US
Email Sayma | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Star-struck.
My husband and I recently had the pleasure to book a private (2 person) 6-day tour in Tanzania through Safari360. Our tour covered the following locations: Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and a hike on Mount Kilimanjaro. Our experience with Safari360 in Tanzania has been incredible; we saw and covered everything on our list plus much more, and the Safari360 staff went above and beyond to accommodate any requests we had. Below is a more detailed breakdown of our experience:
Activities:
Game drives: The majority of our time, especially on safari days, was spent in a 4x4 vehicle on game drives. The vehicle provided by Safari360 was clean and spacious. The 6-seater had a cooler for water bottles, and charging ports in the front as well as the back. The roof of the vehicle lifted up, allowing us to safely view the animals and scenery from the car. Note that the roads can get pretty bumpy inside the national parks, so prepare accordingly.
Picnics: Each day, we took a mini picnic break between the morning and afternoon parts of the safari. The picnics were usually in scenic overlook areas, which allowed us to experience the landscape as well as use the restrooms. Make sure to stretch during these breaks, as the bumpy "African Massage" drives can get quite rough at times.The bathroom facilities were impeccably clean and well maintainined.
Hot Air Balloon: On the morning of Day 4, we had the opportunity to take a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti. We were picked up at 4:30 am, drove for an hour to the balloon site and boarded the balloon with 14 other passengers, plus the conductor.
Kilimanjaro Hike: On the last day, we hiked from Marangu Gate at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro to Mandara Hut, one of the 3 camp sites on the way to the peak along the Marangu Route. The hike up took us 3 hours 15 minutes, and coming down took close to 4 hours (we took most of our photos on the way down and took small breaks). It was a scenic hike through the lush jungle, and we would certainly recommend it. Make sure to bring an umbrella and/or raincoat, as it rains quite often here. In addition, the path becomes very muddy and slippery so please wear good hiking shoes.
Food:
Breakfast: We usually grabbed breakfast at the hotel/camp prior to heading out for the day. Breakfast consisted of hotel/camp food, and had a variety of hot and cold options.
Lunch: Lunch was usually packed in boxes and served during the midday picnics. Food typically consisted of: toast, hard boiled egg, a sandwich, apple/banana, and something small that's sweet (usually chocolate).
Dinner: Similar to breakfast, dinners were usually also at the hotel/camp. Most nights we had a 2-3 course meals, with amazing options.
Accommodation:
Crater Rim View Hotel (Karatu): Neat and clean small lodge in Karatu. The staff was nice and friendly, and food was great. Nights spent: 1
Twiga Lodge and Campsite (Mto Wa Mbu): Large lodge/campsite near Arusha. Staff was friendly and food was amazing. Nights spent: 1
Tukaone Camp (Serengeti National Park): Camp inside Serengeti National Park (central region). Room had all modern amenities including running hot water and USB chargers. We truly enjoyed our stay here. Nights spent: 2
Lindrin Lodge (Moshi): Medium lodge with individual bungalows. Staff was friendly and food was acceptable. Nights spent: 1
Tour Guides:
Edi: We spent the first 5 days of our tour with Edi. Edi was an amazing guide, and we truly enjoyed our time with him. He accommodated our requests, and went above and beyond to ensure we get the best experience possible. Don't wait to book him as your guide if you have the option.
Sam: We spent the last day of our trip (Mt Kilimanjaro hike) with Sam. He was nice and friendly, and helped us going up and coming down. We just wish he was a bit more vocal, and gave us a bit more insight into the history/culture/nature of the area as we were hiking. Other than that, Sam was great.
HU
Email Levente Torma | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The lost treasure of nature in the human world.
My son and myself have visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Serengeti in Tanzania. It has been a special experience different from any other travel we made which follows from the nature and wildlife we experienced and the people we met. The wildlife is unique, you cannot see anywhere else and it crosses your mind for how long will it exists in its current form. Whether the wildebeests will have enough grass once the temperature increases? For how long can you smell the trees and the grass, see the trees and bushes going green and hear the voices of the wild once the sun goes down at Serengeti. People live a life different from the western life-style, they link to the nature in their everyday life and instead of the individual they appear to focus rather on the community.
Lion King Adventures organised our Safari and they made a perfect job. I highly recommend them as well as our knowledgable and kind safari gide, Yusuph with whom we always felt save, comfortable and indulged.
Amazing
Nature is absolutely gorgeous, the wildlife diversity is mind-blowing. And of course people - super friendly, polite, smiling, with good mood and attitude.
HU
Email Eva Jozsa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Serengeti is the best!!!
We were on a 6-day safari in June, 3 nights of which we stayed in a Serengeti campsite. We saw a lot of animals, it was a great experience when two lions dropped a zebra or when three baby cheetahs climbed down from the tree to their mother or when the family of 18 lions rested under the tree. There were four of us with Msangai Adventure, the route was well chosen, the accommodation was comfortable, the food was fantastic.
IN
Email Argha Kamal Kundu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
ASANTE SANA TANZANIA
A great country, great national parks, great game drives, great peoples. The tour operator, LION KING ADVENTURES were amazing, from organizing the tour, to last minute flight adjustments they were perfect. We were made to feel home by their exceptional guide Leonardo and chef Karim, who took great efforts for some amazing wildlife and gastronomic experience..
DZ
Email Adenan Khemais | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
amazing
It was an enjoyable trip ..
US
Email Gary | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
what an amazing experience!
For our vacation to Tanzania we booked a 7 day safari with Safari360 that went to the Serengeti, Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara Parks. Once we got through customs the trip was an amazing time. Getting a Boeing 787 load of people all at once through customs can take time. Having our Visas before we left was a HUGE help. Lameck our guide's knowledge of the parks was very impressive and he was so personable he became like family before we boarded the plan to come home. Be ready to take 1,000s of pictures because of the scenery and animals are at every turn. EVERY person and I mean EVERY person we came into contact with during our trip made us feel like we were an honored guest and were going way beyond what we expected to make sure we were comfortable and happy. The Arusha Cultural Heritage centre is someplace you'll definitely want to visit if you're in Arusha along with the Arusha Central Market. Our guide arranged for a local (very helpful) to take us to the Central Market and around part of Arusha. One of the nicest places we stayed was Under the Shade Safari Lodge and the Ngorongoro Forest Tented Lodge was much nicer than a person might expect staying in a tent. It had a full bed, shower & restroom in our tent. We stopped at a Maasai village while on our safari and they showed us around their village even going inside a home & kindergarten school room. We're from America and US dollars were accepted every place we wanted to spend money at. Because the hospitality was so good Tanzania I wish I had taken more $1 bills than I did but was able to exchange $20 for ones at our Lodge. Your probably going to want to get more souvenirs than you think you will. Going back through customs was much easier since everyone didn't arrive at the airport at the same time. This was a once in a lifetime vacation that we want to take again. The people of Tanzania are absolutely amazing and as they told us in Swahili, polepole (polay polay), or slow down and enjoy your time.
CH
Email Claudia Hoffmann-Burkart | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful country with the most impressive wildlife.
We enjoyed lots of scenic places but the most we loved the Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
CA
Email Joan Haysom | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Diverse
Tanzanians were very friendly and happy to have cisitors. At nonpoint did I feel unsafe. A safari trip to Serengeti is a must - we spent 2.5 days there and saw so many animals including many cubs and nearly a couple of lion or cheetah hunts. It was amazing! We had a local tour company Suricata that was excellent. We stayed in very nice but locally owned lodging which was amazing - good food, very clean, and staff that were so friendly and helpful. Forest Hill Hotel outside of Arusha was wonderful and peaceful. I don’t think there is anything compelling within Arusha. We also spent teo days at the end of the trip in Zanzibar at the Tembo Hotel which is a beautiful old historic building and perfectly situated for strolling around and beaching. The diversity of people and cultures in Zanzibar was fabulous. Tanzania is relatively stable, safe and very friendly and an amazing experience.
Email Mark | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stunning
We travelled to Tanzania in May23 and booked our safari through Roadside Expeditions Tanzania. The email communications from Paul were excellent and we couldn't fault the service we received. Our guide Justin was amazing and a good ambassador for Tanzania. Advising us of the culture and wildlife on safari. Tanzania is a stunning country with a wealth of beautiful scenery and many varied wildlife. We went to Tarangire Park where we saw elephants, giraffes, lions and the wonderful baobab trees. We also visited the Serengeti where we saw the big 5 safari and many more wonderful animals. Also Ngorogoro crater which was incredible too. There are nit enough superlatives to describe our Tanzania experience. All the hotels we stayed in were comfortable, people welcoming and friendly. We wouldn't hesitate to return to this wonderful country Tanzania.
