BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hiking through fields and villages along Kivu lake and inside Nyungwe forest
A tailor-made circuit, following all my whishes,
excellent suggestion to complete the tour with a visit of Butare museum and Nyanza king site,
guide (on Congo-Nile trail) and driver both very professionnal, well informed and considerate,
easy contact with the agency, rapid and clear answers,
I recommend!
KR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, Transparent, Reliable
My dad and I went 3N4D tour with It Started in Africa.
Especially I would like to mention two persons ; Bernard, the reservation manager was very agile and flexible to my request and David, the driver/guide was very knowledgeable and experienced in the endless plain.
Even though there were some hassles in payment process, since their local bank had in problem to clear my Pesapal payment, Bernard transparently & frequently shared what's going on and my tour was well done without any discomfort or concern.
As many communities said, It Started in Africa had hard time due to their oversea agent problem in 2017, however, now they are doing best to rebuild their brand and reputation. I highly recommend to ask quotes to them and take a tour with them in Tanzania!
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
unforgettable, amazing, beautiful team!
we left early June with snow africa adventures for the ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro and for a safari in three parks : Nogongoro, Serengeti and Lake Manyara.
We had unforgettable moments on sunny days. A great team, kind, attentive, listening to us all along our journey, anxious to provide us with maximum information on their culture, their biodiversity. A team we will never forget.
In short, we were pampered. We both arrived at the top of Kilimanjaro with just amazing meals, with a wonderful sunrise with our guides Julius and Hussein and thanks to the whole team Joshua, Johnny, Sylvester, Ayubu, Sebastian, Stevi, and all other...
During our safari, with Lorry, we saw a multitude of animals with a special mention for the herd of elephants that stopped right in front of the car. The choice of lodges was perfect: quiet, comfortable and in beautiful places!
Thanks to Florent, the boss, for the whole organization and for his daily investment: daily calls to find out if everything is fine and coaching back and forth to the airport!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional Safari Company in Tanzania
I cannot say enough about Rupia Adventure's.
My husband and I traveled to Africa for 5 weeks, and booked the 8 day Tanzania portion of our trip with them.
We visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, The Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti and Arusha national park with them.
Mathias, who planned the trip with us did an excellent job listening to our requests and our budget constraints. They were very flexible with tour options, managing to fit in everything we wanted to see, included a quick stop over at the Olduvai gorge, a walking safari, and a canoe trip in Arusha.
The price was reasonable. They listened to our request about caring more about the game viewing then the accommodations, and found great lodging options in the medium price range for us. We decided to book with them.
When we arrived in Arusha, we were met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. The next morning, we met the man who truly made our experience unforgettable, our tour guide Miraji. He was outstanding. He listened to our interests for what we wanted to see (which was everything, not just the big 5), he listened to our concerns about my husband's back problems and roads and he made sure that my husband's special dietary needs were taken care of. He had an incredible body of knowledge, and went out of his way over the days we were with him to ensure we saw everything we were interested in, no matter how big or small the animal was. He was extremely patient as we took literally 1000s of pictures in all the parks we visited with him, and only prodded us to move when he knew there was something important we wanted to see ahead. He really worked hard with the staff at the different camps to ensure that my husband's lunch box was gluten and egg free, which wasn't always easy. Whenever he had to get the paperwork done at the park entrances, he ensured we found something interesting to do while we waited for him (walking the nature trails, taking pictures of the baboons at the Ngorongoro gate, etc).
He helped us identify everything we saw, whether plant, bird, four legged creature etc. He had a great sense of humor. But what impressed us most was when our flight form the Serengeti was cancelled (NOTE this was booked directly by me, not Rupia Adventure so this was in no way their fault), he and Janniken at the office ensured we got out on another airline, and made sure we weren't left stranded.
The lodges and camps were excellent value, our favorite was the Serengeti Bush Camp.
The animals...., I don't know where to start. I think our favorite viewing was the lions in the trees at Lake Manyara, but there were just so many highlights. We joked with Miraji that we didn't see just the big 5 ,we saw the big 500.
A quick note on the flight, I booked it through Chase Ultimate Rewards with Precision Air. Apparently they stopped flying to the Serengeti in November of last year, but I never received any notification or refund, and neither did Chase. In fact the day of my flight my reservation still showed as confirmed online. Luckily for us, when we met at the Rupia office the day we started our trip, Janniken asker for the information on this flight and told me he would check with Precision Air to ensure the flight was not delayed. When he found it was cancelled, he presented us with a couple of different options. This extra effort turned what could have been a major problem into only a minor nuisance. Thanks to Janniken and Miraji so much for their help.
We spent 4 more weeks travelling in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and while we met some other great guides, none were able to meet the benchmark that Miraji set for us.
Thanks so much for such a great experience.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour!
Almost perfect.
Better food and accommodation then expected.
Only caveat: the guide uses talkie-walkie all the time to get tips on where to find animals. People on the talkie-walkie literally talk all the time so you have background voice during the whole safari. Impossible to make a video which was disappointing.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
He knows how to find all the animals. I saw everything in a one week safari, also a rhino. Sleeping in a tent outside the serengeti was a magnificent experience and with a torch me and my friends were safety. All 4 of us enjoyed that trip very much. Thanks and maybe cu again
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Company did ok but guide was disappointing
I communicated via email with Benson on a 1-week itinerary for me and my 3 children and he presented a comprehensive mid-range safari package in a timely manner. Everything went well until we started out with our private guide. Logistics were smooth with one exception that was clarified with a quick call to Benson. Otherwise, the guide was obviously more interested in chatting with others on his 2 cell phones and car CB than in providing information to us, his clients. Some of the communication was between guides sharing animal sightings in the area and there was no shortage of those the guide pursued but there was more than one case of me seeing an animal in a place that required backing up and the guide disregarded my request. This was my 3rd time on a guided safari but my childrens’ first and they missed out on so much, even with my advocacy. I prompted the guide several times to provide information - differences in species, etc. - and answers were one or two sentences at best. It got to the point at one meal where, after loudly reminding my daughter that using electronics during dinner was rude and unacceptable, I had to ask him to put his cell phone away minutes later. He never asked what kind of animals we were interested in, never pulled out a field guide, and offered very little personal insight. I felt like my family was a load to be transferred between locations rather than a family who had crossed half the globe to appreciate his homeland. We met other Benson guides who showed far more interest in their jobs (and us) so I think we got the guy who’d grown tired/bored after 15 years of guiding. One other minor thing: Benson claimed he would come by to meet us which he never did. The week was good in the sense that the animals are everywhere in the parks, camps and food were good and we didn’t have any catastrophes but I know the trip would’ve been MUCH better with a different guide.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Seven Day Safari in the Serengeti
We selected Rupia Adventure based on their long history of excellent SafariBookings (the pop-up jeeps!), prompt response to email queries, and proactive effort to provide us a hand-crafted experience tailored to our interests. Rupia Adventure was not the cheapest of the tour operators I queried, but I feel we got great value for our money. We were traveling as a couple, with a single adult (our nephew), who needed his own room; we thought the “single supplement” was reasonable.
Angel Davidt tweaked our itinerary several times as we refined our travel plans…we were very pleased that she stayed on our account after we paid our deposit and did not hand us off to “back office” staff (I saw a couple of other reviewers note this as an issue, but we did not experience it). Angel responded promptly to all my questions and was transparent about prices and options so I could make informed choices. The Rupia Adventure team obtained discounts for our nephew, who is living and working in Tanzania, and handled all the other paperwork, including “Flying Doctors” insurance, without a hitch.
We paid in advance via wire transfer in two installments, and promptly received acknowledgement and a receipt from Rupia Adventure. The pre-safari orientation was brief and pleasant (who wants to hang around in an office on a Sunday when you could be out on safari)? and the Kilimanjaro airport drop-off at the end of our trip went smoothly. I got there in plenty of time to deal with the multiple layers of security, check my duffle, and have before my 9:00 pm departure (this after a full day of game driving in Ngorongoro Crater).
The Rupia Adventure team was pleasant, professional, proficient in English, and knowledgeable. Information seemed to flow well through the team: Angel, the billing team, the manager who gave us our orientation and our guide were all on the same page, and all knew what we wanted. I never felt that we were lost in the shuffle.
Back to the jeeps. As other reviewers have mentioned, we saw several other safari groups stranded in broken-down jeeps (Land Rovers). We had no mechanical issues at all. Rupia Adventure provided us with a large Toyota Land Cruiser equipped with a pop-top, a cooler, seat cushions (we were very grateful for this amenity, given the condition of the roads), and a hamper with a thermos (we had two serious coffee-drinkers in our party). They also provided several pairs of binoculars, and an inverter for charging electronics. The Land Cruiser had air conditioning, as I had requested, but the weather during our mid-June safari was so pleasant we never used it.
Aside from your transportation, the other factor that will make or break your safari is your guide. Our guide, Mathiasy, was exceptional. He clearly loves his job, and is passionate about the animals. His cheerful enthusiasm, tireless zeal, and entertaining stories and animal facts made even the longest drives between viewing opportunities enjoyable.
More than that, Salvatory has an excellent eye for lighting and composition, and frequently pointed out photo opportunities, and then positioned the jeep for the perfect shot. On one occasion, he avoided a cluster of jeeps around a female lion to park us near her adolescent cubs (who, he explained, were ignoring their mother’s call, so she would be coming to check on them). Sure enough, minutes after we were in position, the mother lion got up, strolled over to check on the adolescent cubs, and was joined by the male, who crossed right in front of our jeep! On another occasion, Salvatory positioned us ahead of two groups of elephants, who converged around our jeep. We took amazing pictures and videos that we have enjoyed many times since returning home.
In addition to expertly navigating the deeply-rutted roads (and never referring to a map once during our week-long safari), Salvatory was also personally concerned about our well-being. In addition to ensuring we were adequately caffeinated, he did his best to make sure I had tasty and nutritious options that complied with my medical needs for every meal.
We visited Lake Manyara, the central and western Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater. I had to fly back straight from safari for work, but my husband and nephew stayed a night at the African Tulip before going on to other adventures, and they highly recommend we stay at the Tulip next time we safari in Tanzania. I will review the lodges we visited separately.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing guide and adventure!
Isa Jackson was our safari guide and he was amazing! My sister, myself, and parents undertook our trip starting at Maun and had game drives throughout Chobe as well as Moremi game reserve. It was an amazing experience and we were able to see lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, hippos, African wild dogs, crocodiles, hawks, baboons, vervet monkeys, and many different birds. With the lions, we were able to be within ten feet, which was frightening to say the least.
Although seeing the animals was a great experience, what sets any safari apart is the guide. Extremely Wild Safaris has a great guide in Isa. He is very knowledgeable of animal behavior, scientific understanding of the geological processes taking place in the Okavango Delta, and has a great ability to track and find animals. An enthusiastic guide, he made our wonderful trip truly once and a lifetime. Thank you!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing service
We initially contacted Rupia Adventure direct to inquire about safari options. We received a prompt reply from Janniken who worked with us to accommodate our exact requirements and put together a wonderful safari experience. Communication in the lead-up to our travel was responsive and very helpful, which gave us full confidence ahead of traveling over to Tanzania from the India. Upon arrival in Kilimanjaro, we were met by a Rupia driver and given a full briefing at the Rupia office in Arusha. For the safari, we were taken through the Ngorongoro crater and Serengeti National Park by our driver Elasto. Elasto was extremely polite and helpful, and also very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the animals and safari experience. He really made very positive difference to our trip and ensured that we not only spotted all the animals we had hoped to see, but also arrived on time and smoothly at all of our accommodation, whilst never feeling rushed to move on from a particular location. All in all an unforgettable and fantastic experience which we'll never forget. I would highly recommend contacting Rupia Adventure for a quote on your safari; we found them very cost competitive, provided the best service in planning the safari and then found the quality of the actual experience, vehicle, driver and accommodation to be exceptional. Thank you for making our honeymoon safari experience everything we hoped it would be and more!