US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Unforgettable Adventure with Shafino! - A Tanzania Safari Journey
**An Unforgettable Adventure with Shafino: A Tanzanian Safari Dream**
Embarking on a 7-day safari through Tanzania with the remarkable guide, Shafino, was nothing short of life-changing. From the moment we set foot in the Serengeti to our final farewell at Ngorongoro Crater, every moment was a symphony of sights, sounds, and discoveries.
Shafino's expertise is unmatched. His keen eye effortlessly spotted the most elusive creatures, from majestic lions lounging beneath acacia trees to graceful giraffes grazing on the horizon. With his wealth of knowledge, each animal became a story, each landscape a masterpiece.
Beyond his expertise, Shafino's passion for Tanzania's wildlife and conservation is palpable. Every story he shared was not just a fact, but a testament to his dedication to preserving this natural wonder. Whether tracking a leopard through the dense undergrowth or witnessing the thunderous wildebeest migration, Shafino's love for the land was infectious.
The accommodations were a perfect blend of luxury and immersion in nature. Waking up to the sounds of the Serengeti, with giraffes passing by our tent, was a surreal experience. Each lodge and campsite was carefully chosen, offering not only comfort but also a genuine connection to the environment.
What truly sets Shafino apart is his warmth and genuine care for his guests. His enthusiasm for sharing Tanzania's treasures made every day a new adventure. Whether we were savoring a bush breakfast overlooking the plains or sharing stories around the campfire under the star-studded sky, Shafino made us feel like family.
The highlight of our journey was undoubtedly witnessing the Great Migration. Words cannot capture the sheer magnitude of thousands of wildebeest and zebras moving across the Serengeti. With Shafino by our side, we felt like explorers in our own National Geographic documentary.
As our safari came to an end at the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater, we couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and gratitude. A week in Tanzania with Shafino had been more than a vacation; it was a soul-stirring journey through one of the world's most extraordinary landscapes.
For anyone seeking an authentic, immersive safari experience, I cannot recommend Shafino enough. His knowledge, passion, and genuine hospitality elevate the journey from a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Thank you, Shafino, for opening our eyes to the wonders of Tanzania. We will carry these memories in our hearts forever.
Wonderful Experience
Had a wonderful 5 days/4 nights safari. Our driver, Stephen, was extremely knowledgeable and looked after everyone well. We managed to see lions before we even got to the first lodge in Tsavo East. Every day was exciting as more and more wild life was spotted.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just an Amazing Tour Company, Professional, Diligent, Responsive, Well Organized and Caring.
Most people only do an African Safari once in a lifetime, so you want to be sure you get the right company. Telle Safari is that company. We were on the 5 day “fly-in” luxury safari, and by Safari standard, everything was luxury in-deed. The great thing about the “fly-in” option was that we only drove one-way from Serengeti to Arusha, rather than round trip as many safari itineraries offer. This gave us less time on some rather uncomfortable roads and more time searching for animals. Our personal guide Assad was to meet us at the Seronera airport in the Serengeti upon our arrival from Zanzibar. The Safari Land Cruiser was spacious and comfortable and stocked with drinks and most important binoculars as promised. We set out immediately on our first of many bush drives and in our first few hours found at least 7 different animals including 4 of the Big 5. Over the next 98 hours, we would go on to discover not only the big 5 but just about every animal, bird and reptile that east Africa had to offer. We even found a chameleon which was on my wife’s “had-to-see” list.
It was wonderful to have a guide so passionate about his job. Besides being completely knowledgeable about the variety of wildlife we encountered and the complex and challenging safari roads we had to navigate. Assad was completely vested in assuring that we were able to see every possible species during our tour. He was also on top of making sure that our every request was met and making our comfort his focus. He had the answer to all our millions of questions and at the same time had a great sense of humor and was very congenial and easy to talk to. He assured our comfort at every stage of our tour. He was the key to this trip tip being so spectacular. We will miss our time with him.
Before Assad, Mohamed and William were just great at making all the preparations and reservations. They kept us in close contact and updated us every step of the way. They were very professional and courteous throughout the process. I confused the “proposal” they sent as being a company brochure, because it looked so clean, colorful, and detailed. Actually, It was a personalized and tailored, trip specific, brochure-like itinerary, outlining every detail of our journey. Everything was handled so well. They made sure that every “t” was crossed and “i” was dotted, assuring a wrinkle free journey.
All of the lodging was top notch. The stay at our tent camp “Into Wild” was short lived due to the 24-hour permitting process for each park, arriving at 5pm and leaving at 6am in our quest to see as many animals as we could while in the Serengeti before our time expired. But we had a huge and beautiful tent that would have you believe that you were in a suite at a luxury hotel and there was just enough time to enjoy a pre-dinner glass of wine in the daylight on our porch and scout local wildlife from the comfort of our comfy porch chairs. The Buffet dinner was very tasty, and we ate outside to enjoy the views, although inside was an option. The Serena Ngorongoro lodge was equally short lived, but we had an the most amazing direct view of the crater from our balcony, (be it between bursts of mist and cloud cover), which we were able to enjoy for an hour before dinner and watch a beautiful sunset. The ala cart dinner with buffet salad and dessert bars was great and bountiful. There was even a pre-dinner acrobat act. We were ready for a little more downtime by the 3rd night, having by this time seen about 90% of the animals we were going to see. Thankfully we had a bit more time for our stay at the Escarpment Lodge in Lake Manyara. Arriving about 2 gave us plenty of time to enjoy our personal villa and the main the infinity pool on that sunny day, with a marvelous view overlooking Lake Manyara and the surrounding jungle. The food on the ala cart menu and salad bar was again excellent. Unfortunately, the evening cultural show was cancelled due to lack of attendance. We were there, watching from afar on the upper terrace, but they did not see us. The grand finale of all the lodging was Manyara’s Secret. We again arrived early enough to have some relaxing outdoor time, but this time at the private pool that comes with every villa, while experiencing the beauty of Lake Manyara very close up. The smaller private pool water was a little too cool in January, but the view was beautiful. We then headed up the main infinity pool with the same view. This was the newest of the lodges, and our very private villa offered a huge bathroom and a secondary “outdoor” shower to be one-in-nature. Dinner here was by far the best of all three, which was already a high bar, and was prepared in a very modern open kitchen that they allowed us to tour.
The ability to see 4 separate Parks over the 5 days really made this overall experience so unbelievable. Each park had its own personality and special offerings. We stopped for lunch (prepared by the previous night’s lodging) each day at roadside picnic areas with tables and all the food was delicious. The Serengeti was a mostly flat park of high and low grassy areas with some rolling hills and sparsely populated with an variety of tall trees. It had nearly all the wild animals, and they could be spotted with relative ease, assuming you kept looking and knew what to look for. Which Assad did for us grandly. The animals were generally in very small groups. The roads were quite challenging. They were bumpy, irregular, potholed and often flooded. The Nduto highway between Serengeti and Ngorongoro Parks was open flat low grazing type grasslands. We briefly stopped there to spy the great migration of droves of mostly wildebeests and Zebras, along with a variety of Antelope, in massive numbers in all directions, all grazing as they made their slow walk southward. Later, a crater sized (and flooded) pothole had pretty much devoured a tanker delivery truck on that road and blocked the highway. So, we had to detour into the bush around the obstructed highway into marshy flood plains which was quite an experience. We did get bogged down and stuck for a bit but were soon pulled out by another safari 4x4 and managed to make it through. The Ngorongoro crater landscape was very different with a completely flat and semi marshy grassland around a great lake with almost no trees except at the elevated perimeter walls. You could see for miles so finding animals here was almost too easy. The animals were everywhere and in abundance. And so many beautiful birds of every variety near the lake. It was here we finally found our last of the big 5, the Rhino. The roads in the crater were all dirt but mostly smooth and more easily navigable. Upon exiting this park and heading toward Lake Manyara we encountered a harrowing curvy mountain side descent from Ngorongoro on a very thin two-way dirt road to reach the Paved Highway for the remainder of our trip. The next stop was Lake Manyara which is a dream for Baboon lovers. We must have seen hundreds of them hiking along the roadways in this jungle setting or simply sitting in them. This is a lush tropical forested area with irregular terrain that made it more difficult to spot animals. But we did manage to find our first male lion there. On our way to Tarangire Park the next day we took the opportunity to visit a Masi Village which was certainly worth the time and cost as it added one more dimension to our understanding of peoples of the world the culture they embrace and the lifestyles they live. We also visited the mother of all artist shops. It had an amazing variety of African paintings and carved sculptures and souvenirs. If we were going to bring back art this would be the place to get it. In Tarangire, the Elephants are king. The terrain was a mix of high and low grass with rolling hills, like the Serengeti, but trees were more plentiful. This still allowed relatively open viewing and we could get very close to the elephants as they rolled in the mud or ate vegetation along the roadway. There were plenty of monkeys and a variety of other animals as well, but not quite as plentiful as the first two parks. This was the only park where we noticed the existence of flying insects. Still, they were not very bad at all. We had treated all our clothing before the trip, so I think that helped a lot. After our final park we were taken to Arusha, killed some time at the Cultural center (A large but upscale bazaar for local artisan products) and then on to Kilimanjaro for our flight back to Zanzibar.
There were only two slight disappointments during our trip, but neither was significant enough to rate this trip anything less than fantastic. The first was that the electrical outlets and USB connections provided with our land rover were worn out, so that they did not hold the connections on the very bumpy potholed and washboard dirt roads we traveled. They were basically unusable. Fortunately, we had several high-capacity battery banks with us that we were able to recharge each night. The second was that while the proposal indicated soft drinks, wine and beer were included, that was not totally true. We had plenty of drinks available each during our bush runs and lunch and we were even provided with a bottle to take to our room each night. But during dinner, each lodge and camp required that you purchase all drinks from them. You could not bring your own into the restaurant. So, we simply enjoyed our glass of wine each evening on our balcony or porch with stunning scenery, before heading the dinner. And then maybe a glass after we got back. It was not so much the cost (which was very reasonable) but rather the hassle of having to pay a bill each night. I think it would be better if that was clarified up front. BTW for tips, you simply make one donation to the entire lodge staff upon check out in something called the tip box. So that was so more convenient than feeling like you must have all this cash to tip for each assistance you receive.
Overall, this was a most amazing experience, and we thank Telle safaris for their diligence, professionalism, and dedication to our enjoyment. The tour length and itinerary were just perfect for us. We will recommend Telly Safaris to all our friends. If we are ever able to get back, they will be the only ones we consider. I could not imagine that any other company could provide a better overall experience than we had during our tour.
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very friendly person
Loads of fun activities and saw each of the big 5 multiple times hotel rooms and campsites were also very nice!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Irene is perfect! Quick replies, detailed and patient answers, perfectly eased our concerns.
1. Pre-travel Contact: Our group of four booked a 7-day safari tour with Hyrax Safari, and Irene responded to us quickly, offering a very cost-effective price. She patiently addressed our concerns (such as potential hidden costs, accommodations, tips, etc.). Her responses were very timely, and she took every question we had seriously, making communication smooth and very positive.
2. Safari Tour: We opted for a shared tour, traveling with three other ladies. Our guide was Martin, who was professional, enthusiastic, and humorous. He asked us at the beginning what animals we wanted to see and was very keen on helping us spot almost every animal we wished to see. In the Maasai Mara, he was diligent in tracking animals and positioned us perfectly to observe a lion hunt. His driving skills were excellent, preventing me, who easily gets motion sick, from feeling car sick throughout the journey. Moreover, whenever we asked him questions about the animals, he answered seriously.
During meals in the wild, he ensured our safety throughout, which made us feel very secure. He was fantastic!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip of a lifetime
They say we must come to Africa once in a lifetime, and I'm glad we did. This trip gave us so many surprises, very memorable trip.Our guide is Onesmus.An experienced and very kind and friendly person, I appreciate his care all the way.We were also impressed by his experience and dedication.We basically saw all five under his leadership, he was very popular, which helped us a lot on the journey, and he was very neat and showed us his professionalism. Anyway, next time I'm in Africa, I'll look for him and look forward to seeing him again.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Selous safari
We did a nice safari with the Plex Africa team in Feb 2024.
4 days (3 nights) including 2 game drives in Selous National Park, 1 bush safari in the forest, 1 boat safari and 1 visit in a Massai village.
Selous Safari lodge was a nice place with swimming pool, good food (some power issues...).
Our driver Franklin was amazing in the park and so nice.
Cars are old so sometimes things happened...
It was a very good experience overall.
AR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best tour agency, there so kind and friendly with the people who visit Tanzania
The staff is agile and willing to meet your expectations, They care that you are comfortable and have a unique experience.
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AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience overall
Our adventure experience with Kiliholidays, alongside Revocatus as our guide, surpassed all our expectations! If you're on the hunt for the perfect safari tour, look no further and book with Kiliholidays! Choosing this trip was a significant financial commitment for us, but every penny was worth it. We'll treasure the memories forever and value everything we learned and encountered.
The itinerary was meticulously planned, alleviating any pre-trip anxiety. As avid travelers who usually plan everything ourselves, it was a delight to have kiliholidays take care of every detail for our expeditions. Mack the owner made the experience stress-free, relaxing, and most importantly, fun!
CL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
my best moments with the agency
They show me the big five animals in one days, also the made my dreams come true when arrive to the top of the Kilimanjaro in 5 days and 4 nights was so awasome
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