DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible
We (me and 6 other people) did a 3 day safari (2 nights) with Qualified Tours and it was really great! Our guide picked us up on the first day in the morning at our accommodation in Arusha and we went directly to the first national park - Tarangire. In advance, we clarified everything easily via WhatsApp and were able to select our desired route. Included in the price was everything from guide to accommodation to food and water. The Tarangire National Park was super beautiful. In the evening we drove to the accommodation that Qualified Tours booked for us and were overwhelmed! We were accommodated in the super beautiful Hhando coffe lodge and had a 4-course menu in the evening (drinks had to be paid extra). The houses we slept in were super nice and big, there is a pool and the breakfast buffet was also very good! On the second day we went to the Ngorongoro Crater and were overwhelmed by nature and the animals. We then spent the afternoon at the beautiful pool in the lodge and in the evening there was a delicious buffet. We spent the last day in Lake Manyara National Park and in the evening our guide took us back to an accommodation in Arusha. I highly recommend Qualified Tours! It was super great!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very pleasant and easy to work with.
Ndamungu was very pleasant to deal with everyday! !
NG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Private tour of Prison Island
The services and communication were excellent and the tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. the prison island tour was fun and i would definitely recommend it.
IL
Best trip ever
We are a family of four and it was memorable and special holiday. Everything was Excellent organised
The planning of our safari was thorough and gave us, as first timers, a safari as complete as I can imagine Our guide on safari was superb very knowledgeable and well spoken he ensured our safari experience was superb. The lodges were fabulous, the surprisingly good. We had 10 days in Tanzania followed by a beach holiday in Zanzibar including a day in stone town. We loved it and regional tours took all the hassle out of our trip. We would highly recommend MercuryZanzibarSafari
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Worth it! Exceeded all expectations and wouldn't change a thing!
Wow we don't even know where to start with our review of East African Safari, but basically it ends with smiles and two thumbs up! Simon was beyond helpful answering our many, many questions and was also very accommodating with our requests on length of trip, and where we wanted to stay at night. We E-mailed other safari operators as well but Simon's prompt and helpful replies, in addition to their community integration and conservation efforts, is really what sold it for us. This cost is a bit higher than other operators, but as we soon found out that it is 100% WORTH IT!
Just a few quick details about our trip: 10 days Safari, starting in Mwanza with stay near Speke Bay, and then passing through Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, and finally flying out from Arusha.
Our guide, Cosmos, was beyond expectations and definitely one of the reasons the trip ended up perfect for us. He met us promptly at the airport in Mwanza with a big smile and immediately shuttled us over to the Tilapia Hotel so that we could relax after being on airplanes for 20+ hours. The place even had a pool and gorgeous view of the water so we felt relaxed and ready to go the next morning! Cosmos was waiting for us right when he promised, and after chatting for a bit we knew he was going to be a great guide over the next 9 days. We were both interested in learning Swahili for the trip and so were constantly bugging him for swahili translations but he energetically answered every question we had!
One of the first big highlights that made us glad we chose EASTCO happened when our original hotel for the second day, the Speke Bay Lodge, ended up being full so instead Simon got us rooms at nearby Serenity on the Lake lodge...which was one of the nicest places we've ever stayed! Throughout the entire trip there were multiple instances like this, where things didn't go exactly as planned (for those of you you've traveled to Africa this shouldn't be a surprise) only to find that Cosmos and Simon would improvise quickly to make everything perfect for us!
Every day had a pretty standard routine, Cosmos would tell us what time to meet him, we'd drive around watching wildlife, and then spend afternoons back at the lodges. My girlfriend and I are slow eaters so a few times were a little late to meet him at the vehicle but he would just respond with a smile and the usual Tanzanian response of "No worries! Pole Pole!" Cosmos' energy, promptness, and especially knowledge of African wildlife really were incredible. He'd usually spot and identify wildlife before we could even see them! We managed to see every bit of wildlife we had planned (including rhinos and leopards) and he even managed to find something I had absolutely been dying to observe...a leopard tortoise! I can't stress that enough with Cosmos, he will go out of his way to make sure you get a chance to see what you want and he has the eyes and intuition to make it happen. At the same time, he is also very patient and would sit quietly while we sat for long periods of time just to watch a pride of lions eating or hippos bathing.
Another reason we're glad we went with EASTCO: I accidentally left my cell phone at one of the lodges which of course is always a stressful situation. However, Simon called and had the lodge actually mail the phone to himself in Arusha, after which he personally organized a driver to BRING THE PHONE down to us near Tarangire park!! We didn't have to worry at all about the entire situation because it was handled perfectly by Simon and Cosmos, and phone was delivered back safely into my hands!
Also, we had planned (and paid) to stay at the Rhino Lodge near the Ngorongoro crater because it was a more budget friendly lodge option, but on the day were supposed to head over there Cosmos got a text from Simon telling him to put us up in the Serena Wildlife Lodge instead!! For no extra cost to us! For those of you unaware, Rhino lodge is a budget lodge away from crater rim, while Serena is one of the few luxury lodges that actually sit on the rim...with an incredible view! This was a very pleasant surprise for us, and I have to be honest, that hot shower felt incredible after a dusty day in the crater.
The final days of the trip were spent in East African Safari's own lodge, the Boundary Hill Lodge (can check out our review on TripAdvisor) which also exceeded our every expectation. Reading about the history of the lodge was inspirational, basically created to help support the local communities (and indeed even 50% owned by those same communities) and an inseparable part of the Tarangire Conservation Area. One our final day Cosmos took us around souvenir shopping and even offered to help bargain with vendors if we needed the backup (a very nice offer sometimes when buying things as a traveler!).
In summary, if you want a dependable, quality, top-notch safari with a guide who is friendly and very knowledgeable...then pick East African Safari Company! Also I should mention that Simon also organized all of our airfare to other places around Tanzania. We picked them because of their integration and support of local communities and incredible work with wildlife conservation (basically the entire reason Boundary Hill Lodge was even created) but found that they also provided a better Safari trip than we could have ever hoped. Absolutely worth it!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
the best operator in all Africa!
mercury zanzibar safari for me is the top service in all Africa. Mister Ndamungu, the boss, is a special person.
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The one of greatest safari companies.
The company think of the needs of tourists the best such as the balance of destination and costs. Thanks to this company, I could have a trip to ngororo and serengeti. Also, the company replys the soonest. This helps tourists so much. I really thank this company.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unbelievable experience with Mercury Tours
We went to Mikumi National Park with Mercury Tours, it was a greatly experience, we really enjoy safari. Our driver guide is a great person. I recomende this companie because they have very good relation, and they are very seriously .
LU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect safari experience
The pick-up was at the hotel and in time, good driver/guide who brought us to Selous and Mikumi in a 4x4 Landcruiser. Food during the 4 nights was above expectations and we enjoyed it very much. Lot to see in the reserves, quite a long drive from Selous to Mikumi, but interesting.
Overall very good safari experience, Thanks.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very professional and well organized
Did the two day Tarangire and Ngorongoro Tour, which was amazing. Mdee, my tour guide was very professional, an excellent driver and very knowledgeable. I felt safe and well taken care of the whole trip.
I would highly recommend booking this safari tour because it will assure that you will see a lot of animals in a short period of time. Within the two days I spotted all of the big 5 animals. And besides that many, many more.
Also the hotel where we spent the night was very good, clean and the food on the complete trip was plenty and also very tasty.