US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experiences provided by a company that made us feel like family.
For the honeymoon of our dreams in Tanzania, my wife and I set our expectations incredibly high. I'm so grateful that I can say those expectations were exceeded in droves. A month later, we're still re-living hundreds of unique and special moments from our trip, and we will be for a long time. Without a doubt, choosing Tanzania Choice Safaris (TCS) was the best decision we could have possibly made.
My wife was incredibly lucky that she knew Brenda through a mutual colleague at work, and we sought her out for an initial conversation about our honeymoon. Over a series of Skype calls, we got hours of one-on-one guidance on choosing a customized itinerary that met our preferences perfectly. Brenda carefully provided us with highly detailed proposals for each element of the trip, and after a few rounds of adjustment (we're a bit picky), our itinerary was set: an 8-day climb of Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho Route, seven days of safari through Tarangire, Ngorongoro (including the crater and the Ndutu Plains, and Central Serengeti, and four days in Zanzibar. More important than our itinerary was the realization that TCS was a family company that had made us feel like family, even before we had gotten to Tanzania.
When we arrived, exhausted but excited, at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, we were greeted by Brenda and Festo, our lead guide for Kilimanjaro. Almost immediately, they made us feel welcome and comfortable, and we knew we were in good hands. We took the drive to the Weru Weru River Lodge in Moshi, where we did a quick gear check with Festo and then got some rest. We slept well that night knowing that we were going to spend the next eight days with someone so personable, so knowledgeable, and so thoughtful. The next day, at Lemosho Gate, we got to know our 10 porters, cook, and assistant guide, all of whom were cut from the same cloth as Festo: upbeat, positive, attentive, and supportive. And that service orientation means everything when you're on the mountain. Each day of the hike was beautiful and different, and some days were truly challenging. When your appetite goes, or your head starts hurting, or you start having trouble sleeping (or all of the above), it makes a huge difference when you have people that are genuinely invested in your well-being. That was most apparent during some our toughest days, including a long and slow ascent from Barafu Camp to the summit, when we needed that support the most. I'm convinced that Festo and Augustine (our assistant guide) provided the key ingredients that enabled us to reach the top.
With much anticipation for both rest and wildlife, we transitioned to the safari portion of the trip. Our guide (and driver and navigator and wildlife expert and storyteller) Leslie, met us at the base of the mountain at Mneka Gate. Once again, we knew we were in great hands right from the start. We spent a night at the Weru Weru River Lodge that evening, and found a congratulatory bottle of wine and cold chocolate bars waiting for us in our room. What an awesome surprise from Brenda! The next day, we set out northeast to Tarangire National Park, and the week that followed, we'd make our way through Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu Plains, and finally Serengeti National Park. To go into detail on each of these days wouldn't do them justice. Suffice it to say that each day was a unique and thrilling adventure. Leslie didn't just know each of these parks intimately from memory (no map, no GPS), he could identify the dozens mammals and hundreds of birds we encountered--from the rare bat-eared fox to the European roller--without hesitation. Leslie is also incredibly warm and has a great sense of humor. We spent hours with him during our days and ate nearly every meal with him at our table, and we loved every minute. I should also say that the accommodations selected by TCS were absolutely perfect. We were in bush camps every night, but far from roughing it. In-tent bathrooms and showers and comfortable beds made each night's stay a joy.
During the safari, thanks to Leslie, we saw each of the big five, we witnessed a lion kill a wildebeest, we saw lion cubs nursing, and we saw a handful of predators with fresh kills. And all of it was from a distance of no more than 50 feet, and usually much closer. We took more than 5,000 pictures on our little 25x zoom camera, and the images are breathtaking. The moment we confirmed that Leslie was truly special was during our lunch at Central Serengeti Visitors Center. Upon arrival, he was quickly surrounded by young guides-in-training at the Visitors Center like he was a living legend. We showed those aspiring guides some of the photos we'd taken, including leopard and rhinoceros, and they were blown away. Our drive back to Arusha from Serengeti was a bit bittersweet. We were excited to experience Zanzibar, but sad to leave our new friend. Leslie had taken such incredible care of us, and we had some amazing memories to carry forward.
After reaching the airport in Zanzibar, we were greeted by our guide, Khamis, who gave us a history lesson as we made the 1.5-hour drive to Nungwi. We checked in and said goodbye, and began our three-day "do-nothing" stretch along pristine beaches, at rooftop bars for sunset, and in gourmet restaurants. Our three-night stay at the Flame Tree Cottages was perfect. The hotel was small, close enough to the action but far enough to have some quiet. There was a pool, a beachside bar, and breakfast every morning on the patio of our suite. Though we stayed in touch with Khamis via WhatsApp, we asked for our space and that's what we got. He picked us up right on time on our second-to-last day so we could make the drive to Stone Town for a night in the city. We were lucky to have some friends visiting from Dar Es Salaam, so we spent the day with them and then ventured to the Old Stone Fort for Sauti Za Busara, the annual music festival. We hadn't timed the trip to be there, but the festival was a great bonus, and a perfect way to cap off nearly three weeks in Tanzania. The next day, Khamis met us in the lobby of the charming Seyyida Hotel, and we (reluctantly) made the drive to the airport for the 20 minute flight back to Dar, and from there, back home.
The beauty of this trip is that I can remember so much of it, so vividly. That's probably because we were genuinely happy with everything, from start to finish. That only happens when you have a company, and a group of guides, that is so highly invested in your happiness as TCS. I would strongly recommend them to anyone with even a remote desire to visit Tanzania at any point. You'll be so happy you did!
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
User-friendly!
I was very happy with their service. The booking process was straightforward, with several different lodges and price ranges to compare. The shuttle to and from the airport was seamless and efficient and the lodge was just what we had hoped for. I would absolutely recommend this company.
US
50-65 years of age
Great travel and great attentive service.
I used Genesis of Adventure's tour services when traveling to the remote northern part of Kenya. The company made all of the travel arrangements to visit the western side of Lake Turkana. There are very few tour companies that offer services to this area and I was glad to have found Genesis. Jane was very responsive and answered all of my many questions in great detail. When Jane was not available Jonathan himself stayed in contact with me. Everything was nicely organized from flights to Lodwar to private transport around Lake Turkana and accommodation as well as drive to Lokichogio (even more remote). Jonathan even made some last minute changes to my itinerary as to my request; I appreciated his great flexibility. He was in contact with me on a regular basis throughout the entire trip. I recommend Genesis of Adventure and hope to be back.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good experience all the way - Amboseli, Tsavo West/East, Diani Beach
My wife and I had a wonderful 6 nights private safari organised by Serene East Africa Safaris. We visited Amboseli (AA Lodge), Tsavo West (Kilaguni Lodge), Tsavo East (Ashnil Aruba Lodge) and Diani Beach (Diani Sea Resort, 3 nights). All the accommodation was superb with Kilaguni Lodge outstanding. The Diani Sea Resort all-inclusive package was also outstanding. While at Diani, we went on a day trip to Wasini Island where we saw dolphins and went snorkelling in the coral reef, and also visited the Shimoni slave caves. This was all included in the package, including our flight back from Diani to Nairobi!
Lucy and her team were superb throughout, from the moment of initial contact to our departure. Everything was seamlessly organised with no surprises or disappointments. There was constant communication on WhatsApp or email and questions are answered quickly. We had a superb guide, Kennedy, who was patient and easy going. We were received and dropped at the airport. I liked the all-inclusive nature of the safari, you barely need to spend any more money again.
On the parks themselves, Amboseli was beautiful especially with the imposing Mount Kilimanjaro in the background, with plenty of elephants, loads of different species of birds, some lions, etc. Tsavo East/West are really vast and consequently sparsely populated, although still boasting plenty of elephants, giraffes, zebras. Diani beach was beautiful with a warm sea!
I would definitely recommend Serene East Africa and I would use them again.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Northern Tanzania safari
Our trip was arranged by the manager Elias and our outstanding guide was John. Elias was amazing in setting up a ten day safari that fit our travel schedule and desires and in responding to our flight delays, missed connections and lost luggage (none of which were his fault). Once our lost bag finally arrived, he made sure we got it, even though we were well into our safari and nowhere near the airport. The itinerary he suggested, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater were each unbelievable and every day presented us with a new adventures and surprises. The accommodations - a mixture of hotels, lodges, tented lodges, and tented camps - were all quite comfortable (some bordering on luxurious) while at the same time giving us a sense of staying among the animals we came to see.
John, our guide, gave us the perfect combination of looking out for the needs of a couple of 70 year-olds along with the skills and patience that allowed us to see some amazing things. He would start out early, but not too early, in the morning and had the knack of taking us back to the lodge for a nap or a swim when we began "running out of steam." We saw each of the "big five," some on numerous occasions, as well as dozens of other animals and birds. We had the good fortune of seeing multiple lions, giraffes, herds of elephants, the birth of a wildebeest, and a kill by two cheetahs. This was more than just good luck but also the result of John's sense of when to stop, wait, and see what was about to happen, along with his patience in being willing to wait long enough for it all to unfold. He was a fun and informative companion for each of the 10 days of our safari.
As much as this was a "once in a lifetime" trip for us, we had such a wonderful time we are trying to figure how we can repeat it.
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good company. Efficient. Trustworthy.
We had a great time on safari! Everything was well organised and we were very impressed with big time safaris. From the moment that we paid online without issue, we knew there would be no issues! We were picked up on time at the airport and the communication between the company and ourselves was very good all the way through. I would recommend big time safaris wholeheartedly.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 10 day western Uganda wildlife safari (including chimps and gorillas)
Just returned from an amazing trip, and all I can say is how amazing Bamboo Ecotours was. We chose to do the 10 day Western Uganda wildlife tour as we had 3 weeks total to spend in East Africa, and wanted to do more than just primates in Uganda, since clearly it has so much more to offer. And I am so glad that we did this, it was an amazing experience.
From the time we first inquired about the trip, Edison was nothing amazing and professional! Our tour guide Joseph and driver Herbert did such a great job - any time there was even a small issue they all went out of their way to help correct things (and these were problems that were beyond their control - if you don't own the hotel you can't make the staff care - but you can confront them about the issues and help your clients which they certainly did). Not that any issues impacted our enjoyment, because it was a great trip. All the lodging was mid-range either lodges or permanent tents/bandas - I think we actually liked the tents/bandas best - stayed cooler and felt closer to nature. Honestly liked all the places we stayed quite a bit. Also have to commend the transportation - 4 wheel drive mini bus type of thing (with pop up roof). The roads in Uganda (especially in the areas in/around/between the parks) are mostly dirt and many were actively under construction - and the vehicle never had any issues and had lots of room for us. Most companies seem to just have a single driver/guide - I really liked that for this type of longer tour we had a driver and a guide. The driving was very difficult and it was nice that we could ask questions without disturbing our driver, but they also worked as a great team. Really liked that setup.
Some specifics about places we went to:
-Ziwa Rhino sanctuary was amazing, was able to get so close on foot with a ranger (and unfortunately didn't see any other rhinos during our total 3 week trip so this was great to have included)
-Murchison Falls national park was absolutely gorgeous and had so much more wildlife than I could have imagined - the boat tour on the Nile was fantastic and relaxing, and lead to a hike to the top of the falls - also amazing
-Kazinga channel (essentially adjacent to QENP) was great. It was the end of the dry season and very hot, so pretty much all the animals were at the water's edge. We did a boat trip here as well - but small boat with only 2 other people plus guide and driver so we were able to get very close (which was different than the big double decker boat on the Nile)
-Kibale for the chimps and Bwindi for the gorillas were just amazing, once in a lifetime kind of experiences. In both cases the animals ended up just a few feet away and we got such good pictures
-Before the chimp trek at Kibale we did a swamp walk in Bigodi swamp including a community walk and stop at someone's home to see how banana beer and gin were made - optional activity but highly, highly recommended
-Last stop was Lake Mutanda - wish we had more time here, was gorgeous! Did more cultural activities here - visited with the Batwa people and then went to a coffee plantation (small, family owned) - which was so incredible. Had options of activities for this day - I think we chose well and I really like that these were community activities where money we paid went directly to individuals in the community and not to some other company.
Overall I really just can't say enough good things about Bamboo Ecotours. They will of course do a great job if you just have a few days and want to see primates - but I really would recommend seeing more of the country with them. We spent a week in Tanzania after this and it was different - so I don't feel at all like we duplicated things. Thanks to Edison, Joseph and Herbert for making this incredible experience possible!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Weekendtrip in Murchison Falls
We went on a safari with Ronald to Murchison Falls for one weekend. Before the trip Ronald was great at keeping contact and answering questions. We were seven girls and we couldn’t be happier with our trip. Ronald did everything he could to make us satisfied. He kept in contact with other guides so that we were able to see as much as possible including, the big five. Ronald is a very kind and funny guide and through the weekend we developed a friendship. You can certainly say that he was the perfect guide. We highly recommend him to everyone thats planning a safari in East Africa. Love from Norway.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Worst travel experience of my life due to Martha
I do not recommend orongai safaris. We booked for a 5-day safari un Tanzania during calving season. We asked to different agencies for prices and orongai offered us the best price for the trip we desired. We closed the final budget in January and we paid for the 30%. One week before the trip they changed the budget and added another 650$ pp. We tried to explain to Martha (that managing director of orongai) they couldn't do that. It was imposible to communicate by mail or phone with her, her messages were inconclusive, full of missenses. We told her we wouldn't pay the extra amount and she just responded: "see you on Saturday please". So we did the biggest miskate, we flew to Tanzania. Once there she insisted on the extra 650$ pp. Arguing with her is totally imposible. The Spanish ambassy put as in contact with Angel (from Itaka safari which I deeply thank) who came to try to help us. The night finished in the tourist police with Martha and angel. We finally had to pay 200$ pp extra and changed from a luxury safari to a midrage. Orongai sent us to tented camps were, some nights, not even the showers worked or we couldn't charge our cameras over night. Even if the safari itself was spectacular, Martha put us through one of the worst days of my life. By the way, Fred was a very nice guide while Asseri wasn't. He never put the Jeep in a good place for pictures, had a poor communication with us and barely told us any interesting things about the place or animals. Please stay away from Orongai, there are plenty of tour operators working much better!
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A disappointing experience
This is in response to the reply from Orongai to a review made by Jose Luis Garcia, in relation to our recent (and disappointing) safari to northern Tanzania under this company.
To accuse unsatisfied clients (who, even dissatisfied, paid for the service and left a substantial tip) of being racist is a vile deed and shows a surprising awkwardness. Orongai does not seem to have heard about Quality Management procedures, a set of work guidelines that are mandatory in the operation of any company providing services or selling products (in Africa, Europe or wherever...), and whose ultimate goal is the achievement of customer satisfaction. I would appreciate to know what is the quality policy of this company, in case it has something slightly similar...
When in a respectable business a complaint is received from a client, the first thing that has to be done is an investigation of the claim´s cause. Then, an internal process is initiated in which corrective and preventive measures are implemented, and finally a convincing explanation (together with a compensation if necessary) is offered to the customer. What is never done is to accuse the client of falsehood or discrimination in his dealings with the company. And this is exactly what Orongai has done with us. Orongai must be able to recognize that, at least, in the agreement he signed with us there was a lack of transparency and an extremely poor information management.
It is not worth commenting on the words that Orongai claims to have heard from some members of our group. They are as false as saying that the ITAKA SAFARIS manager proclaimed himself Ambassador of Spain (amazing observation !!)... It is convenient that the members of Orongai dedicate some time to improve their Spanish skills (and maybe also their English ones...).
Orongai demonstrates an immense arrogance in his dealings with clients, and this is something that can easily be deduced from previous claims to this company which still circulate on internet. The difference is that, while other customers ended up accepting Orongai's last-minute impositions (however unjustified they may be), we demanded an explanation and requested the mediation of an external agent (ITAKA´s manager), simply with the legitimate goal of clarifying the situation. And this point, which is an inalienable right of anyone who pays for a product or service, seemed to infinitely offend Orongai. If I am white and you are black, and I intend to exercise my legitimate rights, does it follows that I am a racist? Orongai should seriously think about it...
Finally, Orongai´s proposal of offering a 15% discount to new clients as a sign of generosity and professionalism, it is nothing more than an outdated and clumsy way of terminating a dispute, and it presupposes the tacit acknowledgment that a customer who placed his trust in Orongai has been unfairly treated.
Other Tanzanian safari operators, as well as national organizations of tour operators and agencies dedicated to tourism and the dissemination of the extraordinary natural values of Tanzania, should take good note of the behavior of Orongai.