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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 Mischa and Linda | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabelous
We have been on Safari for 6 days, it was an amazing journey.
We saw the big 5 and A lot of other animals.
The service was amazing
AT
Email Richard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great
The hole Tour was for us unforgettable.
Highly recommend.
AT
Email Anton Hartig | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good organisation for Guides, Drivers and Lodges
It is very intensive. so we saw a lot of animals. The time was right (Begin of the migration) Lots of animals were in the area.
The personal was extremely friendly. It is not cheap, but it is worth.
MY
Email Wei | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great organisation of safari n accommodation.
We had a very experienced guide cum driver Shabani. He was very informative n had a keen eye spotting animals n birds.
The tours n accommodation were well planned. We saw lots of animals n birds.
Perfect mooi..vriendelijk schoon
It was beautiful...loveley...good service...
Clean
Top
NL
Email Sanderijn | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was fine, not very luxurious, but an incredible experience
We stayed 3 nights in Zanzibar in the Zanzibar Bay hotel, then 5 nights safari in Tanzania, and eventually 6 nights in Zanzibar (Zanzibar Bay Hotel).
The Zanzibar Bay Hotel is just fine, the food is good and friendly personnel. It is not very luxurious. Construction and painting of the buildings was going on while we stayed there…
The safari was very good. Nice accommodations and a very good driver/guide called Libe. We were lucky and saw the big 5. Bring your water shoes when you visit Lake Natron. You will need them for the walk to the waterfall.
You also need water shoes if you go on the Safari Blue tour in Zanzibar.
BE
Email Nino, Brana and Ivana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience, great organization. Highly recommend!
We spent 15 amazing days in Tanzania. We started with Safari ( Arusha, Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro), followed by Stone Town visit and then relaxing in beach resort in Zanzibar.
The trip was perfectly organized. While preparing for the trip we had number of questions, and always received great support and responsiveness from Anouk.
Our experience is that this is really professional and reliable company. Everything is arranged down to the last detail. All lodges, tents and hotel rooms were spacious, very clean and fully equipped. Jeep was conformable. The food is delicious. The staff everywhere is extremely friendly. Everybody really made us feel "at home". Our safari guide, Fred, really did his outmost to provide us great experience and share lots of interesting information during game drives.
This was fantastic holiday, with beautiful experiences and special memories.
We can recommend Paradise Wilderness without any hesitation.
Many thanks Anouk and Paradise Wilderness for this unforgettable trip.
NL
Email Maarten | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania beautiful!
Together with my wife Agnes and the guide George - also driver - we spent 5 days in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater parks. George was/is a more than good driver and very friendly and experienced guide. A must for anyone who would like to do a safari!
(automatic translation from Dutch)
US
Email Robin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari tour
This was a very nice tour and we had a blast on our safari. The accommodations at each camp were very nice -- probably nicer than the hotels we usually stay at in the U.S. -- and the staff really went out of their way to provide service. Our guide, Seelo, was excellent. He was a former park ranger who spoke very good English and was very knowledgeable about the parks and the wildlife. He worked hard to make sure we had encounters with animals and was able to get us to the riverbank in time to see the great wildebeest crossing, the highlight of our tour.