Join us for your African adventure!
Alika Africa
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- Association for Promotion of Tourism to Africa
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
CA
Email Enid | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari ever
Duma Explorer is an exceptional company. Stacy Readal worked with us to plan an 8 day safari and took care of every detail from pick up at Kilimanjaro airport, a two night stay at the beautiful Rivertrees Inn to an 8 day safari.
We stayed at 3 tent camps owned by Duma and one owned by another company. There was no comparison. While the other camp was nice, the Duma camps were exceptional. The staff was professional, welcoming and attentive. When we asked for adjustments to the packed lunches the camp chefs came to talk to us to understand what we wanted and produced wonderful options. The ability of the staff to provide tasty, varied meals in the bush is truly incredible. The tents themselves are solid and once inside you can’t believe you are in a tent. Comfortable beds, sitting tables and chairs with a fully equipped bathroom. Furniture is locally made, beautiful and comfortable. Each camp has a different theme and artwork to reflect. Camp fires are made in the evening and the settings are beautiful. The managers of the camps are friendly and helpful. Chaka sent us off with a song and dance. The manager at Kiota arranged to have the toiletries bag with my malaria pills that I left in our tent flown to Arusha in time for me to get it before boarding our flight to Zanzibar.
And then there was our incredible guide and driver Chaduu. I can’t say enough about this wonderful man. He was kind, considerate and very knowledgeable. He patiently answered our many questions even when we asked two days later because we couldn’t remember all that he had told us. He knew where to find animals, spotted them from far away and got us very close often just feet away. He explained the animals behaviour, knew the names of the many bird species and talked about how various plants are used. Chaduu was also an excellent driver navigating wet, muddy, slippery roads sometimes resembling small rivers. We saw numerous other vehicles get stuck in the mud and twice stopped to help pull jeeps out. Chaduu always stopped if another Jeep needed help.
Don’t miss Tarangire or Nudtu if the are doing a safari. In Tarangire we saw 100’s of elephants and many other animals. In Nudtu you are able to drive off road and get close to the animals. We also did an interesting tour in Mto Wa Mbu where we learned about crops, bananas, how different tribes build their homes and much more.
Duma provided a trip that we will always remember. Thanks to all of the great Duma staff.
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Email Tori | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 Day Tanzanian Safari - AMAZING Experience
My husband and I had the pleasure of going on a 7 day safari with Duma Explorer. We went to Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater. The safari was the greatest experience of our lives and we could not have had a better time. I am so happy in our decision to go with Duma and we loved all of the Chaka Camps!
We felt unbelievably lucky to have had Ebenezer as our guide. He made us feel comfortable and welcome immediately and calmed any nerves we may have had. He knew EVERYTHING and we were asking what felt like 100 questions a day. He was kind and compassionate, always checking on people pulled over and checking in with people along the way. We could tell immediately he was a truly good person. In addition to all that, he was an unbelievable guide. He was able to spot things forever away and almost always saw things before my husband and I did. He spotted many things throughout the day that other groups around us missed. We had a few other tour groups (not Duma) tell us they wish they had our guide!
We will be suggesting Duma to anyone we talk to that’s interested in planning a safari, and I hope they are fortunate enough to have Ebenezer as their guide!
Trip of a lifetime!
I booked and planned our 10 day safari with Stacy. We stayed at three of Duma's camps - Kichuguu, Kiota and Chaka. They were all exceptional! Do bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper, or if you have a wild imagination. The animals make a lot of noise at night, but rest assured, the camps are very safe. Each and every staff member at all three camps were outstanding - we have never met such warm, welcoming and sincere individuals! Everyone was incredibly attentive, engaging and a delight to be around. The accommodations were beautiful ("glamping" is an understatement) and the food was delicious, but it was the staff that really made it special. I will also write individual reviews of each camp - but a big warm thank you to Charles and Jubilate at Kichuguu, Eric at Kiota and Godlisten and Amani at Chaka Extra!
The game viewing was incredible! Watching different animals of all ages interacting in their natural environment left us speechless. We saw jackal pups pop their heads out of their den, a 2 day old elephant learn to walk, a female lion try to entice a male lion to mate, hyenas hiding in the brush, wildebeest crossing the river, lion cubs playing, a baby hippo who's colouring had yet to change and was still bright pink, and so much more.... We strongly recommend tailoring your choice of parks based animals you are most interested in seeing. I love big cats and therefore chose to spend 5 nights in the Serengeti. A special thank you to our guide Isack who was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging and could spot a lion in the distance while driving 60km/hr down a dusty road! We shared some great stories and a lot of laughs during our time together.
I also want to point out that throughout my interactions with Stacy and our observations during our safari, Duma Explorer is truly dedicated to nature conservancy. Their guides are extremely respectful of the animals and their habitat. Unfortunately we observed other companies going off the road, chasing animals and driving far to close to them. Isack always stayed on the road and approached the animals quietly and slowly, making sure that both we and the animals were safe at all times.
After our safari, we flew from the Serengeti to Zanzibar and stayed at the Sunshine Marine Lodge. The on-site dive shop, DivePoint was excellent. Again, Stacy co-ordinated all of this for us and everything ran smoothly.
If you are looking to book a safari, look no further - Stacy and her team at Duma Explorer will ensure you have a trip of a lifetime! Stacy is incredibly responsive and made all the difference when we contacted her mid-safari with an issue. She resolved the situation quickly and effectively and even contacted us at that time to follow-up and again after our trip. Stacy truly cares about her clients and their experience.
CA
Email Patrick | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An AMAZING Safari
What an AMAZING trip!!! Stacy Readal, we want to thank you for setting this all up and making it so easy. From all the initial decisions to the end of the trip, everything went so smoothly. We were extremely impressed by your prompt replies and keeping us up to date. After much investigation we found DUMA to be the best pricing for our trip!!
The safari was nothing but AMAZING. Our driver, Sifuni was able to show us a black Hippo with a baby (that was so phenomenal), two Wildebeast crossings - some people stay for days and never see one, the Big Five and so so much more!! Sifuni was always looked out for us making sure that we were comfortable and safe. We are grateful for his amazing knowledge, providing us with just the right amount of information regarding the animals, birds, trees and shrubs and also the rules and regulations of the parks. One thing that we were really appreciative of was, that he always tried his best to keep us out of the dust and we all know how much of that is around We loved your camps Kichuguu Camp, Kiota Camp and Chaka Camp Extra, there is nothing like sleeping in a tent in the wild with animals around in the night. The tents were so comfortable, just like home. The showers were a bit quirky, but we enjoyed them! Everyone was so friendly at each camp and made our stay really memorable. There was nothing that they would not do or try to do to make our stay so enjoyable. Loved the camp fire at night! Our last night at Chaka Camp Extra was so memorable as all the employees gathered and entertained us - can't believe that they sang soooo well!! They also sang to us as we sadly departed the next day, we recorded it and we will be playing it regularly to bring back those wonderful days on our trip!
Thank you DUMA for making our trip so memorable!!!
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Email Suzanne S | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent trip with Duma
Duma arranged a fabulous trip for us. Stacy was a pleasure to work with, we loved every place that we stayed and our guide--Wilson Shange--was excellent.
All of that was great, but the true test of a tour company is how they respond when the unexpected occurs, and the Duma staff was incredible when we ran into some difficulties during our trip. Right before leaving on our trip we were apparently bumped from the lodge where we were supposed to stay while in Ngorogoro due to a government meeting filling up another lodge. We remained blissfully unaware of that difficulty, only receiving a lovely email telling us that we had been upgraded to an incredible retreat for the 2 days at the Crater. Then, on our flight to Africa, my husband broke a tooth. We emailed Milcah, our Duma contact in Arusha, during a layover and when we arrived at Kilimanjaro airport our driver was aware of the tooth situation and took us directly to a dental clinic in Arusha.
A few days later, while at the retreat center at Ngorogoro, my husband fell ill and we could not travel to the Central Serengeti as planned. One call to Milcah, and we were booked at a lovely hotel nearby where my husband could recuperate before moving on the next day. Not only was that change made smoothly, but we received an email from Stacy checking in on how my husband was feeling.
We are so thankful to Stacy, Milcah, and the entire Duma team for an amazing trip and would recommend Duma to anyone looking for an adventure in Tanzania!
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Email Leilani | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Organized, listens to needs, responsive, creative and handles issues with solutions.
Duma Explorer is an expert at communicating from the start to finish! The amount of money is cause for careful examination and possible referral in this investment. After introductions via email with Stacey Readal owner/founder the interaction was smooth. By the time I had to send the total amount I was more than comfortable and thoroughly excited for the Safari planned a year in advance.
The 10 day Safari was guided by Shange Wilson. His knowledge and experience made our trip safe and flawless. We fell in love with his warm, calm spirit. The animals, birds and wildlife was absolutely incredible! We were blown away that there is still a place on earth where the great animals still roam in peace and harmony, of course until someone gets hungry. We did see a kill and that happened so quickly, it wasn't a big deal.
I highly recommend Duma Explorer as your go to when it comes to an African Safari!
Email Dan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent safari experience in northern Tanzania
DUMA provided an excellent safari which we will remember for a very long time.
We are a family of four with two teenage boys who visited Tanzania at short notice in August 2018. I did a fair bit of research on safari companies in Arusha and emailed a few ahead of our trip. DUMA stood out because of the promptness of replies, their willingness to put together an excellent itinerary based on the budget I told them I had; and the excellent communications throughout. Miriam patiently answered the many questions I had very promptly. Everything worked like clockwork.
They put together an excellent schedule for our 5 day trip at short notice. We visited Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. We stayed 2 nights in Karatu at two excellent lodges (Marera Valley Lodge and Country Lodge) and 2 nights in the Serengeti at Kati Kati Tented Camp. All the accommodation surpassed our expectations. Fantastic places to stay with great food.
A special mention should go to our excellent guide, Ebeneezer, who accompanied us throughout. He was a really careful driver and also had an amazing knowledge of the wildlife. He had an uncanny ability of finding the most spectacular animals. We saw the big 5 and then the big 9, amazingly close up! Highlights were the elephants, cheetahs, leopards, lions, hippos, hyenas, jackals, giraffes and, amazingly, a rhino in the middle of the Serengeti, but we saw every animal we could possibly imagine plus lots more. The bird life was another revelation and Ebeneezer identified every bird we pointed out. He gave us really interesting information throughout the trip.
Ebeneezer also went out of his way to make the trip work to our requests. He offered to drive us to the north of the Serengeti to try to find the mass migration (we opted not in the end, because of the length of the drive, but ended up seeing the rhino instead!) He also put in an unscheduled stop for us at the Olduvai Gorge on the way out of the Serengeti, at our request. Finally, aware that our safari was relatively short, he took us out every day from 6am until twilight so we could maximise our wildlife viewing.
Safaris can be quite full-on and 5 days actually worked well for us. DUMA gave good tips ahead of the safari, such as suggesting bringing a buff to help keep dust intake to a minimum on the bumpy, dry roads of the Serengeti (we definitely recommend doing this, or even a proper dust mask!) Our boys absolutely loved the trip, as did we adults. Safaris are never cheap but DUMA seemed to offer good value in comparison to other companies. Finally, there were nice touches like the replica of the land cruiser made out of recycled material given to us at the end of the trip, by which we'll remember it; plus unlimited bottled water throughout. We had a great time. Thank you.
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Email Megan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience!
My husband and I celebrated our tenth anniversary by taking a trip to Tanzania, and we used Duma Explorer to set up our trip. What a great decision that was! I contacted several other operators and I’m sure they’re fine, but we selected Duma because they asked a lot of questions about what we wanted, answered endless questions of mine, and really seemed to get what we were looking for.
I wanted to make sure that we had a combination of activities while we were there – not just being in a vehicle all the time – and Duma made sure that we had exactly that. We had several cultural activities and hikes through our two weeks in Tanzania, and the combination was just perfect.
We started our trip by spending a couple nights in Machame at a lodge that Duma recommended that had a great view of Kilimanjaro. One of the things we wanted to do was to see if we could do some charity work, and Duma recommended the website packforapurpose.org. Through that site we were able to find an orphanage in Moshi, and we spent an afternoon delivering toys and clothes that we’d brought over. It was a great way to start the trip!
The next day our guide picked us up, and we started our safari adventure – two nights in Tarangire, two nights in Lake Natron, three nights in northern Serengeti, two nights in central Serengeti, two nights at the Ngorongoro Crater and one night at Lake Eyasi.
I’ve heard that your guide can make or break your trip, and our guide, Isack Msuya, definitely made it! He was nothing short of phenomenal. It was clear from how other guides interacted with him that he is widely respected. He understands animal behavior so well – we were able to get some terrific pictures because he could predict what the animals were going to do. I have some terrific yawning lion pictures as a result, not to mention a rhino mating, and more! We saw everything that we hoped to see and so much more.
To give you an idea of how awesome Isack is, I’ll share my favourite Isack story. We were coming back to our lodge after hiking Empakai Crater, and stopped at the Ngorongoro Crater over look. There were a lot of vehicles there – probably about 20 – and all the people (and guides) were there taking pictures. Some of them had been in the Crater, and were saying that they hadn’t seen a rhinoceros that day. While we were taking pictures, Isack comes up with his binoculars and says, “Do you see the three rhinos down on the crater floor?”. Sure enough they were there – and no one else had spotted them! Needless to say, Isack made a lot of people happy that day.
A review of Duma isn’t complete without mentioning the Duma camps – Kichuguu, Kiota and Chaka. We stayed in all three, and all three are terrific. They all have their own charms, and there would be no question as to where we would stay when we return to Tanzania. A very nice thoughtful touch was one night when we were at Chaka Camp, the staff baked us a cake, and then came and sang to us since we were celebrating our anniversary.
It was a wonderful way to celebrate an anniversary, and Duma made it all easy and such as fun experience.
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Email David | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolute trip of a lifetime with my family - led by the exceptional guides at Duma Explorer!!
My family (10 people) had been planning this trip for a long time. We could not have been more pleased with the results. The guys that led us on safari, Isaac and Alex, were perfect throughout the entire trip. There are so many ways to describe their superb jobs. They were patient, knowledgeable, so cordial and so persistent to be sure we saw what we needed to see throughout the trip. We saw EVERYTHING imaginable, the Big 5 and so much more!! We were always aware of every days plans and times to be ready to hit the road. We had lots of ages represented, from six years old to 70 years plus, and the guys treated everyone with the utmost regard and respect.
I cannot speak more highly about the entire experience from start to finish and the folks at Duma Explorer. Every pre-trip question we asked was answered promptly. We knew what to bring with us and what to expect once we got there. The food, the facilities, the individual hosts at the various lodges we stayed at were just exceptional. This was a trip of a lifetime for sure!!
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Email Susan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari experience exceeded our expectations in all ways.
Ten family members ranging in ages from 6 to 75 years experienced a 9-day safari with Duma Explorer. We traveled in 2 vehicles with two wonderful guides, Isack and Alex, going to parks in Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater. The wildlife we saw was amazing. We saw every animal on our list of "things to see" including lion, cheetah, leopard, elephants, zebras, buffalo, rhino, hippo, wildebeest and much more. Isack and Alex were both knowledgeable and provided us with lots of information about the country, the countryside, the flora and fauna. The lodges and tent camps where we slept were way above my expectations in terms of comfort, service, and food. I was shocked that we had wifi reception in every accommodation. We especially liked Kiota Camp, which is owned by Duma Explorer, where we stayed for 2 nights. The tents were comfortable, luxurious and spacious with a bathroom featuring stone sinks and beautiful wood trimming. The hot water for showers was "on demand", provided by the staff who filled the bags on top of the tent with hot water when we requested it. Duma Explorer was great at meeting the needs of our diverse group. Our trip included 4 walking safaris/hikes and there were options for the oldest or youngest if they chose not to participate in these more active days. As it turned out, everyone participated in everything except for one hike down (and back up) about 1800 feet to the floor of Empaki Crater. When I got home, I made a list of birds and animals that we'd seen and realized that if you're a birder, you should not miss Tarangire National Park, where we saw about half of the almost 100 species of birds that we identified. This was our first safari and it far exceeded my expectations in every way. It was certainly the trip of a lifetime (and we have traveled a lot in North America, South America, Europe, and New Zealand). I highly recommend using Duma Explorer if you are considering a safari in Tanzania.
