Regional Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- TATO, ATA & ZATO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari and Beach Vacation in Tanzania
I recently completed a 9 day Safari with Regional Tours & Safaris. Everything went very smoothly and I would recommend using them to book your trip to Tanzania. We ended up picking this company because it was by far the best value relative to other operators with similar itineraries and Maturaf was very flexible when adapting our itinerary to our preferences and schedule. The highlights of the trip for us were Serengeti N.P. (make sure you spend 2 nights here!), Ngorongoro Farmhouse, and The Z Hotel on Zanzibar.
I was very happy with the quality of our accommodations, especially after traveling to other parts of Africa after Tanzania. I was also very impressed with the food everywhere. Our safari guide, Juma, wasn't extremely talkative but he was great at speaking with other guides to make sure we got to see where the animals were hanging out at any given time.
The only minor downside we experienced, as others have pointed out, was the quality and frequency of communication from Maturaf. Sometimes we would get a response with only half of our questions addressed. I think this could be resolved if Maturaf simply added more detail to the itinerary and/or had a FAQ page. There were a few moments of uncertainty but everything worked out in the end which is why I'm not deducting a star.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful people, service and value.
Our experience with Regional tours and its staff was incredible; they were caring, attentive and quick to respond to our requests. I simply can't say enough good things about this company. Working with Maturaf to plan the trip was informative and easy; we were able to plan out exactly the trip that we wanted without any up-selling or complication. Maturaf seemed truly focused on providing what we wanted and offering up great suggestions when we weren't sure how to proceed. We met many people on holiday in Tanzania that were basically doing the same trip as we were but paying a significantly more money to an out-of-country company. Regional Tours is a completely local company so your money stays where it should; in country. The camps and resorts that they chose for us were better and cheaper than the ones we chose for ourselves (fortunately we only chose for ourselves on two nights). If you are going to Tanzania then you need to contact this company and give them a shot at your business; if your rich you'll probably choose someone else but if your like me and this trip was a big financial expenditure then you'll love the money that you save. Everything was top-notch.
I want to add some comments about our safari driver Emmanuel; it's hard to imagine a better companion. On safari you spend a great deal of time with your driver and he can make or break your entire adventure. We didn't understand this when we planned our trip but hit the lottery with Emmanuel. He was an ambassador for his country; a blessing to his company; and a role model of his industry. His patience, knowledge and kindness added greatly to the best vacation of our lives.
We'll probably never be back to Tanzania; but if we do go then I guarantee that we will call Regional Tours.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience
I went on a Safari recently in February with my best friend. The tour was arranged very well -- excellent activities, hotels, and our guide - Didas - was a true highlight. We saw "The Big 5" (lion, elephant, rhino, cheetah, and leopard) within the first two days! It was very nice to have a blend of safari/beach trip as well -- Tanzania/Zanzibar combo is recommended. Maturaf planned us an amazing trip, although at times he was slightly unresponsive over email. Still, highly encourage others to use this tour provider and request Didas as their guide!
SE
Email Siw Chui | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional and friendly, quick to reply to questions.
Maturaf at Regional Tours & Safaris is very professional and pleasant to deal with. He swiftly responded to any queries, was honest and suggested good solutions. Regional Tours & Safaris tailormade a very good programme for us (4 adults and 2 children) according to our requests. It included overnight in Arusha, a five day safari at Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, in Ndutu and Serengeti in lodges/tented camps followed by five days in Zanzibar. It was very clear what was included in the price and what was not. Everything went extremely smoothly, there was always a car with driver/guide waiting to pick us up. We made several internal flights with three different companies and they all worked perfectly, they were even often ahead of schedule!
A special thanks to William, our excellent guide, who made our safari a memory for life!
In Zanzibar we stayed at Villa Kiva, which is an ideal hotel for people who like a green, quiet and relaxing place, and cats!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari guide and wonderful lodging!
My best friend and I went on a 10 day trip- 5 days safari and 5 days in Zanzibar. Our safari guide , Didas, was amazing! He was able to spot animals from a distance without evening using binoculars and was extremely knowledgeable and kind. The lodging- hotels and tented camps were beautiful and the food was great. We liked our hotel in Zanzibar - the Z Hotel - a lot. The only issue is that its far away (at least an hour) from most of the main attractions in Zanzibar- Stone Town, the national forest, spice tour, ect. Fortunately we were mainly there to dive, so we weren't really affected by that. However, given that there are many other great places to dive on the island, I'd probably pick a location closer to everything else next time. The only small complaint we have is that the gentleman who arranged our tour, Maturaf, became very unresponsive to email as soon as we put down our deposit on the trip, including neglecting to correct errors, like the spelling of my friends name and the fact that I'm a woman and we were not a couple. This caused a couple small hiccups at the airport and hotels were we ended up having to share a bed because he'd listed the room as wanting one bed. All in all, great trip and would use them again!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional trip at reasonable rate.
Our safari trip in Tanzania and stay in Zanzibar were exceptional. Our guide Emmanuel was excellent. During our 6 days with him, he made sure we saw the big nine up close and personal. Because he taught us patience, we had unique animal experiences that we will never forget. From the time Emmanuel picked us up at Mt. Kilimanjaro airport, he made sure we were well cared for and comfortable. He was knowledgeable and his English communications skills made it easy. We had a snafu with airport pick-up in Zanzibar, but all was worked out within 2 hours of our arrival. We had 3 days at a nice beach hotel but wish that we had stayed 2 nights at the beach and 2 nights at a hotel in Old Stone Town. One day in Stone Town was not enough. We knew it was a little risky, but we booked direct with Regional Tours. Without the middle man costs, our trip was affordable. Our safari lodging was very good and Regional Tours accommodated my request to stay at the Ngorongoro Farm House. It was lovely. For us, this was a trip of a lifetime and arrangements made through Regional Tours did not disappoint. Thank You.
US
Email John W | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience!!
We just returned from a 10 day trip through Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, the Serengeti, and Zanzibar which we worked with Maturaf at Regional Tours and Safari’s to set up. The trip was amazing! It exceeded all of our high expectations. We customized the trip substantially and Maturaf was extremely helpful throughout the process.
When we were planning we continually e-mailed Maturaf with changes, most of the time he’d respond within a day, which I think is good given our time zone differences. Occasionally he would need to confirm availability which could take longer, but he always came through. Once the trip was finalized we made a deposit through wire transfer, which can be a little nerve-racking for some, but after much independent research we were confident we were in good hands.
The e-mails slowed down after the deposit. It would have been nice to receive independent booking confirmations from our hotels/camps; however I don’t think that’s common practice for remote lodges which often have power by generator and some have no internet service (Serengeti). So don’t take the reduced communication as a bad sign; we did receive confirmation e-mails when they were available such as our flight from Arusha to Zanzibar.
Logistically everything went off perfect! They picked us up on time, meals were all included like listed in the itinerary, accommodations were just like we booked, and the safari vehicle was private, clean and in great shape. Absolutely 0 issues. Our itinerary noted that water would be included on the game drives; we asked before we left Arusha and were told otherwise, so we stopped at Nakumatt (supermarket) on the way out of Arusha and got some. We found that our hotels often provided water in the rooms which may have been what our itinerary was referencing. Either way we spent $5 and had more water than we knew what to do with.
We were very impressed with our Safari guide, Johnson Eliyuko was amazing! We were able to see every animal we wanted to, and then even more. In fact we saw so many lions we eventually just asked to continue driving on past some of them. In Zanzibar, Omar leads a few tours and did an awesome job showing us around.
I’ve recommended Regional Tours to several people already and will continue to recommend to anyone!
US
Email Albie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime
Regional tours proved to be a valuable resource throughout the entire process of booking this trip and providing educational information about what to do in Tanzania. The service was excellent and the tour/trip they created lead to our most favorite trip to date. Our drivers and tours guys were always on time and friendly. The experience we loved best on this trip was the safari between the ngorongoro crater and the Serengeti. If you are looking to do a similar tour here are some recommendations on places to stay. Before traveling on the Safari we stayed at the Zawadi House which gives us exceptional service the the accommodations were top notch. The best place to stay when you get to the crate is the Serena Lodge which is 7,548 feet above sea level at the rim of the crater! The views are incredible and the hotel was beautiful.
Our tour guide Ewi made our amazing sight seeing experience even more spectacular. He made sure that we got to see all the animals we wanted to see and he genuinely cared about our experience. We could have not asked for a better guide to spend the long days with and we thank him for all the education and contributing to our greatest experience in life.
If your looking to book a Safari trip I would highly recommend the staff at Regional tours and when we go back to Africa we'll be sure to utilize their services.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Regional Tours & Safaris took the stress out of planning a complex vacation
A friend and I recently returned from a 2-week trip through Tanzania, Uganda, and Istanbul. We booked the Tanzania portion of our trip through Regional Tours & Safaris and were very satisfied. Our guide greeted us at the airport in Kilimanjaro at 1am, and we were ushered through the next 8 days by the tour company. All the accommodations exceeded expectations, and our guide got us extremely close to amazing animals in various national parks. I would definitely recommend Regional Tours & Safaris to any family and friends considering a trip to Tanzania.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guide, good value for money
Maturaf organised 6 nights on safari in northern Tanzania and Zanzibar for my husband and I. His correspondence before booking was professional and he was flexible in tailoring the trip to work with our schedule. The rates were very competitive and now, after having seen the accommodations and experienced the luxury of a private tour, I think Regional Tours offers great value for money. Once we had paid the deposit and before the trip, there was a noticeable lack of response/information from Maturaf. For example, we would have liked to see confirmation from each hotel/camp that our bookings had been made, and although Maturaf told us repeatedly they would be forthcoming, they never were and so we made these confirmations ourselves directly with the hotels/camps. Once we arrived in Africa, Regional Tours proved to be very reliable and everything went smoothly – although we did always wonder after the poor correspondence we had received before arrival. Our driver/guide, Didas, was very helpful in recommending when we should make a start in order to cover what we wanted to see, and it was so lovely to have the flexibility of a private tour in our own jeep. Didas was a great driver (our game drives never seemed as bumpy as what others told us to expect), amazing at spotting wildlife, and knew so much about the parks – he’s been a guide for 12 years so he knows his stuff! The accommodations that Maturaf chose were lovely as well – even the tented camp was the poshest tent I’ve ever slept in! The only slight hiccup was that we had been quoted that bottled water was included on the game drives, but were told when we started our first day that it wasn't, which left us in an awkward situation as we had no internet connection with which to confirm this with Maturaf, and led to a mild case of dehydration for my husband that first day. In the end it wasn't a big deal as water was cheap and it only cost us $10 or so for the whole trip. Overall a great trip and I would use Regional Tours again.