Lights on Africa Destinations & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $170 to $900 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Kalee | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Goes above and beyond so you have the absolute best experience!
I can't say enough amazing things about Lights on Africa. From the moment we landed to our final goodbye, we were very well taken care of. All of our accommodations were wonderful and the staff were so personable. Peniel went above and beyond for our group. Everyone that checked their luggage ended up without it for a minimum of 3 days. Peniel went to the airport every day to pick up their bags and make sure they were delivered as soon as possible. I also can't say enough about how awesome our guides were. I personally had Ray as our group driver and he was absolutely the best. He was always having conversations with everyone in our vehicle, answering any questions we had, very knowledgeable about everything, and always got us the best angles for the best pictures. When anyone, even with a different safari company, had any problems he was the first guy to stop and help. Really a top notch guy! Thank you Lights on Africa for the most amazing experience in Tanzania. I can't wait to go back!
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Email Kate | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
INCREDIBLE TRIP; THANK YOU LIGHTS ON AFRICA
I have been to Tanzania one other time so I am confident in saying that based on my two experiences, Lights on Africa by FAR EXCEEDED my known expectations. Just WOW, from the minute I arrived to the minute I left, well I did not want to leave. Peniel greeted my Group and made us feel so welcomed. The accommodations were SO fantastic, including the food :) but I must say that my Driver; Ray made my trip incredibly memorable. His many years of working in tourism contributed to the wealth of knowledge Ray has for the hidden trails in each park! Not just main roads but what tree is known for lions. Where the likelihood of seeing a Cheetah and where to find them! Ray knows the terrain of each park, has fantastic knowledge of ALL the animals including birds. We were the same 6 people in his Jeep the entire time, we asked a LOT of questions. Every one was answered thoughtfully, and gave us a sense of 'all knowing' and his mechanical ability!!!!! The terrain is oftentimes deep mud, sandy, water, very rugged and touch but Ray knew which way to steer and how to mitigate our ride, not to mention being the AWESOME DRIVER he is, he always (ALWAYS) stopped to help pull another driver out. I cannot say enough kind words or express gratitude to everyone at Lights on Africa, I felt like I was leaving family when the last wave was waved. I can only look forward to a third time to your beautiful country and know who I will be using; LIGHTS ON AFRICA.
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Kate
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Email Mark C | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Peniel and his entire crew are fantastic and exceeded all expectations.
Lights on Africa gave us a trip of a lifetime in Tanzania. Their service, friendliness, education on our tours, conscientious attitude and general desire to make it a wonderful time for us could not be beaten.
Incredible trip to Tanzania with" Lights on Africa"
Before our trip with Lights on Africa Destinations & Safaris, we have to admit that we were a little nervous since your operation lesser-known that some of the massive tour operators in the area. We were a group of 13 people from India, However, from the moment we met the Lights on Africa Destinations & Safaris team in Arusha, it was clear we had made the right decision and were in for the trip of a lifetime.
Our tour guide, Adam, was a complete joy to spend time with. He was very knowledgable of the local wildlife and customs and was eager to share his knowledge with us. He was extremely accommodating during the trip .
Our Chef Joseph, was equally enjoyable to be around and always had a smile on his face. His food was delicious and provided great comfort after long days on Safari. When we specially requested Banana Pancakes for our final breakfast, Joseph happily obliged and made the best Banana Pancakes we'd ever had.
If given the chance to return, we would gladly use Lights on Africa Destinations & Safaris again and would specifically request the services of Adam and Joseph. We will be recommending your tours to all of our friends in India. Thank you so much for providing an incredible life changing experience.
All the best,
Idhant
PL
Email Eliza | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro
We have just returned from Tanzania, where we spent 4 weeks and definitely the safari organized for us by Lights on Africa Destinations was a highlight experience of this trip.
Before we arrived in Arusha we arranged everything online and naturally we had millions of questions, asked about every detail and we received all the answers we asked for! Everything was organized for us, including the accommodation in Arusha, where Antonio, our guide, was waiting for us at the bus station. The safari itself was a wonderful and unforgettable experience! We were taken care of in a very friendly and professional way. Antonio, the guide, answered all our questions about the animals, was open to all our expectations and listened to our every need. Benson, the Stomach Engineer :), was a great cook, we loved the food he prepared for us.
All in all, I strongly recommend Lights on Africa Destinations company, they are truly professional and very friendly, and the safari was worth every penny we paid.
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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!
ES
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 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 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.
CA
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!!!