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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
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Email Paul | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary Safari Tour
My wife and I had the most fantastic trip beginning in the Ngorongoro Crater, then Serengeti and Maasai Mara. From the time we were picked up by the affable Mishak at Kilimanjaro Airport, we felt welcomed. We learned our first Swahili words on the way to the African Tulip Hotel where we were also warmly welcomed and spent a relaxing first night. Our guide for the Crater and Serengeti, Tony, was extraordinary. Smart, personable, knowledgeable, intuitive and more. He catered to all of our wishes, going off the beaten path and finding animals that were unseen by others driving the same routes. The second night was spent at the Acacia Farm Lodge where we were introduced to the staff by Edward. Anna watched over us and made sure we were well taken care of. We even had a tour of the coffee farm early the next morning led by Pascal, a bright young agricultural manager for the farm.
Tony picked us up again int he morning and subsequent mornings at the Kati Kati campsite, then each day we set goals of what we wanted to see and he met them. From the big 5 to birds of all types. His patience in recognizing that a lion in the grass was going to be one of multiple and result in the stalking and successful hunt of a warthog was one of the most thrilling parts of our visit. Truly an amazing person and guide. We were very lucky to have drawn him as our guide. He truly showed us the Soul of Tanzania.
Meiling from Soul of Tanzania worked closely with my wife to make this custom tour a special one. All questions were quickly answered and special requests accommodated.
I went into this adventure being a bit skeptical at what would transpire but I can say that it ended up being life changing. As my wife said to me on more than one occasion, the animals were spectacular, but the people were better.
CH
Email Ha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience
We enjoyed the trip of a lifetime with soul of Tanzania! Everything from the communication, organization, pick up, lodges, camps and satisfying meals were more than expected. Our guide Fred was one of a kind, friendly, competent with eagle eyes that could spot all the wildlife and has amazing driving skills in the bumpy roads. We liked also he thoughtful analyzation of the situation where the animals are, how and why they behave this way in this moment.
Our itinerary was for full 6 days safari (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro). Everywhere we had top friendly service and high quality meals. although we went mainly for standard choices, can’t even imagine how could it get better than that. We stayed in Simba lodge (afternoon swim with elephants in the background was a moment to live by). Escarpment Lodge in Manyara had 5 stars service and room, absolutely recommended. In Serengeti we camped in Pumzika, in the middle of the wild where Hyaena were passing by and we heard lions at night!, though here we couldn’t charge our devices (for that the full equipped safari jeep saved the day). In Ngorongoro the camping in Tortilis was my favorite, wished we stayed longer.
Fred took us also to a real Masai village in the town “mosquito river”. Was also very unique and heartwarming experience. We went for souvenir shopping in the last day in 2 different “negotiable” shops which we were also happy about.
We would also like to thank Aziz for the joyfully last day. He picked us up from the airport the first night, and in our last full day in Arusha, he took us to Moshi village, were we had the most scenic hike to Kilimanjaro waterfalls, followed by lunch prepared by SoT and then the lovely visit to the Banana/coffee plantation where we made our own delightful coffee in such a cheerful atmosphere.
Im recommending SoT to everyone i know. I never had a vacation in my life where i felt so happy, so safe, satisfied, full belly, amazed everywhere i looked. My phone can agree with +2500 photos i took in one week! The sweetness and the kindness of the Tanzanian people was heartwarming.
QA
Email Victoria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Journey of the Wildebeest
We thoroughly enjoyed our 7 day tour. We especially liked our guide Huruma. He not only was an excellent driver, but very knowledgable about the wildlife/country, he was also very kind to everyone we met (including stopping to tell a school bus about a leopard sighting we just had). He quickly responded to our likes and dislikes and knew whether to stop for photos or keep driving. He is a truly professional guide and an asset to your team. We saw all of the big 5 multiple times, the amount of wildlife surpassed our expectations.
The camps we stayed in were all fantastic, our favourite being the Namali which we felt was slightly higher end. The only slightly disappointing camp was Chaka as we didn’t realise it wasn’t all inclusive and the food was not as good quality as we had the rest of the week. In all of the camps we were welcomed and looked after like family.
Overall the organisation of the tour was very good. We had no logistical issues. The itinerary was as sold. It might be worth highlighting to guests the extent of the driving between locations. We had no issue, but for some people they might not enjoy it like we did.
Cooked lunches (with wine) was a nice touch and everyone we told in the evenings were also slightly jealous.
We arrived at Kilimanjaro airport and it took approx 3 hours to get through immigration. It might be worth suggesting to guests that they could do the visa online before travelling and this would save considerable time.
ES
Email Gonzal | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari in Tanzania
I was worried about booking a safary directly with a Tanzania company, but the experince was unique.
The price for the journey (6 days in a safari - Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crate- and 4 days in Zanzibar) was very good comparing other offers I saw.
Everything was fantastic, and I have to mention our guide (now friend) Ayoub that was magnificent explaining all animals we saw.
Absolutely recommendable.
Email Jayne | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing African Safari!! Highly recommended company.
My husband and I done a 5 day safari with SOT covering Ngorongoro crater , central serengeti and northern serengeti and we were so pleased with our choice.
I was a little apprehensive about sending so much cash via bank transfer but Helena was in constant contact via email , her help throughout the whole booking process was excellent.
We couldn't have been happier with our guide Edward and it was a sad day when we had to part ways. Edward was always professional, extremely knowledgeable and I'd like to think that we became good friends in the time we spent together. It was particularly nice to see him still getting excited about seeing the wildlife despite him being a guide for 12 years I think I remember him saying.
The amount of wildlife we saw exceeded all my expectations and Edward had a knack of always making us feel like we were the only people there , he always managed to escape the other jeeps.
If anyone is considering a safari I would highly recommend it , and the company I would 100% recommend would be Soul of Tanzania. The memories we made will stay with us forever
Email Abdul Wahid | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari. Fantastic company
Its very rare to find a company with only good reviews but S.O.T lives up to its 5* rating. From day one finding out about S.O.T to the end of our holiday, everything was perfect. I had never heard of S.O.T before I booked with them. I read reviews about them on the internet and decided to contact them. I sent an email asking about Safari packages and was contacted by Sandy (Journey Designer) in a couple hours. We sent several emails back and forth trying to plan the perfect Safari. My wife and I made several changes to our dates which wasn’t an issue with Sandy as she was always very happy to help and find use the best package. We finally decided on the dates and Sandy tailor made a 5 day Safari for us.
I have to admit I was a little nervous when i had to make a wire transfer for a large amount of money to a company I have never dealt with before or spoken to on the phone only via email, especially it being in Africa (no offence). But YOLO. Sent the payment and within a couple days Sandy emailed me to let me know my payment was received and our holiday was booked and everything was in place for our arrival.
And so our holiday began. What can I say. The Safari was perfect. From the second we landed to the last day getting dropped off back to the airport. Everything ran like clockwork. We needed not worry about a thing. Edward our safari guide picked us up from our hotel in Arusha the next morning and the Safari started. Edward is a fantastic guy, he was always happy to explain things to us while on game drives, made sure we had the perfect views of all the animal and explained things to us on the move. Always went out of his way to make sure we got the best Safari experience. It was a pleasure spending 5 days with Edward we enjoyed ourselves very much. We saw pretty much every animal we could see apart from the Rhino’s and Edward did try his best to find them but as it was the dry season and windy and dusty he explained they might be hiding due to the dusty mornings. Best thing we did see was a Cheetah eating its kill. Up close and personal was great (we could hear the bones of the Thompson cracking with every bite).
The lodges and camp we stayed in during our Safari was incredible. If you’re doing the Serengeti make sure you stay at the Chaka Camps!!! What an experience.
Thank you all at S.O.T especially Sandy and Edward. We will never forget our trip to Tanzania!!!!
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Email Karl | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
As Good As It Gets!
From start to finish, working with Soul of Tanzania was a pleasure. Once you contact them, you are assigned a personal operator that works with you to design your desired itinerary. I worked with Sandy and she was the best! Always friendly, polite, and responsive, Sandy helped me design a nine day itinerary through Kenya and Tanzania. Sandy offered good recommendations for how long we should stay at each location and provided a number of lodging options based on various budgets. We were also offered options like visiting a Masai tribe and the Olduvai Gorge. During the weeks leading up to our departure, Sandy politely answered a number of last minute questions. I felt comfortable and at ease starting my safari.
Soul of Tanzania gives you a questionnaire to fill out that asks about your likes and dislikes, you favorite and least favorite animals, and the type of traveler you are so they can better customize your safari and, more importantly, match you with the best guide/driver. Sandy recommended Ally (Ali) for us in Tanzania and he made all the difference! Ally was funny, knowledgeable, prompt, and flexible. If we wanted to stop, we stopped. But Ally would always stop so we had good light on the animals for photography. If we wanted to modify the itinerary, we did. But Ally would always talk about the pros and cons of doing so. If we wanted to start early or end late, no problem. Normally, there is a good deal of luck regarding what animals you see on our safari. But Ally maximized our luck by always communicating with the other drivers in the park and taking us to the rarest animal sightings. We saw The Big Five multiple times. We saw 2 rhinos, 4 leopards, 4 cheetahs, and about 42 lions. We saw a cheetah hunt a gazelle. We saw lion cubs play on a rock. We saw endless giraffes, hippos, hyenas, elephants, ostriches, water buffalo, crocodiles and wildebeests. However, the best thing we saw was The Great Migration cross the Mara river in the North Serengeti. And we saw it twice! We even saw crocodiles attack and kill a wildebeest - twice! We saw it because of Ally. As soon as he heard from a friend about the crossing he immediately got our vehicle moving and got us there quicker than everyone else. We had a front row seat! Later, as all the other vehicles searched different sections of the river for a crossing, Ally took us back to the first crossing spot on a hunch that the herd was separated and would cross again. We were the only vehicle there. And they crossed! And that's when the two wildebeests were attacked by crocs! So, there is certainly luck involved in seeing the animals, but there is also skill. And Ally provided that skill.
We had an amazing safari. It was fun from start to finish. More importantly, we didn't need to worry about anything because we knew we were in good hands. If you want a great custom safari experience, Soul of Tanzania is the way to go.
ES
Email casto | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome
Absolutely perfect
Memorable Experience. Soul of Tanzania showed a total professionalism from the first email we exchanged with Louis (journey designer), replaying to emails quickly, sometimes in minutes. Adapting the trip to our needs, finding solutions to any request. The guide (Vincent) fantastic, attentive to everything we needed, always smiling, friendly, speaking a very good Spanish and able to take us to the right place just at the perfect time. We saw the big 5, with lions walking very close to us, elephants, hippos, cheetah, leopard, crocodile, giraffes, buffalo, vultures, baboons, zebras ..... Unforgettable and 100% recommendable experience
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Email Renata | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The absolute best safari experience!
My husband and I used Soul of Tanzania four a seven-day safari in June. We couldn't imagine it going any better than it did! During our time, we saw all of the must-see animals, including the rare black rhino, and even saw a lion hunt a gazelle!
There were several parts of the safari and our entire experience with the staff that really stood out:
--Communication: When we were still researching which safari operator to choose, Sandy was thorough and timely in all correspondence. It can be a bit scary when booking a safari from afar, especially when you don't have the chance to meet in person, but Sandy put our mind at ease. It was also helpful to get periodic updates from the company. For example, we received an email when the new plastic bag ban went into effect, which allowed us to properly prepare for our trip. We may not have known about it otherwise. Then upon arrival but before we began our safari, we met with another staff member who reviewed our entire itinerary and confirmed its accuracy.
--Our guide: Huruma, our guide, was THE BEST. We cannot say enough great things about him. He could spot animals that were extremely far away and seemed to have an answer for all of our questions. On top of that, he was incredibly kind and respectful of the parks and the animals within them.
--The flexibility: We loved that Soul of Tanzania offers private safaris, which gave us the flexibility to go wherever and whenever we wanted and allowed us to customize our itinerary. We also appreciated that, although the company suggested accommodations, we had the ability to choose other lodging options.
--The food: To be honest, we had reasonable expectations going into the safari, as we knew the remote locations would likely make it difficult to get good food. But we were proven absolutely wrong! Every single meal that we had with Soul of Tanzania was amazing. We didn't know this going into the trip, but the company has a partnership with a local chef, so we had home-cooked lunches that included a meat dish, rice, fruit and/or a vegetable side, chocolate or biscuits or dessert and wine/juice/water. When we stopped at the picnic areas, we noticed that the mast majority of other guests only had boxed lunches. When you're on a safari that lasts this long, a good meal goes a really long way!
--The vehicle: Our Land Cruiser was new and quite comfortable. For each drive, we had ample water, a set of really great binoculars (super important), blankets to use during the chilly morning drives, outlets to charge our phones and guide books to read more about the animals and plant life.
We wholeheartedly recommend Soul of Tanzania. Thank you to Huruma, Sandy and the rest of the staff for an amazing and unforgettable experience!
AR
Email Analia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable trip
The safari has been an unforgettable experience. We had a great time. Every day we were part of the beauty of nature. Each park surprised us day by day.
Wildebeest migration in the Serengeti is perhaps the most shocking and exciting.
Our guide, Erasto, had a very important role in the safari, who with his knowledge and joy made us spend very beautiful moments. He taught us a lot about animals, about life in Tanzania, about his language, etc. He is also a very funny and educated person. He was watching us every day.
The safari met our expectations and more.
Thank you so much for everything