African Family Vacation: Safari and Sandy Beaches

February 2021, I submitted a request through Zicasso to plan a group trip to Kenya,Tanzania and Zanzibar for June 2022. I was matched with Maurice. This travel company has surpassed our expectations and provided an amazing experience we will never forget. The camps were top rated, and we had a fantastic time there. In fact, all the accommodations we stayed at were phenomenal. They were beautiful, clean, each room had an amazing view, the staff were very attentive, and the food was top notch. Maurice even planned a few surprises for our group along the way.

Maurice booked all of our in-country transfers (both by car and plane). All we had to do was show up at the lobby of each accommodation at the time specified and everything else was taken care of. Our drivers were exceptional as well. We spent time in Amboseli National Park, Maasai Mara, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and ended on the beach of Zanzibar. Our drivers at Amboseli had many years’ experience, they were very knowledgeable about all of the animals. Within 5 minutes landing at the air strip, they took us straight to see many of the animals, especially a family of cheetahs eating their prey! Our drivers at the Maasai Mara were great as well. We told him we wanted to see a lots of lions and they didn’t disappoint. On our morning game drive, we saw lions feasting on a buffalo, we also saw a leopard with a vulture in a tree. Our drivers in the Serengeti & Ngorongoro were excellent as well, they took us to all the best locations to capture the animals. We were even able to catch a glimpse of a rhino in the distance. They did their best to ensure we were able to see the big 5 and the ugly 5. We then ended the trip visiting Zanzibar’s beaches, a spice tour & Stone Town.

I highly recommend using Maurice and this travel company for travel tours, safaris and vacations in the future and look forward to working with him again! Asante sana!

You could not have planned the trip better. It was fantastic! Our safari driver from Rangers was great - again could not of been better. He pushed every day for us to see everything possible. Hes fun and incredibly knowledgeable and has a great command of the English language.You were right to schedule one day in Nairobi - so glad we did not change it to two days. We saw the last of the Big 5 - the black rhino in Kenya. We loved all of our accommodations and the people are so friendly, polite and helpful.We saw the Great Migration in Tanzania. We would not of changed one thing. People from other tour agencies were dissapointed that when they arrived in Kenya when we did as all of the Wildebeest had already migrated to Tanzania.What you scheduled for us was perfect. I do think that Tanzania is not well known but Kenya is to the average American like us. If it wasn't for you we would of never known about Tanzania. Tanzania has it all - except the black rhino at the Govenor's Camp- no need to even go to Kenya but I did want to go the the Elephant and Giraffe orphanages. We loved Capetown, the shark cage trip and the tour operator was wonderful. The 1/2 day Capetown trip was great. We went on the historic Capetown walking tour at 11:00 after we checked out. We added the Olduvai museum at the crater to our trip.  We had a wonderful time and saw so much in 17 days including traveling from the East Coast;  Arusha, Tarangire National park,  Ngorongoro crater, Central Serengeti - Turner Springs, Norther Serengeti - Kokatonde, Masai - Mara, Nairobi, Victoria Falls and Capetown. A trip of a lifetime.

From the first conversation with our trip designer to the moment we got in the taxi leaving lodge in Zanzibar heading for the airport, the entire experience was seamless and far exceeded our expectations.  We truly didn't know what to expect with this trip.  We knew we'd see myriad animals while on safari.  We knew we'd be awestruck with the expansive vistas.  We didn't know what to expect with the food, transfers at airports, lodging accommodations, friendliness (or lack thereof) of our hosts, ability to communicate with locals, our general safety, etc.  Africa turned out to be a huge surprise and I'm sure we owe a great deal of gratitude to our trip designer and the entire company's team.  When we got off the plane in Arusha (Kilimanjaro International Airport), we were greeted by a smiling representative accompanied by our guide.  Our representative was a ray of sunshine.  What I initially thought was just a gregarious host who was well trained to make tourists feel comfortable turned out to be what we experienced with every Tanzanian we met.  You couldn't pass a native Tanzanian without getting an ear to ear smile and a hearty "Jambo!"  Sometimes you'd get a "Jambo, jambo!"  The camps we stayed at were all amazing.  Some were better appointed than others (Swala and Serengeti Pioneer Camps in particular) but even the lesser-appointed camps offered amazing settings in the wilds of Africa...star-gazing was amazing!  The food was consistently very good.  We spent our first night at Onsea House on the outskirts of Arusha.

Onsea House was a beautiful, boutique hotel nestled in the hillsides outside Arusha.  The grounds were beautiful;  well-defined paths were guarded by thick tropical plants and flowers were in full bloom.  As the sun went down, I could hear dogs barking, cows mooing and an relentless rooster that announced his presence throughout the night.  The food at Onsea was an unexpected treat.  My wife and I immediately made friends with the couple in the room next to ours and we shared dinner with them.    We set out the next morning for Tarangire.  Our tour guide met us early in the morning and we started our safari.  We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide;  we really felt like we made a life-long friend in him.  He was genuine, gregarious and extremely knowledgeable in all things Africa.  We spent the next 10 days with him.  We visited Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater, the Ndutu region and the Serengeti.  It's hard to say which we enjoyed the most.  Taragnire was a haven for elephants.  The Ngorongoro Crater would have been beautiful even if it didn't host a self-contained ecosystem.  Ngorongoro was the only place we saw rhinos.  The Ndutu region was unique in that we felt free to explore nooks and crannies in search of lions feasting on a freshly killed zebra or cape buffalo.  And the Serengeti was majestic and expansive.  Being awakened to two competing lions roaring in the middle of the night to assert their dominance was something I'll never forget.  We spent the last 4 days at a spa on the northeastern shore of Zanzibar.  What an amazing place to get your zen on!  I'm an early riser.  I had an opportunity on multiple mornings to watch as the local fisherman paddled their outriggers past our thatched lodge on the beach.  Dozens of boats would pass by as the men sang songs in Swahili with one fisherman singing the lead while the others sang responses in unison...priceless.

Rating this safari tour operator is a little difficult as I believe that a company is only as good as their travel agents and the people they contract with in Africa.  My travel agent was the only reason I chose this company. She made the trip and itinerary come alive for me and I was "sold" the very first time I spoke with her.  Unfortunately, I have heard she is leaving this company, therefore I would have some trepidation about recommending the company.  

The trip did not start out the best. When I arrived at Kilimanjaro there was no one to greet me!  Fortunately two gentlemen from another tour company assisted by calling the contract company in Africa's representative, Justin, for me.  Justin laughed and said he thought I was supposed to have arrived the day before, then had a taxi take me to my hotel in Arusha where he met me and minimized the issue with a brief apology.   Not a good way to start a journey!

Happily, the contract guide was fabulous.  He was with us the entire time we were in Tanzania and not only found game for us, but provided interesting history and facts about the animals and the country.  He was truly amazing and I would not hesitate to recommend him as a guide.  He made the time in Tanzania much more memorable. 

When we flew from the Serengeti to Kenya (several take-offs/landings) we arrived at Arusha where Justin met us and drove us to Kilimanjaro (Serengeti-Arusha-Kilimanjaro-Nairobi Wilson). A very harrowing experience through traffic and nearly hitting a man on a bicycle.  We found out later we could have flown directly to Kilimanjaro, but Justin wanted time to "chat" with us before we left Tanzania!  That does not show thoughtfulness toward the traveler.

Upon arrival at Nairobi Wilson we were met by Daniel, a 'stand in' for our scheduled guide Ken.  On the way to our camp we had a short game drive with very little input from Daniel.  After the experience with our terrific guide we were not impressed with this "welcome".  However, upon meeting Ken later in the evening our hopes brightened considerably - especially since he told us he was the best guide in the Maasai Mara.  He proved to be very good and made sure we had superb game viewing.

The accommodations were wonderful:  Mt. Meru Hotel in Arusha was beautiful - with a large garden area in the back, gorgeous pool (although it was too cold for us to use), friendly & helpful staff, and I had the best Caesar salad ever!

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Tanzania) is a marvel.  How they got all the materials up there is a wonderment. We had quite a walk to our room (although some were farther than ours), but we managed.  The meals were all buffet and I would rate them only a "good", as I've had much better.  There was quite a variety, but there was just something missing. I'm sure others have rated their food higher - all depends on taste. The rooms were huge and hot water bottles were placed in our beds - a very nice touch since it was quite cold.  The best part of the lodge (in my opinion) was the view into the crater and watching the sunset.

Kati Kati Camp (Serengeti) was fabulous on all counts. Not luxurious, but that's not what we wanted, as we asked to be on the plains surrounded by the sounds of animals.  Our tent was large & clean with a sink, toilet and bucket shower.  Our dining tent was open and faced the plains.  It was staffed by wonderful men who looked after our every need and served the most delicious food - with a new soup each night: tomato, peanut, & cucumber - each one better than the previous.  Sitting around the campfire with our glass of wine watching the hyenas circling was something I will never forget, nor will I forget drinking coffee watching the sun rise on the Serengeti.

Sarova Mara Camp (Maasai Mara, Kenya) was like an oasis. Unless we looked at the sides of our 'room' we never would have believed we were in a tent - beautiful wood floors, marble bath and shower, mosquito netting around our beds (although it was not needed when we were there).  The grounds were beautifully kept and the facilities were exceptional. From the moment we entered the staff was there to assist and during our stay always greeted us by name no matter where we were.  The food here was also buffet and was very good - something different every night and I tried several new dishes. They had a pasta station at night and an omelet station for breakfast, along with salads, pastries, coffee and many kinds of tea.  I also had a wonderful massage the night before leaving - only $60/hour and well worth it after riding the bumpy roads in a Land Cruiser all day.  Sarova Mara would definitely be on my 'recommendation' list!