Meet the Team - eTrip Africa
E-Trip Africa
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- ATA, IATAN, IGS, KPAP & CODE
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CH
Email John Varghese | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolutely brilliant, professional and most hospitable hosts.
Everything was absolutely perfect, efficient and polite. The guide was exemplary and even more your personal help Ben being on the ball to help is when we were in a jam when our flight to Nairobi was cancelled.
Email Simon Atherton | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best tour operator by far in Tanzania/Kenya after 3yrs research
I have recently completed a 7 days solo adventure with e-Trip Africa visiting Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara, Ndutu, Ngorongoro Crater & the Serengeti.
An exceptional journey overland with a very knowledgeable and conversant guide who complimented the newly modified 4WD Toyota LandCruiser... totally equipped with power outlets, fridge, a complete wildlife library and quality Zeiss binoculars. A very comfortable vehicle in comparison to others I have experienced, also the guide had great ethics towards the environment and wildlife opposed to many rouge operators I have uncounted over the years in my travels.
My trip included mid to high-end properties with likes of several new 5* locations with Lemala Camps, stand-out Lemala properties were Mpingo Ridge, Ndutu Camp and Nanyuki ... I believe there is a great all-inclusive stay-pay deal with this organisation (ask Ben for more information)
I also had a memorable stay at the new Nyumbani Tented Camp... I highly recommend anyone to consider these properties in your future adventure itinerary.
Tip of the day! When doing Ngorongoro Crater do stay at one of the ridge camps/hotels for an early morning decent into the crater... only if you have experienced and/or put in place in your itinerary you will be very grateful at the end for the additional expense especially due to the high number of volume of vehicle after 1pm within the crater as you are leaving ... so much dust, so may people!!!
Lastly, pre & post tour I required accommodation for recover from my flights inbound from Australia and of course recovering from my epic journey. e-Trip Africa also offers a delightful homestead/family feel property in Arusha called Researchers Rest, I recommend this as a cheaper add-on opposed to staying at a hotel ... full board can be organised inc' transfers and tours ex Arusha/Kilimanjaro. There are some interesting sights in Arusha should you have a spare day/time.
A special thanks to Ben @ e-Trip Africa for organizing my epic Tanzania safari journey, I look forward to my future Kilimanjaro climb in 2020 and proposed Kenya Mara/Amboseli tour later on this year again all with e-Trip Africa.
US
Email stacie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
best price AND service
Having researched our Tanzania safari and contacted several operators over the course of a year we finally decided on eTripAfrica after receiving a very competitive, concise and detailed quote and itinerary from Ben. He was able to secure the Lemala properties for the days we wished to stay, was cheaper than the other company's quotes and all without compromising on all the important aspects of a successful experience on safari. We had some initial questions and concerns and Ben set up a time to call us and addressed them all with additional follow-up emails to ensure we were comfortable with everything. We did an overland safari visiting Tarangire, Ngorongoro crater, Ndutu and then on to the central Serengeti. Our car was new and in great shape and was equipped with a refrigerator full of bottled water, binoculars, a library of reference books and charging ports for devices. The MOST important aspect of an enjoyable safari hinges on the quality of your guide and Eli did not disappoint. He could not only spot animals from great distances but was able to identify which animals they were before we were even able to lift our binoculars. He shared his expansive knowledge of the animal behaviors, habitats, gestation, lifespan, intelligence etc. with us and we learned about migration patterns and behaviors of the hundreds of bird species we saw that we unaware we were interested in previously. Who knew we were bird people?! We enjoyed everything from the colossal elephants to the minuscule working termites, ants and dung beetles. He also shared information about the Tanzanian people and the lifestyle of the Masai tribes en route to the parks. We were impressed by his expert handling of the vehicle on all kinds of terrain (including deep mud) and the vehicle was spotlessly clean and ready to go each morning of our trip. The safari included unlimited mileage and distances and the flexibility to go out on game drives for as long as you'd like during park hours. Most days we would take a packed box lunch from the camp and a couple of days we returned to camp for lunch and a few hours of R&R and then went out on another game drive in the late afternoon. Eli knew every nook and cranny of EVERY park we visited (no easy feat considering the vast expanse of each) and was able to recommend the best course of action for each day. A Tanzanian safari has been #1 on my bucket list and it exceeded my inflated expectations in every way. Do not hesitate to book a safari with eTripAfrica.
US
Email Corey Deible | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Climbed Kilimanjaro, the Rongai route, and then did a 2 day safari. Etrip was Outstanding
Etrip did an excellent job communicating during the planning our trip, following up and then exceeded all our expectations during our trip. Our guides, especially Davis for our trek up Kilimanjaro, went above and beyond to make sure it was a trip of a lifetime. The porters, cook, and crew consistently gave fantastic service, were cheerful, and did everything they could to make us feel comfortable. They sang to us on arriving at camp, provided amazing food, and spent time with us in the afternoons going on exploratory hikes.
Our safari was organized through etrip and our guide David (different from Davis) did an amazing job as well. He we incredibly friendly, knowledgable and patient. I have nothing but the highest praise for Etrip and the staff, communications, and planning that went into our trip.
Thank you so much
AE
Email Claus Larsen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
From the first contact to the end was a world class experience. This is how great looks like!
To deal with e-trip Africa have been a really great experience. Everything went really smooth and with 100% focus on giving us the best possible service and a memorable experience. Its one of the few times where delivery is above expectations but this was the case. Everything was taken care of and we could focus on having a good time and absorb the experience. I will recommend e-trip Africa to everyone in my network who plans to visit Africa and I will without a doubt use e-trip Africa again. A lot of other agencies could learn from this and learn how world class customer service looks like. The few points we have which could have made our trip absolutely perfect is not worth mentioning.
We can highly recommend e-trip Africa and you will for sure be guaranteed value for money!
NL
Email Edward Kornet | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
best guide ever: Alladin, best car too: cooling compartment for food and drinks + a powerbank
We were very well informed in advance about what to expect in different travel periods, national parks and accomodation. Ben the "manager" was also very flexible in changing accomodation on our demand. He also took care of the inland flights. We could not find all of them at the internet ourselves but he could still book them.(Zanzibar-Arusha) We did not aim for the greatest numbers of lions and elephants but wanted to experience nature at its best. The proposed trip to Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater fitted us very well. Tarangire being not as flat as the Serengeti but hilly and dotted with trees of which the baobab trees stood out was outstanding. Not only the landscape but also the numbers of animals and the variety: not did we only see hundreds of elephants a dozen of lions, lots of wildebeast,zebra,giraffe,gazelle,buffalo and impala but also eland, reedbuck, bat-eared fox, jackel, banded mangoest, common mangoest, small mangoest, rock hyrax,dik dik, waterbuck, brown parrot, ostrich,lapped faced vultute, hooded vulture, saddle billed stork, marabou,martial eagle,long-crested eagle,goshawk,tawny eagle, bare-faced go-away-bird, white browed coucal,hornbills,rollers,starlings,barbets, spurfowls,francolins, chestnut-bellied kingfisher and even more. Our guide Alladin made us feel very comfortable/at ease. An outstanding friendly and knowledgable person. Not only professional but also human. We stayed for two nights in a simple but pleasant "bungalow" from wich we could overvieuw the tarangire landscape including the river( tarangire river camp ?). We saw three lions sleeping in a tree right in front of the accomadation ( at +/- 100 meter)
From the bathroom we saw impala, warthhog and dik dik. How enchanting. Alladin told us we were lucky to be just at the end of the dry season(all animal need to visit the river for water) and exploring tarangire during three days( 1 + 2 x 1/2)( instead of 1) gave us the opportunity to see more of the park and the animals than day visitors. Lake Manyara although small was complementary with its dense forrest, wet land and (salt)lake. It provided us with new impressions an vieuwings of new species: bleu monkey, silvery-cheeked hornbill ( thanks to Alladin: he spotted all of them where we failed to spot them ourselves) black heron, african spoonbill, hammerhead,jacana,black crake, yellow billed stork,hadada ibis,sacred ibis,little egret, great white egret and more. It was the wrong season for lake manyara but we would not have liked to skip it. It is very charming in its own way.We stayed near the ngorongoro crater and Alladin was eager to leave before sunrise to be able to show us some rhino and he did. We saw three of them among which a young. We also saw heyena chasing wildebeast and three kori bustards, a pelican, grey crowned cranes, hippos and more. Ngorongoro crater provided us with new sightings but was not green at all ( at the end of october)
Maybe we were so spoiled by the other parks especially tarangire that we lacked to see the full beauty of the crater.
According to us ( three times on safari) you do not need to spend more than 3 to 5 days on safari to be completely satisfied.Next day we stayed at planet lodge in Arusha. Alladin drove us to the airport in the morning.
We really would like to recommend e trip africa if you want a relaxed and convenient safari and you might be so lucky to meet the best guide ever; Alladin.
HK
Email Chan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience
All great managed and arranged. From lunch boxes to dinner to accommodation choices. Guide is professional and experienced. Have seen a lot of wild animals in the safari. Would love to be back again in the future.
CA
Email Nori | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Customer Service
For planning, I felt very comfortable to ask questions and any changes. I was happy about the prompt reply. I enjoyed the 7-night safari very much with a knowledgable driver guide!
US
Email April Pierce | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not enough good words to describe it!
We just returned from a 7 day safari planned with Etrip Africa and I could not have been happier with every aspect! From the beginning, Ben and Aurelie did a very thorough job of planning. The reasons I finally decided to book with them was because of the promptness of responses, details of cost breakdown, and route/accomodation choices. There is always apprehension upon finalizing your choice because there are so many options, but I would use them 10/10 times again.
Upon arrival into JRO, we were promptly picked up by our guide Viktor (even tho flight was delayed from Kigali by four hours) and taken to our first hotel. Ben met us at our first stop to meet us and deliver our printed itinerary for the week (very nice touch).
I cannot say enough good things about Viktor either. He was so knowledgeable, patient and a true friend by the end of the trip. If given the chance to request a guide, I would highly recommend asking for him by name. Just an example of how attentive he is- I requested that my water be put in the fridge after a hot day in the Serengeti...since it would take awhile to chill, Viktor stopped every other guide he knew until he found me a cold water. One other time, my hat flew off as we were in a hurry to make it to a lion kill. To keep from missing the action, I said forget about it. Five minutes later, another vehicle pulled up and delivered my hat to me. He doesn't let ANY detail go unnoticed. You could tell he is very respected by other guides and a smile never left his face the entire time we were with him.
We realized very quickly that our route was the perfect combination for us. We started with a day at Lake Manyara, next few nights in Serengeti, night at the Crater, and final night at Tarangire. Our accommodations got better and better as we went along and ended with the most luxurious of all (Lemala Mpingo). We all appreciated different aspects of every park and each of us had a different favorite. I would highly recommend every one of them. We spotted the Big Five, lions mating, tons of chases, and so many animals we couldn't count. I'm so glad that we trusted the recommendations that we were given.
Overall, please do not hesitate to use ETrip. You will be nothing but pleased with the communication, service, vehicles, guides and accommodations. We almost never repeat vacations because there is so much world to see....but I am already trying to find dates to return!
AE
Email María Marta Viana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very bad experience
We hired their service for people over 50 to climb Kilimanjaro on the Lemosho route. From the beginning the guides were annoyed because were not fast enough for their expectations. They gave us no kind of support and even treated us condescending. We made the claim to the company but they didn't give us any answers. In short , if you are over 50, forget about this company
Reply from E-Trip Africa
Posted on Aug 13, 2019Thank you for taking the time to post your feedback and sharing about your experience. Let me start by apologizing that eTrip Africa was clearly not the right fit for you, due to your expectations from our guides which were not in line with our safety and security procedures and policies.
I do sincerely hope that both of you do value that you were able to accomplish a feat that many will never achieve, with one of you making it all the way to the summit and the other to Stella Point. I know you may feel that you have failed, but this is a huge success in itself.
As this is the first complaint that we have had, I would like to share some more information. We do have many clients that did not make it to the summit, but of them they all agreed that it was in the end the right choice not to proceed further. We have taken nearly 1,800 people up Kilimanjaro and more than half of them were over 50 years old. Older climbers are actually our preference as they go slow and don’t try to rush up the mountain like the 20 year olds…
Our company ethos places great importance on safety, which means that reaching the summit is not our measure of success but rather keeping our clients and crew safe is our first and foremost priority. Of course it can be frustrating and disappointing when you work hard and don’t reach the summit, but the reality is that not everyone makes it to the summit and sadly there are people every year who lose their lives on Kilimanjaro because the guide allows them to push too far.
We keep very detailed daily records on each of our clients. Twice daily medical checks are recorded along with general state of being of each climber. Further the guides report any and every incident no matter how large or small. Further we use InReach satellite trackers for each trek which allows our office to monitor the progress of the trek. It alerts us when a team is moving too fast, as this can be one of the biggest mistakes that can be made on Kili. Our guides know very well that the slower the pace the better our bodies adapt to altitude.
As I mentioned in our many emails back and forth immediately after you emailed us (before you posted this review), our team has gone through all the records and the InReach track in great detail. From the full review we concluded that the guide and assistant guide followed all policies and procedures correctly. When I told you this you were clearly not satisfied and requested to see our policies and procedures, which I shared with you. From that point we did not have further response from either of you.
Of course, without being on the mountain as an eye witness it is impossible to determine if there was a personality conflict between the two of you and the guide and assistant guide. We did also follow up on this assumption and spoke to several members of the crew and received the report from the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project monitoring porter as well. Of these the most we can ascertain is that there was never a bond made between the two of you and our team as the two of you kept to yourselves not communicating much with our team and speaking in Spanish between you most of of the trek. This not a problem, but I hope that you can understand if the guides seemed distant (or un-supportive as you put it), as they believed you did not need them in that way based on your limited interactions with them during the full trek. Needless to say we did not find any reason from our team nor any specific information from you that lead us to believe that the guide or assistant guide acted in an unprofessional manner towards either of you.
Lastly as I mentioned in our emails and you read in our policies, it is forbidden for our guides to carry, push or pull someone and allow that person to continue up the mountain. If someone is in need of such assistance, they must descend. It was reported in the guide log that at one point during the summit attempt it was requested by you to carry or pull one of you up the rest of the way to the summit. The guide and assistant guide refused due to safety issues. Again, I believe we were not the right match of a company based on your expectations and you would have been better off trekking with a company that does not take safety as serious as we do.
On the positive side I am glad you had a great safari with us after the trek. I wish you would have taken the time to include that as part of your review as most readers on this site are safari goers…