35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
12 day safari to Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Tarangire
We wrote off to half a dozen companies, most of whom came back within a couple of days, however, Simon at EASTCO seemed to have a more professional approach and the accompanying explanatory documentation was extremely helpful and just what we were looking for. Although his was probably the most expensive, we preferred his suggestion of starting in Mwanza rather than Arusha. For the first week we stayed in ‘special’ campsites which means that you take in everything you need – water, food, dig your own loo and a much more basic way of living. A bit more expensive than staying in public campsites but so much nicer. We also stayed in a couple of beautiful lodges during the second week - Boundary Hill in Tarangire was one of the most stunning places I've ever stayed in. In terms of equipment, the tents could do with a bit of repair and the Landrover was old but serviceable but it wasn’t an issue for us. We stopped a few times to help the newer Landcruisers who had broken down but our Landrover drove through anything and, to be honest, in wet season you would need this type of vehicle to access some of the places we went to. Tanzanian people are the loveliest, friendliest ever. I felt incredibly safe and everybody we met was helpful and courteous. Our guide, Cosmos, was absolutely superb and I cannot speak highly enough of him – cheerful and hugely knowledgeable. EASTCO is a good organisation and I would certainly recommend them and use them again. All accommodation was well organised and any minor issues were sorted out very quickly.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime...Thank You EASTCO
My wife and I went on a 12 day safari with EASTCO. Before choosing EASTCO, I read all the reviews. There were many great reviews and some not so great reviews. What I definitely understood that the #1 most important aspect of the trip is the selection of tour guide. Based on many great previous reviews we requested James to be our tour guide…we made this request one year in advance of our trip.
This review is neither a blow by blow detail of our trip nor a detailed list of what to bring or not to bring. This is a review of EASTCO and all that goes into selecting a tour company, accommodations, logistics and the tour guide.
I will begin with the end….this was the most spectacular trip and far exceeded our already incredibly high expectations. Without seeing it in person it is hard to explain the beauty of Tanzania, the spectacular amount of diverse wildlife and the friendliness of the people. We saw it all….the big 5 plus so many other animals and an incredible (surprising) amount of beautiful birds. The month of February means baby animals everywhere in the park….it also meant the migration. You could look in every direction and it would be impossible to count all the Wildebeest, Zebra and Gazelle’s.
The communications with EASTCO was exclusively with Simon King. During the selection and planning phase, I must have sent Simon 20 emails. Almost without exception Simon got back to me within 24 hours. If he was later than that, he apologized and told me why it took 2 days to return my emails.
The selection of James as our driver was fantastic. James is an incredibly good guide (as you can see by all the great reviews). He is very knowledgeable about the parks, the animals (he was a great spotter of animals)….we would say “how would you know it was there?”….remember EASTCO drivers do not use radios to communicate. He was also a very good driver. We drove approximately 1,500KM during our 12 days together. So many times I witnessed out of control safari drivers and others rushing from one place to another. As they rushed past us...inevitably they would miss so much to see from the varied landscape to the far off lions on the rocks. James made our vacation fantastic….that is how important a driver can be for the overall experience.
Our safari car was a Landrover Defender 110 with slightly less than 300K miles before we started and more than 301K after we finished. There are a lot of newer safari vehicles in the parks, but ours was just right for us. Our car had no mechanical issues and several times we pulled over to help out other broken down safari vehicles….mostly Toyota Landcruisers. The vehicle was comfortable and very effective….remember you are not driving down a highway in America, you are on Tanzanian dirt roads with so many ruts and holes.
The logistics of a safari can be a nightmare….there are so many opportunities to miss being picked up or dropped off. The logistics for our trip were spot on and perfect…that is very important and showed the communications between EASTCO and the drivers, greeters, etc were handled without incident.
Our itinerary was designed by Simon and I used the Trip Advisor community to get 2nd and 3rd opinions. We took a hybrid approach to camps/lodges. We flew into Kili and overnighted in Rivertrees in Arusha. The next morning we flew to Mwanza and had a driver pick us up an bring us to Speke Bay Lodge on shores of Lake Victoria. This allowed us to get to the Ndabaka with 15 minutes from Speke Bay to start our safari. Our 1st night in the Serengeti we spent at the Four Seasons Serengeti….our 2nd night was at the EASTCO camp in between Olduvai and Ndutu, this was a basic camp but very comfortable. Our next 2 nights were spent at the Serengeti Savannah Camps and in particular camp #10….we really liked the camp location and the overall experience with Serengeti Savannah Camps. On safari we did the balloon ride with Serengeti Balloon Safari’s…the ride was great (it is fun being in a hot air balloon) but the winds were not in our favor in terms of the migration and we didn’t see a lot of animals while ballooning. After the Serengeti we went to Ngorongoro Crater for game viewing and stayed in the most spectacular lodge & Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. The following night we spent at the one EASTCO camp I would skip and that was Naitolia Camp…we thought this was too far away from everything…but the camp was still very beautiful and functional just not right for us. After Naitolia we headed to Tarangire Park for 3 nights at the Boundary Hill Lodge. I thought that 3 nights were too many at this place…but that was only before I stayed there, we loved our time at BHL. The views are spectacular and we took one full day of just relaxing, reading and playing cards…a great down day during a busy safari. We loved the incredible wildlife in Tarangire and ranked this only behind Serengeti in terms of the wildlife. After 3 nights at BHL we went to Manyara Park for a day of game viewing. We like Manyara for its diverse landscape but the wildlife is certainly less than the other parks we visited. We ended our stays with EASTCO with a final night at Ol Tukai camp on the shore (the shore was one mile away due to the time of year) of Lake Manyara. The following morning James drove us to Arusha airport for our last part of our trip 5 days at the Next Paradise Boutique Resort in Pwani Mchangani…we booked this separate from EASTCO.
One last point, when we were at the Arusha airport Simon King came by to personally see how our trip went…we talked for 10 minutes and we shared our experience with him.
Overall a trip of a lifetime which was made possible by our planning, our use of EASTCO and of course our driver James.
Trip of a lifetime
It's been 5 years but we remember it as our best holiday ever. The wildlife was amazing (missed a cheetah by a few hours only!), the lodge is fab - great food, very accommodating staff and 5* treatment. Isaac was our driver, and boy was he brilliant! Had an intimate knowledge of birds too, and kept pointing out v interesting ones. His tracking (along with Harry) was amazing and we got the feeling all the other cars were relying on our guys pretty heavily! It also meant we got lots of watching and photographing ops.
I highly recommend this lodge. I think if I were made of money I'd consider ulusaba or something, but in all honesty you can't go wrong here.
btw the pics for inyati on this page are mine :)
The best travel experience we have ever had
This was certainly the best travel experience we have ever had. Everything was excellent… from the organization, to the attentive nature of all involved, to the food, the very different locations, topography of the land, the tiny planes we flew in, the facilities, the unbelievable gaming… absolutely superb…. we saw big game, small game, lions mating, elephants charging us, sable antelope, bat eared fox, wild dogs…. we were very very lucky. We loved all three camps – so different… so amazing… they do everything just right.
This was the honeymoon of a lifetime… we loved every minute of it… we will certainly use you again in the future. My parents saw the photos and are interested in coming to Tanzania…. perhaps to Ruaha…. I will mention the 5% discount for referring a friend!
Thanks for tailor making this fantastic holiday and really making it great for both of us.
We will always have such fond memories of Tanzania, the people we met and truly an unforgettable experience… so thank you
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful & professional
Accomodation and safaris visits were very well organised.
Gecko Adventure has provided me with a personalized tour and an almost daily supervision over there.High standing lodges and walking or visit safaris met all my expectations !
Thank you so much for your high qualification and the discovery of your wonderful country.
TR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A quite good safari trip from Gecko Adventure
We made a two day safari tour in August 2013 in Mikumi National Park with Gecko Adventure (Mr.Rama). I did the reservation from homeland, and there was almost no problem with tour organization. This was the only organization that sent me the exact tour schedule (hour by hour), and we fully complied with this schedule. We stayed in Mikumi Wildlife Camp (inside the park) and it was perfect, clear and friendly. The safari guide (Mr. Sky) was also very good, he made his best to fulfill all our requests and hence we were able to see all types of animals in two day game drive (some guests in hotel haven't seen any lion in two days, but we were able to see 8 lions just in a half day drive). The only disappointment was that the safari vehicle was not the same as promised. It was a van instead of jeep but later in safari it had no disadvantage.
FI
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tailored trip to the best destinations in Serengeti
This was the second time I and my wife used TSA to arrange a photo trip to Serengeti. Again, it was a total success. They seem to have excellent guides that will find the most interesting action available to photograph in the bushes. They are not the cheapest or largest of the tour organisers, but they offer a good amount of experience and subjects to shoot for a photographer. I have been ten times in Africa on photogaphing trips but this is the place to find the best subjects. And for sure, I will use TSA to arrange my next trips as well.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Treat Yourself to an Unforgettable Experience!
I've used Fun Time Tours several times over the last 5 years or so, and always had a great experience. They will listen to your needs and tailor a package that is perfect for you, and at a reasonable cost with no hidden charges. Barney used to be a Park Ranger and knows all the ins and outs of booking safaris as well as cultural tours, scuba adventures, and the like, with a wide network of lodges and safari guides so you can satisfy all your African tour needs. In addition, Barney and Venishia are salt of the earth and a joy to deal with and a pleasure to know. I can't recommend them highly enough. Trust your plans to Fun Time; you won't regret it.
Trip of a Lifetime
This trip was nothing short of remarkable, and I am thankful Odyssey Safaris was my safari operator. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but Odyssey did a great job of catering to our needs and answering all of our questions. The safari rides themselves got better and better with each place we visited, and they certainly saved the best for last: Masai Mara. Our tour guide, Erastus, was wonderful and very knowledgeable. It was because of him that we saw some of the breathtaking things we saw, including a leopard feeding on a gazelle while in a tree, a lion waiting (impatiently) to make a kill, and six lion cubs playing with their mother. It certainly helps that, with the exception of a few activities, the expenses are all part of the package. That way all you have to focus on is enjoying your trip and negotiating good prices for your souvenirs.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kruger Park in 3 days
We had a wonderful stay in the Kruger Park. The guide was adorable and very knowledgable about the animals. We got to see all the big 5. The one night stay in the private park was also great, and we really enjoyed the dinner around the fireplace.