P Craigen, USA. 2010.
Selous Safari Camp
This was our first safari experience and it was one to remember! We received a very warm welcome from Emile and all of the staff at Selous Safari Camp. A brief point on that – this camp uses mainly local people for its staff which is wonderful. It was nice that tourism benefitted the local area. The camp itself is split into two sections so it feels compact and “authentic”. The staff on the safari trips were also extremely knowledgeable. Each tent has ample space around it to give a sense of remoteness, safe in the knowledge that the staff are nearby! The tents, for want of a better word, are luxurious and are a very good size, with a nice shaded deck to sit outside. Not that we sat out there much – the lovely swimming pool area was more appealing for us in the bit of free time we had during the day between safaris. The bar area is also very comfortable and the food at the restaurant was excellent.
The safari itself was wonderful. Ok, it is a game reserve so most of the animals are more skittish than in the national parks. And there wasn’t an abundance of big cats or elephants close to the camp. But the diversity of the wildlife and types of safari made this a real experience. It is such a remote and huge location that it felt really “authentic”. We rarely saw any other jeeps on our drives so you got a real sense of just being there with the animals. Being able to choose between a game drive, a boat trip or a hike made the days feel more varied. Boat trips on the lake right outside the camp were amazing – enjoying a Tusker beer or a glass of wine just before sunset sitting in the middle of a beautiful lake surrounded by the wonderful scenery and wildlife is a real treat not to be missed. Good times.
I would highly recommend visiting this camp, however I would do so with the recommendation to also visit at least one other camp on your trip too. And make sure you’ve got a good zoom lens on your camera and pair of binoculars with you.
Mdonya Old River
Mdonya Old River was a nice enough camp, definitely “rustic” but perfectly comfortable. We had an issue on our arrival day where we had no hot water for a shower and as they were fully booked we couldn’t be moved to another tent until the morning. The staff were very apologetic and did everything they could to make good on this hiccup but it did make our first evening there less enjoyable. It was quite chilly at night when we were there in July so showering in cold water wasn’t pleasant! The food at the camp isn’t wonderful, but adequate, although we had arrived from Selous Safari Camp so had been spoilt a little. My wife, being a vegetarian, found the food choice a bit limiting. Eating at a big long table instead of individual tables isn’t to everyone’s taste either. I realise this is personal preference though – no doubt some people love the communal camp-fire experience that Mdonya offers and being able to chat to their fellow travellers. We were on honeymoon so generally felt like being antisocial and this wasn’t really the place for that. It is also a tse-tse fly area which concerned me a little before going but we stocked up on Jungle Formula and the flies were only evident in a few specific locations that we drove through pretty quickly.
However the safari itself was excellent. And that’s what you are there for. The location near the river means anything and everything comes nearby. We were extremely lucky with 3 different leopard sightings in just 3 days; one of which was a hunt. More lions and elephants than I can remember, including elephants having a mud bath which was a great sight. By the third day (the sixth day of our first ever safari trip) we did get a bit tired of spending all day in the jeep though. For us, that was enough. We found the combination with Selous good – one group at Mdonya did a 3 hour drive in each direction to see some small hippos from a distance whereas at Selous Safari Camp you can see hundreds of hippo from fairly close range on a boat safari.
I would recommend this camp, but if you are going on honeymoon treat yourself to somewhere more luxurious too as part of your trip.
Echo Beach, Zanzibar
We visited Echo Beach after a safari in Tanzania and it was an excellent way to end our trip. The transfer is quite long but once we were there we felt like we had everything we wanted. We went there to relax and do very little and the destination is perfect for that. Our room was wonderful – an upper floor room with a balcony over-looking the pool, beach and the sea. The bed was very comfortable and the room is decorated with style but also in keeping with the part of the world in which you are in. The bar area was great; lively and with different tasty (and very strong!) cocktails on offer each night. Given that you are a captive audience we didn’t feel that the drinks were expensive. The pool is very nice too and although we didn’t really do very much there were diving (scuba and snorkelling) trips and excursions available. The excursions are run by a different company though and we felt were not good value for money so we didn’t indulge. I have to make special mention of the food, which was superb. Half-board was better value than full board though. The breakfast is served until quite late and dinner starts quite early so we often skipped lunch or just paid a few dollars to share a toastie or something light – a full lunch didn’t feel necessary. You wouldn’t want to spoil your appetite for the wonderful choices available at dinner time…
I would definitely recommend Echo Beach after a safari trip – in fact we did recommend it to two of our friends as part of their honeymoon so I can’t speak more highly than that.
A. Mayall, UK. 2010.
We’ve just realised we never thanked you for the fantastic honeymoon you organised for us in September.
We had the best two weeks of our lives and all of your recommendations were spot on. In particular, we thought Selous was just magical. So rustic and wild – so much more exciting I’m sure to be aware from most of the tourists. Everyone at Lake Manze camp was brilliant. We even ended up having a jeep, driver and guide to ourselves most days. We couldn’t believe that by the time we got to the camp from the airstrip we’d already seen four lions, hippos, monkeys, giraffes, crocodiles… The boat safaris there are wonderful too. And nothing quite prepares you for the reality of sipping a cup of tea in the camp and turning around to find that an elephant has casually wandered up, just metres away…
And we were lucky enough to see two separate leopards and a cheetah in Ruaha too – so well worth the trip over there. Zanzibar was just amazing – Mchanga is paradise. It was very hard to leave!
Thanks – we would wholeheartedly recommend you to any friends looking for a trip of a lifetime to Tanzania…
Best wishes,
J. Toovey, UK. 2010.
I would just like to send my thanks and best wishes to you for the help and advice provided (by Nick before he moved on) and the fantastic holiday we had this year in Beho Beho and Vamizi. Everything went according to plan in relation to transfers etc and we were well looked after. Both hotels lived up to and in some ways exceeded expectations. It took me all year to save the money for this trip but it was well worth it. If I plan a safari anytime in future Ill be back in touch.
Thanks again.
N. Franklin, USA. 2010.
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know that Carina and I had an amazing honeymoon in early to mid October this year at Kono Kono, Lake Manze and Ras Kutani.
Kono Kono was the perfect place to unwind after all the trials and tribulations of pre wedding planning and the staff, accommodation and setting were all perfect for us. A really delightful surprise was the pre dinner drinks sat around the beach bonfire sharing tales with the other guests. Lake Manze was the real highlight of the trip, as safari virgins, everything took our breath away – sometimes a little too much when it came to the Hippos and Buffalo!. Again the staff at the camp were superb, led by Richard, and we couldn’t have wished for a better first safari trip. Finally Ras Kutani was a luxuriously decadent way to spend our last 3 nights in Tanzania and well worth the final stop over.
Ed’s recommendations were absolutely spot on and the timings all worked out wonderfully well. In addition I felt it was excellent value for money given the highlights and experiences we have taken away.
Very many thanks for your knowledge and professionalism in arranging our honeymoon, we will always cherish it.
With our kind regards
S. Entwistle, USA. 2010.
We arrived home yesterday after a fabulous adventure around the Indian Ocean and I wanted to let you know how well our Tanzania safari went. It was the highlight of our two months. All the details and transfers fell into place as predicted so we felt very well taken care of and appreciated your coordination so much.
The Selous Safari Camp took us out of time and space into a beautiful, quiet and elegant location. We couldn’t have wished for better in the accommodation, staff, food and locale. The animal viewing was superb just before the short rains which arrived pretty much the day we left. Every day it was a fascinating and well paced adventure. The flying in and out was a great part of the trip too. We were reluctant to leave. I’m so glad you recommended us to choose that camp because we felt that the staff personalized each day for us and were very knowledgeable as well as being flexible to our needs. I’d go back in a flash!
The Zanzibar portion of our trip was fascinating too. We loved seeing the dhow building at Ras Nungwi and Stonetown was marvellous. The Beyt al Chai turned out to be the best place to relax, yet be within easy walking distance of everything to see and do and we had the lovely Sultan room on the third floor. The Mchanga beach hotel was a good retreat for our three days although in retrospect, I should have chosen somewhere near Ras Nungwi so we could have gone swimming in clear waters. The water on the east coast is murky with high waves, but the beach was great for walking, cycling and the interest at low tide. We did do a spice tour as well. All in all the tour worked out really well and I can’t thank you enough for all the email time you spent with me to arrange this to our liking.
I do hope we will do another Tanzania trip in the future and we would certainly arrange it with you again. All your pre trip information was really helpful so we went into the trip well prepared and it truly surpassed our expectations.
Thanks again,
A. Wells, UK. 2010.
Just wanted to thank you again for all your help setting up our trip to Tanzania. We returned back last week and had a fabulous time. Throughout the process I found your advice honest and extremely helpful, and having now returned I think you were spot on with your recommendations. SUC, Crater Lodge and Ras Nungwi were all great, with SUC a particular highlight.
Best Regards
L. Hacking, UK. 2010.
I just wanted to thank you and Tanzania Odyssey for all of your advice and help in booking what was the trip of a lifetime. We had such an amazing time and really had a chance to unwind a fully relax. I have to say that Beho Beho was a truly unforgettable experience and we just hope that we can get back there one day! Sasha and Tammy were exceptional hosts and the overall attention to detail was outstanding.
I am very glad that we decided to end our trip at Matemwe Bungalows where the foods was fantastic and again the level of service exceptional.
Regards
M. Suarez, USA. 2010.
We often remember our trip wishing to go back again.
We went in October to celebrate our 50 birthday to Tanzania and stay in two camps and in Zanzibar. It was our first safari and we really enjoyed.
In Mdonya Tented Camp in Ruaha, the manager (Micole) was marvellous, she made us to feel like at home with a family, the way she managed the camp was very nice for all of us, as we met every evening before dinner round a fire and shared the experiences we had had during the day. The food was excellent. And everything was absolutely comfortable. We could see many animals even the leopard. The landscape was dry but very nice.
In Lake Manze in Selous we enjoyed very much the landscape it was absolutely splendid, I think we could see more animals here as there was more water. The sounds during the night were amazing.
The guides in both camps were super. Nice, friendly, with lot of knowledge about animals and plants. They were really very kind.
And in Zanzibar, the hotel Ras Nungwi was fabulous. After six days “in a jeep” it was perfect to relax. We could walk along the beach for 20 minutes to reach the village where we could see many fishing boats. Very nice. The colour in Zanzibar was especial, not only the sky, the sand and the sea, but people with the clothes, in the markets, in the shops along the road, etc
In Stone Town the people was very nice, it was different but we liked to meet people from the country and talked to them as they were very kind and funny and see what was like to live and to work in the town. And we enjoyed “buying”.
One special thing was the sensation of serenity and peace, it seemed like if the whole world were in peace.
This is more than a paragraph but it’s really difficult to say what we experienced shortly, so you could cut were you consider is ok.
Best regards,
S. Brown, UK. 2010.
I am composing a much longer email, so this is just a quick note to let you know that our trip to Africa was marvelous!!!! Sayari was the hit of the trip, and I wish we had stayed there an extra night. I will be sending more details, but in the meantime, I wanted you to know that everything went off without a hiccup and we were delighted with your service. Take care, and many thanks for a wonderful vacation!!!!
Best regards,
M. Dennison, UK. 2010.
Please find below some comments relating to our honeymoon to Africa.
Bilila Lodge Kempinski – Serengeti
We stayed here for the first part of our Honeymoon, which was to be followed by relaxation in Zanzibar (see Ras Nungwi Review).
The location is of course beautiful, situated in the Seronera area of the Serengeti. We were collected from the airstrip by a superb driver who turned-out to be our guide/driver for all the private game-drives we’d organised through the hotel.
The hotel itself is luxurious and stylish, delivering all modern requirements yet somehow without losing the true feeling of being in the middle of the Serengeti with the most perfect of views available from hotel rooms, infiniti pool, terrace or restaurant.
Staff were brilliant and incredibly friendly, providing world-class service.
The food was again world-class and to rival some Michelin rated restaurants in my opinion.
The real star of the show is of course the Serengeti itself and our very skilled and friendly driver/guide showed superb knowledge and got us around to see everything possible. That included two sightings of leopards and even a pair of mating lions, which I’d assume is relatively rare. My wife and I were very impressed none-the-less.
This Kempinski hotel demonstrated what’s possible with some thought and attention, offering true luxury in the middle of the Serengeti for those wanting to experience the place without perhaps sleeping under canvas.
Definitely a place we’d visit again..!!
Ras Nungwi Zanzibar
Having spent time in the Serengeti on Safari we were ready for 7 nights of relaxation on Zanzibar to complete our honeymoon.
The team at Ras Nungwi delivered a superb level of service in the most beautiful of traditional-feeling environments to show-case what Zanzibar and East Africa has to offer.
We stayed a couple of nights in a Superior Deluxe chalet right down on the beach-front, which was lovely and offered peace and tranquillity except the relaxing “swoosh” of the Indian Ocean lapping at the shore. This was followed by rounding-up our stay for a few nights in the awesome Ocean Suite..!! True luxury with its own private beach, plunge pool and terrace, large 200sqmt interior and to ensure all-day sun-soaking possibilities a massive roof-top terrace hosting sun-loungers, day-beds, sofas and hammock (some out in the sun and others under the shade of the thatch)
The staff played a massive part in making this the perfect experience and they couldn’t have been more attentive or friendly. Management showed true understanding of customer focus and regularly spent time circulating amongst guests in a friendly manner to ensure all requirements were taken care of.The food was authentic and show-cased the fine seafood available in Zanzibar whilst ensuring a good coverage for those not wanting the seafood and using good variety of fruits and vegetables available.
For those wanting to take part in the superb Diving and Big-Game Fishing opportunities available in Zanzibar, the hotel also incorporates the Zanzibar Watersports centre who can cater for most needs. On this occasion after the Safari, we were happy to soak up the tranquillity and relax without using these facilities though.
My wife and I would like to truly thank the Ras Nungwi team for helping make our honeymoon (and my wife’s Birthday celebrated while we were there) a perfect experience and we’d gladly return again in the future..!! I’d recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Zanzibar.
J. Howitt, UK. 2010.
Kono Kono–very high standard of accommodation. The Villas are about the same size as our garden flat! The verandah is very nice although the plunge pool is a bit wasted as there aren’t any sun loungers to lie on. The beach is very nice – fine white sand, clear blue sea and not tidal so you can swim in it at anytime. The other major positive is that it is very quiet with no beach hawkers and as the hotel wasn’t full we were the only guests on it one day. We did walk along the beach and there are a couple hotels being built KK so I’m not sure if that will change the traffic across their beach. The gardens are also beautiful and it’s very nice to walk about the place. They were always people working in them so they tend them very well.
Food and Service are the areas they need to improve (as you warned us). For the most part it is okay and they are really trying to offer 5 star western service but the staff do need more training to give them the confidence to carry out service competently and efficiently. Breakfast and dinner service was efficient but we did wait 30-40 minutes for our lunch. I think this is due to the kitchen being at the back of the property away from the beach. It came down to you wrapped in tin foil but wasn’t that warm when it arrived. I know you had said they have an extensive wine list but they only ever offered one white and one red at dinner and when we asked for the list they said they didn’t have one. Breakfast was fruit, pastries and cooked breakfast or pancakes but sadly the latter was not good. They did have cereal on the menu but I never saw it out and when I asked they only had rice krispies! We did have it delivered to our villa twice and it was nice to sit on the verandah looking out to sea. They also bring fresh fruit and afternoon cake and biscuits to the room every day which is a nice touch. Dinner was a set menu with a cold starter, followed by a strange soup which was always brown and gruel like(!) and then a choice of 2 main courses and then a dessert. The main courses were varied but the dessert was often a cold mousse/pannacotta chilled style pudding that often didn’t taste of much.
I know I have pointed out several negatives about KK but we really did have a nice stay and it is the place to go if you want to relax and do nothing.
Matemwe – very good food and service. The manager Dorette was a very nice lady and attentive. We were put in the bungalow right at the very end below the retreat and due to it being such a long walk and feeling like you were next to the car park we asked to move and she dealt with the request quickly and moved us to No 5. She said before this that the rooms were all the same but we discovered that no 5 was bigger as it had 2 beds – the main one and also one upstairs. No 12 only had 1 bed and was definitely smaller. The diving outfit there is of a high standard and they knew as soon as we arrived that Jules was signed up to do his PADI and had all arrangements in place. He fortunately was the only learning to dive so had 1 to 1 tuition. The only thing was you told us that laundry was included but Dorette said it was only included if you stay the retreat but she did kindly do it for us. Everything else was exactly as you described it.
236 Hurumzi– it took a while to check it as at first they didn’t have our booking but then found it. You might want to check out why this was. Yes, the rooms are full of character and unique but it is style over quality and is looking quite tired. The sheets didn’t feel or look very new and although the place was clean it didn’t really feel it due to everything looking so worn. East is a unique room and an experience to stay particularly during Ramadan and listening to early morning prayer at 5am! The roof top dinner is more atmospheric than haute cuisine and rather expensive at $25PP compared to eating at one of the restaurants in the town. I know this was our choice and not your recommendation so you probably know all this feedback already and you were right that 1 night in Stone is sufficient. It’s quite sad really how the whole town is falling apart as there are some beautiful buildings.
Also, all our drivers on Zanzibar were on time and spoke good English and drove us safely. The standard of the people carriers varied but were all clean.
Beho Beho– absolutely fantastic. There was nothing to fault. The accommodation, service, guiding and game were all superb. It was the highlight of our trip and we loved room 5. Cheryl was the talking point amongst the guests!
Ras Kutani– very similar in feel to Matemwe with good food and service. Thank you for the complimentary upgrade as we did enjoy having our own private plunge pool. I think 3 days is a sufficient amount of time there as there were a family who were there for 5 days who felt it was a little too long. Also, you lead us to believe that RK was All Inc but when we got there it was FB only. By this point we had ran out of cash so did have to pay by card. You recommended to us $800 and we were short. I would say $1000 would be a better amount.
Coastal were efficient in directing us to all our flights at Dar Domestic and with the exception of the final transfer did look after us. When we were taken back to the international airport to get our flight home we had to carry our own bags were just left to find our own way.
I would recommend flying Emirates as the food and service was good and it’s not a hard ship to change planes and spend a couple of hours in Dubai airport as there are loads of shops and plenty of places to eat so the 2 hour wait passes quickly.
All in all, we had great honeymoon and you did an excellent job of putting our itinerary in the right order as things did get better and better. We were pleased we threw the cash at Beho Beho and cut back a bit elsewhere as it was worth the money. And just in case you didn’t know, Audley are your main competitor at Beho Beho as people had either booked through you or them. I did get a quote from them and they were no way near as competitive as you guys. I do think KK will improve and the staff are very nice and keen to impress.
I have already recommended you to another couple getting married who are looking at East Africa.
C. Mahoney-Ward, UK. 2010.
I just wanted to drop you a note to say a massive thank you for organising an amazing honeymoon. It was the best holiday we have ever had and we’ll remember it forever.
Everything went really smoothly, all of our transfers were on time and we felt very safe. Ruaha River Camp was great, the food, staff and accommodation were spot on and our guide, Frank, was excellent (although he kept laughing at me because i was scared of the lions!). Ras Nungwi was AMAZING, it really was paradise and we were well looked after. Again the food, staff and accommodation was fantastic. We met Jo and Olly Woolnough there who also booked through you and they also had a an amazing honeymoon. The hotel in Stone town was also lovely and it was good to spend the day there.
All in all it was amazing and even if we tried we could not think of one bad thing to say. We will definitely recommend you guys to all of our friends and family.
Thanks again
O. Woolnough, UK. 2010.
Got back this week form honeymoon! It was exactly what you said it would be!! thnak you so much for all your help! Lake Manze was great as was Ras Nungwi
Also met a couple – Claire Mahoney and Rowan Ward – who booked though you and spoke also highly of you!
Anyway enough praise singing – have a great week and we will be sure to come through you again
Thanks
I Wardenaar, UK. 2010.
We just got back from a fantastic holiday in Botswana. Little bit tired, but that is part of the game. I want to thank you for all your help. It was absolutely an unforgettable holiday and it was also great to see how Savuti has changed into a real paradise with all this water. We have seen there a mother Leopard, father leopard and their cub of 3 months. Overwhelming. At Duba Plains we have seen a buffalokill by a female lion and we saw a pride of 13 lions. They were all eating after also another buffalo kill and also 3 of their cubs of 3 months old joined the meal.
At Chitabe Lediba we have also seen a very relaxed male leopard. A mother cheeta with 3 cubs of approx. 1 year old, another female leopard and lions males and females. BEAUTIFUL!
Julian, we have enjoyed every minute of this holiday and everything went smoothly.
Thanks again for everything and as soon as we have decided what we will do for next year or another time we will come back to you for information.
Kind regards,
M. Foley, UK. 2010.
Just to let you know we had a great time on Honeymoon and would not have changed a thing, Breezes was as we wanted as there was a bit of life to the place in the evenings etc any quieter would have been too isolated (well for us anyway)
One thing though I would warm people of in the future is stopping at the Masai village near the crater, it’s a money making scam and all they want to do when they get you in the village is sell you stuff. Also they tired to get us to change a fake $100 bill for smaller dominations as in us end up with the fake, not sure if this is a common trick but I spotted it was fake anyway so no harm done really
All in all a great trip and your help made it such
Kind Regards
N. Pinney, UK. 2010.
A note to say what a great holiday you arranged for us, we had an amazing experience and we were very well taken care of the moment we stepped off the plane in Dar Our time in Ras Kutani was just a perfect way to start, what an arrival with the jeep meeting us and then the row boat to such a remote and beautiful spot, Mark welcomed us and he and the staff were fantastic and the beach was stunning and our accommodations so lovely on the lagoon with a view of the ocean, it was perfect !
Baho Baho was simply overwhelming, it was absolutely stunning and what a setting, we were out every chance we could off on rides and walks that we were so stunned by the wild life, we both went with totally open minds not really knowing just what to expect and WOW what an experience. The camp was exquisite, the staff and guides could not have been nicer, they were all so knowledgeable and the stay was just crammed with surprises, ones we will keep to ourselves from others that would plan their stay there.
Kono Kono was lovely but after Baho Baho we found it a bit remote with very little to do so we were a bit like fish out of water wanting more adventure, Dana was lovely and certainly made every effort to make our stay enjoyable.
The beach was amazing as was the ocean. Negative side was that it was way less social and the food was quite disappointing and the room was on a lot that reminded me of a suburban back yard and the tiny single beds were very uncomfortable! Oh well we made off to Stonetown a day earlier and enjoyed roaming around and experiencing the culture there so thanks for handling these last minute changes for us I think if I was to do it again I may possibly do a second safari trip rather that back to the beach as it seemed a little anti climatic after so much adventure.
Tom, thank you for arranging a trip of a lifetime, it was something we will always remember and I would most definitely recommend your company for any interested parties, we were hand held all the way.
D. Belchers, UK. 2010.
Thanks so much for all your help and advice in planning the honeymoon. We just got back yesterday very tanned, a little fatter and extremely happy!
Everything went very smoothly indeed and your suggestions were bang on in terms of Onsea, the timing between places, the Crater Lodge and Sayari. The 1.5 days of game viewing at the Crater was absolutely perfect (no need to do any more there whatsoever), and I can’t say enough about Sayari, the position its in geographically and the game viewing itself. Absolutely spectacular through and through and the staff / food were so great. As an aside, in speaking to a number of people there too, it seems like it is a great place to go outside of the peak migration time too as the area has a lot of local wildlife that stays in the area throughout the year (if you are looking for reco’s for clients in the future).
However, the Coastal people totally redeemed themselves (along with some massive help from the Vamizi staff and some pilots) as I had left my camera at the Royal Palm and only discovered that once in Mozambique. Anyways after calling a Coastal rep I had never met before, he got the camera picked up at the hotel (after I determined they had it) and then one of the people the Vamizi owners knew in Dar got it from him, gave it to a pilot, who then brought it to Vamizi on his flight there on the Friday, and I had it in my possession 2 days later …………… miracle story for Africa believe me!
I also can’t say enough about Vamizi – I was a little apprehensive (perhaps too strong a word) about the “barefoot luxury” angle (it can either be amazing or really bad) ……… but Vamizi delivers on every angle possible. The food was out of this world, the managers are amazing (as is the staff), the beaches and the water are outstanding, and all in all I can’t recommend it enough.
So, THANKYOU, we had a fantastic honeymoon thanks to all your help and recommendations, and I look forward to hopefully booking some more trips with you guys in the future!
A. Arif, UK. 2010.
I just wanted to send you a quick email to thank you for organising the best honeymoon! Every place that we stayed was amazing and exceeded all of our expectations. Ras Kutani was a perfect place to recuperate after our self induced alcohol poisoning – the suite was definitely a good recommendation! Beho Beho was the highlight of my trip, the attention to detail was superb – unfortunately I don’t think that I am going to be able to do anything but first class safari going forward! Vamizi was simply beautiful and very difficult to leave!
We are going to start saving immediately for our next trip to Africa, we have completely fallen in love with the place!
Thank you again for all of your help, we will definitely be recommending Tanzania Odyssey to other people.
Thanks
S. Haram, UK. 2010.
just getting over the journey back from tanzania and wanted to say thanks for organising a great trip for us. the selous safari camp was beyond our wildest dreams. the wildlife put on a great show everyday.
the staff were perfect – 100% perfect. nothing was too much trouble and the guides were really knowledgeable and interesting. the accommodation was just right and the food was brilliant too. have to say we enjoyed it so much that landing in the hustle and bustle of zanzibar on the first party night of eid was a real shock to the system. it felt weird for a city boy like me to be desperate to go straight back to the game reserve! my mrs reckoned it was the best holiday she’s ever had so as it was an anniversary present, i reckon we can all say job done 🙂 thanks again and i’ll definitely recommend you guys to anyone who’s interested in safari after we’ve bombarded them with our pictures!
J. Graham, UK. 2010.
Just to thanks for organising a fantastic trip to Tanzania for us – everything ran very smoothly and we especially enjoyed the Nomads company in the Serengeti. We had some lovely sightings and drmatic crossings of the Mara.
Thanks again.
Family Komendantov, 2010.
Thank you so much for your assistance with our trip in Africa this August!
We & our kids had a great time with a sense of adventure. All the destinations were at the top level with exceptional service.
Looking forward to travel with you next year!
Many thanks,
S. Jenkins, USA. 2010.
That was without doubt one of the best holidays of our lives. You got all our bookings and connections etc spot on and I almost wish I could see you to thank you. A bush night at beho beho should be on everyones list of things to do before you die. We can’t thank you enough . Such a fantastic trip.
H. Krumholz, UK. 2010.
I was so delighted to read your newsletter – We often remember the amazing trip that you put together for us.
With best regards and all good wishes,
S. Leverett, UK. 2010.
Sorry for the late reply, the honeymoon was absolutely amazing!!!
It was so well organised, we had champagne waiting for us at every place we stayed, the first camp we stayed at even made Adam a birthday cake shaped like a crocodile for his birthday. Everyone was so friendly and nothing was too much trouble.
It was a perfect honeymoon, thank you Tanzania Odyssey!!
S. Jenssen, USA. 2010.
I just wanted to let you and your colleagues know that we had the most wonderful trip in Tanzania. It was better than I imagined it could be. Quite perfect and could not be faulted. Thanks for all your help and support. I long to return.
Kind regards
D. Brown, UK. 2010.
It was awesome but was planning on having a quick call with you to tell you all about it. Thought you would appreciate the feedback
Really really great trip so thanks for putting it all together
J. Monoghan, UK. 2010.
We had an excellent holiday and appreciate that all the arrangements you made were handled in a first class manner.
The safari’s were brilliant including being charged by elephants during our walking safari in Selous!!!!
We will trawl through our photographs to see if there is anything worthy of your competition.
‘Asante sana’ to everyone at Tanzania Odyssey for making this a real special holiday.
Regards.
C. Worthington, UK. 2010.
An absolutely brilliant holiday – probably the best we have ever had – and we wouldn’t have changed a single detail even with the benefit of hindsight, apart from …………….the only mistake we made was not to make sure that we had pre-allocated seats on the Swiss Zurich – Dar flight as we just assumed that they would automatically put couples together; however, the layout in the Swiss Business cabin has a single seat in each row of 5 seats to accomodate the flat bed facility so we had two separate ones on the way out, but that was no hardship and was the one bit of the holiday you didn’t arrange! Swiss sorted out adjacent seats for the return flight
A few random points:
the Southern Sun gave us an upgrade to a suite
the Beyt al Chai allowed us to keep the room until 4pm on the last day, which was great for a freshen up after the heat of Stone Town
dinner at the Beyt al Chai was exceptionally good. we had lunch at the Serena and can see the advantages of the pool for relaxing.
we preferred Jongomero to Selous Safari as it felt a bit more intimate and the food was definitely better – but both camps were great with helpful staff and interesting safari rides
investing in a good pair of binoculars for each of us was definitely worthwhile
Matemwe was very relaxing and just what we wanted – I think the Swedish management has been replaced by a large SA operator
the Coastal flights were great fun and the transfers worked like clockwork, particularly from Dar local to international terminal on the way back
Monarch were good and we arranged a spice farm tour on the way back and an early morning Stone Town tour on the last day directly with the guide and enjoyed both
two guides tried to explain the post independence Zanzibar/Tanzania political set-up and it certainly seems complicated, with more elections on the way to make it even more so!
we will certainly be going on safari again!
many thanks for all your help
J Hogg, UK. 2010.
A lovely trip. Enjoyed all three places and appreciate the combination of interesting contrasts you created.
We want to go back already.
C. Richardson, UK. 2010.
I have been meaning to give you a ring to discuss a few things about potential future trips, but had been delayed owing to a number of work matters. In a nutshell, this visit was great and I appreciated your efforts in making it so. Well done!
All the best,
R. Kull, UK. 2010.
Rachel Kull here back from Tanzania safe and sound and with the most wonderful memories of a truly mesmerizing and magical experience. I want to thank you for helping me put together a fantastic vacation (holiday, as you Brits say). My husband and I were extremely impressed with the quality of the service provided by Coastal. Everything went smoothly with no glitches or delays. At every step of our journey some one was there waiting to guide us to our next destination. Everyone was helpful and hospitable. Things couldn’t have gone better. Both tent camps provided a memorable experience along with friendly and professional service. The resort in Zanzibar was a tropical paradise after an exciting week of safaris.
I could go on and on but suffice to say, we thank you and your colleagues at Coastal for a vacation we will never forget and may never top.
Many thanks,
S. Garcia-Sineriz, USA. 2010.
I just wanted to write you a small letter to thank you for everything as we had the most exciting and amazing honeymoon ever.
Everything worked perfectly with the people from Wilderness, and we had no problems along the trip.
Just to give you a little bit of feedback (i guess you’d appreciate for future customers), we had a wonderful stay at Tongabezi, where the location are food were the big strengths. Also the staff was always helpful, they demonstrated it specially when my husband injured his knee (while bungee jumping yes ha ha) and they drove us to the hospital and helped us out at any time so we could get everything sorted with a doctor at minimum cost. They were very kind and professional.
The first Camp Duma Tao, was lovely, staff was really kind too, and we had great game viewing there, was a great choice -that was your recommendation-..
Second Camp, Mombo, was as good and beautiful as we expected, best location ever to see lions and leopards (we saw a lot) and the most beautifully furnished and decorated Camp ever. Every small detail was beautiful, exclusive and with loads of taste. we loved our stay there.
The third Camp, Jao, was probably-maybe for being the last one- the most special to us. The location by the delta was incredible, but the best there was truly the staff, they made us feel as we were HOME, always so pleasant, nice, helpful and funny. There was something really magical around Jao, we also made the safari day+picnic which was really amazing.
Just to end, thank you again for the most wonderful trip of our lives!
B. O’Driscoll, UK. 2010.
Thanks for the mail. We had an absolutely brilliant time thanks. Everything went to plan and the places you sent us were fantastic, each a little different but amazing, so thanks. Highlight for the both of us was probably seeing the baby turtles being unleashed into the sea at Ras Kutani. That was really incredible to see. It’ll be one holiday we won’t forget in a hurry.
Many thanks again for putting it all together for us.
A. Holmes, UK. 2010.
We got back on Sunday and I wanted to write and say what an amazing time we had. You did so well in choosing what was right for us! Manze was the perfect introduction to Tanzania, and then to ‘upgrade’ (i.e. it had electricity!) to Impala worked perfectly. Both Richard at Manze & Barbara at Impala spoke very highly of you and the team.
We saw every animal the Selous had to offer, and we were particularly lucky to see leopards & a pack of wild dogs. We watched a herd of elephants march past our tent at 6am at Impala from our bed one morning, all very surreal! We also did a few boat trips and some fishing at Impala, & Simon caught a 6kg catfish (first time fishing for him!) which they cooked up for dinner. I only managed to catch a squeaker which ended up as bait L The staff at both lodges were all so great and a lot of our holiday funds went on tips alone, and rightly so.
Mchanga was also wonderful; Gloria & Thomas (and Jackmary the dog) were great hosts, who also sent their regards to you. I understand you stayed there not long ago too! The food there was excellent. Although we probably should have gone full board as there is literally nowhere else to go for lunch or dinner, & even the snorkeling & spice tours were only half a day. I do miss their fresh fruit juices desperately!
We managed to meet some very cool couples, many of whom had got married on the same day so there was lots of note swapping (at least between the girls) and there will be much picture swapping on facebook of who got the best shot of the zebra/giraffe/impala/croc etc!
StoneTownwas fascinating, and the guide who took us round was excellent. In fact, every transfer or contact arranged by you was flawless. You have great people working for/with you.
A wonderful two weeks, many, many thanks Ed. We shall be recommending Tanzania Odyssey highly to anyone who’ll listen (or sit through our several hundred photos).
C. Duguay, USA. 2010.
We are now back from our amazing trip and I just thought I should thank you for all your work with booking our trip.
Everything went perfectly….I absolutely loved how I didnt have to figure out transportation to go from place to place…everywhere we went there was someone waiting to bring us to the next place….or welcoming us…it was great!
Safari lodges and hotels everywhere were all great! We were able to see the big five in one day haha!!
I am sending you some pics….just for fun….
You probably know quickly when people are not happy therefore I thought it would be nice for you to know that we are extremely happy with our trip and the services you provided to us…
Take care and keep up the good work! :o)
S. Brenner, USA. 2010.
Just returned from our trip to africa and wanted to let each of you know how wonderful it was in all respects…the safari portion in botswana was “off the charts”…little mombo is the most extraordinary place to see game…little vumbura was also great and we took the opportunity to do different activities there…zambia and the river club was also excellent…the falls were breathtaking…capetown was magnificent…all flights and logistics were perfect…everyone had a fantastic time…lots of pictures and memories…thanks to each of you for organizing…if you need anyone to endorse the trip and/or your services, i am happy to do so…best,
G. Bradburn, UK. 2010.
Feet haven’t touched the ground since we got back. It was Fantastic for different reasons than Tanzania. I think it was the contrast between the three camps.
The first night we had 9 hrs of lightening and rain like I have never seen. In fact they are already way past any record in water height for more than 30 yrs.
There is only one way out of Duba and the water became deeper each day so much so that I was convinced they would stop the drives. Even on the first day it was over the bonnet and James stood on the seat and operated the accelerator with a stick!
People we met left the day before us for Little Vumbra and when we arrived the next day they depressed us by saying this camp was a waste of time it was too wet and they couldn’t off road without getting stuck. In fact it was perfectly ok and we went everywhere and really enjoyed it.
Chitabe was a real surprise . If you remember it was a sort of last minute addition because of flights or camp availability I can’t remember. If anything this was the best and we would have liked to have stayed longer. Perhaps our view was distorted by the 22 wild dogs which I believe are the same pack as the recent documentary.
We spent two hours watching them play with each other in the morning before falling asleep. We returned to watch them awake and set off on a hunt. Very quickly they brought down an Impala which all but disappeared in just over 4 minutes. Then there was an unbelievable chain of events. A leopard appeared in the middle of them they started to go berserk and attacked it. It swiped three of them before climbing a dead Leadwood tree and perched on a thin branch. I did not want to see it ripped apart so we were praying the branch would hold. I guess leopards aren’t happy when the Lions appear but this time you could almost see a smile on its face. The dogs were still going mental but when they saw the lions they didn’t half shift.
The Elephants with their young weren’t too pleased about the lions so all hell broke loose as they charged the lions through the bush. The Leopard took the chance to come down but did it use it’s brains and run off…..no it went back for the remains of the prey and started dragging it towards a tree. That was when the huge Hyena arrived and took the remains off the Leopard. That was when it sat down and looked on forlornly as the Hyena started to crunch its way through the rest of the meal.
So…Yeah it was ok. Thanks very much will be back with you soon. You may remember this all started when I was bored in a meeting in Manchester! Please show this to the boss. He too was very helpful when I phoned one Saturday
V. Antoli, USA. 2010.
Just to say thank you!!! The honeymoon was great, all the hotels, lodges and travel arrangements were perfect and the people, especially our safari guides were fantastic…
A. Jones, UK. 2010. Just a short note to say thank you for your help in planning and booking our Tanzanian itinerary.
We had an amazing time in Tanzania, each and every hotel, camp and resort recommendation was fantastic.
Can you please pass on our thanks to the management at Asilia, the service was exceptional, with a particularly mention to Future and John at Olakira.
Also, please pass on a very special thanks to Albert, our guide for the 6 days. Albert was extremely professional and considered, his guiding skills ensured that we managed to see the “Big 5” and learnt a lot about the country and it’s people, all in a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
Additionally, please could you mention Emiel (manager at Ras Kutani), to the Selous management. He was extremely engaging and made us feel very comfortable during our stay..
Eisner, UK. 2010.
Just want to let you know the trip was a great success and we were upgraded to the house which really capped it.
Keep me abreast of things you do, especially Tanzania and Zanzibar as definitely will look at that in a couple of years or so,
Perfect itinerary fyi….thanks and Happy New Year!
