East African Safari & Touring Company
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1992)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $230 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
EASTCO excellent planning, knowledgable operater,and caters for individual ideas.
Here is our trip report from our safari to Tanzania with EASTCO, last September.
This was not our first trip to Tanzania, so we didn't do a normal safari.
We flew with Emirates from Melbourne to Nairobi and stayed the night at Silver Springs.
The next morning EASTCO had organised a private transfer for us to Arusha which was much more comfortable than the shuttles I had taken in the past.
Flexible departure time ,no crowds at the border, and more time to see the sights.
We spent a couple of days in Arusha visiting the markets , Arusha National Park to see the Colobus Monkeys and stayed at Momella Lodge. We stayed here before, my last time was over 10 years ago. The views of Mount Kilimanjaro across the plains each afternoon was the reason we came back . It has been renovated since my first visit and lost a lot of its charm I think as well. I was a bit surprised at how close to the park some of the farms and houses were now.
We then went to Ngorongoro Crater and stayed at the Wildlife Lodge for 2 nights. This was a special place for me as I stayed here on my first visit to Tanzania in 1985. No zebra steaks this time! But the views from my bedroom window were as spectacular as I remembered.
We had two trips into the crater, one early morning which was okay , but it was blowing a cold wind and we did not see as much as I would have thought. The afternoon drive was fantastic, a bit warmer and also not so many other safari goers. We did also manage to see a couple of black rhinos quite close near to the forest.
Then we headed to the Serengeti Wildlife Lodge again for 3 nights. One of the reasons we stayed here was the swimming pool which was built into the rocks, as we were travelling with a 9 year old child and wanted somewhere to relax as well as see the wildlife.
The Serengeti was superb as usual, lots of lions and 2 leopards, we also had a bit of rain and found some migration an hour or so away. The many hyrax around the lodge was constant source of entertainment as well.
The last part of our trip was a visit to Tarangerie, still one of my favourite parks and I never get tired of watching the elephants.
We stayed 1 night at the Safari Lodge , really enjoyed the views and the swimming pool.
We stayed 2 nights at Boundary Hill Lodge. The rooms were very private and the views spectacular over the valley below. I really enjoyed a bath on the veranda while taking in the views and the serenity around me.
We visited a Masai boma, it was about an hours drive to get there ,but the sheer remoteness only added to the overall experience. We did a night drive as well and saw a few impala, genet cat and bat eared foxes.
I think the combination of the Safari Lodge and Boundary Hill Lodge was perfect, two different experiences completely.
Everything on our safari with EASTCO was excellent and I am already making plans for a return trip. So far I have only been during the dry season, so I am looking forward to seeing the Serengeti in March.
CO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sad ending of a dreamed safari
After lots of research we contacted Simon King at Eastco and were very pleased with the tour that he designed for us - although the level of communication (answering our questions, etc,) dropped dramatically once we had paid. The price for the tour was to include all expenses for transportation, food and lodging within Tanzania and admission to the parks and reserves selected. Our initial flight from Dar to Mwanza went smoothly, but our first problem occurred when nobody met us at Mwanza as arranged: effectively we lost half a day before arrangements were evidently cobbled together to get us to our first stop, where our drivers met us the next morning. The next problem occurred when without previous notice, our lodging was changed from Serengeti to tents at a mountain site closer to Ngorongoro - obviously an improvised solution, as we were unprepared for such a cold site and the camp had been hastily set up the day before, and there were insufficient blankets the first two nights; also, the isolation of the site required a long 2 and 1/2 hour drive over a bumpy dirt road to get to and from Serengeti for the additional two days planned there. This way it was impossible to get there early in the morning and we lost many hours in the Serengeti, one of our priorities. Things got worse when we got to Tarangire National Park and there was no money in the debit cards the guides had to pay entrances, and we stayed for three hours at the entrance trying to communicate with the company via email and phone, only after we called the Tourist Board did they contact us and told us to pay the entrance assuring they would reimburse us the following day (today 15 days later still no refund). That night when we got to beautiful Boundary Hill we where surprised with a New Year's dinner of only rice, there where no provisions or drinks (not even water) in the lodge. After the same experience in Arusha National Park (we were stuck at the entrance with no money in the card to pay and this time only one car for the group of eight since Mr. King decided to change guides and failed to replace wonderful Edward on time.) At this point, we decided to pay a visit to him at his "office" in Arusha and refused to leave until we reached an agreement. We ended up paying the entrance to this park as well. Faced with the risk of being stranded without funds for entering parks, etc. during the remainder of our tour, we came to a compromise agreement with Mr, King: much against our will, we abandoned the remainder of our planned itinerary and instead would go to Zanzibar (which would be cheaper than completing the tour as planned) and that Mr. King would refund the entrance fees we had had to pay, the difference in cost between Zanzibar and our planned itinerary and would compensate us for the more than three days lost. This all adds up to several thousand dollars, of which we have not received a penny so far. Perhaps the most irritating and frustrating aspect of this was the difficulty in communicating with Mr. King, and the fact that he offered different versions of the situation virtually every tome we were in contact with him
Experience level: first safari
Unique experience with the amazing wildlife, scenery and interacting with the local people
Communications were very prompt and good, price was reasonable. The tour itself was amazing; the scenery, wildlife and the remoteness and uniqueness of some of the campsites contributed to this. However the best thing about the company was the staff in the field- they were very knowledgeable, friendly and prepared to do their utmost to ensure that your experience was the best you could possibly have. Cosmos the driver/guide and Paul the chef were excellent examples of this.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
12 day safari to Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Tarangire
We wrote off to half a dozen companies, most of whom came back within a couple of days, however, Simon at EASTCO seemed to have a more professional approach and the accompanying explanatory documentation was extremely helpful and just what we were looking for. Although his was probably the most expensive, we preferred his suggestion of starting in Mwanza rather than Arusha. For the first week we stayed in ‘special’ campsites which means that you take in everything you need – water, food, dig your own loo and a much more basic way of living. A bit more expensive than staying in public campsites but so much nicer. We also stayed in a couple of beautiful lodges during the second week - Boundary Hill in Tarangire was one of the most stunning places I've ever stayed in. In terms of equipment, the tents could do with a bit of repair and the Landrover was old but serviceable but it wasn’t an issue for us. We stopped a few times to help the newer Landcruisers who had broken down but our Landrover drove through anything and, to be honest, in wet season you would need this type of vehicle to access some of the places we went to. Tanzanian people are the loveliest, friendliest ever. I felt incredibly safe and everybody we met was helpful and courteous. Our guide, Cosmos, was absolutely superb and I cannot speak highly enough of him – cheerful and hugely knowledgeable. EASTCO is a good organisation and I would certainly recommend them and use them again. All accommodation was well organised and any minor issues were sorted out very quickly.
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Email Rich L | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime...Thank You EASTCO
My wife and I went on a 12 day safari with EASTCO. Before choosing EASTCO, I read all the reviews. There were many great reviews and some not so great reviews. What I definitely understood that the #1 most important aspect of the trip is the selection of tour guide. Based on many great previous reviews we requested James to be our tour guide…we made this request one year in advance of our trip.
This review is neither a blow by blow detail of our trip nor a detailed list of what to bring or not to bring. This is a review of EASTCO and all that goes into selecting a tour company, accommodations, logistics and the tour guide.
I will begin with the end….this was the most spectacular trip and far exceeded our already incredibly high expectations. Without seeing it in person it is hard to explain the beauty of Tanzania, the spectacular amount of diverse wildlife and the friendliness of the people. We saw it all….the big 5 plus so many other animals and an incredible (surprising) amount of beautiful birds. The month of February means baby animals everywhere in the park….it also meant the migration. You could look in every direction and it would be impossible to count all the Wildebeest, Zebra and Gazelle’s.
The communications with EASTCO was exclusively with Simon King. During the selection and planning phase, I must have sent Simon 20 emails. Almost without exception Simon got back to me within 24 hours. If he was later than that, he apologized and told me why it took 2 days to return my emails.
The selection of James as our driver was fantastic. James is an incredibly good guide (as you can see by all the great reviews). He is very knowledgeable about the parks, the animals (he was a great spotter of animals)….we would say “how would you know it was there?”….remember EASTCO drivers do not use radios to communicate. He was also a very good driver. We drove approximately 1,500KM during our 12 days together. So many times I witnessed out of control safari drivers and others rushing from one place to another. As they rushed past us...inevitably they would miss so much to see from the varied landscape to the far off lions on the rocks. James made our vacation fantastic….that is how important a driver can be for the overall experience.
Our safari car was a Landrover Defender 110 with slightly less than 300K miles before we started and more than 301K after we finished. There are a lot of newer safari vehicles in the parks, but ours was just right for us. Our car had no mechanical issues and several times we pulled over to help out other broken down safari vehicles….mostly Toyota Landcruisers. The vehicle was comfortable and very effective….remember you are not driving down a highway in America, you are on Tanzanian dirt roads with so many ruts and holes.
The logistics of a safari can be a nightmare….there are so many opportunities to miss being picked up or dropped off. The logistics for our trip were spot on and perfect…that is very important and showed the communications between EASTCO and the drivers, greeters, etc were handled without incident.
Our itinerary was designed by Simon and I used the Trip Advisor community to get 2nd and 3rd opinions. We took a hybrid approach to camps/lodges. We flew into Kili and overnighted in Rivertrees in Arusha. The next morning we flew to Mwanza and had a driver pick us up an bring us to Speke Bay Lodge on shores of Lake Victoria. This allowed us to get to the Ndabaka with 15 minutes from Speke Bay to start our safari. Our 1st night in the Serengeti we spent at the Four Seasons Serengeti….our 2nd night was at the EASTCO camp in between Olduvai and Ndutu, this was a basic camp but very comfortable. Our next 2 nights were spent at the Serengeti Savannah Camps and in particular camp #10….we really liked the camp location and the overall experience with Serengeti Savannah Camps. On safari we did the balloon ride with Serengeti Balloon Safari’s…the ride was great (it is fun being in a hot air balloon) but the winds were not in our favor in terms of the migration and we didn’t see a lot of animals while ballooning. After the Serengeti we went to Ngorongoro Crater for game viewing and stayed in the most spectacular lodge & Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. The following night we spent at the one EASTCO camp I would skip and that was Naitolia Camp…we thought this was too far away from everything…but the camp was still very beautiful and functional just not right for us. After Naitolia we headed to Tarangire Park for 3 nights at the Boundary Hill Lodge. I thought that 3 nights were too many at this place…but that was only before I stayed there, we loved our time at BHL. The views are spectacular and we took one full day of just relaxing, reading and playing cards…a great down day during a busy safari. We loved the incredible wildlife in Tarangire and ranked this only behind Serengeti in terms of the wildlife. After 3 nights at BHL we went to Manyara Park for a day of game viewing. We like Manyara for its diverse landscape but the wildlife is certainly less than the other parks we visited. We ended our stays with EASTCO with a final night at Ol Tukai camp on the shore (the shore was one mile away due to the time of year) of Lake Manyara. The following morning James drove us to Arusha airport for our last part of our trip 5 days at the Next Paradise Boutique Resort in Pwani Mchangani…we booked this separate from EASTCO.
One last point, when we were at the Arusha airport Simon King came by to personally see how our trip went…we talked for 10 minutes and we shared our experience with him.
Overall a trip of a lifetime which was made possible by our planning, our use of EASTCO and of course our driver James.
Email Leo and Jim (Darwin) | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Strongly recommended... friendly, open, honest would return next week
The guys were great. Simon has been fantastic on the email and we couldn't say a bad word about our guide Ezi (Ezekiel), who's patience and knowledge paid gave us the opportunity to see more than we would have otherwise. Its a trip we're continually rememissing about. We too went to the Crater, Serengiti and Boundry Hill. With the exception of the warm beers we coudn't off asked for more. The hospitatlity we were given at each of the camps (much different to the camping Aussie style) was endless. We felt and were made to feel like royalty. We have never stayed anywhere as lovely, and expected anywhere as nice as on the trip.
What remains in our mind as one of the highlights (and there were heaps) was on the first afternoon, we went for a walk with a Masai ranger above the crater where we walked a few metres from Giraffes... If that wasn't enough!!!
We had lions and lionesses walking in amongst the trucks, like we weren't even there, saw a lioness take down a couple of zebra, saw millions of zebras, to Ezi's amusement at my initial cry out. We did have a moment of apprehnsion through the drive from the Crater to Serengiti, where the road was rough, the land desoloute. I think we both had a time we wondered if we should or could have stayed at the crater but were pleasantly surprised by the pockets of natural beauty that Serengiti gave us. Its amazing that I even contemplated and feared that we wouldn't see enough or see any lions!!! we saw countless!!
Even as we left and just as we were both seated (for the first time in days) on the way out three Cheetahs just cruised on by sitting on a rock within five metres from where we had parked... At Boundry hill we were woken to Elephants roaring, guided through the park by gorgeous Masai that walked us through the country giving us a wealth of knowledge.
If we could offer one suggestion it would be, offering the guys a fridge or solar panels (more) at Boundry Hill. The lodge was outstanding and Joseph who was gorgeous ran a beautiful place. The poor guy had to put up with us beer drinking Aussie's... Thankyou guys, and sorry this has been ages in the making... I know Julie and Jim are looking forward to returning with you guys next year...
We couldn't have asked for more...
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Email Kim | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A magical safari with EASTCO.
We went on our first safari with EASTCO in February 2013 and had a magical time! We spent 16 days visiting the north of Tanzania (Speke Bay, Serengeti, Ndutu, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire, Babati, and Mkomazi). During our trip we visited some off-the-beaten-path areas along the Northern circuit which was one of our desires. The trip was 18 months in the planning with Simon and a lifelong dream trip. The trip had a lot of expectations, hopes and dreams built into it.
Simon's communication was top notch. He answered the many questions I posed and more. Communication is very important to us in our travels. Simon checked that box with ease.
Our guide, Ezekiel, was fantastic. He was a wonderful fit for us and just made the trip. A guide is so important in a trip like this.
Our camps and lodgings were perfect for us. We stayed in a mixture of: EASTCO's private camp, Boundary Hill Lodge (which is owned by EASTCO), lodges and guest houses, all helping to make the trip comfortable, fun and interesting.
Our itinerary was so nice and balanced. It gave us a mix of wildlife, scenery and culture, all of which we hoped to see and experience. Another box checked by Simon.
We saw and experienced more than we could have imagined on our safari. We saw the migration in the Nudtu area, spent days in the Serengeti and nights looking at the beautiful blackness and stars of the African night sky, visited the Kolo cave paintings near Babati, went canoeing on Lake Babati, visited a masai boma, went on a couple of walking tours, did a fantastic night drive, saw so many animals, and met interesting people.
EASTCO met each and every desire, hope and expectation we had and more. Many thanks to Simon, our guide Ezekiel and all of EASTCO. It was absolutely the trip-of-a-lifetime!
We had such a great time on this trip that we have another safari planned with EASTCO in July 2014. Can't wait to experience the southern parks of Tanzania!
Email Liz Preston | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
30 days Exploring Uganda and Tanzania
We have been back almost 3 months now and as our trip is still very fresh in our memory I thought I would write a few comments regarding what was to us sometimes worrying and then they became the most important part of our trip.
It doesn't need to be a 30 day safari for some of the things that affected us to affect others.
Visas:
Often mentioned on forums, do we do this or that. In the end we bought all our visas on arrival and no hassle what so ever. The officials at the borders couldn't have been nicer.
Health issues:
We are a couple in our early 60's and we think pretty fit.
Malaria tablets:
We did visit our local GP and he provided us with malaria prophylactics and we were vaccinated against yellow fever. A quick mention was made of other vaccinations but we politely declined.
We started taking the malaria tabs 2 days before departure and continued with them 2 weeks after we returned. I did expect to turn yellow, we have heard reports of soldiers during WWII experiencing this, we didn't but the most difficult part was to remember to take them.
We were not asked for our yellow fever booklet anywhere except on our return to Australia where were asked to show it.
We didn't have any other health issues, drank plenty of water, and ate everything that was dished up to us.
Vehicle:
We had read a lot of posts about vehicles. Ours was a Land Rover with four seats in the back, and a cool box for our drinks and lunches, this was great. Most of the other safari vehicles we saw were Toyota land Cruiser. We had a really comfortable ride no breakdowns or other issues. The roads were really rough in many areas and potholes all over the place. Dirt and dust became a common part of our day. The roof had a hatch that we could push up when we wanted to, this provided some welcome shade. I don’t think the type of roof with a canvas roll back would have suited us.
Food and water:
We had plenty of water in the vehicle which was supplied by EASTCO and it was topped as we were travelling along when the opportunity arose. We did stock up a bit in Entebbe after we arrived, which was a good idea in retrospect.
The food was generally well cooked and simple. Plenty of fruit and we also had extra in the 4x4.
Breakfast were pretty much standard wherever we went, juice, toast or bread and a sausage or frankfurter with tomato and egg. Coffee and tea is you wished.
The lunch boxes were also very similar, we did avoid the chicken and kept to fruit, juice, bread, and often nuts or a biscuit. Some lodges in Tanzania provided vegetarian pasties and chapattis which when we could have them provided the better lunch boxes. Chocolate was often offered as was the old favorite the boiled egg.
I would insist before you take your lunch box that you have some input into its contents, we always did and it was never a hassle.
Dinner, we had a variety of meals over the month long trip and the most noticeable feature was the excellent soup and homemade breads and rolls . I think pumpkin soup was the best. If you get a chance to sample the local fare do so it was fun. When we were camping we often asked for a local dish and were given it. Pilau was served up once a concoction of meat and rice, quite tasty. We always ate a lot of fruit and drank plenty of water.
Accommodation:
We stayed in a variety of accommodation from what I would call a very luxury lodge, to simple tents and then basic guest houses. I have done reviews of the accommodation elsewhere so here I will confine my comment to one per lodge.
Momella lodge had the old world atmosphere. Boundary Hill Lodge the loo with a spectacular view. Speke Bay the lake. The Boma the bed after a long flight. White Rose Guest House frankfurters. Ngorongoro Wildlife lodge the view. Naitolia camp the best of them all. Camping in Uganda was fun, Camping in the Serengeti not to be missed.
Showers:
Hot water and a shower is an essential part of my daily routine I must have at least two a day.
All the lodges and camps had hot water for a shower and the way it was delivered varied from a simple bucket shower in the tent to a beautiful outside shower under the stars.
Company:
We used Eastco for our trip. It couldn't have been better. In the planning stages, the most important part, we learnt a lot.
Go with your gut feeling, Simon was by far the most knowledgeable of all the TO we emailed, and he did go out of his way to answer all the questions and plan the trip we wanted. After the Egypt debacle and the Ugandan add on, organized on the spur of them moment we can only say “Thanks” it was the trip of a life time and was beyond our expectations.
We did follow the advice on the forum and emailed many operators suggested here, the list no expert provided was an excellent starting point, and slowly we worked out which company would work for us. Quickly eliminating those who obviously wouldn’t. We were not disappointed.
Guide:
Last but not least: Our guide was Inno and you couldn't have wished for a better fit. He was quiet when we wanted him to be, talked when we wanted to. All in all you knew he was there for you.
His knowledge of wildlife was outstanding as you would expect, as well as being polite and friendly.
Tip: we did tip him and one tip we learned was to learn a bit of Kiswahili.
Wildlife:
Almost forgot the reason for the trip. In one word superb, nothing can describe the number of wildlife nor the variety. Standouts would be the Gorillas, Elephants at Tarangire and the cheetah at Seronera.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Looked after everything
We only had limited time, three days, and we had extensive email correspondence with Simon about six months earlier when he gave us prompt and patient answers to all our many questions. We took his advice about where to go, where to stay and he took care of all the many details, airport transfers etc. Everything went like clockwork. Would recommend Eastco to anyone.
Our driver was friendly, helpful and reliable.
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a joy to experience the wildlife, culture and spaciousness of Tanzania on our EASTCO safari.
My husband and I traveled on a 12 day custom safari with EASTCO in Oct/Nov 2013. We were very happy with all aspects of the trip. We had a wonderful time with our driver James. He really made the trip a memorable experience for us. We started our safari at Lake Victoria and visited the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and Arusha Park. We stayed in a mixture of tented camps and lodges and were pleased with all of them especially the camp in the Serengeti and Boundary Hill in Tarangire. We saw so much; a lion kill a zebra, an abundance of cats, lion cubs playing, a rare sighting of a caracal, so many monkeys, herds of elephants , and so much more. We also had some very interesting cultural visits; a fishing village on Lake Victoria, a Maasai boma, and a school. Overall, it was a very great experience, James and everyone at EASTCO gave us a wonderful trip that we will never forget