Our Head Guide Nico and our Signature Hot Lunches
Unlimited Expeditions: The Soul of Tanzania
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $400 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
CA
Email Samantha | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Trip!!!
After several searches for a safari, we decided to booked a 4 days with Soul of Tanzania. We saw the following parks: Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater. It was wonderful! First of all, thank you to Miguel and the customer service team who helped us to book this adventure. Professional and our questions were answered very fast.
Lodges were outstanding. Beautiful location : Tarangire Simba Lodge (Best Pina Colada), Lake Manyara Wildlife Lodge and the Rhino Lodge. Thank you to the staff who served us. Super clean and very good food.
Unlike other companies, Soul of Tanzania offers hot lunches with a flawless little set up. Lunches are taken in the parks with wine. The vehicles are in perfect conditions.
A big thank you to our guide, our man, Heaven! He was perfect for us. He has met our needs. Always ready to go miles to see all animals, especially lions and rhinos. Always listening to what we wanted to see. Very good knowledge and very patient. He knew how to find animals, and how to wait for animals.
Definitely, I would recommend Soul of Tanzania and our guide Heaven.
It felt like an ad hoc freelance organization, thrown together from far away, without care.
The up front communication was relatively professional, but as soon as the trip started so did the problems. We sat in our hotel lobby in Moshi at 7am waiting for the pick up. We were the only guests in the lobby, but the driver was sitting in his van outside, instead of looking for us. The van had no markings to indicate it was from Soul of Tanzania. After about a half hour, he finally came inside and found us, and we were transferred to a safari truck in Arusha, again with no company markings. It seemed to be freelance, arranged ad hoc, and the results felt the same. Our contact at SoT, Jose, when he finally replied later that morning about our pickup issues, wasn't even apologetic. "I was informed by my operations team about the misunderstanding and I am glad that everything was sorted out."
In the truck, when we started seeing animals and asked for the binoculars that were included in our tour, we were told they were broken. Luckily we had brought one not very good pair from home, and had those to share between us. The driver found a pair at the camp that night.
Our driver drove slow on the public roads, when other trucks were all passing us (not a great feeling after a late start thanks to the pickup "misunderstanding"). On the other hand, he flew on the park roads, shaking the truck apart, with thick layers of dust coming in his open windows. We had to ask him to stop when we saw animals. On the first day we noticed that each time we asked him to stop, he would take out his phone and be playing on it until we said "ok, we can go". After asking him to be more involved, thankfully he stopped doing that and told us a bit about the animals.
At the end of a particularly long day, with a morning game drive in Manyare and then drive to the Serengeti, he couldn't find our camp. The sun set, we were exhausted, and we were still in the truck. I was trying to use google maps to help find a tented camp. Eventually we found a park staff camp, and got directions from them to find our camp. We checked in after dark, ate, and slept asap, to get up at 4am for the hot air balloon. Imagine our dismay when, the next night going to a different camp, we were lost again. We stopped at 2 very nice camps, and the 2nd camp let us use their toilet and sent one of their staff with us to show him the way. It seemed like a tiny amount of preparation could have avoided both issues, and especially after it happened the 1st time.
We saw the big 5, and a lot of of animals and beautiful sights, but we couldn't help but feel that we were an afterthought, just thrown into any car with any driver, and when the inevitable issues arose, we didn't find they had any interest in admitting mistakes or making them right. I thoroughly recommend doing a safari in Tanzania, just not with Soul of Tanzania.
BE
Email Murali | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
trip of a lifetime with the best operators
We did this trip in Feb 2020 just before the lockdown. In retrospect, we were incredibly lucky to do this trip since shortly after we returned the world has gone into a lockdown due to Covid-19, and is still in a lockdown.
We did a custom safari that consisted of Arusha national park (1 day), Lake Manyara national park (1 day), Serengeti south (2.5 days), Serengeti north (2.5 days) and Ngorongoro (1.5 days). It was altogether a 10 day trip and it truly was the trip of a lifetime.
With Helena, our trip planner, we planned the trip down to the finest details and customized numerous times. She was ever patient as we tried to make the most of our time and money. We looked at half a dozen tour operators and finally went with Soul of Tanzania because of the great reviews on tripadvisor, the great reviews their guides got (which is the single most important thing in a safari), and lastly that while SOT was not the least expensive it was not much more expensive that other outfitters who did not have as good reviews. Obviously while going to a new continent for the first time with family and young kids, and being in the wilderness for long periods of time, safety and comfort are important. For us, SOT was a perfect combination of cost, quality and internet reviews.
All arrangements such as hotels, permits, safari vehicles, food etc were handled efficiently by SOT and so all we needed to do was just show up. They assisted with the visa process and all other paperwork.While in Tanzania, all arrangements were handled very well by SOT and we could just enjoy the safaris. We are vegetarians and all the places had enough food for us- some places had extremely tasty veggie food. And Nico packed veggie food for our lunch every day to enjoy with the chilled south african wines.
The safari vehicles were in great shape. Nico kept them clean and well maintained which is quite a challenge in the dusty african savannahs. He had an almost unlimited supply of water and juice, and of course wine for lunch daily.The lunches at SOT have been described in great detail and all i'll say is that it was so special to have a nice warm meal every day surrounded by spectacular nature.
The unlimited mileage that SOT has is incredible. Nico drove many hours (2-4 hours each way) to find wildlife far away from the crowds. That's where we saw cheetahs and lions from close by, a zebra giving birth, herds of giraffes and massive herds of wildebeests and zebras.
Nicodemas Modamba was an unbelievable guide- he was in touch with all the other guides over the radio, he stopped and chatted with all the guides. If there was a good sighting to be had, Nico would know it. In addition, he had great eyesight and spotted Cheetahs and lions from a km away. He was knowledgeable about birds and good at spotting them while driving through the rough terrain. He was attentive without being intrusive and was an overall great guide and travel companion. My son fell ill near Ngorongoro national park but Nico was present at all times. as soon as we decided that we wanted to go to a doctor, he immediately took us to a really good hospital half an hour away. The doctors and service was very good at the hospital and my son was good enough to continue on the safari a few hours later. I'm forever grateful to Nico for being so available the entire time.
Overall we had the trip of a lifetime that i had dreamt about for many years- decades even. We saw all the big and small species we wanted to see, we saw a ton of birds (all for the first time), we had close encounters with the wildlife, we felt the magic of Serengeti that morning with three cheetahs lounging next to our jeep, we felt the magic of the land when we saw a huge flock of whiskered terns put on a flying display for us, we felt the love of Africa when we saw cheetah cubs playing with their mom, we felt the power of Africa in big African lions giving us growls and we felt the elegance of the place when a tower of 50 giraffes ambled by us. We could not have scripted such a safari- a lifetime of experiences packed into 9 days.
Don't think- life is short and unpredictable. Book your next trip with Soul of Tanzania and immerse yourself in the greatest show on earth.
A few (!) of our memorable experiences in Africa.
1) our first sighting of the african giants: as soon as we got into Arusha national park, our first safari in Africa, we saw a tower of giraffes along with the zebras.2) black and white colobus monkey in arusha national park. What a sight to see these gentle creatures chewing on leaves.3) hiking in Arusha. We did a small hike in Arusha national park and were within 20 ft of a family of giraffes! they were just across a small stream and it was incredible to be so close to them.4) hornbills in lake manyara: we saw a lot of hornbills around dusk.
5) the great migration: between ngorongoro and serengeti, we saw the migration! thousands of gazelles, wildebeests and zebras along with a huge herd of giraffes.
6) Leopard on a tree
7) Hyenas in the campsite! Hyenas and dik diks were comfortable in our Shushudia campsite in Serengeti. We were the outsiders and had to be careful. You can't walk alone after dark here- it's just too dangerous.
8) Cheetah with cubs: on an early morning in Serengeti: we saw a cheetah mom with 3 cubs and it was amazing to watch her play with them.9) Three cheetah brothers: Nico had some magic eyesight spotting these 3 cheetahs from a km away in the grass. there was no other jeep around us. just the three cheetahs almost at a touching distance.
10) A trio of lions: again we were the only jeep in their presence thanks to the deft work of Nico. The lionesses lounged in the heat while the big lion gave us a warning growl to make sure we left them alone.11) Zebra giving birth. This zebra was lying on her side giving birth and there were a bunch of zebras standing at the sidelines looking at her. We sadly could not wait for the birth since it could take several hours!
12) hyena and wildebeest: right outside our campsite in the Ndutu area of Serengeti, we saw a half eaten wildebeest and a hyena waiting around to finish eating it.
13) Tree climbing lions. twice in Serengeti we saw tree climbing lionesses. once there were 2 of them but far away. the second time there was only one sleeping on the tree but very close by.
14) Cheetahs relaxing after a kill. Three sub-adult cheetahs sleeping in the bushes. Nearby was the carcass of an impala that they had killed and were being scavenged by vultures.15) a group of maybe 500 terns near lake ndutu. These birds were putting up a big display of flying around and landing.
16) Flamingos in Lake Ndutu: we didn;t see flamingos in lake manyara due to the high water levels there but were lucky to see them in lake Ndutu just before leaving Serengeti.
17) Seeing the big five in one evening in Ngorongoro. Just one after in this garden of Eden and we saw a leopard crossing the road, rhinos in the distance and numerous buffaloes, elephants and lions. Ngorongoro is truly a garden of paradise. Just looking into the crater from the above with your binoculars is an unreal feeling. Big beasts roaming around all over- variety and quantity!
18) Bat eared foxes! rare, nocturnal! We were one of the earliest in Ngorongoro crater and hence had the fortune of seeing these animals before they disappeared into the bushes.19) Huge herd of hyenas: maybe a herd of 40-50 hyenas squaring off against each other. in the background, wildebeests roamed around nonchalantly.20) Birds, birds, birds: I think we saw 150 species (we made a checklist) of all the birds on our trip. From large birds like the Kory bustard, ostrich, secretary bird to scavenger birds like numerous vultures, to flocks of terns and flamingos, to birds of prey from kestrel to martial eagles, to the numerous colorful common birds like splendid starlings and weaver birds to the numerous exciting hornbills to the colorful and rare birds like paradise flycatcher and cinnamon bee eaters.
A few tips:Handicrafts are actually less expensive and of better quality in the airport after you clear emigration. it's probably better to buy it there than in the overpriced roadside shops.
Lake manyara, in my opinion, can be skipped. you see better diversity of birds and animals in serengeti and ngorongoro.
Arusha national park is great only for the colobus monkeys. we went specifically to see that. If you are not interested in this species of monkey, you can skip this park as well.
Nothing in this world can beat Serengeti. maximize your time there.
You can check out pics of our trip on https://www.instagram.com/murali_nature_photography/
Email Lolita | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Seven Day Safari
The name of the company itself says much. The 'soul' of Tanzania was definitely revealed to us on our incredible seven day safari through its amazing variety of wildlife, beautiful people, delicious food and outstanding service. It all began with Helena, whom I contacted asking for an itinerary and quote. I had contacted several other safari companies but Soul of Tanzania immediately stood out because of Helena. Her replies were so warm and friendly and welcoming. She replied promptly to every email, answered all my million questions and put together a fantastic itinerary for my husband and me. And tailored it to fit our budget as well. Our guide Emmanuel was just excellent! So knowledgeable, friendly and always happy. He knew every bird and animal! We had lovely, lengthy conversations about every topic under the sun and learnt so much about each other's lives and cultures. Our itinerary included Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, Lade Ndutu (Southern Serengeti), Central Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Crater. All the lodges we stayed at were perfect in every way - food, rooms, service, surroundings. Our safari drives were amazing and we saw a mind boggling number of animals and birds! We were truly in wildlife paradise. We were pretty much the only people who had a 'hot lunch' every day of the safari while most tour companies only provided a boxed lunch to their guests. Emanuel would spread out the pretty Masai style table cloth and lay out all the dishes. There's usually wine provided at every lunch, but we chose beer (all included). Having a cold beer with lunch on a hot safari day is the absolute best! Our safari vehicle was always kept clean by Emanuel and it was well stocked with cold water (thanks to the mini fridge), juices and beer. There was a charging point to charge our cameras and phones too. In addition to the great service this company already provided, Helena went above and beyond to provide us with after-safari service as well! Our camera got damaged as I accidentally bumped the lens against the side of the car when our vehicle hit a ditch during a game drive. I am now in the process of submitting a claim to our insurance company and I had to get a letter about the incident. Helena once again rose to the occasion and promptly sent me a well drafted letter all within a a few hours of sending my request! Now that's what I call outstanding customer service!
All in all, we loved our experience and we will forever cherish all the beautiful memories we made in this beautiful country. Asante Sana Soul of Tanzania!
US
Email Daniel Pleasant | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzanian Safari of a Lifetime
After a lifetime of dreaming and a decade of planning, my wife and I finally took our first African safari in July/August 2018. One of the best decisions we made was selecting Soul of Tanzania to handle our week in northern Tanzania.
From our first request for information, the staff was always responsive to our many questions. Because of our time difference, I would send our questions in the evening, and could count on answers waiting in my inbox in the morning. It made planning hassle-free as we finalized our itinerary, customized the way we wanted.
We decided on an eight-day, private guided safari in Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti, with a side trip to Olduvai Gorge and a balloon safari in the Serengeti. Soul provided us with four levels of accommodation to choose from in each area (five in the Serengeti), so to keep within our budget, we chose the most basic level, comprising Planet Lodge in Arusha, Rhino Lodge at the crater, and Ang’ata tented camps in the Serengeti. All were adequate for our needs, and Planet Lodge was outstanding.
But the element that makes or breaks your safari is the quality of your guide. Here’s where we really scored. Soul matched us up with Edward, a twelve-year guide who seemed to understand us immediately. From the first day, when we came upon a lion hunt in Tarangire, Edward had a knack for finding the animals we wanted to see, then having the patience to wait till we could get the perfect shot. He worked with us on a daily basis to come up with the program for the following day. From talking to other guests on safari, it was apparent that others weren’t having the variety and quality of sightings we were enjoying. That was all because of Edward’s superior knowledge and skill, as he found lion and cheetah cubs, not one but two leopards, and even a dik-dik (five minutes after I said I wanted to see one).
Edward was also great at producing our signature, envy-inducing hot lunches, and was a charming dinner companion to boot. Our last memory is of Edward, waving with both arms, as we took off in our small plane back to Arusha.
Kudos also to Ben in the front office for checking in periodically to make sure our safari was meeting our expectations.
We highly recommend Soul of Tanzania!
CN
Email sara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience
Just coming back, Soul of Tanzania made our trip a lifetime experience, esp thanks to our guide, Ahmed, who beard in his mind every road in Serengeti, and is rich of knowledge of animals, which made us to see so many lions. We can tell that he loved his job, everyday he drove a lot and show no tired, and he also knows a lot about photographing, always helping us to catch good light. BTW, we enjoyed our warm lunch and even wines, wow, thank you so much, Soul of Tanzania. Highly recommend to my friends.
Email Peter | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari experience
Two of us spent 9 days with our wonderful guide Roger. We saw a great deal of the Northern Circuit of Tanzania during our trip and finished with day at Lake Eyasi to see a local hunter gatherer tribe.
We spent a while researching our options and felt SoT offered good value for money with a good review history.
Roger was excellent. He loves birds and was able to offer a lot of knowledge about them, but was equally able when it came to the other wildlife too. His expertise was apparent when it came to busy situations - he was always a step ahead of the game and able to get us the best spot to view the wildlife before other cars moved into position. He taught us some Swahili and we enjoyed our long journeys with him.
The northern circuit is absolutely fantastic. We saw so much during our week there and I would highly recommend it. Soul picked out good lodges/tented lodges for us to stay in, and as others have mentioned, the hot lunches we had were the envy of other tourists everywhere! The car was comfy too.
The only thing I would mention is we had a day at Lake Eyasi at the end of our itinerary (as suggested on their recommended itinerary). It was certainly a worthwhile trip, but in hindsight very expensive - it was charged at the same daily rate as the rest of our safari, despite not incurring the same park fee costs etc. While worthwhile (and geographically convenient on the way home from safari), I'd consider looking at other cheaper alternatives to see the Hadzabe!
All in all, I'd highly recommend SoT for your Tanzania safari.
DE
Email Viviana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just excellent! Amazing 16 days Safari Tour at it’s best
Just excellent! Not to miss if you are planning a safari trip to Tanzania
If you are planning a safari trip to Tanzania, you may find difficult to select a tour company. It took us a lot of effort to select one for our 16 days 20th anniversary trip last January. So glad that we came across Soul of Tanzania!
Everything was planned to the detail, to the best standards.They let you participate in the planning process, with a selection of routes, national parks and lodging. Once there, everything runs very smoothly, starting with a perfect conditioned vehicle and your guide picking you up at the airport, to a extensively informative meeting with Iris Duba, the Operations Manager in Arusha. Cant thank enough her to her assistance all along the 16 days trip. she is available for any questions or issues that may arise.
Our guide, Herman, is just fantastic. An amazing person, very friendly and nice to be with, with an incredible knowledge of wildlife of all sorts. We recommend him to anyone for such an adventure!
Please feel free to contact me here if anybody has questions about this review.
Viviana & Martin, Munich, Germany
CH
Email Herbert and Ursula | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Tour with Soul of Tanzania
Our customized 8-days safari trip was well organized and perfectly accomplished by our guide and driver Pius.
The itinerary was well-balanced so that we encountered a great number of wildlife. We had to face adverse weather conditions with flooding but Pius managed us through any difficulties with great skills and coolness. He never lost his patience and was very firm on matters when the situation required it. His knowledge about flora and fauna is impressive, and he proved to be an excellent lion, leopard and cheetah whisperer. We were very happy with Pius and can unconditionally recommend him and Soul of Tanzania to any interested party.
There were so many highlights that it is difficult to list them. The whole package was inherently consistent with every day providing some new experiences. One of the big highlights was definitely our balloon ride over the Serengeti. This is a unique experience.
Over all it was definitely a memorable journey in Africa’s Nature and our experience with the very friendly people we met all over the country. Good hotels and good food, sometimes great food (Ndutu Lodge) completed our adventure.
ES
Email Laia P | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just amazing!
Last week I came back from one of the best trips I have lived so far and which I will always remember. Two friends and I travelled to Kenya and Tanzania for 15 days and we had the chance to live the essence of Africa, its beautiful and different landscapes, its animals and its people. We did a long safari of 10 days (Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire), spent one day in Arusha, did a short trekking in Materuni and flow to Zanzibar, where we stayed the rest of our trip.
My friends and I agree with the fact that doing a safari of 10 days can be too much. I love animals and I enjoyed a lot watching them. However, it is true that once you have seen so many giraffes, impalas, zebras and wildebeest, it is no longer exciting to see more of these animals. That’s why we consider that maybe with 4-5 days in a safari would be enough. The best parks to me are Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
Having explained a little bit our experience of this trip I would also like to give me opinion regarding the agencies with whom we travelled: Spirit of Kenya and Soul of Tanzania.
On January we bought the flights from Barcelona to Nairobi and once we got them I started getting in touch with lots of agencies, Spanish and foreigner ones. I rejected most of them due to its expensive prices. We were aware that travelling to Africa was expensive but we wanted to find a more “affordable” agency but without having to renounce to the things we wanted. At the end I finished discussing our trip with only a few agencies and among them there was Spirit of Kenya and Soul of Tanzania, the agencies with whom we shared our amazing experience in Africa. From that moment, the only aspect that we took into consideration in order to choose one agency or the other one was the treatment received from the beginning.
Vanessa was the person with whom I discussed everything from the first instance and her help, kindness, predisposal and willingness to offer us the perfect trip were crucial factors to make our decision. She always answered my e-mails and questions very quickly (many of them in less than 24 hours) no matter the time it was. Her e-mails were clear and very detailed. She was very patient with all my requests and my constant changes of opinion. She offered us different combinations of routes and activities attending our preferences and she gave us too different accommodation options taking into account its level (high, medium, normal).
The treatment received from her as well as from the agency never changed and remained the same during the whole trip. Before our trip I read many opinions of different people and some of them explained that their agency adopted a carefree attitude once they made the first payment of the price. This was not our case and the agency was always willing to help and to make our trip possible. In addition, we were in touch quite often since they had to confirm us the booking of the different accommodations chosen.
Even when difficulties ahead they acted honestly and quickly. There was a misunderstanding with the total price of our trip since in the final version of the contract it was stipulated one amount and after having paid the 50% of the same they notified us that the sum of the total amounts was wrong and that the final price was higher ($ 1,500 more). From that moment I discussed all this issue with the general director. She apologized for the misunderstanding and offered us different solutions to avoid the extra cost. Besides, she offered us to the possibility to cancel the reservation and to refund our money as well as to maintain all the reservations made in the event we decided to continue with a different agency. Finally, taking into consideration all the options we had, we decided to continue with them and we only had to modify a little bit our itinerary in order to reduce the final price. Moreover, they also offered us an upgrade on the Tanzania side to their premium line: better jeep (we could charge our phones and cameras), better food (including wine), unlimited water bottles during safari of 1 liter and a fabulous guide. Also, I have to mention that, while in Arusha, where we were spending two nights in the same accommodation, we asked them to change the second night since we were not comfortable in the place we booked (it was dirty, the insect screen was broken, etc.). The agency answer very quickly and they changed our accommodation for the next night free of additional charges.
Having set the aforementioned, I would sincerely recommend both agencies (Spirit of Kenya and Soul of Tanzania) and if I had to repeat our trip I would clearly do it with them again.