Kili Serengeti Guides

Mixed feelings

I had a great time in Tanzania, but I am somewhat disappointed that I cannot "rave" about the services offered by Kili Serengeti guides. Perhaps it is because I had just come from Kenya with an outstanding guide, so it was natural to make comparisons (and that may be unfair).

The Good:
KS Guides met my group at the Kilimanjaro airport upon arrival, arranged all transfers, hotel accommodations, and activities. The price was extremely reasonable and we did everything we set out to do! Most meals were included, so once we had paid the guides (cash upon arrival), there was very little need for any cash on hand throughout our stay, other than for souvenirs, tips, and incidentals. The safari vehicle we took to Ngorongoro Crater was great - large enough to accommodate the group, comfortable, the top popped up (like most safari vehicles), which made the experience more enjoyable. By the way, the crater itself was AMAZING! Definitely go there if it's on your list; you WILL see a ton of animals. KS guides brought in some local guides when we visited Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Chagga village/caves/coffee plantation. Those local guides were wonderful - friendly and informative, easy to talk to, accommodating, etc.

The Bad:
With the exception of our day trip to Ngorongoro Crater, we were driven around in a small mini-van (actually, it was smaller than a mini-van, but I don't know how else to describe it) that was not very comfortable for my group. There was just enough space for our luggage in the back, but we felt like we had to cram ourselves into the vehicle, climbing over seats at times because the mechanism for the front seat to fold forward got stuck. A couple of the seat belts were non-functional as well, which was a huge concern for one member of my group since they work in a safety-related field. In general, the van was not comfortable, the AC did not work so we were hot (I could overlook this - it IS Africa, after all, I expected to be hot - however, it could be a problem for some). The windows on all except the front of the vehicle were also tinted with an incredibly dark tint, which made it nearly impossible to enjoy any of the sights we were passing and made it seem dark much earlier than when it actually was. Additionally, we took this vehicle down dirt roads with pot holes that it was simply not intended for. There were times when we weren't sure the vehicle was going to make it, and we wondered why KS guides had opted for this van vs. the safari SUV that we had taken previously, which was more capable of handling this type of terrain. We were given no explanation for the change in vehicles, and I can only imagine it was a cost-saving effort for them, since the van likely consumed less fuel.

Okay, enough about the uncomfortable ride... I also was not pleased with the first hotel we stayed at in Arusha. The accommodations were just so-so and there was a loud generator outside my window, making it difficult to sleep. Breakfast was supposed to be included but did not start until after we needed to leave in the morning, so they packed a "boxed breakfast" for us to go, which was nice; however, it was essentially nothing but bread. We also didn't get any coffee as they did not have "to go" cups available.

Finally, I need to speak about the guides themselves. There were 2 people with us most of the time. I am not sure why, as they did not seem to actually DO anything special, since they also picked up local guides for some of the places we went (making us all less comfortable in the already too-small vehicle because the new local guide joined us in the van!) I initially thought there were 2 to share in the driving when we went to Ngorongoro since that is quite a long drive/day. However, that was the one time that we did NOT have two people with us, which didn't make sense at all. The driver who took us to the crater did give some "tour guide" type information about the animals, but generally only when we asked. Perhaps this speaks to a lack of experience, but I have had much more involved guides in the past. These guys were more like escorts, which is fine, if that's what you want. It just wasn't what I was expecting. On the days when we had local guides, there were still 2 KS guides with us. At one point when we stopped to visit a waterfall, we had 4 (or 5) different people with us. This was awkward since most of them didn't say anything and yet tipping your guide is part of the local culture, so it felt like a ploy to get more tips out of us. We opted to tip the one local guide who rode with us in the van because he was friendly, informative and just generally great at what he did! We did not tip the extra people who were milling about that day.

All in all, I wouldn't say I had a bad experience. KS guides did take us to some amazing places and they arranged everything for us ahead of time. They were very responsive via email. However, the actual guides themselves were a little less personable than I was expecting for someone who does this for a living, and they did not communicate well with us in person, which led me to feeling frustrated at times.