US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best budget option - exceeded my expectations!
I currently live in Rwanda and was looking for a moderately priced weekend wildebeest migration trip to Maasai Mara to celebrate my birthday. Titus was very responsive, helpful, and provided quick answers to my many questions. He arranged an airport pickup for me for a small additional fee and (since I was a solo traveler) found a group of other solo travelers for me to join. The lodging was basic but good, and the food at the camp was delicious. Our driver was safe, kind, friendly, and worked really hard to ensure that we saw everything - lions, wildebeest, zebra, crocodiles, elephants, giraffe, a cheetah, a leopard.... the list goes on and on. I didn't know that we would also visit a Maasai village (1,000 shillings - approximately 10 USD - goes to support education for Maasai children), but that experience is one I'll treasure forever. I am beyond happy with my experience, and have already recommended this company to my friends and colleagues. One tip: bring some warm clothing - it gets cold at night!!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent organised tour
We were looking for a short holiday in July that included a safari trip and a few days at the beach to relax, after checking for different options we found the offer by Regional Tours which covered all of our interests in one package (northern circuit and Zanzibar).
The correspondence with Maturaf (Managing Director) was good, he responded to our emails very fast and with the relevant information. As mentioned by other people before the frequency and the response time reduced after confirmation of the advance payment. However all arrangements and bookings were done immediately upon receipt of payment - so do not worry. The pickup drivers were always on time and the staff of Regional Tours very reliable. Everything was well organized from arrival until departure.
Our driver/guide for the safari Emmanuel was very helpful and informative. Every evening we would plan the next day schedule together with a lot of suggestions from Emmanuel which made the trip more exciting and we could enjoy to the max. Emmanuel is very experienced and knows the route, hangouts of the animals, fantastic places and viewpoints quiet well. There was not a time when we were bored, whenever we thought we had enough of the gazelles, zebras or the long rides we came across something interesting that made trip; that moment; special. In the end all we remember is the lovely experience and the treasured moments. Thank you, Emmanuel, for making our trip a memorable one.
The accommodations during the safari were on the upper end (Tanganyika wilderness camps) and the hotel in Zanzibar (the Z hotel) was great. Minor adjustments or additions to our tour on short notice (Trip to Kilimanjaro, safari adjustments and Stone Town tour) were organized easily and without any problems. I can and will highly recommend this company and our tour guide Emmanuel to anyone who wants a great organized trip/safari for a reasonable price.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Extraordinarily good safari vacation
Speke organised a 12 day safari vacation to the national parks of western Uganda for my wife and I. We were most impressed by the organisation and by the excellent driver/guide, Michael, who took such good care to ensure our comfort and safety throughout, while ensuring we enjoyed amazing game sightings. The abundance of animal and bird life was truly astounding while the special highlights were the gorilla and chimpanzee tracking which provided truly memorable experiences. We can strongly recommend Speke for a wonderful tour.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Experience by a Fabulous Team!
We visited Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Natron camping and StoneTown and Kendwa in Zanzibar staying in hotels. From beginning to end the service that we were provided with was exceptional. In the planning stages Justin was on hand to advise and reply extremely promptly to every email sent. We changed our minds, literary and dates several times and Justin was always ready and willing to help us in any way possible. I had contacted other providers but no ones price, advice or service compared in any way to Tanzania-Expeditions.
Our guide and driver Hilary was exceptional. Firstly he was a very competent driver on the rocky African roads, we always felt safe and comfortable. He was also excellent at getting us as close as possible to the animals in the parks. As a guide Hilary was extremely knowledgeable about all the animals, not to mention his unbelievable skill at spotting animals. There was a Science teacher and a Geography teacher in our group which ment we were really interested in all plants, animals, landscapes and everything in between but Hilary was able to fill us in on everything with full and interesting explanations and answering our endless amount of questions. He told us about Tanzania in general, the tribes and everything else that we passed along the way. He really made the holiday for us and he went out of his way to help us in any way possible. Seeing the animals up close in their natural environment is an unbelievable experience, but having someone like Hilary on hand was the difference in making the holiday excellent and unforgettable!
Dioniz our chef was also amazing. All four of us would be quite picky eaters but everything he cooked, from breakfast to dinner and the packed lunches were delicious and we were never hungry and were surprised every day with something different and equally as delicious. The food was far from average and it was better than we would have in restaurants back home. He also went above and beyond to make sure our stay was as enjoyable as possible always making sure everything at the campsite was ready to go for us. He was so professional throughout, and the food was always on time, ensuring we had the most time possible for game drives.
It was nice to finish in Zanzibar as it was a complete contrast from safari. Justin had everything organised for us there too and it was good to not have to worry about anything. If I were to do it again Lake Natron may have been too far of a drive however the waterfall there was beautiful and it was nice to hike up to it for the day as it got us out of the jeep. Also I would fly from Arusha rather than Kilimanjaro as it is much more convenient. Also bring warm clothes if staying at the crater rim, it gets cold especially at night, early mornings can also be cool. Other than that sit back and enjoy the professional, personalised, one of a kind service offered by Tanzania-Expeditions.
Asante sana tena!
Thank you
Just to say thank you so much for arranging such a wonderful holiday for us. We returned from Tanzania last week after a truly memorable trip.
All our arrangements were spot on and our safari with was excellent. In particular, our driver/guide Noru, was fantastic.
Can I particularly recommend the accommodation at the Bougainvillea Lodge. We thought we had been booked in the wrong place, it was so luxurious! I would definitely recommend this to any of your clients staying in the area.
Jo, your representative in Arusha, was lovely and very helpful.
I will certainly recommend you to anyone looking to plan a similar holiday..
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
9 day full North Tanzania Safari
Great people, very good communication by email, Jaou was very very helpful as I felt My eyes are already in Tanzania before going there. Small example I wanted to book 2 nights in Lake Manyara but later thanks to Jaou its just a 3 hour safari, not worth more
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Superb Tour Company for Kilimanjaro Treks
From the beginning, E-Trip Africa did a tremendous job for our trek up Kilimanjaro. Our head guide August was thorough, yet friendly, and did a great job guiding our (for me) rather large party up the mountain. He met with us pre-trek to go over our gear and made suggestions about what we might have forgotten. E-Trip Africa made available any equipment we might need. Each day, August fully explained what we would face to start, was always ready to talk about hiking issues at night, and never forgot to test our blood oxygen levels at our evening and morning meals (concerned about our health and well being). If individuals were slower than the main party in climbing, assistant guides were assigned to be with them. August monitored all parties by hiking back and forth, and demonstrated concern for all trekkers. Food for the trek was excellent, and the accommodations were also: a tent for each one or two trekkers, beautiful dining tent with wonderful eating utensils, and hot drinks at all meals. The assistant guides were wonderful too. For those who had to go down in the middle of the trek because of low oxygen levels, these assistants handled trekkers capably and patiently, with transportation back to guesthouses punctual and rapid. If I were to return to Tanzania to do another trek, E-Trip Africa would be my first choice for a touring company.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The experience was a wonderful adventure, filled with beautiful nature, animals and people.
We had an absolutely wonderful time. The day trip to the cheetah center was unnecessary. But the safari outings were fantastic.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Really nice budget short trip!
We made a really short time decision to go for one night to Mikumi National Park. As we were on limited budget and i've been already on another tour with Gombe, I contact them & could agree very fast on a one night trip to Mikumi for a fair price.
They picked us up at our stay in Dar in time. The Driver Rajabu was really kind & could tell a lot about the Park and it's nature.
We had an afternoon drive, a morning drive & another midday drive.
All meals have been included & were really good.
Only negative point on our tip was the fact that there was a fire in the park only few days before we arrive. So the vegetation was not as rich as it has been on my last trip to Mikumi. But that's nature. And not the fault of Gombe Safari.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best safari guide!! I use him for all my group travel.
Ernest is amazing. I've been using him for Safari's for the last 4 years for my volunteers. I run an NGO that operates in Tanzania, and Ernest is always such a pleasure to spend the day with and entrust my volunteers in his care. It's rare to find a tour guide that truly goes the extra mile to make sure his guests have the best time, see everything they want to see, and truly have a memorable and magical experience. Ernest does this time and time again.
I cannot recommend him enough for your safari needs. He's become like family to me and my volunteers---truly a one of a kind person!