In front of our office
Northern Circuit Adventure
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $195 to $580 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent adventure in the Northern Circuit of Tanzania
For months, the two of us had been planning our journey through Tanzania, and of course a safari was something we were keen to include in our itinerary. After some exploration and requesting quotes from different companies, Northern Circuit Adventure's Mike Ndallo positively stood out for his swift replies and well-priced itinerary. When asked, he presented us with the necessary official documents, which confirmed to us that we were dealing with a legitimate company.
When we finally set out on our three-day trip through Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara and met Mike in person, he struck us as very friendly. He informed us that on the first two days, we would be joined by two Canadian women, who turned out to be great fun to spend time with. Our driver - Godson - was also great fun to be around, because he possessed a very good sense of humor and more knowledge of local wildlife than an encyclopedia. In the evenings, we ate beautiful two-course dinners followed by fresh fruits, all beautifully prepared by our cook. Expecting to sleep in a wafer-thin tent - we were very pleasantly surprised to find that our tent was sturdy canvas with an en-suite bathroom and (cold) shower!
Our third day in Lake Manyara was a bit more quiet, also because of a change of drivers. Godson had a doctor's appointment, and our new driver - still a young student of wildlife management - was rather quiet. As a result, we did not get to learn as much about our surroundings as on the first two days.
But what the new driver lacked in communication he made up for in helpfulness. At the end of our safari he and the cook gladly drove us to the next destination that we had planned ourselves - which was a one-hour drive from Arusha.
So all in all - a very pleasant experience with only one slight hiccup!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari on a budget
We did the two-night, three-day safari of Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. Staying at the Sunbright Tented Lodge. The company provided a great service, our guide was great and the cook's food was very good.
NL
Email Heike a/d M | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good Safari
We had a great safari with Northern Circuit Adventure with 9 people & 2 cars. First we had a organisation who was cheating us, i'm glad we found this company and we can trust this company. We stayed at Sakina Campsite. Robbert, a very nice guy of Sakina Campsite, introduced this company.
In one hour we booked our safari, the director of Norther Circuit Adventure just asked his wife to make 9 lunchboxes as fast as possible. So sweet.
Our trip (5 days, 4 nights, based camp) was great!!! We saw the big 5. Unfortunately we were very lucky to see the Rhino. Very far away, but we saw him!!! We saw so many lions, buffalo's, cheetah, elephants and pumba's. And so close to the car. :)
The only thing that could be better.... We had not enough of water at our trip. They said: 1,5 Liter pp a day. We didn't have that much bottles... In fact we should bring our own water bottles because we ran out of water....
Thanks Director, Guides and Chefs!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My first ever safari - expectations exceeded
My sister booked our 6 day safari with Northern Circuit Adventure and dealt with all the communications, and copied me into the many emails exchanged between her and Michael the Director - he was always quick to respond. My sister had been on numerous previous safaris, I had never been on one, but was confident she would choose a reputable company. At the end of our trip she assured me that I now do not need to go anywhere else to have the safari experience as the services offered by Northern Circuit Adventure would be hard to beat! Any expectations I had were exceeded. Michael had given us a warm personal welcome on our arrival at his office and his team of three who accompanied us on our safari, are a credit to him. Our guide proved to be very knowledgeable, confident, passionate and respectful of the wildlife. All team members were extremely friendly and it seemed couldn't do enough to ensure our trip was truly memorable. The food our Cook provided was nutritious, plentiful and there was lots of variety - he amazed us with what he could rustle up over a gas stove! We saw so much wildlife and very close up too, and always felt safe in the jeep with our confident driver/guide. The inevitable jeep problems were dealt with quickly and efficiently, and we never felt we were being "rushed" - our guide was always very obliging enabling us to take as many photos as we wished or allowing us time to just sit and watch quietly for as long as we wanted. I am full of praise for the team and can highly recommend this company as good value for money, well organised and efficient. Thank you for making my first safari experience such a wonderful one!!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great wildlife and scenery experience
First of all: I had a great trip with Northern Circuit Adventure, I definately recommend them.
Me and my friend completed a safari group of 5 travellers to go and visit Arusha NP, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Our guide Elias had loads of (fun) facts ready to share with us together with a great eye for spotting animals, added with the wonderful (large) meals prepared by Gabriel and an international group made this an amazing time for me.
The only downside was that I had to sleep in Arusha Tourist Inn for a couple of nights, arranged by NCA. Across the street was a mosque where prayers started at 05:00 hrs, I'm definately not used to that kind of thing so it really disturbed my nights. I would choose all the different kinds of tents over this inn any day (the tents were great).
I would definately recommend this safari company to my friends because they offer a great safari for a reasonable price.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Northern Circuit is a great operator for budget concious traveler
We went just before the peak season. We had great experience with an experienced Driver/Guide who took us places and knew where wildlife secret spots were. I would recommend them. If you are south asian the lunch packs will be cold and bland. We went back to the hotel to have warm lunches which the our Guide was more than accomodating to our requests. Michael (owner) was very helpful to customize our daily itinerary. Overall Tanzanians are good people.
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flexible and good planning, very satisfied
The 7 of us went from Zanzibar, but due to the flight company's arrangements we only arrived at Arusha at 3pm on our first day. But thanks to the director, Mike, experienced planning we were still able to see the most with our limited time. We went for a 4 day safari; it was the end of the wet season and the weather of our last two days were not very nice, but overall we were satisfied with what we were able to see (4 out of the 5 'Big Five', the leopard is always hard to see), and we even saw cheetahs on our very first safari day at Tarangire. Our driver and guide, Alias, is very knowledgeable in wildlife and had a very good eyesight (he was able to spot dung beetles rolling while driving 40 km/h!). This was our first safari and we had such a great time. I am sure we will go for more safaris in the future, but this very first time has certainly set the bar high.
DE
Email Florian Back | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great value for little money
I did a seven day camping safari with Northern Circuit Adventure. I was in five parks in seven days and saw tons of animals (inclucing the Big Five)! It can be a little stressful to visit five parks in seven days, but you will see a lot and make the most out of your stay. The food was good, we had nice tents and sleeping gear. The staff was very helpful with the tents and everything else, good communication with Mike. The guys were always right on time, which can be difficult in Africa :-)
Great budget safari for people who want to see lots of animals for little money.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari experience
At the end of January 2014 we did a 5-day-camping safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro with Mike Ndallo's safari company Northern Circuit Adventure. The safari was a great and it will be a memorable experience to us.
The communication with Mike was always very good and professional and he responded to our questions promptly.
Our guide Laban and our cook Gabriel did also a great job. Laban is a good driver and guide and he was eager to fulfill all of our expectations. We had exhaustive game drives and saw a lot of things. Although we didn't stick completely to the proposed itinerary, we were able to experience everything we wanted.
The meals Gabriel prepared were also delicious and varied, the pick nick lunch boxes could have been maybe a little bit better.
The safari car was excellent, although the radio communication didn't work, but it didn't really matter.
The camping equipment was good and the tents kept dry, even when we had strong rains one night. The mattresses and pillows are budget, but okay.
Overall, we had a wonderful safari experience and we can definitely recommend doing the safari with Northern Circuit. The value you get for the money paid is very good.
5 day camping safari
We have just come back from a 5 days camping safari to Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara and Tarangire national park. Despite some bad weather we had an amazing time and were able to see everything we hoped for. Our guide Emanuel was very knowledgeable and always happy to help; food was prepared by Gabriel and was always tasty and plentiful... despite the thieving BABOON! (Cheeky creatures)!
Trip was very well organized from our first email……. A credit to Mike and his team! We would certainly recommend NORTHERN CIRCUIT ADVENTURE!
Asante Sana!!!!!