Reviews of safaris to Tarangire National Park

"We decided in March this year to try and go to Tanzania in July to see the migration - Expert Africa was able to make this happen at relatively short notice. The service both on the ground and by Expert Africa was efficient, professional and of a high standard

Seeing the migration and several river crossing exceeded our expectations - we had a wonderful two weeks!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari

"excellent- an average of 8 hours a day out on safari. A great variety of habitats within each location giving the opportunity to se a wide range of wildlife- the birds were especially good and varied.

Certainly we felt we saw everything we should have and time was never wasted largely due to our excellent driver (Sadiq).

A brilliant trip which exceeded expectations and the one minor problem was quickly resolved on our return

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not really- everything worked well for us" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari

"Huge thank you to James for sorting out our trip within such a short time-frame. He was extremely helpful, down to earth and responsive, and really went all out to accommodate our last minute requirements.

We had an unforgettable trip and would definitely recommend Expert Africa to friends. Also a big thank you to the various people who helped to reunite me with the things I left at Oliver's Camp - everybody went above and beyond and I am extremely grateful." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a great time overall, but as always in Africa, plans do not always go directly as you intended, so it is important to remain travel wise.

The safari section of our trip was quite tiring, with early morning game drives and moving camp every couple of days, although this is exactly what we had expected, so were prepared. This was the first time that we had visited Africa during a rainy season, so expected a different experience to our previous trips. It was lovely to save the best safari camp to last and then to relax in Zanzibar for a 3 nights - even though the heat and humidity hit us hard.

It was very helpful to have the experience and suggestions from Expert Africa to help us plan the trip as their knowledge of the individual camps and hotels is extensive.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

This was our seventh trip to Africa booked through Expert Africa, which precisely sums up our view of their expertise.

Looking forward to number eight!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari

"I could not be happier with this safari. Outstanding locations, superb guides, wildlife galore, delicious meals, comfortable rooms, attentive and accommodating staff.

What more can you ask for?" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari

"Overall, our trip was a most enjoyable and memorable experience, and we would have no hesitation in recommending Expert Africa to other travellers.

Our advisor Ellie was knowledgeable and helpful, and was mindful of the fact that we were hoping to have high quality wildlife experiences but that we did not have an unlimited budget. She made many helpful suggestions, and was very successful in meeting our aims. I spoke to Chris at one time, and he made some helpful suggestions which we later appreciated, particularly about flying from Arusha directly to Ruaha, and not taking the Dar Express to Dar first (which was our original plan so that we might visit the Usambara Mountains, but this would not have been feasible in the time available). Ellie's planning was very thorough, and everything worked smoothly.

The only thing that didn't work was that the mailed package did not arrive in time before we left. It would have been better to allow more time.

Ubuntu and Kwihala were easily the most professional people we stayed with, and we thoroughly enjoyed staying at their two tented camps. Please pass this comment on to them. Both managers, staff and guides were excellent at both camps.
The only reservation we had was about our first guide, Kevin. He was quite pleasant and was also fairly knowledgeable about wildlife and birds. However, he has been a guide for some time, and seemed to be going through the motions a fair bit, and was not particularly enthusiastic (certainly compared to other guides we have used). He did not usually proffer a lot of information on his own initiative, apart from an excellent dissertation about the Rift Valley. He would provide information when we asked, but we had specifically told him we were interested in everything, including local culture.

When we were driving along in Tarangire (in particular) and Ngorongoro, he was not constantly scanning as the best guides do.He would often just drive along, frequently listening to the CB radio which tended to be on all the time. I would often spot things he would not, and I know from using other guides that my eyes are nowhere near as good as the best guides' eyes.
I know that guides use the CB radio for communication, but we got the sense he was using it (constantly) more for his own interest, and it became very annoying on occasions. We may be wrong there, but as we were starting to descend into Ngorongo Crater in the early morning light, I asked him to turn off the radio so we could enjoy the experience but he didn't hear or notice.

He did do a more thorough job in Lake Manyara, and we were happy with our safari experience there.

We don't necessarily want to cause a problem for Kevin, as he has his good points. However, we also have a number of specific complaints.

On our first night's stay in Sopa Lodge in Tarangire, we had to ask the management for some more bottled water. We found out the next day that Kevin had a large supply of bottled water on board, but he failed to inform us of this. He claimed he did, but my wife and I are quite aware of the importance of water, and he certainly didn't inform us.

On the way to Tarangire when we arrived at the big tourist shop where everybody stops, he made a beeline for the coffee bar for his free coffee. We don't begrudge him this, but he left us to our own devices (which is fine), but he had not really informed us of what was going on, or asked whether we might like a coffee, or indicated how long we would be there. This attitude contrasted with the few other guides we have used, who would make sure you were informed and were looked after.

Lastly, on the second morning during breakfast, he picked up my Nikon camera with its telephoto lens attached and played around with it for a short while. He did this without asking. As it happens, I was surprised but I didn't take exception to it as I could see he wasn't going to do any harm. However, I thought a lot of photographers I know would take exception to it, particularly as he could inadvertently damage something.

The above are all fairly minor gripes in the overall safari experience. As I said, Kevin was quite personable and pleasant, and we generally got on well. However, we believe his performance would be improved if he was more aware of his clients' requirements and showed greater enthusiasm and a little more "gung ho" attitude to do his best for his clients." Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 16 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a wonderful experience overall. Please see my individual camp reviews for more detail.

The highlight was definitely Greystoke Mahale - if you can possible find a way to go there, do it! Our other experiences had high points and low points, but it was a great adventure overall and we were very pleased with the logistics and coordination by Expert Africa." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari

"Our trip was incredible! Our first time in Africa and our first trip of this extent and we couldn't be happier. We had the perfect combination of safari, tent, beach, hotel and enjoyment.

We thought Tarangire National Park was the most amazing place for a game drive. The elephants were everywhere!! We particularly enjoyed the night game drive and the seclusion of our camp.

We weren't thrilled about Ngorongoro Crater or Lake Manyara. Lake Manyara seemed like a petting zoo compared to Tarangire and the crater had tons of animals but took so much time to get into and exit out. We didn't like the closed safari vehicles which you have to have in both places and the distance from the animals in both wasn't as fun.

The Serengeti is a MUST stop! We got to see the crossing about 4-5 times which was breathtaking. The camp was unreal and everybody should experience a mobile camp bucket shower :) The staff at both tented camps were out of this world.

We looked Asilia!! They were truly unbelievable. The staff was so reliable, intelligent and just fun to be around. We felt completely at home with them and safe. It was so great to work with them!

We loved visiting the Giraffe Centre and David Sheldrick's elephant orphanage. They were both unforgettable and moving experiences. We learned so much and have a huge appreciation for the work both places are doing for these animals. We also visited Mamba Village (crocodile place) and we were not fans of this at all. It was more like a zoo. Animals were captured and brought into this village to be looked at by guests. We saw injured ostriches and camels with mussels. Not a great experience.

After having such incredible experiences during safari, we were so exited to spend time in Seychelles relaxing. Although the islands are beautiful, they were too secluded for us. We found that the islands didn't have much to offer for activities or enjoyment. We left the hotel every night for dinner which was good, but the taxis were VERY expensive so that was disappointing. The highlight of Seychelles for us was scuba diving. We loved it so much we went 2 days in a row. We had a good time relaxing by the pool and taking in the breathtaking views of the beaches. I don't know if I think the amount of travel to get to Seychelles is necessarily worth it but it allowed us our layover visit in Kenya and we really enjoyed that.

Elizabeth is so great to work with, she made the planning promise seamless! I actually had fun picking out the destinations and accommodations. Ellie also was great in Elizabeth's absence. She helped us with our very minor issues while we were in the Seychelles. Both ladies were extremely responsive and helpful. Expert Africa is a superb travel agency, I hope to use again and I will recommend to all of my friends and family. Thank you for giving up the honeymoon of our dreams!!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a wonderful time on safari in Tanzania - first off, a huge thank you to Liz Wollen. She truly was the mastermind behind our itinerary and every lodge, logistical element and detail was 100% on point. Each day was a new and wonderful experience, and we are grateful to Liz for helping us plan an amazing adventure.

Our trip was also made spectacular by our fearless guide Nathoo Rafiq- we were so lucky to be paired with him. He's a gem - so knowledgable, kind, smart, patient...

Our only regret is that we couldn't have stayed longer- next time!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Liz really knew Tanzania like the back of her hand - she gave us honest information and advice as we were planning the trip. She was extremely informative and thorough, and we had total confidence in her planning and suggestions.

We usually plan trips ourselves, so having someone else deal with the nitty gritty was actually tough for us, since we actually enjoy doing that part. Liz put up with all of our questions and ideas and research, but did the heavy lifting. The trip went off without a hitch, which is a huge compliment since there truly were a lot of moving parts.

We could not be more thankful to her!!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari

"The trip exceeded all of our expectations.

There were no "glitches" whatsoever. The recommended lodges and camps were wonderful, the timing and execution of every aspect was great. We were completely satisfied with the recommendations and service given to us by Expert Africa.

You cannot plan a trip to Africa being assured of seeing all of the wildlife you would like to see - you are at the mercy of nature! We were very lucky. We saw more animals than we ever dreamed of.

We have been to some amazing places around the world, but we will remember our trip to Tanzania as being one of our best experiences ever!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No suggestions, we were very impressed with the team at Expert Africa. We worked with both Elizabeth Wollen and Eleanor Dunkels and they were both very helpful.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions, we were very impressed with the team at Expert Africa.

We worked with both Elizabeth Wollen and Eleanor Dunkels and they were both very helpful." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari