BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A priceless and unforgettable adventure!!!
We are very happy with our safari with multiways. Romeo is very kind and helpful. Everything went exactly as expected. We did a 6 day camping safari and went to Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorogoro. It was definitely the best price compared with other companies. The camping safari is not luxury at all but it has its charms. For example when we woke up an elephant was next to our tent. Our guide Patrick knew so much about wildlife. He was very enthusiast in letting us see everything. We took everything out of the six days. We left around 7 in the morning and we stopped with the game drive around 6 in the evening. We saw the big 5 and even more spectacular 2 lions on their honeymoon!! Our chef Pasko was very good! The food was every time a surprise and always very tasteful. I would definitely recommend multiways. If you want a safari where you will see a lot of animals and have good meals but don't mind living without luxury this is the best choice for the best price! Thank you Romeo, Patrick and Pasko for the wonderful adventure!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tarangire National Park by echinsf97
Our first visit was to Tarangire. We were really impressed by the park, as our first safari experience. By comparison, I feel the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater are a step up. Nonetheless, Taragire was still an amazing place to visit. Lots of zebras and elephants. Out of the three we visited, it seemed to me that there were more various types of birds as compared to the Serentgeti and Ngorongoro.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful scenery
The scenery and wildlife in the Crater was truly breathtaking. As a hobbyist photographer, the early morning clouds with the sunrise creates a really unique photo ops for you landscape photographers. Wildebeasts are abundant in the park, but watching them on the move or stampeding is really a site to behold. We almost checked off all of the Big 5 except the Rhino. This seemed to be the most elusive to track down in the park, so was a bit disappointed - but that does not take away from the overall experience visiting Ngorongoro. I would highly recommend this park to anyone planning a safari.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tarangire National Park by Rich Vliet
Tarangire National Park was our first stop in Tanzania (after stopping in Arusha for a meal). It had a wide variety of wildlife, from very large numbers of elephants to lions, giraffes, zebras and a wide variety of birds. It was a very nice park for game drives, and I would highly recommend including it in a safari tour if time allows.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Serengeti National Park by Rich Vliet
I'm not sure what needs to be said about the Serengeti - it is just an incredible part of our planet! The vastness of the Serengeti plains is just something that must be seen to appreciate. Pictures and videos don't do it justice. We saw some fantastic things - from a lioness coming out of water and stalking a herd of Zebra, to a female cougar and 3 cubs eating the remains of an Impala that had been killed just a few moments before we arrived. While we weren't able to see a lot of the migration (we arrived as the larger herds were already a bit too far north to see), we did see a lot of wildebeest and zebra migrating, and overall were very happy with the wildlife we were able to see. The amount of lions we saw far exceeded our expectations - we probably saw 5 or 6 mating couples, and several prides.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our trip to the Ngorongoro Crater was fantastic!
Our trip to and stay at the Ngorongoro Crater was a very good part of our overall safari experience. This was our second stay at a high altitude lodge on our trip, so we were prepared for the temperature differential between the base of the crater and the rim. The varying terrain at the crater was fascinating, and there was a larger variety of wildlife than we originally anticipated. The accommodations we had were great - we stayed at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge and I would highly recommend it. Our room looked out on the crater from the top of the rim, and we even had a few Waterbuck grazing right outside of our room early in the evening! Our guide was part of Grumeti Expeditions, and was very knowledgeable about the crater and the general area.
Overall, I would highly recommend including the Ngorongoro Crater as part of an overall safari package.
beautiful ,comprehensive,exciting,the best park i have been too in africa
our tour was a private tour with a family of 4.we spent 7 days in tents,with all mod cons.
animals were prolific.the big cats were on show,and elephants were everywhere.we could not have wished for more
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tanzania by echinsf97
I don't have any other safari experiences to compare as this was my first visit to Tanzania. But with so many wildlife parks in the country, I would definitely recommend Tanzania as a safari destination. The guides and local people are friendly and helpful.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tanzania by Rich Vliet
I would highly recommend Tanzania as a safari destination. We traveled through both Kenya and Tanzania on our safari, and both countries had amazing things to experience and see during our trip.
Our overall experience in Tanzania was incredible. We stayed in 3 different lodges (all part of the Sopa chain). The accommodations at all 3 locations were excellent. Our transportation was great - we used Grumeti Expeditions in Tanzania, and our driver was excellent, and had extensive knowledge of the country, parks, and wildlife. We never had a question not answered to our satisfaction.
The wildlife was incredible - we saw so much more than just the "Big 5" (Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Lion, Leopard), and the variety of terrain (from the vastness of the Serengeti plains to the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater) made it even more amazing. We were very pleasantly surprised at the overall variety of birds that we saw, and the beautiful colors in them.
About the only negative (and this is not major in any way) was that toward the end of our trip, the food was beginning to get a bit predictable and boring - the types of lodges and camps we stayed in pretty much served similar meals, and it was hard to find much variety. But overall the food was very good, so that is just a very minor complaint in what proved to be probably the best trip I have ever been on.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jamal Njarita - Best. Guide. Ever!
We settled on East African Safari & Touring Company because our friends used them three years ago, and it was a great mix of locations and property styles. Simon King was our contact we communicated with throughout the process. He was accessible and very knowledgeable with our many queries. If he does not respond, email again. Sometimes there are communication disruptions and delays.
We got immunizations in the U.S.
We secured our visas upon arrival in Tanzania, and it was kind of a cluster. Everyone who just got off the plane and has to go through this line. I admit I was exhausted. You must pay in cash (As of 07/2015 it was $100 USD - Bring new currency, fresh crisp bills).
We traveled U.S.---> Turkey ----> Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
When we landed after flying for 22 hours we had to take two more in-country flights. We had a layover for many hours (3 am local time, flight not departing until 7 am local time) and we were exhausted. We had to wait outside on metal benches because the domestic portion of the airport doesn't allow you in until two hours before your flight. None of the shops are open. If we knew we were going to wait an additional 5 hours on a metal bench at the Dar Es Salaam airport, before getting on two more flights, and then being in a car for 30 minutes I think we would have opted to stay in Dar Es Salaam for the day and just fly to Mwanza the next day.
Nights were cool in July and required sweaters, jackets, long pants. Mountains were cool, other places were HOT, but a nice mix. Also good to have scarfs to cover up against dusty roads, eye drops, hats, and sunscreen.
Definitely need flashlights, good binoculars and I rented a fabulous camera. We brought one great travel guide book about Tanzania and E-readers with many books on them. Books are expensive there. Bring your own. The guide also had some books, but we like to have our own. Good shoes for walking and also light shoes for heat. We brought a First Aid kit. Bring snacks that travel easily, I brought a box of KIND bars, my friend had Cliff Bars. A clothesline and pins are helpful if you need to rinse anything. Usually, everything dries fast.
We stayed in tents in the Serengeti, and private lodges in other bush areas. At times, we were the only tourists at a location. Simon also mixed that up with some comfortable lodges with many (loud) tourists. It was a good balance but if something is "not your thing", you should specify and pay for higher end locations. If you are roughing it, bring extra batteries particularly for cameras. Many places will not have access for Internet or Phone. I use T-Mobile in the US and was able to pop out my sim card and buy a local one. My phone bill was not affected.
We toured for 10 days with Jamal Njarita. He worked so incredibly hard. What makes a good guide? First comes safety, especially on walking safaris, which requires a cool head, a respect for dangerous game and a thorough knowledge of animal behavior. A good guide can read situations, react in an instant and avoid putting his clients in harm’s way. As two women traveling, this was key. He has a great sense of humor, and could be serious when explaining things like how Maasai live in a 'Boma'. Like all true professionals he appears relaxed, yet all his senses remain on high alert, suddenly breaking off a conversation to point out a bird in a tree or the flick of an ear in the long grass. We were alone in our 10 year old Toyota Landcruiser with Jamal. He was very good and accompanied us most everywhere. Guides work on commission only, so be prepared to tip well.
There is a LOT of driving roads, and imaginary roads are rough and can be surprisingly exhausting.
I loved the Serengeti Horizon tents. I would say it's more "glamping" or glamorous camping than camping. The guys who work there are truly amazing, welcoming, and made this a great start of our journey.
I was petrified during the night drive! While we were at Boundary Lodge (when it's dark outside we had escorts) I was not prepared for a man they call "Commander" who carried a bow and arrow. Additionally he shone the spotlight during the night game drive. I didn't catch the other young man's name but he had a spear to protect us from animals. I felt safe but it was unexpected to say the least.
Large lodges had safes. Theft was not an issue.
My friend is a vegetarian (who eats fish) and they prepared special food for us. Lots of food, not fancy, but tasty and 3 meals a day day, which is much more than our normal diet. Soups were great. The large lodges had incredible food.
My advise is as follows: Be flexible. Be clear about what you want so they can manage your expectations. Ask for a exceptional guide like Jamal. (If you are a woman remember you are traveling in a predominantly Muslim country--everyone did not treat us like Jamal).
Things that were less than perfect, is when accommodations were made at a place with a different name/location then what was printed on the itinerary. It was just confusing and it happened twice. (On the itinerary it says "Hilton Hotel or similar" which is not cool when you see a man is holding a sign with your name driving you to a location with a different hotel than you think you are traveling to. If it can be firmed up in advance it's helpful).
This is not Disney animals on demand. There were days we drove around for hours and saw nothing, and then there was the day we saw a Cheetah, Leopard, Zebra, Elephant and Rhinoceros. Believe your guide wants you to see these animals as much as you do. He is working and listening to radio chatter in Swahili trying to link up with colleagues for the best spots. Also, give him a break, you don't have to leave at dawn and come back to home base at dusk. If you're on vacation, be on vacation, trust me the animals will be there.
Finally, my favorite moment was riding bikes for three hours with a man named Sandy to get a close up of Lake Manyara. We saw literally thousands of flamingos and got to sit in a local fisherman's canoe. The landscape was breathtaking. We did this bike tour on Jamal's recommendation and it was incredible!
We traveled to Zanzibar to relax. If I had to do it again we would have stayed at the Z Hotel in Nungwi. Much more our speed, more people, and an exceptionally good Bloody Mary! We managed to go snorkeling using One Ocean Dive spent a day touring Stone Town enjoying lunch at Jafferji House & Spa.
Hopefully I can come back in 5 years or so.
Like anything, people make the experience and our guide Jamal made it wonderful, and it went by too fast!