Reviews of safaris to Lake Manyara National Park

"We saw so many amazing animals and were given a friendly welcome throughout.

Our own arrangements at the end of the holiday made us realise that a permanent camp in the Serengeti rather than the mobile camp we chose at Olakira would have been a more satisfactory option, particularly as the Ndutu area was so busy with other safari goers. When discussing Kusini with you as an alternative at the planning stage, this aspect was not pointed out. As it happened the Migration had moved closer to Kusini (Maswa area) away from Ndutu but we were not offered the opportunity to drive out in this direction, despite staying for four nights at Olakira." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a great time and it was everything we expected that it would be. Ellie was so helpful in the booking process and answering my questions.

We loved Tanzania and we agreed that the safari here was better than other countries we had visited. Our driver from Asilia (Albert) was very friendly and knowledgeable. He was always prompt and the vehicle was always spotless.

We undertook a couple of trips with Wayo at the Serena Hotel at Lake Manyara:

1. The night drive into the park made us feel very special as we were the only people in the park on that night. I love the expectation of what you might see and this is what anyone who does this trip needs to bear in mind. It is highly unlikely that you will see Lions and whatever you do see unless you have a very good camera and are very quick at taking the picture you won't be able to do this. So it's best to just sit back and enjoy the trip. We saw different notcturnal animals - porcupine, genet, hippos feeding, bush babies etc.

2. Whilst we enjoyed the bike ride, there are a few factors that anyone doing this needs to think about. It was about 30km and whilst a lot of it is down hill the hot wetaher can take it out of you so take come water (we weren't offered any by Wayo, although our Driver gave us some) and plenty of sunscreen, a hat etc. The bikes are ok, but the seats are a bit worn and uncomfortable (we were talking to the guy who took us and he told us that they wanted to order the gel seats but had to get these form Europe). I had thought that the visit to the village was going to be about meeting people who lived and worked there - we actually visited a curio shop. We then biked into the park and down to the lake and then back up to the village where our driver met us. So overall we enjoyed it but a few things to consider for anyone else.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I really can't think of any." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 18 on a Tanzania safari

"It exceeded our expectations! Our trip was absolutely wonderful. The planning was flawless, and every detail was taken care of.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

A little more guidance on tipping would be helpful. While we asked for and received specific guidelines on amounts for the staff and the drivers, we were unaware until we arrived that separate (and fairly substantial) tips for butlers and trackers were also expected. We had calculated our expected total cash needs, and then doubled that figure when planning how much money to take, and we were glad to have the excess with us. Your notes to travellers could indicate that in some camps, these additional staff members may also be deserving of tips." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari

"When on the ground everything went extremely smoothly and the itinerary was so well planned that we didn't have any gaps of time waiting for transfers. We also felt confident that everything had been taken care of because the Expert Africa team seemed to know exactly what they are doing.

We felt that Ellie had gone out of her way to make sure that the holiday was as good as it could be. When we were planning the itinerary she could provide good insights into the each of the places we were thinking of going to and appeared to know them well.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

If you had been able to handle purchase of the British Airways tickets using part air-miles then we would have preferred to book these through Expert Africa.

Otherwise, it was hard to improve upon!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"Our overall experience was what we dreamed of. Africa is a unique untouched beauty. We would definitely recommend this trip to our friends excluding the Beyt al Chai experience. In the end we did accepted this as an adventure at Zanzibar island, but it wasn't a pleasant thing to happen since it was our honeymoon, if it was in other trip we wouldn't have been so disappointed.

The game drives were great, even with the fact of missing the migration at the Serengeti. The CC Africa lodges are amazing, the staff is very friendly. Everything is great there! It's a worthwhile experience. No one should miss it!

The Matemwe Retreat is all fantastic..and as we said before our butler was tireless!

This trip was everything that we expected. We are very looking forward to go back to Africa very soon." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Expert Africa live up to their name :)" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari