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
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...
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
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 !
NL
Email Irene & Mark | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very professional touroperator!
Stephen from Adventure Makers Tanzania makes sure you get a really nice, well organized (which is rare in Tanzania) and beautiful tour. He organized a nice meet up and made sure we had a great day at the Kilimanjaro 1-day tour. 100% recommending this company, would love to book again.
DE
Email Marcel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventure Makers Tanzania provided outstanding service, expertise and created a wonderful atmosphere
We went on a 5 day safari with Adventure We went on a 5 day safari with Adventure Makers Tanzania and it could not have been any better. Before our booking the lead guide Stephen took more than 2 hours to answer all our questions via WhatsApp. Communication was professional and friendly at all times. We could even create our own itinerary and choose different lodging options - Stephen made it all happen even though we only booked 1 day in advance (!)
The company provided the perfect Safari vehicle with fridge, cold drinks and even WiFi in the car.
Especially the Safari experience in central Serengeti was absolutely amazing - I suggest everyone to spend as much time as possible in that area. Our guide had a lot of knowledge about all the animals and was happy to answer all our questions throughout the tour.
All accommodations provided were clean, comfortable and with good food service.
Overall I can 100% recommend Adventure Makers Tanzania and will also suggest them to my friends. Makers Tanzania and will also suggest them to my friends.
Email William | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable and friendly.
We planned our trip the day before. Stephen was very communicative with the planning, speaks perfect English and was happy to answer any questions we had.
We altered his original itinerary, which we regretted in the end so I advise to go with his recommendations as he knows best!
We were picked up from Moshi and brought to Arusha for the night, and Steve was kind enough to help us pick up some safari outfits as we wanted a laugh!
We stayed in very nice glamping tents and lodges during our stay, which we were very happy with.
Our recommendation is to skip the north Serengeti and spend more time in the central as you’ll see much more there and save a lot of time driving.
Also, I left my AirPods in the vehicle he hired for the safari and came to help me track them down! What a guy!
Trustworthy, great service and an awesome human!
SI
Email Tina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable and fun
My friends and I booked the safari well in advance, and we also agreed on a transfer from the airport and an extra night's stay, since we were going on the safari the very next day. We also settled the advance payment for the reserved one with slight delays, but they were just fine. Our guide Steven was very flexible. Despite the later rescheduling of the flight and the change of airport, there were no problems, he picked us up at the agreed time, dropped us off at a nice hotel, and the next day we set off on our adventures. We visited the Serengeti Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. There was a lot of laughter during the drive, Steven was happy to accommodate our wishes, provided us with beer and stopped for the toilet many times without any ill will. :) We were lucky and saw the big 5! For me, the best moment was hanging out under the stars among the zebras. Definitely an experience not to be missed.
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DE
Email Alla | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect
It was a very pleasant experience! I only had one (specified) day for Kilimanjaro and Steven offered me a private guided tour to the first camp. I was picked up directly from the airport and brought to my hotel after the excursion in Arusha. Guide David who accompanied me to the camp was very friendly, informative and helpful.
(automatic translation from German)
RU
Email Evgenii | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Heartwarming friendly service
It was our first safari, and the guide John with help of the manager Steve made it unforgettable!
It was a 5 day safari with the start from Arusha, followed by visits to Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti national parks. Total cost was about $1700 per person and it was worth every penny of it! John showed us a lot of animals, told interesting facts about them, kindly answered all our questions. Overall national parks visit experience was amazing. Lodging was good too.
Totally recommend adventure makers!
RU
Email Konstantin from Siberia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, guys provide max quality service on Kilimanjaro (Machame route).
Stephen and his Team are professionals in all aspects, if you want to be sure in summit achievement you ought to deal with Adventure Makers!!!