Adventure Makers Tanzania
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- TTB & TANAPA
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $170 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
FR
Email Gabrielle | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great value for your money !
We booked a 7 days Kilimandjaro climb (via the Machame route) followed by a 3 days safari in the Serengeti and Ngorogoro parks via Adventure Makers Tanzania in late July/early August. Overall we are really quite satisfied with the services provided and would highly recommend Stephen's company Adventure Makers Tanzania.
In order to assist future travellers, I've provided a comprehensive list of pros and cons below.
Pros :
- Great customer service : Stephen really goes above and beyond and does his darnest best to ensure that your stay is goes as smoothly as possible. When I mentioned to him that I had a stiff neck after having slept in a tent for 6 nights in a row whilst climbing up the Kilimandjaro and that I wasn't looking forward to spending another two nights in a tent during our safari, he made a few calls and got us 1 night in a lodge (at no extra cost!).
- Great value for your money : As we were travelling on a budget, we asked for quotes from at least 4 different companies and Adventure Makers was the cheapest one. Some of the higher-end ones were significantly more expensive (over 1500 euros more) and others within the same range were only slightly more.
- Fantastic staff : Our mountain guide and assistant guide were very competent and our safari driver/guide (Philip) was amazing ! Philip got us off the beaten paths and away from the crowds where we got to spend some 1:1 time with all of the major animals there were to see (aside from the rhinos but apparently they are notoriously hard to spot).
- Exceptional food : This was especially true of the food served during our climb up the Kilimandjaro. We were served three full courses each evening ! And plenty more for breakfast and lunch.
Cons :
- Stephen was not necessarily the most reactive in the weeks leading up to our trip. We realized later that this was largely due to the fact that we were writing to him on WhatsApp/by email. Since he spends most of his day driving (he does the client transfers to/from the airport himself plus some of the safaris), your best bet is to call him directly if you have got something urgent you want to discuss with him.
- You will be asked to pay for the safari either by international wire transfer ahead of time or in cash in person on your first day. As we were a bit weary at the idea of sending such a big sum of money to a foreign bank account without yet knowing who was behind it and weren't particularly keen at the idea of carrying 5000+ USD in cash, we asked if it was possible to pay by card instead. Stephen agreed to this but warned us that there was going to be a 6% surcharge. We later learnt that this is actually standard practice for all tour operators but it still represented an extra 200 USD. In fact, in hindsight, knowing what I know about Stephen, I would recommend you just wire the entire amount ahead of time. It will save you a lot of time and money and we can personally vouch for the trustworthiness of his business.
- While the staff was great, some of the equipment we were provided for the Kilimandjaro climb was a bit lacking. The sleeping bag that my boyfriend was provided had a few holes in it which meant that he had to sleep in the same position all night in order to make sure that the cold didn't creep in. Otherwise, you should be warned that Adventure Makers Tanzania doesn't provide a mess tent or a toilet tent which most of the higher-end tour operators usually provide. We really didn't mind though because each camp has pit latrines and our sleeping tent was big enough for us to eat in sitting down.
- The hotel we stayed in at Arusha at the beginning and the end of the trip was clean but one major inconvenience was that there was no restaurant on site which meant we had to get take-out. Moreover, even though there was hot water in the showers and a decent wifi connection, you had to actually ask for them to switch these amenities on which could take a while. We once had to wait over 2 hours for a hot shower ! It should be noted that Stephen knows about this and is considering changing hotels for future travellers.
In the end, all of these cons were relatively minor and it should be stressed that we really enjoyed our time in Tanzania. I definitely think that Adventure Makers is the right fit for you if, like us, you are travelling on a budget and are looking to get the most out of your money without skimping on any of the important things. A big thank you to Stephen for his incredible support !
IL
Email Arik Perera | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Takes care of everything i need for the trip
Just got back from a 6 days voyager of the Mount Kilimanjaro.
Everything was organized by Stephen Mwakimonga (Adventure Makers) and Iddi Hassan (one adventure Africa). It was planed in the best way I've could have hope for.
Iddi and Hassan, Picking me in and out to the Airport was for the best side. And even small problem like not having my gear arriving with me, was solved to the best side.
Iddi was kind to take me in private tours before the hick started to spend some time.
On Hike, Guide were great (Pascal and Hasan), so was the Sheff (Izikiel and Imanuel), and of course the Porters.
I've enjoyed it a lot, and surly will travel with Iddi and Steve again!
Arik Perera
IT
Email Giulia e Luca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Serious and reliable operator. Excellent value for money. We recommend it!
Our private Safari was magnificent. We've visited all the northern parks (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti) and a Masai village. We have stayed in really beautiful lodges; we thank the Pamoja Farm Lodge and the Pamoja Luxury Tented Camp: all the staff were really wonderful! Adventure Makers' Safari organization was very good. Stephen was very helpful and kind right from the start. Definitely a serious and reliable person. Our guide was ok, nice and helpful. The excellent quality-price ratio!
SI
Email Damijana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
affordable and stylish
a wonderful 5 day safari 1st day in Tarangire National Park, then a visit to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, then 2 wonderful days in Serengeti National Park and a quiet stop in Lake Manyara National Park. Great management, great accommodation and food and of course all the big 5 and many more small migrations, multi-species giraffes, the play of young elephants, when a wildebeest crosses the river and is attacked by a crocodile... all this is for us
Stephen Mwakimonga made it possible for us to have an affordable...
FR
Email Ilyes | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This Safari Was great
Employees are very careful and friendly. I recommend.
SI
Email Monika | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari!
We had an absolutely exceptional trip through Serengetti with Steven, eho was a good and safe driver. Thanks to arranging everything, it was amazing!
DE
Email Karin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari
Stephen advised us very well in advance, had answered every question quickly and offered us a incredible safari with wonderful accommodations-especially the pamoja was very nice.
On our 5 day safari through Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara we experienced a lot. Our guide Osca was brillant- he is a very friendly guy. He told us a lot about the animals and the nature. We seen so many animals-it was great.
I would recommend Adventure Makers again and again
SI
Email Nejc | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari experience
Our party of 6 went on a 3 day (2 nights) safari to Serengeti and Ngorongoro. We booked Adventure Makers Tanzania on a recommendation from a friend, and we weren't disappointed. Steven, the head of the company, was our driver and he was really great. He was patient and accommodated our every wish (like stopping 1000x for the toilet). He is funny and pleasant, always smiling.
The price was as we discussed earlier, no surprises there. Even though everyone keeps reminding you that in Africa everything is pole pole (slow), Steven was always pretty much on time.
Zahoro was our accompanying chef and his food was very good.
The tour itself was very rewarding, Steven made sure we could get a good look and nice pictures of the animals and the landscape, he was always reminding us to say STOP whenever we saw something picture worthy, even though most of the time he stopped before we even knew what was there. We were lucky enough to see the big 5 thanks to Steven.
Everything was taken care of by Steven, he even picked us up at the airport and drove us to the hotel the day before our safari, then took us to another hotel when we were finished. Not to mention that the day after we were done with the safari, he personally brought me my jacket I forgot in the car the day before. I only have the nicest things to say about the trip, and a big thank you to Steven for making my time in Tanzania a great experience!
GI
Email Karin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very enjoyable day
Booked a safari in Arusha National Park last minute and Stephen was very helpful and communicative. The guide, Damian, was very friendly and professional. He is passionate about wildlife and a keen birder. ANP has a beautiful scenery. It was a very pleasant day with sightings of elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, red bucks, warthogs, waterbucks and plenty of birds.
FR
Email Dominique MANG | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good.
I went on a 3-days safari last February with Adventure Makers. As I travelled alone, the organizers merged me with another group of people, which I really enjoyed. The safari went very well. We took the road the first day around 7a.m. from Arusha to Serengeti National Park (~4h drive). We were a group of 5 and had three guides (a driver, a savanna professional, and a cook). They were very warm, patient, professional and very good company !
During the safari, our group was lucky enough to eat very good meals every day. The cook was very clean and made sure to vary and to adapt to our tastes, while also allowing us to discover Tanzanian cuisine.
The safari was very good, and our guides made sure we saw as much animals as possible. We saw the big 5 and many other animals.
We spent the first two days in Serengeti and one day in Ngorongoro. In the morning, we would wake up, have breakfast, then go for a morning game drive and see the sunrise from the car, in the savanna. Needless to say it was a breathtaking experience. We would stop for lunch around 12/1p.m., then go back to the game drive. Around 6.30p.m., we would go back to our camp, chat with our guides and then go sleep in our tents. It was really an incredible experience to have that much proximity with nature. One night, some zebras came next to our tent and stayed next to us all night long
