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Email Gonzalo Perez-Caballero | 50-65 years of age
Dream come true
It has been incredible to enjoy seeing wild animals leaving free, as if time had stopped there (for europeans as me).
The scenery, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, etc... it's something I will remember forever, and that must be protected.
People in Tanzania are very kind, and always smile, showing that are not neccesary lots of things to be happy.
The journey, safari and extension to Zanzibar has been perfect. Soul of Tanzania taylored it according our indications and with our amazing guide Ayoub we enjoyed every moment and minute of it.
The experience in the safari watching animals in their natural environment it's unforgetable.
I will recommend everybody, if can afford, to enjoy this authentic travel in space and time, now that it is still possible, and assuring that you won't regret.
Email JK | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventure of a lifetime! Arusha - Lake Manyara - Ngorongoro - Serengeti - Mara River - Zanzibar! :D
I booked this trip from the UK through Regional Tours; Maturaf was my contact in Tanzania. The planning process was not entirely smooth as communication is difficult at times. Maturaf is very busy and is sometimes difficult to reach via WhatsApp but does eventually get back to you. We managed to put together out itinerary via email. Matura was very helpful and I found him to be the most flexible safari tour operator. Our driver was Hassan who is a young 29 year old gentleman with 6 years of game driving experience.
The itinerary above thankfully worked out very well for us. This was an anniversary trip which started from the UK. We flew to Dubai and stayed there for a few days to break up the journey and give us a chance to relax whilst knowing that there was a stark difference to our holiday setting on the horizon which added a further element of excitement.
We flew in to Mt Kilimanjaro airport from Dubai, the flight landed at 4am and we were met promptly by our driver Hassan. We were then taken by road to The African Tulip Hotel in Arusha. We took a full day of rest before starting our safari the following day. I would highly recommend this as it gives you the chance to gear up for safari without feeling drained from the outset.
Arusha is a small town with a few hotels, I felt the main attraction for Arusha was its location as a respite following a long flight. Arusha is around 1 hour drive from Mt Kilimanjaro airport. We did go out during the day towards the clock tower but we felt the locals were a little overbearing, one local walked with us the whole way, although he was friendly it was difficult to enjoy the walk as a couple.
African Tulip hotel is a perfect place to stop and wind down, it has more than enough facilities including great staff, Anthony was great as well as Anoop the hotel manager, he was kind enough to upgrade our room to a larger suite with balcony.
Our next hotel was Ngorongoro wildlife lodge. The view from each and every room and the main hotel balcony is phenomenal. You see the whole of the crater beneath you and I would recommend one night here which is enough to enjoy the dinner and views with early morning for sunrise watching the clouds roll over the hills into the crater. Everyone is on safari mode and there is a real sense of adventure.
The bathrooms in the lodge are a little small and basic but they are sufficient. The power goes out between 11pm and 5am but this wasn’t a problem for most people as safari timing is usually: sleep at 10-11pm and wake up at 6-7am throughout your whole safari.
It got very cold at night but the hotel was kind enough to supply us with a fan heater which we used to really warm the room up before power went out.
The next hotel was Serengeti Tortillis camp. This was our first time in tented accommodation and it was a great experience. The tent is spacious and has all the amenities you need. The staff were very friendly and attentive. A hot shower has to be requested and is ready in 5 minutes. I felt this type of accomodation was the best way to experience the Serengeti.
Our next hotel was Mara Kati Kati tented camps. This is a mobile camp which follows the great migration. This was very similar to Tortillis. The staff were friendly and food was well prepared by an on site chef. The only negative was that during the shower there is a member of staff stood outside the tent topping up the water when you ask for it, each top up doesn’t last long so that didn’t give the best privacy.
Sunset by the dining area is a great way to experience the natural beauty of the Serengeti.
Our final stop was Warere beach hotel in Zanzibar. I truly felt this was the best hotel in Zanzibar. This was purely because it felt like a safe, relaxing haven. We did venture into Nungwi where the majority of hotels are but it was far too busy, there were too many locals trying to sell their tours or goods and too much of a party vibe.
Zanzibar is the perfect location for a wind down post safari and warere is the place to do this. They looked after us really well, they even set up a private honeymoon dinner by the pool and gave us another room for a late checkout.
Good luck and safe travels!
RU
Email Nikolai | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful places, beautiful nature, rich wildlife, nice people
My journey lasted almost two weeks, including Zanzibar, safari in several National parks in mainland and trekking in Usambara. To organize the trip, I turned to several companies and guides, all of them left the best impressions, which I've already shared in special reviews. This journey was one of my most memorable. Among all those who helped me in organizing it, I express my gratitude to the site safaribookings.com, which was very useful in establishing contacts and negotiating.
Email Lorynn Demetriades | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Truly unique and once in a lifetime experience
My husband and I joined two of our close friends in Tanzania for a 10 day wildlife + Zanzibar beach tour, run by Magufwa Safaris. It was such an amazing holiday. We saw incredible wildlife on our Safari: Wildebeasts, zebra, lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and more! The environment itself was stunning and made you really take a moment to appreciate our fragile planet. Our guide, Leonce, was terrific - very knowledgeable and great company. The highlight of the trip was definitely staying at the Hippo Trails Camp in the Seregeti were you sleep amongst the wildlife with superb hospitality. The team running the camp were so welcoming and warm and made our stay there such a delight.
We spent the last few days relaxing on Zanzibar at Blue Bay Hotel. The ocean views were stunning and napping under the sun listening to the waves was the perfect way to end our tour.
Overall our experience was amazing and very special -- I cannot recommend Tanzania enough!
US
Email Urszula Brozek | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing
Tanzania i a beautiful country with amazing people. Safari was amazing we will never forget it. it was the most welcoming country ever.
thank you Tanzania for a most beautiful experience.
Email Gai Wright | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great scenery, great guides, great lodges.
The highlight of our trip was the combination of guide/driver in each lodge we stayed in. Guides are trained at College for 3 years and have exceptional knowledge of all aspects of the park they are assigned to. They know not only a lot of information about the animals, but also the birds, trees and history of the park. Their ability to find game is nothing less than amazing. They are also very pleasant company.
In July the weather was good , the accomodation in Foxes Lodges was excellent and the Selous and Ruaha provided spectacular scenery and a sense that you were almost alone in the bush. Both parks are sparsely populated with game so the scenery was important to making each drive special.
SA
Email Mr. Algwaiz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Peaceful, quite, thrilling and pleasant.
Tanzania in one of the top places to go for Safari. since the country is doing it's best to protect and preserve the nature. the weather was very pleasant during the time I visited. Accommodation can vary according to your preference and budget, but overall it is clean and comfortable , considering the environment you are in , resources are very limited and expensive in Africa. Food was good in all the places we stayed in, and again it vary from a hotel to another. But, overall it is clean an sufficient. The Transportation provided to us by the Safari company was good and suitable for riding the Safari bumpy roads. The Guid (Zaburi) was punctual , and Knowledgeable about the Wilde animals and its habitat. The Tour operator ( Afrishare Trekking & Safaris) delivered exactly what was in the plan, in fact they provided additional items that were not in the package ,for Free.
CH
Email Urs | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania would be nice - with good roads and less dust.
Hello.
I was surprised that 2019 Dar Es Salaam still has bad roads, almost no modern supermarket and some people living in a box of the size 2x1x1 meter (next to the bus station at the fish market)!!
Arusha has some good roads - from the Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha and from Arusha in the direction of Tarangire and Ngorongoro - and some bad roads. But WHY are there NO paved roads from Ngorongoro to the Serengeti?? Now in July the dust on the road was so massiv, that you COULDN'T see the cars crossing your way - and that IS VERY DANGEROUS! My driver was caughing every few minutes. He had a chronic caugh, because he was inhaling this dust since months - or even years (he is doing this job since 15 years). For him it's like working in a mine!
Please pave those roads!!
I might visit the Serengeti again - but I will NEVER EVER drive in to the Serengeti again! Next time I will take the plane from the Arusha Airport to the Seronera Airstrip.
The wildlife inside the Serengeti and in the Ngorongoro Crater is fantastic. You can see a lot of animals. Ok, sometimes you feel a bit like in a "drive in zoo".
The accomodation was superb - better than I ever expected, even in the tents. Hot shower, very nice furniture, great food and so on.
Food: Well, I am NOT a vegeterian, but in Tanzania i didn't eat meet anymore. The quality of the meet is not like in Europe. But that's ok - the rest of the food, the dinners e.g. were fantastic. I just had more potatoes, rice and mash potatoes... :-) and vegetables.
My driver was a very good driver and his English was fantastic. I'm glad, in Tanzania English is important too :-)
So - all in all - I have a bit mixed feelings. The Serengeti is very nice, but the distances to get there are too long. On a nice road - like they have to the National Parks in the USA - it would be much more comfortable. The reason why the USA has nice roads in to the parks is that older people, retired people with a lot of free time, can drive in to those parks as well and be close to the fantastic nature.
Best Regards
Urs
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Email Neville Lidford | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Tanzanian Safari should be on everybody's bucket list. Not to be missed.
Went to the Selous Nature Park and stayed at the Serena Mivomu River Lodge flying from and back to a hotel in Zanzibar. Every part of this trip was expertly arranged. The flight was in a single prop plane landing on a dirt strip - an experience on it's own! The lodge was built in a way that was sympathetic to the landscape at plant life but came with a five star amenities and service. As many game drives or boat trip as you chose were available and all were with very informative guides. The food was great and plentiful with a dated printed menu for each meal. The weather in August was very pleasant as it is not too hot.
PT
Email Nuno Pinto | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What could have been a dream trip, ended a disaster
The wild life, the sun stets and sun rises, the scenery were spectacular. All this, that could have been the trip of our lives, was immediately reduced to a "not doable again", because of the following history. This was a 2 week trip to Zanzibar with a passage on Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Every days were scheduled, by the minute. The Safari was scheduled for 3 days and 2 nights. We were arriving at Arusha at 9 o'clock, and we were supposed to join a group for the safari. In the day after the safari, the agency called us, saying that we couldn't join the group, because we were arriving at 9 and it was not possible to delay the safari because of us. We were really disappointed because we had the written confirmation by the agency, and now it was not possible... We force them to get a solution for us because everything was planed, and at the time, nothing was possible. So we managed a solution with another jeep just for us, but we had to pay 800 dollars more for this solution. In the day we arrived at the airport, there was the guyed and the agency lady, that in the moment asked us for the money of the safari, and the extra money for the change that it was not our mistake, it was theirs. We pull out a credit card, and we were about to have another problem. The machine wasn't working and we had to go to the near bank, that it was a 50 minutes drive. So if were late at 9 we were late 3 hours more for this trip to the bank. At the bank we couldn't withdraw money in the bank, we had to do it form an ATM machine. we had to use the card 8 times to withdraw money and we paid 12 dollars of taxes more for each withdraw. It was an extra 300 dollars for the safari. After this we were really late to arrive at the park to set up the tent. The trip was a completely adventure, the pour guyed that showed us the park had to drive like mad to get to the park on time, we had to lunch during the drive, we had to stop to pick up our materials for the tent.
So we arrived at the park, and of course it was dark already. For our surprise and one more time the agency lied to us, we had to set up the tent instead of having dinner and have the tent prepared after it. After a dangerous travel by jeep, and a very quick but very taste dinner from our chef, we had to set up a tent. After this we sow that there were no wood beds for us, just like the ones we sow on the picture that the agency sent us before confirming the safari on tents. We sleep on a small mattress in the floor of the tent, that didn't had any time to clear the air inside of it, the smell was really bad. Despite all this in the next day we had to pick up and disassemble the tent for the 1st day in the safari, we were more tired than the day before. We visit Serengeti, and we enjoyed it very much, but of course we arrived at another park, where we saw all tourists with their tents set up, and we had to set up our tent once again and in the next day to disassemble it once again.
What could have been a dream trip ended up like a tiring one.
