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What our clients are saying about us and our trips...

With web review sites being all the rage these days, it can be a little difficult to sift through the debris to actually find out what a place or hotel is like. From our point of view, having stayed in 99% of the hotels and safari lodges we sell (and quite a few we don't), we think that these reviews can be very misleading as it is impossible to know what the reviewer likes, was looking for, paid etc. etc. In our opinion our job is to find out what you like and match the correct product to you...see how we have done. (please note that ALL of the reviews we feature are 100% real and unedited. If you would like to speak to any of our past clients please let us know)

Furthermore, we have started to gather customer reviews through Trustpilot so please take a look at our page on there to see how we are doing! Trustpilot Reviews >>

Hi Nick

Some feedback on my holiday to southern Tanzania.

The flights worked well and the flight seating arrangements were perfect. Thanks.

The Slipway hotel in Dar was rather basic and due to the onward flight times to Selous, I was unable (too early) to get any breakfast in the Slipway Hotel. Rather disappointing though I just accept that's how it is with flight times. Maybe something for you to think about for future bookings.

Lake Manze - camp setting was wonderful; camp management was excellent; the location of the camp re lake safaris and reserve safaris gave great opportunity for diverse game viewing. The "resident" elephants were very entertaining. Highlight for me was seeing a den of hyenas, with pups. Guides were very knowledgable.

Mdonya Old River camp - different topography which was a good contrast; again the camp management was excellent. Highlights for me were seeing leopard every day, observing a pack of wild dogs; honey badger; nightly visit to my tent by a cheeky elephant who took delight in eating the branches of a very nearby tree and also vandalising the water pipe to my tent - a great reminder of being out in the wild! Again the guides were very knowledgeable and it was great to share experiences of wild life encounters with them, as I had been in Namibia last year working with vets in a cheetah and leopard conservation camp.

I was also fortunate to have flown back to Dar in the company of a couple of French film crew who had been in Ruaha reserve filming (for National Geographic) the wild dogs and the River Lion pride I had observed, and it was very interesting talking with them. My guide was also involved in their work over the previous years so it was good to discuss the work that he and the film crew had undertaken.

I was recommended by Rebecca, manager at Mdonya Old River, to make use of the Flamingo restaurant at Dar airport, as the current airport does not allow entry to departures until 2/3 hours before flight time. The restaurant staff were very hospitable regardless of how much you ate / drank there. Plenty of sockets available; good bathroom facilities.

Regards

Jackie

Jackie

Nick,

Thought I would send you a short note to both thank you and all those involved for our splendid trip to Tanzania. All the service providers were both on time and expecting us which meant we had a worry free trip and all without exception were both courteous and pleased to help with any queries.

The camp at Selous run by Shaun and Millie, top class hosts, was comfortable, with decent food and first rate guiding. It offered a range of safari options, full and half days and of course the boat trip.

Ruaha was a similarly comfortable camp. Whilst animals were around the camp the main focus of the safaris were in the National Park which in reality meant we were travelling over an hour to reach the park. This in turn meant that the preferred drive option was an all day safari. Three days of this is both rewarding and tiring, something which perhaps less fit clients would find difficult to cope with.

We moved onto Tarangire. We stayed at the excellent Maramboi camp. In retrospect we found the location and the fact we had a driver/ guide rather than a guide meant we sub optimised our visit to the park. The 40 minute journey to and from the park , plus the interminable wait for park entry documentation to be completed each day was frustrating. In retrospect we would have preferred the option to stay within the park using local guides. Our driver, personable and helpful was not however someone who found the unusual or knew the park in the detail we enjoyed at other parks. The result was three long days which did not provide the highlights and interest we were hoping for. We treated ourselves to lunch at Tarangire Safari Lodge to enjoy their amazing view and would be interested to know how much extra it would have cost to stay inside the park?

Plantation Hotel was lovely and provided the base for our visit to the Ngorongoro caldera. The route taken to get there from Maramboi via Manyara Park meant a long day, which I have to say was not worth the detour. This was due to the fact that we had seen the lake from our camp and had a walking safari down to the lake shore.

Again we had a long journey from the hotel to the crater. The park entry was again a long winded process - over 30 minutes- and given we were up at 5 am and still not in the caldera at 7.30am I do wonder whether a more local camp was an option.

Finally the camp at Sayari was a true treat and we were very lucky to get the upgrade. The place was first class and the guiding remarkable. The area you chose for us was very special and we were able to see two river crossing as well as enjoying more lions, leopards , antelope etc than we could have hoped for, plus other far rarer animals which even the guide got excited about.

Finally on the transfer in Kenya we had to pay $20 each for a tourist transit visa, just thought I would let you know because I did not think a visa was required.

Overall a really memorable holiday we both enjoyed. The organisation was first class. My comments above are simply to reflect our thoughts and options which we would like to have considered in retrospect and are not criticisms.

Thank you for your efforts on our behalf

David and Linda

David and Linda

Locating Nick and Tanzania Specialists online was a top find. I wanted an authentic, secluded and genuine experience in the bush for my first ever safari; this is exactly what was delivered as Tanzania Specialists arranged a tour from the desert-like Ruaha to the lushness of Selous. Everything delivered fully, from the air travel, the food, accommodation surrounded by wild animals (hearing lions roar and seeing elephants casually roam around) and of course the game viewing and general habitat.

I would thoroughly recommend Tanzania Specialists, they know the country and therefore are able to custom build exactly what you are looking for. I was also appreciative and impressed of the top level of attention to detail in arranging my trip. Hoping to book again soon!

Patrick

This is a very belated email to thank you for the incredible job you did organising our honeymoon in September. We had the most wonderful time- every second was magical. The entire journey went so smoothly, you organised every detail impeccably. The weather was great, the game viewing better than we could ever have imagined, and the food and service out of this world. It was the most remarkable trip, one that we will remember forever. We saw the Migration cross the river 4 times, we saw all of the Big 5 in a single day. Rhino calves, lion cubs, a striped hyena! Thank you so much for all your help. I’ve attached a few of pictures we took (may have got a little carried away).


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Charlotte and Spencer

Hi Nick,

Firstly apologies for the extremely late reply, I genuinely don’t know where the time has gone. We have been on holiday again since the safari!

We had such an amazing time, some of the sights we saw were unbelievable. All the accommodation, particularly the Asilia side of things were outstanding. Nathan our guide at Olakira was fantastic, he ensured we got to see a and learn a lot.

I know we had the horrible price increase issue, thank you for all your help putting this trip together for us. It really was a dream honeymoon and exceeded our expectations.

We are now saving for the next safari!

Happy Christmas,

Nicky

Nicky and Michael

Hi Nick, thanks so much for the follow-up email.

We had an amazing adventure, which you will be pleased to know went without a hitch; so thank-you very much for your help and guidance. Saw everything and more than we expected.

Nick, it was a wonderful holiday and thanks so much for all your time and support in helping me arrange this. You were great, very patient with me, insightful and above all, know your 'stuff'! As you know my brother-in-law is travelling with you in October, all I will say, is please make sure Malk has a new vehicle by then!

Once again, my sincere thanks - will be putting a few pic's on your website to support you!!

Kind regards as always

Dyan


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Dyan and family

Hi Nick,

I’m all rested and I would go back tomorrow in Zanzibar… The Palms was quite impressive… we decided to put our first ever review on tripadvisor as the Manager asked us and our title was “Our own private paradise” ;-)  We did it because Siriak (the Manager) was really kind and helpful… The staff were always smiling and present just when we needed it… I felt like a princess (read: not used to that kind of service J).

I would like to thank you for the service you provided us.

Best regards,

                Nancy

Nancy and Pierre

Hi Nick

Yes we are settling into married life.

So we would like to say thank you very much for arranging our perfect honeymoon trip. Your tips and advise were so valuable.

We wanted a safari/beach combo and had already decided on Tanzania. But with your help we chose to visit the southern parks of Ruaha and Selous. We wanted to stay away from the big crowds and have a more personal experience. That is exactly what we got.

Our first accommodation was the Mdonya Old River Camp in Ruaha. It was a more basic tented accommodation but was perfect. No electricity makes for a more simple life. Having a solar powered shower underneath the stars was incredible. The hot water bottle in the bed at night was a great touch as it did get a little chilly at night. Food was fantastic and we certainly did not go hungry. Our guide was amazing. Kahimba had fantastic knowledge, was able to drive, spot a lion a mile away and make us laugh whilst teaching his colleague Paul! We were able to witness lions mating right in front of us, elephants, plenty of giraffe and zebra and were so lucky to catch a leopard with a kill on the way to the airstrip!!

We then moved on to Selous, where we stayed at the more luxurious Siwandu camp. WOW. The accommodation is amazing. Waking up to the sound and site of a hippo next to our tent is an experience I will never forget! Again the food was incredible and very plentiful. Every sunset we would enjoy a beverage of our choice with a fantastic view. Perhaps the most frustrating time was drinking a safari beer desperately waiting to see if some hyena Cubs would appear from their den. Needless to say, our wait was fruitless. But we did see hippo, crocodile, huge Python, baby elephant and many bird species. It was nice that they offered alternatives to a drive safari. Worth spending a little more money to stay here in our opinion.

Finally we flew to Zanzibar. The weather was a little disappointing - very windy and overcast. The Boutique Hotel Matlai is a small, and beautiful place. They had thought of every little touch. From the fresh coconut on arrival, to coral shoes to protect your get. As they knew we were on our honeymoon, we had many a lovely decoration (including bride and groom rubber duckies in the bath!!) We felt very spoilt by the butler service. Lovely view from our balcony. Food was great. Our private island trip was amazing. Snorkelling in the middle of the sea, before a beautiful lunch and a cheeky Moët! The hotel even arranged for us to have a private viewing of the lion king on a projector under the stars! One evening we watched the sunset on the other side of the peninsula. A taxi was arranged by the hotel. I would definitely recommend this. The water is very calm, and can watch a beautiful sunset whilst sipping a G&T. What more could you want.

We would not change one single part of our trip. We would not hesitate to use your services again and would recommend you to all our friends and family. You listened to what we wanted and tailored a fantastic agenda for us.

Thanks again

Lisa and Alex

Lisa and Alex

Hi Nick!

Thank you for getting in touch, we had a fantastic time! My wife and I loved the safari so much! Looking back we preferred that to Zanzibar. Zanzibar was nice and the hotel etc was lovely, but it was very quiet! I guess we wanted peace and tranquility after the bustle of safari, but I think since we enjoyed the safari element so much, we kept reminiscing on that. Stone Town was great - we did a day visit there and we did a Spice Tour... I think in retrospect we realised that staying in stone town would have been more exciting for us as there was a lot more culture, history and a lot more events and things taking place... They even had a few reggae nights on, and I'm a reggae fanatic and ferocious record collector!... Breezes hotel was nice, but the seaweed beach did not entice my wife to go for strolls along it as much as I wanted to! And it was very windy throughout our stay, but maybe this is because of the time of year or because of the Indian Ocean?

But on the whole it was amazing and our highlight was probably the hot air balloon! I guess we never had any expectations of how the safari would be so everything was a pleasant surprise. We loved the food, scenery and room at the farm lodge near the crater, loved the scenes of the crater and the wildlife we saw with the awesome backdrop of the terrain going up that reminds you you're in a crater... We also loved the bush camp! They all made such an effort to ensure our stay was pleasant. We loved how they make small touches to decorate the tent too. our packed lunches we so nice and made with care, the other guests and campers were lovely to speak with in the evenings and we met some of the nicest people after our balloon ride when we had breakfast together! .. At the camp we had bonfires at night and other campers and staff would exchange stories from their game drives and experiences... AMAZING!

I am actually putting up a few pictures at a time on my facebook and instagram page (so my clients can see I take good photographs on honeymoon too!). I have attached them to this email for you... there are only about 4 that I've edited so far... otherwise i have some amazing ones from the balloon ride too that i can send later once I have time and have edited them a bit. See attachments!

Otherwise we'd like to thank you for all your help and professionalism in helping us book our honeymoon, we truly had a memorable time! We will definitely be recommending you!

Kind regards,
Navjit


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Navjit and Grewal

Hi Nick,

Thank you. We had an amazing time and trip. We really loved all the different parts. It's hard to pick a favorite part because they were all so different and wonderful.

The Kili climb went well overall, yes we all barely made it to the summit! I ended up having the most trouble on summit day (was doing great before that). It was an amazing and insane experience climbing that high. We are very glad we did it but not sure if we would want to do that again!

Definite highlights - Neptune Lodge (wish we had spent a little more time there), Ngorongoro crater, Nomads (really amazing place), and Shooting Star (incredibly friendly and welcoming to us on our honeymoon). We felt that Onsea House was a little over priced for things (dinner was rather expensive as was getting anywhere outside of the hotel). Thank you again for all your help. We really did enjoy the whole trip (including the crazy Kili hike!). 

Sincerely,

Aleja & Lynn

Aleja and Lynn

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