Tanzania Safari Specialists
Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 1976)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tour and good prices
Very well arranged tour!
Excellent safari vehicles, we got a 4x4 safari land cruiser with a popup roof and the guide was knowledgable
Will return again
FR
Email Sonia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you can avoid this company, do it - it will be better for your Tanzanian experience
We booked a safari for 3 nights and 4 days in October 2018. The tent they provided had holes all over and water came inside when it rained. Poor equipement for everything. Food was great though.
To sum up our experience (with the management, not the drivers), if everything is ok then alright, if a problem occurs then it's your loss.
We had a faboulous driver, he showed us many wonderful things, and always went the extra mile to show us what we wanted and caring for us when one of us was sick.
But the management of the company and mainly from the manager : Kassim Abdallah, was one of the worst management I ever seen. The company gave our driven a broken car, that stopped several times during our trip. Every time, our driver tried to fix it (and sometimes paying with his own money!). But what was supposed to happen, happened eventually. On our evening in the Serengeti, the car broke completely. We had to push the car to make it start again, which worked at first, but then it stopped again and for good. So we waited in the car for half a day, in the middle of the wildlife, while our driver was left alone by the company to find a solution for us. Our driver finally found a fellow driver that was able to bring us to our camp for the last night but we never saw our driver again.
We requested the same driver for our last day but they sent another one anyway. What was worse is that the manager, Kassim, did not event try to get in touch with us to keep us updated and to ask us if the arrangments made were ok for us. We were left waiting, not knowing what would happen since our cook did not have any news, and did not speak english enough to explain even if he knew. On our last day, we asked the new driver to take us to the office to speak with the manager but when the new driver called him, we overheard him ordering not to bring us to the office and "offer" our ride back to the airport.
Client service = 0. If I could go back, I would have paid more instead of saving money and be treated as badly as Bobby Tours treated us.
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023We sincerely apologize for the difficulties you faced during your safari with us, Sonia. Your feedback is important, and we deeply regret any inconvenience caused. We are addressing the issues raised to enhance our services and customer communication. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Email N/A | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They are cheap for a reason
We book a budget 4 day safari with Bobby Tours, mainly based on the price. At the time I couldn't find much about them in the way of reviews on the internet but what I could find was ok. Anyway we turn up at the office ready for departure only to be told that we hadn't transferred enough money when we did our bank transfer. I had taken a copy of the paperwork showing we had transferred the exact amount they quoted but they wouldn't budge, so in the end we ended up pay about 100 dollars extra. Not a good start.
The car was old, had no working seatbelts, no windscreen wipers (not ideal when speeding down a motorway in torrential rain to the airport) broke down twice, the poor driver had to fix it both times. The tents were old, musty, but adequate I suppose.
The first night we stayed at a 'Bobby Tours' camp site. we were driven well away from the main strip where everyone else seemed to be staying to this deserted field, we were the only ones staying at this site, ran by a family sat there playing with machetes and looking like they wanted to kill us, not a relaxing night at all. Thankfully the next night was at a campsite where many others were staying too so we felt a lot more comfortable.
The driver was fine, as was the chef. Management and equipment not fine.
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023We genuinely apologize for the challenges you experienced during your safari with us. Your feedback is invaluable, and we have taken proactive measures to address all the issues, significantly enhancing our services. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
DE
Email Samwel Yule | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Guide Victor - best guide ever from Bobby tours!
My husband and me were in January on a 3-days fly in Safari in Serengeti plus one night in Arusha after arrival. The entire trip exceeded our expectations.
From the first contact with Hussein in the office everything was perfectly organized incl. Hotel in Arusha (Arusha Planet Lodge), transfer from/to airports, flights (Arusha-Seronera and Seronera-Kigali), and the accomodations while on Safari: Kubukubu Tented Camp - extraordinary fantastic staff and great location and Arcacia Camp - also very great Camp!
When our Safari guide Victor picked us up from the Seronera airport, the Welcome couldn´t have been nicer - he did prepare in the shade a table with chairs, plenty of drinks and little snacks and we did sit down and talked about our expectations for the Safari. The three days we then did spent with Victor were an unforgettable adventure - he became a friend to us - he puts all his heart in what he is doing.
He has so much knowledge about the wildlife and he did let one of our dreams become true - We travelled quiet some extra miles and got rewarded: We saw the GREAT MIGRATION - how great was that?! Without words!
That was definately our highlight, but also all the other wild animals were incredible.
Victor was also interested in photography, which was definately a bonus - we shared our best shots.
We definately will recommend Bobby Safari - and LVictor as a Guide!
Asante Sana ... we will be back ...
Email Stelios | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Appalling service
4 Day budget camping safari. Ok I must say our desire to visit Ngorongoro has been fulfilled, We have seen the big 5. But not thanks to Bobby tours, Its a magical place and getting there is all you need.
We are hardcore backpackers and not fuzzy at all. We have traveled around Africa quite extensively using some really bad and uncomfortable buses.
Our safari trip was actually kind of treat as we were not relying on Public transport.
The car came to pick us up from our lodge in Arusha, First impression is that the car was quite old which again it was ok with us as It was a treat compare to what we had before. But so we thought!
First game drive and everything was fine, lots of Elephants at Lake Manyara NP.
We were told that we will visit a Masai Village inside Ngorongoro Area and will cost us 20USD when we booked the tour. Our driver claiming that we were short on time suggested we should visit a Masai Village near lake Manyara NP which was also near our first camp site. We agreed to do that but we were asked to pay 50USD instead which seemed that it was including a commission to whoever was taking us there and we were not impressed by the village at all as it seemed like a tourist trap. By that time we gave all of our cash we had on us as who needs cash in the bush anyway.
The camping site was in a nice forest area. However the tent we were given had a broken zip and lots of holes. It could not close properly but again as naive were we did not mind much. The camping site was fenced and other than few harmless monkeys they were no big animals around.
The second day we proceeded to Serengeti National park. A long dirt track driving! Here I realise how bad idea was to ride an old worn car. Dust was unbearable. There was no escape from it as it was simply coming inside the car because the roof could not seal properly. I discovered that the plastic that seals the roof was worn and almost totally gone. There was simply no way to keep the dust out. We had to endure hours of driving with hazardous dust which basically went everywhere on our clothes, cameras, phones you name it.
When we arrived at our Serengeti Camp we found out from other people on similar tours with us from other companies that they simply closed the windows and had no dust at all.
The night was really scary. Our faulty tent could easily let a Hyena to get inside our tent as the Camp was not fenced and wild animals where actually freely roaming around our tent.
After we finished with Serengeti and on our final night after a filthy dusty day again the tent was useless against cold weather as our last camp was high up on the Crater Rim of Ngorongoro.
ThereThereThe last day just before were dropped back to our lodge we had to drop our Chef first who was making our meals through the tour. We were asked to give some tips and we kindly gave him around 3-4USD as much as we had on us as were in the bush for few days. Our driver went furious saying that the guy was crying because he went home with out making any money as he was relying on tips and we should give him a minimum of 10USD which was what you must give to the Chef. The same story followed when were dropped back tour our lodge, the same story for the stupid tourists and that we must give 20USD of tips to the driver. We had paid our tour in full well in Advance and a Price tag on tips made us to feel really stupid.
We found out later from some other local guides there that they are actually getting a decent salary for African Standards and they should never asked us that question.
After we came back home I send an email explaining the situation to their office but they never got back to us
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023We deeply apologize for the challenges you faced during your safari with us, Stelios. Your feedback is crucial, and we take it seriously. We are actively addressing the issues you've raised to enhance our services. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Dirty tent. Vehicle breakdowns. Terrible ending.
I went on a 5-day safari with Bobby Tours. Price was comparable. It's run by Bobby's son Kassim who appeared nice at first but turned out to be an arrogant pr*ck. The tent isn't the canvas ones like the other outfitters. It's a big "Costco" one with holes and has that bad old tent smell. Their main campsite is run down and only one shower works and it's pretty bug infested (though I find that interesting). The vehicle broke down several times too. Anyway, we finished the 5 day safari early because Lake Manyara is an easy 2 hours on the way back. I asked Kassim if we could do a day trip to see Kilimanjaro in a car on the 5th day instead, paying for the extra fuel costs. Instead of politely declining or offering an arrangement at an extra price, he just YELLED (RAGED) at my girlfriend and I on the phone. I asked him if there was a bus to Moshi, only an hour away. He then told me he didn't know - ironic since he's a tour agent that advertises Kilimanjaro treks - and that getting there would cost $100 in a taxi of van one way. Fortunately, my Airbnb host saved the day and took us to Moshi for free, and I hopped on a bus back for $2. In short, Kassim ruined our trip of a lifetime. Once he gets your money, you're useless to him. Don't give business to this entitled brat and avoid Bobby Tours.
I went on a 5-day safari with Bobby Tours. Price was comparable to others. It's run by Bobby's son Kassim who appeared nice at first but turned out to be an arrogant pr*ck. The tent isn't the canvas ones like the other outfitters. It's a big "Costco" one with holes and has that bad old tent smell. Their main campsite is run down and only one shower works and it's pretty bug infested (though I find that interesting).
The vehicle broke down several times too. Anyway, we finished the 5 day safari early because Lake Manyara was an easy 2 hours on the way back (probably worth skipping if you're going to Serengeti). I asked Kassim if we could do a day trip to see Kilimanjaro in a car on the 5th day instead, paying for the extra fuel costs. Instead of politely declining or offering an arrangement at an extra price, he just YELLED (RAGED) at my girlfriend and I on the phone.
I then asked Kassim if there was a bus to Moshi, only an hour away. He then told me he didn't know - ironic since he's a tour agent that advertises Kilimanjaro treks - and that getting there would cost $100 in a taxi of van one way. Fortunately, my Airbnb host saved the day and took us to Moshi for free, and I hopped on a bus back for only $2.
In short, Kassim ruined our trip of a lifetime. Once he gets your money, you're useless to him. Don't give business to this entitled brat and avoid Bobby Tours.
CZ
Email František Vybíral | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best time in Africa
We would like to recommend Bobby Tours to everyone, who provided us with premium service and the most wonderful time in Africa. We spent 9 beautiful days in Tanzania, during which we climbed Kilimanjaro via the Marangu route (10 members of the group out of 11 successfully climbed). The next day we spent on Safari in Tarangire. Our group of 11 men rate this trip as the best of their lives. I have to commend all the people at Bobby Tours - the driver Julius who knew everything about the Safari and explained everything about Tanzania to us very nicely; the guide Boni who knew every rock on KIlimanjaro and made us feel safe; all the porters (hello Simon and others); the cooks and last but not least the manager Kassim for his first class communication. Thanks to Bobby Tours we had a wonderful 9 days in Tanzania. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We will certainly be back.
NL
Email Philippe | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
This summer we spend a four week holiday in Tanzania, visiting friends, safari and diving on Zanzibar.Before our holiday we did quite a lot of research on different safari companies and compared all prices and packages.
Quit soon we found out that de prices from Bobby were by far the cheapest. After reading some reviews we decided the book with Bobby Tours and start our adventure.
We started our holiday in Dar El Salaam visiting friends. Afterwards we took a flight to the west part of Tanzania (Mwanza). Since we had such a long holiday we decided to book 6 day/ 5 nights budget camping safari. Our driver from Bobby Tours (Gasper) picked us up at our hotel and took us to the western entrance of the Serengeti National Park. This was a 2 hour drive from Mwanza. The good thing starting from Mwanza is that the western corridor of the Serengeti is really quit, since most of the people start their safari in Arusha. Our package was 6 days/ 5 nights (3 days Serengeti, 1 day NgoroNgoro Crator, Lake Manyara en Tarangire and drop off in Arusha).
I recommend all people to go longer Safari (5 or 6 days), since it increases the possibilities of seeing more animals! We had a wonderful time! Our driver ‘Gasper’ was the best and a really sweet guy. He knew all the good spots and was always having fun with us, but also with the other drivers in the parks. We had a long safari (6 days) and saw a lot of animals! Taking a bit more time allows you to just enjoy a beautiful sight or landscape! So I would recommend everyone not hurrying finding ‘the Big5’ and really experience the Serengeti and it fabulous nature.
Our driver ‘Gasper’ was a really good wildlife spotter! After entering the Western gate and driving for maybe an hour we already saw: lions, hippos, crocodiles, giraffe’s and many herds of wild beasts, impala’s and Zebra’s.
We liked all parts of the Safari, but especially fell in love with Serengeti. It’s expansive plains and impressive nature are the best! You sometimes drive for hours and not see anybody since it’s so big. On the other hand, you sometimes see about 15 cars around a tree, because there’s leopard. It’s funny seeing so many cars in one place, everyone trying to take the perfect picture.
Especially these time you see how many cars from ‘Bobby Tours’ hang around. I think Bobby has about 25 cars, really new and good quality. The cars have 8 places, but only few were occupied. Me and my girlfriend, the driver, and a chef.
Having a lot of space was wonderful since you could move around in the car and pick the best place for spotting wildlife.
I liked all parks since their all special in their own way. Tarangire, by example since it has the most elephants and Lake Manyara for the lakes and birds.
Ngorongoro Crater, feels like a magical world entering the crater and driving around. We saw a lot of action in the crater. Lions and hyenas were hunting. This was also the location where we saw a Rhino! Our driver had the eyes of a ‘hawk’ and spotted it a mile away. Although it was far away it still was a truly magical moment.
We took a basic camp safari since we like to camp in the Netherland and it’s just much cheaper then staying in a lodge. The campsites were fine, showers, were not always hot. On some campsites there was electricity and warm water. Remember to bring some warm clothes for the Ngorongoro crater since it can get quit cold there during the night. The food was also good. Every night the chef sets up a table for diner and serves you some bread, soup, dinner and fruits for dessert. In the morning breakfast is served, with coffee or tea, fruits, pancakes and other food. During the day you will have a lunch break with sandwiches.
Advice, when taking budget safari there’s not always power to charge your devices on the campsites. Be sure to bring enough batteries en SD cards for your camera and other devices, you’ll need them. Also it might ben helpful to take a solar charger to power up some devices! Don’t bother about your cell phone! There’s not much coverage in the Serengeti and the sights are far too beautiful. So don’t waste time watching your cell phone.
Another advice don’t rush around! Hakuna Matata! Not only take a picture and move on, but wait some time to really look! There is more then meets the eye around, also small creatures and many birds par example. We asked our driver to show us the different type of birds. I think at the end of our safari we saw about 50 different bird species! So do not only go for the big animals!
We had a truly magical time and we would love to come back sometime! Wildlife is never boring. Many thanks to our driver and friend ‘Gasper’ for all the fun and spotting all wildlife.
With love!
Philippe and Lotte from The Netherlands
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing tour, unforgettable experience, great price
I went on a four days / three nights safari with Bobby Tours. Me and my six friends spend two days in the Serengeti, one day in the Ngorongoro Crater and one day in Tarangeri.
To start off: our guide and driver Salim was amazing. He spotted all the animals from far away (leopards, cheetas, lions...and so on) and we were lucky to see a lot of them in action. Besides that he could tell us a lot about every parc and all the animals.
We had a cook with us, who prepared some delicious meals for us. I am a vegetarian and he came up with some very nice dishes.
We chose the budget camping option and spend two nights at the Seronera Campsite. It was an unforgettable experience to hear the hyena's, zebra's and buffalo's around your tent at night. The last nights we spend at Alsamo tented camps and lodges which is a brand new campsite, with a great atmosphere and very nice facilities.
All in all, we had the experience of a lifetime for a really affordable price! I would recommend Bobby Tours to everyone!