Happy safari guides from Aardvark Expeditions
Aardvark Expeditions
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $650 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful, fun and fully immersed in the Tanzanian national parks
We did a safari with Aardvark expeditions in September 2014 and it was all we expected and more. We chose to do 5 days, just the two of us, and toured the Tarangire, Serengeti and Nogorongoro Crater. The whole safari was organised by Philemon, who took great care of my partner and I on our arrival and departure days in Arusha. He was also very prompt when answering the many questions I had prior to our trip. On our arrival, he made sure we were well catered for at our lodge and even took us to an amazing African restaurant, where we felt immersed in the Tanzanian culture, far away from the many tourists in Arusha.
Godefrey (driver) and Moses (cook) formed a fantastic team and were eager to make our safari a memorable experience. And it was definitely memorable. We saw all the big 5! Yes, there’s a bit of luck involved but on a couple of occasions Godefrey spotted animals from miles away and drove us to them. The most amazing example was when he spotted a Rhino in the Ngorongoro Crater (only 15 left in the entire park!) on our last day. You definitely needed sharp eyes to see it. We also saw plenty of zebras, gazelles, elephants, giraffes, lions, lionesses, cubs etc. and had quite a few sightings of leopards and cheetahs. Moses was a fantastic cook, making much needed warm soup when the weather was getting chilly in the evening and the most delicious one was his cucumber soup. His pancakes were also really delicious. Both Moses and Godefrey chose a great campsite in the Seronera area of the Serengeti. It was very quiet, laid back and there was a burrow of Banded Mongoose nearby, which meant that we had the most incredible sighting of a pack of 20 leaving it together in the morning. It was wonderful to witness wildlife this close-up as soon as waking up. We definitely had great fun during our five days with them, felt safe and even learnt a few words of Swahili.
I hardly recommend Aardvark expeditions, especially if you want to get a true feel for the parks. We chose to do 5 days, including 2.5 in the Serengeti and I highly recommend this circuit too. 5 days is perfect to take the time to see the animals. Doing just 3 parks and staying at least 2 days in the Serengeti is best as we never felt like we were rushing from one park to the next.
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Aardvark Expeditions - Highly recommendable
Me and my family had the most wonderful safari experience in Tanzania with Aardvark Expeditions. Philemon Joel (the manager) was very patient to answer all our questions before we made our reservation with him. He met us at the bus terminal late in the evening in Arusha and took us to our hotel and had a detailed information before our trip. He also provided us with a fantastic safari guide - Samuel - who took us to three parks (Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater Tour).
Highly recommendable as a trustworthy safari company in Tanzania, price-worthy and flexible tour operator with high reputation.
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly Recommended Local Safari Company
We did a Budget Safari Camping Tour (7 days, 6 nights) with Aardvark in Dec 2014-Jan 2015. We visited 4 National Parks (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara) and were overall very pleased with the trip! We chose to have one extra day in Serengeti (total 3 nights), which we highly recommend!
We were two couples travelling together in our own safari vehicle (private tour). We stayed in tents of good quality with comfortable mattresses. The campsites chosen by Aardvark were very good (especially the one in Serengeti, which was small and quite) – always very close to the real wildlife!
The vehicle was equipped with a power inverter (for charging cameras), which came very handy with all the photographing ☺ We had some minor problems with the car, but Julius, the driver, always managed to fix it quickly.
Julius (guide and driver) and Moses (cook) made up a really great duo. They took great care of us all week and really made the trip a memorable and fun experience for us. Julius was very knowledgeable and told us a lot about the different animals as well as the culture of Tanzania, although a bit quieter so we had to ask many questions. Thanks to him we managed to see plenty of animals and all the “Big Five”! We appreciated his responsibility, both towards animals and other tourist groups, and he always drove safely. Moses cooked very tasteful food and also taught us Swahili throughout the trip. He always had a smile on his face and spread a friendly atmosphere.
We would highly recommend Aardvark as a local, trustworthy and knowledgeable safari tour operator! Philemon (the manager) was always very accommodating and patiently answered all the questions that we had prior to our trip. He also met up with us at our hotel the night before the Safari to go through the itinerary and answer any questions - a nice and professional gesture. The trip turned out to be just as stated in the itinerary we received when booking 7 months earlier. The safari trip with Aardvark exceeded our expectations!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Top choice!
We chose Aardvark because they are a local company and their price was by far the best.
The company was great to deal with and they always responded very promptly and thoroughly to our queries.
The trek itself was spectacular. Our guide had a great knowledge of the mountain and plants and made sure that we were well looked after. The food and porters were outstanding and we really enjoyed the experience.
Two tips if you are climbing Kili, read the equipment list on the website and make sure you are well prepared. And secondly, remember that you'll be required to tip the crew at the end of the trip so take some money with you! It works out to about $250-300 pp. This is standard for most companies and a great way to reward to crew for all their hard work!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Aardvark Expeditions , the best choice :)
We have been to Tanzania, in Oct 2014 with only 2 goals in our mind: have fun and enjoy safari. If the first goal was our responsibility, a group of 10 joyful people, the second one was only possible with the greatest account of Aardvark Expeditions team. We left Arusha in 2 cars, each having a guide and a chef. Apart following their job description, they were so friendly and funny which made the good bye more painful. The guides were very well informed, and we did learn a lot, they knew the 'lucky spots' in the savannah where we could enjoy the view of wild animals and somehow, they made us feel safe in the camp when the night was falling and the wild beasts were pinpointing their red eyes at us, behind the bushes. The itinerary is established from the beginning, depending on how many days you want to spend in the safari, but at the same time they were very flexible with our requests, for example, when we asked to stop and visit a maasai village or, to go on the opposite way so we can buy some souvenirs from a local market. The food was excellent, we had 3 meals/day and the soups were memorable :) Our tour included, a maasai village, Manyara Lake camping for one night in tents with beds, Ngorongoro Crater, camping on the rim of the volcano, Serengeti National Park, camping in a very nice and quite private camp, Victoria Lake and visiting a fishing village and eventually they drove us to Mwanza, so we can carry on our adventure.
I would strongly recommend Aardvark Expeditions for anyone who wants to mix safari adventure and fun.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience
Many thanks to Philemon for organising a fantastic Killimanjaro Climb and Safari for us. I can highly recommend Aardvark as we received great support and he really cared for us in every detail.
Super friendly guy and everything in our whole trip went great!
CH
Email Jakob Michael van den Bos | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
From booking to actual safari an excellent experience.
When contacting Aardvark Expeditions, Philemon was very responsive and all my questions were answered quickly. He picked us up at the airport, briefed us before and debriefed us after the safari, he showed real interest in our experiences and valued us as customers.
I think, that they offer real great value, all our expectations where more than fullfilled. Safaris are not cheap but I think, that Aardvark has very good offers on a lower budget. We went on a 6D5N lodge safari to Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. We had an exceptionally nice and good driver who showed us all the views an Animals we wanted to see and even more. All accomodations were very good and some were outstanding.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Knowledgeable drivers/guides, excellent cooking, friendly and helpful staff - memorable experience
This was fabulous experience for my family. Aardvark made the safari easy, knowledgeable, safe, and memorable. The guides/drivers were very knowledgeable and safe drivers. They understood our needs and how to make the safari pleasant and enjoyable. They made sure we saw as many animals as possible and educated us on their habits. They also saw to our needs and comfort. The cooking was excellent. The meals were plentiful and tasty! I highly recommend Aardvark Expeditions.
CA
Email Sandy Bain | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome Safari Experience with Aardvark Expeditions
We did a 5 day (6 night) safari with Aardvark Expeditions. It was an awesome experience. Philmon made sure that everything was handled ahead of time, so that there weren't any surprises and we got exactly what we wanted. We saw the Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Parks and they were amazing. Our Tour Guide, Amani, did a great job driving us around and answering all the questions we had. He was also really good at finding the animals. Our locations were great (we did the luxury tents) and the food was wonderful. I would highly recommend Aardvark Expeditions to anyone going to Tanzania, they do a great job!
BE
Email Dieter Schmitt | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustable company with good value for money and personal service
We booked our safari (5 days 4 nights - Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro) and our Mt Meru trekking with Aardvark. From booking untill now, owner Philemon Joel has taken care of our trip with great care and personal interest, providing excellent service (even in difficult circumstances).
The safari was a budget safari, having arrangements at public campsites. Cooking was excellent (better than most hotel/lodges) and guiding was good. We saw all of the big 5!! Material provided (tents and matras were of good quality ensuring good night rest). Washrooms of the public sites could be better but that s beyond Aardvark control.
Mount Meru climbing started perfectly, with good English speaking guide and excellent cooking at first night but we had to stop our trekking unfortunately due to forest fire blocking the track. Aardvark took the right decision by ensuring our safety and going down again. Philemon immediatly looked for an alternative stay when the lodge we were before was fully booked, which was a great help and much appreciated. He also refunded the costs for the days we didn t have!
Overall we are extremely happy with the service profided and can recommend Aardvark as a trusthworthy and good partner!