US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tarangire National Park by gordopuggy
Tarangire was the best park we visited. The landscape was densely varied, offering a great variety of habitats in a relatively small setting, with every kind of animal we could dream of (except cheetahs, but it was late May, when they are harder to find.) Highly recommended.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Long Views and Unique Landscape
What makes the Ngorongoro caldera (technically it's not really a crater) stand out most from other safari parks in Tanzania that we visited (Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti) is the landscape. Because the park is mostly inside a gigantic collapsed volcano with sides over 1,000 feet high, it's different than other parks that simply "begin" somewhere with a set of gates. Climbing into the caldera, you go climb up through a cloud forest with very limited visibility (at least in late May, when we went.) Rising up over the rim, the clouds suddenly give way to sweeping views across the caldera, which is breath-taking. You can't help but try to picture what the explosion 1.5 million years ago must have been like, throwing chunks of granite the size of office buildings as far away as Kenya. Once on the caldera floor, there are only trees around the edges, so your views are flat and clear for miles, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Animals are all visible from far away, but so are the other trucks. rarely did it feel crowded (again, late May is very early in the season, and we were told that in high season it would be much, much worse). At that time of year, we saw only a few lions and at a great distance. Tarangire and the Serengeti had many more lions, often in the more abundant trees that are missing from Ngorongoro, so the caldera wasn't the place for big cats. Your best photo opportunities in the caldera will be for wide landscapes, or for very long animal shots, if you have the lens for it (600mm would've been nice). Zebras and wildebeests are often right alongside the road, but the few rhinos or lions you might find will often be a half mile away or more. All caldera roads were dirt, there were no private vehicles leaving the roads, and there is a very nice, albeit popular, scenic lunch spot by a hippo lake, with rest rooms. The caldera is probably a must-see place, but only in combination with another park that has denser trees and more big cats, like Tarangire.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tanzania by gordopuggy
Tanzania, and the safari operators we used or came across, were all very carefully involved in protecting their natural resources. Those controls and rules are necessary to protect what they have, which is stunning. We heard stories of wealthy tourists sometimes trying to pay drivers to break those rules - drive off road closer to the animals, or let guests out on foot to get closer, for example - but we saw none of it being allowed.
Dependable friendly service
An amazing experience with wonderful and friendly service. Can't wait to return!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our outstanding safari guide provided an incredible experience.
Safari Multiwayz made booking, and going on safari super easy. We found Multiwayz almost by accident after inquiring on tours with some of the larger companies, but we are so glad we chose Multiwayz, the price was more affordable than many of the other quotes, and I think we ended up with a more intimate experience as a result. We were a party of 2, and so we ended up with a private guide, for 4 days and some of the most memorable experiences of our lives.
Tailoring the safari to our liking was very straight forward. Program director Romeo replied to email very promptly and we were able to pay with a credit card online. Our booking included transport to and from the airport, accommodation with breakfast and dinner, and a box lunch on the go. We chose to stop at a Masai village and paid that extra expense out of pocket. (bring USD cash!!)
Our guide Amos met us at the airport and transported us to our overnight hotel in the nearby town of Arusha. The next morning we began our safari, that started with a day in Tarangire, 2 days on the Serengeti and finally the Ngorogoro crater.
The safari accommodation was superb. Our favourite was by far the Serengeti Tortilis Tented camp, a literal camp in the middle of the Serengeti - you can hear the lions in the middle of the night!
Every location had large, comfortable beds, running water, and some even had wifi. The food was generally not fussy, though not strong on local flavours (sticking closely to blander hotel palettes) and we were provided with a box lunch every day. We are in our 30s and live in Los Angeles so we are not afraid of trying new things, but all the hotels feed all the guests the same meal at the same time so they hedge their bets toward offending no one. This was fine for us. Everything was fresh and hot and offered a full breakfast too.
Our guide knew EVERYTHING. He answered every question abut the landscape, wildlife, culture, politics and media. He was friendly, knowledgeable and very capable driver. He has incredible spotting abilities and has a pair of binoculars (bring some of your own if you're a larger group!) The job must be exhausting as most of the roads are not paved, and in some parts the cloud cover and fog made it impossible to see more than 2 feet ahead. Despite this he met us every morning with a smile and seemed to know exactly what we wanted to see and do.
If you are thinking about a safari and want a very authentic, private, but not "protected" experience (do you really need to be met on an airstrip with champagne?) please try Multiwayz. We are so glad we did.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great vacation
Three craters in three days-- and each has something different to offer. It was a great way to relax after working in the city for a while, very quiet, peaceful, relaxing-- while also being an invigorating environment to explore.
First day's crater is large, open savannah, where Maasai live and graze cattle. Second day's has a large wooded area to walk down to a huge, lake where flamingoes migrate through during parts of the year. And the third day is the large area for a safari drive to see a huge number of animals in their habitat.
In between, the camping was nice-- the guides/hosts were pleasant, meeting some Maasai from around was interesting, and the food was really excellent (even got a chance to try my hand at making ugali). It was a large-style vacation in just a few days. Highly recommended.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The best company to travel to Botswana with!
I first traveled to Botswana with Letaka Safaris in 2009 and was immediately hooked. This July/August will mark my fifth trip with them. These trips with Letaka are the gold standard that I measure all other vacations against and I'll keep coming back as none truly compare. If you are going to Africa to see the wildlife, you cannot do better than Botswana and if you are going to Botswana to see the wildlife, you cannot do better than Letaka Safaris.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Safari Honest Great People!!!
I love Alfred! He is a super nice and really kind amazing guy. I went on two safaris with Benicia and Alfred's personal help and they were both some of the best experiences of my life. Alfred listened to what I wanted and got me such a great deal in several of the most amazing safari resorts of all time. I think I basically saw every animal I could imagine and the second time I went looking for birds he recommended the best site at crater lake lodge, lake naivasha, and lake nukuru. Totally recommend going with Alfred and Benicia if your in Nairobi- he's not shady or swindely, he's sweet and easy to communicate with, and he's an all around honest dude. Hope to come back soon.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy Operator - Great Safari
Though many safari operators offer similar packages in terms of it itineraries, the intangibles really make a difference. If you have a good driver / guide, you'll have a good safari. It helps, of course, to have a fair price, good accommodations and food, and great organization. I'm please to say that my safari with Right Choice exceeded expectations on all counts. If you need a tour operator you can trust to give you a great experience at a fair price, I highly suggest Right Choice.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommended!
It was great to do a safari with Arch Treks and Safaris. It was all good organized. All friendly people and most helpfull.