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
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Email Barry Collyer | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime!
Our trip consisted of my wife, my 29 year old daughter, my sister-in-law and myself. The trip was from July 7 to July 16. We flew from Atlanta to Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro airport. We traveled from Arusha and visited Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongora crater, and the Serengeti National Park which included the northern Serengeti a few miles from Kenya. We flew back on our last day from the Lobo airstrip. We stayed at African Tulip, Tarangire Safari Lodge, Rhino Lodge, Nieleze Camp and Flycatcher Bologonji Camp (Reviews of these camps are separate but all were good). I selected ETrip based on the responses to our questions and the ability of the tour provider to adjust the tour to our requests. Ben Jennings is an outstanding person to work with and we expect to plan a repeat trip in the wet season. Our guide was David. He is a local with many years of experience. He taught us not only about the animals but also about the country. We left with a great appreciation for Tanzania. Our review and experience with ETrip is much like the other reviews: Outstanding.
Below are some comments that we have but were not provided elsewhere online:
(1) You need an experienced tour guide. We noted that several of the guides from other companies were just kids and I could not see following their lead. Our guide (David) even provided directions to some of the other guides. He did not use a map or GPS due to his many previous trips and experience. He spotted things that we would have missed. He predicted the animals behavior and we were very lucky to have him.
(2) You need reliable transportation. Most of the vehicles are Toyota land cruisers that have modifications like an increased wheel base and of course the raised roof so you can stand and see/photo the animals. We noted several vehicles with problems. Our driver felt a problem in the drive train and took a slight detour to have the vehicle checked and adjusted. A delay of an hour. He was making sure the vehicle would be ok for the trip to the northern Serengeti. He knew what he was doing and made every effort to make sure the vehicle would be reliable. I am amazed that these vehicles can take the punishment as the roads are very rough....rough from the standpoint of ridges across the road like thousands of little speed bumps. The driver/guides do not go slow they just charge on at normal speeds. So ask the age and condition of the vehicles. Also ask if the vehicles are open air instead of the raised top type. IF open air....you will be eating a lot of dust.
(3) Going to the bathroom. Being a guy this was of course no concern for me. However I was traveling with three women. I was pleased to find all the parks (except for the northern Serengeti part) to have good bathroom facilities. The need for a bathroom was never an issue. In the northern part of the Serengeti we did have to "check the tires" and the women adjusted well to this. This was also no real issue.
(4) Money issues: Once you leave Arusha do not expect to find an ATM. However in Arusha there are many ATMS. Bring cash in US dollars (I am American) but other currencies are also accepted. However the US dollar was widely accepted everywhere. You can also use the local currency you take from the ATM. But you have to guess how much you will need or take a hit when you exchange it back to your currency. Once you leave on Safari you only need cash for non-included meals, drinks (cokes, wine, beer) and any stuff you desire to buy. You also need to plan to pay (tip) the guide about $20 to $25 (USD)per day and the camps about $7 per day. Don't go half way around the world if you are going to cheap out on this....they earn these tips.
(5) Packing: You need to pack for half the days you will be traveling. For example for our 10 days we took 3 to four outfits. Bring some concentrated soap and wash your socks and underwear...wear some clothes more than once. Bring toothbrush, your meds, a hat, bug spray, stomach med, camera gear and a battery powered alarm clock. Bring a flashlight, light shoes (flip flops) to wear at night when you get up to use the bathroom. Leave all the "I might need" at home. Bring wet ones or similar towelets.
(6) Camera Gear. I left the heavy full frame Nikon at home. I used two camera bodies (Panasonic micro 4/3) so I did not have to change lenses in the dust. One camera had a 35 - 100 2.8 and the other had the Panasonic 100 - 400mm. The photos are outstanding. You need your chargers for the batteries and a blower for the dust. I brought a 42.mm f1.2 that I never used. I took about 6000 photos of which 25% are keepers.
While in the Serengeti ETrip arranged for a Bush Breakfast via the Nieleze Camp. This was an awsome experience.
ETrip arranged nice hotels at the start of the trip concluding in tent camps. This was a nice progression and the tent camps were fun and part of the adventure. A bucket shower is filled with hot water before dinner time. If you shower in the morning...it is going to be a cold shower. There is bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth. The beds in the tents are comfortable. Hearing the animals at night (including a lion roaring in the distance) was part of this great experience. One morning we woke up to see elephants passing by our tent.
ETrip has a guest house that allows you to rest and shower before your flight. This is a wonderful place and another advantage that Etrip offers over the other companies.
We spent several days on safari and you would think it would get old after a while. We were out in the bush from about 8 to 6 PM. Every few minutes was something new and we never got bored. We were lucky enough to see two river crossings. The second was a little disturbing as the wildabeasts (about 5) got their foot stuck between rocks and were easy pray for the crocs. They just took their time and picked them off. One was very sad as it finally got loose but could not get ashore due to the weight of the croc holding on to its hindquarters. This is part of the life cycle in the wild.
Box lunches were ok...not great...but good enough to do the job. Dinners were excellent except in a few cases (Rino Lodge was ok but not as good as the other places).
The trip planning by Etrip (Ben Jennings), implementation (David) and overall experience was nothing less than outstanding. We will be talking about this trip for a long time...and the above does not even scratch the surface in describing our experience. Up to this trip a previous trip to Egypt and Cambodia were my top trips. This trip with ETrip easily tops them.
IE
Email Niall | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A flawlessly organised trip for our group of 9
We used Etrip for our 6 day trip (9 adults total - extended family and significant others). We looked at a number of companies but ultimately chose Etrip due to their useful advice on tailoring our trip and the detailed price breakdown they provided which gave us a lot of comfort on the price we were paying.
We were coming from Zanzibar and wanted to squeeze as much as possible out of our time in Tanzania so on Aurelie's suggestion we flew to Seronora airstrip. While not cheap this proved an inspired decision as it avoided the need to retrace our steps and meant we saw something new every single day.
We were met at the airport by our guides David and Aladdin who were with us for the full six days from the Serengeti through ngorongoro, lake manyara and Tarangire. I'm not sure I could appropriately describe the quality of these two gentlemen. David was our guide (we had two jeeps) and was a wonderful companion on our trip. David had endless knowledge of the areas we visited and the behaviour of the animals. Time and again he found interesting experiences for us to enjoy and we never felt rushed. He is a very gentle soul who clearly is very popular with the other guides as he was met with smiles everywhere he went. Your guide is in my view the most important part of your trip (you'll ultimately spend almost every waking hour with them!) and Etrip have two very special ones here.
Vehicles were excellent. Given the hard life they live in the Tanzanian "roads" having new well maintained vehicles is essential and etrips stacked up extremely well (we saw the vehicles of almost every company and these were right at the top end).
Accommodation was solid throughout and we had no complaints. Although for anyone planning a safari I would say that in hindsight, I would rank accommodation as a lower priority. The high end camps are lovely but when you're out all the day you only get a very limited chance to enjoy them. Therefore if you want to manage your budget, I'd still recommend putting the money into a quality tour guide / operator like Etrip and maybe downgrade the accommodation.
We were flying out from Kilimanjaro airport at 2 o'clock on our final day. Helpfully Etrip offered us access to their hotel guesthouse in Arusha to shower, rest and eat before our flight. Our group found this to be a lifesaver (it's no fun getting on a 12 hour flight sweaty and hungry after a day's safari!). For anyone flying out of JRO airport, I'd rank this as a huge advantage.
One last thing I should comment on is the company's lack of presence on TripAdvisor. This originally caused us a lot of concern. Sending a large deposit is nerve wracking when the recipient isn't on the worlds standard (for better or worse) review site. While I wouldn't necessarily agree with their approach from a business point of view, their rationale is explained on the company's website. All I can say is that our experience with them was uniformly excellent. Guides, transport, logistics and accommodation were top notch and I would strongly recommend and will be travelling with them again.
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Email Seth | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good to know that these people actually exist
The bottom line: this is a glowing review of a longer than average trip (38 days) that was thoughtfully planned, meticulously arranged, and expertly executed. I have attempted to write the review I wanted to read when I was researching this. That is, one that contains information allowing me to relate our situation and desires to the experience of the reviewer so that we could make an educated decision. I’ve tried to break it into separate digestible pieces, so you can skip around to our thoughts on the company itself, our experience, our situation, etc. as you like. The information below was gathered from tour operators (this company and others), guides, lodge employees, local residents, and fellow travelers.
About us:
My fiancé and I are both 30-something, fairly active professionals (students until quite recently) who were lucky enough to get time away from work for a long trip. We enjoy outdoor pursuits, good food, and wildlife and are comfortable with a range of levels of luxury (i.e. camping to five stars). We are relatively well traveled and started out thinking that we would do much of this on our own. After a good amount of research we eventually concluded that doing East Africa on our own would likely lead to an inferior trip at a higher cost in terms of both time and money. That was absolutely the right conclusion in retrospect. We were after experiences rather than pampered luxury. We would prefer comfortable camping in the middle of the national park to the posh luxury lodge isolated from its surroundings by walls, fences, etc. As it turns out, you can’t stay in the middle of many of the national parks in East Africa without stepping up to some (rather high) level of luxury so we ended up staying in fairly nice places that were well worth the experience. We wanted a private journey, just us and a driver/guide. We weren’t sure we could afford it, but in retrospect it was well worth the relatively small additional cost. If we had a couple of friends that we knew well, it would have been OK to have them along, but I wouldn’t have wanted to spend hours on safari with strangers who have different interests and priorities. It’s just not the same trip. In very broad strokes, I would describe us as relaxed but discerning travelers.
Our trip:
A very brief version of our itinerary:
Kenya - Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli
Tanzania – Kilimanjaro hike, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti
Uganda – Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, Jinja
Zanzibar, Mafia islands
What stood out most to us about the logistics of our trip was the incredible amount of research that went into planning it. They had quite obviously been to every place they sent us, and had a discerning eye for the variables which would make the experience pleasant. It wasn’t just that they placed us at a comfortable place near to what we came to see or do. It was that they placed us at the comfortable place with the English speaking manager and the good food and nice rooms in quiet and beautiful surroundings that was near what we had come for. The level of thought and consideration for what the trip would actually be like as a whole was very impressive. Other companies who sold “customized” journeys seemed to be selling some combination of modular experiences. Something along the lines of: “combine the Tarangire module with the Ngorongoro module and the Serengeti module” where each module is a self-contained unit of a specific lodge and experience. Not so with E-trip. They listened to what we wanted, asked questions to clarify, and then gave us experiences and lodging that suited us. We weren’t tied to something simply because the tour company had pre-arranged itineraries or agreements with particular places. It was a truly customized journey, designed for us by people who took the time understand what we valued. I think much of this is a product of the fact that they live in Tanzania and are very plugged into the culture and economics of the area.
After the planning was all done and we started our trip, I had expected that there would be bumps in the road. It seemed impossible to me that we could spend nearly 40 days traveling by car, boat, and plane across three countries and countless language and cultural barriers without something getting dropped somewhere along the line. Nope, it was all to plan without a hitch. I’m still dumb founded by it. As an example, it was day 30 something of the trip and we had driven from the east coast to the west coast of Zanzibar to take a tour of Stone Town before our flight out to Mafia. The detailed itinerary we were given more than four weeks prior said there would be a driver to take us to the airport at noon. After we met up with our tour guide and walked around Stone Town for a few hours, we returned to where we had met our guide to find a driver whom we had never met waiting for us. We hadn’t called him, our guide hadn’t called him, he was just there. It’s quite likely that he had received at least one phone call from E-trip in the day or so preceding our arranged meet, but at the time it seemed like logistical wizardry. Thirty something days into a trip and the guy is just sitting there waiting for us 10 minutes before we were supposed to be there. What’s more is we had come to expect this kind of treatment. It’s hard to overstate the value of being able to relax into the journey knowing that someone skillful has taken care of every little detail and you really don’t have to spend one second of your time in Africa thinking about how to get things done. Looking back at the itinerary, the driver’s phone number was on our itinerary along with phone numbers for every lodge, driver, etc. during the trip just in case, but we never needed them. That’s how well it was planned. I think it would be extremely difficult to plan a 40 day journey around my home town without something going wrong, and these guys did it across three countries in Africa which speaks volumes about how tight of a ship they run.
The company –
They are run by a husband and wife team (American and French ex-pats) who live in Tanzania with their young son and are intimately involved in making sure things go well. They both have a long history of trying to make this world a better place and of doing so in Africa specifically (peace corps, etc.). As a result, they are very knowledgeable about the geographic, social, and political climate in the areas they work. This sets them apart from the vast majority of other companies who will tell you that they operate locally, but in actuality they charge you what they will, take their cut, and then outsource your trip to somebody on the ground in Africa. The locally owned companies we came across seemed to do OK, but it’s not the same as someone who understands western culture but lives the day to day in Africa. There just isn’t a substitute for that combination. If you have a problem, and somebody has to call somebody on another continent to try to fix it, it’s not likely to go as well as if you hop on the cell phone provided to you at the start of the trip and call the owner of the company.
It has been my experience in the past, that people who have a heart and strive to lift the world around them are not necessarily the most business savvy. That is absolutely not the case with these two. They are quite business savvy; they understand the expectations of western tourists, and embrace the accountability which that requires. They do business in an incredibly responsible and transparent manner which allows you to make value judgments about your experience ahead of time and to feel as though you’ve contributed to making things better in Africa afterward. It became clear when we were researching that companies charge a premium for the service of arranging a trip for you (which is reasonable), but will not detail the costs associated with that service or even the individual portions of the trip like the price of a particular lodge. That makes it very difficult to make value judgments about what things are really worth to you. These guys took the time to answer our emails thoughtfully, to discuss things over the phone in great detail (via skype), and to get an idea of what we wanted not just what we were asking for. At each step they told us what each individual thing would cost so we could talk about what things we really valued. In addition, they don’t own or operate any lodges of their own, so they don’t have any conflicts of interest when it comes to picking a place for you to stay. This is a big deal and one many companies aren’t necessarily forthcoming about.
In the end, the level of research and effort that went into constructing our customized trip was clearly so far beyond the 40 or so other companies that I communicated with, at a lower and transparent cost, that the choice became obvious. I even spoke with a few tour operators who wondered aloud how it was possible to arrange the trip we took at the price we paid – they simply couldn’t do it. Suffice it to say that I think you would be foolish not to at least call/email them to see what they can do for you. Do it and you will see what I mean.
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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 Patty F | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A delightful family Safari in Kenya
My family and I had a delightful trip to Kenya in early August of this year. We traveled with E-Trip Africa, who came highly recommended from one of the teachers at my daughter’s school, Mr. Jennings. Turns out his son owns and manages E-Trip. Since it is a big investment for a safari, we did compare many companies to be sure that we got the most out of our budget.
We were met at Nairobi by our guide Moses and the manager Ben. Since the flights were so long it made sense to spend two nights in Nairobi to get used to the time zone. During the first day we took our first game in Nairobi Park and then visited Sheldricks Elephant Orphanage. It was so nice to see the little guys come to take the milk. It is extremely sad that people are killing their mothers only for the Ivory. We then went to the Giraffe center and fed Giraffe.
We then went to Lakes Bogoria and Baringo as my husband is a bird fanatic. We had a great trip around the lake with a guide named Cliff. He was able to tell us so much about the birds and we had a nice walk around some cliffs to find different owls. Two days in this area was not enough, but we were anxious to see the animals.
Then we went to Nakuru. This park was very nice but the lake is very full and there were only a few flamingoes. We did get to see Rhino’s, which was one of the main goals of the trip as there is a good chance that they will disappear during my children’s lifetime. Also this was our first time to see Lions in the wild. They were just lying around, so it was a little disappointing. We then went to the Sleeping Warrior Camp, which was amazing. The night game drive was a real exciting experience and we saw an aardvark, which I guess is extremely rare. The next day we hiked to the crater and enjoyed the Hyrax around the camp.
Our trip finished with 4 days in Masai Mara. It was like a scene from a National Geographic film. The wildebeest were all over the place. We got to see lions hunt some down, which was amazing but I don’t know if I could watch it again because I don’t even like the sight of blood. The experience could not have been better. We stayed at a tented camp called Mara Eden Safari Camp. All through the night you could hear the animals, it was really a full experience. The camp managers were a riot and we really had a nice time by the campfire with them.
We returned to find the Nairobi airport nearly burnt to the ground. Ben had everything worked out and the whole process was rather smooth. We got on our flight back to civilization, with the fondest memories and the desire to one day return.
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My expectations were high, but E-Trip far exceeded them.
For years I had dreams of an African Safari. In 2009 I started doing some research to plan the trip. I was put off a bit because the prices were so high. So I took an extra part-time job to save up the extra cash needed to make it a perfect trip. Then in 2012 we started doing the research again and it took us a while to find the right company, we sent emails to some 50 safari companies we found on this site and on TripAdvisor. We told them the parks we wanted to see, the dates and our overall budget. In the end E-Trip Africa was able to organize the trip at luxury camps and still stay within our budget. Several of the companies told us we would have to settle for a camping budget trip, which surprised me. Others told us they could not do anything within our budget.
When we arrived at the Nairobi Airport it was a little crazy, because there was a fire. The manager, Ben drove from the office in Arusha to meet us and introduced us to our Masai Driver named Joseph. Joseph was wearing Massai cloths the whole trip. Not only did he share a lot about his culture, but he was very friendly and never left a dull moment during the long drives. Ben and Joseph took us back to the hotel, where we had a briefing about the trip and he gave us a local telephone to borrow, which saved us some money when calling the folks back in the states.
We set-off the next morning and Joseph gave us plenty of good information during the long drive to Samburu. Driving past Mt. Kenya was amazing and then it was very dry in Samburu. The wildlife was nice as it was the first time to see Elephants outside of a zoo. We spent two nights there before heading to Lake Elementaita and Lake Naivasha. The Rhinos were so cool and I can't imagine people are killing them left and right to sell the horns to China. We stopped in Hells Gate to take a bike ride, which was nice as we had been spending too much time sitting in the car.
Then we went to the home area of Joseph. The Masai Mara... It was perfect to see the millions of wildebeest. Joseph had a very good sense of the wildlife and he could tell us what they would do. You can tell he really enjoys spending the time watching the animals. Twice I was a bit confused, because there were lots of cars around a kill and Joseph drove and parked about 300 feet away. Then all of the sudden the Lions got up and walked down to the water and shade near us, we had the best seat in the house.
The first two days we did not see any Cheetah. I was a bit down as I wanted to see them. I now understand that they don't like to be around all these other animals. So Joseph took us on a two hour drive to the middle of no where. And then all of the sudden he said look. We were alone, not another car in site. He said look very closely and there was a cheetah walking towards us. We sat for a few hours watching him. Then all of the sudden it bolted towards a small group of antelope taking one down. It was just like on Discovery.
The next day we headed back to Nairobi where we met Ben another time. He was really excited to hear our stories and Joseph was telling them even better than anyone. You could sense that Ben and Joseph also have a very good personal relationship. The next morning we were back to Nairobi Airport and then on our flight. A special thanks to Ben, Aurelie and the rest of the team at E-Trip Africa for organizing the trip. And an enormous thank to Joseph, who I now think of as my Massai brother.
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Email Edward | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience for Serengeti dream trip
It's a daunting task choosing a tour operator from all the options out there. We eventually chose E-Trip because they had both US and Africa offices, were very organized with the itinerary options, and were very transparent with all the costs. This allowed us to easily customize our trip, mix-and-match options, and still stay within budget. They did not try to push anything on us and listened to all of our requests.
I must've asked a million questions but they were patient and answered every one of them. A lot of my questions were related to DSLR photography gear and equipment. Ben was able to answer all these questions and offered lend me some of his equipment (i.e. tripod, bean bags, etc.). I was able to reduce the weight and size of my luggage bag.
They use the standard pop-top vehicles seen throughout the Serengeti. Their vehicles are equipped with charging ports so we were able to keep our devices charged at all times. Not all camps/lodges had easy charging stations so this was a big plus for us. The vehicle also has wifi so we were able to stay in contact with friends/family back home.
We got lucky and saw all of the Big 5 by our 3rd day. However, even if we didn't see them all, I wouldn't hold it against E-Trip. Keep in mind that nature is unpredictable and you can't guarantee an animal sighting.
On our last day, Ben and Aurelie invited us into their home to freshen up before our scheduled 28-hr flight home. When we got to the airport, we found out FastJet had cancelled our flight to DAR, and we would miss our connecting flights home. The airport agents and phone agents weren't helpful and would not rebook us on a new flight home. Luckily, I was able to reach Ben and he came through for us. He rebooked us on a new flight, got our airline fees waived, and even arranged a last-minute hotel and airport transfer for us in Dar es Salaam. Although our tour with E-Trip was technically over, Ben continued to work for us and made sure we got on a flight home. No thanks to FastJet!
There weren't as many reviews for E-Trip as some other more popular operators, but we really liked their transparency and communication. Obviously, we're completely happy with our decision to book with them. Our next trip to Africa will be with E-Trip again.
NL
Email www.fliek.com | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Photography trip to Tanzania and Rwanda
E-Trip was the first and only travel company who replied to my enquiry about a trip to Tanzania and Rwanda, specifically dedicated for photography. Looking back, the other travel providers were all/mostly carrying tourists in their Land Rovers and Land Cruisers using their smart phones to take shots of the wildlife! I guess this does say something about E-Trip and their dedication to travellers who are interested in wildlife and nature photography.
About this topic: thanks to E-Trip I managed to capture some great shots which I added to my blog. A couple of articles and images can be found here:
https://fliek.com/2017/01/17/adventures-in-africa-with-the-new-nikon-d500-and-70-200mm-f2-8e-fl/
https://fliek.com/2017/01/22/a-killing-combination-lion-vs-zebra-with-the-nikon-600mm-f4e-fl-d4s/
https://fliek.com/2017/01/28/gorillas-in-the-mist/
Ben Jennings has been extremely helpful and friendly. He is very dedicated to his customers and will go the extra mile to make sure everything will go according expectations. A note to professional photographers: plan your trip carefully in relation to the African seasons; you may end up in a region that is either too dry or wet, so you may need to be prepared to make any changes to your itinerary.
On my next safari trip I'll make sure to join E-Trip again. Highly recommended!
CA
Email Fergus Lohan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent customer service, great guide, vehicle and price.
Hi, i delayed a bit writing this but i still remember! It was unforgettable!! We went on a four day trip to Ndutu and Serengeti last month February 2016. During the planning stages Ben the manager and his team were very helpful and quick to respond by email and make great suggestions to suit our needs. Having had a kind of bad experience the year before with another operator that Started in Africa(!!! ), we were anxious to get it right this time. Which we did. Well E-trip did. We Left Arusha on time well organised with a great safari vehicle. We got to know our guide Amiri as a stand up guy, really a genuinely nice guy who was happy to talk about everything, politics, history, the future and of course he has a great knowledge of the wildlife, impressing even us who thought we knew everything from watching David Attenborough! We certainly did not know everything. The camp in Ndutu, Lagarja Flycatcher camp was a fantastic choice by Ben, right in the bush within reach of all the hotspots. Really big tents with beds in them and hot water is provided. The lunchboxes were far superior to others i've had and the staff at the camp are very professional and friendly, shout out to Laurent the camp manager he's a good laugh. One word of advice to anyone planning a short safari , focus on one area. We went to Serengeti also on the 3rd day and it was just too much driving. My bad. I made the call. Anyway to sum it all up, last year with another operator that started in Africa we had 5 punctures, poor organisation and a guide with poor english. This year with E-trip we had zero punctures, excellent organisation and Amiri, a great guide.
All the best.
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Email Jonathan Small | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
There is no way we can do our trip justice in one sentence.
Words can not begin to describe the safari eTrip Africa provided for my family and me. From the initial contact 10 months prior to our departure date, to the selecting of the accommodations, to picking daily activities, and through the actual tour, eTrip Africa could not have been more patient and accommodating.
Our initial contact with eTrip Africa was with Aurelie. Aurelie made sure we understood everything from day 1. From help with accommodations (we ended up with a mixture of tented camps, luxury tented camps, and lodges), medical requirements, travel insurance (we ended up using Worldwide Travel Group), outfitting (we got outfitted by Tent and Trails in NYC), and mundane questions (like what type of electrical outlets are in Africa, is there wi-fi, etc), Aurelie was always there to assist us.
Our arrival in Kilimanjaro was our first exposure to Ben from eTrip Africa. He helped us load up our car (our car would become our mobile home away from home for the next 8 days), introduced us to our driver Yusuph (more about him later) and explained our itinerary to us on our drive to the African Tulip (a quaint boutique hotel in Arusha).
After a welcome night sleep and a filling breakfast, we headed out on our safari. Yusuph provided us with insight into the African culture and the history of the area. I can honestly say that without Yusuph our trip would not have been half as enjoyable. He is a wonderful tour guide (not to mention being unbelievable behind the wheel of our Toyota Land Cruiser)! My daughter recently got into photography and Yusuph never lost his patience while she waited for the "perfect shot" or "just the right angle". As a result, we have to wade through almost 11,000 pictures (that's right, 11,000 pictures in 8 days)!
Coming from a family of travelers, this African Safari was up against some pretty stiff competition. It was up against trips to Europe, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico, Israel, and various Caribbean Islands. I can honestly say that my son and daughter have both proclaimed this trip as "the best trip of my life" and my wife is still saying she can't believe she was in Africa.
Our only regret is not being able to contact Yusuph to thank him again for making this trip truly a once in a lifetime experience.