Safari agency recommendations

Hello,

Before making any suggestions, we’d need to know more about your plans... Could you first tell us what you’re specifically looking for in a trip/safari to Tanzania? Just wildlife safari, or something more? What inspired your interest in Tanzania, and what would you like to experience during your stay? Are you already nature and wildlife enthusiasts? Do you speak English well enough, or would you prefer a French-speaking guide? ...

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For our first three safaris in Tanzania, we used the services of the French agency "Vie Sauvage" in Paris. Two consecutive safaris in the northern reserves, then one in the southern reserves. For the northern reserves, we found two other people each time with the help of Vie Sauvage, which lowered the price, and with four wildlife-passionate people, it was both fun and not too restrictive. But in larger groups, it imposes more constraints and compromises...

The first and third times, we chose a package from their catalog. The second time, I asked for a custom program. I suggest checking their online catalog to get an idea of the prices. Don’t forget that this price includes airfare.

What I criticize about agency programs (catalogs) is that they try to do too much. It’s a rush from one reserve to another. It’s better to choose a small number of reserves (3 or 4 max over 2 weeks) and spend 3 or 4 nights (and days) in the selected reserves. Otherwise, going through a French agency provides guarantees and protection under French law.

Later, on four occasions, we took safari trips in southern Tanzania (Selous, Ruaha, Mikumi) using the services of a Tanzanian agency based in Dar es Salaam, run by a Belgian (so communication for trip planning was in French). In this case, we handled the airfare ourselves and were taken care of from arrival at the airport until departure. In the south, the lodges provide the safari service with a guide. You never know if you’ll be alone or in a group in the vehicle. See two personal trip reports in this forum. However, you choose the program and the number of reserves visited yourself. Transfers between reserves are done by bush plane.

The agency we chose for the south is "Asanterra" in Dar es Salaam.



Best regards,

Puma2A

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Hi, This will be our first trip to Africa and our first safari. We're thinking of doing the classic northern Tanzania circuit, but we're not sure if we should book everything with the same agency or choose several—one for the safari, another for hikes (Kilimanjaro?), and maybe head south to meet local tribes, etc. The plan is still really vague, but for this post, I’m mainly looking for advice on safaris and agency recommendations from members. I usually love reading about personal experiences—they help narrow down a shortlist of agencies to contact for quotes. The rest we can easily find online. Thanks!

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Check out another thread on the same topic, a bit further down in the Tanzania table of contents...

I forgot to mention that for the two agencies I mentioned in my other post, we were fully satisfied with the service. At the time of the two safaris in the north (in 2008 and 2009), the on-site service was provided by the agency "Léopards Tours", which was the largest safari company in Tanzania back then.

Best regards. ...

We know the Soaring Flamingo agency, and we’ve heard great things about them. They can offer classic options, of course, but they also really enjoy focusing on more local and off-the-beaten-path experiences.

Really interesting, thanks so much for your feedback and the details—exactly what I was looking for! By the way, a friend of a friend recommended the agency Leopard Tours that you mentioned. I’ve reached out to them to see what they offer; we’ll see how it goes :)

We know the Soaring Flamingo agency, and we’ve had really great feedback about them. They can offer classic options, of course, but they also love focusing on more local and off-the-beaten-path experiences.

I’ll check them out, thanks so much!

Hi there, Like many of you, I wanted to go on a safari and climb Kilimanjaro, and also spend a week in Zanzibar. I looked into quite a few agencies I found online. Working with a French agency has the advantage of easy communication by email or phone, but the downside is a much higher price since you’re paying for their work in €. And since they subcontract to a local agency, it’s better to deal with them directly—more salary in € for them!

All agencies offer organized tours, either in a group or private. With a private tour, it’s more expensive, but you’ll be just the two of you in a 4x4, which is way more comfortable than being 8 people. You can switch sides on the roof depending on where the animals are! Another advantage is choosing your own dates. But the biggest plus is being able to design exactly the itinerary you want. After getting quotes from several local agencies, I went with Kessy Brothers in Moshi, at the foot of Kilimanjaro. We planned an 8-day itinerary together (lots of emails back and forth). They advised me to add a day here, skip one there… You also choose the type of accommodation: tent, luxury resort, or something in between. Our route: 1 day at Lake Natron, 3 days in northern Serengeti (no crowds), 2 days in southern Serengeti, 1 day in Ngorongoro, and 1 day in Tarangire.

For Kilimanjaro, I also chose Kessy Brothers because they were much cheaper than other agencies. I was a bit worried the service wouldn’t be up to par, but we could compare with other groups—everything was top-notch (guides, equipment, excellent and varied food with fresh fruits and veggies!). The only difference was our simple tents, while others had branded tents with agency flags flying above the camp! 😄

Thanks so much for the explanations and info. I’ll look into this agency. Is Kilimanjaro really worth it? We’re not planning to do the full ascent but a slightly more modest hike instead :)

Is Kilimanjaro really worth it? We’re not planning to do the full ascent but a slightly more modest hike :)

You don’t need a guide to hike on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. You can reach Camp 1 on the Marangu and Machame routes without any problem in a day by following the trail

Hi Cécile,

We haven’t left yet, but I can tell you how we made our choice.

Question #1: “French” agency or “local” agency? With a French agency, you can find flight + stay packages, but once you arrive, you’re handed off to a subcontracted local agency. We chose a local agency instead.

Question #2: Francophone local agency or not? This question is key because it really narrows down your options. We’re traveling as a family, and we’re *almost* all bilingual since we lived in the US—but that *almost* makes all the difference. So we went with a francophone local agency.

Question #3: What kind of experience? Here’s what we put in our brief: - Family trip (6 of us), so private safari vehicles, - A classic loop without too many stops (Tarangire, NgoroNgoro, Serengeti), - Mid-range lodges (not “Tents” or “Luxury”), - Connect to Zanzibar with a Serengeti → Stone Town flight (to skip the return trip), - No community immersions (that’s a personal choice), - No trekking (not enough time and costs are prohibitive), - We’re keeping free time in Zanzibar (some go for kiteboarding, others for relaxation).

Even with all that, there were still quite a few agencies left, and they all had great reviews. So we read through customer feedback on forums.

That left us with a shortlist of 3 agencies: - Serengeti Big Cats - Corto - MF Safaris

After that, it came down to *feeling* (how well our contact understood our needs and their creativity), availability for accommodations, and—of course—price… even though it’s hard to judge the quality of the lodges they suggest.

We’ll find out if we made the right choice by the end of the summer! !

Hello, Thank you so much for your well-structured and detailed reply, and for the shortlist—it’s going to be really helpful. I’ve started reaching out to French agencies, but the prices are a bit steep, or at least way over our budget. So now I’m looking into local agencies to compare, and your list will be a great starting point—thanks a ton! It’s not easy to figure things out online because local agencies aren’t well-referenced, and unless I search for a specific name, it’s hard to find anything interesting, let alone reliable.

Anyway, I hope your experience goes smoothly and that you enjoy this family time. Can’t wait to read your feedback!😊

Hi Cécile, About fifteen years ago, we used Corto Safari, a French-speaking agency based in Tanzania, and we were really happy with them. Jacques

Noted, I’ll check it out—thanks a lot, Jacques