We wish you a very warm welcome! Karibu!
Paradise & Wilderness
- Offices In:
-
Netherlands
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TALA & ZATI
- Tour Types:
- Mid-range & luxury tours that, when possible, use accommodations owned and operated by them
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
US
Email Michael Grant | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
As close as one can get to experiencing wildlife in Serengeti
Pros:
1. Easy to book. For someone who doesn’t know much about the lay of the land, travel time, road conditions, how to connect points, the relative yield of different parts of Serengeti, they assign lodges, travel time and day time itinerary in most optimal way. Now that I have done my trip, I could probably optimize better to suit my needs but that is always the case.
2. At first, it seemed expensive, esp given that we were only two in our group and not four, I think it is priced right. I think Paradise should be open to the idea of matching others in your Jeep to lower the cost like Trafalgar, Globus, Cosmos etc. do for touring most countries except for Egypt and Turkey.
3. Their Jeeps were well fitted with camera recharging power strip. They should have announced that in their brochure as then I would not have carried my heavy power bank fearing I might run out of juice in the middle of day.
4. The food they served for lunch and dinner was good quality and plenty. I came back heavier! Their lunch was relatively weak mainly because you get coffee, pancakes (very different from the ones you get in the US), toast etc. Slim pickings. But if you ask, you will get Spanish omelet at every single resort. If you don’t know about it, you will live on cold cereal each morning. They make good Spanish omelet and that too a chunky one. Ask for chicken sausages too, as they are not set out on their table. Their boxed lunch is more than one can eat. However their boxed lunch often requires you to use your bare hands, like eating chicken with bone or peeling eggs, and your hands often have red dirt on them. Most picnic areas had running water and soap but some of them did not. So that could become an issue. Carry hand sanitizer at the very least. No paper towels anywhere, even at good hotels in Arusha!
5. Their tents were very good. No bugs or mosquitoes inside. In fact it should be listed as a hotel room. I think the tent is there to give you the feeling that you are more connected with nature. The sounds come in all night long with game calls and even growls of lion frequently. You open the vents and breeze runs through. There were times when we were in the tent during midday and it became hot. At least three times the power went out, but only one time the power was out for 2 hours. It became hot during midday. The power never goes out at night, so I believe it was turned off due to certain reason like maintenance or batteries running low.
6. They don’t have any properties within Serengeti park. This means you really can’t do morning and evening game drives. Animals bed down when sun is high and the day is hot. That is when you too should be back at your lodge, bedding down. Since your trip with Paradise is limited to their properties, you miss out on twice daily game drives when game is most active. I think they should tie up with some property within the park to give you that twice daily experience but then of course the cost will go up. Twice daily game drive, that is morning and evening, from Paradise resorts is not possible due to drive time and also because Serengeti NP will charge you two separate entrance fees. So maybe it behooves you to stay in the park overnight, but I am sure that too comes at extra cost, for overnight stay in the park like Yellowstone NP campers must pay.
7. I never used Tanzania Shilling. Did all my business in USD. They quote prices in USD at resort like when you buy beer etc. I probably lost some money due to poor conversion rates but it made life easier. They always charge at least 2.5% credit card usage fee, regardless of how big or how small is a business operation. So keep that in mind.
Cons:
1. Internet was sketchy. I know it is Wilderness area but people have to connect with their families esp when going into remote areas. At Ikoma Lodge, internet never worked anywhere. It connected but no transfer of data. Even the staff tried but no data exchange. I was there for 4 nights. At Masai Boma it worked great but only in the restaurant. At South Serengeti it worked great, even in your tent. At Lake Manyara lodge, it worked good in the restaurant but it was a long walk away and after dark you can’t go there since wildlife roams around freely. You have to be escorted. This means you can’t text your family at 10p because you don’t have an escort. At Lake Manyara office, it connected but data transfer was slow. No internet in your tent.
2. Then each time you had to log in, you had to use their password. One password per device, good only for 24 hours. It would be a 9 digit number. Mercifully not alphanumeric. Often required multiple times to enter that number. Then they would generate another number that would work but not the number I was given. Seems like they were handing out expired numbers. Well hello, only those who stay in Paradise resorts, past their security gates, are using their free wifi. What’s the big deal with wifi passwords!! Just make it open wifi.
3. Their beds are firm. Because it doesn’t have springs in them. I like firm beds. I grew up on these mattresses so I liked it. But American might find it too firm.
4. Serengeti forest has Tsetse flies in May and June. You will get bit by them. I used full sleeve pants and shirts, 100% DEET and a face net when we were plowing through tall grass. The driver guide thought they were Cecil flies so I was not on alert. But later on when I had internet, I figured out that these were Tsetse flies (driver called it Cecil, as it sounds similar to Tsetse, I even made him spell it). It can cause sleeping sickness in those who are bit several times in the forest like rangers, guides etc. Probably not the tourists. Still the bite is painful and itches for days. The company brochure should at least mention Tsetse flies during wet months. 100% DEET works decent but not perfect. Face net worked great for me but nobody else had it. It should be listed on their packing list. Because sometimes they sit on your face or neck and you can’t feel them, until they bite. You can’t keep fanning them away all the time, off your face, since you are using cameras or holding on to jeep going through ditches. Long sleeve shirts and pants are a must when you go through those fly zones. Wear shorts or short sleeves at your own peril. They are not there in July onward, that is dry months, for the most part, I am told.
5. Day 7 and 9 were sold to us as Looking for Great Migration. So I had thought that I might see some game migration. It turns out the the Great Migration happens ONLY when Serengeti is dry, that is July and August. The month of August is ideal if you want to see the Migration. But it is hot and dusty. I was there in first half of June, still somewhat wet but green with wildflowers, more tolerable drives for us, pleasant 74 to 78 degrees, more tolerable for game as well, but then tsetse flies come with wet weather. I might do another short trip some day to see just the migration.
Overall a wonderful experience like none other I have had in my life.
NL
Email Koen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good!
The trip was wonderful! We had such a nice guide, Khalid. He told us beautiful stories and we saw all the animals we’d hoped to see. The lodges are very clean and the service is perfect.
AT
Email Peter | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
very good very exactly
It was a fantastic experience. It was a wonderful trip. All was perfect also our guids Edward and James. two fantastic boys. !!!!!
FR
Email Hichem | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful stay
a wonderful site. a welcome and great kindness from the whole team.
Fantastic, all was perfect.
All was fantastic. Our guide was great. The people very friendly. The lodges very good and very clean. It was The perfect vacacion. Thank you very much for this dream.
NO
Email Rakel Christina Granaas | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well organized with a friendly, knowledgeable and caring guide/chauffeur named Engelbert
Our guide could tell us all about the landscape and animals in Serengeti. He took good care of us and lead us to amazing experiences. Good value for money, safe and communicative.
We got far more and it was so much better than we expected! Every time again with JAMES !!
We had an amazing time in Tanzania, the best AFRIKA you can get, I would say!! And worth every EURO !! So wonderful Accomodations, best and deliciois food prepared for us, and ALWAYS fresh fruits nd WATER for us including!
It was so good, because our professional Drivers and TOUR guides
JAMES and Vincent had this outstanding feeling for all the people in the group, to make everbody feel comfortable and of course - THEY can DRIVE their vehicles - the land cruisers - in a special way in all this changing conditions rain and desert - they got o much respect for this capability from all of us !! ALWAYS felt so safe !
And the way they SCAN the area for the wild animals is outstanding, too! We got to see all the big WILD cats with babies, how amazing is that !!
And the final of our 2 weeks SAFARI in the National Parks was a very special highlight to me.
to be IN the big migration for like two hours.. ..imagine between 1000 of GNUS and ZEBRAS... just out of this world !!
Thanks you so much JAMES & Vincent, you made it possible !!
We hope to come back to Tanzania soon !
BE
Email Filip Callens | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic experience!
Fantastic experience with Paradise & Wilderness. Everything tailor-made for a fair price. Everything was also arranged in detail, from hotel to transfers!
Thank you for giving us this fun trip!
Especially the manager of Africa Selous and our driver were outstanding. Also Lisa from the customer service!
(automatic translation from Dutch)
US
Email Mateusz | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent expirence from start to finsh.
The Beach & Safari Holiday Zanzibar package was perfect for us, the timing between each destination was just right, and P&W customer service was amazing – not only they were able to accommodate extra nights for our cancelled & delayed flights, but they also arranged a cake for my wife’s birthday in between our Safari extrusions.
Our trip started from arriving in Stone City where a driver with our name picked us up and took to the Shaba Boutique Hotel. We stayed there for 2 days (just 1.5 days if counting early departure and recovery time from our flights) but it was enough to take a walking tour of the city to see Slave market among other interesting points, visit Freddie Mercury Museum, and eat at local restaurants (highly recommend Cape Town Fish Market). We did use a 3rd party website to book the walking tour so I can’t comment on the in-house extrusion services. The flight to Arusha for Safari was early in the morning but our driver already was waiting for us with our plane tickets to take us to the airport.
Safari 1st day:
When we arrived in Arusha, Ed our tour guide and driver was already waiting. He took us to Tarangire park for our 1st Safari drive. The drive from the airport was pretty long, about 2 hours or so but was well worth it. Tarangire park was amazing, we got to see all of the animals in that park including a sleeping leopard. The park drive was about 4 hours or so and then another 1.5 hours to get to our accommodations in Lake Manyara.
Safari 2nd day:
This was a “slow day” – it only included a visit to Maasai Boma village that lasted about 2hrs. You can book another day trip or just relax at the campsite. We wish we knew this early as by the time we wanted to book an excursion later that day it was tool late for any tours that would interest us.
We enjoyed the camp site – we stayed in a tent with full bathroom/shower. They also have a bar, pool and restaurant but the most amazing view is the animals walking all over the place, zebras and baboons were everywhere you looked, including running on our tents in the morning. The restaurant offered good dinner options, but breakfast could be a bit better – it was the same thing without a choice every morning. The lunch boxes were ok but it did seem that the main food consisted of left overs from the last night’s dinner. The staff was nice and accommodating.
Safari 3rd day
Ngorongoro Crater Safari Drive - about 2hrs drive from the camp site, we spent about 5-6 hours at the park which was even better than Tarangire in my view. We also got lucky and saw all the animals the park has to offer including lions, hyenas and rhinos.
Safari 4th Day:
Lake Manyara drive – which is the same park the camp site is located. It is a very small park with not a lot of tourists but we also got lucky and saw a bunch of lions, families of elephants among the usual zebras and baboons. The drive was fairly short about 2.5hrs as our flight to Zanzibar was in the early afternoon.
Zanzibar Reef and Beach Resort:
We stayed at the villa right at the beach with ocean view and private hammock and beach chairs. The place is very well kept and has the “paradise” vibe. Every night they had some form of entertainment and during the day you could either stay at the pool or book an excursion to explore the island. Breakfast and Dinner options were good, but the snack bar could have a better variety of snacks since the restaurant is only open during specific time frames for dinner and breakfast.
The beach is pretty non existing especially during low tides. The Jetty Bar can somewhat compensate with their beach chairs and places to relax but if you are the type to just lay in the sand by the ocean, this might not be the place for you.
We did end up going to Paje Beach which is a short taxi ride - the beach there is amazing and there are plenty of restaurants along the way - highly recommend Mr. Kahawa Restaurant and Bar for a refreshing drink and great food.
Overall, a picture-perfect paradise resort with great customer service. It appears to tend to customers 40 years or older (or at least that was the crowd when we were there) where you can relax but also gives you some options if you want to be a bit more active. If you are used to Mexico or Caribbean All-inclusive experiences, it is a very similar experience.
All in all - we were very happy with Paradise & Wilderness as our travel booking company, they took good care of us, everything was arranged as promised including all the transfers, and the customer service was simply amazing. I highly recommend them for your Tanzania travels.
Additional information for first time travelers to Tanzania:
US Dollar and credit cards are also accepted in most of the touristy places, but Tanzanians are good negotiators, and you will end up paying way more in US Dollars vs local Tanzanian Schillings currency. You can get shillings from an ATM and use that to negotiate prices – you need to negotiate prices everywhere including taxi before you get in the car – for example, our first offer for a taxi from Reef and Beach to Paja was $20 and we negotiated to 20,000 shillings which was about $8 ad the end. Gift and souvenir shows are the same way - you are better off paying in Shillings and you should be able to negotiate to at least 50-70% off the initial price (we learned towards the end of our trip that starting at 25% of initial given price gives us the best outcomes, and if you start to walk away, you will get that price)
Maasai people – you will see them at the Beach and obviously in the Maasai Villages, they will try to sell you something and be prepare to either spend 15-30 minutes every time they start conversation with you or just say no thank you and keep walking. They are also great negotiators and the above applies.
The tour drivers & guides – they are 3rd party contractors(and there is yet another company that owns the car itself) that every company uses, they just put the sign of whichever operator you buy the trip from on their cars. Our guide Ed was great, his English was very good, and he was very accommodating and knowledgeable.
Airports – you have to scan you baggage when entering and leaving the airport but we had a feeling no one was paying attention to any of the scanners, at one point the guard was just sleeping when we put our bag on the belt and picked it after the x-ray machine. The service is very very slow – see below. Do get a visa ahead of time online - it will save you a lot of time.
Pole Pole (slowly, slowly) – I might be a bit biased since we have lived in a fast paced area for the last 20 years but be prepare to wait everywhere especially at the airports – to give you an idea – there were two people in front of us for the passport control and still took almost 2 hours to get thru it. Restaurants, stores etc outside the resorts are similar too.
Generally, we felt very safe when exploring Zanzibar and Stone Town on our own, and the people are very nice. Zanzibar is Muslim Island but the tourists are free to drink alcohol and dress however they want.
BE
Email Kimberley | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
As promised, we received Paradise & Wilderness, a memory for life!
We planned our Tanzanian road trip in 2020 ... as we all know, plans were rescheduled. We put together a nice trip with our tour operator contact and once we could travel again, communication continued as we never had a break. Before and during our vacation, the services were available. I was very surprised that even everybody from the hotels, guides, government, etc. were all acquainted of our coming and our planned tour. Very nice and comfortable feeling, surely for a non-experienced traveler. Overall I feel to have received value for the money and would recommend to travel in Tanzania and Zanzibar with Paradise & Wilderness for sure! Also the hotels from this group are very comfortable, very friendly staff, great food and drinks; all I could dream off!
