35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
No detail goes untouched with TCS--they think of everything to ensure your trip is amazing.
Tanzania Choice Safaris provided a wonderful experience for our family that includes two small children. Tailoring the accommodations and itinerary to suit our family's needs, they went out of their way to ensure our trip was memorable. Thank you Brenda and Kakasii!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A paradise of birds
At about 45km from Lake Langano, going in the direction of Addis Ababa Capital, it is possible to stop in the small town of Zua which is an excellent starting point for visiting Lake Ziway.
Zua is a tiny, fervent town of humanity and although the primary goal is to visit Lake Ziway it can also be interesting to spend some time observing the frenetic activity of the population intent on daily activities.
It is possible to visit the lake by boat, rented by one of the many fishermen who will be happy to take you around in exchange for an appropriate fee, but for those who did not have too much time and wanted to see the largest number of endemic species the advice is to take a walk through one of Zua's piers.
With a short walk you can see many species of birds that frequent the pier or its surroundings, looking for food. The first, and the one with the greatest impact, is certainly the African Marabou, a large bird belonging to the Ciconiidae family, which, however, has very little of the beauty of its most famous cousins, the white storks. The Marabou has, more or less, the same size of the stork but the similarities end there: the beak is definitely larger and less graceful and the head looks like a bald head on which grows a disordered tuft of hair. In addition to being unattractive, Marabou also has a "questionable" diet, feeding, mostly, corpses. On the other hand brilliantly fulfills his role as a sweeper for which it is tolerated and is not bothered by the natives.
In addition to the Marabou it is possible to see small groups of Pelicans, who are often attracted by the fishermen in the port who throw fish scraps, the Alopochen aegyptiaca, more commonly known as "Egyptian goose", of the friendly Scopus Umbretta, small hammer-headed birds and , finally, of the beautiful Martin Pescatori.
Passing an hour on the pier you can see many species but if you want to deepen the visit, with a motor boat and a few hours available, you can enjoy a relaxing trip with which to observe many species of birds.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional tour planning with a local operator
Tongesai provided professional service with excellent communications to arrange our three day Hwange safari at Sable Sands. Tongesai and his company can arrange many different personalized trip itineraries and tours, but we only had him help with the safari booking and transport to Sable Sands. He provided clean, safe transport with excellent driving (he drove us himself). Sable Sands itself is an excellent safari lodge with professional guides that we greatly enjoyed. Sitting at dinner watching the staff encourage elephants to move off the lodge grounds, and being kept awake listening to elephants splashing in the water hole and trumpeting outside our hut is a particular memory.
In all, we felt Cultural Vibes provided a good value and professional booking service. Payment was simple using a secure bank payment system (a sort of PayPal), and much cheaper than bank transfers. Tongesai also has a shop in the Elephant Walk shopping area, and we got some batik table runners there.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
15 Day Uganda & Rwanda Safari
My husband and I booked a private 15 days Uganda and Rwanda tour with Prime Safaris after reading excellent reviews of the company and having Cate finalise an itinerary that would showcase both wildlife and landscapes.
The entire trip went very smoothly; our driver guide Denis was very professional and made sure that all our expectations were met, if not surpassed. The mostly luxury accommodation was perfect for our needs and we thoroughly enjoyed each day's sights and activities.
Having visited many other countries in Africa we arrived in Uganda/Rwanda thinking that we would see some different landscapes and learn more about the people, culture and history of those not- so- visited countries. We took the view that any amazing wildlife sightings (especially our favourites the big cats) would be 'icing on the cake'. As it turned out, we had many fantastic sightings of lions and leopards throughout Uganda, we saw even more lions in the fabulous Akajera NP in Rwanda, and the mountain gorilla experience in Bwindi NP was just incredible.
We are fortunate to travel several times a year and have visited countless countries and all continents. This safari experience would definitely be in our top five trips of all time.
We rarely return to one country as there is always a new place to visit, but we will definitely return to Uganda to experience more of the east and north-east and to revisit the wonderful Murchison Falls NP. We hope to do this in the next two years, once again utilising the services of Prime Safaris and especially Cate and Denis.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experiences provided by a company that made us feel like family.
For the honeymoon of our dreams in Tanzania, my wife and I set our expectations incredibly high. I'm so grateful that I can say those expectations were exceeded in droves. A month later, we're still re-living hundreds of unique and special moments from our trip, and we will be for a long time. Without a doubt, choosing Tanzania Choice Safaris (TCS) was the best decision we could have possibly made.
My wife was incredibly lucky that she knew Brenda through a mutual colleague at work, and we sought her out for an initial conversation about our honeymoon. Over a series of Skype calls, we got hours of one-on-one guidance on choosing a customized itinerary that met our preferences perfectly. Brenda carefully provided us with highly detailed proposals for each element of the trip, and after a few rounds of adjustment (we're a bit picky), our itinerary was set: an 8-day climb of Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho Route, seven days of safari through Tarangire, Ngorongoro (including the crater and the Ndutu Plains, and Central Serengeti, and four days in Zanzibar. More important than our itinerary was the realization that TCS was a family company that had made us feel like family, even before we had gotten to Tanzania.
When we arrived, exhausted but excited, at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, we were greeted by Brenda and Festo, our lead guide for Kilimanjaro. Almost immediately, they made us feel welcome and comfortable, and we knew we were in good hands. We took the drive to the Weru Weru River Lodge in Moshi, where we did a quick gear check with Festo and then got some rest. We slept well that night knowing that we were going to spend the next eight days with someone so personable, so knowledgeable, and so thoughtful. The next day, at Lemosho Gate, we got to know our 10 porters, cook, and assistant guide, all of whom were cut from the same cloth as Festo: upbeat, positive, attentive, and supportive. And that service orientation means everything when you're on the mountain. Each day of the hike was beautiful and different, and some days were truly challenging. When your appetite goes, or your head starts hurting, or you start having trouble sleeping (or all of the above), it makes a huge difference when you have people that are genuinely invested in your well-being. That was most apparent during some our toughest days, including a long and slow ascent from Barafu Camp to the summit, when we needed that support the most. I'm convinced that Festo and Augustine (our assistant guide) provided the key ingredients that enabled us to reach the top.
With much anticipation for both rest and wildlife, we transitioned to the safari portion of the trip. Our guide (and driver and navigator and wildlife expert and storyteller) Leslie, met us at the base of the mountain at Mneka Gate. Once again, we knew we were in great hands right from the start. We spent a night at the Weru Weru River Lodge that evening, and found a congratulatory bottle of wine and cold chocolate bars waiting for us in our room. What an awesome surprise from Brenda! The next day, we set out northeast to Tarangire National Park, and the week that followed, we'd make our way through Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu Plains, and finally Serengeti National Park. To go into detail on each of these days wouldn't do them justice. Suffice it to say that each day was a unique and thrilling adventure. Leslie didn't just know each of these parks intimately from memory (no map, no GPS), he could identify the dozens mammals and hundreds of birds we encountered--from the rare bat-eared fox to the European roller--without hesitation. Leslie is also incredibly warm and has a great sense of humor. We spent hours with him during our days and ate nearly every meal with him at our table, and we loved every minute. I should also say that the accommodations selected by TCS were absolutely perfect. We were in bush camps every night, but far from roughing it. In-tent bathrooms and showers and comfortable beds made each night's stay a joy.
During the safari, thanks to Leslie, we saw each of the big five, we witnessed a lion kill a wildebeest, we saw lion cubs nursing, and we saw a handful of predators with fresh kills. And all of it was from a distance of no more than 50 feet, and usually much closer. We took more than 5,000 pictures on our little 25x zoom camera, and the images are breathtaking. The moment we confirmed that Leslie was truly special was during our lunch at Central Serengeti Visitors Center. Upon arrival, he was quickly surrounded by young guides-in-training at the Visitors Center like he was a living legend. We showed those aspiring guides some of the photos we'd taken, including leopard and rhinoceros, and they were blown away. Our drive back to Arusha from Serengeti was a bit bittersweet. We were excited to experience Zanzibar, but sad to leave our new friend. Leslie had taken such incredible care of us, and we had some amazing memories to carry forward.
After reaching the airport in Zanzibar, we were greeted by our guide, Khamis, who gave us a history lesson as we made the 1.5-hour drive to Nungwi. We checked in and said goodbye, and began our three-day "do-nothing" stretch along pristine beaches, at rooftop bars for sunset, and in gourmet restaurants. Our three-night stay at the Flame Tree Cottages was perfect. The hotel was small, close enough to the action but far enough to have some quiet. There was a pool, a beachside bar, and breakfast every morning on the patio of our suite. Though we stayed in touch with Khamis via WhatsApp, we asked for our space and that's what we got. He picked us up right on time on our second-to-last day so we could make the drive to Stone Town for a night in the city. We were lucky to have some friends visiting from Dar Es Salaam, so we spent the day with them and then ventured to the Old Stone Fort for Sauti Za Busara, the annual music festival. We hadn't timed the trip to be there, but the festival was a great bonus, and a perfect way to cap off nearly three weeks in Tanzania. The next day, Khamis met us in the lobby of the charming Seyyida Hotel, and we (reluctantly) made the drive to the airport for the 20 minute flight back to Dar, and from there, back home.
The beauty of this trip is that I can remember so much of it, so vividly. That's probably because we were genuinely happy with everything, from start to finish. That only happens when you have a company, and a group of guides, that is so highly invested in your happiness as TCS. I would strongly recommend them to anyone with even a remote desire to visit Tanzania at any point. You'll be so happy you did!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
EXCELLENT COMPANY
They answer very quick on every question. Service is perfect: they care about nice accomodation, delicious food and the best safari guide who has got a big knowledge about animals . We were with Nasr and he was really nice man who care about us like about his family. I reccommend all company if you would like to spent the best time in your life!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
climbing kilimanjaro
Fantastic time with Moorland safaris from start to finish nothing was too much for them in fact I will be back to use there safari tours in the future
CA
John is the best! Taking you everywhere you have to go!
Great and easy ! Very good and kind people ..
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Holiday
This is my second time using AAA Express Adventure and Jalal continues to do an amazing job at organizing a great trip. Everything was organized well and exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend using him for all of your East Africa trips.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A 5 star operation with excellent hospitality
Tanzania Choice Safaris provided a truly fantastic and amazing climb of Kilimanjaro via the 8-day Lemosho Route! As a group leader of a larger group (22 people) it was very easy to work with Brenda, Kakasii and Festo (mountain guide) leading up to the trip. The pre-trip communication was professional, timely and very helpful. The in-country and on-mountain experience of TCS was awesome: abundant Tanzanian hospitality, with an amazing crew of assistant guides, porters and chefs. We were welcomed, encouraged, supported and enabled to the top of the mountain, and back down. Of our 22 climbers, 21 made it to Uhuru and one to Stella Point. Given the size of our group this was an overwhelming success, but even if we hadn't summited our group experience with Tanzania Choice was excellent! I highly recommend Tanzania Choice Safaris for your Kili climb (with a big or small group).
