AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Wildebeest watch trip
Africa Safaris is one of our life long dream. After long searching for the most knowledgable and accommodating tour companies, we decided to go with the Bright Africa Safaris. I and 8 friends had a fantastic and memorable trip. Thanks to our guides, Yonga & Othman, we witnessed migration and wildebeest crossing, and encountered (with safety distance) lions, cheetah, and leopards many occasions and of course at the last minute we spotted the rarely seen rhinos at Ngrongorn crater (Our 15 days trip filled with dust but also filled with excitement, laugh and educational moments (learning animals' habit and behavior, bushman hunting).
We enjoyed all of our lodging arrangements (especially at Tarengeri Resort lodge) ; and food was wonderful!
We certainly full filled our dream with the Bright Africa Safaris!
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top guide
From the start of our inquiry through finalizing the itinerary for our 8 day northern circuit safari in mid-September and all the logistics, Msangi, the owner, and Rukia, his delightful office assistant, were prompt to respond to emails and were true professionals. It was such a pleasure to meet them when we arrived in Arusha!
Little did we know that Msangi had chosen a man to guide us who, quite honestly, none of the four in our group can describe with words alone. There just aren't enough superlatives for Onema Junga. (Everyone calls him "Junga".) I'm sure all of Msangi's other guides are wonderful but do yourself a favor and juggle your trip dates if that's what it takes to make sure Junga is your guide.
This man went above and beyond in every way imaginable. From dealing with broken leaf springs in the Serengeti at night and getting us to a camp site at midnight to turning around as we were leaving Ngorongoro on our last day when reports of a rhino sighting came over the radio he was superb. Junga could have just called it a safari and headed out of the crater but he was relentless in his pursuit of our satisfaction. We got the big 5 and more.
He has an uncanny ability to anticipate what animals will be doing and putting the vehicle in the best viewing position possible. Other safari companies' guides weren't doing what Junga did and trust me, we were treated to better viewing than many others. He was also relentless in his search for animals in spite of the long hours behind the wheel. Junga did this even though it meant extra work for himself and Jamal. He would also stop to offer help to any other vehicles or guides that looked like they may need help. He struck us an overall good and trustworthy man.
Here are a couple of examples of how Junga went above and beyond. We were at a hippo pool and were enjoying the scene for quite some time when he popped the driver's hatch and announced that he was going to find us a snake. Five minutes later he announced that the game was on for us to find it with our binoculars. He described generally where it was and said its recently shed skin was nearby. We had the best time spotting this snake, a boomslang, and it was a treat. Its bright white skin being right next to it was just a great bonus. While I can't guarantee that the other safari vehicles parked near us didn't spot a snake, I highly doubt it.
He brought us in the "back entrance" to Lake Manyara which was absolutely the right call. It seemed we had one entire section of the park all to ourselves. It made for a longer day and another late arrival at camp that night but Junga really did put our interests ahead of his and Jamal's comfort.
As for Jamal, our wonderful cook, again there's good news. We had some onerous dietary restrictions and this man bent over backwards to accommodate us. I gained weight on the trip due to his huge portions of delicious food. It was simple but delicious and exactly what you'd expect on a camping trip. We even had a scratch baked cake and banana custard a couple of evenings! I was glad to have brought plenty of snacks, though, as it sometimes got be a while between meals.
Msangi went above and beyond as well. He met us at the Mvuli hotel at the end of our safari to see how things went and to say goodbye. When he learned we were going to Zanzibar for a few days he arranged for a taxi driver to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. He told us that even though our safari was over, we were still his clients until we left Tanzania and to let him know if we needed anything. How gracious!
We forgot to pick up a couple of t-shirts at the Bright African office and Msangi learned this after we were on Zanzibar. Imagine our surprise when his taxi driver arrived at our hotel with the t-shirts. Msangi had them sent to Zanzibar on a flight later that day and arranged for his taxi driver to deliver them to us! Unbelievable service!
Here are a couple of helpful hints for you. Number one is tipping. I'd read many formulas for what constitutes an appropriate tip and saw one of Msangi's posts that suggested 10% of the safari price. We ultimately took the 10% as a base and increased it significantly for Junga and Jamal going north of 15% to make a nice round number. I also gave each of them our headlamps to help with future night breakdowns and tent set-ups in the dark. Last, I gave them what remained of the roll of duct tape I brought. Do yourself a favor a bring a roll along - we made good use of ours several times.
I could write a novel about the vehicle breakdowns (yes, plural) but be advised these vehicles take a beating on those roads and if you don't have at least one breakdown I'd be amazed. We saw other victims of the worst washboards you'll ever drive. Just be patient and realize that AAA does not exist in Tanzania. No complaining. Hakauna Matata. You're all in it together and you'll have a great story to tell.
If you're doing the budget camping trip like we did, be prepared for very refreshing, almost cold, showers at some campgrounds. Take sturdy sandals and expect no place to hang your towels or set your shampoo. It was also helpful to have some good sturdy sandals, like Keens, for the campgrounds in the evening. The first night I used flip flops and got a few nasty stickers in my foot that were difficult to remove. It is also a good idea to bring toilet paper as it was frequently in short supply in their bathrooms. Oh, and I saw a fairly creepy spider on/under a toilet seat so be prepared to do a toilet sweep and sit at your own risk.
I was a little nervous about the comfort of tent camping expecting to be sleeping on the ground but they provided very comfortable cots and sleeping pads with good wool blankets which I found surprisingly comfortable. I was still a bit chilly when we camped on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater so bring some warm clothes and socks if you itinerary takes you there.
Take along some type of plastic bag in case you have to relieve yourself in your tent in the night because the buffalo/lions are too near to risk going to the restroom. Better to go in your tent than die by buffalo.
Get the best binoculars you can, they will make the animal viewing even more spectacular. We rented Swarovskis from optics4rent.com - Todd, the owner, is great. When Junga first saw them, he immediately told me they were the best. No kidding! We were all amazed and trust me, when your Rhino and her baby are 400 yards away or you can count the whiskers on the leopard in the tree you'll be glad you brought them.
The Mvuli hotel has basic clean rooms - it's not a Hilton but you're not paying Hilton prices. It's really off the beaten path at the end of a very bumpy dirt road. Going into town will require a taxi. The food was good. Check out your shower before you accept the room. The first night we stayed there, our shower had virtually no pressure. After our safari, I made sure we had a different room. They will also do laundry for you for a small fee and have it folded and ready by morning.
Start your safari with a trip to Arusha National Park. Do the walking safari with an armed park ranger. It's a great appetizer for what lies ahead at the crown jewels of the northern circuit. It also gives you a day to get over jet lag before you start driving long distances. If you do it at the end of your safari it won't have much of an impact.
They did not ask for additional passport photos or a copy of our passport when paying for our visa at KJO airport. Just $100. Be prepared to stand in lines for about 45 minutes.
Be careful at the roadside curio stands. They are ruthless, high pressure negotiators and we ended up paying higher prices than we found later in Zanzibar and even at the airport for the same articles. As much as I would like to support them I felt the prices were pretty outrageous.
We tried to pack light and do laundry every few days but if I were to do it over I would just pack enough clothes to get through the whole trip. Since you are sitting in the vehicle most of the time you don't really get too hot and sweaty so it's no problem to get a few days out of shirts and pants. Laundry was difficult to do in the showers and did not dry by morning causing unneeded hassle. The zipper pants were handy as the mornings were a bit cooler but as it warmed up it was easy to unzip the bottoms and convert to shorts.
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life time adventures
Our safari surpassed my wildest expectations! We were there for the wildebeest migration which was incredible and saw over many lion prides, half a down rhinos, leopards, cheetahs, and every other animal on my wish list all due to our highly experienced guide who was extremely knowledgeable as well as genuinely fun to be with for the week. We met many other tourists with other companies whose experience was no where near as rewarding as ours. Bright safaris even took care of some problematic travel arrangements for the next leg of our trip which I couldn't straighten out.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tanzania is a must see , Mega Adventure is the only one to show you a vacation you will never forget
This was my second safari to Tanzania. I was lucky to have Abu as my guide on both. Having the right company to take care of your transportation, accommodation, and food is very important for the success of your safari. Having a guide that is knowledgeable and who has a genuine interest in your well being and safari success is paramount. Everything came together when I booked with Mega Adventures. The accommodation was superb, the food was excellent and the wildlife and scenery were amazing. Mega Adventure made this safari an unforgettable vacation.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour package was great and safari/hotels were awesome - problem with air travel
Hotels and Safari tours were top - air travel was a problem with airline cancelling flight 10 days before departure
DE
wonderful - it was a dream
I enjoyed this stay so much - everything was perfect - I loved this stay and one day I'll return to see the Sambesi river again, the wildlife and the kanutrip, the bushwalk - everything ....great - the Service was excellent -
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Experience!
I can't say enough about how great our experience was with African Savannah Trekkers! We had less than a week to visit Tanzania and they -- on very short notice -- arranged for us a perfect 3 day safari. We visited Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park and saw lots of animals -- lions and hippos, giraffes and elephants and so many more. The accommodations they arranged were beautiful and had breathtaking views. Our guide/driver was fun to be with and very informed about the plants and animals and geology, and quickly developed a sense of what we personally would enjoy seeing. He was also very knowledgeable about people. Tanzania is a very ethnically and culturally diverse country, and our guide was eager to help us understand the peoples and customs we were seeing, which was a really enriching experience. He even arranged a side-trip for us on the second day to visit a couple of different villages and an "out in the bush" regional monthly market (not a tourist market, a market for regular people).
We highly recommend African Savannah Trekkers!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A tailor made trip of a lifetime perfectly arranged by Tailor Made Safaris
All our wishes have been fullfilled in the trip that Angela has made for us. No question was too much and we did get a quick response every time. The knowledge about the accomodations and safari options proposed was great. The complete trip was filled with highlights of the Garden Route and the Elephant Coast.
It was our once in a lifetime trip and we cannot imagine someone else would have done a better job to arrange it.
BG
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was really the time of our life that we spent with you: a great and splendid adventure!
Every thing was perfect. Everybody - so kind and helpful. I never supposed that it is possible to have such experience for only few days. Thank you very much!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
AMAZEBALLS!!!!!!
My friends and I did a six day safari with African Habitat. It was everything we could ask for .All went as planned in the itinerary ,Rachel is super awesome,she made sure everything was beyond our expectations. African Habitat Safaris is a great team!!