50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic 4-day safari
A work colleague and I took advantage of being in Tanzania for work to go on the Meru Slopes 4-day Tarangire - Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater tour at the end of January, 2017.
Firstly, I have to say what great value for money the tour is. For around USD 750 each, you get picked up on arrival and dropped off for departure at Kilimanjaro airport, which is about an hour’s drive from Arusha, where the tour departs. The price also includes overnight accommodation the night before and the night after the tour (so you actually get 5-nights accommodation in total). The hotel is basic but clean and breakfast is included.
I’ll break the rest of the safari down into sections so you can read the parts you’re interested in.
Vehicle
On the tour you travel in a Toyota 4WD, which accommodates up to 6 tour passengers, the driver/guide and the cook. The vehicle has a raiseable roof so all tour passengers can stand up in the vehicle during the game drives and get great views and photographs of the wildlife. The vehicle quite roomy and provided good views of the surrounding countryside even when the roof was lowered. It was dependable for most of the tour, but developed a problem with the suspension on the penultimate day which the driver fixed for the final day.
Accommodation
Arusha. The pre/post hotel was quite basic and also quite noisy (from outside). There are other accommodation options available when booking, so if really want a good night sleep ask for other accommodation options. We picked up a couple who had stayed at a nearby guesthouse who said that they had no problem with noise at their guesthouse. Wifi is available at the hotel, but in truth it’s only really usable around reception and not in the rooms. The rooms themselves were clean and functional. There was hot running water, a flushing toilet, clean towels, mosquito net and a TV. No air-con or fan, but the windows open to let in the cooler night air, but also the early-morning noise. Extra nights should cost around USD 25. If you book as two people (like my work colleague and I did), then you’ll be allocated a twin room. You might want to pay the extra USD 25 for your own.
Safari. This was a camping safari, so we spent each night under canvas. The first night was spent at Sunbright Campsite next to the small village of Mto wa Mbu, on the north side of Lake Manyara (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g7044962-d10357037-Reviews-Manyara_Sunbright_Lodge_and_Campsite-Mto_wa_Mbu_Lake_Manyara_National_Park_Arusha_Re.html). This was really ‘glamping’, with big two-person tents already set up, with beds inside and running hot water in the shower/toilet behind each tent.
The second night (in the Serengeti) was proper camping. Everyone helps to erect the tents. There’s one tent per two people, so even if you are travelling alone you’ll still have to share if there are other lone travellers. This shouldn’t be a problem as you’ll already have spent a full-day together having had some great experiences and become friends with the other travellers. The campsite was much better than I thought it would be. It had toilet/shower blocks with hot running water, a cookhouse, and a dining area. Spending the night camping out in the Serengeti was an absolutely top experience. For a whole hour before we went to bed, we all just lay on our jackets or blankets staring up at the crystal-clear night sky, pointing out planets, stars and constellations, with the occasional brilliant flash of a meteorite zooming across. The rest of the night was also great, I’d occasionally wake to the sound of baboons giving their alarm, groups of hyenas patrolling the savannah or the pride of lions that were stationed a few hundred yards away from the campsite! At one point in the night there was a lion just a few yards away from the tent, roaring away in response to the larger pride nearby. This was actually really exciting and not at all frightening. You’re told when you arrive to stay in your tents at night and if you really need to go for a pee in the night, just go outside the tent – good advice!
The third night is spent on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater at the Simba campsite. The crater campsites are typically much busier (about 15 tents at the Serengeti campsites, 40 at Simba), but noise wasn’t much of a problem as everyone will be getting up at 5am to head down to the crater for sunrise. The facilities were similar to the Serengeti, although not much hot water to be had in the showers.
Safari staff
For the safari, we had a driver/guide ‘Zigi’ and our cook ‘Booga’.
I presumed that we’d be doing our own cooking, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out we had a cook of our own. Booga was a great cook and the food was very good, especially considering the basic facilities we had. Tasty soups, chicken and fish mains, banana fritters, etc for the evening meals, toast, omelettes, chapattis, tea/coffee, mango, etc for breakfast and a packed lunch for midday picnics. Booga was also a really nice guy, always smiling and helped out with setting up and bringing down the tents.
Zigi our driver and guide was obviously very experienced at both. He knew his way around all the parks we visited very well and seemed very popular amongst the other guides from other companies. His network of other guides along with his knowledge of the parks meant that he did a great job at finding us all the popular animals (e.g. in the first afternoon in the Serengeti he located lion, cheetah and leopard). As with Booga he was really nice guy, always willing to share his knowledge of the areas we were visiting. The only criticism I’d have is that although lots of effort and concentration was put into seeing the really popular species, less attention was given to other animals. For example, if I’d not pointed out an antelope species that was unfamiliar to me near the road, we would have just driven past the only Hartebeest of the trip. It would have been nice to see attention to getting us the biggest range of animals during the whole trip, not just the most popular ones. Other than that, both Zigi and Booga were excellent and we’d never have had anywhere near as good of a trip without them.
Animals
The range of birds, mammals and reptiles we saw on the trip was incredible and would warrant a separate review in itself. Other than not seeing any crocodiles (the dry season is a bad time to see them due to the lack of water) I can’t think of a single animal that I expected to see and didn’t. Massive herds of migrating Wildebeest, a leopard with two cubs feeding on an Impala, Spotted Hyenas hunting down wildebeest, the cutest baby elephants, 4 species of cat and 150+ species of bird (my speciality). The morning that we spent in the Ngorongoro was one of the best experiences of my life. Everything was really great and I can’t recommend this tour enough.
Summary
This was a very well organised tour and excellent value for money. Even though I’m in my 50s and used to a somewhat more luxurious lifestyle (gone are the days of British camping holidays for me), given the option I’d still go camping instead of staying in lodges. You get a fantastic feel of being closer to nature on a camping safari (I’ve done the safari lodges in Kenya, so feel qualified to make this remark) and I’d definitely use Meru Slopes again if (when!) I return to Tanzania.
Tips:
Download the Google Sky Map app before you leave. It came in really handy to look at the night sky in the Serengeti. I bought a Vodacom sim card to use during my trip. You can still get a pretty good signal right out in the remotest parts.
Luggage – take as little as possible and leave any suitcases at the hotel before you leave. You’ll need to keep your luggage with you in the tents and they’re not big enough to take large suitcases. We took and shared a large duffle bag with all our stuff in it. If you minimise the amount of luggage in the back of the vehicle, this also means that there will be less need to put overflow into the main passenger space of the vehicle.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Abriliant first experience in kenya.
Our honeymoon safari in the most luxurious lodges was amazing.the safari itself was an incredible experience,we saw as much animals as possible.we recommend african challenge safaris.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Tour.
We saw the big five in the masai mara,our driver richard was very friendly and knowledgeable.african challenge safaris made our dreams to come true.we highly recommend them.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ripped off by driver!!! Avoid this company!!!
My wife and I went on a safari with Safari Care Ltd several years ago. We had a good experience. The safari was enjoyable and I would definitely recommend that everyone visit this part of the world at some point. However, we had a terrible experience with our driver (a man named Mollel Martin Nguma) and the company after we returned returned home. A couple months after got back, the driver reached out via email to ask if we could extend him a small loan so that he could purchase a truck and start his own safari business. We obliged since he seemed like a hard working individual who did not have a lot of opportunities in Tanzania. But when the loan came due, the driver claimed that he had been the victim of identity fraud. We were initially open to the possibility. But it soon became apparent that his story was all a thinly veiled ruse designed to cover his tracks. In the end, we didn't lose a lot of money. But we were very disappointed with the way that Safari Care handled the matter. It wasn't their problem, they didn't care and this individual is still driving for them. A real company would make sure these sort of things don't happen. Go elsewhere and avoid the headache.
US
Experience level: first safari
Tanzania with Lucas
Lucas was recommended to us by a friend and we were so glad we took the recommendation. We had worked out an itinerary with a large tour company that specializes on Africa. When we showed the itinerary to Lucas, he suggested certain changes because of his vast knowledge of the lodges and quoted us a price that was significantly lower and included activities that were not a part of the other tour.
In short, it was the trip of a lifetime! Through email, we communicated often before the trip so he could get a feel for what we liked to do and see, and he worked out a trip that was the perfect combination of wildlife and cultural tourism. He was a pleasure to travel with, very open and giving of his own personal story which provided insights into African culture, and the lodges, and mobile tents we stayed in were wonderful. The vehicles he uses were perfect, with roofs that provided shade but also had ample openings for standing and viewing the wildlife. Because it was just us (2 couples and Lucas), we were not on a rigid schedule so we could spend as much time as we wanted in any particular spot. This differs from being part of a multivehicle tour that has a scheduled lunch stop and a strict mileage limit that might limit your sightings, etc. Lucas's tour is truly customized, and so represents the best of itinerary and fair cost.
We have since recommended him to 3 other parties (a party of 2 couples, a family of 4 with 2 teenagers, and a honeymoon couple) who went with him and had nothing but great things to say. One of the parties had particular needs in terms of travel and diet and Lucas made the necessary accommodations to their great satisfaction.
I can't speak highly enough of Lucas and his safaris. You won't regret traveling with him.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari experience - highly recommended
Overall a 5 star experience from the moment we contacted them initially through arrival and until we departed Tanzania. Everything was planned in detail, and the hotel accommodations were excellent. Alex and Maturaf were both easy to work with and flexible when needed. Our driver, Amani, was an amazing guide! He shared his extensive knowledge of the park and animals with us, was able to spot animals easily and point them out to us, and was open about sharing information more broadly about life in Tanzania and his family. Would highly recommend Amani and Mama Savana for the tour. We did the 5-day tour that goes through Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Lake Manyara.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Africa Safari - Arranged by PaperJet Travel
We had the most amazing safari at Ngala Private Game Reserve. Jason at Paperjet made the entire process simple and we were completely satisfied with the reservation and booking process as well as the actual safari. We had a group of 9 people who all had to pay separately and Jason worked with us to collect all the appropriate patron information and payment. It could not have been easier.
I can't say enough good things about Ngala Private Game Reserve. From the moment we arrived to the point of departure, everything was taken care of and of the highest quality. Well worth the cost.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was the most unreal experience. My expectations were high-but were far surpassed.
The first day we were with Sam and felt like we saw everything the African wild had to offer..... Not so fast! The following day we rode with Twaha and got to see 2 mother lions and 7 cubs make a kill (sounds gruesome but was absolutely amazing). I felt safe the entire time and the guides always acted like we were the first group they'd ever taken out. They were kind and enthusiastic and worked well with the other guides in the park to make sure we didn't miss a thing!! If you are considering safari GO WITH THEM!! You won't be disappointed!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome Kruger Safari Trip
This outing was awesome. You went out for a morning and afternoon tour. The drivers do their very best to have you see as many animals as possible. It was a really amazing experience.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Another Fabulous Trip!
I regularly take mission teams to Uganda and we love to end our visit with a trip to Murchison Falls National Park booked through Wild Jungle Trails. It's always a great time and this trip was no different. Twaha and Ismail took great care of us from the time they picked us up in Kampala until they delivered us back two days later. In between, we took two game drives and the boat ride to the base of the falls; we ended the trip with a drive to the top of the falls. Along the way, we saw some amazing animals - elephants, giraffes, lions, hyenas, hippos, and two leopards. Thanks Wild Jungle Trails for giving us more great memories!!