Tanzania/Kenya tour operators- recommendations?
 

Hello,

I'm trying o plan a trip to Tanzania/Kenya for this summer- we'd like to go with a good tour operator and would like some time on safari, some time in Zanzibar. Anyone who has had good experiences, I'd love to hear!

Thanks

I went about 5 months ago now with a Tour Company out of Arusha Tanzania.

They booked everything for the Safari and the 5 full days in Zanzibar.

I think when you book with a local company, you get better rates and accomodations .

This was a private tour for just two of us, so we tailored it for what we want.....and took side trips whenever it suited us.

We could not have been treated better from the moment we were picked up at the Nairobi Airport.
( You can e-mail me at [email protected])

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...4&tid=34860283

Check out this index for many companies.

"We'd like to go with a good tour operator..." If it's we, then a private trip is very doable, like Percy mentions.

I used Roy Safaris for a Kilimanjaro climb and private, custom safari in Tanzania. They were wonderful to work with and made sure that everything was taken care of perfectly. We liked our guides, and the owner went out of his way to make our trip great. They can also arrange your time in Zanzibar, but we chose to do that on our own. It was very easy to plan activities on Zanzibar by booking hotels and tours independently.

we went to safari last month as we where too recommended by good friend of mine as they booked with same tour operator- www.safaritz.net and you can mail them directly [email protected].
Their service is excellent and they deliver what they promise.
Wishing a luck.

The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators <b>(TATO)</b> has an extensive list of members: http://www.tatotz.org/members-direct...tors_s10_m107/

I had an exceptional experience with African Spice Safaris in Kenya. They are embers of KATO and Patrick Masila is one of the few guides with a license to operate in both Kenya and Tanzania. Therefore you can have the same guide throughout the whole safari and not have to be handed over to a Tanzanian company on arrival into Tanzania. www.africanspicesafaris.com

As far as Tanzania goes, I have to put in a good word here for Good Earth Tours. We went with them on a Northern Circuit safari this past August and had a fantastic trip without a single glitch in our itinerary or lodgings. Our guide was Raphael and he was friendly and knowledgeable. Since Good Earth also does safaris in Kenya maybe they can arrange a trip to your specifications.

Here's our album of our adventure. Enjoy!

http://vaz.smugmug.com/

hi,

we just came from a 6 day safaris in Kenya and a 5 days safari in Tanzania, after a lot of consultaion and recommendations on the internet we finally settled on steenbok safaris, i am very proud saying that the company lived up to the recommendations, our safari was organized by George( he is the owner) he personally met us at the airport and the safari was very exciting with Isaac the guide showing a lot of knowledge in his work we saw all the big five and the lions climbing trees, after our Tanzania trip we were given a private transfer from Arusha to Nairobi as a complimentary for our flight back home....the journey back was very interesting, George sent one of his staff named paris with the driver to make sure that we had a good time. we want to come back especially in kenya to experience and visit the other parks that paris suggested even though we have already been to masai mara it is still our number one park and we will include that to her list, and my husband wants to climb kilimanjaro too. i would recommend you contact, there email address is [email protected].

Whether you select a tour operator that handles either Kenya or Tanzania, almost all work with a partner in the other country. Few are licensed to operate in both countries.

Which means, the company in Kenya can also plan your Tanzania/Zanzibar segment and vice versa.

I agree with Sandi, most tour companies do both countries through partnerships. you can try a company called African Nest. www.africannest.org and contacts [email protected]. They are small but with very experienced staff. The good thing is that they support charitable community projects and you can be sure your travel has somehow helped sustain a community in africa.

When we were planning our March 2008 trip to Kenya and Zanzibar, I emailed a number of companies with my budget, the places we wanted to go, and the fact that my husband and I wanted a private safari. After receiving responses, we booked with Africa Serendipity. We worked with Sandi, who provides us with so much good information on this forum (and doesn't try to promote her services or business).

Our trip couldn't have been better, and she worked within our budget. Our guides were outstanding, and everything went like clockwork. I would suggest you email a number of the compnies listed here with your dates, budgets, and suggested itineraries and see what you get.