Galloping Safaris Staff with Director
Galloping Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Member Of:
- ASTA, TATO, TTB & EAWLS
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $225 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email William | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A professional, well organized, thoughtful, and caring organization
Jul 2021 • Couples
If you’ve ever contemplated or “bucket-listed” a Safari in Tanzania, Galloping Safari’s is the choice guided excursion. Walter Tenga, director of operations, put together a all inclusive luxury tour of 4 national parks on a nine day stay. The three of us were greeted upon landing by Walter then escorted to a nearby luxury accommodation for our first night stay in Arusha. The following morning Walter introduced us to Lawrence, our private guide for the next nine days. Lawrence, a fifteen year guide veteran with a big smile and jovial humor made this Safari a personal and intimate experience that has left us so grateful and honored to call him a friend. An expert and naturalist on the flora and fauna of the regions we visited, his wealth of knowledge was unsurpassed in spotting, identifying, and placing us in the best position to photograph. I’m still editing and marveling at the 2,000 plus pictures captured!
We visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro crater and Serengeti national parks. Walter also added some cultural stops into the itinerary, a visit to a Maasai village and a stop at a working museum/art gallery. All so added was the highlight of our Safari, a hot air Balloon ride across the Serengeti to see the migratory Wildebeast from above!
Our accommodations thru-out were world class. Each night we were graciously catered to at each of the Sanctuary, Lemala and Four Seasons resorts on route.
Walter and Lawrence nurtured us throughout the Safari even as I told ill, (from a medicine reaction a was prescribed. That’s another story).
Walter’s planning and guidances eased us through in-field COVID testing to arranging our bush flight from the Serengeti back to Kilimanjaro.
I am so grateful to have had this opportunity and the expert planning and guidance of both Walter and Lawrence. We are daily recounting the stories and pictures to friends and loved ones.
WOW!!!
FR
Email Jane Khoury | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Even better than expected!
Walter and our guide Lawrence made our safari in Tanzania a complete success, exceeding our expectations. During the preparation of the trip, Walter responds quickly to the messages, which is more than appreciable, he is very good advice because he masters the routes perfectly. He was waiting for us at the arrival airport despite the late hour.
Lawrence is erudite, inexhaustible on all animals and patient as we pestered him with questions. He drives like a gentleman on bumpy tracks, which is very appreciable, his English is fluent, it is very pleasant to converse with him. He knows the right spots to ensure his passengers see everything they dream of. For our part, with the exception of the pandas (sorry Lawrence!! ;-)) we saw all the animals, he answered all our expectations and requests, flawlessly.
There is no need to go through a intermediate travel agency in your country, go directly through Walter, communication is easy and mutual trust is obvious.
TN
Email Zakaria Jbara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible
Incredible experience:
Excellent guide aware of our needs
Very comme lodge with beautiful view
Very beautiful landscape with the animals in ngorongoro and tarangire
DK
Email Christina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Two great days with Galloping Safaris
We had a great time with Galloping Safaris in Tarangire and Ngorogoro national parks. Walter was very easy to communicate with and quick to reply. Ayubu was a great driver guide, very knowledgeable about the animals, landscapes and with a great sense of humor. We saw so much in two days! Especially enjoyed seeing lions hunt in Ngorogoro. Very nice stay at Simba Lodge with great food.
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Email Debra M | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Liar, Cheat, disreputable! Do not use under any circumstances
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. My husband and I booked through a great agency in Kenya who outsourced the Tanzania portion of our trip to Galloping Safaris. Walter, the owner, is a liar and a cheat. Read other reviews (wish we'd seen them in advance). We were in Tanzania for 5 days. He hired a 3rd party guide/driver for us, Athman was EXCELLENT. He saved the tour for us. However, Galloping Safaris (GS) had us pay our entry fee into the Serengeti park (even though we'd paid everything in advance). He said he was installing a new payment system and was having problems. We put the $642 USD on our credit card, assuming Walter would do as he said and pay us back when we finished the trip in Arusha. Walter with GS outright lied to us. We wasted an hour waiting for him to respond so we could even enter the park. Next, as we were exiting Ngorogoro crater, we were not allowed to leave the park since GS (Walter) had not paid the concession fee of approximately $100 USD. Our driver, Athman, convinced Walter to go to the bank to immediately transfer the $$. Another hour wasted there. Then we arrived at Tarangire Park, only to find out, once again, Walter at GS had not paid the entry fees. He then asked us again to pay $227 USD of our own $$. We had no choice but to pay, because where else would we go? Yup, another hour wasted sorting this out. Upon our final day, we drove back to Arusha, met with Walter, his wife Glory (a Director of the company) and someone who said they were his lawyer. He did not have the money to pay us back upon our arrival ($869 USD total), instead he wrote and signed what we thought was a legitimate legal agreement that he would wire us the money in 2 weeks. That date came and went, no $$$, more lies from Walter and now zero response from him. He should not be allowed to operate. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY under any circumstances.
GH
Email Natai Gerald | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best of the best!
The best of the best!
Galloping Safaris organized a fantastic day trip for us to Tarangire National Park although we were a little worry for rain but Walter assured us not to worry anything and we trusted him as an expert.
From the time we were picked up in the Arusha Airport morning, transported direct to Tarangire Safari Lodge for brunch inside the park, wow this beautiful lodge perched in the edge of river that offer the best fine view and from your terrace deck you can spot animals from Elephants, gazelles, zebras, baboon troops, wildebeest, Lions and many more.
We had so much fun and didn’t have to worry about a thing as they handled everything, we will for sure in future come back again for longer trip with Galloping
GH
Email Mima Michael | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding Service from a Tanzanian Company
The best decision I have made when planning my trip, was look for companies based in Tanzania. Upon comparing various companies to use, Galloping Safaris consistently provided to be the most economical and reliable, among other factors that made Galloping Safaris the best choice.
To begin our safari planning, I contacted Galloping Safaris and was promptly connected in touch with Owner Walter, from the first moment I spoke with him on phone, he was 120% committed to not only creating a safari that fit our needs, but made sure to take into account our budget. I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly Walter created a possible itinerary in a very easy to understand chart. I am very visual, so this was a huge help to me and one of the biggest things that gave me great confidence in Galloping Safaris from the beginning was how transparent they were about everything, from the price to what was and wasn’t included in that price.
After going back and forth a few times with Walter, we created the perfect itinerary that took into account both what we wanted to see within a price that suited us. Throughout the whole process, Walter was very considerate about what we wanted, revised our itinerary as many times as needed, and never go impatient about having to change various things for our trip before we confirmed it.
Once we confirmed our trip, he created a more in-depth itinerary which I also really appreciated because the last thing one wants is miscommunication on what was expected. Also, a clear invoice was created that he kept updated as payments were made. When everything was settled, payment and itinerary, Walter told us who would pick us up and our safari guide. Upon arriving in Tanzania, we were met by our transfer guide Waziri who has our sign, was ready to go, and made sure we were comfortable.
Our flight was a bit late, but he was right up front and ready getting to Arusha was no trouble and Galloping Safaris made the entire process effortless. The next day our guide, Waziri, was eager to start our safari, had the vehicle ready, and came to our hotel on time. One of the biggest things that will make or break a safari is the guide, and I am happy to say we had one of the best guides out there as a first safari to Tanzania. The entire time Waziri was attentive, spotted the animals, and was well versed about the animals in each park.
Throughout the whole trip, Waziri was very easy to talk to and always made sure to accommodate us in anything we needed. During our drives, he skillfully maneuvered the hard terrain and made sure the ride was as comfortable as he could make it. Keeping in mind the roads are very bumpy, something the drivers cannot help, but he did a great job nonetheless it should be added, the vehicles Galloping Safaris uses are in very good condition considering the roads they travel on, and we never had a break down.
When we arrived at each park, he was able to spot the animals, from a huge Elephant to a tiny Lizard running along a rock. Not only did Waziri do a phenomenal job spotting animal, he knew facts and figures about every animal we saw. Along with knowing information about each animal we saw, he had extensive knowledge about the villages and parks we visited.
Along with driving well, he always made sure to park so that we got the best view possible. Whenever we entered a new park, he did all the paperwork for us and we had no issues at all, too. Even towards the end of the day when we were getting a bit tired, Waziri never stopped scanning the land for animals. To say the least, Waziri is very dedicated to giving the customer a great experience. After the safari when we came back to Arusha, Walter met us one more time to make sure the safari went well and if we had any feedback. This was nice because you can tell Galloping Safaris is devoted to making sure the customer doesn’t feel forgotten once you send them your money and that if there’s any issue, they are there to assist. Unlike some companies who may just send you a survey at the end of a trip, Galloping Safaris meets you in person after the trip to make sure everything went well.
I highly recommend using Galloping Safaris for any of your safari and Climbing Kilimanjaro needs, be it a group safari, private safari, day safari, or week-long safari. No matter your looking for, they will work with you to create a memorable trip that fit within your budget. Plus, no matter what your budget, the places they select for you to stay at are comfortable.
Thanks, Walter, for organizing our amazing safari, and Waziri for being an incredible guide.
US
Email Michael Lossing | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 8 Day Safari Across 5 Parks
From beginning to end our trip went off without issues. We were scooped up at the airport upon arrival and taken into Arusha to meet Walter and our guide Lawrence. Then it was off to the parks to see amazing animals, stay in wonderful accommodations, and learn about the beautiful people of Tanzania.
Walter had picked out a mixture of tented camps and lodges that were perfect, if not a bit luxurious for us. Every place we stayed, from the Nyikani camps to Escarpment Luxury Lodge could not have been better. The staff at each was over-the-top helpful and the food delicious, even for my vegetarian better half.
Lawrence is a super nice guide and excellent game spotter. He also used his connections with other guides in each park to get us prime viewing of the "big 5" and lots more. I coached him a bit on getting good photo ops, as opposed to just seeing the animals, and he really came through.
Overall, our first trip to Tanzania was amazing, and couldn't have been better thanks to Walter and Lawrence. We appreciate everything you gentlemen did to make us feel special all week long. Asante sana!
CN
Email Mia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 8 Days Safari Trip
Walter has been a quick responder since day 1 not only through email but also iMessage helping editing the trip and answering questions. It was our first time visiting Tanzania and we went toTarangire, Ngorogoro and Serengeti. We loved the accommodations Galloping picked for us-especially Sanctuary Swala and &Beyond north Serengeti. Not many safari companies I checked offer stays at the Sanctuary but it was amazing.
We read some negative reviews on Galloping Safari and had some incidents during the trip. That being said we managed to work things out with Walter while still enjoyed trip. In addition we run into problems with the local banking system ourselves at Arusha last day, which made us realize that dealing with banks and doing business in Tanzania are not as easy as we thought. We appreciate Walter's efforts to ensure a wonderful trip for us as planned. Walter also came to show us an amazing souvenir shop and explained the cause of incidents to us before our flight when he didn't have to so we did feel the mutual trust, which was really important in picking a travel agency in a country we were visiting for the first time.
We appreciate everything Galloping Safaris did so we could really enjoy our first visit to Tanzania. Hope we can come back soon!
FR
Email GHARIANI | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
it was wonderful!!! with an excellent guide
We did 2 days of Safari in Ngorongoro and Tarangiri Park with Galopping Safari.
Mr DISMASS is an excellent guide, very smiling, respectful, and he tries to answer all our questions.
It far exceeded our expectations.
After the end of our Safari, Mr WALTER booked us a taxi (included in the price) which took us to Kilimanjaro airport.
I highly recommend Galopping Safari because the schedule was consistent with the description with very good organization.
Thank you so much
(automatic translation from French)