (both land animals and birds), landscape, etc. was so impressive. We would do a safari with him again in a heartbeat! We connected so well with him and were sad to say goodbye!!!
I'd recommend Benson Safaris to anyone!
US
Email Kirsten | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Animal Photography Safari!
We had an incredible experience with Benson Safaris! After deciding on a 8 day Tanzania trip as our ideal location and length, we sent a couple of requests for quotes out to companies- and Benson was the fastest at responding. Pendo was amazing at answering all questions and changing our accommodations to suit our budget for the trip. As it was our group’s first time to Africa, we ended up going with mid-level lodging which were definitely comfortable. (It was also very nice to be able to take a nice hot shower to get off all the dust from the day.) We loved the Serengeti Tortillis camp- it’s in the center of the park and you can hear animals in the middle of the night.
Our guide Amini was extremely knowledgeable about all the animals and amazing at spotting animals- hidden or even very far away. Sometimes we would stop suddenly and he would point at a tiny speck on the horizon which was a lion or cheetah! We were very impressed.
As two of us were very into photography, Amini did his best to position us for good lighting and shots which we really appreciated. As you can see from the photos- we got some good ones. We also really appreciated that he spent time to take less traveled paths- most of the drivers use radios in the park to communicate animal spotting and I’d imagine it’s easy to just go where there have been known animal sightings. Instead Amini planned our days out remotely where we would be able to take out photos without cars and get very close encounters. We were very fortunate to see a lot of lions, cheetahs, and even many elusive leopards!! Our expectations were definitely exceeded.
Overall, we had an amazing experience and would definitely recommend booking with Benson!
Email George | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We took 10 day 9 nights Luxury Complete Tanzania tour
This was a dream trip for our friends group 8 people, and we started planning almost a year ago. After I go through few Tanzania safari company's website reviews, I started contacted Benson Safari. Immediately, I knew that this company listened to my questions, concerns and desires. Pendo was our contact and she quickly responded to every question and gave expert suggestions and advice. She gave some suggestions routes and accommodation suits for our age group.The 4 x 4 vehicle are very cleaning and roomy, there are plenty room for 4 of us share each vehicle (total 8 seats including driver),there is a fridge in car with plenty bottle water and soft drink free of charge.Both of driver Peter and Goodlucky are very friendly and helpful,their animal, birds, plants knowledge can answer all our questions.They seems know every inch land of Serengeti and where is certain animals living or hide from.They got inconceivable eyes can find long distance animals even hide in grass.We are luck to see all big five even saw a leopard took a springbok claim up to 10 metre tree.We saw many times of deferent lions, elephants,giraffe groups in deferent location.It is a wonderfull trip.I am highly recommend Benson Safari tour, it is a very reliable company.
