9-Day Tanzania Northern Circuit Itinerary

Truly the trip of a lifetime - a Tanzanian safari!

The tour planners planned a perfect safari for us - exactly as we had wanted, and so much more.  From the minute we landed in Kilimanjaro airport, until we returned to the airport at the end of the trip, every detail was planned and executed flawlessly.  Everything we needed, and even that which we could not have anticipated wanting, was organized and provided.

I spoke extensively to our tour planner at the outset and explained to him that we are a family with two college-aged sons and this was our first safari.  Our goal was to see the animals, and it was clear from our discussions that the tour planner has extraordinary depth of knowledge about all aspects of safari travel, as well as a deep love of Africa.  All of that knowledge, as well as the experience of another tour planner, was translated into a truly wonderful trip for us, designed exactly as we had wanted.  And we saw so many animals, in a truly up close and personal way!  

The tour planners planned the whole trip, organized the accommodation, different locations and our fantastic guide, as well as all other details.  The planning, which took us to Arusha, Ngorongoro Crater, South and North Serengeti, provided true variety of animals, scenery and accommodation.  Every day was different, and brought us truly wonderful experiences, sightings and delicious food.  Every aspect of the trip was one that the tour planners had personal knowledge of, and that was important to ensuring true quality.  And using an independent safari organizer meant that we experienced different types of accommodation, and were not limited to one "chain" of service providers.

Probably the most important aspect of our trip was our guide.  Our guide was with us from the first morning until we took off from the bush airport to return to Kilimanjaro.  He was just awesome!  And we know that the tour planner had been on safari with him in the prior spring, and we understood that our guide was matched to us based on the personal knowledge that the tour planner had of him and his abilities.  Our guide really made the trip what it was.  His knowledge, ability to spot animals, driving skills, thoughtful attention to us and sense of humor and fun was extraordinary.  With him, and because of his ability to locate animals, we had time observing animals up close, when we were the only truck nearby.  Our experience was not of being one of ten trucks following one lion, but of being one truck observing, for example, a cheetah mom and her baby, a leopard up a tree eating a zebra, a lion "playdate" of two lionesses and five cubs playing together and families of elephants and giraffes munching on trees and so much more!  Our guide also had an artistic eye for the perfect light for the right location for a photograph, and the right timing of a sunrise and sunset.  Just wonderful!      

And our local agent, a long time colleague of the tour planner, was both delightful and helpful.  Meeting her the evening before we set out for the Ngorongoro Crater also added to our sense of feeling completely well looked after.  It was also so nice that she was willing to share her personal, interesting life story, and added to our enjoyment of the trip. 

Prior to the trip, the tour planners provided us with everything we needed to prepare, and promptly and helpfully answered all of our questions.  So throughout the planning and execution we were completely supported and guided and as a result were completely relaxed and able to fully enjoy and appreciate the whole awesome experience!

We wholeheartedly highly recommend this tour company and are so grateful to them for a truly memorable safari!

This Africa travel company provided excellent communication, recommendations, and service from our initial contact through a follow-up post-trip. We originally booked this trip in 2019 for 2020 prior to the onset of Covid, which led to many uncertainties and changes until it was finally executed in 2021. Canceled flights and changes by a Zambia carrier proved to be challenging for all, but our travel company was monitoring this and took immediate action to resolve connections and lodging issues with each change. Flights going and coming from Africa were not full and the same was true for many internal flights. The exception was for the Zambia flights so one might presume that a canceled flight today would mean a fuller flight tomorrow. The actual execution of our trip went off perfectly and we were very pleased. We felt we were in great hands and well supported if there had been flight issues etc. while en route. 

This was our third trip to Africa and we've been on safari for all three. This trip was well organized and there were many transfers and flights involving four different countries in Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). At this time, each border crossing required a PCR test for Covid, so our travel planner had to help us coordinate this as well, in order to make this trip possible. At every transfer point, a representative met us to help navigate the local procedures and facilitate movement to our next flight, hotel, border crossing, etc. If we'd been on our own we'd likely have figured this out, but not with the efficiency and knowledge of the processes and procedures that this staff had. Their presence provided an enormous time saving, efficiency, and made the trip less stressful because we knew someone would tell us what to do next. Who would expect for example that we'd be required to clear security prior to checking in for our next flight? Or that baggage would be dropped at the door we'd just entered in the airport vs. another baggage claim area. In Johannesburg, we were quickly escorted for about a 15 minute walk to the lobby of our hotel. It's a large airport and not having to figure it out after a lengthy flight from the USA made this easy and added value.  

Team Charles, Sarah, and Karen listened to what we wanted on our trip, and instead of focusing just on Botswana and Victoria Falls, they recommended Zambia as well. For Victoria Falls, we were told Zimbabwe is where we wanted to be. Advice was also provided for the Visa for Zambia/Zimbabwe. Our accommodations were all excellent. We actually benefited substantially with lodging upgrades and private vehicles and guides by traveling to Africa while most are staying home due to Covid. We were comfortable at camps with staff that were vaccinated at all but one of our five camps, masking, social distancing, and sanitization. Significant effort is being made to keep the few travelers visiting safe, so tourism may return sooner vs. later. At one of our airports, the restroom stalls in either Botswana or Zambia were being cleaned after every use! With this said, we've encouraged friends to mask up and consider travel now or in the next six months if they have the opportunity. 

We strongly recommend working with this Africa travel company and felt that the presence of staff both in the USA and Africa helped. For this trip, we took a chance as our decision was between doing a trip with this company and with another travel company we've booked with numerous times. We went with this company because it was based on our desired itinerary and we'd be on our own in camps vs. being with a group. My spouse was particularly concerned about this aspect with covid and all the itinerary changes we'd seen prior to the trip, but in the end, we were both extremely satisfied with the end result and format of the trip. We would gladly book another trip through this company.

Amazing, Incredible, Life Changing, Awesome, Beautiful, Beyond our wildest expectations! From the first phone call with our contact, to our finalized itinerary, I can honestly say, that we spent ~8 hours on the phone discussing what we wanted to see, our contact's recommendations, my feedback, his experience and expertise, and our final decision. I felt positive in our choices, and I was right! I'm sure we were, lucky and blessed to have experienced: no flight delays, no lost luggage. Every connection was timed perfectly. Every pick up, tour, guide, arrival, departure was like clock work! Not only were our accommodations exactly as pictured and described, they were better. I guess being in the moment is always better than the expectation. I must have said many times over during our trip, how grateful I was for my 5 senses. Every one was in a heightened state, and appreciated, beyond compare.  I believe the time spent at each locale was ideal. Recovery from jet lag at Rivertrees was wonderful. Dreamlike, memorable and flat out wonderful. We made a friend who worked there, who taught me my first words in Swahili, told us stories, and made us feel truly special. The number of nights in Tarangire was made perfect by our guide. His love for his country, and the experiences we were having were made even better by his enthusiasm. We were truly spoiled at Kichuguu. The staff, accommodations, and experience were other worldly. My husband and I kept looking at each other with awe, surprise, and the genuine feeling that we were the luckiest people on earth! Onto Ngorongoro and Lemala Camp. Our initial guide continued to be our driver and guide. 5 days/nights with person that you trust with your life and life experiences creates a bond, that we will always treasure. While it was amazing, completely different in atmosphere, terrain, and altitude! Two nights was just right. A full day in the crater was enough. As I write this, the only drawback to a shorter stay was not forming a closer relationship with the staff. At Kichuguu, and later at Kaskaz, we developed relationships with staff. This is not to belittle the staff here, but just to point out the longer the stay, the more special relationships become. The drive in and out was an experience on its own! While it was sad to say good bye to our guide, we were excited for the Serengetti! And we were not disappointed. While we did not form a personal relationship with our new driver and guide, we respected his knowledge, expertise, personality, humor, and quest to make sure our every wish came true. And boy did it. The staff, especially another new friend, went above and beyond to make our stay remarkable. 4 nights here was wonderful. Met new, and fun friends from the states. Everything that you here about sitting around the campfire, talking, laughing, reliving the days adventures happened here. The staff and their singing, and joy made overnight a party. An unforgettable experience. Our contact's followup and follow through continue to impress me, and make me confident that I will recommend this company to any and all who ask.