chicagoahc

I am just back from a 2 week safari with Access2Tanzania visiting Arusha, Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Zanzibar. I will post a more detailed trip report at a later date (still dealing with jet lag and the insult of being back in the office) but I wanted to promptly sing the praises of Access2Tanzania for those of you who are planning trips.

We were most attracted to Access2Tanzania's company philosophy, which emphasizes giving back to the Tanzanian community while offering highly competitive rates.

Karen was tirelessly helpful and completely invaluable during the planning stages of our trip. She was always willing to answer my many questions and help creatively craft the best schedule at the best value for us.

We are, of course, most grateful for our guide and new friend, Saidi. He is truly exceptional at the work he does. We were consistently stunned at his ability to spot wildlife. Frequently, ours were the only vehicle to get to see something spectacular because other guides missed the cheetah crouching in the brush, etc. He knows so much about the flora and fauna of Tanzania and was always sharing interesting information about the natural world around us. We also enjoyed learning more about the culture and people of Tanzania from Saidi who is an excellent ambassador. He ensured that we were happy, safe and informed throughout the trip. It quickly felt that we were not being guided by a representative of a safari company but instead escorted by a capable and knowledgeable friend.

With the assistance of this forum, I researched a great deal before committing to Access2Tanzania. My experience demonstrates that we certainly made the right selection. I highly recommend that you consider Access2Tanzania for your trip.

cindykay

I would also like to sing the praises of Access2Tanzania. We just returned from touring Northern Tanzania. We drove from Arusha to Tarangire, to Ngorongoro Crater, and then visited the Serengeti. Karen gave us excellent advice. We stayed in wonderful places that were good values. We ate well, felt safe and all lodges/tents were well maintained and impeccably clean. Staff were gracious and helpful at each location.

David was a wonderful guide and excellent driver. He was very good at spotting animals and anticipating their behavior. On many occasions we were alone or first to a sighting. We had many memorable experiences seeing things we would never have thought possible. His uncanny ability to put us in the right place, anticipating something an animal was going to do, was very impressive.

The vehicle was very comfortable and well maintained. You can have complete confidence planning a safari with Access2Tanzania.

amyb

My 2013 trip report for my first safari is posted here, also with Access2Tanzania. And I also had Said as a guide. I can't speak highly enough about the experience from booking through execution.

Eric328

I'm happy to hear you had a wonderful time.

I wish I had used Access2Tanzania, Tauck, Thomson or any other safari company instead of Micato. I returned from the 16 day Stanley Wing Safari by Micato on June 14, 2015. The actual safari is 13 days, they include the 3 days of flying. Coming home was the highlight of my vacation.

I'm curious, what was the cost of your trip?

The cost of my pathetic vacation was: $11,935 for the safari as a solo traveler, $1,950 for internal airfare, $535 for the extra night at the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi, $1,009 for travel insurance, $470.02 for visas (a company they recommended), $100 for the required yellow fever vaccine and $3,056 for international airfare for a grand total of $19,055.02. If I had waited a couple of weeks to travel, the price for single occupancy would have increased from $11,935 to $14,835.