"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 Julia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Company did ok but guide was disappointing
I communicated via email with Benson on a 1-week itinerary for me and my 3 children and he presented a comprehensive mid-range safari package in a timely manner. Everything went well until we started out with our private guide. Logistics were smooth with one exception that was clarified with a quick call to Benson. Otherwise, the guide was obviously more interested in chatting with others on his 2 cell phones and car CB than in providing information to us, his clients. Some of the communication was between guides sharing animal sightings in the area and there was no shortage of those the guide pursued but there was more than one case of me seeing an animal in a place that required backing up and the guide disregarded my request. This was my 3rd time on a guided safari but my childrens’ first and they missed out on so much, even with my advocacy. I prompted the guide several times to provide information - differences in species, etc. - and answers were one or two sentences at best. It got to the point at one meal where, after loudly reminding my daughter that using electronics during dinner was rude and unacceptable, I had to ask him to put his cell phone away minutes later. He never asked what kind of animals we were interested in, never pulled out a field guide, and offered very little personal insight. I felt like my family was a load to be transferred between locations rather than a family who had crossed half the globe to appreciate his homeland. We met other Benson guides who showed far more interest in their jobs (and us) so I think we got the guy who’d grown tired/bored after 15 years of guiding. One other minor thing: Benson claimed he would come by to meet us which he never did. The week was good in the sense that the animals are everywhere in the parks, camps and food were good and we didn’t have any catastrophes but I know the trip would’ve been MUCH better with a different guide.
Reply from Benson Safaris Tanzania
Posted on Jul 9, 2018Hi Julia,
Thank you for your review and feedback. I am very disappointed to hear about your Guide behavior.
I have chosen all of our Guides myself so this is very bad feedback and will be investigated. All of our Guides are very experienced and familiar with international standard and we always get a great feedback from guest.
We welcome all feedback and I real appreciate you taking the time to tell me. I can tell you this will be dealt with right away.
Kind regards, Benson Benard (Owner)
CH
Email Nico | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our honeymoon could not have been more perfect.
After reading Benson’s reviews on this website, we contacted him about a two-week honeymoon in Tanzania (one week Safari, one week in Zanzibar at the beach). Benson responded within a few hours with two different offerings, each containing additional options we could pick. Although he is specialized in Safaris, he managed to organize a very beautiful hotel in Zanzibar, too.
After discussing some details with Benson, we booked our trip nine months ahead and payed a deposit. Benson sent the confirmation that he received money, which is a very good service, as it was not an insignificant amount.
Our plane landed in Arusha with almost 3 hours delay, but the driver, Zablon, had been waiting for us that long. He was very welcoming, helped us with the baggage and gave a quick and funny introduction to Swahili while driving us to our hotel.
On the next day, Goodluck, our safari guide and driver for the upcoming week picked us up. While driving to the first national park, we realized that we forgot our wallet (money, credit card, bank cards, identity card) in the hotel safe. Within an hour, Benson himself went to the hotel and looked for it. He kept it in safe custody for some days. This is exemplary for Benson’s commitment to his job. Thank you very much!
Goodluck showed us around the national parks with great knowledge about the animals, plants and the history of the country. He drove very securely and listened to the ranger’s radio to know where to look for animals. Without him, we would have passed a lot of animals without notice; he has really good spotting capabilities. Goodluck let us as much time as we liked to observe the animals and did not hurry from one spot to the other. We enjoyed that and often saw lot more as other tourist groups stressing around to mark the “Big Five” with a tick as fast as possible.
The jeep was designed for 7 people (+ driver), so the two of us had plenty of space. We were provided with cold water, cola and other drinks all the time and there even was a (good) binocular we could use. Extra cushions helped to soften the “african massage” on dirt roads.
All the hotels somehow knew that we were honeymooners and gave us their most beautiful rooms with very romantic flower decoration. We were really amazed!
After the safari, we flew to Zanzibar for another week. Again, we were picked up at the airport. The next day, we had a very informative tour around Stone Town before we were taken to our hotel at the east side of the island. For this drive, we met Taib from “Authentic Zanzibar Tours & Safaris Ltd”. He was contacted by Benson to care for us while in Zanzibar and he did an excellent job. Taib told us so many things about politics, the ups and downs of the country and generally about life in Tanzania. With Taib, we did day excursions to the Spice Farm, Cheetah’s rock and Jozani Forest.
To summarize, we had a perfect trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar. We are really glad that we booked our trip with Benson and can highly recommend it. He and his crew cared about us very well! Thanks again!
FR
Email Hubert Jobbé-Duval | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawless experience for our honeymoon
When I started to look for a Safari, I contacted many agencies based in Arusha. Of all the offers I received, the one from Benson Safaris caught my attention because of how compliant it was with my initial request. Pendo, the manager I spoke with, was able to give me valuable advices on how to improve my safari and still stay on my budget.
The safari itself was amazing. They took care of everything, including getting in touch with an orphanage where we wanted to make a donation.
Thanks to our french-speaking guide, Frank, we saw more wildlife than we could ever have dreamed of. The big five of course, but also dramatic scenes of hunting along the Mara River and deep inside the Serengeti. We might had some luck, but the experience of our guide and his ability to spot animals was impressive.
About the comfort you have nothing to worry about, the vehicle was equipped with many power plugs, we had more drinks than needed, and breaks were organized on request.
I would strongly recommend Benson Safaris to any person willing to discover all the wonders Tanzania has to offer. Everything was perfect !
BR
Email Diego Aranha | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything Perfect
We stayed 8 days and 7 nights with the Benson team. Our guide Joshua had extensive knowledge of the routes, animals, good direction, really knew what he was doing. It was an unforgettable trip, everything went as planned.
Highly experienced tour operator - we are so happy to have booked with Benson!
The best guides we could ask for in our first trip to beautiful Tanzania! We hired Benson Safaris for (1) a 5-day safari and (2) a 3-day Mt. Meru trek. From the moment we arrived in Arusha to our airport drop off for Zanzibar, we were taken care of by Benson’s team the whole way through.
We were picked up on arrival into Arusha by Zablo and transported to the Ilboru lodge…where Benson was there in person to go over the details of our trip. The very next day we were picked up by our Guide – Peter – for the next five days to the Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorogoro and Lake Manyara parks. Peter was extremely knowledgeable and friendly.
After our safari we were then picked up (again from Ilboru lodge) by Shaban and his team of ~4-5 porters to climb Mt. Meru over the next three days. This entire team again was very friendly – and patient! – with us throughout the entire climb. We felt very safe and in good hands for the duration of the trek.
In summary, Benson Safari is an excellent tour operator with some of the best guides that we’ve ever travelled with!
IT
Email Alberto | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable
Benson absolute guarantee. Professional and courteous and always available. Highly recommended
Email Navendu | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolutely amazing Safari operators. Down-to-earth and knowledgeable on our Safari requirements.
We took a gamble with Benson Safari for organising our tour, we were hoping to see a lot of animals and also the great wildebeest migration. On that note they absolutely nailed it.
Our driver/Guide Zablon showed us some amazing places in Serengeti to spot the animals and had a good knowledge of their behaviour and characteristics.
The tented camps we stayed in were just full of excitement with animals roaring and passing by at night.
We also went to Gombe National Park to see some chimpanzees through Benson Safari.
Here we tracked a lot of chimpanzees and was a breathtaking experience.
We highly recommend Benson Safari for all your safari adventures in jungles of east Africa.
US
Email Alberto Attar | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Operator - Fantastic Driver-Guide
We found Benson Safari very reliable. Communication with Peris was fast and efficient. She easily accommodated the needs for our trip.
Everything went perfect in our week long Safari, from finding our driver guide Zablon at Kili airport to drop off a week later at Kokatende airstrip.
Our itinerary was Tarangire, Ngorogoro, central serengeti and north serengeti.
Benson set us up in lovely lodges, with special mention to Kubu Kubu in Central Serengeti. The view is incredible, and the rooms luxurious. Serena Manyara was in a good location but a bit outdated. Mara under canvas is the definition of Glamping. Beautiful grounds and very comfortable tents, with hot bucket shower! Service was impeccable everywhere.
Zablon was fantastic as our driver guide. Patient, knowledgeable and always in good mood, always making sure to get the best viewing spots. We spotted the big 5 and much more. The migration crossing at the Mara river is something indescribable.
My wife celebrated her birthday during our trip, and Benson arranged for a surprise ar the Mara Under Canvas lodge. That was very special!
Hakuna matata!
SE
Email Jonna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, committed and smooth
Being Tanzania and safari first-timers, traveling with children, one may prefer to book “everything” through a tour operator established back home. Wanting to tailor make our trip, cut costs and maximize the positive local impact of our spendings we instead asked for quotes from three operators via safaribookings, one of them being Benson Safaris Tanzania.
From the very first contact, Benson Safaris have been impressively professional, committed and smooth. They made sure they understood our preferences correctly and swiftly gave us a few different budget options. They were flexible and attentive during our bit of tossing and turning before deciding. All in all, excellent communications and service before the trip! Since we’ve looked into several tour operators, we also believe Benson Safaris offer excellent value for money.
When finally in Tanzania we were met by our driver/guide as planned, who in a committed and knowledgeable way was our companion during our amazing safari. Making sure we got to see our personal favorites (everything from the lion king to the ugly five) and even the Great Migration (which isn’t necessarily on one’s doorstep). Keeping us safe and happy from the first hello to the very last goodbye!
We highly recommend Benson Safaris Tanzania to other travelers! Special thanks to Benson, Fortune & Zablon for a fantastic safari and family adventure!
DE
Email Wiebke | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Benson Safaris - best experience ever!
As a family, we had a great time traveling with Benson Safaris! Even though rainseason already started, our guide was able to find wonderful places and animals to see. We were able to visit 3 NPs in 3 days. Our guide was very friendly, great with the kids and a skilled driver.
We stayed at a comfortable campsite with pool and lovely surroundings. The cook treated us with delicious food and lunchboxes during the day. Worth the money. Thumps up!
