Our Safari Guides
Lights on Africa Destinations & Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $350 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Brent | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dream Hineymoon
My wife & I recently went on our dream honeymoon through Lights on Africa. We spent over a year & a half planning this trip. We started with several companies but chose to go ahead with Lights on Africa due to the strong attention to detail & extremely fast response times from Peniel, the owner/operator. Peniel was great to deal with, always answering our many questions promptly & in detail.
When we arrived in Tanzania, we were met at the airport by our driver & never had to worry about a thing from that moment on. Our accommodations throughout the trip were amazing & Peniel had clearly let everyone know about our honeymoon as each place we stayed had a special treat waiting for us. These varied from flowers on the bed to fruit trays to a song & torch ceremony! All accommodations were comfortable, clean, hot water & good food. Some were better than others, mainly Serengeti Acacia Tented Camps, which were beyond amazing!
Our trip consisted of a hike up Kilimanjaro(just 1 day...not the whole thing), Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We followed up the safari portion with some relaxing time in Zanzibar. The tour was spectacular! We spent the perfect amount of time in each area, saw an incredible amount of wild life & our guide was Amazing! I would consider Lawerence, our guide & new friend to be the King of all guides. He was outstanding! Full of knowledge, passion for his profession & great company to be with. We learned so much during our trip about each & every creature & plant that we came upon. Lawerence had a sense of what the animals would do before they did it, he always knew where to go, when to be ready with the camera for a great shot. Lawerence does not follow the pack of other guides who use a radio to notify each other of the whereabouts of animals, he trusts his instincts, which were spot on 100% of the time.
Now back to Peniel, the owner/operator of Lights on Africa. He met us on our first night to lay out the details of our trip & answer any of our last questions, he also met us on our last night of Safari to recap & make sure that we were happy with his services. Peniel told us the story of how Lights on Africa came to be. I highly recommend that you ask him to recount this story & I dare you not to shed a tear of joy knowing that you made the right choice in going with Lights on Africa.
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Email Brittany | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most amazing and incredible experience & people!!!
Not really sure how to begin this lengthy review as words can hardly describe how truly amazing our trip was and I could go on about it for days but I will do my best!
This was my husband and I’s dream honeymoon and about a year and a half in the making. I did a lot of research prior to contacting any tour company and finally decided on 3 different companies to get in touch with to find out how to begin planning our trip. Right away we knew that Peniel Lazier (the owner and operator of Lights On Africa) was our guy… His professionalism was easy to see as he responded back super fast to all emails sent. He answered every one of our questions clearly and was more than happy to tailor our dream trip exactly as we wanted. Several changes made including timing of the trip didn’t make Peniel skip a beat.
Our trip Peniel helped planned for us was from June 22-July 7 and included a hike up the Marangu route on Kilimanjaro followed by 7 days of safari and then on to Zanzibar to rest and relax.
We arrived at Kilimanjaro airport and were greeted by our driver. My luggage had been lost during the flight so we let our driver know and immediately he was on the phone with Peniel to help sort our situation out. Peniel made sure to stay on top of this and by the third day my luggage came and he made sure to get it to us ASAP that which was greatly appreciated!
Our first day we hiked up the Marangu Route through stunning jungle of the equatorial and montane forests. The climb was tiring after travelling and no sleep for a day and a half but we were rewarded at the Mandara encampment by seeing a stunning family of about 12 black & white colobus monkeys! Here we had a picnic lunch – be warned the size of the lunches (and all meals) are huge, you definitely will not go hungry! Our guide later told us we should have expanded our stomachs before coming!
That night back in Arusha we met with Peniel for the first time. He was so friendly & genuine and made sure to give us a thorough breakdown of our next 7 days of safari and made to sure to answer any questions we still had. After a brief meeting he introduced us to Lawrence Elia our guide for the rest of safari and soon to be friend.
We were picked up promptly by Lawrence the next day to begin the adventure of a lifetime not knowing that our expectations were about to be blown out of the water!
Over the next week we travelled through Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, and ended with Ngorongoro. Each park was so special, diverse, and beautiful in it’s own way – none of them disappointed. The amount of time spent at each park was perfect allowing us to see an incredibly wide variety of all the animals Tanzania has to offer. I could list everything we saw but it we be far easier to say what we didn’t (which wasn’t much!) Each of the tented camps or lodges we stayed at was quite wonderful. Peniel had gone above and beyond making sure that all camps knew it was our honeymoon. Each place either welcomed us with flowers on the bed, or fresh fruit & drinks, to a song with a large group and torches to wish us well. We didn’t expect any of it but were so thankful and blessed by it all. Our absolute favourite place we stayed at was the Acacia Tented Camps in the Serengeti (review on them as well), we highly recommend!
But back to our guide Lawrence because he deserves a review all on his own… By the time we had reached Tarangire on the first day we already knew we hit the jackpot with Lawrence. Aside from being super friendly this guy is filled with soo much knowledge it will blow your mind! Every time we would pass something new whether it be a plant, animal, insect, or Masai Lawrence would tell us everything about it. Literally any question we asked he had the answer to it and would describe in detail to make sure we understood and got the full feel of it.
We learned to trust Lawrence’s instinct early on; it was like he was one with the animals. We were always a step ahead of the animal as Lawrence knew what they would be doing next; from how they were hunting to something as simple as ‘have your camera ready this Lion is about to yawn’ (like I can’t stress enough how well he knows his animals) Lawrence never went with or followed the pack of safari jeeps as his intuition was far superior. At one point we witnessed a large pride of lioness, about 20 in total on a hunt towards a large herd of zebra, topi, Thompson gazelle, and warthogs. Instead of trying to cram the vehicle in with 50 others (all trying to get a look at the lions) he instead went way up river away from the group. We wondered what he was doing... he told us the lions would use the river to hide themselves and their scent as they moved closer, he told us that they would then come up out of the river and pass in front of us for the kill. We waited for about an hour and half watching the lioness track up river just as Lawrence predicted and then come up in front of us just like he said (by this time more vehicles had accumulated behind us) unfortunately do to sheer ignorance or driving force of tourists giving tips a bunch of other guides started to drive up and around us blocking the path of the lions to finish the hunt (hunt ended there). We were
So upset to have missed out on seeing such a spectacular event for us but also upset for the lions that had been working on that hunt for at least a couple hours only to miss out because of other guides. Although disappointed it only reaffirmed how lucky and blessed we were to get someone as knowledgeable as
Lawrence for our guide. He is incredibly passionate about his country, his work, the animals, and truly cares about their well-being.
It was such a pleasure also getting to know Lawrence personally between conversations in the jeep to having dinners with him at Acacia Camps. He openly shared his thoughts on life as a guide, his views on Tanzania, and many other points. We learned so much more than we thought we would! It was a sad day when we had to say goodbye to Lawrence as he had become our good friend but we hope to meet again!
We were so blessed to get up close to so many amazing animals. Our favourite moments would be: completely surrounded by a massive herd of elephants in Tarangire, an up close and what felt like a very personal encounter with an older male elephant in the Serengeti, finding 2 massive kings of the jungle and their lioness in the middle of nowhere and so close we could touch them and stare into their eyes, and last but not least being surrounded by a cheetah and her 3 older cubs and then having one of them come right up to our jeep and stare me and my husband deep into our eyes…. Many tears were shed on this trip out of sheer gratitude and awe of this incredible country and it’s animals. It was nothing short of magical!
We finished our safari and again met with Peniel. He wanted to make sure we enjoyed ourselves. My husband and I own and come from a family of small business owners. Knowing Peniel was born and raised in Tanzania and also the owner of this small business made things that much better. We ended up talking for a long time as he described how the company came to be which was truly an inspiring story of ambition and drive! Peniel’s humbleness and compassion for others is beyond touching. We found out most of his profits go towards helping orphans and kids getting education. After our touching conversation with Peniel it only concreted the fact that we couldn’t have made a better decision then to go with his company and again happy to have a new friend! He left us with beautiful hand beaded jewelry from the Masai as a thank you gift and we parted ways and headed to Zanzibar.
Tanzania now holds a deep and very special place in our hearts. My husband and I cannot express how profoundly grateful we are to have booked with Lights on Africa, have the experience that we did, and meet the most truly genuine, kind, and friendly people. We have so much love & gratitude for you Peniel & Lawrence, thank you for making our dreams come true!!!
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Email Ethan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Tour Group
My wife and I did a private day safari in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It was a great trip since we only had one day to do a safari. The tour staff were very knowledgeable and friendly as well as professional. Also the price was very reasonable and a bit less than our tour operators with similar packages. Our guide did a great job of pointing out and naming all sorts of interesting animals. The food for lunch was plentiful and delicious. It was also interesting talking to our guide about the local tribes in the area and their customs. Overall it was a great day and we are very glad we booked with Lights on Africa. I would highly recommend this trip.
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Email Jim T. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great one day safari of Arusha National Park
The arrangements with Lights on Africa was well organized. My guide for this one day safari, Anthony, was very knowledgeable about the plant life, the animals and geology history of the park. We had great close up photos with the giraffes and baboons. Nice box lunch. The safari vehicle was well maintained and clean.
I highly recommend this company. Jim T.
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Email Borja vernacci | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience in Tarangire Safari
I han an amazing expierence in the Tarangire Safari. We choose the company:Lights on Africa and they were incredible, very profesionals and awesome people. I want to thank our driver and Peniel who did an excellent job and for being so friendly...we felt as we were at home! Without any doubt I highly recommend Lights on Africa to do the safari inTanzania. Thanks again guys!
We name it, and Lights on Africa and Destinations makes it happen, Highly recommended.
My Family and i had wonderful Safari's experiences with Lights on safari destinations and safaris. This time we visited Tarangire national park, the Serengeti and ngorongoro crater. Peniel Laizer the Managing Director organized our Safari pefectly, he replied prompt to all our E-mails , i must say, i wrote a lot of E-mails. Peniel answered very professionel to all our questions. He is very kind and so helpfulness in any situation i can't explain, and he is so friendly. Very professional, he knows exactly what and when to do. For us it was like coming home, lights on Africa Destinationand safaris make this possible. This is something you must experience yourself.
The day of our Safari, Peniel surprised all eleven of us with some gifts "masaai handmade craft" Asante.
Huruma was our tour guide for the second time, thank you so much, "you are the best". Huruma is very knowledgeable a tour guide with lot of exeperiences. He explained us the trees, the vegetation,the birds the animals etc, he answered to all our questions. Huruma know the parks like his own hometown. He also has heart for the nature and for the animals , he is very cheerfully, awesame.
I remember the Situation at the crater, more than 60 cars on one spot, all cars wanted to get as closer as possible to the rhino, our tour guide Huruma was the only one who didn't go closer, he blocked the load with his car so that no more cars could pass, by doing this the rhino could finally escape, this was so fantastic. This Safari was not our last safari with the Lights on Africa Destinations. These incredible experiences and much more with this Company and his Team always stay unforgettable for us, thats the reason why we highly recommend Lights on Africa Destinations and Safaris. Thanks you to the whole team, we will be back.
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Email Alejandro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tarangire Safari
Great food, awesome safari in Tarangire and very friendly people. highly recommended!
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Email William | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect safari and Tanzania experience
I recently did a one week safari with Lights on Africa and it exceeded my expectations by far. I am not quite sure how other safari companies work, but I feel as though I hit the jackpot with this one. The safari itself was breathtaking in the Serengeti and the Ngorogoro crater and I was so happy to see all big 5 among so many other animals. I also got to see and learn about the culture and history of Tanzania more than I thought I would. Visiting a Masai village and meeting with local tribesmen and warriors was a highlight. The biggest surprise though was when we visited an orphanage and my guide Laizer already had a box full of school supplies and toys to give to the children on my behalf. I couldn't believe it and it was the most touching thing I could have ever experienced and I will never forget it. Laizer really gave it a personal touch from start to finish and I really appreciated it and enjoyed the whole thing. Highly recommended!
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Email Alberto | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience
Absolutly recomendable. Peniel, the manager, is a kindness and helpfullness host. He made us feel comfortable every moment and he prepared for us an unforgettable tour in a very short time. Special menton for Ely, our cheerful, pleasant, expert and icredible guide!
If one day i will come back i will surely contact this guys!
The Perfect Day Safari to Ngorogoro
My husband and I only had one day to explore the Ngorogoro crater from Arusha. Lights on Africa provided us the perfect day-long trip. We saw absolutely every animal (except giraffe) and even spotted a rhino. We even got to spend some time with the Maasai tribe!