The Safari Soles Team
Safari Soles
- Offices In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2018)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
ES
Email Álvaro Sánchez | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Safari Experience
We were a family of 6 people and we enjoyed a lot our experience in Tanzania with Safari Soles and Chedy as guide
Email Agniete | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best Kilimanjaro/safari company operating in Tanzania
My husband and I spent two weeks in mainland Tanzania with Safari Soles (first, climbing Kilimanjaro and then on safari in the Serengeti) and we confidently concluded that we had found the best company operating in Tanzania.
The company is run by Bryson, who is a young local Tanzanian. All of Bryson's employees spoke incredibly highly of him and his professionalism, describing him as a man who never cuts corners. This was exactly accurate with our impression of him. In the lead up to the trip and during, he was always available, friendly, impressively efficient and easy to communicate with, and patiently answered every one of my questions. He organised exactly the trip we wanted - the activities, perfect dates, to our budget, etc.
First, we spent 8 days taking the Lemosho route up Kilimanjaro with Gasto (guide), Justin (assistant guide) and their team of porters. The group knew each other very well, since many of them have worked together for ten years, and their cohesion was evident. They felt like a family and we were made to feel very much a part of that family. Every person we passed on the mountain seemed to know and would greet Gasto, evidencing how respected he is as a guide and also how experienced he is. When he became a guide ten years ago, he was the youngest guide on the mountain. He knows every leaf, every symptom of altitude sickness, every corner of Kilimanjaro. Within a day, he had sussed out our strengths and weaknesses and would tailor our daily schedules to reflect this. The porters always got us the best spots in the campsites, everyone on the team was flawlessly professional and punctual, the food was excellent, the kit we borrowed top quality and the friendliness of the team was wonderful. Making it to the summit was amazing but we will cherish the memory of every member of our team who we spent those 8 days with as much as getting to the top of Africa!
Next, we spent four days on a camping safari in central and northern Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater, with Isaack (guide) and Dennis (chef). They were a fantastic pair who also seemed to know every other guide or ranger we passed! Dennis was a magician, cooking up the most delicious meals in such basic conditions. My jaw dropped when he brought us fantastic freshly baked bread for dinner! Dennis could absolutely be working for a top restaurant in Arusha. Isaack was super friendly and endlessly knowledgeable about the parks and animals, and managed to not only show us a heap of different animals but some amazing scenes - like a lion and hyena showdown over a killed buffalo! The Safari Soles guides have a great relationship with each other so, since there were two different SS jeeps in the Serengeti at the same time, Isaack and the other guide often worked together, giving each other tips on what they'd found that day etc. So you benefit from the eyes of not just your guide but their other fantastic guides too!
It was really important for us to book with a Tanzanian company, not an international one. This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us that we'd saved for and we wanted the money we spent to go entirely to Tanzania and the local people. Bryson has gathered a team of the very best guides, porters, chefs in Tanzania. You can't go wrong by booking with him and I am confident that, like us, you'll be grateful every day of your trip for finding Safari Soles!
CH
Email Nathalie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience Kilimanjaro/safari
Safari Soles was recommended by friend and we (family with kids aged 15 and 17) are really happy that we organised our Kilimanjaro und Safari trip with them.
We booked a 7d Kilimanjaro hike (Machame route) and a 7d safari and it was a terrific experience. Our contact was Bryson and he was great and speedy at answering any of our questions. He organised every think for us, starting with picking up at the airport and transfer to the hotel, all accommodation bookings, the whole Kilimanjaro hiking week, the “rest day”, the safari week and the transfer to the airport at the end. He organised nearly everything and it all worked out. Thank you so much, Bryson, for this absolute great organisation!
Also, a big thank you to Geoffrey who picked us up at the airport and accompanied us on the "rest day" between hiking and safari to Arusha to find a pharmacy and exchange office, to do small groceries and gave us the tip to visit the Cultural Heritage Centre. We are happy that we visited this place and can recommend it to everyone. Thank you, Geoffrey, for your help and support!
Kilimanjaro - Bryson met us on the arrival day with our hiking guide William. William was very patient and encouraging with us. Any questions or concerns we had he answered. William picked us up at the hotel in the morning and we went to a meeting point where we met the rest of the teams (Zacharia - assistant guide, chief and porters). Together we drove to the Machame Gate where the hike started. The hike is demanding (physically and mentally) and William and Zacharia made it easier and an enjoyable experience by keeping us laughing and always checking how we’re doing health wise. Our group of porters and the chief were awesome as well. They were always there to help. A highlight was also the meals. We never expected to eat so delicious on the hike but what the chef cooked on his little stove was incredible. Reaching the top was awesome and we are very thankful to William and Zacharia for the support. We will never forget this hike!
Safari – We met Bryson and Chadi, our safari guide, in the morning of the safari start. Chadi is a very cheerful nature, and we immediately had a good connection with each other. He was very knowledgeable on the animals and the nature. If we wanted to stop for pictures, he’d always give us plenty of time. Of course, you can’t guarantee it, but he got us the best views of animals and we were lucky to see the big 5. If there was anything we needed he was there to help. The safari jeep was comfortable what was good as you sit a very long time in the car. We made the Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP (with the migration in the North Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Lake Manyara NP; we were all in all 7d on the road. To enjoy the various overnight facilities, we spent nights in the tents, in tented camps and lodges. Thank you to Bryson for the organisation. A big thank you goes to Chadi for this great adventure and for the for the many impressions.
We would definitely recommend booking with Safari Soles.
US
Email Mark K | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari Soles was excellent, highly recommended
On Safari, we went out with Isaac. Andrew drove us locally, to our hotel, and he was incredibly engaging and sunny. Isaac was dedicated, cheery, and knowledgeable. His dedication to making sure we really saw things, but comfortably was very apparent--he kept in regular contact with other drivers about the status of the great migration and recommended our starting times, on one hand, but if he had to suggest an early time he was almost apologetic.....i felt bad, and told him we were good for it, we had a week in Tanzania to see as much as we could, and months to catch up on our sleep later. Isaac always made us comfortable, and we truly enjoyed his company.
As for Safari Soles, we also had the opportunity to meet Bryson...and I am sure I sent him way more questions than he really needed (he's gotta be a busy guy) but he always answered--from recommending an itinerary when we were just starting to plan to making changes as needed, to answering stupid American questions like "what do we wear?" he was patient, detailed, and excellent.
Safari Soles does multiple tours, multiple places....in discussion w Bryson of what we'd most like to see, how long we had, lodging preferences, and time of year, we did 3 days in the Serengetti and 1 day in Ngorongoro crater, all from Arusha. That wasn't even a direct tour offering, it just matched the places we wanted to see, the animals, and a desire to hit the great migration.
What you see will depend on time of year, luck, etc., but as a running total we saw: Leopard (very far away but you could see the head up in a pile of rocks)
Lions: dozens, including males, females, and even babies
2 cheetahs
1 serval cat
Maribou storks
secretary birds
tons of flamingoes and vultures
various eagles
ostriches
warthogs
wildebeest
zebra
multiple antelope species
crocodiles
hippoes
elephants
cape buffalo
hyena (also heard at night--solitary hyenas make a really cool "awwwww...ooop!" call that was really surprising)
jackals
giraffes
and i am sure I forgot a few, but the safari is really incredible--you'll see more animals than you'd ever guess from being someplace as developed and fragmented as America, and the scale of size is hard to imagine--elephants are big in a circus, but elephants that are clearly taller than your safari jeep are something else entirely.....
Safari Soles seems to be a somewhat mid-sized, mid-priced outfitter, and I have not worked with a bunch of other players, but I really, truly liked working with everyone at Safari Soles, and if I were to get back to Tanzania, I would book them again, in a heartbeat. I honestly couldn't have been happier with them.
We don't review a lot, we're lazy. But we try to believe in Karma, and giving credit where credit is due--we put out feelers with several outfitters and chose Safari Soles for price and reviews, and as I said, I could not be happier with that choice--they totally earned the high marks they have in tripadvisor. And as a side note, Isaac and Bryson both have standing invites if they ever need a place to hang in the US, which we do for even fewer people. Again, they really were the best....
PT
Email Anabela | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Safari
An incredible experience!!!!
The interaction with the company was impeccable. They answered all our questions and helped whenever we asked.
Our guide Simon was tireless. He managed to show all the animals I was expecting and a few more. In addition to helping me take amazing photos on my phone.
Our cook was Action. We asked him to make traditional food and it was very good.
Please do not ignore the company's warnings about how cold it is at night in Ngorongoro.
PT
Email Daniela | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Experience
What an amazing experience! We were a group of five people from Portugal and we all absolutely loved it. Simon was our guide and he was excellent - Good driver, good teacher and a really funny guy. He maged to show us a lot, there was nothing we would like to see and we didn't...we have seen the big five in 1 day!
The car was great, it had all the conditions, including plugs to charge our fones/devices.
The experience in the tends was good, but be aware it can get very cold in Ngorongoro camping park. And a warm shower won't be possible everytime...
Action was our cooker and I have to say I really enjoyed every meal.
Overall I had a incredible experience and totally recommend Safari Soles Tours.
Incredible experience
What an amazing experience! We were a group of five people from Portugal and we all absolutely loved it. Simon was our guide and he was excellent - Good driver, good teacher and a really funny guy. He maged to show us a lot, there was nothing we would like to see and we didn't...we have seen the big five in 1 day!
The car was great, it had all the conditions, including plugs to charge our fones/devices.
The experience in the tends was good, but be aware it can get very cold in Ngorongoro camping park. And a warm shower won't be possible everytime...
Action was our cooker and I have to say I really enjoyed every meal.
Overall I had a incredible experience and totally recommend Safari Soles Tours.
PT
Email Susana | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Impeccable
The team was always super friendly and reliable. They complied with everything. The driver Simon put a lot of effort into being able to see the animals and to take the best pictures. The car was well equipped to charge batteries and cell phones. They provided all camping equipment, including sleeping bags. The Action cook was impeccable and always provided vegan options. We saw the big 5 in one day! I loved the experience!
(automatic translation from Portuguese)
PT
Email Pedro Rodrigues | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simon - The multitask man ☺️
We've made this 4 day safari and it was just ... GREAT. We were a group of 5 people and we had the privilege to have Simon as our "crazy" driver
Email Daniel | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I only need one word "Reliable"
Amazing experience, loved every second of it. Could not have find a better team (Simon our driver and Action out cook) to make us feel welcomed and safe. They made all that was possible and even the almost impossible (ALL BIG 5 IN ONE DAY
