ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliability and Professionalism
Excellent driver/guide, excellent selection of lodges and tented camps, easy mailing exchange. A company I recommend without hesitation.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience, would recommend without reservations
Great experience end to end. Like others have mentioned, I too went deep into the rabbit hole of reviews, but it was clear that there’s a large difference between Eastco Before and Eastco After.
The process was pretty seamless end to end. David was responsive and communicative throughout our planning process, patiently walking us through various options and adjusting the schedule and accommodation options every time we had a new request. We wanted to pay for part of the trip through a credit card based money transfer, to take advantage of the trip insurance provided by our credit card, and the team spent days trying to hunt down our money transfer when it got rerouted incorrectly.
We split our trip into actual camping and then lodges, to minimize driving. During camping, Dixon accompanied us to prepare the meals—we wished he could have stayed with us the entire time. He made amazing meals for our dietary restrictions (one vegetarian, one vegan). Definitely the best food we’ve had in a long time, fancy restaurants with tablecloths included.
Wilson, our guide/driver, has the literal eyes of a hawk. No other way to explain how he could spot with his naked eyes a speck in the distance that turned out to be a cheetah or whatever. We set out one day with a goal of seeing male lions—having not seen any so far—and eventually had to tell him that we’d seen enough and wanted to go back to the camp. He was endlessly patient with our exhaustion and happily let us fall asleep in the car pretty much every single day. He had a genuine joy in seeing all animals, too, so we weren’t always chasing after the Big Five at the expense of other experiences (dueling giraffes!).
We always felt like we were in communication with Eastco and in good hands. We asked at the last minute (aka, during the safari) if it were possible to replace a driving leg with a flying leg, and David sent us all the details within a few hours. We asked if it were possible to get a snack for the airport at the end of our trip, and Dixon ended up making us full dinner boxes with all the favorites we’d missed.
If I had to be picky: while Dixon and the tented camp were fully cognizant of our dietary requests, the larger permanent lodges we stayed at (which did buffet-style meals) didn’t seem to have been informed. After I spoke with one of the chefs the first night, the buffet the second night had many more options that worked, so the lack of options the first night seems like it could have been avoided.
Recommend without reservations, hurry and make yours now.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
We had the most amazing and unforgettable safari experience with Seven By Far. Sylvester made the booking an easy and straightforward process, and communication was always friendly, prompt and informative. He was also very flexible in arranging our itinerary, allowing us to tailor aspects of the trip to our interests - nothing was ever too difficult!
We did a 20-day private safari through Kenya and Tanzania covering the following parks: Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria, Lake Navaisha, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Amboseli. We opted for 4x4 Landcruiser with pop-up roof, and found the vehicles to be comfortable, well-maintained and perfect for game viewing. We were so lucky to have seen so many animals, many up close (including the big five, multiple times over).
We had three guides over the course of our trip - Hassan, Alpha and Peter. They all had great local knowledge and went above and beyond to make sure we got the most out of our experience. We developed a great friendship with our guides which made the trip even more memorable.
We were also very happy with our accomodation (which was a mix of tented camps and lodges, all with great food) and felt our package was excellent value for money. Everything was so well organised, and the trip ran completely seamlessly from start to finish. We felt completely safe at all times and were blown away by the kindness and hospitality of the Kenyan and Tanzanian locals.
We are grateful beyond words to Sylvester and our guides for the experience. It was the trip of a lifetime and we couldn’t recommend Seven by Far Safaris more highly. We will be telling our friends and family to book the same trip, and encourage all to add this to your bucket list!
IL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Trip of a Lifetime
I felt compelled to sit down and write this review right away, while the impressions and memories of our amazing 7 day safari trip in Tanzania are still fresh in my mind.
We were a group of 10: ages 9-78, some of us with sever life-threatening food allergies. That being said, you can imagine the concerns and complexities involved in the preparations for this trip, that took us to Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire.
However, all of our concerns disappeared the moment we landed and met our two wonderful guides: Amani and Rajabu. From the moment we met them at Kilimanjaro airport and throughout our entire trip, these two spared no effort to make our trip an unforgettable experience and a complete success.
We felt welcomed, safe and happy knowing that we are in the capable hands of Rajabu and Amani. They took care of everything! From insuring our food is allergy-free all the way to somehow managing to arrange for a pair of forgotten headphones that were left behind in one lodge, to make it all the way to our next stop-without us knowing about it, or even telling them we’ve lost it...
Amani and Rajabu’s hospitality and attention to details can only be matched by their professionalism when it came to the safari itself. We got to see a huge amount and variety of animals, including rare sightings of a leopard and cheetah with cubs from very close range. Their insights and guidance regarding the things we saw were very rich, interesting and helpful.
A good guide makes all the difference when it comes to trips of this nature, and in our case we couldn’t have wished for better ones than Amani and Rajabu.
Our accommodations were also great. The cars were comfortable and very clean (thoroughly washed at the end of every day) and fully stocked with a fridge loaded with cold water, electricity sockets etc.
I warmly recommend Friendship in general and particularly Amani and Rajabu to anyone who is interested in experiencing Tanzania at first hand in the best possible way.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We had a great experience with OT and Lee. We were with a group of 11 and everything was super
We had a 2 days/1 night safari in Moremi. Our crew was top. We saw the most beautiful animals and a lot of Moremi. We like the flexibility of Theo and his crew. The campsite was like home, the food was great. The best experience ever. Thanks
SG
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Company is not fulfilling tour!!
I too got the same email. My tour supposed to start on Aug 22nd for 10 days. I have paid half of tour price for 5pax. My tour haven't even started and is aborted. Now my issue is how to recover the money I paid and how to get a replacement tour in this short time!
.... this is notify you that the company
has technical problems and therefore cannot give the required
services.Kindly,you are advised to chargeback your card or provide an
alternative method of getting your refund .You will receive the funds
between 45-90 working days.
We are sorry for the inconveniences caused and deeply apologize. we hope
to serve you in future.
Kind regards,
Julius muchiri
public relations.
TW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Money fraud. Ruined trip. Pay the hardworking drivers at least or you aren't humans!
I've just known that the company seemed to get bankrupt more than a week ago. I wish they had told me earlier about that instead of keeping silence which is what cowards do. After we made a payment (1600 USD which is like 1.5 of my monthly salary) there has been a silence to my e-mails regarding the receipt and other questions. I called and they sent me the receipt but the silence continued until August 7 when I knew that they had stopped all their services. I see there are dozens of tourists who face same situation. Some of them had to face it straight at their arrival when they found out there were no one to pick them up and they couldn't reach anyone. I appeared to be luckier but as everyone else I lost my money and trust in more humans. I understand that everyone has to survive in this rigged monetary system but if you do so at the expense of others you aren't a decent human being. It's not the loss of money of that importance but it's the loss of trust. So Mr.O, if you read this message, please at least have decency to pay off your former employees.
NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
How do you get a refund
Just received an email from the company saying that the tour won’t be operation , they asked for my bank detail in order to process the refund of my deposit, but I have a bad feeling that it might not happen and I worry that I’ll have to unfortunately face the financial loss. Does anyone here who is in the same situation have any suggestions what to do to get my deposit back ?! It’s a large amount of money that me and my family worked hard for, I can’t actually believe this is happening..
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lifetime Trip Kenya & Tanzania
Words cannot describe the level of service provided by Tanzania Exclusive Journeys.I just returned from my trip to Kenya&Tanzania, and it was truly a trip of a lifetime.
Every single detail was executed with perfection. The pre-trip documentation was superb, the guides/drivers in each location were so knowledgable and professional, and our accommodations as well as the service provided at the accommodations was beyond First Class. Most of all, our guide was remarkable! Tony was with us from start to finish, and he made our whole journey even more perfect than we could have ever imagined. He was so attentive, professional, knowledgeable, sweet, caring, thoughtful, patient, accommodating, smart, funny, and MORE!! Anyone traveling to Kenya or Tanzania should request that Tony be their guide. You will not regret it!
Thank you for an incredible vacation. It was utter perfection from the moment we booked the trip to the moment we arrived back home.
65+ years of age
Andrew Malalika: The Amazing Safari and Mountain-Trekking Tour Operator
I have known Andrew Malalika of Jackpot Safaris, for some eight years or so. I first became acquainted with this friendly, amicable man, not far from our hotel in Arusha, Tanzania. He was already running his business and was extremely kind and courteous to my friend Aklilu and myself. What impressed me most, was the fact that although we did not initially want business, he was still happy to chat ... to make us feel welcome and was extremely accommodating to us and our World Harmony Run.
I should point out that Andrew is fluent in English and this helped a lot, as he was able to find some boys for us later on, to go on a run up Kilimanjaro, to a total of 4,500 metres. The boys he found was extremely nice and we had a great time on the mountain, singing and chanting Peace songs together.
Andrew was the first person I looked for on my return in 2013. He introduced me and friends to his family, helped in getting me from the airport, showed me around many interesting places, all at his expense and gave me some great advise on living and travelling around Arusha. I did give him some business, yes, but he went the extra mile, as we became friends and some nights ate in really 'cool' restaurants in and around the City Centre.
Andrew shows a keen desire to learn more from the foreigner ... to listen, a very noble trait and has many contacts in key places, including both dignitaries, esteemed partners, porters and guides. He is also an expert in invaluable knowledge of the mountains. He has supreme charismatic skills and charm in looking after his clients and visitors alike.
I hope to use him again on my return this october for both Safari and Kilimanjaro climbs and I would not hesitate in recommending his approach to detail and safety of the foreigner, to all seeking to tour Arusha and beyond. The City and surroundings are blessed from Heaven and there's a great deal to see and enjoy.- Manatita Hutchinson, London. UK
Note: My last visit was 2013. Our website, peacerun.org, is full of photos of the scenery, Arusha, schools and MT. Kilimanjaro from about the 6th Nov, onwards, 2013. I cannot seem to load photos here.