MQ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
did not take us on safari and did not refund our money!
Through www.safaribookings.com , my daughter and I have booked a 5 days Safari (from December, 31st, 2016) that should include Serengeti, Tarangire and Ngorongoro (Tanzania) with Africa Remote Safaris: http://africaremotesafaris.com/ . For this we paid an advance of 1200$. We received mails from a so called Naphtally from Africa Remote Safaris confirming our booking.
On December 30th, 2016, we had arrived in Arusha and had still not received any instructions concerning the safari. With the help of the Manager of the hotel where we were staying, we managed to call the Arusha number mentioned on the website and got in touch with a driver who informed us that he had only worked for Africa Remote once. On December 30th, my daughter and I went to bed not knowing whether we would go on safari or not the following day.
In the morning (Dec 31st), we at last received a WhatsApp message from the so called Naphtally indicating that we would be picked up by a driver from another safari operator.
Since ARS had not wired any money to them. We had to pay the full cost of a budget Safari 1800$.
While we were on Safari, ARS wired 440$ to the other Safari operator. This amount was given back to us upon our return by this operator with whom we went on Safari.
Thus, Africa Remote Safari still owed us 760 $. We wrote to them numerous times and once a certain Steve Biko even apologized for the delay and promised that he would soon refund us the money. Almost 2 months later, we still have not heard from him despite our reminders.
It appears that though Africa Remote Safaris claims to have offices in Arusha and Zanzibar, they do not have offices in those places and are only represented in Kenya. The phone numbers mentioned on their sites are only the numbers of drivers who have worked for them occasionally. They also do not have a license to operate in Tanzania and are only represented in Kenya. So if you book with them for a safari in Tanzania all or part of your money may be lost!
We wanted to tell about our experiences with Africa Remote Safaris so that you should avoid a bad and stressful experience on your holiday. They are found directly on (http://africaremotesafaris.com) or through www.safaribookings.com
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
The entire process was smooth, efficient and pretty transparent. Mohamed was extremely prompt in addressing all my zillion questions and made sure everything was taken care of.
We couldn't say enough good things about our guide Ema. He went out of his way to make sure we had a wonderful time, be it migration viewing or leopard and rhino sightings or a visit to Oldupai. The vehicle was clean and well maintained, and with so many other vehicles breaking down by the roadside, we had absolutely no issues with Mega's.
I'd definitely recommend Mega Adventures to people looking to visit TZ.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Book with Blue Crane Safaris! - Amazing Tailor Made Tour
We were a group of 10 American students studying abroad in Cape Town. Our group had been hoping to plan a trip to Namibia but it seemed like too much to plan the trip on our own. We eventually came across Blue Crane Safaris and Derek (the owner) helped us craft a unique tour that accommodated all of our needs. We booked a 3 day tour starting in Windhoek, traveling to Sossusvlei, Walvis Bay, and Swakopmund, and ending back in Windhoek. Derek was able to fit in every activity we had hoped to do, including hiking the dunes in Sossusvlei, seeing Deadvlei, and sand boarding and ATVing in Swakopmund. We sent him nearly 15 emails finalizing details, but he was always so patient and catered to every request we had. When we told him we were planning on spending the night we arrived in the airport, he even helped us book airport transfers and an additional night in a hostel. Despite the fact that those plans were not in the original itinerary, he was kind enough to include it in the original tour price. Derek was so professional, accommodating, and helpful! If we are ever able to return to Namibia, we will absolutely book another tour with Blue Crane Safaris.
Our guides Quentin and David were also extremely knowledgable and professional! We had numerous vegetarians in our group and they catered to all of their needs, as well as preparing meat for our other group members. The accommodations were very comfortable and we particularly enjoyed our one night of camping in Sossusvlei. We had the most amazing trip with Blue Crane Safaris and are taking home memories that will last a lifetime. No matter what your needs are Derek will be able to accommodate them and leave you with an incredible itinerary. We received 5-Star service from everyone on Blue Crane Safari's staff and I highly recommend booking with them!!
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Safari tour with experienced and trustworthy organisation
Face of Africa Adventures gave us initially a warm welcome in Tanzania by picking us up at Kilimanjaro airport in the middle of the night, and arranged us a residence in Arusha so we had a place to sleep for the first night. After exploring Arusha and nearby villages with a guide of FoAA the next day, we were ready for our 5 day safari experience: Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro National park where we saw the big five and all it's associated scenes as we can see them in Europe only on National Geographic TV. It was an unforgettable tour with an excellent crew. Special thanks to Hamadi and his well experienced and organised team!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent!
Fabulous experience! Went on a safari in Kenya followed by chilling on a beach resort in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and visiting an orphanage back in Nairobi. Definitely first class service from planning stage, meeting with Peter, the proprietor, to the actual travel trip and especially Edward -- the best safari guide and game driver in Kenya! I cannot say enough good things about our experience with this company -- totally professional, efficient, service was phenomenal, and the added bonus of reasonable cost compared to other tour companies we looked at! Recommend this company very highly!
IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing guide, wonderful experience
while planning our trip, Naiman was so helpful and considerate of our needs, gave us many options and was so nice and friendly. Sifuni was our guide for our 4 day safari. he was amazing, very thoughtful, always had an interesting story to tell, taught us a lot about the wild life and also about Tanzania. we felt like royalty even though we picked out the budget option for our trip and we were not expecting to get everything that was given to us. a private jeep, great accommodations even while in a tent.
after we finished, Naiman took the time to meet us at our hotel to make sure we had a good time.
This was a once in a life time experience for us and I give all the credit to this wonderful company! Thank you!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing service and safari
I cannot recommend Hello Tanzania enough - from the first email to the very end of my trip Mwajabu could not have been more helpful - she was an absolute star! As a solo traveler, many tour operators didn't even bother to reply to my initial email but Hello Tanzania arranged everything perfectly, from my pick up at the airport to the trip itself. Transport was clean and comfortable. Accommodation was nice and Mikumi National Park was fabulous - our Hello Tanzania guide was particularly good at making sure we saw lots of animals - including several lions! Would highly recommend Hello Tanzania for anyone looking to organise a safari in Tanzania. :)
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent services
I really had a great time with keron Uganda tours hosting me, communication was so good and generally offered professional and excellent services
SA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent - will definitely plan another visit!
Communication from start to finish was excellent. The staff at Classic Journeys Africa were extremely helpful.
We had a fantastic time on our safari. Our driver/guide Peter was great, he is was extremely knowledgeable and really Looked after us. We wish we had stayed longer on safari. We stayed at the Ashnil Mara Camp which was excellent. Staff extremely friendly & food was great. Thoroughly recommend both Classic Journeys Africa and the Ashnil Mara Camp!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A wonderful holiday to four different but equally spectacular venues.
I visited Uganda with a group of friends and stayed at the Boma in Entebbe and then three different game parks (Kidepo, Ishasha and Bwindi). It was fascinating to see such a varied cross-section of the country. We loved everywhere we stayed and our excellent and knowledgeable drivers/tour guides in the game parks.