Team in Tarangire National Park
Gecko Adventure Tanzania
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TATONA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $195 to $950 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
HU
Email Botjelo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It is 5 Stars for Me
We have been on Safari to Zambia, Botswana and Namibia however our favourite operator did not have options for Tanzania and Zanzibar but introduced us to Gecko Adventures who handled our tour flawlessly. We did a 6-day safari to Selous, Ruaha and Saadani parks and finished off with 4 days of relaxation in Zanzibar.
Rama is an amazing driver/guide with exceptional skills of spotting animals in the bush and kept us captivated with his detailed narration of the interesting sights we encountered and past guiding experiences.
Zanzibar- we spent the first day exploring past and present culture in Stone Town and Prison Island. We spent the next 3 days enjoying the pristine Matemwe beach.
We are very grateful to Gecko Adventures for putting together such a fabulous and unforgettable holiday filled with adventure and booked in amazing lodges for reasonable rates.
US
Email Baptiste Kernan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Adventure in Tanzania
I have been Northern Tanzania a couple of times but this was my first experience of the south. I traveled with my brothers and we are happy that we chose to take the less trodden route in Selous and Mikumi because it been an epic adventure filled with great wildlife encounters, glamping in the wild and breathtaking landscapes.
Shabani our guide and Issa his assistant were perfect hosts right from Dar to the parks and back.
Planning the trip with Ramadhan was smooth and his insights helpful to creating a bespoke itinerary.
The trip should take six days to provide an extra day for Selous, because there is so much to see.
US
Email James | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
SCAM- avoid at all costs!!
Rama the owner is a very smooth communicator, and it’s easy to be very impressed with his handling of your booking and answering your questions, etc. But despite trusting him a lot, he completely scammed us.
First, take a look at the reviews he has on TripAdvisor, Google, and SafariBookings. Pretty impressive review scores. But take a closer look at the reviews themselves. Do many of them appear fake? Are they written mostly by reviewers with only one review, written by other local safari operators and/or have poor grammar? Are some of them written by “Rama Mo” himself pretending to be a customer?
Our first clue that something was amiss was when we tried to find the office that Rama claims to have. He told us specially what building his office was in (it’s also marked on Google maps in this prestigious location). The office does not exist.
Once we realized this, we asked to see the car that was “being repaired” as part of his story. This was the night before we were to leave on our trip. During the trip to see the car (which was honestly bring repaired as described, but based on its condition did not appear ready for departure the next day) we talked casually to him about our trip and how excited we were (that it was our honeymoon).
One hour after he returned us to our hotel, he sent a group WhatsApp text including an unknown person saying that his “business partner” (really just one of his drivers posing as his “partner”) was unsatisfied with the price Rama has agreed to and that the trip (which was to start the next day) would be 3x more expensive!! When I protested that we had agreed to a price weeks ago (Rama had gone so far as to specify what kind of USD bills to bring and I had sent him a picture of the bills laid out on a table), they refused to even acknowledge the deal they had agreed to. It was clear that they decided to take advantage of the information we had given them — that we were on our honeymoon- to try to extort us for 3x the price. How messed up is that?! The trip is now ruined and Rama has been increasingly dishonest in trying to justify this 3x price increase (we’re talking about thousands of dollars). It’s actually been quite embarrassing as Rama has repeatedly made new claims and I just keep responding with a screenshot of previous messages he sent contradicting his new lies. Avoid at all costs!!!
Email Josh | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gecko Organized Our Terrific Trip to Selous Game Reserve and Zanzibar
Gecko is a first-rate operation. They were tireless in offering different options for both the safari and Zanzibar beach parts of our trip, and then being super-responsive and helpful throughout, both before and after we booked. The trip itself was terrific, and everything was perfectly organized, especially the accommodation and transport reservations, as well as all transfers. Both Rama in the office and Rama on safari as our guide did an excellent job, as did Amani as our Zanzibar contact. It was also important to us to work with locally-based operators, and Gecko is great in this regard too. I would travel with them again in a minute and recommend them unreservedly.
CA
Email Jeff | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding safari experience!
We have just returned to Canada from an absolutely outstanding 7 day safari. Our party of 4 spent the first two days in Mikumi National Park (Camp Bastian Mikumi), followed by 3 days at Ruaha National Park (Ruaha Hilltop Lodge) and finally 2 days at Udzungwa Mountain National Park and Sanje Waterfalls (Udzungwa Forest Camp). We cannot say enough about the entire trip. Our guide Rama was delightful, always on time, very thoughtful and funny and always prepared to go the extra mile. We enjoyed a few extras including a wonderful guided tour of a local village in the Udzungwa area. Rama was truly a talent in finding all of the animals and looked after us very well. The accommodations were all very good as were the meals at each location. Gecko Adventures was very easy to deal with in getting the safari and arrangements organized and lived up to all of their commitments. We would recommend Gecko Adventure Tanzania to everyone.
NL
Email Francesca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 days full of emotions
We went in a group of 4 girls. We had an amazing time and saw two wonderful and beautiful parks. Selous and Mikumi are complementary, with different animal populations and different landscapes. It was really worth it all the hours in the car to have such a diverse experience. In between the parks we drove through Ulugoro mountains. The car ride itself was as amazing as a Safari day, thanks to the marvelous landscape. The tour wouldn't have been the same without our fantastic guide: Gasto. He really took care of making sure we were having the best of our time, and didn't give up in our pursuit of the different animals. If it's your first safari, or if you're an experienced traveler, I definitely recommend Gecko Adventure Tanzania!
DE
Email Silke | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfekt two day trip to Mikumi starting from Dar es Salaam/Kigamboni
Great two days, perfect service. Our guide Tony was a safe driver and a good guide. He gave us a lot of information about the flora and fauna in the park. We saw many animals like lions, hippos, elefants, zebras, antilopes, impalas, wildebeest, buffalos, monkeys, many birds, a crocodile and even a leopard. We always had enough time to watch the animals and to take photos. We had enough breaks during the long drive from Dar es Salaam, good food and enough water. Planning the trip was easy, communication with Rama was fast and helpful. We payed with credit card (DPO payment, secured payment page) in advance.
FR
Email Phillippe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Marvelous boat and land safari combined with an unexpected walk with a unique bushman
The 3-day & 2 night tour at the selous river camp was perfectly arranged with Gecko Adventure Tanzania. The package containing the flight transfers, a half-day boat safari, a full day safari in the selous reserve and a walk with a bushman was an ideal combination for a short but intense immersion in this lovely landscape. Once you have seen all or most expected birds or wild animals, the final walk with the bushman sound like an amazing and unforgettable surprise.
Many thanks to the selous river camp team. We are glad to have such an experience in these conditions and with this agency.
US
Email Jordan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Prompt, reliable, and as promised.
I was impressed with Gecko from the time of our initial inquiry. They responded to our inquiry and follow up questions quickly and effectively, which gave me a lot of confidence to book with them.
Our driver and guide, Msifiri, picked us up on-time, and drive times were as quoted to and from Dar Es Salaam.
During the safari, Msifiri did a great job of pointing out animals, and seemed very knowledgeable about the park, environment, and animals that live there.
Mikumi is a stunning park, and we saw many animals--it absolutely exceeded our expectations.
We stayed at Camp Bastian Mikumi, which was fabulous--staff were friendly and helpful, and the accommodations were clean and spacious. We loved the atmosphere at the on-property bar/restaurant, and the food was delicious.
For those considering the two day safari option to Mikumi, I would caution that the drive to/from the park is long and fairly tedious; however, this had nothing to do with Gecko, but rather is just the nature of the road/traffic.
Overall, though, we had a phenomenal experience, with Gecko exceeding expectations. I wouldn't hesitate to book with them again, and hope I'll be able to return to Tanzania to see more of its fascinating wildlife and beautiful scenery.
IE
Email Philip Lee | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tremendous 3 day fly in Safari from Zanzibar to Selous with great staff, guide, food and lodges.
We thoroughly enjoyed our Safari experience. Our two Boys aged 11 and 15 had the trip of a lifetime. We were looked after very well. The accommodation was excellent and eco friendly. The Camp Staff were kind, courteous and very attentive. The swimming pool was lovely after each day. The food was tasty, hot and different each meal. Our Guide Ramadani was very knowledgeable and friendly. We will always remember him and all the staff. Thank you all, The Lee Family, IRELAND.