Asseri the founder with clients at Ngorongoro
Orongai Africa Safari
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $145 to $750 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Desmond | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The amazing tour guide defines the tour. Overall, great tour and nearly perfect.
My girlfriend and I went on a 4 day tour covering Lake Manyara, The Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti NP. Overall, the trip was amazing and the company left an extremely positive impression on me and my girlfriend, although it wasn't perfect. To get the negatives out of the way, there is room for improvement in areas of communication during the planning stages of the trip. When we arrived in Tanzania, we were informed of floodings in our booked accommodation in the past week, where we had to relocate and some pricing adjustments were made. Given that this was not previously communicated to us, we were caught off guard. Given that we were able to confirm the unusual severity of the floods this year in Tanzania from extra research and other local sources, we believe there was no malice involved but it was genuine miscommunication. I suggest that if you do book a tour with Orongai, it is very important that you regularly reach out to the tour company about itinerary changes and pricing. It should also be noted that even after the pricing adjustment, we found the price to be extremely competitive for the level of hospitality offered.
With that out of the way, the tour itself blew our minds. The guide, Charles, was extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. He went out of his way to accommodate some special requests we had (we needed medical attention at some point due to a previous incident unrelated to the tour) and the connections he had with other guides meant that we were always able to spot the right animals at the right time. Although we only went for four days and it was during low season (May), we spotted all the big 5, including a whole tree of lions in the Serengeti and a rhino at a far distance (admittedly, we got very lucky in general as the weather was great for the season). He also had an impressive knowledge of local animals and gave the right amount of context to the beasts we were spotting. The level of accommodation and food offered were at and exceeded our level of expectations and definitely worth the price we were paying for. The company representative also met with us after the tour and was genuinely interested in our feedback regarding our experience, which we felt was a great touch. As with all tours, understandably, there were times when we were gently suggested to shop in some areas, but this was not done in an aggressive or forceful way.
In general, I am very glad to have Orgonai to be the guide to my first Safari and my third time to Africa. I would not hesitate to recommend them to my friends and family should they want to do a Safari in Tzn one day (with the emphasis on the communication part).
DE
Email Kilian and Anne | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience for a lifetime!
In December 2017 we were looking for a safari. Since we wanted to contact a company in Arusha directly - instead of hiring a travel agency in Germany - we wrote several emails and tried to find a company which meet our demands. This is really hard as there are soooo many! Once you are on safari you will see all the different logos on the spare tire. Everyday we saw a company we haven't seen before.
ORONGAI is a rather young company. It started their business in October 2017. When we contacted them in December 2017 there weren't many reviews online. Still, the few reviews available were really good.
Martha (email contact of ORONGAI) always answered immediately and tried to satisfy our wishes.
We told Martha all our plans, wishes and price range. After all we booked a safari for 7 days and 6 nights, beginning in February 2018, with a mixture of tented camp and lodges:
- night 1 & 2: Haven Nature Camp
- night 3: Seronera Wildlife Lodge
- night 4 & 5: Ndutu Safari Lodge
- night 6: Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge
On day one we visited Tarangire Nationalpark. On day two we saw Lake Manyara. Day three was a bit traveling all the way to the Centre of Serengeti (Seronera). Day 4 we did some game driving in the Centre of Serengeti and drove to the Ndutu Lake after lunch. We stayed there for day five and the morning of day six and did game driving in the southern part of Serengeti. After lunch on day six we drove to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We did game driving in the crater on our very last day, where we also finished the big five with a rhino.
We had a privat car with our guide. Therefore we were able to decide everything. The speed of traveling in the Nationalpark, wether to move on or stay at some place to do more game driving and observe big herds of elephants or sleeping lion.
This really was the PERFECT SAFARI for us! We had a combination of different parks and different campgrounds and lodges. We really enjoyed the campground because it was really quite, the food was great and we sat together with our amazing guide Isaac. In the lodges the guests and guides sit separately. Something we found strange...
We were super lucky with our Guide Isaac. Isaac is super friendly and funny. He laughs all the time, sings and really is full of energy. We enjoyed every day with him and are super grateful for his amazing job! Also, he is a really experienced driver and guide!
He knew that we wanted to keep up with the park rules and stay on the roads. While other tourists and guide rush all the way through the park and leave the tourist roads we wanted to respect the nature and animals. And for sure we did not regret this choice because we saw 43 lion, 4 leopards (one baby leopard), several Cheetahs and thousands of elephants, zebras, antelopes, giraffes...
The nature and parks are super different. While we saw sooo many elephants in Tarangire Nationalpark, we only saw five elephants in Lake Manyara. Therefore we didn't see any zebras in Tarangire but saw a lot of them in Manyara. Therefore I would not want to miss out on one of them! We would definitely recommend to visit all the parks as the wildlife and vegetation really depends on the weather which can change quickly. Before booking the safari we did some research as we wanted to watch the great migration which - at that time of the year - was supposed to be in Ndutu area. But as we were in that area we realized that there was much more wildlife in the Seronera area because it had rained there a couple of weeks before. Had we focused solely on the Ndutu area, we would probably have been disappointed.
We saw really special things like a leopard in action, a hunting lion etc. Without Isaac we never would have seen all of this. He always knew where he would need to go!
Thank you Isaac and ORONGAI for our amazing safari!
We will never forget this experience and will highly recommend ORONGAI to everyone we know who wants to do a safari in Tansania!
Important advise: take binoculars with you! ORONGAI has some but they aren't too good. We took our own with us and we super happy about that! Even our guide Isaac always searched for animals with our binoculars. Also, bring cash for the payment as there charge you extra if you want to pay with credit card!
US
Email AJ | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Poor management, did not follow itinerary, rude, Great driver
I recommend looking ELSEWHERE before booking with Orongai Africa. I am not one to write bad reviews but my poor experience with them warrants such review.
I priced out many safaris prior to booking and specifically requested going to Lake Manyara weeks before booking with Orongai. They agreed to this and I paid a deposit down for a 5 day, 4 night safari. One week after paying for half of the trip, they sent an email with what looked like the same itinerary as we agreed upon. What I did not realize however was that they deleted Lake Manyara (despite our initial request and agreement) from the last day without discussing this with me at all. After arriving in Tanzania from Kenya (which I will give them 1 star of credit for because they were very accommodating to picking me and my significant other up from the border which was very helpful), we had to pay for the second half of the trip. We attempted to pay via paypal with a credit card which "did not go through", so I sent a second payment through paypal. Essentially, we paid 1.5x what was originally agreed upon. I have now been back for 4 weeks to the USA and despite emailing multiple times, we have yet to receive a refund for the extra half trip we paid for. I hope we get our money back soon.
Not only is their management rude sending snarky emails back and accusing us of not tipping our amazing guide (for which I take a lot of offense to because we tipped him extra for how great his knowledge and sense of humor was), but they are UNTRUSTWORTHY for changing itineraries AFTER money was already paid.
I highly recommend looking elsewhere before booking with this company. Save yourself the headache of being accused of being a bad person inappropriately.
On a side note, if you do come across a safari guide named Issac. He is really great and gave us a good experience on 4 out of the 5 days of the safari that the company took us on. The 5th day, they stated we had "used all of our money up" and could not go on the last day of the safari before the airport. Such a disaster.
Reply from Orongai Africa Safari
Posted on Apr 8, 2018Thank you for this email
We at orongai Africa Safari we apologise if we caused any inconvenience to you AJ and your girlfriend .
Its true you requested for the refund from Paypal but Paypal proved that the refund was not genuine since .We provided you with all the services as per our contract .Hence Paypal could not issue you the refund on basis that they did their research and were able to prove that you were in those national parks and the hotels as per the contract .
We were willing to refund you the money since our clients satisfaction is our priolity but Paypal was able to solve the case for both of us in a fare way ,
I would like to give you a complementary in future so as to make up for any conviniences
But its not true that you were given bad services by ORONGAI AFRICA SAFARI KINDLY CORRECT THAT .You know that its not true
Thank you for your honest review
DE
Email Sabine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
fascinating and relaxing
East Africa - Those who have been there once will be fascinated. No image or video can reproduce the infinite expanse of Tanzania. You just have to experience it for yourself - the sun on your skin, the unique scent of the country, the fantastic flora and fauna and last but not least the hospitality of the people. Everywhere there is something new to discover and enjoy. The different national parks, from Serengeti to Arusha National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater as well as the tanzanian culture were definitely worth the long journey from Germany. If you want to escape the snow in December and enjoy the turn of the year in the sun like us, then Tanzania is the right place for you. We met Asseri as a reliable and friendly safari driver who liked to make a little fun and always smiled. In addition, Asseri is happy to respond to individual wishes when planning your trip. For example, there is the possibility to pet giraffes in a lodge and make dreams come true (like the one from my mother). Another conclusion of this trip: During the 2 weeks vacation I experienced only 5 minutes before the turn of the year people who were running around hectically, because everyone should have his sparkling wine. Every now and then I remember it back and I try not to rush through the city centre. Rather open the door 2 minutes later and enjoy the day with its little things. I think that's the way to enjoy life. That's why I think Africa still has a lot to teach us. If you want to embark on the adventure to get to know an enchanting world in which everything is a bit different than in Germany, you should make your way and book your holiday as soon as possible. Sabine Germany
NL
Email This & Esther | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater
The safari tour was amazing and the service of Orongai was perfect. They picked us up from the airport and brought us back to our guesthouse in Arusha.
The tourguide (Witson) was very kind and skillfull. He knew a lot about the wildlife in the 3 parks we visited.
The selected lodges (Serena Hotels) have high standards of quality and service. The views of our rooms were amazing and the food was great after an intense day of gamedriving.
We highly recommend this tour operator and especially Witson as a guide! He was perfect for us :)
CA
Email Lucy Vera | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very Interesting Trip
We had enjoyed our Tanzania tour with the awesome trip guide. I like the way Orongai Africa Safari experts helped me to explore the beauty of Tanzania during the tour.
DE
Email Elke Krämer | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Safaris
Orongai Africa Safaris is a young company.
Despite all this, Asseri, the founder of the company, is an experienced guide.
I have known him for 7 years.
Not only once could I spend unforgettable days in Tanzania under his guidance.
A perfect organization with great attention to detail made the safaris to highlights in my life.
It was always possible to express wishes and to plan and carry out the safari as I wanted.
Asseri is a great guide, reliable and always in a good mood.
On the safaris I received from him a lot of information about Tanzania, the unique landscape and the wonderful wildlife.
You can feel his love for his homeland and his profession.
So I also learned to love this country and to be enthusiastic about it.
The company is definitely recommended.
The value for money is right and the recommended accommodations are perfectly selected.
Orongai Africa Safaris - always a great experience!
See you in Tanzania, maybe soon again!
Dear Asseri, dear Martha, I wish you all the best!
PT
Email Joao | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Asseri is an excellent guide!
I traveled in Tanzania in 2016, with other company but Asseri was our guide, and he was very professional, knew a lot about the wildlife, always doing his best for us to see all the animals. We had a great time with him!
DE
Email Elfriede Tychsen | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari through Tansania with a perfect giude
We went two times with Assere Nniko for a safari from Kenya through Tansania. We visited Arusha- and Mount Meru National Park, went to the stunning Ngorongoro Carter and finaly to Serengethi Nationalpark, especially Lake Ndutu. We had a wonderful time there and we stayed in wonderful lodges. All was perfect organized.