Serengeti and Selous Safaris: Contrasts of Tanzania’s Diverse Wildlife

Wow.  That's just for starters.  I just returned from Africa with my partner and two of our close friends.  We had a 2 week trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar booked through this African safari tour operator.  It included a day hike on Mt. Kilimanjaro, 7 days of safari, and 3 days at a resort in Zanzibar.

Just as we prepared to leave San Francisco, our flight was delayed, and we had to rebook arrangements, and arrived in Arusha 36 hours later than planned.  That did not phase our travel company.  I sent them an email on Saturday AM with our new flight plans, a representative of was waiting for us as we landed at 3:30AM, and the adventure continued.

Our travel company was able to shuffle our schedule to allow us to fit in our hike on Mt. Kilimanjaro at the end of the safari portion of our trip, and give up one day in Zanzibar.  

All of the accommodations were first class.  We stayed at the Arusha Hotel for just a few hours when we landed, and found it to be a charming colonial style hotel that we wished we could have enjoyed more.

Our driver/guide, Joseph, was with us 7 days.   He was very good at negotiating the rough roads on safari, and we were able to see most of what we wanted over the trip.

We stayed one night at Kirururu Lodge overlooking Lake Manyara.  Be sure to have a drink at the bar - the view down to the lake is breath-taking.

The two nights at Tloma Lodge were also very nice.  The rooms were large and well-appointed, and the meals were wonderful.  It was relaxing to hang around the lobby in the afternoon talking to other travelers, comparing sights on our safari outings.  A special thanks to Martha for her outstanding service.  She was the best.

In the Serengeti, we stayed two nights each in two tent camps.  One in the central part (Kati Kati), and one farther north along the Mara River (Mara Under Canvas Camp).  The Mara camp was very deluxe.  Our tent must have been over 600 square feet, and had plumbed cold water.

The whole trip exceeded our expectations.  Our agent at this travel company was so helpful at every phase of planning and during the trip when our plans changed at the last minute.  Our tour guides were also there every step of the way in Tanzania.  We were never at a loss as to where to go or when, as they had us totally covered.

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.

The expert travel planning by our tour planners was flawless. They gave us details and planning directions that were always helpful and on time. I never felt like I needed to do extra planning and when I had a concern, they always responded immediately. Even as we were in the middle of the trip and I had some concern about the bad weather, a tour planner responded almost immediately and did some research and contacted the flight people. The lodging in Arusha is unbelievable. Gibbs Farm near the crater is the same. Too much to tell on these two lodgings, but go to the web site. The Sanctuary Serengeti camp was great. Our tent overlooked the vast Serengeti from our high spot in the southwest area. Gorilla Sanctuary lodge at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was fabulous.

This Africa Safari travel company planed a phenomenal trip for my husband and I, everything from accommodations, to in country transportation, to food was handled by this company and was seamless!

Arusha to the Onsea House retreat with beautiful views of Mt.Meru (brother to Mt.Kilimanjaro) : we were picked up by a wonderful guide who, unfortunately was expecting us the day before for a walking safari, but we were delayed 1 day (I will explain later in the review).   Staff was amazing and accommodating, food was out of this world, and our room was gorgeous! Such a great pick for our first night in Africa.  This is where we brought school supplies in accordance with "Pack for a Purpose" and left it with the staff to bring to the school at Onsea.

The Serengeti and getting there: We took a small Cesna plane into the bush which was a great and beautiful experience. upon arrival we were greeted by a guide who set up a small picnic breakfast for us next to the airstrip complete with table cloths, coffee, tea, fruit, cookies and biscuits!  It was a very welcomed surprise after an early morning.  We were paired with a game driver that we would stick with for the entirety of our stay at Lemala - Kuria Hills.  We had a gorgeous view from anywhere in the lodge especially our room, great food, and amazing staff once again.  The game viewing was great, say lots and lots of herbivores such as giraffes, zebras, antelopes, impala, elepahnts, buffalo, and more.  But were  bit disappointed that we did not get to spot the entire Big 5.  But hey! thats the wild for you!  We had to always keep in mind that we were observing the animals in their natural habitat and it was by chance that we saw what we did. 

I must say, that this trip was absolutely unforgettable and turned out to be the best choice for our honeymoon.  But, to be completely fair, there were 2 mistakes that were made that dampened the trip (the reason it is not a 5 star review).  

Our travel company was very great with reaching out on a very regular basis before the deposit was placed, and as time got closer to the trip, the communication was less and less.  

Months before our trip, I sent in a client information sheet, complete with my and my husband's passport information along with other things they needed to know to book accommodations and transportation.  Unfortunately, those documents were not looked over well enough by the staff at the company because there was an issue with my husband's passport expiration date.  There was only 2 months left, when Tanzania required 6 months.  This mistake cost us an entire day in Africa (the most expensive single day).  The fact that we were only scheduled to be in Tanzania for 8 days, and now cut short to only 7 days, it really put a damper on our trip.  So needless to say, we get to the airline to check our bags for the international flight, and they would not allow my husband to board! In a panic, we had to run to the other side of New York and get an expedited passport costing us lots of extra time and money.  

From my experience, it is the Travel agent's responsibility to explicitly tell you, by phone, about rules of this sort.  They are supposed to be the experts of tours in the country and should have been more proactive in that aspect.  

My last disappointment came, when we realized that the great migration was not going on in the portion of the Serengeti we were staying at that time of the season.  Our agent knew that we were only in the bush for 4 nights and I explicitly requested that we wanted to see the great migration.  When we got to the lodge, it was very well known that the great migration was NOT happening at that time.  Our game viewing was much less than was we expected...don't get me wrong, it was absolutely phenomenal, but this was with a pretty experienced guide and lots and lots of searching.  

Despite the early complications and loss of time, my husband and I did have the best Honeymoon. The staff at all our Tanzania locations were phenomenal. on our last night the staff at Lamala Hills celebrated my husbands birthday in the grandest of fashions. Dancing, singing, and great fun ran through the entire night. 

Zanzibar and our trip home: After our week in the Serengeti we flew to the island of Zanzibar. We were greeted by our private transport and traveled to a resort located on the east coast of the island. The resort was fantastic. the beach was so wonderful. The customer service of the staff was a B+, still miss how amazing the bush was, and the beach was so cool. We walked for a almost two miles in knee high water exploring the natural reef and coral of the Indian ocean. The food was good and our stay had a wonderful "sundowners" with champagne & snacks. We even visited a great restaurant called which served the freshest seafood. The days were wonderful and the nights even more magical. We finished the island visit with a tour of historic stone town before leaving home.

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!

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!