IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Roberto is very professional. Guides are very kind and friendly. We enjoyed the experience so much!
Excellent communications with the agency.
They were very clear and willing to answer all our questions.
Our guide for Safari, Richard, was so kind and friendly!
The service was very good.
The chef DVD was very clever, he managed to Cook everywhere!
I would definitely advise Savannah Explorers for a Safari in Tanzania.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience!!
Paul and his team helped us to get a fantastic experience during our stay in Tanzania.
The arrangements were perfectly coordinated from the moment we arrived to the airport, personalized assistance and very accommodating of all our requests. Excellent service, safe driving and great knowledge of the area! I highly recommend their services and hope to have the chance to come back soon!!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great sightings and a comfortable ride.
The driver was knowledgeable, kind, and very patient! We saw just about everything we’d hoped, and felt like we were able to explore most of the park. A very enjoyable experience.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
All was amazing, they pay an attention on the feeling of the clients and ability
Every minute they are checking if you are ok, food waa excellent, guide was helping your needs and physicall status
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experience, top-notch company
Exploring Nairobi National Park has been a huge dream and this safari was even beyond my expectations. The staff was incredibly professional, kind, and knowledgeable. The amount of time was perfect and the route allowed us to see all kinds of terrain and wildlife. Would 100% recommend to anyone traveling to Nairobi!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Madagascar, South Africa & Namibia - Unforgettable experience
My 5th grader and a small group middle school and high school students along with educators and a few parents went to Madagascar as a part of a school organized trip in Northern Virginia. We wanted to extend the trip for a total of 4 weeks (2 weeks - Madagascar/School trip and 2 weeks - Family trip with 2 boys 14 yrs and 11 yrs - South Africa/Namibia), and decided to work with Chalo Africa for the entire trip (as they were recommended by the school). From start to finish - and they were incredible. They by far exceeded all of our expectations and went above and beyond anything we could have ever imagined. We are last minute travelers, so booking safaris and other unique experiences in such short notice is incredibly difficult to do alone. But they have many connections & contacts and were able to provide us with top notch accommodations in less than a month before our trip. We are not typical touristy travelers, as we tend to enjoy non-obvious type vacations that create long lasting memories and experiences. Sangeeta listened to our needs and from talking to us - she suggested traveling to Namibia (which wasn't even on our radar), and created an itinerary that fit perfectly with our travel style. She recommended that we participate in Rhino conservation where a group of scientists sedate the endangered rhino and perform rhino notching. I didn't know what to expect, and had never heard of this before. I have to say that being a part of this experience of Rhino darting/notching is something our family will never forget. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. We received a leather bound journal and itinerary, information guides on animals - geared for the kids, a safari cross-body bag and binoculars. They provided us with detailed information about clothing, what to bring, what to expect, helped us figure out immunizations/shots etc. Madagascar was organized by teachers from the school and they worked with Sangeeta and her team to create the itinerary. My husband and my 11 year went to Madagascar and really enjoyed the trip. We were also able to communicate with the team and the ground team through Whatsapp during our entire stay. Any questions or concerns were handled immediately. It was such a pleasure to work with them. Our trip was complicated, with several stays, flights, and requests - and I'm so impressed that they were able to figure it out in such a short time. I have already recommended Chalo Africa to several of our friends who were amazed when they saw our pics of our accommodations and destinations. We will definitely be using them again.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great operator, but much of the experience hinges on local guides, not the tour company.
Very responsive operator...we texted and figured out details over the weekend just before the safari. The pickup service was prompt and friendly, and the vehicle was comfortable. Meals were as expected for the price—basic but tasty. The tent was also as expected.
One thing to be aware of is that the “polers” and guide are part of the village community and they are assigned from a rotating list. Thus, as I understood, the boat operators and tour guides (who also help with camp requirements) can be hit-or-miss. Ours were very friendly and knew what they were doing (good empirical / local knowledge) but not stellar on technical knowledge and customer experience. The Shipungo staff was great, though. Overall it was an amazing experience.
PT
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Zimbabwe Adventure
The organisation, transfers, flights etc were excellent Victoria Falls hotel for the first 2 nights lived up to all expectations and of course the Falls were truly magnificent. Everything about Verneys Camp was superb - the staff, the accommodation, the food and good wildlife spotting there - including 2 male and 3 female lions and the 2 painted dogs in the Conservation Roan and Sable antelope and elephants at the water hole, with hyena etc. Rhino Camp at Matusadona was a bit disappointing. The Camp was run very well but there was no wildlife to see except elephants and impala. Zambezi Expeditions Camp was again the accommodation, guides and staff were everything you could wish for. We even saw 3 painted female dogs, 2 male cheetah and loads of elephants, impala, zebra etc.
All in all a good holiday but not the best safari we have been on in other African counties regarding wildlife.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderfull trip !
We had a great family holiday in Tanzania and Zanzibar with Tanzania Specialist. Mathilde, our contact to organize the trip was great, we were able to modulate the trip exactly as we wanted and for a more reasonable budget than other agencies. Zoe, our on-site contact was very responsive and always found a solution to help us when we had problems with luggage, late international flights ...
The accommodations chosen by the agency were superb.
We were blown away by the scenery.
I highly recommend a trip to Tanzania / Zanzibar and Tanzania Specialist!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
8 Day Tanzania Safari and 4 day Zanzibar Beach Holiday
The following is a very thorough review of our 5* safari holiday, majestically delivered by the Wild Secret Safari team! Without a shadow of a doubt, the best family holiday I have had.
The Safari
We were a family of 5, including 2 Children. Rashid organised everything for us from the hotels/camps/lodges to airport transfers. As soon as we arrived in Tanzania we were met with our tour guide Nathan at the airport. We stayed in Arusha for one night, then our Safari begun to Tarangire national park to get a flavour of whats to come before moving onto the beautiful landscapes of Serengeti. We visited Central and Northern parts of Serengeti and witnessed the amazing Wildebeest Migration, including the river crossing on 2 separate occasions! Nathan was a very friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. He took us on game drive routes not many other tour guides were familiar with, due to his vast experience. He could spot animals from quite a distance and we were able to see Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards, Elephants, Zebras, Giraffes, Baboons, Wildebeest, Buffalos, Hippos, Crocs and Hyena, including exotic birds and much more! He also made us the best hot chocolates!
We had some awesome encounters with Lions and Elephants, something we will never forget! The roads are quite bumpy and dusty in Serengeti just be aware. Nathan was an excellent driver though, he tried to make the journey as pleasant as possible. We met him every morning with a spotless car and good banter!
Moving on to Ngorongoro crater was a very memorable experience, the number of animals we came across in a short amount of time was amazing. We even had a nice picnic lunch and took some incredible pictures! Lake Manyara we visited on our way back to Arusha, which was a nice national park but with less action compared to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
Halal Food
With our safari package our food was catered for, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. After breakfast at the camps/lodges we were out for morning game drives.
Our lunches were prepared for us every day by the camps/lodges in our picnic boxes which we would eat outside in designated picnic areas located in the National Parks, or in our Jeep. Lunch boxes were made to order by telling the staff in the lodges our chosen options for the day.
Dinner- we were always back at the lodges/camps in time for dinner which was usually served around 7/7.30pm.
All the food was Halal in the camps/lodges we stayed in, which was amazing. Stress free! The owner of the Ole Serai camps is a Muslim himself so we were at ease.
Accomadation
All our camps and lodges were luxurious with beautiful views of sunsets/sunrises. We enjoyed every moment in them, including the gourmet Halal food. They exceeded our expectations! All the staff were so friendly and welcoming. We would definitely choose Ole Serai again in our next visit!
Massai Village
During our stay we had a chance to visit a Massai Village, for an extra cost, not included in our package. It is a $50 entry free to visit them, charged per family. You are able to see them dance and take as many pics/videos of them. They will show you around, where they live and show you inside their huts. The chief will tell you about their culture, lifestyle, religion etc. You can even join in on their dancing if you would like and then at the end they will show you their hand crafted items for sale. This felt a bit unpleasant as we felt we were pressured to buy something to support them, even though we had already paid them an entry fee. Also, their prices are crazy, so haggling was required. At the end we were told to leave because another family were here-which left us a little disappointed. Overall we didn’t feel like it was worth it as it wasn't really an authentic encounter, better off visiting a real massai village.
Shopping
There are a small shops on the sides of the road while driving out of Arusha or into Manyara. You can ask the driver to stop by to do some souvenir shopping. Just to warn you, you will need to do a lot of negotiating and haggling at these places since they will start off with the crazy prices which will leave you feeling very frustrated. E.g. $10 for 1 keyring.
Tanzanite (this part was written by the Mrs!)
If you want to buy some tanzanite please ask your guide to take you to a genuine place, like the Safari Galleria, or some places have tanzanite counters inside hotels. There is discounts and haggling involved in buying tanzanite as well, if you want the best quality choose AAA+. They are pricey but they are beautiful gems!
Zanzibar
We stayed at a beautiful resort for 3 nights – all inclusive food. The beaches in Zanzibar are incredible with white sands. This a really nice place to come and relax after your hectic safari trip.
Overall our Safari was amazing, Africa is a beautiful country. We would 100% come back again through Wild Secret Safaris.
