50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great value tour of Uganda's highlights, perfect gorilla experience and blissful Lake Bunyonyi .
This is a Ugandan led tour and its USP is the connection you get with the country through the planned itinerary and the links to local communities that Gatatu offers as part of your experience. This is a budget option that offers real value for money. The accommodation we had was very decent quality, particularly at QE National Park and the Entusi Lodge at Lake Bunyonyi which is as near to an earthly paradise as I've ever encountered. You rough it a little up in the mountains visiting a local community but the rooms there are clean and comfortable and the climate is cool and sleeping is easy. We were well fed and had no problems at all with stomach upsets! Gatatu's foresight in that department was much appreciated. Our driver Stefan was brilliant. His driving was excellent, safe and thoughtful, he was a great guide and a really enjoyable companion. Always willing to answer questions about the wildlife and all aspects of Ugandan life, especially music which is a big passion of mine ( I now have 8GB of Ugandan and other African sounds which I'm gradually working my through). The pace of the tour and its variety were spot on. Not too much but lots to keep you fascinated and delighted. The highlights for me were the cruise along the Kizenga Channel, with a dazzling variety of animals and birds, and above all an amazing encounter with the gorillas in Bwindi INP. We were exceptionally fortunate in meeting them, just the 2 of us, after only 30 minutes trekking. It was a remarkable and deeply moving experience for which I am truly grateful to Richard and his colleagues. The big surprise of the tour for me was Lake Bunyonyi, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and which I intend to revisit soon. Finally its important to remember that Gatatu is a Ugandan business. Your money benefits local workers and businesses and helps Richard and his colleagues to support a school for poor families in in his local town of Kabale. If you want a really Ugandan experience of the wildlife and landscapes of this beautiful country Gatatu is a great choice.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing, once in a life time experience!
We were a family of four (adult kids) who booked the 4-day Camping Safari with Tanzania Expeditions over the Christmas period 2015.
We were very well taken care of and the trip was a fantastic experience overall. All payments were handled professionally and we got a competitive rate for our package. The main reason why we chose this company over others were that the communication before the deposit was paid was all dealt with promptly and efficiently.
We had organised for the safari company to book us bus tickets from Dar es Salaam-Arusha before the safari and this worked well. When we arrived in Arusha they picked us up from the bus station as arranged and dropped us off at our pre-safari accommodation. The safari started the following day and we were very happy with the content of the tour and what we got to see. The nature is absolutely stunning and everyone should go on a safari in their life! We also got there just in time for the great migration which was spectacular. The food was of very good quality our driver was a very personable and good fun. We also had a case of illness during the tour which they dealt with very well.
The slight hickups were that our upgrade on the first night was fully booked when we arrived on sight so we got the "normal" accommodation instead. We also had a car break down but I think this is something that could happen with any company. They dealt with this by letting us ride with a different tour provider for the last day which worked out fine. We could have also wished for more facts about the animals and nature as we saw them but this was just a minor observation. Overall we had a fantastic time and would recommend Tanzania Expeditions to other travellers.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g297913-d6964527-r354092618-Tanzania_Expeditions-Arusha_Arusha_Region.html#
DE
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Reliable and Competent
Uhuru Travel gave me sufficient and detailed information on my safari and gave attention to all my wishes. The tour itself was well organized, the guide attentive and competent.
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
Great tour, nice food and great camping, near masai mara tribe.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A good mid-range safari experience
Overall, the safari was good and services were well provided. Food and accommodation were good, as expected. People (guides, cooks etc.) were nice. The only thing that was maybe less easy was the preparation and the communication before the safari. Some informations were lacking or could have been provided much more in advance.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The service was great, as was the actual trip. I'll recommend it to everyone!
I've had an absolute amazing first safari experience thanks to Afric'Aventure! I'll definitly recommend Afric'Aventure to everyone back home. Thanks for the amazing time and service!
In general very happy with the service
Everything was very good specially the driver-guide and cook.
The only issue we had is when we were entering Serengeti we had to pay the fees of the park which was about 600 USD. Everything was supposed to be included and payed in advance. However, Noah return the amount payed the day after through Paypal.
However, as I said before, apart from this issue, everything was very good.
NL
Experience level: first safari
A wonderful experience in Tanzania
We had a wonderful time with Quest. The weather was fantastic. Each day brought something new. From the moment we arrived at the airport to the time we were dropped off, we were well looked after. The itinerary worked out really well. I would definitely recommend them if you are seeking a great experience at a good price.
Cape Vidal Park
Cape Vidal is an amazing destination. The place is beautiful. The staff at the park were friendly and helpful. The only (Constructive ) criticism that I have, is that log cabin no. 3 is in bad need of repair, we had to be moved to another cabin for the next night, as it leaked like a sieve. The other cabin (no. 10) was in better shape, but the water in the toilet had to be switched on and off at the tap as it ran continuously. In general the state of repair is not good, and a sharper eye is needed in management. Taking all that into consideration, it was still a great place to stay!!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 3-day safari to Mikumi National Park
We booked a 3-day safari in Mikumi National Park in March 2016 for two persons with Hello Tanzania. It was a last-minute booking, as we started the inquiry on Friday and wanted to leave already three days later on Monday. Originally we wanted to visit Selous too, but as we leaned from Ms Mwajabu of Hello Tanzania, that is impossible in March, as it is rainy season and the lodges are closed. Ms Mwajabu was very pleasant to deal with. She reacted immediately, sent a complete itinerary, consisting of transfer from and to Dar es Salaam, two half-day and one full-day game drives, all meals, soft drinks and snacks on the way, and a stay in a mid-rang lodge. She answered all our questions, booked a very nice lodge for us (Camp Bastian Lodge), and arranged a driver and a car to pick us up where we stayed in Dar Es Salaam on Monday morning. She also made sure that the staff at the lodge knew about our dietary preference which is vegan, so absolutely no animal products. We paid the fee, $600 per person, in advance, plus a 5% service fee, via the online payment provider Ms Mwajabu selected.
The drive from Dar to Mikumi took about 6 hours, including two bathroom breaks on the way. Mikumi is a beautiful national park, with vast open landscapes and mountains in the background. There is so much wildlife that you can literally spot animals at almost every corner. Already during the afternoon drive on the first day of our safari we saw baboons, impala, shoebill, giraffes, elephants, warthogs, gnus, and zebras. On the second day we also saw hippos, lions, vervet monkeys, a monitor lizard, water buffaloes, vultures, marabous, superb starlings, crowned lapwings, and many other birds and butterflies. We visited during the beginning of the rainy season, so not all roads were possible to drive on, but we definitely saw a lot of different animals and species in those three days and took hundreds of beautiful photos through the open roof of the safari vehicle, a 20+ year-old Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. Watching the animals in their natural habitat was what we came for, and we were rewarded with an absolutely wonderful experience, which we will certainly remember for the rest of our lives. The driver had good knowledge about the different species we saw and did his best to answer all our questions about the animals, their English and Swahili names, their behavior, and all kinds of peculiarities.
We also enjoyed our stay at the lodge very much. The staff was friendly and attentive, the property is situated in a beautiful garden, and our dietary preferences were met by providing us with delicious vegan meals. The room was clean, if a bit small, had two beds, a fan, mosquito nets, and had a shared bathroom (which we didn't have to share as the other rooms in our cabin weren't occupied) and a veranda with deck chairs. The property includes a restaurant and a bar with comfortable seating around a little fire pit, which keeps the mosquitos away from the guests.
Unfortunately the old vehicle broke down twice on our trip: on the first afternoon due to a defective fuel injection which kept us sitting in a mud hole at a 30-degree sideways angle for almost two hours in the middle of the park, until the driver had arranged help and the safari car of the lodge picked us up. The second time it was because the battery had died during our drive back to Dar. We were stuck in Chalinze, 120km from Dar, for another two hours, until the driver had bought and built in a new battery. Also, one of the rear passenger doors didn't open, and the air conditioning wasn't working either, which is a bit of a drag on a 6-hour drive at 34C, especially when sitting in Dar's traffic jam. The driver was very apologetic about the vehicle incidents, but it would have been a more pleasant experience in a more reliable and comfortable vehicle.
While we were very happy with the game drives, the driver tried several times to cut them short. On the second day, he wanted to drop us off at the lodge already after lunch, even though we had booked a full-day game drive. On the third day, he wanted to leave for Dar already in the morning, even though the itinerary had promised us another park entry and half-day game drive. Although we had already seen animals of all species after the morning of the second day, we enjoyed watching the animals very much, so we had to insist that we wanted the full program as booked. The driver was also not aware of our dietary preference and on the way to the park stopped at a place in Morogoro that had chicken soup for lunch. We rejected and waited until we were at the park, where we had a nice lunch made of rice and cooked vegetables.
Apart from these small glitches the safari was a truly great experience, and I hope we will be able to return someday to Tanzania to see more of the gorgeous nature and wildlife this fascinating country has to offer.