20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Such a unique experience. The better-prepared you are on your knowledge, the better it is.
Our guide Saleh was excellent. He put in so much work in finding animals, handling dietary restrictions, and planning for the next days. His knowledge of the ecology of the entire surrounding region is very in depth, and he's a expert at spotting and identifying things from a distance. We saw a lot of rare sightings - a rhino in the Serengeti (there weren't supposed to be any, this one was just released there), 4-5 leopards, lions mating. The Mara River crossing was definitely worth it and he was extremely patient. Rose set up the the trip for us and was very accommodating. She even set up an Arusha tour for the first day, and Brighton was the guide for that.
Speaking of Arusha, the Cultural Center is very nice and worth a visit, but there's no need to buy all your souvenirs there. There are much cheaper places elsewhere. Just ask your guide - you'll be driving through towns in between safari parks. Also, the Tanzanite Experience in Arusha is definitely the best combo of trustworthiness and expertise, and price, for buying Tanzanite of the quality that you want.
Just FYI, tipping is expected, but don't tip too much at the beginning in the airport. There's a reason why bag helpers are only at the arrivals and not at the departures. Your money can get drained quickly. Maybe tip them a dollar or two if they help, but you probably don't need help anyway. Also, only tip lodges and hotels at the end of your stay there. Don't tip all the staff. 20 dollars per day is enough for a family. It will be split among the staff. As for the guide, it's customary to tip $15 per person per day, although I hear most guests don't tip that much. The typical number of guests they get is 2, so larger groups may not have to tip as much per person. However, more people = more work since the guide has to handle your food as well. So maybe $14 minimum for a group of 3 and $13 minimum for a group of 4. Don't bring more people than that - the car can get crowded. 5 if you have zero luggage.
Speaking of luggage, DON'T OVERPACK. Wear each pair of clothes for 2 or 3 days before washing. You REALLY do not need to wash everyday here.
Bug repellent is very important. Get the high quality creams from REI. There aren't many mosquitos, but Tsetse flies can swarm you sometimes, no matter how fast you're driving.
Also, remember to bring lots of cash and remember to have new bills, like after 2016.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible and life changing experience with Dancing Zebra!
I traveled to Tanzania with Dancing Zebra Safari this past February and it was the experience of a lifetime. This was my first journey to Africa and it was unforgettable. My first camp was at Ngorongoro Crater and the time spent there was magical. The next several days where spent in Serengeti National Park. The accommodations at Lemala Endutu and Nanyukie were first rate. The food was exceptional and the wildlife viewing was everything I hoped it would be. As a wildlife photographer…I had hopes of seeing and photographing a wide range of species. The big five (Lion, Leopard, Cape Buffalo, Rhino and Elephant) was on my short list but I was interested in seeing more and did my guide Ian Kiwelu ever deliver. I was thrilled with the number of species we found and photographed. I can’t stress enough how phenomenal Dancing Zebra was in their attention to detail. Everything about my Safari was impeccably managed from the time I touched down at Kilimanjaro Airport to the time I left for home two weeks later. Jessica Matthews was such a pleasure to work with and I’m thrilled to say that I have booked a return trip with Dancing Zebra in 2023! If a once…or twice in a lifetime Safari is on your bucket list….contact DZS!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
4 days 3 nights
We chose the 4 day safari with Suricata and couldn't be happier with it. The whole organization from start to finish went smoothly. Everyone was on time, friendly and we had no problems whatsoever. The campsites chosen were decent (we heard from other safari guests that they had worse campsites). The safari was incredible and our guide told us a lot of interesting things about each animal and gave us enough time. We had a chef who catered to my allergies and cooked really delicious. We felt safe and comfortable at all times. We can wholeheartedly recommend Suricata!
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DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great recommendation
We chose the 4 day safari with Suricata and couldn't be happier with it. The whole organization from start to finish went smoothly. Everyone was on time, friendly and we had no problems whatsoever. The campsites chosen were decent (we heard from other safari guests that they had worse campsites). The safari was incredible and our guide told us a lot of interesting things about each animal and gave us enough time. We had a chef who catered to my allergies and cooked really delicious. We felt safe and comfortable at all times. We can wholeheartedly recommend Suricata!
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20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Mikumi National Park by suj
it is a good size park which is evenley balanced to see the various animals in there naturally habitat without binoculars
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
very friendly and welcoming
country which is freindly and welcoming you feel safe travelling around
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magnifique
What an amazing stay! We took full eyes! We are still on cloud nine. Thanks to Joël for organizing these 8 days of totally flexible safari as we wished. Indisputable value for money. Efficient exchanges by WhatsApp.
The lodges were excellent, the food too.
Parks done: Serengeti, Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Lake Natron.
Special mention for our guide Ayubu, very attentive and who answered all our questions.
We were lucky enough to see the lioness land next to the wheel of our car.
In short, I do not have the words to describe what we experienced. Just a word of advice: go ahead, go for it with your eyes closed!
Thank you Joel and Ayubu
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Longing to relive an amazing experience!
It's been close to 3 weeks since we got home and if there was ever a trip we didn't want to end and would like to repeat without changing anything, it would be the trip my family took in Southern Africa in August. From the beginning when I reached out to Craig, the experience had been excellent. Between Bianca and Craig, every detail was worked out keeping our requests and tastes in mind while leaving an enormous amount of room for last minute requests and changes. And the suggestions both Bianca and Craig gave were definitely worthwhile and they also worked with us when we wanted to books specific Marriott hotels as I had tons of points to spend.
Initially a trip that should have only been 10 days ended up being 27 days when the planning ended and included 5 countries - Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. And we enjoyed every minute of the trip regardless if we needed to get up at 3 AM to take a hot air balloon ride. We just saw so much including incredible scenery, animals on the various safari, Cape Town (one of the most beautiful cities I have seen). And we also had amazing food and stayed at some excellent bed and breakfast places, farm houses and hotels.
But the best part was the time spent with Bianca and Craig. Not only did they take care of our every request, but they made sure we an amazing experience. And it's the extra things they did which made the experience great. One of the places we stayed at suggested a restaurant for our dinner, but before it was decided on, Bianca and Craig checked them out and their menu. There were many similar behind the scenes things that Southern Africa Tours did from the first time I reached out to them and this made the difference. We can't wait till August, 2025 when we return for Malawi, Namibia and Zambia and look forward to traveling with Bianca and Craig again.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
GREAT AGENT
The safari was great Lennox replied quick to any questions and Peter our driver was excellent, he did everything he could so we could have the best view of the animals and so we could enjoy the safari, we saw the big five. Everything was great. The camp we stayed at the Lenchada has no electricity they run on a generator so they only have power for a few hours in the evening and a few hours in the early morning, also no wifi so if this is a dealbreaker ask Lennox for an upgrade and get a midrange or luxury facility. Not a big deal for me, I totally recommend Axis Africa Safaris, great service!!
Wonderful to work with and delivered an amazing experience!
The Bright African team was exceptional to work with! I originally reached out to several companies for itineraries and quotes, and in the end we went with Bright African as having the best of both. Our group did a 9 day safari to multiple parks plus 3 days in Zanzibar.
Like many others, we had originally planned to go in 2020, but ended up deferring until 2022 due to COVID. So I worked with Salim in sales/planning for about 3 years!! We went through many changes including changing our group size/members, adding days, locations, and activities, and Salim was so flexible and kind throughout the entire process. He was quick to respond, open to requests, and ready to provide suggestions when asked. Even when I had multiple email issues (check your spam folder!), he was always patient and professional. Our itinerary was excellent and very customizable, and we enjoyed every lodge/hotel/bush camp we stayed at that Bright African chose! Bright African also had nice eco friendly touches on safari, such as refillable (clean) water canteens and reusable metal lunch sets with plates and silverware; most other companies used paper lunch boxes (provided by the lodges which will prep the lunches for safari goers) that generate lots of waste.
On safari, our guide was Hamis. He was absolutely amazing! He was very skilled and safe behind the wheel of the Land Cruiser we were in, especially on the rough and bumpy game drive roads. He also knew everything about every animal, bird, plant, tribe, everything!!! You can tell he has so much experience as a guide, navigating the vast game roads for the best spots, chatting with other drivers to tell them what we found and vice versa to make sure nobody missed out, and of course spotting animals - one time he caught the ears of a red buck poking out of the grass!! We learned and saw so much thanks to him!! I also feel very grateful that Hamis was our guide for his personality. He was so friendly and open, always had a smile on, and was quick to laugh and eager to chat. Our whole group felt very comfortable with him. This matters a lot; you are with your guide pretty much whenever you're not sleeping, and sometimes even then even you doze off in the car!
In Zanzibar, Juma was our contact and he arranged the activities we did with local guides along with transportation. This was a completely different vacation compared to safari so we spent more time at the excellent hotel that Bright African arranged, but all activities and taxi rides we did went very smoothly. This was also very flexible; we were able to customize activities and change around what day we did them. If I could do the vacation over though, I would not have booked activities and just relaxed at the hotel the entire time!
I'm very happy we went with Bright African Safaris. Throughout my research, I saw they were very highly regarded especially in the forums here on Trip Advisor, and now having worked with them for this trip, the reputation is justified!!