Safari Infinity
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $500 to $1,400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Roger B | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It's all about the driver/guides!
What separates Safari Infinity from the competition? We stayed in the same great lodges and tented cabins, ate the same great food, visited the same great parks, and rode in the same not-so-great 4x4's as the other guys!... BUT WE HAD THE BEST DRIVER/GUIDE!... and that makes all the difference in the world!
Our guide was born and raised in Tanzania, spoke perfect English, had a wonderful sense of humor, knew the history, culture, flora and fauna... and was ALWAYS the first to spot the quarry (with a little help from us as time went on)... the others just followed our lead! Nothing we didn't see... and quite sure that NAT GEO would pay for our photos and videos! Tanzania in June was superb... comfortable days and cool evenings.
Even though SAFARI INFINITY has not been in the business long and is not yet well known, they know the business and offer the same great adventures at a competitive price... and they have the best driver/guides! Five thumbs up from us!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
First class operator!
The most important factor to me in a safari experience is the guide. They are the ones you spend countless hours with day after day searching for wildlife. Their personality and their wealth of knowledge of the wildlife's habitat their behaviors and the lay of the land is critical to a fulfilling trip. Tanzania is a breath taking place that you only have one chance to capture. Safari infinity ensured we had first class accommodations even though we had a semi-luxury budget...I will be recommending this group!
TW
Email Jen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best 2 days safari experience in the wilderness of Tanzania
We were a group of 12 who went on a 2 days safari with Safari Infinity to Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater in early June. The operator took us on 2 safari vehicles with open roofs. From meeting us at the hotel in Arusha to taking care of our safety and meals, to traveling in the parks and finally sending us back, we had a perfect trip. All of us agree that we had one of the best packed lunches in our lives and enjoyed the evening stay at the Rhino Lodge in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (with 300 buffaloes sleeping outside our doors and the milky way in the night sky).
Eric our tour guide is an excellent, experienced guide with a wealth of knowledge on wildlife. He could spot and track animals instantly that we otherwise would have missed. We learned about the characteristics of elephants, how they were right or left tusked, and how elephants travel alone in their final years. We saw an abundance of animals, most memorably being two lion hunts, hippos flipping and bathing, a 60 members baboon family traveling right beside us, and an elephant encounter on the road to the Rhino Lodge. The other car had Vincent as their guide and equally enjoyed their trip.
The best part for me is the scenery of the Ngorongoro Crater. I have never seen any place like this, a vast, green and lush sunken crater formed millions of years ago with steep hills surrounding the land. Animals roaming free without any worries of "men" and their next meal... it is truly a paradise for wildlife. The Crater is a place that I think anyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Breathtaking.
To Lucia and Sam who run the operation and coordinated for us, we could not thank you enough for such a wonderful trip!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Five Stars Are Not Enough!
Country visited: Tanzania
Parks visited: Tarangire, Manyara (planned, but ended up skipping), Serengeti, Ngorongoro
Date: end May to mid-June (8 days safari, 4 days in Zanzibar)
Traveller: two women, no prior safari/African trip experience
Camps/lodges used: Bay Leaf (Arusha, start of safari), Oliver's Camp, Endoro Lodge, Katikati Tented Camp, Mbalageti tented Camp, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Bay Leaf (Arusha, end of safari)
Transport
Flew KLM all the way* (departure Ottawa - Amsterdam - Kilimanjaro - Zanzibar, return Zanzibar - Dar es Salaam - Amsterdam - Ottawa). KLM rocks. What can we say!
*Precision Air was used for the Kili-Zan-Dar legs. Not as impressed with them. 5 hours late, no explanation, no meal or even a bottle of water provided (a bunch of us waited almost 6 hours at Zanzibar terminal, which is tiny with limited wifi and no charging capabilities that I could see). Had 10 minutes to spare for our KLM connection.
Food
At camps, the food was mix of buffet style, which meant we could get whatever we chose, and sit-down dinners with courses, desserts, and drinks. Food was plentiful, warm when it needed to be, and delicious. Bottled water in every room, every night (except Katikati, but it's so cheap at the "bars", about 2 USD, that it didn't matter). The boxed lunches camps provide for the road was always, always too much food. Usually, the meal consisted of a hard-boiled egg still in the shell, chicken piece wrapped in foil, veggie strips, a sandwich, some type of roll or muffin, peanuts, yogurt, a juice box, a bottle of water. Plenty of food! Oh, and a toothpick. I laughed at first, but ended up using it every time!
Money
We changed our USD to Tanzanian Shillings in Arusha. It was around 1600TZS to 1USD. Got plenty of larger and smaller bills. Used that for everything except our guide's tip, which we used USD. Things are mostly inexpensive, and we had lots left for Zanzibar (excellent shopping there!).
Tipping
We left 10,000TZS at every accommodation we stayed at. Some of them had a tip box in the “lobby” so that tip is shared equally, plus tip at the bars, or in restaurant. Usually 10-15% like in Canada. It’s hard to judge what is considered decent tip.
Tour operator
Safari Infinity, a company set up in Arusha. We found them on the internet, after having contacted a good dozen other companies. With them, we booked a private semi-luxury safari that was entirely
tailor-made to us, which we paid via wire transfers. We can't say enough good things about them! Everything went like clockwork, from airport transfers to accommodations, thanks to our organizer, Augustine. The organization is amazing, considering everything is done remotely. I know everyone says they had the best guide; but we have to dispel those rumours and say that *we* had the best ever :-) Kelly was patient, experienced, and had a great sense of humour. He comes from a family of safari guides, and it showed. You could ask him anything about any of the animals, birds, or plants, or tribal cultures, and he would explain it all to us. What a gracious host and guide! Plus he's an amazing driver who navigated the bumpy roads like a boss.
Clothing
We each had a small backpack, about 30-40L, and it was more than enough. It wasn't about the clothes, anyway. We had a mix of long sleeves, pants and t-shirts. For me, I wish I wouldn't have paid so much attention to the "got to be neutral colours, etc, etc" trends. Just wear something comfortable, weather-appropriate, and not too expensive because dust gets everywhere and is hard to hand-wash off. Aside from that, just be comfortable! We spent a good 10-12 hours in the truck every day, getting bounced around and fighting off the tsetse flies. So, comfort is key. It got cool in the mornings (maybe 15-18 Celsius, cooler in the Ngorongoro crater), even for us Canucks. We were glad we had hoodies and long-sleeved shirts. As for shoes, anything comfortable will work. I had hiking shoes and felt a bit warm sometimes. My friend changed into flip flops after a few days and was fine with that, too.
Bugs
The tsetse loved us, and I got bitten quite a bit. But I get bitten at home and react to mosquitoes, so nothing new there. It burns and itches for a few days, but it's ok. No amount of chemicals or layers of clothing seem to stop them. They got me through the socks and mesh part of my hiking shoes! For after-bite care, I found tea tree oil worked well to take care of the sting/burn/itch. Too bad I broke the glass bottle on the ceramic floor of the Sopa lodge!
Tech
If I would have checked things more carefully, I would have known that with an adapter, I would be able to charge my North American Blackberry Playbook in the wall sockets (240v, no problem). So I bought one at one of the lodges (5 USD). But our guide had the mother of all adapters for the 12v outlet in the truck (plus, Safari Infinity vehicles have actual wall outlets/adapters in the back of the truck).
Time of Year
We felt it was perfect. Not too cold, not to warm, not heavy rains and not yet the insane red dust (although there was a fair bit of it, we were told it was nothing compared to July and August). Depending on the time of year, one should pay attention to the animals’ whereabouts. The tour operator suggested certain parts of the parks versus others, and we were glad we listened because we got to see portions of the great migration (Wildebeasts and zebras as far as the eye could see!).
Animals
We had a tally of animals we saw, which was great fun to update (my “bush writing” improved every day!). 33 lions, 2 cheetahs, 3 leopards, 3 black rhinos, etc. Exciting!
Zanzibar Portion:
Accommodation
Dhow Palace. Just a lovely, lovely place. Friendly and attentive staff. Great location in Stone Town, and with a glorious pool that was kept meticulously clean. Would definitely stay there again.
Food
Found two very nice places: Hot Spot Bistro (free wifi, yay!) and Lazuli. Great food, cool places, affordable.
Stone Town in general
Shopping was great, but the constant harassment of the so-called papasis was just too much. They are *not* easy to ignore, despite what I had read. We were hot and tired and only wanted to walk around town and look at shops, maybe have a bite to eat and buy a few souvenirs. But these men, some of them very pushy, would just suck the fun out of every endeavour. We'd get swarmed if we so much as stopped to look at our map. So we'd go out in the mornings, endure the aggravations, then retreat to our hotel and relax all afternoon, swim in the pool, etc. If we were to do this again, we would skip Zanzibar entirely and stay for a longer safari instead.
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Email Arnavaz & Kaiyoz Mirza | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Experience Ever....will do it all over again!
My husband and myself wanted to go on a safari (one of the "to do things" on our bucket list) & just through Tripadvisor, out of the blue we picked out Safari Infinity because of the excellent reviews. We are overjoyed with the wonderful experience we had from the beginning to the end. Lucia & Simon are gracious hosts & met us twice, in the beginning & at the end of our trip to make sure we were satisfied with their safari in every aspect ...planning our trip, advising us about the weather, food etc. Our guide & driver, Erik John, was knowledgeable about the wildlife, was friendly, humorous & a safe driver. We stayed in a budget hotel in Arusha and visited Tarangire National park, the beautiful Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National park & Ndutu. We encountered abundant wildlife so closely & were lucky to see lion-lioness matings & a buffalo being hunted down by 4 lionesses & 2 lions! The tents & lodges where we stayed gave us great service along with an awesome experience of sleeping right in midst of such beautiful surroundings.
Lucia was so helpful with answering to all our questions right from the beginning when we were trying to plan & decide on this trip. I highly recommend this wonderful trip with Safari Infinity to anyone who wants to experience Tanzania!
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thinking of Tanzanian Safari.... go with Safari Infinity
My wife and I were planning an African Safari for quite some time and once our minds were set, we started looking for tour operators. We got in touch with Lucia @ Safari Infiniti through a friend of mine who did his safari with Lucia's company as well. Although my friend rated Safari Infiniti the best, I still contacted 2 other tour companies to ensure we get the best. Soon I realized how easy was it to work with Lucia. Her level of commitment, professionalism, flexibility, attitude towards getting things right, knowledge about Tanzanian Safari was hard to beat. I remember calling her or she calling us multiple times to go through our itineraries, questions, etc. and making multiple changes to them as per our request(s). Since it was our first time, we were pretty apprehensive about the trip as well (things such as food options, hotels, travel, etc. ) but Lucia made it all easy for us. We ended doing a completely private safari with lodging in one of the best camp sites in Serengeti area. It was spectacular. Our tour guide Vince was the best one can get in a foreign land. He is so polite, down to earth, humble, and again knows so about the land and the way animals react. It was 7 days - 6 night safari with Vince and I would say it was the best trip ever. My wife and I make a lot of international trip together but this one tops it all. Vince was like a family member to us and was considerate to all our needs / requests, etc.
Tanzania is a beautiful country with amazing wild life. We did a few national parks such as Ngorongoro, Terengire, Serengeti and were lucky enough to see every possible animal specie along with The Great Migration and the Crossing - thanks to all the planning with Lucia and the actual safari with Vince. A special shout to Lucia's husband Simon as well. It was awesome to meet them in person and share a meal together.
We would highly recommend Tanzania and Safari Infinity.
Jambo,
Abhi
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Heaven on Earth!
It’s been 2 weeks since my husband and two sons (ages 24 and 20) and I returned from our 13 day safari and I miss Tanzania and our guide Kelly and everyone at Safari Infinity so much! I keep transporting my way back there -to the feel of it, the views, the animals, the incredible air on our faces, the almost constant joy and laughter in our vehicle as we took in everything that Kelly so generously offered to us and shared with us. I have never felt more alive in all my life!
From the first moment we were in touch with Lucia to begin planning our safari to the last moment when we checked our bags at the Kilimanjaro Airport to go back home to NY, we felt completely surrounded by the most caring, professional, knowledgeable people who are completely passionate about their calling- to share the beauty and wonder of the remarkable people, animals (we saw everything!) and country of Tanzania.
Not only do we feel we have gained another home in Tanzania, we feel we have gained another family in Kelly, Lucia and Simon, Godlisten and Qwarda. We know we will be back and we know we will be welcomed with open arms. Safari Infinity has helped us to remember that Life is Possible and filled with Infinite Possibilities!
CA
Email Marina Madden | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most Amazing Holiday Of Our Lives!
A day doesn't go by when I don't think about my trip to Africa... Being someone who has travelled the world, I can safely say that after my trip to Africa, I feel content and that no trip will EVER top this one.
My husband and I decided 2 months before our trip to go to Africa. When we started researching, we were overwhelmed by all of the options and tour companies to choose from. I emailed countless places and for the most part, the pricing was relatively similar. What made us choose to go with Safari Infinity was the staff who work there.
From first contact to last, with the million changes I made to the itinerary, Lucia was extremely patient, kind and informative. She gave me options with different price ranges and explained the differences between all the options. She answered all of my questions, replied in a prompt manner to all of my emails and I just cannot say enough good things about her. I felt at ease and comfortable with her and I trusted her. There was a couple places we stayed that didn't have reviews on Trip Advisor yet, which I like to research before booking anything, but her word that they were great places to stay, was good enough for me.
The great service didn't stop there. Being a little nervous about having never been to Africa before, we were immediately greeted by our tour guide, Kelly when we got out of the baggage claim. He had such a friendly, welcoming, comforting smile. He gave us an itinerary and little package of what the plans were for our trip, along with bottled water and chauffered us to our first stop: The House of West Kili for a couple nights. He made sure we were checked in and settled before leaving us for our two nights...
When Kelly returned to pick us up, it was time to start the safari portion of the trip. We were driven to Arush to meet Lucia and her hubby, Simon at a hotel in town. They were warm and friendly and made sure we were good to go. Already so impressed with the personalized service. We really felt special and I knew we were in great hands with Kelly.
Our whole safari was AMAZING! Kelly is a graduate from a safari college, so he was very informative and taught us SO MUCH about all of the animals. He was very patient and let me watch my big cats for as long as I wanted to, with no pressure to keep going. He could spot lions a mile away! We had such a great adventure and we all got along so well. We were very fortunate to see over 100 big cats including a pride of lions hunt, kill and eat a buffalo. We had some adventures as well, got stuck in some mud, had some tse tse flies chasing our truck, saved a turtle who was crossing the highway! At the end of our safari, we met up with Simon and Lucia again, who were excited to hear all about how our safari was. We shared our photos and videos with them and some good bye hugs! Tears were shed when it was all over and Kelly dropped us back off at the airport afterward. I really feel like we left with a friend for life! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you request Kelly as your guide when you book with Safari Infinity. Our safari wouldn't have been the same without him. The itinerary that Lucia came up with for us was absolutely perfect and the only thing I would change is adding on one more night at the Ngorongoro Crater. If you are a first timer to Tanzania, this is a great itinerary to go by:
- 2 nights/1 day at The House of West Kili; do the day hike option to get some great views!
- 1 day/night at Tarangire National Park; you will get your fix of elephants here, so you can focus on other animals for the rest of your safari :)
- 2 days/nights in the Central Serengeti area; stay at the Ang'ata Serengeti Camp
- 2 days/night in the Ndutu area; here, you will find the chubbiest lions! You can tell these lions eat well. This is where we saw the lions kill the buffalo!; stay at the Ang'ata Ndutu Camp
- 2 days/nights at the Ngorongoro Crater; Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is nice but they don't allow the guides to eat with the guests, which I didn't like. This has nothing to do with SAFI though...
- 1 day/night in Stonetown, Zanzibar; We stayed at the Zanzibar Coffee House but there were some nice places on the water that could be good options as well
- 4/5 nights in Nungwi Beach area; the Z-Hotel is perfect!
I promise you that you will not regret your decision to book with Safari Infinity. It was the best decision we made and the perfect start to our month long trip to Africa. I cannot wait to go back! Thank you to Lucia, Simon and Kelly for what truly was the most memorable and unique vacation of our lives.
CM
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolute client oriented service!
We live in Africa and we know how logistics can be here. We know the quality of infrastructure. We know the surprises that may arise. We try to anticipate, sometimes in vain, the challenges.
But with Lucia and Simon, you do need to know and do all of that. You enjoy the ride because you know that you can trust them. They master last minute logistics related changes. They anticipate your needs. They taylor their approaches. They know the local challenges and constraints. They make you enjoy your trip.
I highly recommend them. I have travelled extensively and they are among the best TO staff I have met, including the drivers and staff
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari, fantastic tour operator
My partner and I went on a 10 day safari in Tanzania with Safari Infinity in November 2013 incorporating several activities like a hike of empakaai crater, mountain bike ride, ngorogoro crater rim walk, the beautiful serengeti etc.
I can't praise this company enough for a once in a lifetime, amazing holiday. If you are thinking of using them, I wouldn't hesitate. We've already recommended them to a few friends who want to do a similar trip this year.
They were highly professional, their local knowledge and advice on what works / doesn't on your itinerary makes them a standout. They are a growing safari specialist and really do put their customers first. There are many reasons why I would choose them again and recommend to others, here's the top reasons:
Firstly, they were super responsive and patient with any questions I had and my numerous itinerary changes. I dealt with Augustine in the canadian office but whether you get Augustine or Lucia, both are just as responsive and knowledgeable. We also met Simon when we arrived who was there if we had any questions. I think this is a very nice personal touch, shows the operators really care about their customers!
Second, our guide Eric was amazing! He really knew his stuff and was fantastic as being to spot all the wildlife. Having a guide who knows where to go for the best views, having a great eye for spotting the animals and of course friendly is a must. Having met 3 of Safari Ininity's guides over the course of our trip (bumped into one guide several times who was with another group, and another guide picked us up from Arusha on our last day), I would say the key advantage they have over larger companies perhaps and what comes through, is that the guides are all very PASSIONATE about their jobs, Tanzania and the protecting the wildlife.
Third, they were simply excellent value. They offered me a competitive quote compared to the 4 other operators I asked, and after delving into the details it was obvious they were including much more in the price than the others. You also pay into a canadian bank account, which made me feel safer about the company (even though it shouldn't make a difference!). I would say, book with them before they need to put up their prices due to high demand!
Lastly, they treat their staff well. It was important to us that the guides etc all enjoyed working for the company. They said Simon and Lucia were on call should they need anything, they don't just leave the guides to deal with any issues alone. I think that sort of support is very important as Tanzania can be quite unpredictable at times, even though our tour was perfectly smooth.
Don't hesitate to book with Safari Infinity!