BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very disappointing - we had to cancel due to medical urgencynand received NO help at all !
We booked on short notice but had to cancel due to medical emergency.the day after we transfered the money. So they had not had make any cost yet. They hid behind their general conditions to do nothing. Flights were booked by their organisation so they had to negotiate and rebook with airline - no initiative; no compensation. Disappointing and very costly’
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safari is was amazing ! Thanks all
Djambo Djambo !
Francis is the best driver, he accompanies you and follows you everywhere. His goal is that you spend an unforgettable stay.
It was the case for me and I already miss him. It's great because we are always connected with him and he still helps us from a distance for the organization and the continuity of our stay. Francis is not only a driver but an unforgettable person. I strongly recommend him.
Take care of him for me!
Thanks again for everything.
He is the best
See you !
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime - THANK YOU SNOWCAP TEAM
Snowcap provided us with an experience that surpassed our best expectations on our journey to Uhuru Peak. Kenneth did an excellent job of communicating with me overseas from day one which gave us confidence that this would be a great experience all along. When we arrived in Tanzania, we were greated by our Sr. Guide Makashi & Kenneth and were able to ride with them to stay at Snowcap Cottages prior to our hike which was wonderful. The entire time on the mountain the team catered to us to make sure we had the best time possible. From the porters, to the cook, waiter, guides, etc. everyone we interacted with added to our enjoyment of the trip. Our guides in particular, Makashi & Saimon, did an absolutely outstanding job of giving us a feel for Tanzanian culture, wildlife, and had a deep knowledge of the Kilimanjaro itself which enhanced our trek each day. We made it to the summit without any issues and were sad to have to leave the team after 7 days with them. Could not recommend this team any more. 10/10
CZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great overall experience
We took the "2-Day Zanzibar to Selous by Boat, Car & Back by Airplane" tour as it looked like an interesting combination, and indeed, it turned to be an unforgettable experience from the first day.
On the first day we took the ferry at 7:00 from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam which was a new experience for us as never before have we travelled by such vehicle. The ferry was a fast machine so the journey took just 90 minutes. The seats were comfortable, there was TV where a movie was running. The ride itself depends on how much you like to travel on sea, for us it was something new to try and experience another aspect of average Tanzanian person's life.
In Dar es Salaam we were greeted by our driver/guide Katuku who drove us to Selous. Seeing daily live in Dar es Salaam was another reason for why this tour is great as you get to feel another side of the local life, this time in a multimillion city. The drive to Selous took about 4 hours (we arrived around 14:00) and we were transported in the "normal 4x4 vehicle" (Toyota Landcruiser "Safari" I think). The vehicle was used also for the game drive on the second day and it was comfortable. In the end we had a private tour so it was just 2 of us in the back.
After being accommodated at the "Africa Safari Selous" lodge, we had lunch and went for "boat safari tour". The tour was good, saw all the animals you could expect on the river. Unfortunately we didn't get to see nice sunset due to cloudy weather. Returning back we had dinner and were ready for the night so let's describe the accommodation.
On the first look, the lodge was a shock for us. In retrospect it's what you should expect from a 3 star african accommodation, however, we don't have much experience with that type so we were truly worried about how we will manage to get through the night lol. Don't get me wrong. The bungalow was clean, bed made up, etc., food tasty (not huge selection but that should be expected) so the accommodation is objectively very good. Just be sure to manage your expectations. In the end the location was marvellous and we enjoyed the lodge a lot, sleeping in nature with hearing wild animals (elephant, bush baby, ...) around you (and also seeing warthogs and baboons in the camp). Of course because of the animals you cannot move around the camp alone during the night but there were massais to escort us when needed.
On the second day Katuku picked us up around 7:00 and the game drive started. Being in the closed vehicle with pop-up roof allowed us to observe elephans from distance that I don't think would be possible in an open safari vehicle (one elephant literary walked around us). The vehicle also shields from trees and dust. We've got to see many animals and Katuku provided a lot of interesting information about them, attending to our questions and accommodating to our needs on how much time we wanted to spend with each animal we encountered. The launch was packed by the hotel and we ate it at a common meeting place where also other safari tours converged. It was a day when nobody saw a lion (we checked during the lunch) but after lunch we managed to find one. Finally we flew back to Zanzibar with other (1-day safari) visitors at 16:00.
Overall it was an amazing experience, we loved the diversity of the tour, the different transportation means, observing a different side of daily Tanzanian life, experience a night on Safari and finally the game drive. If you want to get a feeling for the local life, I recommend the tour. If you will be accompanied by Katuku, you will enjoy his humour, knowledge and overall nice personality.
P.S. Don't forget to bring a binoculars, safari is not a zoo and we were surprised how few people had it.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience!
My friend and I decided to go to Africa and it was a great experience from the moment we start planning until the moment we left. Calvin help us organizing the trip based on our needs and offered a tailored made itinerary with a very competitive price. The drivers, Jonas and Waldon along with the res of the crew were super attentive with us. It has been a lovely experience we would repeat all over again!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Friendly, efficient and flexible, with great knowledge and rates for lodges.
We live in Lilongwe, Malawi but wanted to head for the first time to South Luwanga, Zambia. Not knowing the lodges, Crafted provided brill info on the choice and preferential residence rates to fit our price range. When I got sick and asked them if they could speak to the lodge and postpone our booking by a few weeks, Crafted were friendly and professional, making a plan that as the main lodge was fully booked for one day in our preferred weekend, we would stay at the bush camp instead. From directions to the border to the useful photos and descriptions of the lodges they know on their website, Crafted are a great source for safari booking in the region. Will definitely use again!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 days Safari - Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Lake Manyara
Very well organised safari tour with reliable payment options and good communication throughout the booking process.
Our driver Ali was an amazing driver and guide, which made our Safari a great experience throughout.
Couldn’t have asked for a better service!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
For what we paid it was great but could use some transparency
Had an incredible time with our guide Anthony in Kenya. The pre-trip coordination to get us paired up with other tour companies for our Uganda and Tanzania portions of our trip was extremely helpful. Wish there had been more communication around the fact it was 3 different companies and how coordination worked between. Also the hours they would tell us for trips were usually only 1/2 the time it actually took- so a “4 hr” trip would take 8. Transparency with operations and transport would make the trip a lot better. The experience was amazing, Anthony did an incredible job at making sure we got to see as much as we could while we were there! We got to see cheetahs, lions, elephants, buffalo, hipppo and so much more
If you do Uganda definitely fly don’t take the overnight bus.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Small company which tries so solve any issue as fast as possible
We did a 4 days, 3 nights camping safari which was organized through Crater Explorer. They are a small company with 5 employees and cooperate with another company to fill up the safari Jeeps. Since they are relatively small, they do not have their own Jeeps yet.
For the lazy reader I will summarize our experience, but you can find more details down below if you are interested.
Summary:
The first two days of the safari did not go as expected. But after we mentioned that the owner Emanuel tried it's best to improve it. The next days then where really good. Overall the trip was very nice. Emanuel was very responsive and helpful in all situations.
So I would recommend booking your safari with him. Because if you have an issue and you talk to him, he will try to fix it.
Long story:
We got picked up from the airport by Emanuel and he drove us to the hotel in Arusha which was included (Pearl Royal Hotel).
First day:
At 6am we drove from Arusha to the Serengeti, which was a 12h drive in total. On the way to the campsite we did a game drive but since the guide (Ole) was driving really slowly we arrived very late in the afternoon. Also our Guide barely talked to us which is not what you expect in the first place.
Then our cook prepared dinner which took him 2h for a very basic meal. In the end we had dinner at 9:30pm and needed to get up already at 5:30am in the morning.
Tents and sleeping bags are basic but fine. Here I assume they really do not differ between other companys since they all get picked up at the same place.
Second day:
We woke up early and had breakfast (food was always good) and had our first game drive in Serengeti. This time our guide again barely talked to us so we had no information about the park or the animals. Nevertheless we saw quite a lot of them. But I think our guide only found those because he heard it on the radio from other guides.
When we returned to the campsite in the afternoon, nothing was prepared by the cook. So we had to wait again 1h for lunch and 1h until they loaded up everything (all other groups had already left for a further game drive).
This was the time we decided to talk to Emanuel. As I said he was very responsive, took actions and next day turned out to be better.
Third day:
When we woke up a large breakfast was prepared and we went into the crater. Now our guide talked much more and explained some stuff to us. Also the gamedrive was longer than usual.
When we arrived back at the campside food was already prepared. During lunch they already loaded the car, so we lost no time.
It turned out that Emanuel talked to our guide to improve things. Also for the next and last day he decided to switch our guide.
Fourth day:
Instead of camping we where able to sleep in an apartment, which was really nice and a big plus.
Also we now had a new guide for Tarangire (Kindu) who was really communicative and new a lot of interesting information.
We had a very pleasant last day before we headed back to Arusha.
Back in Arusha we met again with Emanuel to talk about what happend.
And he truly showed us that he was sorry and also decided not to work with the guide any longer.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
4 days with Vincent
Great safari from start to finish. Vincent was a very knowledgeable guide who had eyes like an eagle. The 4 day tour offers up a little taste of everything but also provides a lot of game viewing time as well.