FI
Email Rudiger Schultz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A lot of nerves needed
This is merely a Review about Gombe Track & Safari, The Mahale Nationalpark, their guiding and accommodation as well as the Coast View Resort Hotel in Kigoma.
I was picked up in Dar from my hotel early in the morning and in time and brought to the airport. My flight with Tanzania Air was also very good and smooth. I arrived on the schedule in Kigoma where a car from the Gombe Track and Safari was waiting for. In addition to a driver, a cook was provided, who served me in Mahale very well. The car was in a bad shape and not suitable for the rough road of 107 km which I mentioned already on our way to the park. But we made it. After an exhausting trip, lasting 6 hours we reached the village from where a boat trip was organized. This speedboat hacked me through the waves so that my back was badly aching for hours after my arrival. However the most pleasant moments I had in Mahale although my driver from the Gombe Safari company had sent the boat to pick me up again for my return one day to early. We however got that settled well and I could stay as it was planned for 4 days enjoying the jungle and the Chimps I had paid for.
The boat came on the 23rd of January to pick me up again. It was late because of the rough waves on lake Tanganyika. The driver had been sleeping in his car overnight because he came one day too early. It was exactly the same car as on the trip to Mahale. This time happened what I had been expecting during our first trip. The car broke because of electrical problems after 35 km in the middle of nowhere on a hot and dusty road in the wilderness. Some Daladala busses dropped by until it got dark. I urged the driver several times to get into contact with Joshua, the manager of the company, several times. Joshua came to pick us up at 9 pm when it was already dark and brought us to Kigoma, where we arrived at 00:30, totally exhausted, dirty and sweaty at the booked hotel (Kigoma Coast View Resort) which has a 4 Star reputation. The receptionist, a girl had already fell asleep but opened us the door and has let me in into my room. Dirty as I was I wanted to get a cold shower but noticed, that there was no water in the hotel. The shower could not be used, the toilet not be flushed until the next morning from 7:45 am to 8:20 am, when the hotel manager allowed to put on the pump, which delivered the water into the rooms. So I had to sleep dirty and sweaty as I was in my sheets, getting no sleep at all. After taking my shower in the morning I waited to be picked up by Joshua and demanded to see the idiot of manager of that hotel and made clear that this kind of treatment of guest is not only unacceptable but a crime to the paying customer. He apologized but didn't give my money back which would have been the only acceptable way to proceed. I have been regularly in Tanzania for 7 years as a voluntary pediatrician and seen a lot of inconvenience but never have been in a situation like this. This hotel should be put onto a black list for avoiding damage to other customers. Also Gombe Safaris should have offered a compensation for all the problems with the car and for booking this hotel. I was offered a lunch on the day I left. I am sorry to say that but I have the impression after many years being in Afrika that companies which are running under local, african personnel and not able to offer proper level of service and endanger their customers. The next time I am taking a Safari I will make sure who is running the company. This should be a warning to every tourist coming from Europe or the States or Australia to pick their services carefully, avoiding local companies.
GR
Email Neraida Botsaris | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very nice experience! Our salary quide was very nice!
The weather perfect, food not many chooses generaly, but great mangos! Local transport a bit difficult. We enjoyed Safari it was a special expirience and our safari guide was very nice!
US
Email zhangns07 | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
It is a great vacation trip! We see a lot of wildlife and beautify scenery of Africa! We highly recommend it. Our guide and driver are very good at identifying wild animals. They have a great knowledge of wildlife animals, we learn a lot from them. The accommodations and transportations exceed our expectations, very comfortable.
Lovely safari in Selous Game Reserve - but too short!
We had ordered a 3 days safari in Selous Game Reserve and the program was great except for the morning flight was leaving at 2.pm and the rivertrip started very late. The lodge was beautiful and the service excellent, but the stay was too short. The safari was top, but we didn’t se more than 2 of the great 5, because of the rain. The third day we had to go to the airport at 9 am because the plane was arriving one hour too early.
DK
Email Charlotte | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was exciting
I loved it all. I Can indeed recommend this trip.
DE
Email Nadi Drehsen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing scenery with more wildlife animals you could wish for
Wildlife: amazing! We saw the big five and many more. Nearly every animal bit crocodiles.
Scenery : Ngorogoro Crater and surrounding area are breathtaking . Something you won’t see anywhere else in the world .
The Serengeti is very beautiful and unique itself . Tarangeri Nationalpark was nice , too.
Lake Manara was not my favourite, as you can’t really drive up to the lake , you only see it from a distance . Further up in “the jungle” we saw plenty of monkeys and elephants, which made up for it.
Weather: a little bit chilly during the night and early morning, afterwards very hot.
Accommodation- the tents were put up for us every night which was great, we just wished they would have told us to bring a pillow, they provide sleeping bags but it might be more comfortable to have your own for cleanliness reasons.
The campsite near lake manara , where we stayed the first and the last night of our 6 day trip was very nice (it’s called “Fanaka”) , the stuff was very friendly , you could even put your own drinks in their fridge, and there was hot water in the showers .
But! The campsite in the serengeti , especially the facilities where just terrible, so we didn’t have a shower for 3 days. I‘d recommend to pay the extra money and get a tented lodge .
Food was ok.
Our guide Moody was a very friendly.
DE
Email Friederike & Hagen Helle | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was amazing, especially because of our guide Amani.
My husband and I booked a safari with Ascon Safari and it was one of the best things we did in Tanzania. Not only that the wildlife and the nature is stunning (really - it is such an unforgettable experience that you shouldn't miss, especially when you're from another continent), our guide Amani was the best! He was so knowledgeable and very kind - we have so much to be greatful to him, as we're sure that without him we wouldn't have had this experience, that much fun and wouldn't have leant so much. He knew how to find almost all the animals and gave us so much insight about the wildlife but also culture in Tansania. It is such an amazing experience to see an elefant, a hippo or lions just some meters away. On top of this we even were so lucky that we saw wilddogs, which apparently does not happen that often. The stay was really nice as well, very luxurious (maybe even a bit too luxurious, considering in the middle of the wildeness).
IT
Email Paolo Petrillo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Safari without animals
Serengeti park was absolutely empty, during our two days.
When I asked to change area the guide told us to be patient and that animals would have come. But when and where?!
He also told us that moving trough other areas was too far, but we had to spend 6 hours per day into the park, so too far for what.
I am sorry but I spent 600USD for nothing.
BG
Email Ivaylo Zafirov | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent organisation and very good destination
I went on a 3 day safari to Mikumi and Udzungwa National Parks with couple of friend in January 2018. The two parks are not the most famous but are interesting, especially Udzungwa Mountain with its equatorial forests and endemic species. Mikumi NP hosts most of the typical savanna species and we observed most of them. As an ecologist I was interested in all species and especially birds so I was delighted to observed and photograph a lot of them. The logistics of the safari were excellent. We stayed at Bastian lodge at the edge of Mikumi NP. Our driver from and to Dar es Salaam was very careful on the road and his driving was very safe.
I can strongly recommend Hello Tanzania and if going again to Tanzania for sure will use their services again.
IT
Email Chiara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was my first, in Saadani N.P.: for sure I will organize better next time!
For my friend and I it was the first safari: we were in Zanzibar, so we decided to visit Saadani National Park(closer and smaller), even if we knew that it was not the best and most "populated" African park. Unfortunately the agency we chose was not clear about the duration of the journey from Dar Es Salaam port to the park. We had several issues with our car until we got stuck into the mud: I know people may say it is part of the adventure... however, it is not funny when you have less than 2 days.... In the end we did not make the boat safari to see crocodiles and hippos because in the morning the tide was not at the correct level...I am wondering why we did not make it in the previous afternoon then! For sure, it was very exciting for 2 Europeans to spot giraffes, monkeys and above all a big lonely elephant. We were expecting something more, especially a real guide, not only a silent driver who seems to be annoyed by us... accommodation was ok, but for a possibile future safari, I would not take selousrufijihippoadventure.com into consideration. Anyway, I think that this was just a start and that we have learnt something for next safari.
