Reviews
US
Email Douglas and Mimi Smith | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional Tanzania Private Tour
At the recommendation of our friend, Anita North, we booked a month-long private safari with Green Planet Safaris in March 2023. Felix Mdee, our guide, planned the Tanzanian itinerary and took care of all our lodgings. We stayed in tent camps which allowed us to hear and see the animals at night if they came to graze by our tent. Being able to look through the netting and seeing a hippo or giraffe and to hear lions roaring in the dark added so much to the quality of our adventure. We are amateur photographers and Felix's truck is modified with huge open windows and removable seats which allowed us to easily maneuver our long lenses. Felix has an understanding of light and composition which for us was invaluable as he understood how to position his truck for the best pictures. Even if someone is not a photographer, his truck provides an unobstructed view of the animals and landscape whether you are standing or seated. Felix has been a guide for many years and has an intimate understanding of African animals and birds, their locations and habits to give his clients the best possible experience. He is very personable and was an easy companion for 30 days. He is respected by the other guides and works closely with them to provide the maximum number of exceptional experiences throughout the safari.
Green Planet Safaris timely provided us with an itinerary and worked with us to ensure our trip met our criteria. They can modify the accommodations based on their clients' preferences and budgets. Felix took care of us from the time we landed at the Kilimanjaro Airport until we checked into our flight to return to the USA. We were so pleased with our experience, it exceeded our expectations and we felt the safari was worth every penny we paid for it. We highly recommended Green Planet and Felix to family and friends and look forward to our next adventure with him.
NL
Email Juno | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Safari Experience With Outstanding Service !
Our experience with our tour operator mister John Mussa Munhambo was nothing short of amazing! As two women traveling alone, safety and comfort are top priorities, and this company and Mr John really went above and beyond to help us and ensure both. After a less happy experience in the beginning of our trip with another company, Mr John stepped in and came to our rescue and saved our trip by traveling all the way to the Serengeti and back to Arusha. From the moment we booked with Green Planet Safari, everything was managed and clear, providing us with detailed information and guidance.
During our safari game drive in the Ngorongoro crater, Mr John was next to being knowledgeable about the wildlife, also attentive to our needs. He provided great insights into the sighting, enhancing our experience and due to his quick thinking we were even able to see a fresh hunt from the lion, watching the cubs eat!! A once in a lifetime opportunity. On top of that, Mr John was able to tick off some of our wishlist sightings as well, taking us to Olduvai Goge and a Masaai Boma. This personal touch and attention to our wishes really set this tour apart for us.
John took the effort to keep in touch with the hosts at our locations and also ensured we arrived save at our next flight to Zanzibar. He also made sure I got back a sweater I forgot in the jeep by accident. These type of thoughtful actions made this trip all the way better, especially after our previous experience which left us a bit doubtful.
The jeep was secure, clean, comfortable and there was plenty of water. Overall John and Green Planet Safari provided us with an unforgettable, worry-free, adventurous safari trip and I would recommend to anyone looking for the same. Thank you for making our trip unforgettable !
ES
Email Xavier Surinyach Mateu | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best guiding and professional safari operator in Tanzania.
I did my first safari with Felix James Mdee, the owner of Green Planet Safaris, in March 2008. Since then we have done many safaris together. He is very professional and skilled guide with a deep knowledge on wildlife and parks. If you are looking for a serious and reliable safari company to get an unique safari experience, Green Planet Safaris is the one you need. I did two Safaris in 2023 with this company. The last was in November and it was not guided by Felix but by John Mussa who demonstrated me he is also a very skilled guide.
IT
Email Marco | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I had fun
Took a ride with John, it was generally adventurous and I felt safe.
Email Helen M | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Green Planet Safaris provides the best local knowledge to give the ultimate safari experience
My husband and I have travelled with Green Planet Safaris several times both as hosts of a group and as a couple. Each trip has been wonderful. Felix and his staff are great at organising an outstanding trip handling bookings and payments seamlessly. They are also really good at dealing with any problems that may arise from events outside their control such as delayed flights and lost luggage. We have travelled with Green Planet Safaris to Kogatende (for the crossing of the Mara River), to northern, southern, eastern and western Serengeti, Ndutu, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Arusha and Ruaha. Even though Ruaha is remote, the trip planning was exemplary and Felix was superb at dealing with the unexpected little things that are an inevitable part of travel to remote areas. We have been to Tanzania in the rainy season and in the dry. When it's wet getting bogged is almost inevitable, but not a problem as Felix and his drivers carry appropriate equipment and know how to use it to get underway again safely. Felix and the Green Planet Safari drivers are safe on the roads, knowledgeable about routes and knowledgeable about their vehicles which are well-maintained. They understand how to navigate the administrative systems of Tanzania's beautiful parks to give visitors the best experience.
Most important for the visitor, Felix and the Green Planet Safari drivers understand wildlife and know how to find animals. They know the names and habits of the animals, birds and plants in the Tanzanian bush. They also understand photographers and intuitively know how to position their vehicles to give visitors the best light and the best view while being respectful of other vehicles. Non-photographers enjoy this too. On several occasions, Felix and Davis have located cheetah and that enabled us to photograph cheetah hunts. We have been fortunate to see spectacular crossings at the Mara river and have sat with lion prides around recent kills. They have found us all the common animals that visitors hope to see as well as other, more elusive creatures such as serval, caracal and leopard.
I heartily recommend Tanzania and Green Planet Safaris for your next wildlife safari.
Email Michael | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional service
I had the pleasure of a 24-day safari in northern Tanzania led by Felix and Davis of Green Planet Safaris in July 2023. It was awesome!
Felix and Davis have excellent knowledge of the animals, and how to find them. They nearly always made the first sighting, to which they would draw our attention. They would name the animal and tell us the most significant things about its life, habitat, and unique features. I was usually busy at that stage trying to get a good picture and they were very patient with me as I asked them to repeat the name and spelling of the animal so I could record it in my field notes.
They also exhibit a remarkable ability to understand the animals’ behaviour, read the location and the light, and position the vehicle for photography. This includes finding a position among any other vehicles without blocking their view, being conscious of obstructions to our view, knowing where the animal was likely to go, and looking where the light is coming from to get the best possible picture. They visualise the scene as a photographer would. I am pretty sure this is not common among guides.
They were also constantly talking to each other over the two-way radio and stopping to chat briefly with other guides coming the opposite direction. Conversations being about what others have seen, and where, to ensure we had the best possible sightings.
It's hard to imagine how any guides might do a better job.
They worked very hard to make our safari such a positive and memorable experience. For example, we had been unaware that we had two flat tyres on arrival into the camp in Tarangire. Both tyres were replaced and dispatched to Arusha for repair without our knowing anything about it at the time. Felix and Davis were still ready for us promptly at 6 am the following morning with the vehicle freshly cleaned and windows removed.
Exceptional service!
I don’t normally write reviews, but Green Planet did such a great job for us, I’m delighted to provide these comments. I cannot recommend Green Planet safaris highly enough.
Email Sheila | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional
This was the second time I travelled with Felix of Green Planet Safaris. As always the care taken in developing a tailored program was excellent and once there every detail of the journey was attended to with great care. Accommodation was of an excellent standard and the wildlife viewings superb. Felix is not only superbly skilled at finding the sightings, but at sharing information about each animal or bird sighted and always has an eye for the best way to position the vehicle to ensure excellent photo opportunities, which is very important to me as a photographer. Whether we had driven through mud or not, the vehicle was always impeccably clean for each drive. The two week trip was an absolute delight, superb value for money and I would not hesitate to book with Green Planet Safaris again. I highly recommend this company if you are looking for the safari experience of a lifetime.