65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our wonderful guide Mohammed M helped make our Tanzania trip the most AMAZING we have ever taken!!!!
We are so grateful that Yellow Zebra who hand-crafted our Christmas trip to Tanzania booked us with Maasai Wanderings for our first three days. Mohammed met us at the Kilimanjaro Airport and the next three days were perfect! We could not have asked for a more passionate, knowledgeable, kind and humorous guide as Mohammed! His passion for and knowledge of the wildlife and plants and flora, the tribal culture and life in Tanzania enriched our trip in countless many ways. After two days touring the nearby Arusha parks, we especially enjoyed the drive to Ngoronogo Crater. A highlight of our trip was the dawn exploration of the crater with morning breakfast at the beautiful hippo lake. By the end of our three days together, besides all that we had seen, we felt very fortunate to have learned so much about life in Tanazania and felt as if Mohammed was family. We truly left part of our hearts at the Manyara Airstip when we said goodbye to him. Mohammed certainly was a big reason we fell in love with Tanzania and its magic that is like no other we have experienced. We give Mohammed Magessa and Maasai Wanderings our highest recommendation!
Jessica and Barbara Watson, Washington, D.C., mother and daughter
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome five days in the wilderness with Dismas to see all animals of the big five and many others!
The communication with Louise was excellent, she was very quick to respond and had always good solutions and counsels. The tour was exactly what we expected and the Lodges were even better than what we thought.
The contact with Dismas was great and he knows a lot of things, but you must ask him so he tells what he knows...
We saw every animal that we could expect to see, maybe we were lucky...
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ker & Downey was professional, thorough and knowledgeable tour operator.
Our trip to Ethiopia and Tanzania couldn't have been better executed. We were delighted with our tour guides because they were knowledgeable, thoughtful and fun. Had we not had guides, I believe the trip would not have run as smoothly and we would have wasted a lot of time trying to figure things out like transportation, hotels etc. We gave K & D our budget and the sights we wanted to see and they did a fabulous job making it all happen.
Our guides figured us out pretty quickly too. In Ethiopia, Tariku realized that my husband already knew a lot about Ethiopia's culture having worked there so he took us to places that he probably would not take everyone. That was cool. In Tanzania, Solomon gave us a super time and was free to go on a safari whenever we wanted but was also happy to leave us alone reading by a fire or lounging on a sofa under a tent watching giraffes stroll.
It was just my husband and me on the tour and both our guides gave us such a memorable time. We hope to be back again soon and would choose Ker & Downey again to organize our trips.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Stunning scenery and fantastic tour!
I expected to see a few animals, but the driver and guides went above and beyond to make sure my experience was the best it could possibly be.
The tour exceeded my expectations, and the tour guide/s were all very knowledgeable and friendly. I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants to get up and close to zebra's, giraffes, plus many more animals living in their natural habitat.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 2-day Ngorongoro/Tarangire safari
We emailed Lights on Africa to arrange a last-minute safari, and I'm so glad we did! Peniel arranged everything absolutely perfectly. He works with several different reputable tour operators (ours was SD Safaris, which was excellent), so he's able to easily arrange for budget travelers like ourselves to join an existing group. Peniel was incredibly prompt (responded within an hour!) and friendly in responding to emails, and he saw us off the morning of our safari and greeted us on our return to make sure everything had gone well.
Our safari itself was incredible. Our guide, Amani, was friendly and knowledgeable, and he helped us to spot tons of animals. On the first day alone (in Tarangire), we saw zebras, giraffes, antelope, baboons, many different birds, wildebeest, warthogs, a group of about 5 lions (they walked right past our car!), and dozens and dozens of elephants. In Ngorongoro Crater, we saw many of the same animals plus large herds of buffalo, hippos, flamingos, ostriches, and more that I'm sure I'm forgetting! We even saw an extremely rare caracal cat, which is even more difficult to spot than leopards. Amani also made sure to give us information about interesting animal behaviors we witnessed (like two female zebras wrestling next to our car).
Thanks to Amani and Peniel for an all-around wonderful experience, and I highly recommend Lights on Africa!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfekt two day trip to Mikumi starting from Dar es Salaam/Kigamboni
Great two days, perfect service. Our guide Tony was a safe driver and a good guide. He gave us a lot of information about the flora and fauna in the park. We saw many animals like lions, hippos, elefants, zebras, antilopes, impalas, wildebeest, buffalos, monkeys, many birds, a crocodile and even a leopard. We always had enough time to watch the animals and to take photos. We had enough breaks during the long drive from Dar es Salaam, good food and enough water. Planning the trip was easy, communication with Rama was fast and helpful. We payed with credit card (DPO payment, secured payment page) in advance.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible way to see the country
Tanzania by motorbike is an unbelievable way to see the country. I took a 3 day drip from Arusha - Lake Natron and back, and the terrain and scenery was incredible. I've been on several traditional safaris (in a 4x4), and in those cases the journey is what you endure to get to where you see animals. But being out in nature on a bike makes the journey the highlight. Also riding next to / through wildebeest and zebra herds is pretty darn cool. If you know how to ride a motorcycle, I'd recommend a motorcycle safari hands down over pretty much anything else you can do in Tanzania.
Regarding some of the comments I've seen from others, I have a few thoughts. First off, I'm an American living in Tanzania, so I may be more more used to the casual attitude that pervades Tanzania, but which may come as a surprise to those who are used to more "polished" tour operators in other parts of the world (Kenya, South Africa, Costa Rica, etc.). That said, the Karanga organization was relatively buttoned up and professional. We didn't have any mechanical issues on our trip (a minor miracle in Tanzania). And since I live in country, I don't have any motorcycle gear with me - they had some spares lying around that worked great (full pads, helmet, goggles, gloves, boots, etc.). Not nearly as janky as other rental equipment I've encountered here. The lodge we stayed in was good, the food was great, and there was no funny business with money. They were efficient with setting up excursions on our 'off' day, and super flexible in accommodating my schedule and last-minute change of plans.
The only point of feedback i'd have for the organization is that their guides are mostly motorcycle focused (eg: bike maintenance and the route), and could use a bit of education and polish on how to lead a tour and better communicate with the people they’re leading (eg: things that are or are not necessary to pack, timing expectations, stopping for pictures, etc.).
Still, probably the best use of 3 days that I've ever had.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An incredible wildlife experience, the likes of which are unlikely to be found elsewhere
After 18 months of planning with Daniel from Transtrek Safaris we finally arrived in Kenya. We were met by our two drivers and were taken round six wildlife areas including Amboseli, Tsavo West, two rift valley lakes and the Masai Mara. All accommodation was excellent, food great, staff and drivers superb and the wildlife out of this world.
Their vehicles are built for the purpose with plenty of room, pop-up roof and capable of driving over rough terrain.
Transtrek organised the two week safari beautifully with great attention to detail at a price we were very happy with. I would highly recommend this company. I met Daniel and his family. They met up specially with us in a country club in Naivasha. We will be returning next year.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing customer care and personalised services to unbelievable adventures.
The journey to Israel and onwards to Istanbul, Turkey was out of this world.
The choice of hotels, Gotell tour guides communication, the exceptional itinerary, everything simply beyond expectation. Recommend them to everyone who loves Excellency.
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
"Amazing one week holiday in Kenya."
Hodari Kenya Safaris, our tour planner, organised a fantastic tour for our family of 3. We had a private guide and driver throughout our trip. Our guide, Samy was courteous, knowledgeable and proactive. He made every attempt to show us the wildlife in their natural habitat, and was so knowledgeable about the animals and their ecosystem. The itinerary was excellent and well planned to ensure we saw the highlights of the country. It was truly the best and most efficient and stress free way to explore Kenya. We highly recommend Hodari Kenya Safaris.
