IL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
coppy of the mail i sent to It started in Africa
Hi It started in Africa team
thank you and Erasto for a great safari
we are very happy and recommend you for a safari in Africa
I think we were upgraded to Lake Manyara Wildlife Hotel
both hotels were beautiful and made our overall experience just perfect
thank you Eraso for your patience with us and making everything for us for our perfect safari
hope to see you again in another beautiful safari
Yariv Itamar and Ayelet Katz from Israel
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing country with welcoming happy people!
Unsure what to expect but no need to have worried! Extremely safe and welcoming country from the moment we arrived at Kilamanjaro airport where even the visa people were friendly and chatty! Hotel in Arusha of African Safari lodge was another great find, very welcoming staff, lovely room and fabulous food even though it was a small hotel they went above and beyond to make sure we had a good stay! We had booked a Safari with Landsman Experience company which was both slick and professional at all times. We visited Tarangire which was a fantastic day out from Arusha itself. Beautiful scenery, greener than the Serengeti and lots of wildlife to get up close and photograph highly recommended! A light aircraft journey into Serengeti organised by Gerald our travel guide was yet another highlight to see this beautiful area by air! Onto Safari which was amazing loved every minute and had a wonderful stay at the very clean Serena lodges with again great food and lovely welcome. We did a hot air balloon safari booked with Shine balloons which was was an amazing trip with a fantastic pilot called Paddy who made us feel special and safe at all times, finishing with a champagne breakfast and celebratory dance and cake to celebrate our anniversary and a little girls birthday on our trip. All organised with out our knowledge showing the generosity of the people there who really want their customers to have the best time! We also visited Ngorongoro which has spectacular scenery and well worth a visit too!! To finish our trip we flew to Zanzibar and stayed a night in Stone Town! We had an airport pickup organised by the hotel Maru Maru which was so good as he gave us a brief but interesting commentary on the landmarks we passed! Hotel was again excellent and central and we enjoyed time wondering around the streets on our own, everyone was friendly and yes they want you to go in their shop but did allow you to look around without high pressure to buy! We finished off at Nungwi beach it has a stunning beach and interesting village to wander round. We would like to have seen more of this beautiful island and hopefully will be back! In summary don't hesitate to visit you wont be disappointed!
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ngorongoro Day tour
Had an amazing time with my family in the Crater. I had a free day in Arusha between two conferences and went on a safari with ISIA. Mr. Baraja greeted me in this office and we had amarulla together before the tour :) The safari was top notch and we managed to see most of the animals except for the leopards. I will come again with more time for sure.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing nature, service, and people. Everything we could've hoped for!
Had an amazing 10-night safari through Lake Natron, Serengeti NP, Ngorogoro Crater, Lake Eyasi cultural tours, and Tarangire NP.
Lake Natron is a bit out-of-the-way and off-the-beaten-path, and is known for its flamingos, shallow water lake, and beautiful sunrises with Mountain Ol Doinyo Lengai in the background. We saw many Maasai people herding sheep and cattle on the drive. Amazing scenery, but expect a 4+ hour drive.
Serengeti lived up to its reputation and more in our time there. We saw 4 of the big 5 (missing only the Black Rhino) in just our first two days - truly amazing. The luxury tented camps are much more "luxury" than "tents" - complete with stand-up showers, hot water, electricity, and importantly no insects or rodents as they're fully enclosed. We never had a bad meal and enjoyed every moment of our game drives.
Ngorogoro Crater is perhaps the most densely populated setting of incredible wild animals I could ever think of. Driving into the Crater when it opened, we were met by two large male lions within 30 seconds, walking right by our car so close I could've touched one. We then saw another pride of ~10 lion cubs playing in the plains with 5 more females sleeping nearby. Shortly thereafter, we completed seeing the big 5 as we saw two black rhinos in the distance, having just taken a mud bath in the crater's lake. Finally, as we were getting hungry and going to the breakfast spot, we were practically escorted for 2 full minutes by a family of elephants. A truly incredible place.
Lake Eyasi was cool - we met the Datoga and Hadzabe tribes (I'm surely misspelling them lol). They are both nomadic people and speak 0 English and very little Swahili, so you need a local guide to translate for you + know where they are at any given time. If desired, you may be able to go hunting in the morning with the Hadzabe tribe using a bow & arrow; we elected not to do this, but it may appeal to some.
Tarangire is known for elephants, but was admittedly a bit underwhelming after going to the Serengeti just because it has a much lower concentration of the Big 5. It is a great place to start your tour but not the best to end it. However, we had great accommodations, and at one point we were literally surrounded by elephants crossing the street around our Land Cruiser (not an exaggeration).
Overall, an amazing place. I will surely be back to the Serengeti + to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Will continue to recommend The Luxury Safari Company
I recently returned from a second trip organised by this great company, this time to the incredible coastline of Kenya, staying in beautiful locations and accommodation. As with my first trip, The Luxury Safari Company was very efficient and helpful with all aspects of the trip and I really hope to be able to do another trip before long.
MX
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
good service and value for money
Very good service and value for money Is also good.. I will look forward for next safari
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful!
I’ve wanted to go on a safari since I knew what they were. I went on a 5 day trip with Bongan Safaris and loved it! I saw the Big 5 and many more. I also took a day trip to see Blyde Canyon, among other wonderful sites. Everyone I encountered in South Africa, from airport and hotel personnel to safari and game reserve employees, were so kind and helpful. This was one of my all time favorite vacations. I’d love to go back.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent tour company - highly recommended!
I have used African path finder safaris twice - in 2007 and 2011 - and would highly recommend the company. Patrick, the owner, is so friendly and helpful and really goes out of his way to accommodate you on your trip and make your visit to Kenya special and make your visit hassle free. I wull definitely use the company on my future visits!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience. Each day was a surprise.
Tanzania was a wonderful surprise. We visited Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the Kilimanjaro waterfalls. Each place was amazing. My husband and I went in June, and the temperature in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro can be cool early in the morning and at night. It is advisable to bring some warm clothing to avoid getting cold. If you are going to visit the Kilimanjaro or Materuni Waterfalls, I highly recommend wearing shoes suitable for walking on dirt and mud. We went after a rainy day, and it was a bit difficult to walk.
If you want to buy handicrafts, remember to negotiate the price. It is better to buy handicrafts in Arusha rather than at the roadside markets between parks. If you have time, visit the Masai Market Center.
The people are very friendly and warm.
We traveled with the agency Ngekewa Safaris, and our guide Goodlove was excellent; he took great care of us the entire time.
