Issa & Richard | Travel Consultants
Destiny Explorers
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2020)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $350 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
IT
Email Aleksij Kralj, Elena Carli | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Destiny Explorers is a very professional company.
Destiny Explorers is very reliable. All the accomodation were good, especially the village in Serengeti. Our tour guide Noel was very kind and friendly. We would recommend Destiny Explorers to all the tourists.
IT
Email Enrico | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good overall experience
Me and my wife have been travelling with Destiny explorers on a 5D/4N safari at the end of september across 4 national parks in Tanzania (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara): I won't mention here how fantastic and adventurous the whole trip was...!
We booked plenty in advance (in January '23) but due to the company being quite small and the low season we would have probably found a seat also a few weeks before (but maybe not flights and accomodations).
We choose it because it was one of the cheapest company providing the tour we wanted and the accomodation (mid range) and the tour proposed were perfectly fitting our needs: to be honest we were a bit apprehensive about the reliability of the company and the personnel until we got to Tanzania and met the staff; being such a small, possibly unknown company and having paid such a lot of money in advance from the other side of the world made us feel a little worried until the last moment: the same feeling would have applied for any other safari company probably.
In one word we have no regrets in our choice!
PROS:
- being a small company we managed to keep the whole cost within our budget compared to the thousands of companies on this site
- the accomodations were absolutely gorgeous (2N in "Ngorongoro Forest tented Lodge" + 2N in " Serengeti baobab camp") and we couldn't ask for more despite them being cathegorized as "middle range". The food was also perfect, both for the buffet/restaurant dinners and for the packet lunches.
- this was a private safari, only the two of us on the jeep, deciding times and movements according to the guide: this was a huge pro compared to other companies providing group safari (we've seen even 8 people on a single car) at an higher cost.
- despite the low price we did absolutely everything else that all the company did; we went in any place and saw everything was possible to see and more; infact we kept meeting the same cars from all the different companies in every stops we made.
- Peter, our driver and guide was exactly the person we were aiming to have with us in the tour: he was extremly serious and professional, few words but the right ones at the right moment! His english was very good, he was listening to the radio to bring us to see the rarest animals when spotted.
- the car had 2 UK sockets with a 220 inverter to charge your phone or camera, an old fridge to keep your water cold (free bottles of water were provided), pop up roof, no AC, manual windows, lots of space.
CONS:
- main negative (or less positive) point would be attributed to the car and overall safety: on our last day in Serengeti we stopped at a gas station to get one tire fixed and one, that was completely worned out, replaced and we found out both spare tires on the back of the car were punctured and would have not be possible to use them in case of a flat tire during the trip until that moment; on our last day the morning pick up was delayed becase the car wasn't starting at all: our guide went above and beyond his duty to get it fixed fast. Car stopped suddenly due to an harsh brake and we had to be pushed by another car to start it. Seat belt wasn't properly latching. Fridge was old and little dirty inside. To summarize: a very very old car that definitively requires big maintenance that should be done BEFORE starting the tour and not left to the driver to fix it as an emergency. We were lucky that nothing major happened (we have seen other companies with very big issues on their cars that fully compromised the whole safari), but this shouldn't be left to luck: a break down in the middle of Serengeti would have cost us a couple of days to get a new car delivered.
- the food the accomodations provided for our packed lunches were good and appetizing yet little basic for somebodies needs: we were absolutely happy with our choices and to spend less than an hour for the pick nick (we were there to see animals, not to waste time in lunch and getting drunk!), but this might be a little disappointing for somebody: we've seen tables prepared with proper hot food (rice, chicken, soups etc) and even with beers and wines served in glass chalices... not what we were looking for, but just an heads up if you fancy that kind of "high standard" comfort.
- last but not least was a little/big misunderstanding at the very end of the journey that left us with a bitter feeling: I calculated and prepared a very decent tip for the driver based on what I read online being a fair amount and on our experience with the car damages and overall comfort. There was a moment of embarassment with the driver as I handed the money to him and he counted... he asked for more in a very polite way, 20 USD per person per day, total 200 USD! We got to find out we were actually paying his own salary as he was not receiving any money from the company. This was very disappointing from many point of views: we were not aware of this fixed price we had to pay, it could have been communicated from the very beginning (I just had enough cash to cover this but I was left without a dollar for the rest of my trip). Why was not this a fixed price per car but it was per person if this was the driver's salary? Tip should be a free choice in quality and quantity and not a fixed imposed price... we would have been happy to know and pay this from the beginning as part of the safari cost.
OVERALL CONSIDERATIONS:
All went fine and we had an awesome experience.
Destiny exporers was exactly what we were expecting in terms of costs, quality, services so for us it was a 9/10 choice, but it could not be for everybody if you wish to pay slightly more and have a better comfort and safety.
Reply from Destiny Explorers
Posted on Oct 20, 2024Greetings Enrico,
Thank you for your trust also for choosing Destiny Explorers to your host in Tanzania.
It's a previllage for us to host our clients and meet their expectations regardless of being a small company. We really appreciate that and it gives us energy to continue doing our best as much as we can to delivery unforgettable experiences.
Moving forward, we will try to provide more details in our presentations about the tour to avoid any miss-information.
Again, thank you for pointing out the vehicle issue as we discussed during your trip that we are going to sort out everything in our vehicles to make sure our clients are comfortable and nothing to worry during their trip with us.
Although break down is quite normal in the parks due to the rough roads as you witnessed major issues in other companies' vehicles. Luckily for us, we were able to fix all the minor issues in our car on time and make you proceed with you trip until the last day. It make us happy that we met your expectations and you enjoyed your safari with us.
-Regarding Tipping
To be honest is an appreciation to the service provided and not compulsory to be given to the service provider based on what has bee recommended by the company. I think it suppose to be the exact or more than what has been recommended by the company only if the clients are happy with the service provided and met their expectations. And with no doubt this was in details in the itinerary. Bad luck this scenario happened between you and our safari guide/driver. We apologies for all that happened and make you feel embarrassed or humiliated in any way or another.
As Destiny Explorers managing director and the entire team we shall work out on this and make sure it does not happen again to our future clients.
Again thank you so much for selecting Destiny Explorers out of many big companies in Tanzania.
Sincerely,
Issa Hamisi.
Owner and Travel Consultant at Destiny Explorers
PT
Email Maria Ricarte | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safari and the operator were very good
The safari was very good. During the planning, Issa responded promptly, making the entire process smooth, and even throughout the trip, communication with him was easy whenever needed.
David was our guide on the safari, and he drove us safely the entire time, always offering assistance when required. He paid close attention to our preferences, allowing us to spend extra time observing the animals we enjoyed most and moving on quickly from others. And we were able to see/find the Big Five.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience, with a minor issue at the end due to a lack of clarity in the quote and the last dinner being missed.
Reply from Destiny Explorers
Posted on Oct 16, 2024Hello Marta,
It had been a great connection between you and Destiny Explorers ever since you got in touch.
It makes us happy that our safari experts did their best to give you the best Tanzania safari experience.
Our apologies for any inconvenience caused and this happened due to your request of accommodation change on the last day of your safari where by dinner was not included. However, we appreciate your understanding after talked about this.
Looking forward to hosting you agin in the near future.
Warm regards,
Issa
DE
Email Christoph Muller | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Tour
Great Programm with a reliable tour operator. Unfortunately our car wasn't very well mentioned which made us worried about our safety at the end of the tour. Tour operator promised to give the car a detailed check up.
Reply from Destiny Explorers
Posted on Oct 16, 2024Dear Christopher,
We appreciate taking your time and review us. Again thank you for choosing Destiny Explorers to be your Tanzania Safari host.
We are happy that you had an amazing safari experience with us. We are sorry to hear about the vehicle and as we discussed after your safari, we have already maintained the vehicle as it had minor things to be fixed due to the rough road in Serengeti.
It was a great pleasure hosting you for this incredible experience.
Thank you so much for your support in our business.
Sincerely,
Issa
DE
Email Thomas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect Safari Operator
We booked a 6d/5n Safari (tarangire, Lake Natron, Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater and Lake manyara) and we enjoyed the tour a lot. Our guide was awesome and we had a good time. He was perfectly connected with other guides and helped us to see the big 5 within the safari. We stoped whenever we wanted to take some pictures and also the lodges we're really nice. Would absolutely book again with destiny explorers!
DE
Email Tina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely fantastic experience
We booked the 6-day-romantic-bush-safari, as a private mid-range-tour for 2 adults, it was our first Safari.
We visited NP Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Olduvai Gorge.
We had an awesome time with our guide Joseph! He speaks very good english, he was always kind and helpful and we had a lot to laugh.
He is a very good driver, we felt always comfortable and safe.
The accomodations were excellent, especially in the Serengeti: what a magic feeling to wake up in the wild, in the middle of nowhere.
We would recommend 100% this tour and Destiny Explorers !!!
Email Gemma | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Take a Cue from the Big 5 tour
We travelled from the UK as a couple. We originally booked the 'Take a Cue from the Big 5' tour through Tanzania Go Adventures which is a sister company of Destiny Explorers. We booked around 9/10 months in advance. On arrival, it was Destiny Explorers who ran the tour. Prior to the tour, the company made sure they were aware of allergies and were on hand to answer any questions.
We had a private jeep as advertised which great, and I recommend getting private as you have more room to move around and can customise tour as you go.
Our guide Noely was very friendly, knowledgeable and informative, and he went out of his way to make sure we saw everything we wanted to! We never felt unsafe.
We were picked up from our hotel on time which was great. Our tour consisted of 1 day in Tarangire National Park, 1 day in Lake Manyara, 2 days in the Serengeti and 1 day in Ngorongoro Crater. I would suggest to others to skip Lake Manyara as much of it is shut because of flooding, and many animals have migrated. That said, we still had an amazing experience with the elephants coming close to the jeep so was worth it.
The accomodation was all really nice, and we were well fed throughout the trip. There is little downtime to enjoy the pool so if this is important to you, I'd recommend extending the trip to do shorter game drives across more days. The sun is hot during the day but it rapidly cools in the late afternoon when you return to the lodges. We loved the accomodation in the Serengeti (Tuakone serengeti camps) as we could hear and see hyenas at night!! We also heard lions.
We ticked off the big 5 which was amazing, and we saw so many animals.
We had a great time and would absolutely recommend this company!
FR
Email Prune | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing! Cornel really showed us all the bush
The safaris was amazing, in 5 days we had the chance to see a lot of animals and amazing moments. We saw the great migration in Serengeti.. our guide had a lot of knowledge of the animals and he was flexible according to our wishes for the safari/timing.
IL
Email ifat Goldblat | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pleasant, communicative and nice
Communication was fast and good, every question, request was answered quickly. We went on a safari with Joseph which was very pleasant.
We found plenty of lions everywhere we went - this alone is an unforgettable and recommended experience.
The accommodations were excellent.
Recommends.
IT
Email Greta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
We had an amazing experience with Destiny Explorer.
We choosed them for a 7days Safari and for trekking on Mt. Meru and couldn’t be happier of our choice.
Issa organized everything for us taking into account all our requests. Communication with him has been fluid and efficient.
Our guides Gilbert and Houssein accompained us during the safari of a lifetime: they were very competent, ironic, supportive and funny. In a perfect english they explained everything we needed to know about animals and nature and shared stories and opinions. We felt like they were long term friends and enjoyed their company.
All accomodations satisfied our expectations and food was good and various.
Peter has been our guide during trekking on Mt. Meru. With huge patience he supported us all the way up to the peak of the mountain with a positive and encouraging attitude. We will always be thankful to him for giving us the chance of living one of the best experiences or our lives: see the sunrise behind mt. Kili. A big thanks also to the rest of the crew. Accomodations were not as good as we expected, but this is not imputable to Destiny Explorers as the two lodges are the only ones available on the way up and the rangers should take better care of them.
We would really reccomend Destiny Explorers for two reasons:
- it is founded and owned by local people and responsible travel should always support local realities
- it provides a top quality service with an excellent quality/price ratio.
Thank you!!!!
