35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mikumi Safari and Udzungwa Tracking
Staff service is good, but I got some inconveniences due to some communication errors between Hello Tanzania & the Hotel
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hidden gem of a company!
Honestly, my husband and I were skeptical about letting someone else plan our honeymoon...let alone a company with a handful of reviews found online. BUT...E-Trip Africa ended up being such a wonderful decision. Ben helped with all of the planning, and Nick our guide/driver was excellent. We were taken care of from the beginning with all of my questions about what to pack, how much money to bring, etc. Ben was patient and made sure to follow up with me and worked with our budget to be able to get us the honeymoon we had imagined. I would recommend them with no hesitations!
CZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice country
Nice country with very pleasent people, good services and many, many what to see.
AR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience in South Africa!!!
Wild Wings Safaris is a very responsible and serious company. Mike was our contact and understood from the beginning what we were looking for. He arranged the trip exactly as we wanted it. Then everything was perfect in South Africa. All accomodations, transfers and excursions were as planned. We had no problems during the trip!
We are very happy and satisfied with our holiday in South Africa. It's a wonderful country with very friendly people!
Although all the guides were very good, we want to make a special mention for Neil and Cas. We really enjoyed and learned a lot with them.
Despite being the worst time of year to go to Kruger, Neil did his best to spot all the animals. We saw lions, cheetahs, elephants, white rhinos, giraffes, zebras, buffalos, hyenas, wild dogs and much more. We just missed seeing a leopard. Neil is also an excellent cook!
Cas is a perfect guide. She speaks very clearly. And she made great recommendations during the Garden Route tour.
In conclusion, we strongly recommend Wild Wings.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
See the Big Five!
Everything was well organized, our driver did a good and safe job and he had eagle eyes - we saw all of the Big Five and even more. I really recommend the tour to Masai Mara - it was amazing. And I payed less for this agency than others payed for exactly the same safari. ;-)
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding 4-Day Budget Safari
We were 3 American friends that used Meru Slopes Tours and Safaris on the 4 Days Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongo Crater. We traveled in mid-March 2017.
Finding/Booking the tour: Meru Slope Tours and Safaris is highly recommended by Safari Booking and it has some positive, neutral, and negative reviews. You can’t please everyone, but if something has only 5-Star reviews then there’s a good chance it’s been doctored. I emailed Mr. Geofrey Nasari asking for prices and information and responded within 24 hours to every email. He was very professional and even entertained about 10 random questions and tour changes. He was extremely dedicated and I highly recommend him. You can also contact him on WhatsApp and he will get back with you quickly in English. We paid via bank transfer and the tour company has a bank through the US that will back up the transfer to Tanzania. His price beat his competitors by about $400.
Getting there: The cheapest option is Ethiopian Airlines. This tour included a trip back and forth to the Airport, which would have been about $100 each way without it. The driver (Emanuel) was very accommodating and punctual. He had a sign waiting for us and we rode in a van to the hotel.
Arusha Tourist Inn Hotel: This hotel is owned by the Safari Company and your first/last night are included in your price, saving you more money. It is very basic but clean. The three of us were in one room that had 3 twin beds pressed together. The outlets worked (they are British standard so bring an adaptor if US or European). There is a bathroom connected to the room with a Western toilet and a shower with hot water. Sheets, soap and towels are provided. There is free wifi in the lobby so you can let your loved ones know you arrived and the front desk is manned 24/7. There is a small restaurant that makes breakfast every morning for free (usually eggs, fruit, toast, and coffee) and lunch and dinner are available, but the menu can be limited based on what they have. Remember this is a basic hotel to start and end your trip. There are more luxurious places, but they can be very expensive. For my group looking for a budget safari, there were not many complaints. As the front desk to call a cab for you and they will even negotiate a good price to check out some things in Arusha. Go to Snake Camp and see all the snakes, crocodiles, and lizards that you missed on your Safari. It is also the only snakebite treatment facility in the area and it treats the local population for free. Cool bars in the area that are safe are: Via Via and Snake Camp.
The Safari: Hands down one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have traveled to Africa 5 times now for work and leisure and this will be incredibly hard to top. We had a driver (Innocent, his actual name) and a cook (Godfried) that travel with you. Each place was different, Lake Manyara is like driving through a forest, the Serengeti was plains and desert and Ngorongoro crater. We camped in a tent with twin beds and a connecting shower/bathroom the first night (they even had a bar at the site with musicians and a tumbling show that worked for donations). The second and third nights we were in camping tents with community showers and bathrooms at the site you walked to. Those sites did not have hot water in the showers. We still can’t believe how many animals we saw. There were elephants, hippos, baboons, giraffes, leopards, lions, cheetahs, herds of zebra and wildebeest and even some rhinos. We saw the Big 5 over the whole trip, but not in any one park. Innocent would give basic information, let you take pictures and move on. He had tons of information but didn’t lecture and let you enjoy the animals. He kept us on a good schedule with us only feeling rushed at the very end. He also networks with the other drives over the radio to help each other bring the tourists to where the other animals are located. The camp food was not particularly luxurious but there was plenty of it. We had 6 people in our truck and it was everything from meat and potatoes to spaghetti to fried chicken. A couple days we did packed lunch so we got to eat outside on the hood of the car while seeing giraffes around us in all directions. One thing I did not realize is that you’ll spend about 12 hours total driving to the different national parks. It’s really the only way to get around unless you do very expensive flights between parks. Make sure you tip your driver about $10 per person per day.
Return: Our group divided as they were doing an additional day and we were driven back to the Arusha Tourist Inn.
Overall: This is a budget camping Safari that was well worth the price. If I do a Safari again, I will definitely use this service and I highly recommend it to anyone except those who want to spend the money on hotels instead of camping. This group takes away the hidden costs of the Safaris like your lodging first and last night and travel to and from the airport. Most importantly it is owned and operated by locals. Many of these companies are owned in the US, UK, or Germany so it is nice to support a local group instead of 40% of your overhead going to a company outside the country. There was one hiccup where our guide’s credit card magnetic strip was broken so I had to pay for the park entrance fees and get reimbursed by Geofrey upon our return. Geofrey reimbursed me as soon as we returned, paying me in cash immediately, accepting responsibility, apologizing and giving my group some souvenirs to make it right. This is Africa, things will not go 100% as planned. Seeing the customer service and how hard he works makes me know his business is going to make it. Pick Meru Slope Tours and Safaris for a great price and great customer service.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great tailor-made safari experience
It was a great, effortless organisation by Castro. Utilizing his know-how of the safari experience and region, Castro offered us a very good planned trip, that shaped according to our requests. Also during the tour, team was very flexible in terms of making last minute adjustments and changes.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 8 Day Safari Trip to Tanzania
I just returned from my 8 day Safari trip to Tanzania organized by Makasa and I have nothing but the best to say about them and the trip.
Prior to the trip, all communication was prompt and clear. Selma with Makasa did a great job of tailoring the trip to my desired length and points, providing helpful suggestions and pointers, and answering any questions I had (including many proactively before I even asked).
The trip itself was incredible. We had some minor flight delays, and despite a lack of communication on my part, Makasa was able to handle my situation with ease.
Our driver, Jamal, picked us up from the airport and immediately made us feel at home and informed. He knew about the animals, the culture, and the landscape. He knew how to safely handle the vehicle. He was able to fine tune or itinerary to specifics of what we wanted to see (animals we hadn't seen on previous days, etc.) and duration during the days and so on. Incredibly flexible and knowledgeable and just all around great.
Accommodations were beyond my wildest expectation. We were placed in all TWC properties which were amazing and put as at ease. This trip was supposed to be a vacation, but I had expected it to be a little rugged; our accommodations made us feel as relaxed as if we were staying at a beach in the Caribbean.
I will note that I have never been on a safari or to Tanzania previously, so I lack the ability to compare to other offerings. That said, the homework I did before choosing Makasa seemed to indicate they were competitive on price and at the top of the charts in terms of service, and given how my trip went, I still hold these feelings.
SE
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exciting, magic a guide brimful of knowledge able to answer any qestion.
local knowledge, driver and guide know every inch of Moremi and Okavango by heart. Excellent driver on these roads under special circumstances
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing trip to Botswana !!
We just came back from our 10 day trip to Botswana. Deborah helped us put together the trip. She and her team were on top of every bit of details on this trip and made it go very smoothly. I will highly recommend Born Free Safaris to anyone planning to go to Africa.