Dancing Zebra Safari
- Located In:
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United States
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Member Of:
- Africa Travel Association (ATA) & The International Ecotourism Society (T.I.E.S)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $550 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Walt & Carol G | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well planned fantastic safari exceeding all of our expectations
Jessica at Dancing Safari's was fantastic to work with in planning our 4 week trip to Africa. My wife and I, along with another couple, have been trying to plan a trip to Africa for over 3 years. The 4 of us are all experienced travelers in our early to mid 70's who travel 4 to 5 months per year and have travelled extensively all over the world. In recent years we have done Antartica, Manchu Picchu, Galapagos, Brazil, Peru, Turkey, Europe and many other places and are not easily impressed. This trip exceeded all of our expectations and is now our #1 all time trip. We have traveled many times together and have never had problems planning a trip ourselves, however we found planning a trip to Africa to be very difficult on our own. First came trying to figure out: what countries to visit, then when to go (to both see the most, avoid bad weather and avoid the bugs), what types of camps to select, how long to spend at each safari camp, how to travel between camps and how to arrange the entire process with minimum wasted days. We tried working with several travel agents at agencies like AAA and other packaged tours advertising on travel sites like Travelzoo, and other companies packaging small tour groups.
Over the past two years we went to the Los Angeles Travel Show where we conferred with various tour operators. Finally we met Jessica at her both in early 2018. We also met with several other tour operators. After exchanging emails with several of these safari tour operators it was clear that Jessica was both the most responsive and knowledgeable and really worked at understanding what we wanted. Whereas other operators tried to steer us towards their own product Jessica worked at finding something that met our desired experience and budget. Although we wound up spending more that we originally budgeted, we had a truly unforgettable experience.
We selected a trip which included 8 days in Tanzania, 8 days in Kenya, 4 days in Botswana, 2 days in Zimbabwe, and 6 days in Cape Town (our friends didn't join the last 8 days). This length trip required extensive coordination amongst over 10 different lodges and arranging both the the air transportation and all the ground transfers. This included over 22 flights. During the planning stage Jessica provided frequent updates and was meticulous in ensuring that everything was planned correctly. The result was a seamless trip where everything went exactly as planned. We were met at every airport with staff who were always on-time and waiting for us. Luggage was handled for us. Unlike other tours planned by organizations like Tauck and Micato, we had a private tour for the four of us (not on first part in Tanzania where we had 4 others on the private charter airplane, but for Kenya we had the whole airplane to ourselves). Our safari tour vehicles were Toyota Land Cruisers or Land Rovers. Although most operators we saw operating out to the same lodges packed their vehicles with 6 to 9 people, we never had more than the 4 of us. The lodges we stayed at in Tanzania, Kenya and Botswana were all 5* quality. The food, service and staff were outstanding.
The safaris were incredible. By the end of the second day we had seen all the big 5 and so much more. Each new camp kept building on the experience.Out game drive guides were extremely knowledgeable and very accommodating. We were worried that spending over 3 weeks on safari would be too much and repetitive. Not so. Each location was unique and memorable.
As for cost, although it was a very expensive trip, when we compared what we paid with others who went on similar itineraries (Tauck and Micato) , we paid considerably less and got a lot more. Overall we would give Jessica and Dancing Zebra our highest recommendation. Although we went high-end I am sure Jessica would also do a great job for those wanting a lower budget trip.
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Email Renee | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing- best vacation ever. Thank you- Dancing Zebra Safari Co.
Thank you Abdullie for putting an amazing Tanzania Wildlife Safari and Beach Holiday package together. I can’t say enough about what an amazing experience we had on this trip. The safari started in the Ngorongore Region for 3 days, and then on to Northern Serengeti for 4 days. The last 3 days we went to Zanzibar and stayed in a wonderful ocean front villa to relax for the long flight home.
The safari guides were excellent ( Juma and Lorrie) kudos to both of them. Eliya was our excellent personal butler in our luxurious tented camp of &Beyond Serengeti Under Canvas.
The most memorable experience: The last day of our safari we finally saw a Rhinoceros and my husband snapped some pictures. We also saw the Big Five and The Great Wildebeest Migration (incredible)
Jessica updated us during the last few weeks before our trip on additional information- Visa for Tanzania, baggage allowance, tipping guidelines etc. I would highly recommend Dancing Zebra Safari Co to anyone planning an African Safari.
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Email Bob and Rita, Whittier CA | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dancing Zebra helped us select , then organized a trip that in all ways exceeded our expectations
When we and the couple we frequently travel with decided to plan a trip to Africa, we contacted Jessica Mathews of the Dancing Zebra Safari Company, whom our friends had met at the LA travel show. Jessica was a pleasure to work with, being very helpful and extremely patient with our initial uncertainties regarding which countries to visit, when to travel and what kinds of accommodations to book.
Once we settled upon visiting several sites in Tanzania and Kenya, plus the Chobe River in Namibia in late September and early October, Jessica efficiently handled all of our bookings, including transportation from each site to the next.
We and our traveling companions needed to make separate arrangements getting to Tanzania where our safaris began, and out of Namibia where the trip ended for us. Jessica had no problem coordinating two sets of rather complex travel plans, ensuring that we were met at each new location by someone representing Dancing Zebra. She also maintained contact with us throughout our trip, to ensure that things were proceeding as planned.
Our safaris took us to Tarangire, Ngorogoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Serengeti National Parks in Tanzania. In Kenya we visited Amboseli, Meru and Masai Mara National Parks, while in Namibia we enjoyed daily river excursions on the Chobe River.
All of our accommodations were of uniformly high quality with friendly staff, very good food and excellent knowledgeable guides, who led on several game drives each day.
We were fortunate enough to see large numbers of wildebeests and zebras crossing the Mara River. Other highlights of the trip were close-up viewing lions, leopards and cheetahs dining on their kills. We even were able to closely follow lions and a family of cheetahs as they stalked their prey. We were also fascinated by the many hundreds of elephants we saw at nearly all of the places we visited. Finally, we left home with little thought of birds, but having seen and photographed such a wide variety of them in Africa, we now have a new-found interest.
We were delighted with what Jessica and Dancing Zebra arranged for us, and will happily recommend them to any of our friends interested in a trip to Africa.
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Email Bob Myers | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
10 Day Safari in Tanzania
We chose Dancing Zebra after talking to and getting quotes from several Safari companies we had seen at the Santa Clara travel fair. Jessica, at Dancin Zebra impressed us with her willingness to listen to our desires for the trip and the way she worked to meet them. Some of the other companies seemed to being trying to fit us in to one of their pre packaged trips. In the end she designed a 10 day trip for our group in Tanzania. It included Terangire Reserve, Ngorongoro Crater and the Sarengeti. The accommodations were all part of the Elewana Collection and were all top notch, great facilities, food and staff. One of the lodges (Manor at Ngorongoro) was quite possibly the most luxurious resort I have ever experienced. Our guides for the game drives were all very knowledgeable about the animals, birds and plants of the area they covered. They worked very hard to make sure we saw what we wanted to see. The highlight was probably the wildebeest crossing of the Mara River. Our group had planned this Safari as a once in a lifetime trip and all our expectations were met or exceeded. I can’t think of anything I would change if I had it to do over again.
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Email Jim | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!!
Jessica was great. She was always on top of things and quickly responded to my questions. It wasn't until I took the trip that I truly realized how much she had her act together. Each of the tour operators and/or hosts were top notch. Accommodations were fantastic. All the staff would do anything they could to help. We choose Tanzania for the trip and were not sorry. Each place within the country we went was different and we saw different things. We saw everything we wanted to: a crossing with a kill, lion cubs, the big 5...you name it, we saw it. Great trip!
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Email Mike & Barbie G. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a life time! Amazing safari adventure!! Planning and execution by Jessica was flawless!!!
We had an incredible 3 week journey through Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. Jessica was phenomenal! She is extremely knowledgeable and very easy to work with. She listened to what we wanted to do, made excellent recommendations and customized our trip to meet our wishes. The customer service and follow-up was world class (and I am a very tough critic!). There were a few things she guided us towards and all of them turned out to be spectacular. There were also a few things I was stuck on doing based on my own web research. Jessica told us about the pros & cons of some of my choices, but I still insisted. Everything she recommended turned out to be fabulous. Everything she warned me about turned out to be true. She batted 100%. I learned her personal knowledge/experience was much more reliable than the (extensive) web research I did on my own. We cant say enough good things about Jessica & Dancing Zebra. If you are thinking about going on safari I highly recommend you talk to her!
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Email Venki & Banoo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable SAFARI experience
My wife Banu and I travelled to Serengeti for a 11N/12D Safari Tour - organized by Jessica Mathew - in Jun/Jul 2018. This was one of our best trips ever. Right from the word Go, Jessica took great care of all the details guiding us through the preparation process. At every stop of our arrival and departure ports, we were received by her local representatives who helped us through the transfers. Our Safari guide Emmanuel was a great person - who ensured that we are comfortable, safe and well-informed all through the journey. Of course, Serengeti itself offered a very unique view of itself. We saw all the wild animals we wanted to see - and at a very close distance and several times to our heart's content. The accommodations chosen by Jessica offered again a very unique experience. We are vegetarians and got very good food prepared by Chefs at our request. I also want to mention Victoria - an ever-smiling lady guide who received us at our first entry point Kilimanjaro and who made a very positive impression on us. Emanuel's boss Peter Kirua of Nomad Travels provided support and guidance from back office. Overall, this was a great trip of our lifetime and I will certainly encourage my family and friends to go for this and engage Dancing Zebra Safri co. for serving them. - Venki & Banoo (Singapore)
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Email Jen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
African Honeymoon Review, Tanzania, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Zanzibar
We wanted to find a travel company to work with in planning our honeymoon to Tanzania. We did a lot of research, and reached out to several travel companies for quotes, information, and itineraries. When working with Dancing Zebra Safari and Jessica- her service and passion stood out to us. Which is one of the reasons we ultimately chose to move forward with this company. She planned a 10 day itinerary for us in Tanzania starting at the Arusha Coffee Lodge --> Lake Manyara, Neptune Lodge --> Ngorongoro Crater, Lemala Kuria Hills --> Northern Serengeti (We had a self-booked accommodation in Zanzibar). She planned every detail possible for us, from our arrival to Kilimanjaro, all transfers and domestic flights between the different reserves, accommodations and games drives and all we had to do was arrive and her in-country team took it from there, this put us at ease and made our lives easy. She was pleasure to work with, you can tell she has a passion for Tanzania, travel, and planning these amazing trips! She does her research too. You won't be disappointed when you choose this company, this travel planner will put her heart and soul into making sure you have a wonderful trip!
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Email Patti C. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A safari to remember!
Dancing Zebra was extremely helpful when arranging our safari in Tanzania. We had multiple locations and schedules to arrange and Jessica Matthews managed it all. We stayed at Dunia Camp in the Serengeti and Gibbs Farm near the Ngorongoro Crater. Both properties were magnificent. The Camp was beautiful, comfortable, and provided a wonderful place to return to each night after days of exciting game drives.
The camp is managed by women and their attention to detail for meals, service and accommodations was superb.
Gibbs Farm was beautiful and charming. The tour of the gardens, farm and coffee plantation was a wonderful addition to our safari schedule. Meals were delicious, prepared from fresh produce from the farm. The "cottages" were well appointed, complete with a fireplace that provided a cozy ambiance each night.
We cannot say enough about our guide Alfred. He was professional, expert and engaging. I am sure that everyone thinks that their guide is the best, but Alfred truly was! He could spot game from what seemed like a mile away, was knowledgeable about plants, animals, the skies, and customs. He was patient, allowing and encouraging us to linger, watch the behavior of the animals and not simply check off the animals in our viewing book. This was our third safari experience in Africa and the first time we had the same guide for multiple locations. We all agreed that it was the best experience.
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Email Lindsay | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect personalized itinerary
We loved working with Dancing Zebra. With the company being a little smaller than many companies out there we felt really comfortably with Jessica, and her great communication throughout the process of booking and during travel. We felt like there was always someone on the other end of emails, text or calls to make sure any of our questions were answered. The trip she put together for us based on vague ideas we had was perfect. Everything and everyone made us feel so special, definitely a 5* vacation, and the trip of a lifetime.