CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience, great tour guide
All expectations met and exceeded. The tour guide was great and made you feel safe. lodging was very nice and price was right.
The extra activities where very over priced almost insulting. A one hour boat ride for $100 US.
Over all was great
ES
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
the best safari I ever did
We had a very good car.
The guide, Steven is a very capable professional.
He also is very nice , polite, and well informed.
Very good driver .
Suitable accomodations .
The guide, Steven , had to overcome a flooded road and he did it with firmness and professionality .
We felt very secure at any moment.
I can reccomend him .
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Canadian Tour Company, professional & thorough
We found the Safari Partners using google- not many Canadian safari companies out there. I was a little apprehensive at first- since i didn't see very many reviews online. Well, Chris was beyond patient with me- answering my (many) questions and changing dates when needed. Emails were answered regularly, all paperwork was in order and everything went smoothly. From the airline they chose (safarilinks) to setting us up at Encounter Mara- it was beyond expectation. The camp itself was amazing- food, the service, the guides- we couldn't have ask for anything better. Chris & Staff... thanks for helping us make memories to last a lifetime!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Competent, flexible and responsive
Very well organized stay in Tanzania altogether. The Safari was a blast, my girlfriend and I enjoyed it thoroughly. We went on a 4-day tent Safari (and a Kilimanjaro climb, also coordinated by Transkibo) and the car, the food and the guide's skills were all satisfactory.
Transkibo was very quick to respond to email enquiries and also over the phone. All the employees we talked/wrote to used very good English, they also made sure they answer every single question I asked (I often get annoyed by people only answering some of the questions and thinking they're good).
When we decided we would prefer to switch the order of the Safari and Kilimanjaro climb they re-organized without extra cost. The drivers (both the Safari driver-guide and the taxi drivers) they organized were all very competent at their job and delivered us on time when it really mattered or got delayed for reasons that were not their fault.
Whan note in case this comes up with others: We arrived very late in the evening and cash payment of the amount remaining after deposit payment (the standard procedure) would have been inconvenient for the Transkibo employees. Therefore they recommended to pay this outstanding amount using a credit card via the website of MJ Safaris. After some clarification (that this recommendation was not a scam) I did this and it worked alright. It turned out MJ Safaris and Transkibo are sister companies.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience, coordination and well informed drivers/ guides
I did the safari in Masai Mara as part of a bigger group. Very impressed with the positive energy emanating from all the drivers, cook and the team. Very switched on and well informed team - had a good chat about animals, conservation but also culture and current affairs which adds a great context to the experience.
And great commitment from the drivers to make sure we had many sightings of the animals. GHT coordinated minor hiccups with the accommodation in the campsite at Masai Mara swiftly. It's evident that it's a business with customers at the very top of their priorities making great overall impression and experience.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We only renting a car but the service was great.
We did a 3 week trip true Kenya and Tanzania in 2017 as backpackers. And therfore we needed a trustabel car whithout a driver. And therefore we needed a trustable car without a driver. Blue Mountain Trekking Safaris rented us that car for 4 persons and gave us some good advices and tips. We where very happy with that and have had a wonderful time in Kenya with their care. We didn't have any complaints. Because the elections problems in Kenya in 2017 we had to leave some days earlier than planned but also that was no problem we good leave the car at the airport where the owner picked it up him self.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour was excellent
Excellent communication and knowledge by the tour team
BB
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
More than we expected with an excellent guide and efficient organisation
Right from our enquiry to booking Amos was attentive and efficient. He brought our guide Ninah to meet us and brief us in what we needed to know. The safari days were exceptional thanks to Ninahs outstanding knowledge and experience with animals. We highly recommend this company as excellent value for money. The accommodation and food were great
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best value for money and very accomodating!!!
Kiliholidays Tours & Safaris were always responsive to all my emails and questions, and got back to me very quickly. They provided a detailed itinerary of our safari and they come as advertised, as well as being flexible to meet our needs. I reached out to 10 different safari operators and Kiliholidays gave us a price in a 5-star luxury accommodation (the best hotel we've ever stayed at!!!) at a price that was cheaper than others in budget camping accommodation. I would highly recommend Kiliholidays and I will only use them when booking a Tanzanian safari in the future!
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware of cheaters! 'Hello, Tanzania!' are cheaters! In particular Mwajabu. Safari was terrible
It's a pity to write it but for the next travellers I must do it, to prevent the situations that we were involved and to be ready what to expect from those swindlers like Ms Mwajabu and their company 'Hello, Tanzania'
1. We were the first day in Africa. Mwajabu came to grab the cash for the safari. We were warned that to TZ we need to take just 2006 year released banknotes or above. Of course, we all checked our cash before. It was 2006 or above. We gave money to Mwajabu. After a couple of hours she came to the hotel and told us that 12(!) 100$ banknotes that we gave her were old and 'she is in trouble". We were confused because we hadn't expected that they are going to cheat us, because some of our friends who worked in the other firm Altezza Tours reccomended the company as their partners. But Mwajabu didn't care about this. All of us were really alarmed and concerned, we didn't know what to expect but we knew for sure that we had given proper banknotes. After we told her about the police and cancellation of safari she said that it would be 'a lesson to her ' and her friend on Zanzibar will help her to change old money. Isn't it funny? All of us, especially girls were a bit suppressed, ' cause it was the first day in Africa for us all and we were dreaming about gorgeous safari. But instead of good thoughts about upcoming safari we had to prove that 'we are not camels' to that woman.
2. Next day. The driver came on 5 a m. The car was small for us 6. and really old. But they actually offered to go 8 persons.. how? The capacity with driver is maximum 8! So we arrived to the lodge in Selous GR at around 10 am, guys from the lodges showed us our tents. Girls were in shock! Tents were tiny for 1 person not even for his big bag! On the pictures they'd sent us the tents were normal big for 2 persons that you can even stand there. We will see such normal tents in Ngorongoro in few weeks later, they were just really comfortable. So certainly we refused to live in such conditions. On the program Mwajabu sent us in advance were absolutely different normal 2 persons tents. What could we do in the middle of Africa? We asked them to give us another accommodation. They charged us more 360$ for us 6 for the wooden hut for 2 and another wooden non condicioned even non fenned hut for 4! 360$ more! Once we lived in Portugal for 350$ for a month in a big flat in the city centre! That's their cheat #2.
3. We've spent about an hour of our game drive time to arrange all the things with accommodation. And now cheat #3: they stated that we can choose that today we go for a half day game drive and tomorrow for the half day. But better not to go today and just go to boat safari on 16.30 pm and tomro for the full day game drive. But stop! In the program it was claimed that on day1 we arrive at 10, having our fast lunch and departing for the WHOLE DAY safari, not even for a half. And there was some logic in it: so why would we have to depart from the hotel at 5am and arrive to the lodge (in Selous) at 10am and just start the boat safari at 4.30pm&?! It's ridiculous! We said that 'no, we going to go now for the whole day and tomro for the whole day' as it was written in the program that Ms Mwajabu sent me via email in advance. But can you imagine our guide Msafiri showed us printed program with the new schedule! Cheaters were ready for any turn! :) But of course i found in my smart phone the real program and showed it for the guide. For the long time he was talking on the phone and finally agreed on what we had insisted. Like Mwajabu did when she failed with her trick with banknotes. So we've spent a lot of time and nerves again. Why they did like that? We found out later that the entrance fee costs for a 24 hours visit to the park 70$/person. So they tried to convince us to go just for a one day game drive to save 420$ and put them into their pockets. Of course everything including park fees we've paid in advance.
4. The safari was ok. But not impressed. You know, 50% of success depends on the guide. The guide - Msafiri was not very communicative. His English was ok, but we haven't been catching not any word because of the strong accent. He was not very friendly, and he was wearing not a neat clothes as other safari guides did, not like a hint for uniform, just like a local guy from the village. Probably not a big deal but It's also very important for the whole impression about the company.
5. The icing on the cake was that on the last day they sold us lunch boxes for 10$ each! But it really costs less than a dollar: dry old chicken leg, bred with carrot, juice..
So the whole impression was very bad, they were trying to deceive us every time they got a chance. So thank you, Mwajubu for the spoilt safari and first impression about Tanzania. You're not even think for the future, I told you that if we'd love the safari we'd definitely go with your company fot the northern curcuit. And thanks God we found another great company with honest and pleasant people working there who changed our opinion to the country and people. We went back home absolutely satisfied and pleased. Tanzania is amazing!
We have all scans, documents, photos, programs, witnesses to prove my words. So, guys, be aware of that company and Ms Mwajabu. Actually we can even bring an action for the court, because they rendered their service not loke it was claimed in the contract and forced us to pay more money cheating us with accommodation.