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
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One cup of perfect planning, one cup of great guiding, and a pinch of luck = A perfect Safari
E-Trip Africa organized a mind blowing tour to Tanzania and Rwanda for us this summer. The manager Ben and our Guide Rajai were at the airport to greet us when we arrived and joined us for a welcome dinner in Arusha at Arusha Coffee Lodge, which is a beautiful lodge located in a Coffee Plantation just outside of Arusha. We spent two nights at Arusha Coffee Lodge in order to recover from the long flight. On the “recovery” day, Ben joined us for an outing to Shanga House, where handicapped and disabled people are employed to create a variety of hand crafts, like blown glass. Ben then took us to Plaster House, which is an inspiring project that does surgeries for children whose families can’t afford such medical interventions. I nearly left the place in tears, seeing how strong such young people can be. As a rule, we find a way to give something to the places that we have traveled. I was turned off by the numerous scams that we had heard about in East Africa. But you can see that E-Trip Africa is really involved with the community and they were able to find some real projects to introduce us to.
We started early to get to Tarangire National Park. As a first African safari we really had no idea what to expect. Tarangire is a perfect place to start the journey. Elephants and Giraffe mixed with the huge baobab trees that seem to go off into the horizon. It was not long before Rajai had us driving down a small track near a dried up river bed. There were no other cars in sight, so I naturally though he was taking a short cut or even got lost. But then all of the sudden he stopped and pointed at a Sausage tree. I stupidly assumed he was showing us another Sausage tree, but then we saw her. A beautifully majestic leopard, not even 20 feet above our heads, was taking a nap on one of the large branches. She opened her eyes and glanced at us and then dosed back off. After some time relaxing and enjoying the nature, we continued the drive enjoying the elephants, giraffe, ostrich, lovebirds, beaters, and the grandiose baobabs. We then spent the night at Tarangire Safari Lodge, which as promised has “the best view in Africa”.
The next morning we started the day early slowly working our way out of Tarangire, when we spotted two cheetahs. We still don’t know how Rajai was able to see the animals while navigating the sometimes nearly impassible roads, but he spotted them and then pointed it out to us. Once again we were alone, but this time on a much larger road. He said we should wait to see if they were hungry. And sure enough within 15 minutes they were on the hunt. We crept along as they moved and finally, the burst out after a herd of Thompsons Gazelles. By the time they had caught one they were quite far from the road, but we could still see the action. Then to our surprise two female lions appeared from behind some bushes and the poor cheetah lost their breakfast. By that time several other vehicles had arrived and we decided that it was time to move on.
We gratefully joined the tarmac road again and drove to the south to enter Lake Manyara. Originally our plan did not include this park, but Ben as a Bird Man, said it was one of his favorites and convinced us that we should give it a day in the trip. We are so glad we did. While it was not easy to top the excitement from the morning, Lake Manyara National Park was a splendor in itself. The coexistence of so many different animals all in one area really made me feel that this was a special place. At one point not far from the hot springs, we had 17 different types of birds, along with a huge troop of baboon, giraffe, wildebeest, buffalo, and mongoose all feeding in the same place. We actually spent over an hour there just enjoying all of the interactions, sounds and movements. In the afternoon we drove to Ngorongoro spending the night at Serena Lodge.
Again we started the day very early. Rajai wanted us to get down to the crater floor first thing so that we could see the animals when they are most active. The drive down to the floor was quite impressive. This is where we encountered our first Hyena, of which we must have seen almost 100 during the morning drive. There were also some new birds to see, Crowned Cranes and Kori Bustards were new for us. This time it was not Rajai who had the luck but one of the other E-Trip Guides who radioed Rajai to tell him that two Black Rhinos had been spotted. We then headed off in a bit of a rush. We arrived to find 5 other cars there and the rhinos where quite close. Rajai told us that Jon was an aggressive male that is the father of most of the rhinos in the crater. He has also killed some of his sons once they reached sexual maturity. So the park is thinking about moving him to a better place. Within about 20 minutes there were nearly 50 cars lined up. We left our space for someone else and we then headed off. Near a small stream on the floor we came across a female lion that had 4 cubs with her. She was alone, which meant that the cubs were still less than a few months old.
They were adorable to watch and since everyone else was viewing the rhinos, we had some time to ourselves to enjoy. After lunch it was time to drive out of the crater and to the Serengeti. The one surprise we had was the large numbers of Maasai People and the fact that there are so many cows in the conservation area. I don’t really see how the area can support the wildlife and so much live stock.
From Ngorongoro to Serengeti the road is very bad. I never saw a road this bad in my life before. It was two hours of bumpy, dusty madness. We then spent almost an hour at the entry gate and continued to Nieleze camp in Serengeti. The camp is small with six tents and located near a small hill. The next morning we had a sunrise breakfast on the top of the hill, which was a nice surprise. We then enjoyed two days in central Serengeti, where we saw over 40 lions and 3 different leopards. The highlight though was a mother cheetah with her cubs near the den.
From Nieleze we drove to the northern part of Serengeti which was also long and dusty. The road was not as bad as before, but nearly. Rajai took us on a few loops along the way. And as we got further and further north there were fewer and fewer cars. We spent the following two nights at Bolongonja Camp, which was a bit more rustic than Nieleze. However, it was perfect for the location. The sense of really being in the wilderness was ideal.
Ben & Aurelie had warned us that the migration was very unpredictable and not to have our hopes too high. Seems once again the stars were aligned perfectly. When we arrived there were still some large herds of wildebeest around. We drove by and waited for hours, but they just moved back and forth with no real desire to cross that river. But the second day when we returned, they had changed their mind. There were thousands of wildebeest jumping in the water and two got taken by crocodiles. Rajai said that this was actually a rather small crossing, but it was big enough to enjoy. On our way back to the camp I spotted what I thought to be an elephant, but then I decided it must be a hippo. Rajai laughed and took us down a small track to get up close. It was another black rhino. This time all to ourselves.
The next morning afternoon Rajai took us to the airstrip where we said our goodbyes and then we boarded the small plane to Rwanda. We arrived there to find Ben waiting at the airport with our guide Joseph. We spent the night at the upscale Serena hotel in Kigali.
The next day Ben took us on a tour of Kigali. We started the day visiting the Ivuka Art Studio where children are given the opportunity to express themselves with art. We then drove to Volcanoes National Park. Along the way we stopped at the Gorilla Doctors project which provides medical care for Mountain Gorillas. We then headed off to Gorilla View Mountain Lodge for the night. The lodge was okay, but not quite at the level of those in Tanzania.
The next morning we were up early and of to the park to visit the Mountain Gorilla. The rangers gave us some coffee and then told us a little about the family we were going to visit. Our family was the Susa group, which we were told had 28 gorillas in it. From the ranger station you get very good views of the 5 volcanoes that are inside the park. I did not take pictures here because I thought we would see them better from the forest, but you don’t see them at all.
We drove to the start of the trail and the rangers gave us walking poles. The hike was a bit difficult and it is high so not so easy to breath. We walked about two hours and then the rangers stopped us and told us that we needed to get the cameras ready and to leave our bags. We then walked a few more feet to a clearing where there were several gorillas. The rangers lead us into the middle of the group. In our sight I counted 14 gorillas but I could hear some others that we could not see. The sights, smells, and sounds are all so overwhelming that the 60 minutes passes rather quickly. I still have not figured how to put the experience in words, but I can say it was the highlight of a perfect trip.
I am grateful that we came across E-Trip Africa, as they building this amazing trip for us and where there from the start to the finish. Ben and Aurelie provided useful insight and expert advice. Rajai and Joseph are fantastic guides and passionate people that have a love for wildlife.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An excellent 29 days in East Africa
I was really fortunate to come across Aurelie from E-Trip Africa, who organized a once in a lifetime 29 day tour throughout East Africa. I started organizing the trip on my own with my trusty Lonely Planet. It did not take long before I realized this was beyond all my travel experience to Europe and South America.
While Africa might not be all that more complicated, the lack of current information leaves you turning in circles. So after I was completely frustrated, I contacted 7 different companies to see what they could offer. Most of them seemed to only know about one country or another and it quickly became clear they were going to pass me off to some other unknown person once I crossed the border. I even had a good laugh when one gave me only part of my tour request and that the other countries would be added 4 or 5 days later. Hmmmm.
There were two that clearly had on the ground staff in the countries we wanted to visit. Each proposed an incredible proposal to fill the 29 days, but the prices were far from similar. I worked with Aurelie a lot to modify the trip to be exactly what I wanted, as her initial suggestions were much closer to what we had requested. In the end I then also asked the other company to give me the price of the same trip so I could have an idea. E-Trip Africa’s price was nearly $250 per day cheaper, which was enough to decide to book with them even though they are a lesser known company than the other.
We started our trip in Uganda and drove from Entebbe to Kibale where we spent a full day with the Chimps. This was one of many suggestions that Aurelie had given me and it was worth paying a little extra for the experience. Then we headed to Queen Elizabeth and had a fantastic visit to the park. The boat cruise is another very memorable experience.
After that we drove to Buhoma and spent a night there at the beautiful Mahogany Springs before hiking through Bwindi to the south side of the park. This hike was a nice way to meet local people and learn a bit more about their everyday lives. From the South part we tracked the Nshongi family. Spending that time in nature with the mountain gorillas is the most magical thing that I have experienced. From here we slowly worked our way to Rwanda, visiting several of the lakes between Bwindi and Lake Kivu. We spent 3 days resting at Lake Kivu before going to Nungwe Forest. The forest was very nice with a nice canopy walk. We then went to Kigali to visit the genocide memorials. Now Kigali is quite a modern city to my surprise and seemed to be very safe.
From here we flew on a small plane straight into the Northern Serengeti and then worked our way south to catch the migration on its way North. While it is not as emotionally intense as the gorilla encounter, the migration is also an amazing experience.
We finished up the safari through Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, and then Tarangire before heading to Mafia Island to do some diving. We had thought about Zanizbar, but Aurelie suggested Mafia to avoid crowds, and again she picked the perfect location.
Everything went surprisingly smooth. E-Trip Africa provided us with excellent guides that have a passion for wildlife and sharing their countries with those who visit. Even though our budget was for mid-range, the hotels were carefully recommended by E-Trip Africa to provide us with the best value, allowing us to upgrade our stay in Mafia.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kilimanjaro summitted thanks to Davis
I am a Catholic priest and was giving a retreat to Mother Teresa's sisters in Kenya when I thought it would be nice to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. After contacting five recommended safari operators, I chose E-Trip Africa because the manager, Ben, called me back within a few hours and talked honestly with me. I've been greatly impressed by how he runs the company: he's a man of honor and integrity and is not out to make a lot of money, but to share the love he and his wife (owner of the company) have for Africa. He operates according to Tanzanian government guidelines regarding porters' wages, conditions, etc., which many companies do not do. We took the Machame 7-day trek and found the staff delightful and professional. Davis, our guide, especially, really managed the trek well, and without him we would not have made it to the top. Davis, like Ben, really enjoy their work. I recommend E-Trip for any trek or safari in Africa, and plan to go with them again.
US
Email Nick Smith | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Life-Changing Trek at 50 Years Old
For my 50th birthday, I wanted to do something very special. I had never done anything big and I realized it was now or never. Well there is nothing bigger than Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. Little did I imagine how life-changing a trip up Mount Kilimanjaro could be. After tons of research, I cautiously chose E-Trip Africa to run my trek. You are putting your life into someone else’s hands, so this is quite a big decision. I could not have been more pleased with this outfit, from the beginning to end! The staff is unbelievably professional, friendly & knowledgeable. It does not take long to see that they have had very good training from plants on the trail to safety. The crew quickly became family, as these guys are not only professional but honest hard working people that are warm and kind. I was beyond surprised at how good the food was. I mean there are no roads to drive that stuff up the mountain, so everything has been carried by hand. Davis the guide has over 10 years as a guide, not counting when he was a porter and assistant guide. I was told by E-Trip that Davis recently placed first in a Mountain First Aid course, getting the highest marks in the class. There was no doubt in my mind that this was true, as he was even giving medical advice to another company that had a sick person in their group. As a 50 year old, I did not really focus on the summit, but on having a great experience, as I figured there was not much chance I would make it all the way up. I chose the Lemosho route over 9 days, to have plenty of time on this beautiful mountain. In the end, I had a great life-changing journey and also was successful on my summit night, thanks to an exceptional crew. On a side note, I was really touched by the work that E-Trip Africa is doing with the Mailisita Foundation, in providing education to disadvantaged youth in the Moshi area. I am glad to know that they work to give back in a very concrete and measurable way. I plan to return to the school soon, to volunteer to teach computer classes to the kids.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
On Stop East Africa
Since I was a child, I had dreamt of traveling to Africa. But life passes and those dreams fade. On my 50th birthday, I realized that life was passing quickly and I was missing out, which was my reminder of my dreams of African Elephants and the Snows of Kilimanjaro.
I happened to get the contact of E-Trip Africa by a chance encounter at business dinner. On first contact, they listened to what I had dreamt about. And after a few days they put together some options of tours that could work for me. Aurelie also gave me some other suggestions that I did not even know where possible.
Knowing that I am not getting younger, I also decided that Kilimanjaro was either now or never. So I ended going to East Africa for six weeks. I spent some of my trip with my wife and the trek with two old friends. What really amazed me was the ability for Aurelie to organize and manage our trip in three different countries. She had also visited every hotel and done each of the activities that she proposed to me. Now that is a dream job, if I have ever heard of one.
We started our trip with six days in Kenya. Many people told me to stay away from Kenya due to
terrorism, but I felt completely safe, even in the massive city of Nairobi. The people were very nice and my guide Joseph is now like family. Masai Mara was very nice but crowded and on several occasions Joseph, as an Honorary Park Ranger, intervened to put some very disorderly Chinese in order. He even was picking up trash when he saw it. Joseph is a nice man that cares for the environment and wants to see a better future for his two children. We then went to Lake Nakuru and spent two great nights at Sleeping Warrior Lodge. The night game drives were very cool. And Joseph could always say what the animal was just by the color of it´s eyes in the spot light.
I then headed down to Tanzania and met Jorge and Carlas for our Kilimanjaro Trek. Our guide Casper really gave us a wonderful 8 days on the Lemosho Route. Even though there was some rain, I could not have asked for a better experience and the challenge to get to the top was fantastic. I am not in the best condition physically, but this was endurance and a challenge in your own mind.
After the trek I left my trekking friends to meet my wife in Mafia Island. This untouched island is a perfect place to relax and enjoy fantastic diving. Our hosts at Shamba Kilole were very friendly and prepared perfect food, but that can be expected from Italians. Five days was not enough and I hope to return one day.
We then flew to Ruaha National Park to enjoy again an untouched park that has few visitors. This park was very nice and the lions provided us several exciting moments. Unlike Kenya, we did not see another car for several hours and you could really have a nice feel of being in the wild of Africa.
Next we flew to the Northern Circuit. Tarangire, Lake Manyara and then into the Ngorongoro Crater, where the wildlife was only slightly denser than the tourists. This part of the trip was not so great. The crater is a must, but with all of the other tourists and even a few loud rundown vehicles really distracted from the experience. Also, Oldupai Musuem is a complete waste of time and money. Aurelie and our guide both talked it down, but did I listen?? Lesson learned and shared. The Serengeti however, was better as we only spent two days in the Seronera Area before heading to the North. Again, a perfect site at Sayari Camp, where there was the chance to get out and enjoy nature secluded from the masses. Four days here was perfect and we even got some great time close to a Rhino, not to mention some fantastic Wildebeest River Crossings.
Last on the list was Rwanda. Again, this was a welcome surprise. Most people are uneducated about the country. They only remember the war and genocide and assume it is still a war torn place. It is not. It is beautiful and very warm country. The smiling faces and friendly people were unlike the rest of our trip. People were helpful and not aggressive at all. Even in the touristy shops. Gorillas were fantastic and the trek was surprisingly easy both days. Also, the visit to see the rare Golden Monkey was worth the extra day in the area.
Rwanda is another place that I hope to return to one day. The country is booming and the people are quite different from their neighbors. I think that sums it up. A trip this long has so many great stories and not enough place to write them all.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Lemosho Route: An Amazing Journey!
Embarking on a journey as daunting as Mt Kilimanjaro took a degree of level headedness in almost every stage, from choosing a travel company to gear selection to final summit night courage, but the reward of Uhuru Peak and the view from the Roof of Africa makes every test more than worth it. The best piece of advice I could give anyone contemplating the climb is to have confidence in every decision you make let this carry you to the top!
The keys to building this confidence are gained by doing thorough groundwork before you reach Tanzania in the areas of physical conditioning, gear selection, and guide company selection. While I was going through this process I was interning in South Africa where I did not have a lot of time or the available resources to devote to training or finding the right gear, so in hindsight I learned that tour company selection is one of the most important choices you make, they end up being the glue that holds what training, gear, and confidence you have together and if you make the right choice they’ll help you make up for any area in which you’re lacking.
That being said, the company I choose was E-Trip Africa and I could not have been happier with my selection. From my timely pick-up and conversation with Ben at Kilimanjaro International to our thorough pre-trek team meeting, I had full confidence I would make it to the top. Our lead guide, Caspar, was heavily suave with experience and led us through a detailed examination of all our gear making sure we had was up to par, with a convenient rental company representative there to offer any needed supplies at a very reasonable rate.
As we set out along the Lemosho route my team of six trekkers quickly realized we would be rubbing elbows with several other groups as we had chosen a full moon hike (still definitely recommend this despite the crowds, they thin out closer to summit). This close proximity to other groups for the first few days allowed us to eye the other amenities offered by other companies and we quickly realized how lucky we were in comparison. Our “dining hall” tent (A.K.A. the Jack O’ Lantern) allowed us to enjoy our frequent warm beverages and near gourmet meals in protection from the elements, and our team consistently surged past on the trail, always pausing to say jambo, to have camp set up for us at the next site.
The unique dynamic energy that each and every member of our team brought to the journey became essential in trying times of fatigue, sickness, and hardship. Caspar quickly adapted to any unforeseen circumstances ranging from impromptu birthday celebrations to accommodating a team member who felt the affects of AMS. An important aspect I hadn’t thought about in a company was how well they are able to adapt to different fitness levels within a group, something that Caspar and his team did very well. Summit night he timed our ascent perfectly to watch the sunrise from Stella Point. Definitely recommend!
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Email Margie Klemm | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mt Kilimanjaro Rongai Route
I summited Mount Kilimanjaro via the Rongai Route in seven days in November 2013 as part of a charity climb. The trip was amazing. Our group contacted e-Trip Africa on the advice of another group that summited June 2013. From our first contact with e-Trip Africa to our farewells from our climbing team at Marangu Gate, the entire experience was wonderful. Everyone we dealt with was professional and knowledgeable. We were uncertain at the start of the process on which route we would take and for what duration. e-Trip answered all our questions and gave us unbiased advice on the pros and cons of each route. They took the time to answer our million and one questions with patience and never once did I feel I was given a rushed answer. The climb team was superb and their professionalism helped give me the confidence that I needed to make it to the top. Climbing Kili is not for the weak of mind or body and finding the right partners are critical in my opinion. From our first meeting in Moshi with the head guide Caspar and his team I felt we were in good hands for the coming week. The food was great – there were two picky eaters in our group and neither one went away hungry from any meal. The camps were clean and orderly and the climb team made sure our experience was fun and safe. Ben Jennings worked with us before and after the climb and was a large part of us being successful. We are already talking about taking another group back in 2015 for charity, we will use e-Trip Africa again.
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Email Julia Hubbel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
From the Southern Circuit to the top of Kilimanjaro
Looking out at Kilimajaro from my hotel window this morning is like an otherworldly experience. Ben Jennings, the owner, was grilling me (as is his habit) last night about the service, food, if I was being pressured to summit. He's constantly improving, pushing to get better, and in all ways trying to take E-Trip Africa to another rung higher. My experience of them began back about June through a Trip Advisor referral and it's been top flight ever since. To keep this relatively short and sweet, the first thing that Ben does is spend a fair bit of time understanding- how much experience (this is my fifth trip to Africa) what do you want to do (adventure, out of the way, totally cool stuff, already saw the animals), and basically getting a sense of who you and what you want to spend. The parameters set, he gets to work. In no time I had some options that I grabbed: a camel trek, a Kili climb, and he was able to negotiate a trip to the Southern Circuit which fit my preference for fewer tourists and more bushcamp experience. Ben fought hard for me in terms of cutting costs, and I accommodated where I needed so it was a two way deal. On Kili, since I was going up solo, Ben sent me with his wife, who was excellent company.
The Kili trip deserves extra mention because this is his team. He has top flight guides, and a crew of porters and cooks together for six years. They earn a living wage so that they don't have to maneuver for tips, and that means they are happy, friends, and work well together. This makes for an excellent experience on the mountain for all involved. August, his top guide, and Ignas, the assistant guide, were fun and funny, but also highly attentive to medical issues, very focused on safety, extremely well informed, and when I had a knee go wonkers on the way down from the summit, they helped me down safely.
Contrary to popular lore, we got no hardboiled eggs on our plates. The food was flat out delicious. Ranik the cook spoiled us with his changeups every day and once he learned I loved his soups, I was treated every day with zucchini, leek, I can't recall them all, but I got every last drop out of the bowl, and begged for seconds and thirds.
I am already planning a month with E-Trip Africa in January 2015. From now on I will use them many times over.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Up close!
I have wanted to see the African wildlife since I was a child and eTrip Africa helped me realize my dream. They took my list of species I wanted to see and designed a trip just for me and my husband. It would have been a nightmare for me to try to do it myself - not like travel in Europe and other places. But they did it painlessly for us and cheaper than I think we could have managed. The wildlife was incredible! We had great drivers/guides who knew so much and managed to find everything I wanted to see and get me close enough to really get a good look. We took 2500 photos and almost all are great. Some may even be National Geographic quality! I can't wait to go back again. We spent about 14 days and it was the most incredible thing I have ever done!
Short Trip to Tarangire and Ngorongoro
My partner and I recently returned from a conference in Arusha and had the opportunity to visit Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro on a short trip organized by E-Trip Africa. Tarangire is a fabulous park - we saw numerous elephant, 5 lions with 3 cubs, several herds of zebra, impala and wildebeest, and even a rare leopard on a "sausage tree"!
We then continued to Ngorongoro where we spent the night on the crater rim, so that we could get down to the floor early in the morning. The views are amazing and we had the most magical sunset. The crater was filled with animals. I wanted to see Rhinoceroses, which we saw 4 in the first few hours. Our driver was fabulous - his knowledge, experience and passion made the trip quite enjoyable!
I would love to return to spend more time here. Not sure if we will focus on the Serengeti or the Southern Parks on our next trip, or maybe both :)