Northern Masailand Safaris
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TALLA LICENCE (TOUR OPERATOR LICENCE)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $430 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
BR
Email Flavia Azevedo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Was amazing trip and experience!!!
Me and my family having fun with the travel, only one thing, I dintd know about the old dollars bill, the country doesnt acept old dollar, so by the time was so dificult to change dollar for shilings.
But the hotels and guide was very good
US
Email Rick K. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Terrific Trip!
This was my third trip to Africa and I found this company in a random search. I understand some of the hesitation from other reviewers on this site of this company, but it's important to remember that the you are not dealing with a company from the States. Henry and his team (Anna) are top-notch! When circumstances arise they are on them in an efficient and timely manner. African nationals are worried about today and may not necessarily hold your hand making sure you are 100% prepared for your upcoming experience. You need to be responsible and do some research as to the culture, governmental requirements, health issues, etc. Based on other tour companies I've used over the last 20 years, I would strongly recommend them if you keep these comments in mind. The facilities are mostly universal, so if you're spending $3000 or $10,000/person, you're probably going to the same lodges and will run into each other multiple times during your stay. Our guide James was highly knowledgeable and had a great work ethic and personality. I get the sense that Henry only works with those with a very strong customer service background. Just time your trip before or after the Great Migration (like I did last time, but not this time) or you will not get to experience the full magnificence of this beautiful and its wonderful people. I strongly recommend this company to those who want a trip of a lifetime!
PT
Email Alexandra | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good experience
This company run by a brother of my dearest friend Anna will provide you with the best safari experience in Northern Tanzania. Friendly and helpful, Henry will organize the perfect route considering habitats and all the details. As a person who did Northern circuit and felt in love with this country, I can say that this is very important to do it with a right operator. I highly recommend this company and believe you will not be disappointed.
US
Email Sheri Ruddy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent adventure with kind and knowledgeable driver, Eddie! Loved it!!!
The safari was phenomenal! Once we met our guide and driver, Eddie, we felt completely at ease and knew we would be taken care of! There was not a thing we had to worry about once the safari began, all out meals and excursions were well planned and thrilling! The accommodations were all excellent and the service was at each place was far above our expectations! Eddie took the time to show us all the animal hot spots and made sure we were comfortable and happy the entire trip! On a day our daughter wasn't feeling her best, he took the time to stop at multiple rest areas and was very concerned for her well being. She was completely fine the next day....but his genuine caring and attention to our needs was wonderful! He took as much time as we wanted when we spotted an animal and knew so much about their habits and truly taught us so much! The trip to Zanzibar was so relaxing at the end of the safari and we were glad to have some down time after our adventures to catch up and discuss all we saw!!! Also the us rep, Amy Shaffer is amazing and we are very thankful for her help with this trip! She really knew how to put us at ease! Thank you to the whole staff of northern masailand safaris and we hope to come back again sometime soon!
FR
Email Cyrille | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible company ran by a liar called Henry
I can confirm what was written by all clients : Northern Masailand Safaris is ran by a crook named Henry who litteraly stole our money.
In short here is our story : we booked a trip including 1 week safari and 1 week stay in Zanzibar. We agreed on a defined plan (hotels / transport / catering).
We were requested to pay 30% upfront, and the rest upon arrival. 10 days before we start, I received a message that our plans were changed, with cancellation of plane transfer from Serengeti to Zanzibar, against a road trip with a stop in Arusha.
Then I received agressive message requesting the full payment, which I refused. We did not receive any hotel vouchers at that stage.
On arrival day, the hotel that was supposed to be our 1st night was different than the one planned. The next day (a Sunday) Henry wanted to get his cash, but again, without providing any hotel voucher.
This was the begining of a 15 days battle against a liar.
At every stage, the hotel was different than the one we agreed upon, and of course, at a lower category.
When arriving in Serengeti, the driver, genuinely nice and helpful, couldn't find the accomodation, as he did not receive instruction from Henry. Eventually, after having lost 4 hours, we found our deserted place - and of course not the one agreed upon.
We then had a strong argument with the liar to make sure our nice Zanzibar hotel was booked. I had to chase myself the hotel and put pressure on Henry to book it eventually.
Back in transit in Arusha, we agreed for an overall refund of 1000USD. Henry never paid his due !
Last but not least, when leaving Zanzibar, for our transit to the airport, Henry cancelled the taxi, and we had to pay for it ....
So, in a nutshell, stay away from that company, as this will lead you into much trouble. We were definitively lucky not to have any incident. Without a doubt this liar who have dropped us in the middle of the Savannah.
Reply from Northern Masailand Safaris
Posted on Nov 4, 2017You cannot make everyone happy. There is always going to be some person who feels wronged. It happens.
Great safari, terrible administration
The experience was great and I loved the wildlife, the accommodations and our guide. However, the way that the company handles the business is incredibly unprofessional. First, after I wired a large amount of money to the company I got an email saying that the bank had changed routing number and to please wire the money again since "most likely" it would get rejected. After I went to the bank and emailed back I was told that the bank did get the money and that everything was all right but what if I had re wired the money like they asked me to?
After that, I repeatedly asked the owner to confirm that we would be picked up at a certain time on a certain day and he did confirm multiple times but when we arrived to the airport no one was waiting for us! I had to borrow a phone -and tip the guy who lent it- in order to get the a hold of the owner. He sent somebody right after but it does not fix how unsettling it was to arrive and not having someone ready (we were considering it might had been a scam.) When we got to Arusha the owner met us there and his excuse was that "since all their guests arrive at night he just assumed that we were going to do that as well." I confirmed with him multiple times about the time we wanted to be picked up and he just assumed???
We still rolled with it and didn't complain trying to make the vacation a fun time. Our guide was great, friendly, knowledgeable and seemed to be very into the wildlife, not just as a job but to have a true appreciation for the animals. So we headed up for a 7 day safari..., except it wasn't 7 days. We did not review our itinerary everyday because the company should know exactly what you paid for and should provide that for you but when on day 5 the guide told us that we would be ending the next day I went and checked the exact itinerary and it turns out that we were shorted 1 morning at the Serengeti. When I told the guide he said that he was going to talk to the owner and then came back saying that he would meet us in Arusha the next day to exchange ideas about what we could do to make up for that day but on the next day, of course, he did not show up. Instead he told our guide to offer solutions for us but the best one was a walking tour in Arusha which we did not care about. I paid to be at the Serengeti, not to walk in a city with nothing to see.
In the end we were fed up with the owner and his unprofessional attitude so we decided to just stay put at the hotel and lose that one day at the Serengeti except that the check-out was at 10 am and our flight was at 6 pm. Being that the owner wasn't there he couldn't handle the situation and our guide had to do his best. They allowed us to stay and use the pool but we had to give the room at 11 am which should not have happened. We should have been able to do late check-out but since the owner wasn't there to negotiate, we weren't.
We again said fine and just asked our guide to pass the information of our flight to Henry, the owner, to be picked up at 3 pm. But, you guessed it, the owner didn't show up to pick us up and the driver that he sent was over half an hour late! We requested to be picked up at a certain time because we have a plane to catch and things to do and they don't even respect that. Our driver was rude, acted like it was an inconvenience to drop us at the airport and was texting on his phone the whole ride.
You would think that after not being there to pick us up the company would do everything in their hands to make up for it but instead they were consistently careless. My wife and I had been in Africa for a while before the safari so we understand that things are not smooth and that people work differently there but when you pay the kind of money that we paid they should at least be there to pick you up.
Oh, and I asked for a receipt of payment at least 5 times which the owner kept saying "I'll send it tomorrow" but I'm still waiting. All I can think of is that he doesn't want to report the tour and pay taxes on it which I get but when your guest is constantly requesting it the company should take care of it.
Like I said, I loved the safari and the overall experience but I would absolutely not recommend this company solely based on the owner. And if you think that there are multiple great reviews that don't agree with mine, well, a lot of those come from Canada even if the listed country of the reviewer is a different one so I would not be surprised if they are fake reviews written to build up the company's profile.
DE
Email Barbara & Michael Kertess | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfect planning, extraordinary guide Edward, excellent accomodations !
It was our first safari (Serengeti and Ngorongoro ) with this tour operator. The tour was perfectly planned by the CEO Henry. He was always asking about the daily service and if all is OK. Edward was an extraordinary driver and guide with excellent knowledge about the animals. Our accomodations were very nice and comfortable. We can recommend this tour operator and will use them at our next safari, probably next year.
CA
Email David Pan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience and very helpful when things don't go smootly
When going to a safari you can't expect everything to go smoothly, but at northern masailands you can trust that they do whatever they can to ensure your time is enjoyable. They provide top notch service with an excellent and knowledgable tour guide and great cook and excellent and safe driver. My wife and I really enjoyed our time. During one of the camps we overheard some complaints from the other safari groups but we certainly had none with northern masailands.
US
Email Claire | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari for Great Price
My two friends and I were looking for a budget safari but we still wanted to go to the best parks and see all the animals. We ended up going with Northern Masailand Safaris because Henry, the owner, was persistent and a good businessman. He matched and even beat other quotes we received from other companies. He set us up with a group who were already planning a safari during the same time, and was very flexible with our needs. We visited the top 5 parks in Tanzania in 5 days, and even saw the Big 5 in the first three days! While I originally wanted to spend more time in Serengeti, it was fun to see a different terrain every day. (although, if you have more time, I would recommend more time in Serengeti) We had a fantastic time and loved our guide, Saleh and the cheft, Faraj. We have no regrets and have great memories and pictures to remind us of an awesome safari!
ES
Email Ignacio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely reliable
Always helpfull, before and during the trip. Always on time. Very friendly staff. They provided us a nice hotel in Arusha. The food was very good both on the trekking and on the safari.
If I visit Tanzania again I will choose them.