NO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A true flavour of Tanzania!
We were directed to the website through a friend and we were so happy to have organised our 4 night serengeti and ngorogoro safari with Bestday Safaris! Peter dealt with our initial enquiry in a prompt manner and gave us a full breakdown of the options and costs involved in different accomodation and locations. We opted for the higher end lodge acomodation and we were very happy with the service we received from start to finish. Peter even organised interior flight connections for us at a preferential rate and we ended up doing a further tour of the Kilimanjaro area. Ivwould heartily recommebd this company as they are small enough to care and the guides are very environmentaly aware and the whole safari was a joy and such an enrichening experience thanks in no small part to Bestday Safaris!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An awesome experience!
Chris organized a custom tour for our group of 12 that was beyond our expectations. (Kenya and Zanzibar). It was obvious that he really listened to us when we first went to him with our safari vision. The itinerary, length of stays, types of accomodations, flight arrangements... everything... was perfect. It is obvious that Chris and his group are not only extremely knowledgeable about Africa, but are also passionate about it. Thanks to Safari Partners, we experienced the trip of a lifetime.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
See Below
Very well looked after by Bruce from my initial contact. The holiday trip was just amazing and all of the local aids were extremely courteous and friendly. I would have no hesitation in recommending your services. Our only issue was flight connections and not having one through ticket for our air travel which together with poor connection planning aided is to miss one connecting flight on our return trip which had to be rebooked and paid for. We would appreciate this cost being refunded.
Best of the best
It's a shame more people tend to visit South Africa rather than Tanzania for the safari adventure. I've been to both, and my safari in Tanzania put Kruger to shame! The scenery in Tanzania is so different between all the parks, and the unique opportunities you have here simply cannot be found anywhere else- seeing a lake with a million flamingos or the wildebeest migration. And so on. Absolutely incredible! We visited four parks- Serengeti, Tarangire, N'goro Crater and Lake Manyara, and it has been one of the best vacations I've taken. Well worth every dime, and we were well taken care of by our guide, Solomon, and our cook, Gabriel. They were fantastic, always stopping for photo opps or the many unexpected happenings, explaining African history and wildlife and were just easy guys to talk to. I will recommend this company and safari in Tanzania to anyone and everyone looking for the African experience.
I live in Mozambique, and have traveled around Africa a fair bit. Tanzania is at the top!! Thanks for an unbelievable trip!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Real time experience
I spent a great deal of time searching the web and corresponding with potential Kenya safari operators trying to find an operator that was both reasonably priced and willing to offer a flexible customized tour. Real African Tours was among a small number of operators that met these criteria and the only one which provided prompt responses to my many questions.
The safari provided by Real African Tours exceeded my expectations. I chose to save as much money on accommodations as possible, so the accommodations were simple but comfortable, the food was excellent, the 4x4 vehicles were good, but most importantly the drivers/guides were excellent. The drivers were very knowledgeable about the parks we visited and were able quickly locate the best areas for viewing the animals. I would recommend Real Afcian Tours to anyone interested in photography. The drivers were very patient, and accommodating. I would often have them reposition the vehicle several times in order to get the best possible angle for my pictures. What a trip!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A great experience, everything perfect
I am a photographer and I was on a trip to photograph chimps in the jungle. Speke Uganda Holidays handled all the logistics of my trip in impeccable way. Very friendly, prompt at replying at my emails and always willing to help and make my trip smooth and enjoyable. I highly recommend this tour operator as very reliable and trustworthy.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Afrishare is great for people on a budget and who want a more authentic experience.
It is a small, family run business, and everyone is super friendly. Ibrah the owner is great and he will make custom trips to accommodate your group size, budget and activity level. Whatever you want to see, he will make it happen. He planned for my group a coffee plantation tour and waterfall hike, as well as a custom trip to Maasai Village. He also planned a trip to Kilimanjaro summit for one of my friends and her 3 friends. They had a great experience also. I always recommend booking tours through local, small businesses to get the most authentic experience.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Safari with EASTCO
We had a fantastic safari with EASTCO. We had been to Tanzania before and this time wanted to go to some places we had heard of but had not visited. As well as this we wanted to visit some old favourite places Tarangire National Park and Boundary Hill Lodge.
We once again found EASTCO very helpful and flexible in helping us organize a safari that was a bit different.
On this trip we visited Lake Natron. I had heard much about Lake Natron. The drive there was very interesting following the escarpment and driving over lava plains. We camped at Ngare Sero for 2 nights. It was fantastic: the escarpment, volcanic mountains and colourful Lake Natron.
We then drove to Lake Manyara and Ol Tukai, EASTCO's new lodge. This was our first glimpse of Ol Tukai, two thatched buildings with very steep roofs overlooking the distant lake. There was a large herd of giraffe behind Ol Tukai, maybe 30 or so scattered in the palm and acacia trees.
After Lake Manyara we headed for Tarangire National Park and spent hours watching elephants. At times they were amazingly close to us. We then drove to Boundary Hill Lodge, a place we had stayed at before. This is one of my favourite places to stay: spectacular views, giraffe and elephants on the plains below, Masai and their herds of cattle and unique accommodation. Each room is completely private built onto the rocks.
After Boundary Hill Lodge, we headed for Babati and stayed at the White Rose Guesthouse. This is a very simple local guesthouse, but clean and comfortable, very friendly staff. We had a chance here to go to a local restaurant and try local food. We wandered along the lake shore and visited the market. Lake Babati is well known for its hippos and as we were wandering to the market, there was a hippo in the bushes by the road!
Our next drive was to Mkomazi and the Pare Mountains where we stayed at the Elephant Motel.
Same is along the road between Kilimanjaro and the coast, a very dry stretch of country and the dominating features here are the mountains that run parallel to the road, the Pares and further south the Usambaras.
Mkomazi National park is set north of these mountains, itself borders by other mountains to the north and then the dry plains further east. It is a relatively new park, and I had always been keen to visit, and experience the park for myself. The camp we stayed at was set on a slight rise, two large tents and a dining tent, set in some acacias and looking west towards Kilimanjaro.
The next morning we headed towards the South Pare mountains and the village of Mbaga. We reached the local guesthouse where we were staying the night, Toma. The guesthouse is built on different levels out of wood, a ramshackle assortment of buildings, platforms and lounge areas perched on a narrow strip next to the road. This area has many building from the colonial German times and was very interesting.
After breakfast the next day we left for Amani Nature Reserve, heading over the Pares and visiting Chome Nature Reserve, before heading down to the main road, to the coast and then up a steep winding road to the Eastern Usambaras.
After a walk, we continued into Amani and the guesthouse we were staying in for the next three nights.
The difference between here and Chome was striking. Being closer to the Indian Ocean meant that Amani was much more humid and wetter.
Amani is an old colonial town, or town hub, a couple of old stone buildings, one of which was the old Amani Club, which is now the guesthouse.
After our stay at Amani we left for Tanga. The drive was interesting, citrus trees lining the road as we got closer to the coast.
Tanga itself was very interesting. The town is a mixture of old German colonial buildings, some Arab style balconies and typical Swahili homes, tin roofed, with a small porch with a cement bed to spend the hottest part of the days sleeping.
These three nights we camped on the beach between Tanga and Pangani near to a couple of Swahili fishing villages. The tents were small dome tents and we had our own private shower and toilets. They were in a great location overlooking the beach.
Sailing here was idyllic, drifting along under the dhow rigged sail with only the sound of the water beneath the hull.
On the last day we went to Tanga airstrip, where we caught a small plane for Dar Es Salaam and our international flight.
All in all it was a fantastic trip with lots of different and interesting things to see. We had a mixture of animals, fantastic scenery, history and local culture.
I would highly recommend EASTCO who went out of their way to give us the trip we wanted and who were very flexible.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
6 day serengeti, ngorongoro, tarangire and manyara tour. Outstanding guide made all the difference.
We travelled during February 2014 and were picked up from Kilimanjaro. Everything from this point onwards was pain and hassle free. Everything was taken care of allowing us to switch off and enjoy the excellent wildlife. I imagine we would have received similar quality of service from many of the tour companies but the thing that set Lilac apart was the level of knowledge of the two guides we had on the tour with us. Our guide Ame was a half Masai who had grown up near Ngorongoro and had clearly been running trips in the area for quite some time. He seemed to know where to go to get us as close to various animals at all times. There was some poor weather meaning fewer animals, but even during this time he was able to find us a pack of lions, hyenas and leopards. He managed our time really well and even on this relatively short trip was able to make sure that we saw as many animals up close as possible.
My advice, ask for Ame when booking and trust your guide. All the guides stay at the same accomodation and trade information on where different animals are living at the time. They also pull up next to each other and share information during the day.
We thought 6 days might be too little but it was enough for us although perhaps next time I would book a little longer to allow us to do some walking in the area.
A blinding week and I will be reccommending this company to anyone I talk to