Team Shemeji Safari Tanzania
Shemeji Safari Tanzania
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
DE
Email Martin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable safari experience
We had a great time on our safari trip. We chose the 5 day Northern parks comfort safari. The communication before the trip was quick and efficient, everything was easily arranged. We met our driver David in Arusha and had amazing five days of animal spotting in the most spectacular places in Tanzania. We've seen tons of animals and received interesting information about many different species as well as about Tanzania in general from David. We weren't able to see all of the Big 5 but it was greatly compensated by seeing other animals and especially having a lion taking a little break literally next to our car. The driving experience was very pleasant in spite of the great distances traveled. The accommodation in tented camps and lodges was great and we always felt taken care of. The provided lunch boxes were also very tasty. We also booked a walking safari in Lake Manyara and could recommend it very much getting a more hands on experience in comparison with the game drives.
The only thing we wouldn't recommend was the visit by the Maasai tribe on the way from Serengeti to Ngorongoro as it felt very artificial, touristy and rushed and there are probably better options for that.
All in all, an amazing experience and we can only recommend Shemeji for your safari trip!
US
Email Jarrod | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awesome!!
Awesome trip, well organized and great service provided
ES
Email Elisa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
100% WONDERFULL
It was maravellous and amazin experience.
Everything was perfect.
The Safari was wonderfull with Michael, our guide tour.
He is very polite and profesional. He saw us everything with calm and he knew everything very well. He saw the great five animals. He also drove very well and we felt safe with him. He is very good at his good.
The hotels were so beatifull…we really enjoyed and spent very good time. All the workers with mask and very clean everything.
I recomended then for sure, i had one of the best holidays in my life thanks to them.
HU
Email Ferenc | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic, kind and helpful
We spent an awesome time in Tanzania during our safaris. The Shemeji team and also our guide Adam were really helpful and nice. We were also extremely lucky cuz we managed to see a pack of lions eating from close range, and also a leopard which is rare to find even in the natinal parks. The safari guide was relly patient and gave a whole review about the parks we have seen, not to mention that he was even fluent in english. We were quartered in big tents which were absolutely comfortable, they got heated up a bit during the day, but it was acceptable, since we arrived back from the parks around 6 pm. when the weather is not that hot. The accomodation also included breakfast and dinner which were really tasty, also the portions were huge.
All in all thanks for the Shemeji Safari team for the great adventure we really enjoyed it.
US
Email Tiffany | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Attentive operator for a fun filled trip with lots of wildlife
We chose the 6-Days comfort Safari for me, and my two parents (60s) during Christmas 2021. This was a trip of a lifetime for them due to their age and wanted to do something special and chose Shemeji after shopping around a few other operators.
Overall it was a fantastic trip - caring/responsive safari operator, very helpful and knowledgeable guide, saw a ton of animals (even the elusive ones like the cheetah, leopard, lions) and got to catch the early part of the wildebeest/zebra migration which was lovely to see.
Pros
+ Guide: David was our guide and was amazing - first, he is very kind and nice guy - so fun/great to be around. He was receptive to changes we wanted to make (e.g., impromptu stops for bathroom, wanted to go souvenir shopping at a reasonably priced market), and made a pro-active effort to find animals (we saw Big 5 minus the enigmatic rhino but they are endangered species so makes sense) as well as patiently answer all my questions about animals (there were a lot of questions!). I also appreciated that he kept the car very clean as well every day since there is a bunch of dust/dirt that can creep in the car from the game drives and supplied us with ample water.
+ Communication/Service: Before the trip, I was contacting Shemeji quite a bit due to potential Covid restrictions (Omicron was just announced a few weeks before the safari) and about pricing, logistics - they were all very responsive via Whatsapp so definitely appreciated that. During the trip, I had Whatsapp working most of the time (due to my phone plan) and when I had concerns, it was easy to contact Michael (GM of hotels), Fidelis (operations), and David. The context was that there was a mix up between HQ and the hotel which they 1) 2nd camp did not know my dietary preferences, 2) how many days to stay at a hotel, 3) did not know there were 3 people in one room vs a room prepared for just 2 (for 1, 2, and 3 - this was communicated to Shemji when we paid a few months ago) and 4) did not pack two of our bags when we went from 1 hotel to the next and we only realized when were hours into the drive. I flagged this to Shemeji (Michiel, and the hotel manager) and the next day this was rectified (i.e., able to accommodate to my dietary restrictions with the following meals, gave an extra room for the last night, bought key items from the misplaced luggage like toothpaste toothbrush) and figured out a plan to get the luggage back (last day but luckily there were not tons of critical items). Really appreciated the responsiveness and the customer service/attentiveness to solve the problems.
+ Accommodation: For a comfort safari, though the accommodations were great - clean, high quality tents. Highlight was that for the Lake Manyara safari there were zebras grazing on the grounds!
Things to note
+ Food: The lunch boxes could be a little more varied/higher quality food - a lot of chicken legs, some rice, and hard boiled eggs. i think this is a matter of the price we paid for the safari though and the fact we are in the bush so it's not something I really minded. Sharing this info for people who are very food minded.
+ Car: Overall our car worked great - there was 2 large cracks in the window but it didn't affect our trip (David said it would be fixed and the company knew it) and great to have phone chargers in the car and a fridge. What I noticed was that across our 6 day trip, the two other Shemeji cars broke down for various reasons (one was a car malfunction issue with a sensor and one that was human error (the driver drove over something in the evening but no one was hurt). The result was that we had to tow one of the cars for 2~ hours in the Serengeti instead of going on our game drive. Of course we wanted to help out other car (and did) but the opportunity cost is that we were unable to really see the Serengeti which was a highlight. Understandably, things like this happen on this type of terrain but my observation that this frequency seemed a bit odd to me. Not sure if this frequency of car problems is something typical of all companies or just Shemeji.
+ Covid protocol: The servers all wore masks but the drivers/other staff typically did not - I am sure that if we asked David to mask up during the game drives he would have but we did not since there were was mostly a lot of air blowing through the car. Also, almost every other driver we saw also did not wear masks so this is not Shemeji specific. Depending on how Covid cautious you are, you may want to set expectations upfront!
BE
Email Daniel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Service, Amazing Communication, High Standards
We used the services of Shemeiji Safari for our honeymoon trip at the end of 2021. We chose the provider for a good value/price ratio, a itinerary meeting our expectations and great reviews. The pre-trip communication was clear, smooth and transparent. The Shemeiji employees were replying swiftly to our inquiries (thank you once again Emma and Anna!). There was flexibility about the payment (only a small pre-payment) which we highly appreciated in the uncertain times of Covid. Shortly before our departure we received a summary of all relevant information and contacts which was very helpful.
The trip itself was an amazing experience. Joseph, the guide and driver, was very friendly, fun to spend time with, helpful and very knowledgeable. He was always making sure we were enjoying our trip and that we were not in need of anything. He accommodated all our requests (like leaving a bite sooner/later, passing by a shop or ATM etc.). He was extremely good at sensing and spotting the game and thanks to him we saw many more animals than we expected. Asante sana, Joseph!
The accommodation was great too. We chose the Comfort 7 day trip option so we stayed in tents with ensuite bathrooms. The tents are more glamping than camping so we had lots of comfort after the long days. Shemeiji is a part of Paradise and Wilderness Group, a Dutch owned company owning also most of the accommodation we stayed in. As the companies are integrated, everything passed really smoothly and keeping a high European standard.
There are few minor things to improve (for example the food can get very repetitive) but these were only minor issues.
Overall, we had a great experience with Shemeiji and I can only recommend their services!
CA
Email Leslie Hickey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent professional and knowledgeable tour guide!
We went on the family trip of a lifetime with Shemeji Safaris! We can't say enough about our driver and tour guide Adam. He was courteous, professional, capable and his knowledge of animals and the parks was outstanding. He was patient with our family and all our questions. He always answered everything with a so much knowledge and experience. He pointed out animals constantly that we would have missed if we were self-guided. He was constantly scanning the landscape while driving through the parks, using his knowledge and experience to guide us to the areas where we had amazing animals sightings and experiences. At one time, he pointed out a grey heron eating a green mamba snake, definitely a highlight of our trip. He spotted a black rhino from a long distance in the Ngorongoro Crater which we would definitely have missed otherwise with our untrained eyes, he searched and searched the trees of Arusha National Park until he could point out the Black and White Colobus Monkey, found only in this park. At one point, on safari in Lake Manyara National Park, he noticed all the Blue Monkeys chattering very loudly high up in all the trees. The noise was quite loud, but we did not know this was a signal. He stopped the jeep, backed up and explained that there was a predator in the area which was why the monkeys were reacting. A moment later, a leopard popped out of the bush right beside our jeep! What a thrill! We got some excellent pictures of him crossing the road. Thank you Adam for making this such a memorable family experience. We will never forget it!
CA
Email Richard and Lindsey | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely receptive and communicative. Delivered as promised and more.
From the booking process with Emma to the drop off by our guide Good Living on our last day, our tour was incredible. Good Living, our safari driver and guide, was knowledgeable, friendly, and a pleasure to spend 4 days with. He was informative with safari related information in addition to discussing local culture and history. Accommodations were beautiful, comfortable and beyond anything we expected with a safari. Service at our lodges/camps was outstanding, very customer focus and great food. The rooms were comfortable and located on beautiful properties where you could see and hear wildlife. Our boxed lunches were more than enough and delicious. We highly recommend the 4 day 3 night Northern Circuit where we were able to see the Big Five and much more thanks to Good Living’s experience.
AE
Email Juan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Second amazing experience with Shemeji
From day one, David, our driver made us love the experience. The lodges were very nice, the food was great, the game drives were amazing and David was super knowledgeable and friendly. He was also very accommodating to our needs and we just loved it.
CH
Email Noël & Janine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thanks for the unforgetable journey!
We booked the 8 day lodge safari and would defintely do it again. The organisation and communication before and during our trip was very good, all the accomodations were perfect (very cozy) and beautiful situated and the game drives were absolutely amazing. Joseph, our guide and driver, spotted just everything! We were lucky and could see all of the big five.
We very recommend Shemeji Safari and say thank you, it was great!