Good Earth Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
-
United States
Canada
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 1995)
- Member Of:
- ASTA, TATO, IMEC, BBB & KPAP
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $220 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unfortunately, Can’t Recommend
This review is long but explains why we would not recommend GoodEarth after two weeks and two excursions with them. We were on back to back safaris with GoodEarth; we did the Kilimanjaro Machame Route Hike and Serengeti to Masai Mara safari from June 25-July 10. We really REALLY wanted this company to work out for us as we spent collectively nearly $12k (USD) on everything and it seemed promising. However once the tour was handed over to the Arusha based team - things quickly fell apart.
It started at the airport for pickup. We landed 4:30pm on a Sunday and were told we’d be greeted by our driver with our names on a sign. We waited and waited and reached out to all the WhatsApp numbers we were given multiple times before we were informed the hotel driver had the wrong name on the name plate. So we waited for nothing. That was our first impression.
We had sent an email to the Arusha office a week prior to landing about renting gear for Kilimanjaro but they weren’t prepared at all. We had to scramble at 9pm Sunday for our Monday morning climb. The morning of the climb - our tour guide, Fredy, forgot to bring some of the gear with him. On our way to the trailhead he asked US to purchase the gear he forgot to pack. We gave him a stern “No”, then he went and found the cheapest gear possible and it leaked our entire climb. Fredy was nice enough, but an EXTREMELY lazy guide. He needed to make frequent stops, was always late, and didn’t want to do anything for himself. At every meal he would call a porter from across the camp to come serve him food that was right in front of him. The entire time on the mountain we listened to him whining and ordering the porters around. It was deplorable, honestly. The last straw for me was when we missed our highly requested and once-in-a-lifetime sunrise on summit day by an hour because Fredy “didn’t want to be cold”. Luckily, Nestory was the assistant guide and respected our time on the mountain. Most of our hike up and the entire hike down was led by Nestory, as Fredy was too tired, too late, or too slow to meet our needs. We were so grateful Nestory was there and we should’ve insisted on him being lead guide on summit day to make the sunrise. The porters were great, especially Reuben and Ola. And Paul, the chef, was amazing - he even went out of his way to make us local food when we requested it. We were extremely grateful to reach the summit and for the rest of the climbing team.
As an apology, the company paid for our laundry and gave us free hats, which was really nice, but the time and opportunity lost (and money spent) were gone forever.
On our safari we ran into issues with the office apparently not paying the park entrance gate fee, causing an hour delay on our game drive at Serengeti. (Luckily the ranger in the gate office eventually had mercy on us and let us in.) At another gate, GoodEarth somehow didn’t realize the gate didn’t accept cash. So I had to use my personal credit card to pay our entrance. ($320 USD.) We were also delayed at that gate for an hour.
We did send our issues to Ndashy (the manager), but he only referred us back to Rose in the office. Rose was incredibly sweet but perhaps was overworked, hence the disorganization and mistakes.
No matter which company you choose, the type of guide you get is the luck of the draw. Your guide makes or breaks your experience… During our Serengeti safari we had Elias, who checked in with us frequently and made sure we were ok. He wasn’t quite as charismatic as other guides we’ve had, but he’s good. If you’re the quiet type, he could be a nice fit. Elias also helped me surprise my husband with the hot air balloon ride I had secretly booked to celebrate our anniversary. He was so clever in helping me convince my husband we were going for an late night/early morning game drive and I’m forever grateful to him for that! My husband had no idea and the surprise was priceless. We can’t recommend our Masai Mara guide - I’ll leave it there.
Maybe we were just very unlucky with GoodEarth. But it was significant enough for us to not choose them again or recommend them to loved ones. Beside that, obviously the animals and nature were absolutely unforgettable and we hope to visit Serengeti again…
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Email Ashok | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawless organization of our Africa Tour
Good Earth Tours and Safaris organized our tour to Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. We worked with Baraka, their lead, starting in October of 2023. We outlined what we wanted to do and see and he had some great suggestions. Our trip was quite complex and included multiple locations like Zanzibar, Serengeti, NgoroNgoro, Tarangire, Victoria Falls and Cape Town. All the arrangements were fabulous. Baraka and his team were accessible and very focused on delivering the best experience for their customers. I would highly recommend them.
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Email Anne Y | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime! Shangaza!! (amazing)
Good Earth Tours was recommended to me by a friend who planned a safari for them 10 years ago and they cherished their experience! We were looking for a tour operator who would allow us to create a custom itinerary and Good Earth Tours not only allowed us to to do that but worked closely with us to guide us through the planning process. The agent/owner we worked with was Baraka. He was excellent to work with: knowledgeable, friendly, efficient and he genuinely cared about planning the perfect experience for us. Our itinerary turned out to be 22 days long, including 5 countries with safaris, Victoria Falls, and ending in Cape Town. All accommodations were lovely and everything went smoothly..no issues, no glitches! Our safari guides were extremely knowledgeable, kind and lots of fun. We saw the Big Five on our first game drive!!
Good Earth Tours did an amazing job from start to finish and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a tour operator for an African experience. In fact, I already have recommended them to friends! Thank you Baraka and Good Earth Tours for giving me a wonderfully unforgettable experience.
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Email Karen B. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best safari experience in Tanzania!
We just had our first-ever Safari experience in Tanzania and we had such a wonderful time. Our tour guide Fadhil was fantastic, and he made our trip memorable (July 1-6, 2024). He is experienced, friendly, patient, and accommodating. The hotels we stayed in were top-notch. The transportation which was a Land Cruiser, was comfortable with charging stations so we could make sure our camera and devices were ready to go.
We picked the five days Northern Tanzania safari on this trip. The first day when we arrived, we toured Arusha town and took it easy that day since we flew in from Hawaii and the flight was unbelievably long (25 hours). On the second day we started our game drive to the Ngorongoro National Park and our guide was able to find us many exotic animals to see up close including many lions, hyenas, leopard and rhinos. When we went back to the hotel that evening, we talked to another family, and they were surprised that our tour guide was able to find those animals in the park that they didn’t get to see.
After Ngorongoro, we headed to Serengeti for more game driving. We stayed at the Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp. My husband booked the trip and I was extremely skeptical about staying at a camp in the middle of the safari but to my surprise, the camp was extremely comfortable and it had a bathroom on each tent. We were woken up each night by different animal sounds as they were probably extremely close to us. In Serengeti, our tour guide was also able to take us to visit one of the Masai villages and we saw how they lived and visited their school. It was the highlight of our trip.
On the second day in Serengeti, my husband told our guide he really wanted to see the great migration on this trip but unfortunately, we were three weeks behind the migration and the animals had left. Fadhil was able to drive us to West Serengeti to see the tail end of the migration. It was amazing to have thousands of animals following one another to Kenya. Our tour guide really went above and beyond to make our trip special. All the hotels we stayed in were clean and comfortable, and we felt extremely safe. Thanks again for the wonderful trip, we highly recommend this company!
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Email KC Funk | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip for our family of 5!
I began planning our Africa safari trip for our family of five (three teenagers) about a year ago. To see a diverse sat areas in Africa and visit at least two different national parks. With a family of five budget was also a significant consideration.
Baraka did an amazing job to create a creative itinerary that allowed us to go deep into Zimbabwe and also visit Botswana as well. The facilities he chose were fantastic and within the budget that I had laid out.
His follow up through the planning process and while we were in country was also exceptional.
I highly recommend Baraka and Good Earth Tours if you are looking for a Safari tour provider.
Baraka can provide my contact information if you have any specific questions you would like to discuss.
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Email JulianaMeynard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Safari Experience
A well organized and enjoyable 14 days safari into both Kenya and Tanzania.
Services were far beyond our expectations with both of their guides in Kenya and Tanzania. They were just awesome; helping us have such memorable and unforgettable experiences.
I hope to return to Africa another time to do a longer safari and would not hesitate to book with them again.
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Email Jilly | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An exciting Africa Adventure
We used Good Earth Tours to book our trip to Tanzania and South Africa, and I would highly recommend them. They made everything extremely simple, they had excellent communication. Narry could not have planned a better trip. We simply gave him our travel dates, preferences on level and type of accommodations, and a budget and he took care of the rest! We were given very detailed itineraries with all the information we could possibly need.
The vehicles were of high quality, and the guides drove us extremely safely. We stayed in both lodges and tented camps, all of which were very clean, great meals and great locations!
We had a fantastic experience and would wholeheartedly recommend Good Earth Tours!
Email KC | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary Safari Experience!
I can’t say enough about our recent Africa safari with Good Earth Tours! We were delighted with every aspect - the accommodation, the food, the attention to detail, and the kind local guides.
The locations visited (Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire, Victoria Falls and Cape town) were each amazing in their own way!
Our guides were arguably the most important part of the whole safari experience. Their attention to detail were flawless and their knowledge on the game drives were unsurpassed. Our safari vehicle, a 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser had large sliding windows, sockets & fridge!
We had an AMAZING trip with memories that will last a lifetime!
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Email Dave | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Africa safari to Tanzania and Rwanda!
We spent 7 days in Northern Tanzania to capture the Migration in the Serengeti; and another 4 days in Rwanda to trek Gorillas. Good Earth Tours selected accommodation, a great itinerary and provided us with guides who were knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating, and excellent at spotting wildlife.
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Email Tatum | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just Perfect!
My wife and I had a great safari experience with Good Earth Tours this January.
One of the important factors on the quality of that experience was the advises we received from Narry while planning for the trip; He helped us every step of the way including suggestion on international flight.
The tours, guides, office staff, meals and accommodations were all wonderful and far beyond what we had hoped for.
It was an all round excellently organized tour.