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Email Gordon Lucas | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great wildlife, beautiful scenery and very friendly people.
We went to Tanzania in the beginning of June. It was our first safari and first time in Africa. We only went for a week and wanted to see as much as possible.
We certainly did that. We visited Tarangire park,Ngongorro crater, south, central and northern Serengeti , and Manyara park.
We did a lot of driving, probably too much for only a week, driving everyday from 7am to 6.30 pm, stopping only for a hour for lunch. The roads were dusty and rough, but we did see a lot of wildlife, and were fortunate to have a great young guide, who not only knew the area very well, but had great insight into the habits of the wild animals, and was able to spot things we wouldn’t have noticed.
For the time of year we probably should have not bothered to go to north Serengeti, as the migration had not reached there yet, and wildlife was limited. We saw the most in central Serengeti, and Ngongorro crater.
Also Manyara park was a little disappointing after the other parks, as it was very forested and therefore much harder to see anything.
Overall though a great trip. Good weather and bush camping was a great experience.
ES
Email Miguel Angel Bule Tirado | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience
Safari in Tanzania National Parks is an unforgettable experience.
I strongly recommend
KR
Email Han Jae Ho | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a fantastic trip that was comfortable, safe and friendly.
I went to Mikumi National Park and Nyerere National Park, and among the Big 5, I was able to spot the rest very easily, except for the rhinoceros! Although I haven't been to game drives in other countries, the boat tour, game drives, friendly people and veteran guides were all good. It's a far country from here, but I'm willing to visit again with my family next time!
CA
Email Kelly | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
All we expected and more.
We decided to take the trip of a lifetime. We wanted to go on an African Safari to see birds, animals and the land. Where to go and who to trust. We turned to web sites like this one to see who provided the best services and delivered a great product. We narrowed it down to 5 service providers. We sent out requests to these 5 for safari recommendations and costs. Options and costs were all over the board. The deciding factor for us was the response from the provider. All gave us a price, some faster than others, and options. We asked questions. That was the deciding factor. Hugo at Unlimited Expeditions - The Soul of Tanzania always responded promptly with clear answers and solutions that gave us the feeling that his company had their act together. The others, not so much. We booked with him and then promptly started making adjustments. Hugo continued to be responsive and helped us make additions to our itinerary.
We arrived late on a Sunday evening in Arusha (Kilimanjaro Intl Airport) and stayed at the Mount Meru Hotel. A nice place, too bad we were only in it for a short time. Bright and early the next morning we met Habibu, our guide for the Safari. He turned out to be a polite and attentive young man. He always has a big smile and has a great sense of humor. We kidded with him a lot and he gave as good as he took. He also was very knowledgeable about the safari, its sights and its wildlife. He answered many questions and shared with us his land, his people and his love for what he does. He is also intuitive as he quickly learned that we were looking for more than the big 5. I would shout “Stop Stop, Backup Backup ''. Him “What, Where”. Me “What’s that on the left?”. Him “Oh that’s a guineafowl, they are common here…”. From then on he pointed out many colorful and interesting birds. Habibu also uses the Guide Net very well. Every time we met another guide he would interact with them to gain knowledge as to where specific animals were last seen. He also used the 2 way radio. More than once he was on the radio with another guide and then made an abrupt direction change which resulted in us finding a hidden lion or leopard. He also taught us a lot about the areas we travelled through. He talked freely of his people. He showed us the open markets and how they worked. He showed us Masai villages and explained why they were allowed in the parks.
Monday we travelled from Arusha to Tarangire. A short drive through the city and then on to the park. A Game drive in the park and a picnic. Lots of wildlife here and a great kick off to our trip. We overnighted at Maramboi Tented Lodge on the shore of Lake Manyara. We actually saw wildlife on our way into the Lodge because it is on parkland. Our Tented Lodge had a great view of some grassland, the lake and the mountains across the lake. Food was good and the people were great. We awoke on Tuesday morning to a wildebeest standing in front of our deck saying Good Morning.
Tuesday we travelled to Lake Manyara National Park for a full day game drive and picnic. Also lots of wildlife here with a bit of lake wildlife as well. Shorebirds and hippos in the distance. We overnighted at Kilimamoja Lodge. This lodge is located on the roughest road we encountered during our entire safari. Something about a dispute with the local government. But well worth the drive, (and we are in a 4 wheel drive Land Cruiser) as the view from the Lodge is spectacular. Great food, great people and a great view of the valley to the east. Great sunrise photos.
Wednesday we travelled towards and past the Ngorongoro region. Because of cloud cover, all the way to the ground, we could not see into the crater. We would have to wait until the return trip. We pushed further west into the Serengeti. We spent the afternoon and into the evening on a spectacular game drive that started slow and finished with a bang. We saw many many animals and birds. We spent 2 nights at the Lahia Tented Lodge. It is a bit off to the west of the main safari area for this time of year as the migration is happening near the Seronera area. The facilities and the people are super. We especially enjoyed chatting with the Masai guys we met there. Our lodge faced south with a super view of the valley below and the various animals out there.
Thursday we spent the day wandering the Serengeti with many, many animal sightings. There were no picnic sites so we picnicked in the vehicle watching the sights.
Friday we headed out early in the morning, back towards the east, and encountered the migration. It was incredible. Wildebeests in every direction all headed north west. We probably drove 10 kms, at a walking pace, as the animals flowed around us. There were some Zebras but mostly Wildebeests. They were walking, running, bleating, sparring, Wow. Oh Yes all under the watchful eye of the multitude of vultures. We continued east back to the Ngorongoro Crater. The visibility had cleared up greatly from Wednesday. We did a game drive into the crater and along the lake. We found a Rhino resting in the grass so had our picnic in the vehicle while we waited for it to stand up. Got some great pictures when it did. We continued east and overnighted at the Kitela Lodge. Again a nice place with nice people. It is located in a bit of forest and is a farm and coffee bean plantation.
Saturday we slept in, worked our way east through the markets and towns and caught a flight from Arusha to Zanzibar. Habibu’s help was appreciated at the airport. When we arrived there he could have dropped us off and departed but he walked us in. When we tried to check in, the clerks couldn’t find us in their system. Habibu's assistance got us on the flight. We stayed at the Serena Hotel on the waterfront in Stonetown. A nice hotel with a restaurant overlooking the water.
Sunday morning we were met by Mohammed and he gave us a walking tour through Stonetown. He was very informative and answered all our questions. We enjoyed the guided tour as we would probably have missed things without the guide. At noon we transferred to Gold Zanzibar for a 4 day beach stay. The resort is right on the beach facing the straight between the island and the mainland and is north of Stonetown.
Monday morning we hopped on a tourist boat to the other side of the island and did some snorkeling on a reef and then swam with some dolphins. There are lots of fish to see at the reef. Here is where I add my only really negative comment. The boats, and there are a lot of them, toss their anchors down into the coral to secure their boat. These anchors are tearing up the coral and damaging the reef. You can see the damage. There has to be a better way of doing this.
The rest of the week we sunbathed and walked the beaches. Awesome. Shout-out to Samwell. Favorite waiter.
We departed Saturday evening out of Zanzibar Airport.
I want to stress this...Everywhere we went, the people of Tanzania were friendly, polite, helpful and happy. It was refreshing!!!
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Email Nancy Schuler | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The country is as beautiful as its people.
This was our second trip to Tanzania. We volunteered at a primary school in 2019 and always knew we would return. We love the children and this time we brought books and underwear for them. We made friends there in 2019 and loved seeing them again.This time we also went on a safari with Safaribyleo and went to Ngorongoro. We saw so many animals and had so many adventures on the way; hot springs, a Maasai village, waterfalls. We will definitely go back for the third time. You can leave Africa, but it never leaves you.
BR
Email Edneia Gomes | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable
We had an amazing experience in Tanzania. The scenery was amazing lot of wild life, amazing people!!! Our safari was fantastic with Colours Africa Tours
DE
Email Irving, Vives Martinez | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great beaches, wonderful culture and safari
End of may was a great season. It was still quite as it is low season and it was basically not raining. The safari was great as the great migration was starting in Serengeti. Ngororogoro was a great experience as well. We managed to seethe big five
My least favorite park was tarangire
CH
Email Roger van Norden | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic
Amazing service , Spectacular Wildllife, beautiful white sand beaches
Email Judy Foster | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beautiful country, lovely people, fantastic safari destination
My son and I had an 8-day Explore the Northern Circuit sarfari with Safari Soles and it was the most amazing experience. Everything was so well-organised and we felt totally looked after, from touching down at Kilimanjaro Airport until we left. We had one night in Arusha to get over the long flight - the Tulia hotel is fine to bookend the safari. We were taken to the art/cultural museum/gallery, which was fascinating, to the Masaai market and then for a sunset hike. Bryson, who owns the business, was there to check everything was OK at the beginning and end of the holiday and to make sure our drivers were there to pick us up at the allocated time. The next day we left on sarfari. Our driver/guide Elias was perfect. He really made the holiday special. So knowledgeable and incredible at finding animals - two pin-pricks on the horizon and somehow he just knew they were rhinos. He was great company throughout, interesting and lovely to chat to and really understood what we wanted from the trip. Half the fun is spotting the animals, but he really delivered. In a few short days we saw two leopard, a cheetah, seven rhino (including a baby), lots of elephants (and several young ones), numerous lions (male, female and cubs), migrating zebra and wildebeest, buffalo, vultures, giraffe, hippo, impala, gazelles, baboons - the list went on and on. We witnessed two female lions separating a zebra from the herd and trying to run it down (unsuccesfully). We visited Tarangire National Park and saw lions resting in a tree (the park is known for it); the Ngorongoro Crater (a Unesco World Heritage site) was truly stunning and the Serengeti was everything I thought it would be. The safari lodges were first rate and exceeded our expectations - we stayed at Farm of Dreams Lodge and Serengeti Safari Lodge - beautiful grounds, large rooms and fantastic staff. The food was superb (very fresh, lots of lovely fish). We also did the day trip to the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro with Baltazary - visited coffee growers, walked to a stunning waterfall and swam in a hot spring - again all well-planned and we felt really looked after. In fact, we felt totally safe the whole time we were in Tanzania - everyone was so friendly and the country is stunningly beautiful. I also did the Balloon ride option with Serengeti Balloon Safaris and it was one of those really special moments I'll never forget. If your budget can stretch to it, then you won't regret it. Absolutely could not fault a thing. Would highly recommend this company and would definitely book with them again. In fact, I really can't wait to go back.
PL
Email Radek Słowiński | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5* wild life
A few words about Tanzania, we landed in Zanzibar at night so it's very hard to say anything about the first impression. We started the day on the eastern side of the island, by the ocean, a beautiful beach, but there is nothing to do outside the hotel and the area does not offer much, the weather was good. We got to know Tanzania the next day, going on Safari to Tanganyika. Flying to Arusha is very convenient. We spent three beautiful days there, which made a great impression on us. If you are a nature lover, this is a must visit place. We felt very taken care of, Safari organization at the highest level. I recommend this experience to everyone. Lots of animals, beautiful views and a great atmosphere. We also visited a Maasai village, but it was an organized visit and a bit artificial. I don't have much to say about Tanzania itself because I haven't met the real Tanzania, I've only seen it with the eye of a car. What I saw was all prepared for a tourist. It's a very beautiful country but I don't know if it's safe to explore it on your own. On the other hand, organized trips take place along designated routes, mainly with stops for souvenirs and handicraft shops. Apart from all this, the nature of Tanzania is beautiful and more than beautiful. After returning to Zanzibar, apart from the beach, we organized a road trip, but Zanzibar disappointed me. All attractions are quite artificial, prepared for tourists, superficial and not very interesting. This is a place rather for people who want to have fun in the evening at the hotel. There is also sex tourism. I was also disturbed by the omnipresent cheating, extortion and waiting for a tip for anything. I am a person who likes wildness and raw nature, but here I felt a bit like in a zoo. If I visit Tanzania again, it will definitely be different - deeper. As a hotel and beach destination, no. However, I do not regret the money spent.
