Tanzania Private Safaris & Small Group Adventures.
World Tours & Safaris Tanzania
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2000)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $490 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Avoid this company at all costs
I recently did a 4-day Safari with World Tours and Safari in the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater. It was a once in a lifetime experience that this company continually tried to sabotage. I booked three months in advance to go to Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorogoro. When I arrived in Arusha, the manager Richard changed my itinerary so I never made it to Tarangire. Then, he tried to cut my Safari short by one day so we could drive a separate party to the airport. When confronted after the trip with these complaints, Richard was rude to myself and my family. He never even addressed our concerns as we attempted to talk to him in a calm manner. I later found out he suspended the driver for our trip, who was by far the highlight of the trip and pleasure to be around.
If you are looking to book a safari, just avoid this company. There are plenty of great companies out there operating similar safaris that there is no need to deal with Richard and the hassle of World Tours and Safaris.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good safari but with problems
We had 5 day and 4 night safari Tarangire/Serengeti/Ngorongoro with world-tours-safaris. At the beginning the contact with Mr Richard was very fast and clear. We got a lot of information that we need. But the first day of safari was terrible for us. We heard that the other couple who had joined to us did not come on the time. We had one hour late pick up from the hotel, then we started the safari at 11 with minivan (not land cruiser that was in offer). My seat was wet. The minivan had an open roof but without the top-up roof so we had a lot of sun when we open and spend all the time open and close the roof at the safari. No air and very hot in the car because the windows were not openly and were with a lot of scratches and we had not a clear view. Our car was the worst on the safari that day. We were disappointed of this day and Mr Richard told us that we agreed with this and it was private safari when we gave the call to him at the evening - although we did not have any other option. The second day we start our safari with land cruiser and with another one tourist - not that couple. From this day we had a good safari to the end with our guide Aron who was engaged. We saw a lot. But at the end when we were in the office Mr Richard start our conversation from worlds: What was the problem. We were so disappointed. We didn’t heard a word of sorry and any questions about our feedback. The other things from our point of view - be prepare for old tent with not so nice smell and the other equipment’s are old and very used.
We had also not nice case of visit Masaii village and making the picture of this community and not nice the case of tips from the other tourist who was with us. Serengeti was fantastic i would like to be there again but I would like to try with another company.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good Safari but with problems
I was on safari with Marta. I confirm that we are very badly treated by the owner of this company As a result of our complain about not good service. This would be also confirm by American lady who attended also our safari from the second day. We were as a group of three people. Mr Richard knew the name of the hotel because he gave us the transfer the day before. I tiiped 100 USD for both of them, even we were cheated about the cost of visit Masai village which for us was 100 usd per car, whereas for others 40 usd - we got this information from other tourists on a camp in Serengeti. My suggestion: Think, read a long comment and then decide.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Let down by easily fixable problems
We did a five-day, four-night budget (camping) safari with World Tours and Safari in December 2014, visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara national parks.
Let’s start with the good:
1) this really is a budget safari – from our conversations with other travellers, you’re likely to pay $700-1000 more for a very similar itinerary with many other operators out of Arusha.
2) we saw a great many animals, and had some very exciting sightings – more lions than we could count, a leopard (!), a lion-buffalo showdown (the buffaloes won), lots and lots and lots of hippos, hyenas, jackals, owls, vultures, even rhinos in the far distance in the Ngorongoro crater (etc etc). The places we saw are jawdroppingly beautiful, and all in all, just being there is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
3) a couple of the (freshly cooked) meals were very tasty.
4) (though this is by chance) we had great company, getting on very well with the couple who were in the Land Rover with us – which made the trip so much better than it could have been.
HOWEVER:
1) While Richard’s communication had been fast and informative when we were booking our trip, he firstly made us change our initial leaving date, with a story of us joining what we suspect to be a fictional couple (since our eventual companions had been told exactly the same story) and secondly, he then changed our itinerary the day before the start of our safari. Make sure to check that you’re still spending the same amount of time in each park as initially agreed upon, and be firm about getting exact details. Also, when planning, stick to what you want, and when you want to leave.
2) Our guide and cook were both very nice and friendly men, who both appeared to be trying their best. However, their English was quite poor, which made communication and planning for the day difficult. Our driver did know a lot about the bush, and clearly loved (spotting) animals, but it took time and patience to draw it out of him, that you don’t always have, and he didn’t volunteer information very often. In other words, he was much more of a driver, than a guide. This led to frustration from both sides, and made some meal-times (when it is the custom that the guides always join the clients) quite awkward.
3) Our Land Rover was old, and stalled and overheated a number of times – the worst of which was for about 45 minutes, as it was getting dark, on the way to our third night’s camp.
4) The tents are very old. The worst however was the camping equipment, all of which was very old and dirty. The mattresses are okay, but the sleeping bags and pillows are downright disgusting. Bring your own!! We also really didn’t like that the guides had a much worse tent than us (!), and lower stools (which broke) rather than proper chairs. More (easily avoidable!) awkwardness.
5) As above, a few of the dinners and the one lunch that was freshly cooked was tasty enough. However, the packed lunches were all the same, and not very palatable (dry fried chicken for the third day in a row, anyone?). Take the menu on the website/in your itinerary with a very generous pinch of salt, and be prepared to bring your own snacks along to supplement meals, particularly fresh fruit, nuts etc.
To reiterate, we were on a budget safari, and the result was – the incredible scenery and wildlife aside! – a budget experience. What is disappointing though is that many of these things could be fixed quite easily, and at minimum cost (or perhaps by increasing rates only slightly). The cook needs a bit of training and some new ideas (make a chicken mayo sandwich on the third day! Add fresh tomatoes to your lunch menus!). And fresh safari uniforms for both men would also go a long way to make the operation look more professional. Give your customers and your guides a detailed itinerary for each day, and impress upon your guides that they need to stick to it as far as possible or communicate any changes to your customers. Fix your vehicles!
Weighing it up, we probably wouldn’t recommend World Tours and Safaris. Rather go on a shorter safari with a more expensive (and professional) operator.
Reply from World Tours & Safaris Tanzania
Posted on Jan 24, 2015I am sorry to hear you were disappointed with part of your Safari. Thank you very much for being honest. I will make sure we update all of our service for the next customers. I apologized to you and your husband that next time I will make sure nobody is coming back with the same complain. We learn through mistake.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly Recommend!
These guys were perfect! I was hesitant to pay over the internet for services in another country, but Richard and his employees are trustworthy and dependable, so do not worry. We saw Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara, and saw many more animals than we'd expected -- all very beautiful. Great fun, and for very reasonable prices!
Email Darren and Donna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant Safari with an excellent company
We did a 5 night 6 day safari and had a fantastic time. From start to finish Richard the owner was excellent , he was extremely helpful and made us feel very welcome , he is a true gentleman. He even changed our flights for us while we were on our safari.
On our safari our guide Aron was very friendly and knowledgable. He spoke great English and nothing was too much trouble for him he did everything he could to make our experience special. The meals we had , cooked by Moussa , were also very good and we had plenty of food.
Overall we had an excellent Safari experience seeing everything we wanted to see and would have no hesitation in recommending this company to anyone.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Agreed = Supplied
5 days safari (4 nights) was held as planed. We were travelling with small kids (5 and 7 yers old) and everything went smoothly. Accordance to other travel agencies price given by World Tours was the best. In Europe, for that amount we would expect better standard of everything (food, equipment, accomodation) but in Tanzania it seems that this is the best you can get. Overal Richard and the crew did the best, ready to meet our every whim. We saw what we wanted to, had always the best ventage point for lion's hunting, etc. We are aware that for that budget no one got anything better than us. Richard was very helpfull!. Greatings for our Cook and Quide - perfect team!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good - but book directly through world tours not an agent
All in all, a good budget safari.
We had a fantastic time, and our driver was excellent at spotting animals, and both the cook and driver were professional, friendly and always helpful. Food was for the most part excellent!
I'd recommend going with this company, but we booked through an agent in Dar Es Salaam, David Kiango, and I would avoid booking through him. He is a fraud and did his best to rip off both us and the tour operator. Him refusing to pay Richard meant the first day of our safari was cut short.
Only other complaint was that the safari vehicle ran into a couple of problems - 2 shredded tyres and ? A problem with the spark plug. The vehicles do cover a lot of distance, but with better maintenance it may have fared better!
Bear in mind when you are booking this that safaris in Africa are v expensive, and this is a budget tour. Tents etc were in reasonable condition, but if you want a more glamorous experience, be prepared to pay a lot more.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari with Richard's Team
We chose the 4 days safari. Great Experience (we have seen all the big 5!). Wonderful people and good food. We definitely suggest to have a Safari in Tanzania with this company!
CA
Email Jonathan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent budget safari operator - great value, great experience
I took a 5-day, 4-night safari with World Tours & Safaris, and was very satisfied.
We spent one day in Tarangire, camped on the way to Serengeti, then 2 days and 2 nights in Serengeti, 1 night on the crater on Ngorongoro and then a day in the crater. That was an excellent variety - Tarangire's elephants and trees, Serengeti's wide expanses, and Ngorongoro's wildlife density. The parks themselves are obviously the true stars of the trip. Considering the cost of park fees, paying under $1000 for an excellent all-inclusive safari of that length truly is a bargain. It also included an extra hotel night which was handy and staff there were great about helping you get set up for the safari.
Recognizing that the parks are the stars, World Tours did a good job of getting us there and keeping us taken care of. Tents were basic but adequate and we slept well, food was simple but tasty and ample. Lots of water on hand. Most importantly they kept it 4 to a vehicle which meant everybody gets a window and there's enough leg room etc. Our driver wasn't so talkative, but was an excellent driver and spotter. We saw a lot of things that others didn't, and were usually the first or second car at amazing sights. He made every effort to have things in order, we spent lots of time out spotting, he answered the questions we had, and he really did a great job of getting us great views.
The only downsides were slightly older cars without some of the huge windows that others have, but if you're standing up that's not an issue. And we did occasionally have gear mounted at the front which obscured the view in that direction a bit, but there's probably a way around that. But talking to others, the cost of our trip was a lot less than those operations with newer cars, and our cars weren't overloaded with an extra person which does happen on some budget safaris.
Mr. Richard the proprietor had excellent communication, everything was exactly as promised, and he was creative about making things work for drop-offs, stop-offs etc.
I probably could have given a 5-star rating, as they really did make every effort to be sure we were taken care of and I would say they were an excellent budget operator. But know that this is a budget safari, so don't expect bone china and fine linens -- if you want a 5-star camp, be prepared to pay a lot lot more. But for me, the safari tent the first night was very comfortable and the hotel had nice facilities, and then 3 nights of camping in Serengeti and the rim of Ngorongoro were absolutely gorgeous. You're camping, so be prepared to get your hands dirty a little. Cars can break down whether you're on a luxury safari or a budget one, so the right attitude going in will get you over the inevitable bumps in the road. As budget operators go, World Tours & Safaris were always honest, accommodating, and delivered incredible value and an unforgettable experience.
I certainly recommend going on a safari with Mr. Richard and World Tours.