Bright African Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB & TLTO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $85 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
My Tanzania safaris
I travelled with my husband's parents, a total of 3of us, in October 2015. Our guide onema, drove us through Arusha, Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater over 6 unforgettable, wonderful days. I don't know why people focus so much on The Big Five, but we saw those and so very much more! We were so glad to have a guide who has an eye for the critters because we would not have known what to watch for in looking for the less common animals and we might otherwise not have spotted them. Rukia has a good eye for places to stay. My all time favorite place was maramboi Tented camp and I was so sad to leave after only one night there. Everyone at every location except The Rhino Lodge was exceptionally attentive, showered us with personal attention, and bent over backwards to make our trip as rewarding as possible. The only thing I wish were different is that, although the food was good in the evenings at all of our locations (some better than others!), we were served African food only a couple of times, and instead served a solid interpretation of Western food. Morning was always Western foods which was nicely done but forgettable. The worse food was the box lunches. Some research should be put into packable food items and suggestion of variety. Although we were hoping for more authentic dining options, I am aware it would be difficult for them to accomodate the variety of dietary restrictions they are presented with and still remain authentic. So in summary, we weren't there for the food, thus the food didn't effect my "take away" from the experience. I loved this trip and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates nature, wildlife, and who wishes to preserve memories of these animals while they are still around. Helpful information for travelers: Because so many are involved in the upkeep of each place, many working in the background, tips are given at the time of departure from each hotel/tent camp, including tips for meals, housekeeping, etc, you leave it in a designated box and the owners (or someone) distributes the total to all of the working staff.
Email hana | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
unforgettable experience
My husband and I went on a 7 day safari to Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Lake Eyasi, Serengeti, and Nrongoro Crater with Bright African Safaris. I started pricing safaris and comparing itineraries from home about 6 months before the trip. Msangi Charema from Bright African Safaris stood out from all the other companies with his rapid and detailed responses to my questions. The price was reasonable for the two of us going on safari on our own with our own guide and cook. We had an amazing trip! Modhi was our guide and Jamal our cook. Modhi was a wealth of information about all the animals we saw. And the birds! He knew everything about every bird and could name the type of bird even when seen from super far away. We saw over 50 lions in the Serengeti and Nrongoro in 2 days! Jamal was a great cook who accommodated both my vegetarian needs and my husband's carnivorous preferences. I have already recommended this company to friends. I would be happy to go on safari every day, I miss my time in Tanzania!
Email David | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Once in a life time Tanzania safaris
My wife and I have dreamed of visiting Africa and experiencing the thrill of seeing animals in the wild. I started the research on finding the best safari company early in December for our april safari. I qualified each company largely through safari bookings reviews and Bright Africa had all excellent and very good ratings. But what I was most impressed with was how quickly and clearly all of my questions were addressed and answered. Msangi was always spot-on and I would typically have same-day responses! Bright Africa was also very competitive in their pricing of our 5 day safari with luxury accommodations. In the end; we chose Bright Africa! Like everyone else; I was a little apprehensive about wire transferring the down payment but let me put your fears to rest; your money is safe and this is a trustworthy company.
When we arrived in jro late at night we were met by a driver from Bright Africa ($50 extra but worth it.) holding a sign with our names on it. He took us to our first lodge for the night, the Outpost. A very comfortable if not too fancy room had us well rested for the next day. We also booked an extra day to rest up and recover from jet lag before starting our safari. This worked out great; a low-cost day to relax and revive for the big days ahead. Due to high bookings we had to bounce around a little, walking across the street to Pamoja Lodge the next day. Again a very comfortable room and good food (try the pizza!). We met a couple of groups from around the world that night for a few beers; great fun! Msangi met with us that day to see that we were comfortable and to let us know when our safari would start. (nice touch!)
We were met by our guide, "Hoffman" the next morning who took us to Arusha Park for a game drive, canoeing, and a hike to the falls. This was a great and gentle start to our safari. The canoeing is a "can't miss"!
The next day we took the long, tough journey to the Serengeti. Be prepared, this is long, bumpy and dusty. It is a long day! Beautiful sights along the way and the incredible Serengeti Sopa Lodge awaited our arrival. This is an experience you will not forget! Great food, stunning views and cold beer...heaven!
We spent the next couple days in the Serengeti seeing all of the Big Five except the black rhino. All along Hoffman was a perfect gentleman guide, making sure we were comfortable and was a walking wildlife encyclopedia. It is evident he truly loves his job and the parks he knows so well. I can not say enough about this gracious host. A true pro!
Our last safari day was in Ngorongoro Crater and we stayed at the majestic Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. Another can't miss folks! The crater experience was awesome and we did complete our Big 5 bingo by seeing a black rhino up close! Last we had the long drive back (ugh, dust, bumps,) to the Bright Africa office. Our debrief was to be sure that we were satisfied and happy; of course we were. From talking to other travelers in the lodges I know that we had the best experience!
A few tips: Get off your butt and look around! Your guide will do his best but he has only two eyes and is driving the truck as well. Try to find more animals than he does. Soon you'll be spotting the critters too!
Communicate! Your guide may be as good as Hoffman but he can't read your mind. Tell him specifically what you want to see, what you want to do etc.
Learn! the language that is; learn at least cursory Swahili and you will see the reward.
Last thing: choose bright africa
Email susan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing expirience with Bright African Safaris
In March 2016, my husband and I went on a private 5 day wildlife safari in Tanzania with Bright African Safaris. We were very pleased with the accommodations, national parks visited, and most importantly, our excellent guide and driver, Juma. He made every effort to show us his beautiful country and the awesome wildlife that call it home. We saw 4 of the "big 5" on our very first day of the safari! By the end of our journey, Juma found the elusive rhino through much patience and what we believe to have been his sixth sense. He was wonderful; very knowledgeable and friendly. On a side note, we mentioned that we were interested in the local nomadic tribe, the Maasai. So, on our last day with Juma, he stopped by one of the villages for us to visit. It was such a memorable experience to have this opportunity to meet the people who call the Tanzanian wilderness home, as well. They welcomed us with ceremonial dance and song, and were pleased to show us around. It was truly a trip of a lifetime for us! Thank you Bright African Safaris!
IL
Email Al | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Successful 5-day safari with Bright African
My daughter and I chose Bright Safaris, Tanzania for our first ever safari experience. We were not disappointed. It is a small local company owned by Msangi. He always answered our emails promptly and clearly suggesting different itineraries and accommodation according to our budget. He also sent us contact email addresses of previous customers from whom we acquired positive feedback. Once dates and the itinerary were settled we had to secure the trip by sending a small deposit, which made us a little nervous. All was well though and he confirmed receipt with the remainder to be paid in cash on arrival. We were met at the airport by our guide Othman who was an expert driver and a guide so full of knowledge of the animals, culture and terrain. He had the sharpest eyes and good humour. We felt safe and well looked after. He was punctual and kept us to our itinerary. No time was wasted. He made a big effort for us to see and get safely close to the migration of the Wilderbeast, cheetahs, leopard, lions and birds. We were accompanied by a cook named Rama who was fantastic. We are vegetarians and Rama's skill was clearly evident with the soups and dishes he served using local produce. As we chose the camping budget option, Rama worked under difficult conditions from 04.30am preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner to a high level. On our last day he surprised us with a bottle of "champagne" which was a lovely surprise. The campsites were basic but clean. Only two of the three that we stayed at had hot shower water, but we were warm in our tents and slept well. We were supplied with a torch and binoculars, but you might want to get another torch. Also - make sure to bring some warm clothing as during September it can get quite cold at night. Msangi answered emails from our worried family when we were out of range of cell phone reception explaining that all is well. Msangi met up with us before our departure to ensure that all had gone well and our smiling faces showed it had. Highly recommended.
A Guide is more than a guide
My family of 6 people (including one 10 year old) recently returned from a safari in Tanzania organized by Msangi of Bright African Safaris. The trip was spectacular in every way, not the least of which was our guide throughout the twelve days, Athuman Abuu. I am writing this review to focus on the relationship between Athuman and our family. In essence Athuman became one of our family in that we spent all day together sharing incredible experiences. From what I have read and heard from other safari goers, this is not unusual at all. What was different was that we invited Athuman to join us for meals (we paid a nominal fee to the camp for his dinner). We never thought not to offer this when on the first night we discovered that he was to eat elsewhere. I can truly say that having out guide join us for meals enhanced the friendly, intimate time spent together in this very special experience. I highly recommend to other safari goers to extend this gesture to your guide.
Bright African safaris is tops
My wife and I decided to organize a family safari to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary and at the recommendation of relatives who had been to Tanzania a few years earlier, contacted Msangi of Bright African Safari. That was our first and probably best decision because he organized one of the most spectacular two-week adventures anyone could possibly hope for. The choices for viewing game were all superb yet each was unique with different emphasis on what was likely to be seen. Our guide Athuman was just spectacular. He drove us throughout northern Tanzania and organized our viewing, lunches, and snack-breaks for 9-10 hr days (our choice) over roads with no obvious markers without missing a step. How he navigated was miraculous to observe and while doing so pointed out all the “hidden” oft-times rarely seen, animals we enjoyed. It is no exaggeration to say we observed 50 lions, 10 cheetahs, 4 leopards (which can be particularly difficult to spot in trees), and countless elephants, giraffes, buffalo, wildebeests, zebras, antelopes of at least half-dozen varieties, and ostrich. Rhinoceros were rare because of poaching, but we did encounter a few. My wife and I had been on a superb safari to Botswana 12 year ago. We had nothing but praise for our experience, yet Msangi’s combination of natural parks, land cruiser and guide, tented sleeping facilities with superb food at every stop, could not be beat.
IN
Email Siddhartha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
When I first decided to go on an East African safari, it was a a huge task to take the numerous decisions and make the plans. I started an year ago and went through tons of online content to put up a rough draft of what I wanted to do. We were a group of 7 people and we contacted several tour operators. Based on the the online reviews and personal interactions, we decided on Bright African Safaris.
Main points in their favour were: 1. Small local company based in Arusha, 2. Top reviews and 3. Agreeing to an itinerary which several companies rejected (will elaborate later). Our main target was the Northern Tanzania circuit. We started from Arusha, then traveled through Tarangire, Manyara, Natron, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and back to Arusha over 10 days. We traveled from 24th May to 2nd June, while the rainy season had just ended. And here was where Bright was a stand-out. We definitely wanted to go to Natron due to it's weird and unconventional nature. Several other companies tried to exclude this even after our repeated requests stating possibility of bad roads. We are glad that Msangi and Bright did not follow suit. For people looking for something other than the standard experience, please visit Lake Natron. It is truly a unique place on Earth. Msangi was very efficient during the email exchanges and also while making the travel arrangements. We opted for budget accommodations and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the lodges (maybe the off-season helped). A special mention must be made for Mbalageti Luxury camp. Bright had made all the arrangements so that we did not have to worry about anything. One of our team members decided late to join in and Msangi took care of it in a couple of days, even after all the bookings had been made. So extra points for flexibility.
Now a few words about our guide Osman, although few words would not be enough. From the moment we met him at the airport to the time when he dropped us off, it was a pleasure to have this man in our company during the safari. Extremely amicable, knowledgeable and accommodating, he was ever smiling and helpful. He is a confident and safe driver and is in control even on the worst of roads. As for animal sightings he was very good at spotting them. In the later stages of the trip, we got interested in bird spotting and it was amazing how he knew at least the type of any bird we saw. We saw more than 100 birds and animals in total during the entire trip. Also Osman was very rational in his decisions. He did not promise us the moon and always gave a thoughtful explanation for any question. Even when we were not on safari, we had the license to pester him regarding names of birds or animals.
All the lodges we stayed at were nice and well equipped, some were better than others. Both breakfast and dinner were quite good quality. The lunch boxes were not that fancy and you could customize it to a certain extent at the lodge itself. Overall, it was a highly enjoyable safari with a very nice company and I would recommend it without a doubt to anyone going on a Northern Tanzania safari. Asante sana Osman, Msangi and Bright African Safaris. Hope to see you again.
US
Email Krishnan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari experience
We just returned from an amazing Tanzanian safari experience. This was our first trip to Africa and so really did not know what to expect. After speaking with a friend who had done a safari a couple of years ago and from researching online, we finally picked Bright African safaris due to their stellar reviews on Trip Advisor and a few other sites. We were not disappointed!!
Throughout the enquiry and booking process, Msangi (the owner of Bright Safaris) was very prompt and detailed in his responses. The booking required us to make the full payment before the trip - I was a bit apprehensive but it seems to be the norm and based on what others wrote about Bright Safaris, I made the payments. All payments received prompt acknowledgements.
From the moment we were picked up at the Airport by Msangi to the day we were dropped off at the airport by our guide, everything was perfect and happened like clockwork. We stayed at some really amazing hotels, the food was really good, the service top rate and most importantly we had a really good guide, Authman, who made sure we experienced everything an African safari had to offer. We saw all of the Big 5 (including an amazing experience with a pride of lions on the last day), got to interact with the local people and every request we made was adhered to.
At the end of our Safari, we had an extra day before we left Tanzania. Msangi allowed us to keep the car and guide an extra day, at no charge, so that we could do some local sight seeing and shopping in Arusha.
I strongly recommend Bright Safaris to others. We came back to the US with a big smile on our face which is what Msangi promised us. I highly recommend Bright African Safaris.
Email Sian Rhodes | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wild adventure close up and exciting from animals to tribal hunting with a quality guide and cook.
From the very beginning the communication from Bright African Safari was first class, every questioned answered within a day, and changes made upon request. The actual holiday was more than I ever thought it could be. We had such a personal guide that looked after our every need, and he soon became a friend. We had an amazing time seeing loads of different animals. The shear numbers of animals were astonishing and it was magical seeing our guide spot animals from vast distances. His knowledge of all the different species meant that we also learnt interesting facts about the animals. We were lucky to see the big five, but our favourite images were a heard of 20 giraffes running across the plain and the wilder beast congregating at the river Maya. The cook managed to keep my two teenage sons well fed - which is quite an achievement, and they especially loved the home made soup. We travelled to four different national parks, with each one having a different outlook and landscapes. The final destination Tides Lodge recommended by Bright African Safari was perfect ending to a perfect life changing trip. Luxury rooms, paradise beaches with excellent food and service. Thanks to Bright African Safari my family felt as though we had a real taste of Tanzanian life.