Easy Travel & Tours
- Located In:
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 1987)
- Member Of:
- ASTA, TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $320 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Larry | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great communication, outstanding guide, and good logistics delivered the trip of the lifetime.
I have always dreamed of traveling to East Africa to witness the Great Migration. I started planning this trip for Summer of 2018. Business interfered so I replanned it for summer of 2020. Pandemic interfered and I went through the whole process again for this year.
Each year I did the same thing. I read months and months of the TripAdvisor forum messages to collect the names of recommended outfitters. I selected 10 that were commonly advised and wrote them asking for quotes on a 15-day safari. Of those 10, I selected the top three most responsive outfitters and started corresponding with them in earnest. Each time I did this exercise, Easy Travel was in the top three.
In the end, I chose Easy Travel because they had the best combination of price and a high level of communication. I started corresponding in earnest with Easy Travel seven months before our vacation began and they responded with detailed itineraries and answers to all of my questions and modifications as I requested them. They responded so fast that I felt somewhat guilty sending a question on a weekend night, knowing that I’d get a detailed response by the morning.
In the end, Easy Travel arranged our entire northern circuit safari, which went flawlessly. We arrived and departed from Arusha, staying at the Kino Palace Hotel. We stayed mostly at Tortilis tented camps, which were excellent “comfort plus” accommodations. I believe the Tortilis camps may be owned by Easy Travel. (You can see my Tortilis reviews by searching.)
I would say that we made two stumbles in accommodation: staying a night at Lake Manyara and staying at a tented camp on the rim at Ngorongoro. Lake Manyara is the second oldest National Park, but the shore has been drastically altered in recent years by the rains, and the amount of open areas in which you can more easily view wildlife has been greatly reduced. The wooded portion of Lake Manyara is beautiful and there were plenty of tracks indicating all types of wildlife, but you can only see 5-10 meters off the road, and that’s inevitably going to limit your chances. It was once famous for its abundant flamingoes, and while there are still some, the changes in the shoreline have apparently ended the large numbers.
Staying on the rim of Ngorongoro was something I pushed for, but was a mistake. You can find my review of Pakulala “Luxury” Tented Camps elsewhere, but basically it was just too cold and too spare.
Beyond that, the trip was so far beyond my expectations that words fail. I took my expectations and tempered them because, of course, you take what Nature gives you. But the reality was so, *so* much more that I still can’t get over, despite 8000+ pieces of photographic evidence. We saw thousands of elephants and buffalo, scores of lions, 8 leopards, and 4 rhinos (including a mother and calf). We saw the “Big 5” *in between* the gate to the Central Serengeti and camp! We saw a cheetah hunt and kill gazelle, a lion pack bring down a water buffalo, and a crocodile take a wildebeest crossing the Mara River.
The main determinant of the quality of your safari is your driver/guide. We adored our highly competent, very friendly, and funny guide Omari. He was very experienced and seemed to be a resource for other guides. That was nice to see because being hooked into the network of guides is a crucial part of finding out what is going on at the various hotspots around the various camps.
Omari had fantastic eyes and continually surprised us by pointing out some distant object that we'd have to use binoculars to resolve. We'd then approach and Omari was great about positioning the vehicle so that we had the best view while staying at a respectful distance from the animals. We were upset to see some other operators causing interference, causing the animals' behavior to change, but I think we avoided that, while having some amazing close encounters (see photos of elephants grazing out vehicle, lions a few feet away, etc.).
Omari was always quietly taking care of us. He was not overly demonstrative like some guides but he always knew what was going on and how to make the most of the day.
The second most important thing to the quality of your safari is certainly going to be the tented camps in which you stay, and for us, as I said, the Tortilis Camps and the others we stayed at were of high quality (see my reviews on TripAdvisor elsewhere).
The third most important thing to your safari experience is the quality of your vehicle. I can't tell you how many breakdowns we witnessed over the course of two weeks but it must have been in the dozens. Easy Travel and Omari maintained our vehicle in top condition and was even in a position to help out a few other folks in trouble. I was confident that even in the face of minor breakdowns, Omari would have known what to do (and was in radio and cellphone touch with others, so I’m sure aide would have arrived reasonably).
The vehicle itself was great for the two of us, would have been great for three, and Omari said that even four was a good number. There are three rows of two seats, so my wife and I mostly took a row to ourselves so that we had the easiest side-to-side vantages. The roof pops up, which was important for photo angles and general visibility, but also provided quite good shade and could be lowered in wooded areas where tsetse were more common or on the main (but still unpaved) roads, where there was a lot of dust. We saw quite a few different types of vehicle and were very happy not to be in some of the alternatives.
The chairs were comfortable enough but not luxurious and the amount of time you spend in the vehicle was *very* significant, often 10 hours or more per day. I have to say that I thought the way it worked was: early AM game drive, back to camp, late afternoon game drive. I literally thought I’d be taking a nap in the afternoons. Not at all. Because the camps aren’t set up right beside the hot spots, you need to range to have the best chance of seeing great stuff. If you were to do out-and-backs twice a day, you’d be throwing away hours of the day and limiting your locations.
Instead, you had long days in the vehicle: breakfast around 6AM, a box lunch brought in the vehicle and generally eaten at a designated rest area with some other vehicles around, and then back at the camp anytime from 5 to 7 o’clock. And when I say you’re in the vehicle, I mean you’re *in* the vehicle. We went on two “walking safaris” in Arusha National Park and in Lake Manyara and, other than those 2-3 hours, everything we saw was from inside the vehicle.
A final thing worth mentioning is that I had a very non-serious intestinal thing that had me skip a dinner and everyone — Omari, the Tortilis camp staff, and Masuma from Easy Travel’s office in Arusha — bent over backwards to find out how I was doing and if I needed anything. I didn’t, but it was comforting that they all took it seriously.
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Email Shekhar Godse | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very professional and outstanding customer service
We had a memorable safari experience at Serengeti and Ngorongoron national park with Edward Nyaki, our Easy Travel guide. Edward has a degree in Wildlife Management and is very knowledgeable. We learned so much from him about various animals. His ability to find animals during the game drive is outstanding. We were able to see the Big 5 and won the game during our game drives in these national parks. We were provided with daily briefing. The food was delicious and catered to our requests. Thanks to Easy Travel for lifetime safari experience. We highly recommend anyone visiting Tanzania to consider Easy Travel for their travel needs. The overall experience right from start to end was fulfilling. Kudos to the Easy Travel and Tours. Amazing team!
NL
Email Sabrina and Frank | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
We had a very nice and pleasant trip to Tanzania, we saw a lot of animals and the big 5, all thanks to Musa, our driver for the entire trip. It was really a trip we will never forget. everything was perfectly arranged by easy travel, a pity that it is already over for us
Outstanding, Professional and very Personal
My daughter, 14 year old grandson and I went to Tanzania on a Safari to see Africa's big game and animals and what we saw was spectacular!
The Serengiti is a big place, with animals everywhere and because of the helpful relationships and communications between drivers, if there were sightings in places other than where we were, our driver Ombeni, would get us to where the sighting were ASAP, so we wouldn't miss anything.
Just as important as seeing the animals, we got to spend time and get to know some of the locals. Ombeni made arrangements for us to visit a school on our way from one area of the Serengiti to another and it was a real eye opener for my grandson. We also stopped a visited a Massai village and spent time with the villagers as well.
We took lots of pictures, some more spectacular than others but more important we came home with fantastic memories. It's one thing to visit another country to see it but in addition to "seeing" it, we encourage "experiencing" it, in all the ways possible.
Take the time to "connect" with the representative that will help you plan your trip with.
"Connect" with the driver and ask questions about his professional life and his personal life and be willing to "share" both with him or her.
The world is a better place when visitors to other countries visit and spend money but it's far better when "connections" are made that have the possitilibity of creating "memories" that hopefully will last a lifetime.
We had the good fortune to have Masuma as our Easy Travel Representative. She was always there before, during and even at the end of our trip.
As good as she did, she was always trying to make it even better.
Ombeni was outstanding as a tour guide. He had a challenge catering to three generations, within the same group and he was outstanding! By the time our trip was over, my grandson was speaking swahili and admitted that he had never had such a good time, in any of his previous travels.
My daughter and I would say the same.
Our Safari was exciting, rewarding and FUN! All three generations were thrilled with our magnificent "experience!" Easy Travel Tanzania can/shouldJ write the book on good "customer service!"
Email Harriet | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari that lived up to expectation
Choosing a safari company for a special family holiday was a daunting task, however we decided to go with Easy Travel due to Voice. She organised a fabulous 9 day Safari visiting Ngorongoro crater, walk in Empakaii, Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Tarangire. We stayed in Tortilis lodges all but one night. All were fabulously located with very comfortable family tents, delicious food and wonderful staff. We loved the different feel of the parks and were really glad to have spent time in each of them. However the biggest thanks must go to our guide, Aniny. He had a great sense of humour, made all the children feel included during the meals and on the tours and was a fountain of knowledge not just in the parks but also explaining the Tanzanian way of life. Would have liked an extra day in the Crater, but we easily saw all the big five plus so much more, even a cheetah hunting a wildebeest. Aniny knew where to go and when. Have no hesitation to recommend Easy Travel to friends and hope to return again one day!
Easy Travel was excellent to work with and and our safari was outstanding.
Everyone at Easy Travel created a wonderful lifetime experience for me and my husband. Kabwe, was very detailed and organized while helping us plan our adventure. When we arrived her briefing about our trip details and safety was on point. Our lodging was very comfortable and the food was delicious. I loved talking with the other travelers and camp hosts during the evening. Our guide, Aniny was the best. He was kind, full of knowledge, professional and a joy to be with. I will always cherish my time spent with him watching and learning about all of the animals and parks in Tanzania. As I begin to plan other travel around the world I have come to really value the cost of the safari through Easy Travel and the experience I had. I will return to the beautiful county of Tanzania and with out hesitation ask Kabwe at Easy Tavel to help me plan the adventure.
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Email Michelle | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime!
Best trip Ever!
We have been planning this trip for years and it was all that and more! Voice was so helpful in helping us plan exactly what we wanted to do on our safari and answered my hundreds of questions quickly and always gave me the best advice. She has incredible travel planning experience.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by our guide, Aniny. From the moment we met him, we knew we were in safe hands and he is a wealth of knowledge about Tanzania. Aniny is a very experienced guide who found us all of the Big Five and so much more. We enjoyed our time with him and felt like he was part of the family for the week. We enjoyed all that he had to share about the different cultures, animals, and areas we visited throughout the week. We had so many questions and he always answered them to really give us a great insight on our experiences. We really enjoyed watching him join in one of the evening dances and lead the group. He also knows everyone so you know he is super friendly and outgoing. Aniny always makes sure you have what you need.
All of the camps we stayed at were incredible, each having a little different environment, but always clean with hardworking staff and delicious food. You will not miss out on anything as all of the staff goes out of their way to make sure you are happy and comfortable.
I would rebook with Easy Travel again! I give the entire experience 10 stars!
DE
Email Matthias&Susanne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy Travel Safari: Trip of a Lifetime
Thanks to Mohammed it was an incredible safari. Unfortunately our suitcases were missing upon arrival. Thanks to Julieth, our tour managerin, who spared no effort, the luggage could be handed over during the safari. Big thanks for that too! From arrival to departure everything was well organized. Happiness. Mohammed our tour guide made us feel safe and comfortable and welcomed us with kindness and knowledge on how to maximize our trip!
Day after day we experienced the most incredible animals and breathtaking views. Reaching the Big 5 was the highlight. His knowledge, driving skills and sense of adventure made this trip unforgettable and worthwhile.
I will recommend Easy Travel and especially Julieth and Mohammed to anyone who wants to have the experience of a lifetime.
SE
Email Ulrika Persson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Above and beyond in all aspects!
We (four ‘girls’, age 49-57) did Kilimanjaro Lemosho route 8 days with absolutely amazing guides Musa & Charles and a fantastic porter crew! Very professional, knowledgeable, trustworthy, warmhearted, inspiring, attentive, helpful and a lot fun! We all made it happy and healthy to Uhuru Peak 5895 thanks to well thought through acclimatisation (ex walk high, sleep low) and listening to our guides’ always very valuable advice! Great food, great tents, great everything! A wonderful atmosphere throughout! The whole crew singing and dancing at occasions, boosting our energy in a lovely way. Easy Travel is member of KPAP, fair conditions for porters and guides, which was one important decision factor for us. Also sending a thank you to Hellen, pulling the strings at the office in a great way to support us.
DE
Email Uwe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We did the Big Five…
...if the black rhino counts...
Tanzania with the national parks was totally impressive. But what makes the trip unforgettable is our driver, ranger, teacher and friend “Herry”…
He was able to show us the right places at the right times.
The accommodations were also great.
Thank you
(automatic translation from German)
