US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari
My family and I had a great experience with Wild Root Safaris. Matthew was excellent with planning and answering my hundreds of questions. Our driver, Raymond, was also great. He knew a ton of information about the animals, parks, Masai culture, and so much more. Working with a knowledgeable guide/driver really took our trip to the next level. A few negatives of the trip: we were supposed to go by the Olduvai Gorge (I had asked for it to be added to our itinerary), but our driver was unaware of this because he did not have a copy of our itinerary. Matthew refunded the money that was supposed to be used to enter the museum. We also spent our last night in tent accommodations. This was not what I expected based on the website I was given for review. I specifically said no camping and that we want running water and electricity, but this place had none of that. I wish the company would have suggested other places and told us that picking them would increase the price by $X. We would have gladly paid the extra money for a lodge and not a tent. We're laughing about it now, but it was pretty miserable while we were there. I would definitely recommend Wild Root Safaris!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Idube Game Reserve by Gary and Lisa Brynjegard
Saw much more than promised. Staff was great, food delicious, rooms very comfortable.
Must visit in South Africa
I had a fantastic time during my trip to the Kruger and would fully recommend the park to anyone. Definitely a must do when you're in South Africa.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Tarangire National Park by StoufferLSU
I love Tarangire. Except for the tsetse flies, that is.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Serengeti National Park by StoufferLSU
Wow- it really is fantastic. I only knocked the birding because, like Ngorongoro, it takes a lot of effort to go birding here if you really want to rack up the species. But there are fantastic birds like bustards, Secretarybirds, zillions of eagles and storks, etc.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Saadani National Park by StoufferLSU
Not so many large mammals here. The scenery and Indian Ocean are ok but not great. Probably the only reason to go is for convenience from Dar.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by StoufferLSU
I wasn't that keen on the crater at first- it seems almost like a zoo. But it is spectacularly beautiful and loaded with great mammals. Birding could be great if you had the money and time to really go after it, but that's not possible for most visitors.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Mkomazi National Park by StoufferLSU
This is another park that's great but not where you want to start. There are some really special mammals here, but not tons of them. Birding is really good in the Northern Hemisphere winter, less so when the migrants are gone. Almost no tourists go here, so the staff are particularly friendly and the camping area is really comfortable. I don't think there are any active lodges nearby, but we only camped, so I'm not sure.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by StoufferLSU
Spend more time at Tarangire or Ngorongoro instead.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Diverse habitats but not the fantastic spectacle of some of the other Tanzanian parks
Arusha is a great place if you already have experience at the major parts. On the positive side, it isn't crowded with tourists. It has diverse habitats from forests to lakes to savannah to mountains. There are quite a few large mammals, but no predators or elephants. The flamingos around Momella lakes will blow your mind (and are so much closer and easier to enjoy than at Lake Natron, the other famous flamingo destination). It has a lot to offer for serious birders, but doesn't have too many of the spectacular birds that interest casual birders. We only went there self-guided, so I can't comment on going with a guide. There are a couple of great lodges just outside the park, Hatari by the north entrance, and another I can't remember by the south entrance. The park is small enough that you can see most of it in two days (excluding hiking in the forest, which I can't comment about; supposedly climbing Meru is fantastic, and a much different experience than the crowded slog up Kili). The small size makes it manageable, but is probably also the biggest negative and why I said it is good to visit after a major park- Arusha just doesn't have the vast open spaces and throngs of animals of Tarangire, Ngorongoro, or Serengeti.
