US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Safari Company Like No Other
When you travel, it’s the personal relationships that provide the memories you will cherish. Allen Mnyenye is not just a safari guide/tour operator. He is a person who cares deeply about the animals and the environment and also about making each trip a lifetime experience for every visitor. After two weeks on safari I believe I could also call him a friend.
We recently returned from our first trip to Africa, a 13-day wildlife and cultural tourism safari with Allen Tanzania Safaris. We were a group of 10 Americans with varied backgrounds and levels of travel experience.
Here’s what made our trip special:
- Allen has been a safari guide for over 25 years - he knows the animals, their habits and habitats, the way they interact. He has an extensive knowledge of birds, snakes, butterflies, geology, geography, and Tanzanian and African history and culture. No question from our curious group phased him, whether it was about animal behavior, house construction, bone fossils or water reclamation methods.
-Because we were in two cars, we had a separate guide for each car. No-one felt they got "second best" - each group was quite passionately attached to their guide after a couple of days and refused to switch vehicles!
-Both Allen and Amani seemed to have an almost telepathic sense about the animal behavior: where they were to be found, why they were there, and even what they were about to do. They also really know the parks and the surrounding areas, and found lesser traveled paths that let us get closer to animals we spied from afar.
-Allen knows and loves the wildlife and the people of East Africa, and his enthusiasm is contagious. Every animal sighting is a delight to him, from the most mundane Superb Starling to a rare White Headed Vulture or a leopard. We always felt that we were participating together in an adventure of discovery.
-Allen speaks fluent English. He could match any American in his vocabulary of animal biology or geology, for example. Some of his other guides speak other languages such as French. He has also made several extended visits to the U.S., which often helps with cultural references. (He pointed to a tiny hardware storefront and said “That’s my Home Depot!”)
-When appropriate, we had access to local guides (especially for cultural tourism) but Allen was often the go-between, knowing what questions to ask and what would interest us.
-In the central Serengeti there was a higher concentration of animals. There we also saw big concentrations of safari vehicles - one time we saw 20 vehicles crowded around the same tree. Allen would avoid this whenever possible - he knew how to find the crowd-pleasing big cats without hearing it on the radio. For most of the tour we seldom encountered another safari vehicle - we felt like we were in our own little world.
-Allen would sometimes add on little excursions, like an optional, early-morning walk to the flamingo-filled lake with a Maasai guide. When we chatted to other safari-goers we found out this is not something to take for granted.
-The safari itineraries are very carefully planned to maximize the experience. Our first couple of days offered easy-going cultural activities, giving us time to get over our jet lag. When we started on our animal-viewing safari, every day and every location was unique. The lodgings also were amazing, each one with some gem-like aspect, whether it looked out over a lake full of flamingoes, an outdoor shower with a view of the Serengeti, or just rustic beauty and clear stars.
-The cultural tourism was at least as cool as the animal viewing and I would highly recommend it. We danced with Maasai villagers, ground our own coffee, watched blacksmiths melt copper in a bush-forge, and hunted with Hadzabe bushmen. The people we met were genuinely happy to share their lives and experience with us.
-Allen understands about the needs of photographers - he would always orient the truck in such a way that we could get a good look - whether through binoculars or through the lens. He was aware of the direction of the light.
-Power, Charging, and Wifi: There were high-speed chargers in the vehicles, so our cameras and phones could stay charged. Most of the llodging has wifi and all amenities. The only exception is the mobile tented camps (which are an optional accommodation type). We loved staying in these slightly more rustic camps for a couple of nights, but they have only solar power, no wifi and the hot water is a bit more limited. For those nights our CPAP users found batteries to use, and we were that much more appreciative of the unlimited hot water in the next lodge.
-All our concerns about food and water were completely unnecessary. Bottled or sterilized water was available at all times. The food was fantastic - even in the mobile tented camps we ate delicious meals, and always had access to plenty of vegetables including salads and fruit that were cleaned with safe water. Vegans and vegetarians in our group felt completely satisfied.
-One of our group had to seek the advice of a doctor during the trip, and Allen brought her to an English-speaking, American-born physician where she was seen promptly and highly competently.
-Allen and his crew are extremely good-humored and easygoing. We asked a lot of dumb questions, I'm sure! We also never sensed that it was an obligation or a chore for to join us at dinner (which they did, nearly every night) and the feeling was mutual - we truly enjoyed their company.
-They also worked their asses off. Every evening as we lounged by the fire with a cocktail, the crew cleaned the trucks, and when possible had them checked by a mechanic, before they got to rest. On several mornings we were off at 6 and didn't get back to camp til 6 or later. They organized our boxed lunches, packed tables and chairs and even a tablecloth for our bush picnics and even made us tea and coffee after lunch.
-Speaking of lunch - nearly every day we were able to eat lunch in some secluded wild spot with no one else in sight. From what we saw, not all safari companies offer this treat.
-Before the trip we had a lot of questions, from the food to the climate to the number of animals we would see, to the availability of electricity and wifi. All our questions were answered completely and competently by Silas, the office manager.
-Because of his experience with American and European safari visitors, Allen has been consulted on the site location, construction and amenities of several of the amazing lodges that we stayed in. He also owns a moderately-priced, lovely lodge called "Eileen's Trees Inn" in Karusha. Wherever we stayed, he was greeted so enthusiastically, we felt like royalty.
Now I understand why people return to safari with Allen again and again and I recommend you start!
OM
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Service! Extremely helpful. 100% Recommended to all!
This was our first tour booked solely via a tour operator so we were a little sceptical to say the least. K&D completely surpassed all our expectations and after our holiday we understand we couldn't have done it alone. The attention to detail was second to none, every minor detail was thought of so we didn't have to worry about a thing!
The service leading up to our Safari was unlike any I have dealt with before. Rory (our representative) was helpful, understanding and answered all our questions to the very last detail (we had a lot of questions!). Rory took on our feedback and designed a custom tour that was perfect for us and within the budget we wanted. Even when we requested changes to the itinerary after confirming, there were no issues. The communication was impeccable - always responding within a few hours (if not minutes!).
During the tour the team were also on hand to help us with any questions or problems we had along the way and quickly sorted out everything. We were not quite happy with the standard of one of our rooms in Rwanda and after contacting K&D they quickly upgraded us without any hassle or additional charge.
Overall our Safari and Gorilla Experience in Rwanda was Amazing - A once in a lifetime experience. The service, the people, the food was unlike anything else. I cannot thank Rory, Barbara and the team more for their help in bringing our trip to a reality.
SK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
we were on a 4-day safari in tsavo west, amboseli park and tsavo east (in january 2017) and we have to say that it was really amazing 4 unforgettable days full of incredible and beautiful experiences. we have booked safari already four months before our departure to kenya, communication with Bruce and customer service of his agency was highly professional and program was excellent - we liked the most in Amboseli park. Accomodation in selected lodges and camps (Rhino valley, Ashnill Aruba, Kibo safari camp) were wonderful and had a super charming atmosphere.
Special thanks to our driver and guide Patrick with whom we had the opportunity to visit the original Masai village an to see a lot of african animals: leopards, lions, elephants, buffaloes, ostriches, impalas, wildebeest, gazelles, zebras, giraffes, monkeys, bush babys and various species of birds.
We are very very satisfied and once again thanks go to Bruce and Patrick.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tsavo east/west with Edward
Very satisfied customers. Private minivan split 4 ways with eagle eyed Edward taking very good care of us. Didn't expect to see anywhere near as much as we did. Would highly recommend. Wow!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Furahia Tanzania showed us how friendly, colorful and beautiful Tanzania can be!
Early 2017 my best friend and I travelled to Tanzania for two weeks. We booked a safari for the first week using a Dutch tour operator. Unfortunately we had same bad luck on the airport and had to take an airplane with one day delay. But the owner of Furahia Tanzania, Deograsias, made sure we wouldn't miss a single second of our safari. He even picked us up from Kilimanjaro Airport by himself, even though we would originally arrive at Dar Es Salaam Airport. Deograsias even managed to move the whole safari one day ahead, including the overnight stays.
During the safari we had our own driver and guide Manyama. This very friendly and smart guy was not only the best driver I had ever met, but was also very talented in spotting the animals in the parks from a great distance. Even with binoculars we still had trouble finding the lions or leopards that he spotted with his naked eye, while driving even! Our delicious meals were cooked by a sweet young guy named Fredrick. In the morning we had freshly made breakfast with eggs, yummy pancakes (that I still miss to this day) and the amazingly fresh fruit. Diner was also a true feast, and a well-needed meal after a full day of safari. Fredrick also took care of the lunches. Sometimes we got a freshly made hot lunch and sometimes he would pack nice lunchboxes to enjoy on the road.
Tanzania is an incredibly beautiful country. With Furahia Tanzania we were able to admire the beauty of this country even more. In the parks (Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti National Park en Tarangire National Park) we saw an incredible amount of animals and natural beauty, thanks to our talented guides. We also had the change to witness the Tanzanian culture, de masai and the daily life of Tanzanian people. Manyama even gave us a boxing class in Deograsias' gym in Mto Wa Mbu, which was awesome!
After our week of safari fun we had trouble saying goodbye to our new Tanzanian friends. We had such a great time with them. There was a lot of laughter, there were good talks and we shared music. During the rest of our stay in Tanzania Deograsias regularly checked up on us to say how we were doing. He has already let us know that we could contact him whenever we needed to during our stay in Tanzania. De guys from Furahia Tanzania showed us how friendly, colorful and beautiful Tanzania can be!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
Jonathon was our guide and he was excellent! We saw much more wildlife than we had ever expected. :)
The ride from Nairobi to the camp is a bit rough, as there wasn't air conditioning in the van, and the roads are pretty bad in spots, but we were on a very tight budget, so beggars can't be choosers! The drive also provided a very authentic experience, with plenty of opportunity to see the villages and how the people live. The camp was lovely and the food was excellent! The only thing we would have done differently would be to take a flight back to Nairobi rather than drive back. Fantastic adventure!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Spectacular, lifetime of memories
Everything about this trip was outstanding , especially considering 'This is Africa'. The hotels were great , seeing the wildebeest cross the mara river was amazing.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
We did a 3 day trip to Murchinson falls. It was outstanding and our guide Dennis as brilliant
The whole trip went well. Dennis was knowledgable about the animals we saw and about Uganda its people, and history. We stayed at Fort Murchinson lodge. It was very good. We saw 4 of the big 5 and lots more including two porcupine which are very rare. Dennis went out of his way to ensure we enjoyed himself. To get the most out of your safari be prepared to spend long days - dawn to dusk on the reserve. You will see more. I can not praise this company to highly
PT
35-50 years of age
Perfect tour, great organization. Recommened!! 5 star company*****
We enjoyed very much our 6 day safari with Gatatu Safaris.
All was taken care off and we felt very welcome in Uganda.
Our guide/driver was a very nice, clam, and experienced person that took us to everywhere we agreed, we could see all we expected to see, and Richard is doing a great work helping kids from the region with his school.
Was a great experience in the last day to visit the school and be with the kids.
If we planning to do a safari i recommend Gatatu Safari.
Thank you Richard and Deo.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible Experience
The service provided by Seth was exemplary, all emails and questions were answered quickly and with detail. Our driver, Ken, was excellent. We were lucky enough to see all the animals we were keen to see including 9 lions and 11 cheetahs, Ken made sure that we always had the best views and was overall, an excellent guide.