Visit Tanzania - Eastern Sun Tours
Eastern Sun Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB & TAWTO
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $240 to $1,100 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
MT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The experience of a lifetime
Setting plans with eastern sun tours was as easy as a,b,c. when planning a tour of this sort one starts to build up heaps of concerns ,i was one of them .I started to browse the web to find tour operators that meet our needs and also affordable .Send tons of inquires to various operators ,all showing same itinerary but prices varies a lot .Eastern sun was our choice .Started to communicate via e mails ,i was a real pain in the butt but Mercy was always patient and helpful,no communication barriers or whatsoever .No problems when it comes to bank swifts ,Africa is a non-sepa country and so you cannot make ibans ,for me it was a great concern sending a lump sum to this alien account ,but believe me i would have never had this negative thought if i knew Mercy et al before .....they are wonderful people . The safari journey was mind-blowing ,the driver/guide did a great job, he showed us all of it ,always on time and helpful.Lodges and camps that eastern sun recommended were tops .Great scenery ,.good food and excellent service .During our 7 day safari we had only one issue with one resort for small portions of food ,they served us a double portion after complaining .Having said that Eastern sun tours showed us Tanzania with a very affordable price and made a group of 4 adventurers from Malta very very happy .
Email Tony Mitchell | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Eastern Sun - A fantastic team to summit Uhuru Peak with
I still can't believe I made it to Uhuru Peak, but two mates and I did the trek with the best bunch of guides and porters on the Mountain. Mercy and Simon couldn't be more helpful with our booking, payment and provision of information, amid our changing requirements. Two expert guides, a cook and several porters spoiled us with their friendly and service-focused attention from pick-up to drop-off in Arusha. Our memories of fatigue and cold air have faded while the social times with this fantastic team remain vivid recollections. The tents and equipment, food, briefings and safety were second to none. I want to go again with the guys from Eastern Sun Tours & Safaris.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Summiting with Eastern Sun
When looking for a company to arrange a Kilimanjaro climb, I must admit I was overwhelmed with the number of operators out there and found it difficult to know which operator could be trusted. After getting a few quotes from various operators, I found Eastern Sun on Safaribookings.com and was impressed with the speed of their responses to my initial emails. I was also impressed with how cheap they came up when compared to other operators. I was a bit nervous that they were so cheap that it was too good to be true, but any concerns I had were soon resolved on the morning of our trek.
Our pick up turned up at our hotel in Arusha at the arranged time and took us on the long drive to the start of the rongai route. The drive took us most of our first day. We were a little put out that we were only told at Marangu gate to kili that plastic bottles are not allowed on the mountain as we had planned to use these. In the end we had to arrange to borrow our guides' bottles. In future I believe this should be made clear in the booking emails. We were also a little annoyed that we had to pay $10pp to hire leccy poles when we thought they were included in the price.
Once we had resolved these issues we continued with our drive north. Once we got out of the jeeps, there was a lot of sitting around, but were soon on our way with the trek. On our first night we were pleastantly surprised with the quality and quantity of food provided by our chef Stephen. Throughout the trek we were well fed and never went hungry once. In terms of water, although I had water treatment pills I was told the water was treated, but later found out it was not. Fortunately we didn't get ill following this mix up (I think its pretty low risk anyway), but had to treat our water for the rest of our trip. For anyone looking to go on a trip, I'd advise taking water treatment pills just in case.
In terms of our guide (Arnold) and assistant guide (godfrey) we were very impressed. Not only did they make great company, but were also informative and made it clear that safety was put first. Our guide measured our heart rate and blood oxygen levels at least once a day and gave excellent advice based on years of experience on the mountain. If you go on a trip and use one of these devices (it takes a reading from your finger) ladies make sure you are not wearing nail varnish as this skews the results. Unfortunately I got bad altitude sickness symptoms at kibo (basically the worst headache i've ever experienced) but arnold's advice to take ibuprofen (I was already taking diamox)worked perfectly and I was able to summit feeling great!It was reassuring to know that Arnold would not have allowed us to summit unless he thought it was safe to do so.
All in all we were impressed with Eastern Sun and despite the minor issues we had, we were impressed with the service we received making it a trip we'll never forget.
DE
Email Carlo E. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
My heartfelt thanks, love Merci, dear Simon for your Super organizing our trip!!!!!!!!!
Many, many thanks to you for your Super organizing our trips;
and also again so, so so, many, many heartfelt thanks to:
- Nasero our best 4-star chef in the world,
- Richard our super guide and safe driver
- and last but not least, our helpful and caring Maasai guide Papaa!!
Please pass it on.
We can provide all three naturally only recommend and Nasero, Richard & Papaa would book again immediately!!!
The same applies for guide and driver Mohamed Hamza on Zanzibar.
Eastern Sun Tours has organizid the following Safaris & tours for us super excelently & perfektly:
1. Lake Manyara NP. Full day Safari,
2. Ngorongoro Crater NP. Full day Safari,
3. Ngorongoro Crater to Empakai Crater Walking Safari,
4. Lake Natron NP. with Safaris & Visites to Lake Natron Flamingos, Human Foot Steps 2,4Mio. years old Foot
Steps, Walking Safari to the Waterfall, Visite to the Visitor Center,
5. Visiting above the active Volcan Oldonyo Lengai,
All trips, Safaris, Walks & Visitings are just in time, punctually and perfectly well done!!!
Many heartly thanks for the made it possible unique impressions: We would be made immediately organizes from you this trip!!
Again and again, with you,
Merci & Simon and your super team of Eastern Sun Tours
DE
Email Birgit T. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Many, many best thanks, dear Merci and dear Simon for your perfectly organize of my trip!!!!
Dear Merci, Simon and your Team!
Many, heartly thanks to you for your best organizing my trips;
so, so many, many heartfelt thanks also to:
- Nasero my best 4-star cook,
- Richard a super guide and safe driver,
- Hamsa my wellknown informed, politly Guide in Zansibar,
- Mohamad my safty and just in time, punctually and safty driver in Zansibar.
Eastern Sun Tours organicided the following Safaris & Tours for me super excelently & perfectly:
1. Full day Safari in 'Arusha NP. visiting 'Momella Lakes' with Canoeing on one of the Lakes with his breathtaking flamingos,
2. Excellently organiziced Full day Safari in Ngorongoro Crater NP.,
3. Full day Safari visiting the Olduvai Gorge with 2,4 Mio. years old human footsteps: Arriving just in time with
Museum of excellently excavation work there was pioneered by Louis and Mary Leakey beginning in 1931.,
4. Three full day Safaris in Serengeti NP. with unique impressions, including a visit to the impressively designed
Serengeti Visitor Center,
Seeing the big deartrpis of gnus and zebras behind the Serengeti National Parc Gate:
Many, many thanks to our driver Richard "Right time, right place!!"
5. Impressive non-stop flight from Serengeti Airport to Stone Town Airport,
7. Seven Days relaxing in Zanzibar with the following perfectly, safty and just in time organizided Fulpl day Trips and
adventures: - very interesting Leadership of historical Stone Town,
- Visiting Sultans Palace, Sultans Arabic Bath and one of the many Spice Plantations, a perfectly Tour,
- Guided Visite of the Jozani Jungle with his famos Colobus-Monkies and ist mangroves,
- Sailing-Tour with snorceling and picnicing with one of the old Dow-Boats.
The hotel in Stone Town, selected Eastern Sun Tours, I experienced a fairytale as in "Arabian Nights"! Best
All trips, Safaris, Walks & Visites are just in time, punctually and perfectly well done: The first choice!!!
Heartly thanks for made it possible all these unique impressions:
I would be made immediately organizes this trip from your company Eastern Sun Tours!!
...and only again, with you,
Merci, & Simon with your SUPER Team of Eastern Sun Tours!!
Birgit T.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience in Tanzania!
My husband and I booked our honeymoon with Eastern Sun to hike Kilimanjaro, go on safari and to visit Zanzibar, and we had a fantastic experience. From the time that we arrived at Kilimanjaro, everything went very smoothly. Our driver picked us up right on time and even had flowers to greet us with. We then spent a night at a relaxing little hotel before heading out to start our hike. The hike was great- our porters were amazing and all of the food that Stephen cooked for us was delicious. We could not have asked for a better guide, Arnold, or assistant guide, Tuma. They were so knowledgeable and helpful, and just really enjoyable to be around. We've even kept in touch with them over whats app and facebook since we left Tanzania.
We also had great experience on Safari with our guide Richard. He was also very knowledgeable about the animals, which we saw tons of- baby cheetas, hippos, elephants, and rhinos, lion cubs and the all of the big 5. We really enjoyed the accommodations on the safari as well, they had really friendly and helpful staff and we met some other great travelers as well. I especially loved the Maramboi camp where we were able to go for a run and had a close encounter with some Giraffes.
After Safari we were off to Zanzibar, which was absolutely beautiful. We got to spend a bit of time in Stonetown and explore on our own which we really enjoyed. After that we headed out to the resort where we got to kayak, run, and go Scuba diving. We also went on a spice tour and got some really great lunch in Stonetown on the way back to the airport as well.
The only issue that we had the entire time that we were there was with the weight of luggage when we flew to and from Zanzibar, as we had quite a bit of since we had done the hike and safari. We contacted Mercy and she was very quick to respond and help us through this issue, which we appreciated. My only suggestion would be for those doing the hike to somehow have the baggage held while traveling to Zanzibar to avoid this issue.
Overall, we had an amazing experience with Eastern Sun. We absolutely cannot wait to go back and visit Tanzania again in the future!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
serengeti and eastern sun tours exceeded all my expectations
Huge thanks to Merci for all her help in planning the safari of a lifetime. She is so knowledgeable and helpful. She tailored our safari to suit our wishes and budget. The accommodation she chose was excellent.
The safari well and truly exceeded all my expectations. Never did I imagine we would see so many animals and get so close to them. I would have to say that our driver Eddy is the big reason for that
We couldn't have asked for a better driver and guide, and such a great guy. Eddy was so informative, fun and knew exactly where to find all the animals. His driving skills on the bumpy roads in the national parks made for a very smooth ride.
I couldn't recommend him highly enough.
Anyone that is thinking of doing a serengeti safari, do youself a favour and don't go without booking through Eastern sun Tours. Merci and Eddy will provide you with the safari experience of a lifetime.
IS
Email Thorbjorg Kolbeinsdottir | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My Safari tour with Eastern Sun Tours & Safaris was great and big adventure with great guide.
Very good communications and service from Mercy. It fulfilled all my expectations. The safari tour was on big adventure with great guide, Richard Nicholas, and he served us also very well. I give recommend to Eastern Sun Tours. Thank you all :-) Greetings from Iceland.
Thorbjorg Kolbeinsdottir
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Value
This is a very reasonably priced company that offers fantastic service and excellent value holidays.
We took a ten day trip to see the great migration calving with them in February. They created a tailor-made, private camping tour for two people for as much as it would've cost to join one of the larger companies standard tours sharing with other guests. Highly recommend going on a private tour as it means that you can choose how long you want to spend at each animal sighting and you get the charging powerpoint in the truck all to yourselves (a big deal if you need to charge multiple devices). Another bonus is that you can choose the dates you are free. The destinations we visited included: Tarangire National Park, Serengeti Central, Serengeti South (highly recommend in February for viewing predators hunting or with their kills), Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.
The guide and cook set up and packed all the camping facilities, allowing for us to kick back and relax while viewing the beautiful scenery. The company provided us with sleeping bags, matresses and pillows free of charge and bottled water free of charge everyday. We didn't expect the food to be the highlight of a camping safari, but our cook Stephen really had a command over spices and made the most delicious soups for entree everyday which was always followed by a tasty, generous main and dessert and warm drinks afterwards.You will not go hungry. He uses a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, which was important to us as we like healthy, wholesome meals (so many cooks load up the pan with oil, leaving to you feeling sluggish). We still talk about his soups today, he really made an impact on us, he is also just a really nice guy.
The 4x4 trucks are equipped with a fridge, powerpoint, roof that pops up so you can stand while on safari and, most importantly, a radio (so other guides can share what they have found). Our guide, Hassan was one of the most respected guides amongst the Tanzanian guides. He always got us the best, or a very good, position for viewing but he never compromised the welfare of the animals, as some other guides from other companies sadly did. Due to this respect from his fellow guides, he was always in the loop with what was the latest animal sighting.
I have nothing bad to say about this company, they are very professional, friendly and they don't rip you off. I couldn't imagine doing a safari in Tanzania any other way.
DE
Email Family Nilovic | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Family Choice !!!
First: Eastern Sun did a wonderful Job. We (2Adults/3Kids-Aged 12y/8y/7y) have been on a 10 days Safari Tour in July 2015. Mercy was always listening to what we wanted to see and we had a regular email updating of our trip giving us good advices- until it was perfect. We as a family would like to say a huge -thank you- to Eastern Sun Tours- and would like to recommend this Tour Operator to all Visitors/Families with Kids!! All was very professional and well organized- from the pick up at Airport-to the End of Safari Tour at the office of Eastern Sun. We have had a very good Driver (Hassan) who took every time care of save driving and had a lot of Knowledge- explaining us everything of plants and animals as well as the local way of people living.This all made us enjoying an unforgettable and memorable Safari. Thanks once more. 100% Reliable!!