The smiles of our crew that awaits you!
World Air Travel & Tours
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- IATA, ASTA, TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $230 to $900 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Above our expectations
We visited Tanzania in November 2014. Normally we are backpackers, however for Tanzania we were advised to prearrange a (private) tour. After receiving several offers from different travel agencies, we chose World Air Travel because of their good offer and flexibility in making a few additional changes to get the best fit with our wishes. Thanks to Elias for his great advice.
Upon arrival we were picked up by John. A great tour guide: excellent knowledge about the Tanzanian flora and fauna, funny and smart guy, easy going while assuring enough privacy! He made it an unforgettable trip, it was hard to say goodbye ;-)
The tented camps were very luxurious. Every day delicious meals were provided by the different accommodations. The suggestion to go to Ras Michamvi at Zanzibar at the end of our trip, worked out really well.
We also recommend the balloon flight over the Serengeti. Also if you would surprise someone with this amazing experience, World Air Travels can keep it a real secret to the one being surprised.
NL
Email Kees van Ettekoven | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
World Air Travel organised a good safari with a very good driver/guide
Communicating with WAT is a pleasure, fast and to the point reactions. Our guide John was very nice, carefull and knowledgeable about nature; animals and plants of Tanzania.
Good vehicle, good lodges. Also thanks to the low season there were few tourists and we often had the animals (that were there plenty) for ourselves.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari experience
I booked a 15 day safari for myself and my wife through Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater and Manyara national park, ending with 4 days at Ocean Paradise resort in Zanzibar. Everything went flawlessly, the guides were very good and found us pretty much every form of animal, game and thing we wanted to see. They were well connected with the other guides helping each other find key predators. The accomodations were excellent for tented camps, and they threw in a good mix of proper hotels every 3-4 days to get a bit of a break from tents. But I would recommend you check the tented accomodations before hand to be sure you are up to that type of living. I would not recommend staying at Serenity-on-the-lake, which while it was a fantastic resort, there were just too many flying insects at night. Our first night also was not great, at an eco camp called Maji Moto. It was run by the local Masai, and huge positive was to spend time with them and learn from them on their ways and history. Downside was that the shower and toilet were outside the tent, so if you needed to go at night, it was a bit complicated. But if you are okay with that, the camp itself was a good experience.
The other camps - Mara Bush camp in Masai Mara, and Kenzan camp in the Serengeti were very good, and had the necessary attached facilities to each tent.
The Serena lodge at the rim of the Ngorongoro crater was unbelievably good, with an incredible view of the sunrise and the entire crater.
Ocean Paradise resort in Zanzibar was also a great experience, with the only turnoff being the little crabs that live in the sand. But it didnt get in the way of enjoying the resort. The resort itself is top notch and beautifully laid out and run.
Email Kate and Alistair | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I can highly recommend World Air Travel & Tours-tour organiser Elias, and safari guide/driver John!
I was delighted and relieved when Elias from World Air Travel & Tours answered all of my questions by email from Australia so promptly and clearly - as a first timer for safari one has many things to understand and ask - and Elias was so helpful and efficient. He planned everything so well - allowing us to relax and enjoy such an unforgettable experience!
Our guide/driver John was fantastic at his job and my husband and I too great delight in spending time with him. It was amazing how he could spot the animals so well at at distance! He was happy to discuss at length the behaviour of the many animals and birds - and would also research and answer questions using some beautiful detailed books on wildlife he had with him. The vehicle was very comfortable and the pop-top allowed for great viewing.
We flew in from Mwanza, (where we had been at a wedding) straight into the Serengeti ( great choice by Elias) - and the Serengeti was my favourite and was unbelievably beautiful. Then we visited Olduvai gorge, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara and Tarangire - all of them very beautiful and fascinating. We completed our safari in Arusha.
The accommodation ranged from semi-budget to luxury - mainly towards the luxury end and we were very happy with that - and enjoyed the changing circumstances! It is certainly beautiful to be in some of the tented camps.
The safari exceeded our expectations and, as we told Elias and John, we are looking forward to supporting our adult children to go on safari with World Air Travel & Tours when they have the opportunity to go. It is a both exhilarating and humbling experience - unforgettable.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized and friendly people.
The trip was well organized and we received what we expected and what was told. We had a nice guide who knew a lot from what we saw. Especially in lake Maniara park we saw a lot of very nice birds. He knew most of them and the ones he did not know he/we looked for and found in a nice book with all the birds of Tanzania. Together with the next day when we visited ngorongoro park we saw the big five! But many other animals also. We had a great time on my first safari experience!
Email Bonnie Kersten | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A safari of a lifetime - well done.
Embarking on a safari tour was always going to be great, but this was magnificent! To see the big five in their natural habitat, living together, was beyond excellent. It was a magical experience made entirely possible by our guide John of World Air Safari's. From the moment we met to begin our journey through the northern beauty of Tanzania we knew we were in good hands. He was knowledgeable, friendly, kind, experienced and in John's case very diplomatic.His patience was incredible in a situation beyond our control and he is an incredible spotter. His knowledge on animal and bird behavior was fantastic.A fantastic guide and wonderful companion.Our deepest gratitude to Elias who answered our questions so promptly when we inquired the trip and so knowledgeably informed about the best time to visit the parks and the best combination of accommodations.The land cruiser pop-top was kept in clean condition and hey! thank you for the refreshments in the cooler, well deserved on the dusty and hot environments.I can’t imagine a safari company exists that’s more accommodating, easier to work with, more professional, or with a finer and more competent staff. This is it.Our roots are in Africa I think, and my heart responds instinctively to that. Go see yourself.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Poor service
We had a great safari in Seregeti , Ngorongoro and Tarangire! We saw a lot of animals and had a great guide. But we would definitely not recommend to go whit World Air Travel & Tours in Arusha. On the first day or care broke down after 30 minutes. All day the guide tried to fix the car but it broke down five times. He managed to drive to the gate of the Serengeti but then the car was totally broken.
All cars break down some day. The roads are poor so this things happen. no problem. But World Air Travel & Tours laid all the time about the solution. There say they had sent a another car and it will arrive soon. After all the other car arrived 14 hours after they told us he would.
So we missed the first day and half of or second day. On a safari of four days this is a lot so we asked about a compensation. we paid a lot of money fore the safari (6 persons 4days and $900,- per person). We missed more than 1/4 of the safari. They offer us an extra day in the Serengeti for $130 a person or get a refund of $ 30,- per person. Even after hard bargaining this was their final offer.
Very pour solution and very bad compensation. If ever tithing is going to plan it is no problem to go whit World Air Travel & Tours . But if there is a problem after you paid, it’s your problem.
Reply from World Air Travel & Tours
Posted on Oct 31, 2014Hello Peter & Pytsje,
Thank you for taking your time to review us on safari bookings. Your feedback is highly appreciated.
First we would like to apologize once again for the unfortunate car break on your safari day one. The car broke in between Ngorongoro and Serengeti and as you realized, the condition of the road in between the two is in not even bad but terrible condition. The incident was unfortunate one and one that John your driver could not have avoided. On the same road incident like this one are very common. You will remember that right from the time the incident happened, the office in Arusha was on top of the situation and we acted with speed and did all the best to resolve the situation. We were on the phone with the group leader at most of the time updating the group on what we were doing to resolve the situation.
We apologize once again for the delayed wait at the Serengeti gate while we tried to look for an alternative transport. The break happened in the middle of almost nowhere and an instant response was a challenge since it was kilometers away. It was not easy to find a rescue vehicle and we got very lucky that the Serengeti park authorities were the only one that came to our rescue to help drive you to the camp for the night while we sent another vehicle from Arusha for the next part of the trip. We made calls to almost all lodges and camps but their vehicles were on duty. We paid for the rescue service and advised the driver to make stops at all points of interests to make sure you did not loose the whole day which according to your itinerary was just drive straight to Serengeti.
Secondly, yes there was a 14 hours wait until the second vehicle arrived and we were very concerned and troubled by it. As we explained to the group, we sent the vehicle after the breakdown happened but due to the long drive from Arusha, the second driver did not make on time to the Ngorongoro gate by 18.00hrs when they close the gate until the 6.00AM of the next day. This we explained to the group why the delay was long overnight. We made calls to Ngorongoro authorities to allow our vehicle to go past even after the 18.00hrs deadline but we were not allowed. They sighted security reasons which they are very strict on. Our rescue driver spent the night near Ngorongoro and we agreed with the park authorities that the next morning he would be allowed at 04.00AM so that he could make it to Serengeti to handover the vehicle for the next day game drive. At 4AM the driver was at the gate but there was no ranger, we again made calls at that night to wake them and when they came, again they sighted that we had to wait until the clerks came to make the necessary paper works. It was disturbing even to us and only at 6.00AM the clerks came to allow the driver go through.
The driver arrived at your camp at 9.30AM and you immediately started the game drive for the whole day contrary to your feedback that you lost half of the second day. The lost time was 3 hours on this day.
The driver did his best to extended the game drive hours on that evening to cover the lost hours the previous day. On that morning before the vehicle arrived we tried our best to find another vehicle to continue game drive while you waited for the vehicle to arrive but all our contacts had schedule's that morning. We were ready to pay an extra for it.
The next day you were to drive to Ngorongoro for game drive after breakfast but we offered an early game drive again to cover the lost hours.
From the second day everything went perfect as planned and apart from the delay on the first day and morning of the second day the trip was amazing and in terms of guiding and service the paper feedback from the group was very good.
We were very concerned with the incident from the first minute and if there was a quicker way to resolve the incident we would have done it to make sure you enjoy the adventure. It was long distance to send a another car on time and the challenges we encountered before the car arrived were beyond our control. The way we responded was the only prompt way we could have done it.
The extra game drives on the rest of the days were to cover the lost hours and the $30 we gave back was a show of how greatly the management was concerned.
I want to convey our sincere thanks to you for giving us an opportunity to serve you. It was a great pleasure hosting you for the adventures and exploration of Northern Tanzania.Thank you for letting us know about the negatives and positives on our service, it really help us serve you and others better.
By giving us feedback, you are providing us with valuable information that will help us improve our services. Your feedback was highly appreciated.
Regards,
World Air Travel and Tour team.
NL
Email Peter & Yvonne | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect safari trip
Upon deciding that our holiday for this year would be a safari, we went looking for the best partner to arrange our trip. We contacted several agencies but had the best response from Elias, of World Air Travel and Tours. He was able to advice us on the best possible route, lodges, national parks, etcetera based on our wishes and available budget. After a few e-mails up and down we agreed on a final proposal including: hotel in Arusha, Tarangire park (sopa lodge), Lake Manyara (serena lodge), Serengeti (serena lodge), Ngorongoro (serena lodge), Kilimanjaro day trip, arusha national park (the arusha hotel) and finally a 4 day stay at Zanzibar (blue bay beach resort and spa). Upon arrival at KIA we where met by the driver with his Landcruiser safari truck. The driver was very punctual and correct. He arrived on the agreed times for departures, kept the truck very clean, drove safely on the sometimes difficult roads and most important he was a very good wildlife spotter as well. The truck had a cooler to keep the water, soda's and safari beer cold during the whole trip. The seats where spacious and the open top roof gave us a very good view during game drives. The lodges we stayed where all very good both in hotelroom quality as in food and services provided. The lunchboxes where very tasty as well. After a total of 10 days of safari we where brought to KIA for our flight to Zanzibar and we where very gratefull for the good experience we had. Upon arrival in Zanzibar the representative of world air was waiting outside the airport to bring us to the resort. he was available for all kind of tours during the time we where in Zanzibar.
To summarize it all, we had a very nice safari holiday, our expectations where met and often exceeded. the service provided by world air travel and tours was great. we enjoyed the pleasant company of the driver and his knowledge about nature and wildlife. As you can see on the rating the holiday was perfect. Booking with World Air Travel and Tours is certainly recommendable.
Email Annette Versluis | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Maximum exposure, excellent service, best driver/guide, incredible experience
Form day one the office understood our needs and tailored an excellent trip. The total cost was affordable and well spend. The hotels were carefully selected to accommodate 3 adults in a room. Food was good. Safari vehicle was tops and the animals sightings incredible. The only disappointment was the pricey balloon safari which lasted 25min in the air flying over a burnt field with no animals. All in all another 2 nights in the Serengeti and a 3 night Masai Mara trip added would win gold. Thanks to World Air Travel.
DE
Email Patric Neuscheler | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Safari !!
We had 4 wonderful days private safari in Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro. The Service was excellent already starting with selecting the best fitting National parks for the time and the lodges and camps. We enjoyed every single minute of our Safari and many thanks to our guide John, who really had a great feeling for spotting the animals, a very good knowlede about the nature and he was waiting at the right places with Patience to make sure we have the best sights on all the wild animals during the game drives. Our vehicle was very comfortable and i can tell you, we have seen lot of overcrowded other vehicles which made us glad to have selected World Air Travel :-)
They were taking care of us from the pick up at the KIA Airport until the "Karibu tena tanzania" at Arusha Airport. I want to thank especially John and Elias for organizing all so perfect for us and to give us such a great experience in Tanzania.
Asante sana and we hope to be back again to go to Serengeti next time.
Great Job !!!