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What our clients are saying about us and our trips...

With web review sites being all the rage these days, it can be a little difficult to sift through the debris to actually find out what a place or hotel is like. From our point of view, having stayed in 99% of the hotels and safari lodges we sell (and quite a few we don't), we think that these reviews can be very misleading as it is impossible to know what the reviewer likes, was looking for, paid etc. etc. In our opinion our job is to find out what you like and match the correct product to you...see how we have done. (please note that ALL of the reviews we feature are 100% real and unedited. If you would like to speak to any of our past clients please let us know)

Furthermore, we have started to gather customer reviews through Trustpilot so please take a look at our page on there to see how we are doing! Trustpilot Reviews >>

Hi Nick,

We had a great holiday. 

Sand Rivers
The Safari started from the time we were collected from the air-strip (after a very bumpy ride) by Edward who was to be our guide for the duration of our stay. He was amazing, very knowledgeable, a great sense of humour and didn't  mind how many trivial questions we asked, I'm sure there were many.

We were met at the lodge by Geoff and Isla who showed us around before taking us to our lodge. It was everything the website said plus more. All of the staff were so friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them.

The main lodge overlooked the river where you could see an abundance of hippo's, crocs and numerous birds. This is where we had our meals and all the food was excellent. Went out on the river twice, once in the morning and we had breakfast out on the river bank and the second time was on the last evening , sat in the boat, in the middle of the river, glass of wine in our hand watching the sunset. Beautiful!!

When it came to the game viewing think we saw everything almost that it was possible to see in that area. Had to drive a bit some days as they had rain before we arrived and waterholes inland had filled up so the animals were not depending on the river and lakes for their water.

Nevertheless for the first safari for us we saw :- giraffes,zebra,impalas,eland,warthogs, water buffalo,hippos, crocodiles, baboons, monkeys, lions (cubs, young adults and adults, male and female) mongoose, civet, leopard, wildebeast, hyenas,bush babies,monitor lizard, vultures, birds of prey, and too many more beautiful birds to mention. How can you beat that for first time???

Some other guests had come from other parks up north but though they didn't have so much driving  to see animals it was very busy with other vehicles!! Do you mind if we mention you and your company on trip advisor?

Hot drink brought to your lodge 6a.m.- breakfast 6.30a.m.- safari 7.30a.m.- back for excellent lunch 1p.m.- 'afternoon tea' with cake 4p.m - safari 4.30p.m.- evening meal 8.p.m. Ideal first time safari.

Boutique Hotel Matlai
Hotel perfect for rest/relaxation. Absolutely gorgeous!!
Looking straight out onto the Indian Ocean it was beautiful. The rooms couldn't be faulted, with everything you could possibly want. The butler, Salim, was so friendly and helpful with nothing being too much trouble. We were given a mobile and told to ring him should we want anything. He arranged our meals, waited on us, arranged excursions and even helped us with new words in swahli!! He laughed with us and at us. What could be better. Had trips to Stone Town/ Spice Tour/ Prison Island. All very interesting.  Rest of time spent just relaxing. Perfect 5 days.

Lots of lovely memories,

Thanks for putting it all together for us.

Best Wishes
Rob and Sue 


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Rob and Sue
November 1, 2014

Hello Nick

I wanted to take a few minutes thank you for all you effort, time, recommendations and safari expertise which made our travel to Tanzania exceed expectations.  This trip was by far the most extraordinary trip we have taken.  You made our anniversary trip a once in a life time experience and were so patient with all my emails and details for the trip.  This was the first time I used a company outside the US to book travel and your service was better than any service I have had booking travel.   Each resort you arranged had something wonderful planned for our stay and we received VIP treatment at each resort. The service at each of the resorts was of the highest standards and the staff and people were so warm and welcoming.

We greatly enjoyed our stay at Arusha Coffee Lodge, Little Oliver’s Tented Camp, Crater Lodge, Sayari Mara Camp and Kilindi Beach Resort.  The accommodations at the resorts were some of the most unique and luxurious accommodations we have experienced worldwide.   The guides at each resort were of the highest standards and they made our safari drives educational, entertaining and we saw all the big 5 game animals and had the opportunity to do sundowners (so fun having a cocktail with a Leopard right in front of your car) .  The guides really made the trip with their personalities, knowledge of the animals and the area.  Because we used local guides at each camp our guides were well versed in the area and knew where to find the animals.  

There were so many wonder and first experiences on the trip if I listed them all this letter would go on for pages.  A couple of highlights I would like to share would be at the Sayari Camp in the Serengeti.  We had the most amazing tent the honeymoon suite and our guide Elia really made this camp our favorite.  He found all the animals we wanted to see and got us into position for two crossings.  We were part of a “safari Ferrari “race to get in position for a crossing and Elia got us in a great location for the crossing but most of all he was so much fun to spend the days with.  We were the first out every day and the last end he really went above and beyond to make our trip something we will talk about for a life time.

Thank you Nick for making this a trip of a life time we really enjoyed our time in Tanzania.
With Thanks,
Roberta and John


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Roberta and John
October 1, 2014

Rest of trip was fantastic thanks. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Ras Nungwi - the setting, staff and hotel itself was 5* from start to finish. Rath (GM) and the team made us feel very welcome and it was incredibly relaxing.

Will definitely head back to Tanzania & Zanzibar in the future!

Many thanks Nick

Scott

Scott and Ruth
September 29, 2014

Hi Nick

May I on behalf of Sue and myself wish you and all the team a very Happy New Year.

Also it would appear that we have not reviewed the holiday you arranged for us in Tanzania last September. To be honest we could not fault any part of it. The itinerary worked like clockwork with all international and internal flights being punctual with smooth transfers to both the camps and the hotel. We were well looked after in both Impala Camp, Selous, and Kigelia Tented Camp, Ruaha, by very professional teams of camp staff, guides and drivers. The Hotel Matlai in Zanzibar was total luxury. The wildlife in both reserves was abundant and we were so pleased with the in depth knowledge of our driver/guides.

We would have no hesitation in recommending you and the team to anyone wanting a safari holiday in Tanzania or any other country your company covers.

All the best for 2015,

Brian and Sue

Brian and Sue
September 19, 2014

Hi Nick,

We had a wonderful time at both Lake Manze and Mdonya Old River Camp. We were made to feel very welcome at both, and the staff could not have been more helpful.

Thanks for mentioning that it was our honeymoon. Both camps offered to lay on a special, private dinner for us, which was a lovely touch.

And finally thank you for your suggestion of combining the Selous with Ruaha. It was a perfect combination of two quite different parks, and the animal sightings were superb. No rhino, but you can’t have everything.

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions, which helped make an amazing honeymoon.

Kind regards,

Will and Bev

Will and Bev
September 18, 2014

Hi Nick,

Wanted to thank you for arranging our safari/beach trip.

Everything went well and we all felt the experience exceeded expectations. The staff, food and game trips at the two camps were perfect. Ras Nungwi provided fabulous accommodation and food.

We met several others who had booked with you, and all were impressed with your advice and arrangements.

Regarding highlights, as this was my first safari, I was not sure what to expect and was concerned that the unspoilt nature could be marred by too much safari 'traffic' like us. The Selous and Ruaha parks were good picks as there really wasn't any traffic except around the big cat spotting which generally attracted 3 to 4 other vehicles.

For me the highlights became the drives amongst the game.

Two in particular,
- an early evening return from the Beho mountains and hot springs to Lake Manze camp. It was about 4pm, when our guides were trying to find the zebra herds returning from the hills. We drove for over an hour without seeing another soul, through wonderful African scenery, with great lighting, among active mixed groups of Wilderbeest, giraffe, cape buffalo, impala, kudu, elephants plus the birds and many smaller characters like the wart hogs. There was so much game around, and none of it interested in us, that it felt like we were in a truly unspoilt natural scene.
- after lunch beside the Ruaha river, about 3k from the little Serengeti, we slowly passed through an area crowded with elephant herds( stopped counting around 200), zebra, giraffe and hippos. At one time we were in the midst of one group of elephants for about 15 mins, watching them drink and spray with youngsters of 6 mths, 1&2 year olds, and the mothers watching us with some displays by the young males. Fantastic!

Tips would be the earlier you start the better, and take full day trips engaging with your guides to motivate them in telling and showing the best sights.

When we want another safari, we will be in touch.

Many thanks
Paul

Paul and Lynne
September 15, 2014

Hi Nick,

We returned from our holiday on Sunday and I just wanted you to know we had a fantastic adventure in Tanzania. Thank you. We were lucky to see wild dogs in the Selous and numerous lions, cheetahs and leopard at Ruaha, including a cheetah kill, as well as a vast array of other mammals, birds and insects. It was unforgettable. We had fantastic game viewing. It was far better than I had hoped it would be. We woke up to elephants passing by the bottom of our tent the first morning at Lake Manze. Just magical. There were more baby animals than I expected for that time of year – young giraffes still suckling, hyena cubs, etc.

The two camps we chose, Lake Manze and then Kwihala, were both great and did not disappoint in any way. Kwihala was exceptional with the highest quality guiding, very friendly staff and really great food. We met Sandy, the new manager there, who spoke very highly of you. We asked to see the kitchen, stores and washing up area and she happily obliged. We were amazed at what great food they can turn out given the humble facilities. I am glad we chose them both and did them in that order. 3 days at each was perfect. I would not hesitate to recommend either to any of your clients.

Everything went to plan and we were always met on time and transferred efficiently which, given this was Africa, was amazing. I worked out we used 5 different airlines, with 13 take-offs (and of course 13 landings) and five different camps/hotels. The worst thing that happened was on our return to Heathrow terminal 5, we waited an hour to collect our luggage only to find that, for some reason, our bags (and no-one else’s off that flight) had been put on the wrong carousel and were right behind us all the time! So I don’t think we can complain.

We were glad of your advice and took small soft bags, which was vital given the tiny Safari Airlink plane to the first camp was a four seater wit the smallest luggage hold I have ever seen! We also appreciated the advice about what to take and hence we had everything we needed and nothing more. By the way, the Zanzibar departure tax is now $49 per person.

The hotel Matlai on Zanzibar was fabulous and we had a lovely butler who looked after us well. Inge made us feel welcome and apologised for the error in the booking and we each had a complimentary massage as promised, and a bottle of decent wine, which was lovely.

The Matemwe retreats were not, in our opinion, up to the high standards of Matlai, so I felt Matlai was better value. The food was disappointing and certainly not as good at Matemwe as Matlai and although the room and especially the outdoor space was much bigger and more private at Matemwe retreats, it was not of the same quality and finish and we felt less secure there since it is very open to the elements and ingress of insects and wildlife. We did not think it was good value for money and would have been very annoyed and disappointed had we paid the going rate there ($800 a night per couple). Having said that we enjoyed ourselves there, but I just want you to know in case you discuss options with other clients.

We have about 3000 photos to go through now! J

Kind regards,
Kim


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Bob and Kim
September 13, 2014

Hi Nick,

Now that I am coming back down to earth a little we would like to express a huge thanks for planning such a memorable holiday. This would not have happened without your expertise & knowledge of the camps you chose for us.

Kigelia was breath taking, all the staff superb & so professional-especially liked the early morning call with coffee watching the sunrise & the jugs of hot water which were waiting for us. Musa runs a superb team & we can’t praise the chef & his team enough. We were looked after every day by Hussain who greeted us with a warmth which enveloped us--we do miss him. The wild life we saw was astounding.

Kiba Point was total luxury & breath taking. Everything about it was perfect. Hamza made every effort to make sure we had an astonishing time & he didn’t let us down. We particularly enjoyed our fishing trips & the crocodile caught by Viv!! So many super memories.

Ras Nungwi was paradise again we were looked after so very well & enjoyed excellent cuisine especially the fish platter laid on for Hugh’s birthday 5 star +.

We will never forget this adventure--the best to date & we feel so pleased that we found you.
Thank you so very much & hopefully we shall be in touch again.

Regards
Hugh & Marian

Hugh and Marian
September 12, 2014

Hi Nick,

We really enjoyed our trip. Lake Manze exceeded expectations, and their staff were so accommodating. The more rustic/no electricity without sacrificing comfort really makes this place unique. Thanks for arranging everything and helping have a really nice trip.

All the best Nick,

Joe

Joe and Denise
September 11, 2014

Hi Nick,

thank you for your email and your welcome!

Yes, everything was amazing and we had a wonderful time. The accommodation was perfect, especially as far as the safari is concerned.

The Residence was very nice as well, but, as you had warned us beforehand, the beach is not ideal. Also, although the service was excellent and the staff very friendly, there were some miscommunications. You got different answers depending on who you asked, which was not very helpful.

Also, just to let you know, the rate for going to Stone Town was $194 and not $70 pp as advised. They do excursions once a week however, for $41 pp, but when we asked the reception, we were never told of this and found out about by accident after having booked for $194. Not sure if that was intentional or not to be honest.

I would be really happy to send you some photos, although they are quite large in size. I have attached a few; if you need more, let me know!

Once again, we would like to thank you for your service and the attention you gave us throughout the whole process; you were faultless. Very very pleased, we would definitely recommend you!

Best Regards,

Konstantinos


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Konstantinos and Louiza
September 9, 2014

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