FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing day trip to waterfalls, maasai and arusha park with african travel tour
I had the pleasure to meet in person Mister Shabani M. Mbirze , managing director of African travel tour Ltd. Mr Mbirze speaks fluently French and English, and was taking care of all my requests to make all happen in 1 day, according my wish to do so. He kindly planned this full day with guides and driver, begining at 7h00 with a one and a half hour walk to the waterfalls. There was not so much water at this time of the year, but what i found great was to be able to go throught all little villages on the way, to speak With childrens on their way to school, With their charming uniform and smile. We could Also see all these old ladies, coming down from far to Arusha, to sell the big pieces of wood above their heads. Coming back from waterfalls, we took a real ( not touristic) bus ) totally packed :-) to go to the Massaī village, and it was for me, great to see and share a moment of the real life of the citizens of Tanzania. I think this is what 'tourisme' should be too. After thé bus stop, you have to walk 20 to 25 minutes to find the village.
Meeting the Maisaī people, in the middle of nowhere is also an amazing experience. We could learn From them how the women built their house , how hard Is their life even if they are always really friendly and smiling. They also sang for us. I was really touch when i saw a really young boy , probably 7 years old, called Saīboku, taking care of many cows as skinny as him, all alone, on the way back. I wanted to give him the opportunity to buy himself something he likes. When i gave him some money, and when Edward asked him what he wanted to buy, the little boy did not understand. So Edward asked him in witch shop he wanted to go to buy, Saīboku awnserd he didn't know what shop Is .. I realised heavily my stupidity ! Of course, his mother and father are going sometimes to shops with the bus, but never the little boy. And it's him I really wanted to please. So please, don't do like me if you go there, think of what you could bring to Massaī childrens instead giving money. They really have nothing, and they usualy don't go to school.
Then, we went back to the city bus and after à short drive, we jumped into a landcruiser, droved by Mr Amos Jacob,really kind person With an endormous knowledge concerning animals and landscape. Inside was waiting for us our lunchbox, kindly organised by Shabani. Amos drove us to and inside the Arusha national parc, and knew the spot really Well. It was such a pleasure to see his volonty to show and share the inconditional love he has for the wild life. And with little jokes in the middle, this was fantastic. We saw many animals, fantastic landscape, and could make great pictures.
We came back around 7h PM, so quite a long day, witch i will always remember. When people do their best to make your day memorable, it have to be said i think. That's why i took an hour to write all of this. I hope it can help anyone who want to go to Arusha area in Tanzania, and have a day like mine.
Thanks again to African travel tour LTD organising the all day trip.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience with Reny Safari!
Unforgettable experience in Masai Mara with Reny Safari (guide- Obama). All big 5 on 1 day! Total focus on our needs as guests, a lot of useful information during the way. This rather small but very efficient travel agency is highly recommended.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
What a regret to have chosen Hello Tanzania. Amazing country though
Last minute free lance guide not aware of the plan, angry at hello Tanzania the whole trip. So not in good mood to show us the beauty. Dirty and old 4x4. Permits to national parks not done on time. 3 activities cancelled on 6 because permits were not done. Had to argue with Sylwia and SAlum during the whole trip. 2 weeks of mails and complaints after our return to get refund. We finally received the due amount. Unprofessional company, giving fake excuses. I would say almost a fraud. This company should not be listed on your website. I saw after our trip so many bad comments on trip advisor, half of them were deleted. Just a pity to have trusted this company named hello Tanzania .
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous!
Everything was well organized and taken care of, from the accommodation to the tours with wonderful meals onsite. Our tour guides were exceptional in accommodating various requests. Special mention to Rex and Petunia, who was very friendly and enthusiastic with the people and made our stay a memorable one. We are glad we chose Viva Safari and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who is looking for a stress free and adventurous time in South Africa.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was excellent
We enjoyed a 7 days trip to Victoria Falls and Hwange Nationalpark as well as to Great Zimbabwe in our holiday, which was perfectly organised and individually fitted. Monika and her team did not spare any efforts to come up to every wish or question, even it was very spontaneus.
We always had the feeling of being in the best hands we could be in Zimbabwe. They considered every detail, from transportation to accomodation and the best places to be.
There will be no vacation in Southern Africa without contacting Monika and her team anymore.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Experience Ever!
We did the 3-Day Kruger National Park Safari including Breakfast and Dinner Experience. Danielle did an amazing job putting together our safari and accomodation at short notice. Our guide, Jayden was incredible, he made us feel so welcomed and we formed a great mate-ship at the get go. Jayden entertained us throughout the trip and was very knowledgeable about the safari and behaviours of the animals and his passion for his work and the environment is second to none. He is an amazing asset to your company. We caught the big five and many other animals up close. On our last morning safari before departure, we were treated to a big surprise; a pack of African Hunting dogs - approx. 30 with 16 pups. To say this trip has changed us is an understatement. We had an amazing time both physically and spiritually. What you did for us we can never thank you enough. We will treasure these memories for the rest of our lives.
PS remember to take a touch with you - it's amazing what you can see at night around the camp
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable trip in namibia
At the beginning of August 2019 together with my family (wife and two children aged 18 and 15) we organized a 12-days self drive tour in Namibia with the local agency Cardboard Box. Our journey started from the capital Windhoek where we rented the car and spent the first night. From here through initially paved and later gravel but still easy roads we entered the Kalahari desert, we crossed the spectacular dunes of Sossusvlei and we reached the nice city of Swakopmund, on the cold coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. After crossing the Damaraland region we reached the Etosha park where we could observe most of the animals in their natural habitat. We have been fascinated by splendid landscapes; the breathtaking sunsets and the star-studded sky will remain forever in our memories. The entire trip developed without any problem; the hotels and lodges booked through the agency were excellent as well as food and reception of staff. We would like to recommend to visit Namibia expecially the travel experience in self drive.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Maasai Mara is insanely beautiful and such a luxurious, adventurous and intense place
The wildlife we saw was incredible. I definitely recommend going during the Great Migration if you can. We saw every animal that we wanted to see. All of the guides in the Mara were incredibly environmentally conscious and put the reserve and animals as a priority. The accommodations we stayed in were incredible. Mara Engai was absolutely stunning as it is nestled on top of the escarpment and Loyk was different being in the open plains but so so beautiful as well. The food was not a highlight of the trip, but the sundowners and special breakfasts we had on the savannah in the morning were incredible. The days are definitely long, and relaxing in the afternoon and evening was a priority after spending about 6-8 hours/day in the safari car. The Land Cruisers are incredible and I wouldn't want to safari any other way!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Dream Honeymoon
Our parents generously gifted us a 5-day safari in Tanzania for our honeymoon. We, honestly, didn't know what to expect, but we were so excited. This safari absolutely lived up to all of our hopes, and it ended up being one of the craziest, most exciting adventures we have ever experienced. We were absolutely blown away at all of the wildlife we encountered, and every day something absolutely incredible happened. We saw all of the Big 5 (including a mama and baby leopard, which is a very rare treat), we watched a cheetah stalk and kill a Thompson Gazelle, we ran into 5 elephants on our walking tour (which was a crazy experience that our ranger quickly and safely got us out of), and we had a pack of lions kill a buffalo 4 feet from our tent in the Serengeti (I couldn't make that story up if I wanted to... It was truly one of the craziest experiences of my entire life). One thing that surprised us was how many babies there were in late August/early September. They were absolutely EVERYWHERE. We saw the young of almost every single animal that we encountered on the safari, which made for fantastic photos.
Our tour guide, Julius, was GREAT. He knew so many facts about the wildlife and the landscapes, and he somehow always knew where the animals would go. He always predicted their direction and got us over there, away from the rest of the vehicles and up close and personal with the beautiful animals. He always tried his very best to help us see everything we wanted to while we were there. We were totally pleased with our experience with him, and we definitely recommend requesting him if you are able to!
The only negative side to Tanzania is that there is a constant pressure to tip. Even if the safari company tells you that you don't have to tip the locals, the locals make it awkward if you don't (tipping your tour guide and ranger is totally understandable, but the tipping expectation is totally out of control everywhere you go). If someone cleans the public bathroom you enter (which is every single bathroom), they stand around waiting for you to tip them. If someone rolls your carry-on one room over, they stand around waiting for you to tip them. Our worst experience with this was when we went to visit a Masai village without being warned that they would be expecting us to pay (if we had known this fact, we would have opted out of it). When we got there, the chief's son welcomed us..... and told us that he charged a $50 entry fee. We just stood there with our jaws dropped open. (I am sure they are used to retired, more wealthy tourists, but we were just a young, newly married couple who was gifted this trip. We are definitely used to budget traveling and avoiding super pricey places, so this was a total shocker.) We, then, turned to our driver and asked to leave because we simply couldn't afford it. We were told, however, that we couldn't leave because we had already driven 30 minutes to get out there and they had prepared everything. We were dumbfounded at this answer. The chief's son, then, asked us what we could afford. We uncomfortably said $20, which he accepted. It was an extremely awkward situation, and neither of us enjoyed the Masai village at all because of how pressured and cornered we felt. We just wish they would have been upfront about it instead of being sneaky (we later found out that they pretty much do this to everyone- surprise them with the fact it costs money after you are already there). If you are thinking about going on a safari in Tanzania, just bring extra $1 bills for tips everywhere you go and be warned that "Do you want to go visit a Masai village?" = $$$$$$.
Other than that factor, though, Tanzania was an absolutely incredible experience. From the incredible wildlife, to the really fancy and fun glamping tents (which all had bathrooms and showers in them), to the unbelievable experiences we had, it was truly the greatest way to start our marriage off. We absolutely recommend booking your safari through Shemeji Safari, and we can say from personal experience that the end of August/early September is a fantastic time to go!
Tres bien / Very good
Very good, i enjoyed it a lot. Thanks for celebrating my birth day at Golongolo crater.