AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not use this company! Terrible professionalism.
My wife and I did the 7 night wildebeest migration safari in mid-August 2019.
We were picked up at the airport and driven to Arusha to meet Daniel and asked to handover the full trip cost in cash – several thousand USD. Do not do this as if we hadn’t we would have cancelled and used another company due to issues which occurred later. I suggest you ‘pay as you go’, only pay by credit card and get a receipt. Others did this on our tour. Once we paid the money Daniel failed to answer any of our calls during the trip when we tried to inform him of the guide’s behaviour or seek his assistance. It was really unprofessional.
The first night, the guide, Malaki came to our hotel and told us he would pick us up the next day at 8am for our drive into the Serengeti. We were ready at 7.45am at reception having checked out of the hotel but Malaki did not arrive until 10.45am without bothering to answer our calls or inform us of the delay. Upon arrival Malaki informed us that he was late because the others on the tour wanted to sleep in. This caused an argument between us and the other tour members which was a disaster for starting our week long safari experience together. We later found out after bonding with the group that Malaki was in fact lying and the delay was due to the tour company not having all the equipment for the campers. This really was an awful start to the camaraderie of the group and almost ruined the holiday. One customer even left the group after this day due to having experienced the late departure twice in two days and the lies.
The second night after a long drive to the Serengeti we arrived at what Malaki said was our hotel at 7pm only for us to be told at reception that it was full. Our hotel was in fact an hour’s drive away through the pitch black wilderness and Malaki with reckless driving hit a buffalo on the way and failed to stop or show any concern. The other tour members were camping near the first hotel so it meant we lost 2 hours of safari in the morning going to collect them. I would advise that either all members of the tour either stay in a hotel or camp. As we stayed in hotels but frequently had to wait for lengthy periods of time to pack up and set up the camping equipment for others in the morning and evening which made us miss a lot of the best time for safari experiences. The organisation was very poor especially when the hotel package is very expensive.
The serengti heritage camp and kilimanjoa accommodation were really good with super staff but the rest were quite poor. The sernegeti heritage camp boss ensured we had a hot breakfast at 5.30am when all the others just gave us packed boxes. We never really got to enjoy the hotels during daylight as most of the time we were waiting for the campers to set up or pack up which again was really poor organisation. We repeatedly requested that he could drop us at the hotels whilst all the camp site activity was being done but Malaki just repeatedly ignored us and did whatever he felt like. This after spending double what the customers staying at the camp site paid.
Wildlife was great. We saw the big 5 plus wildebeest migration and a lot more. However, after a while Malaki would not wait very long for us to take in the sites or see animals that we wanted to as he had a mind of his own and was always on the phone.
On the way out of the Sernegti Malaki took us to a Masai camp of one of his friends and they tried to charge us $20 each just to visit the village. We all said no and Malaki spent the rest of the tour sulking, being grumpy and not listening to anything we requested.
At the end one of the tour one member chose to give a tip to the chef but not Malaki due to his behaviour and Malaki, due to his arrogance, started shouting at him. It was really shocking.
I really wouldn’t recommend this company. I would recommend you hire a private bus with a group of 4-6 friends/family and there were many tour companies which looked much more professional than this one.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari organized by a highly dedicated and reliable team
Despite the fact that I booked on very short notice, the Elida team arranged a perfectly planned 7-day safari for me. On the first day, the director David and my guide Tim arrived well before the agreed pick-up time to make sure that they find the pick-up address on time.
During the whole trip, Elizabeth and David were available via WhatsApp or phone and made sure that I was enjoying the safari.
Tim was a perfect, dedicated guide and a very careful driver who made sure that I see all Big Five and many more animals. He also made sure that I was able to take great photos even though my camera’s zoom was not that good.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Elida Tours & Safaris and would definitely book again with them.
BE
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Two marvellous weeks in Kenya and Tanzania
We had a fantastic safari with African Challenge (24 July to 8 August). Via e-mail, Kennedy tailored the trip to our needs and was always ready to answer any question. His welcome in Nairobi was amazing. While there, we had a day long excursion to the city's main attractions with Erick, who was very knowledgeable and had an incredible store of interesting stories to tell about every place, including Kibera slum. Then, we went on the real safari: Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli in six days. Our driver James (Arama) was fantastic: He seemed to be the cleverest driver in each park and was never satisfied until he had managed to show us literally all the wildlife that could be seen. His sense of humour only added to the pleasure of the experience, and at the end of the week he took care of us until he was sure that we were comfortably seated in the shuttle bus to Tanzania.
After that, we went on the second part of our safari, travelling from Arusha to Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and finally Ngorongoro Crater. Our driver there was Goodluck, who was also very clever at getting us to encounter as many elephants, giraffes, lions etc as we wanted, and knew so much about their lives and habits.
On the whole, the accommodation provided was good. One should be aware of the fact that tented camps are often less comfortable than lodges, but they allow a more intimate contact with nature and the wildlife environment.
The only (minor) issue during that trip was that Kenya and Tanzania are two completely separate worlds as to the organization of a safari. The Tanzania part was organized by Seven Worlds, an agency based in Arusha. Seven Worlds also did an excellent job organizing our safari there, but occasionally communication issues between the two agencies brought about some misunderstandings, which did not lessen the pleasure of this marvellous experience.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was experience of life and unforgettable adventure i had in this tour
I was promised from apodiformes adventures that this will be my life time unforgettable adventure and experience of life and literally it was as they said. Everything was prepared well from transportations, camp, safari, food and balloon. Everything was professionally prepared and when they give me a time they are sharp with the timing and the driver was professional as well.
I had fun and enjoyed my trip and mr silas arranged for me literally everything from A to Z
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very organized and easy to communicate.
Everything was wonderful! Luka was fantastic! Must do tour.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beauty Beyond Our Wildest Expectations
Enchanting Tanzania Safaris delivered more than we ever expected. Our group consisted of 4 vehicles and each vehicle thought they had the best guide. I don't know how anyone could surpass the friendliness, knowledge, and the accomodating that we experienced with our guide...James Foya. We visited Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Masek, Serengeti National Park, a Massai Village and the culture of Arusha. I got pictures of every single animal that I could imagine and over 100 different birds. My cousin and I took over 6000 pictures and when we returned home, there wasn't a single picture that we were willing to erase. I would go again tomorrow and wouldn't change a thing except to spend more time taking in the entire experience and a little less time trying so hard to take the perfect picture.
Enchanting Tanzania Safaris and our guide James Foya made this trip my favorite of all time and I would definitely use them again
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Punctual and Professional Service Provider
I experienced this company's service during 10 Days Southern Circuit Safari with my friends. We were a large group but I was happy with their timing arrival and professionalism in Service.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing African Safari
If you have ever considered going on a Safari, be sure to go with Earthlife Expeditions and ask for Daniel Balela as your guide. We toured Tanzania flying into Arusha. We stayed in 3 beautiful lodges and 3 great tent lodges. The service was amazing as well as great food. More importantly, Daniel showed us every animal imaginable including a close up encounter with the endangered Black Rhino. His knowledge of the animals, birds, plants and people helped to educate us and enhanced the trip so much.
This was a trip of a lifetime and was better than expected. We were able to bring home amazing close up pictures and wonderful memories. Thank you Earthlife Expeditions and Daniel for making this possible.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Hike in Uluguru mountains
Safari partners organized the most wonderful daytrip in the Uluguru mountains. The hike was a beautiful and colorful experience with the most wonderful views and landscapes and enabled us to take part of every day life of the people living in the mountains.
The guide Elton was, besides very friendly companion, a book of knowledge about plants, birds and crops we encountered on our way.
The hike itself was precisely long and tiring enough for me. In all, a perfect way of visiting this beautiful region and a must-do for every tourist visiting this area or even Tanzania.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kilimanjaro Machame Trek with KWESA
Kilimanjaro Wonders Expedition Safari is the best travel company that I have used so far. The company provided us (husband, son 16 and I) with an incredible trekking experience on the Kilimanjaro Machame route. Edward our head guide, his 2 assistant guides Edward and Temba, twelve porters and Moses our cook with is assistant were excellent at their jobs. Edward was a great leader. The whole team was cheerful, motivational, and encouraging. The guides led us at comfortable pace and did health checks every day to see how we were handling the altitude. The porters were amazing. They carried all our equipment and supplies up and down the mountain.
The sleeping tents were in top-notch condition, warm and comfortable to sleep in. The camp cook Moses cooked us breakfast, packed lunch, and supper. The food he cooked was amazing, delicious, and nutritious. He also made us hot cups of tea on cold nights to help us keep warm. Moses also provided us with snacks that to eat while climbing.
Our climb was successful because of the excellent work of the professional Kilimanjaro Wonders Expedition Safari team.
I highly recommend the company.