Open Africa Safaris
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- American Society of Travel Agents
- Tour Types:
- Budget & mid-range tours that, when possible, use accommodations owned and operated by them
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $75 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Kent | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy, organized, affordable - a great experience!
My wife and I had a fabulous experience with Open Africa Safaris! It was nerve wracking to arrange a trip like this without the help of an experienced travel agency. With seemingly hundreds of safari organizers to choose from, it was quite time consuming to narrow down the companies based on our desired itinerary, trip cost, and of course a company that appeared organized and trustworthy. Let me save you time – look no further, go with Open Africa Safaris!
Open Africa Safaris was willing to customize our trip in most any way, from budget to mid-range to luxury, from a few days to many days, from safari only to inclusion of a side trip to the beaches of Zanzibar. We were not up for a “budget” trip – sleeping in tents and sleeping bags was ok when we were younger, but we want nice, clean beds now. Luxury trips seem horribly overpriced to me – you can spend thousands of extra dollars for what I think would be marginally better lodging, and maybe pampered hot lunches with beer and wine – not at all worth it in my opinion. The mid-range trip suggested to us seemed just right, with my exact desired itinerary, and the price was great, compared to many others I had checked.
I exchanged about 20 emails with our contact at Open Africa Safaris (John). I asked MANY questions, asked for references, questioned just about everything I could think of. He responded timely (not immediately, but always in a very reasonable amount of time), politely and patiently. But in the end, I still had to trust a fairly small company to deliver on their promises. A deposit was needed, and full payment was required about 30 days before our adventure. Would they deliver? Could this be a scam? I continued to be nervous literally until I was met at the airport after getting off the plane in Tanzania. But they were there just as promised, and everything went great for the next 7 days, all the way through taking us to the airport to leave!
The lodging choices they selected for us were wonderful! The hotel in Arusha City was older and not in perfect repair, but it was still clean, with good and very tasty dinner options, a nice pool, pretty grounds – and this was the “worst” of our lodging. The other places we stayed were wonderful, including the luxury “tented camp” in the middle of the Serengeti, which was a marvelous experience! All the facilities were clean, available showers ranged from good to great, there was wifi available in all places (ok, not high speed but who cares?), and we were always able to charge our electronics. The dinners were definitely better than I expected, and wine and beer were available for purchase if desired. We had available hot breakfast options each day. The lodging staffs were always very attentive. We felt safe everywhere. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for more.
Our tour guide, Simon, was excellent! His heavily accented English was still quite good, and he did a great job navigating the parks to give us the best possible animal viewing. Animals were very plentiful to see, and we had close up encounters with many – lions, elephants, giraffes, cape buffalo, and more. The only Big 5 animal we didn’t see up close (and I mean very close) was a rhino, of which we only saw one, and that was at a distance…oh well. Simon had binoculars available to use, which was quite nice. The box lunches while on game drives were plenty adequate (generally chicken, fruit, bread, a cookie or two, juice, water) though not fantastic.
All in all, the trip was everything I could have hoped for, and Open Africa Safaris was just great! Many thanks to them for making this “bucket list” trip a major success!
Open Africa Safaris trip to Serengeti was simply the best guided wildlife adventure tour I have been
Tony Milinga was our driver and guide for the entire 7 day Sergenti trip. He was excellent ! His communications, his service were outstanding. He took care of us very well. He made sure our stay and trip was most comfortable and we had vegetarian food throughout the trip. He showed us the best game, saw all the animals, some in action and got to see all the big five. He was patient, friendly and provided great customer service. He made our trip memorable. John William, the sales manager gave us all the info to get ready for the trip. Accommodations were excellent and service was great ! My family and I recommend Open Africa Safaris to all who want to see the great Serengeti park because it is a once in a life time experience to see so many animals in 1 park.
Email Carlos | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable!
Open Africa delivered our customized itinerary, combining game drives with trekking and hiking, in superb fashion. Hats off to them!
IE
Email Paul | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An absolute pleasure to deal with
Having just spent an incredible week on safari in Tanzania I would like to give special mention to John Williams and his entire OpenAfricaSafaris team. It was my first time visiting Tanzania so I was a little apprehensive before hand, this was unnecessary as John had every detail covered. I would highly recommend Tanzania for an unforgettable experience.
We saw all the animals and birds that one hopes for when they go on safari but Tanzania has much more than animals. The landscapes are breath taking and the people are a joy to meet.
Email Pat Batty | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded all expectations
We had a fantastic holiday with Open Africa Safaris, far exceeding our expectations. They provided a tailor made itinerary to fit our travel dates, and went out of their way to make the holiday a success. Our safari guide was very skilled at finding and spotting animals, taking us away from the crowds, and we had some amazing close encounters.
We had a great safari and really enjoyed our 6 day trip
Our Safari was a once in a lifetime experience! We hat 6 wonderful days together with a nice Group, a very friendly cook and an awesome Driver (Shabani!). The communication with John before, during and after the Safari was always perfect. We can only recommend this great experience to everyone. The only negative Points were the bit older tents & sleeping bags, our Toyota Landcruiser was good but I guess it had some engine Problems (was very weak uphill).
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Email Anne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Bait and switch by open africa
I was sold a trip with upgraded accommodations, then placed on a budget trip. First i was told the places we were staying were equivalent to my promised itinerary ( which i had luckily printed and brought with me). When i was able to go to the websites of places I’d paid for, and could see how untrue that was, i asked to be ensured i would be at paid spots going forward, i was then told that one place full the night i should be there and another having robberies. Both disputed by those places when i did go there, and patently untrue ( full site only half full when i there on planned night; no signs of repaired tents at place “ with robberies)
It was really unpleasant to have to argue, A Lot, while being repeatedly told lies, in order to get mt paid acccommodations for last two nights of six. When i contacted open africa on return, to request some refund for the two nights i was seriously downgraded, i was told by open africa’s john william that the leader of the tour group i was subcontracted to ( i saw the paperwork that our group used to enter the Serengeti, name was not open africa) that I had said i was happy with my trip , and then never heard from John again, despite contacting him.
So, buyer beware, Tanzania is fantastic, this tour operator not so much
Reply from Open Africa Safaris
Posted on Nov 4, 2017Hello Anne,
You purchased a 6 day safari package, which had mixed accommodations, Mid-range and budget camping at Sun bright camp. However, a day before your tour, we received a news from our local guides in that area saying that the camp was not safe at that time to have our clients stay there. As a company, we take our customers' safety and their belongings very serious, in another hand our customers' safety comes first. After we received the unsafe information from our local guides, we decided to have you stay at Panoma Camp for two nights, where you received the same service and camping equipment that you were supposed to receive at Sun Bright Camp.
After your trip, you contacted us seeking for a refund of the two nights that you didn't spend at Sun Bright. We explained to you that it was not safe to go there but for your own reason maybe you didn't believe us. We also told you that the service and camping equipment that you were assigned to use at Sun Bright Camp were the same as Panorama Camp. After we received your refund request, we went through your trip and the package you purchased, but we did not find any reason why we should refund you. We couldn't refund you because, you completed the number of days you signed for, and therefore you received the same accommodation service because from Sun Bright Camp to Panorama Camp did not make any difference in accommodation service. As a Company, we had and will always do our best to provide the best service to all customers and this is why about 99.9% of our reviews are positive and 5 stars.
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Email Cassandra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Camping united us in the wildlife adventure
It was my first time in Africa, I didn't have much expectations. My friend told me the National Parks where going to be amazing, but we didn't want to spend tons of money on a Safari. We found Open Safari for a great deal, and our driver "Moody" was responsable for us to succeed our expectations. The organization was simple, we booked the trip and pay for it via paypal. All the cars that go into the Safaris, are pretty much the same type of car, so I felt that we will experience the Safari as the same as other that pay more but for less. "Moody" was for us for whatever we needed. In the parks some times there is no electricity so he make sure we had our phone charge for us to take pictures of the wild life, and guide us where to find our needs for the night, such some cold beer or wine. We travel with a personal cook, that astonish me how he could create delicious meals at night with such few resources. Lunches where pretty basic as we just bite something in a nice spot in the parks, watching out that monkeys don't steal from our lunch boxes. The only thing that I was disappointed about was the camping in the Serengeti, but the company explained to me that the responsable for its maintenance was the park. It was pretty nasty. I will suggest that if you could afford it, go to some Lodges. The camping above Ngorongoro Crater had a great view and was more aceptable. I will highly recommend the company. Once you understand how all this companies work, I believe none one had an intention to trick or cheat on you, they will try their best to make you happy, at it should be.
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Email Sophie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Really wonderful, exceeded expectations
The safari tour was really magical, to see so many animals and a fascinating new culture. The tour guides and overall experience was also very positive. The company gave good attention from start to finish and enabled me to get the most out of my two days there. I especially appreciate it when having booked on such short notice.
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Email Maria Casquet | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
a perfect safari
We did a saafri for 4 days 3 nights!
by taranguire, serengueti and norongoro!
It was spectacular !
the guide osman was a carck !!!
He did everything he could to see all the animals!
He has a lot of experience and we had a great time with him!
kind, attentive and fun!
the chef moris was great !!!
the food was very good !!! He even made us a potato omelet!
everything was perfect !
very happy with everything, thanks.
