Your own villa in Zanzibar

Honestly, this review can’t even possibly come close to expressing what this trip meant to us! I have taken a bit of time to write this review. We went back in July-August 2024. It has been hard to write a review that would do this trip justice, but I am going to try.

From start to finish, it was beyond our dreams! So let’s start at the beginning. We started working with Antoinette with Discover Africa in December 2023. Lucky for us, we found her by accident doing some research. We talked to others but really connected with Antoinette and decided to take a leap of faith in her. Thank goodness we did! She was the “Queen” of this trip, if you will! If it wasn’t for her, this experience would never have happened. I can’t express enough thanks to her and her team! She NEVER got impatient with us. Even with all our “stupid” questions. She answered all of our questions patiently. She never lost focus. She is a source of incredible knowledge and personal experience. She designed a fantastic bucket list trip for us! Every detail was thought out! She is a gem, and if you are lucky enough to get to work with her, you will not be disappointed!

Our trip was focused on the country of Tanzania. What an absolutely beautiful country and beautiful people! From the landscapes to the people and the animals, you should see this amazing country! (Kenya has nothing on Tanzania!)

We started our adventure in Kilimanjaro. We were picked up by Freddy, an Anderson and Harvey representative. He had the most smiling face to welcome us into the country. After a 30+ hour journey, it was well received! We asked him for a coffee place, and he took us to a stand since he is a tea drinker; he was a little at a loss but was very tasty. Onwards to our lodge. Stayed at the Kaliwa Lodge. Very pretty in the treetops over looking the river. With the abundance of foliage, it was hard to see the river but could hear it. Food was incredible, and staff were really nice and attentive. We tried to “hike” Kilimanjaro, I use this word loosely, to the first base camp. We made it halfway. It was a wonderful experience. Our guide was Kester who works with the lodge. He was so fun. I think he was a bit worried with us but we made it! We learnt about his life and what movies he liked. Great way to kick off our trip.

We were picked up from Anderson and Harvey transfers and met Charles for the first time. On the way, Charles treated us to a “respectful” coffee! He was such a delight. We loved talking politics to him. Learnt about his family and his job.

We met Charles a few times throughout the trip. He was a great representative for Anderson and Harvey. He brought us to Siringit Villa. That place is incredible! Beautiful grounds. The food is 5-star! People come from all around to eat there. The service was impeccable. The spa and the golf were fantastic. We spent one of our days visiting the Arusha National Park with Allen from Anderson and Harvey. The brush is incredible and thick. We had a picnic lunch and just a great conversation getting to know Allen and seeing the park and the animals. Really a nice relaxing stay to get ready for the push through to the Serengeti.

Next on our stop was the Arusha Coffee Lodge. Unfortunately, only 1 night at the Arusha Coffee Lodge. I wish it could have been more! The room was gorgeous. We were treated to an excellent dinner. And the breakfast was incredible! The arts and crafts are fun to watch them make and to shop.

Enjoying our trip immensely to this point, as I reflect, this is the point where our adventure really began!

We meet Penuel. He was our guide for the next 11 days. Starting from the Tarangire National Park, through the Ngorongoro Crater, into Central Serengeti, finishing in Northern Serengeti. That is a statement… meeting Penuel. He is a force of nature. He is an astounding guide! From his incredible sightings to all his knowledge. He is a true ambassador of the culture, environment, and all the creatures. His patience is unparalleled to anyone. His comprehension of the terrain and the roads was stupefying (not like there are road signs). His witty sense of humour and his sarcasm endeared him to us right away. We are in debt to Penuel for forever! What he showed us there are no words. He means the world to us! Thank you, Penuel!

Every place we stayed along the way, mentioned below, was beyond belief! From the service to the food and drinks to the breathtaking rooms! You do not want for anything! They surpassed any expectations that we might have had! We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our wonderful camps.

All 5-star experience:

• Elewana Tarangire Treetops
• Melia Collection Ngorongoro
• Nimali Central Serengeti
• Nimali Mara Northern Serengeti

Our trip ended in Zanzibar at Essque Zalu Zanzibar. This island is very cultural. Be respectful! Had a nice time unwinding from the rush.

If you made it this far, thank you! Spectacular Trip!

My early July eight-day safari was supposed to capture the Mara River crossings but the herds failed to cooperate and had only just reached the river on the last day. Nonetheless the safari was a fabulous success. We flew from Zanzibar directly to Lake Manyara to minimize drive times and spend more days on game drives.

Antoinette put our trip together: the lake, Ngorongoro Crater, the Central Serengeti and the Northern Serengeti. Our guide delivered the goods. Penuel Tango had a vast knowledge of both the animals and the lay of the land along with a fully equipped and fully working vehicle that made the daily game drives easy and fun.

Not only did he know where to find the prized critters, he could spot them from far away when all we could see were grass and trees. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, jackals, rhinos, elephants, buffalo, and the great herds were all open to us on every drive. He knew the stories of lion prides in the area. Our goal was to see as many animals as we could and we did. We were up close and personal with lions, cheetahs and leopards on every drive. He was patient made waiting for action a priority and in being so we were often had “private” viewings of the big cats.

The huge herds of the Northern Serengeti were a wonder to see and experience up close as they made their way north and Penuel knew all about them, their habits and life cycles.

Overnight lodging was the lesser part of each day but Antoinette arranged great camps with good food and accommodations that all had very attentive and friendly staff. Boxed lunches provided for game drives were sufficient and varied. July is peak season for safaris and we saw and learned about the experiences of others. Not all were perfect. Not all were well planned. Broken vehicles and bad guides happen. With Discover Africa we didn’t have any troubles anytime during the adventure. The planning time Antoinette spent with me up front paid off mightily. Zoom calls with her topped trying to do things only by email.

Everything happened right on time and without any hitches. Flights were smooth and effortless, accommodations seamless, Guide interactions perfect. Excellent work all around.

Megan helped us over many months of our indecision going back and forth in planning our dream safari. We could not have been happier with our experience.

We went for a total of 7 nights, 3 different sites in Tanzania doing the wildebeest migration. We got to see lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, and many more animals.

An incredible experience, worth the cost of admission.

A Tanzanian Safari had been a bucket list trip and Adelle at Discover Africa and Solly, our guide, made it better than we could have ever imagined! A few highlights

Flexibility: we had to adjust dates and itineraries several times given personal conflicts and Adelle flexed with us at every step, offering thoughtful recommendations to make sure we’d be able to have the best possible experience.

Overall Service: from pre-booking until we were back home, we felt genuinely cared about and like we were in great hands. Solly went out of his way to take routes and find spots off the beaten path to see the hard-to-find animals- answered our endless questions, all while doing some of the most impressive driving we’ve ever seen!

Attention to Detail: Adelle reviewed our all arrangements in detail, catching an error I had made with flights and time zones that could have resulted in missing a full day- but was avoided thanks to her. Every detail was perfect at every step. Food, bed types, custom pieces of the itinerary, etc.

Safety: it was of course a little disconcerting traveling during Covid and with my father who had only been out of the country once before- but the team was excellent and guided us through Covid requirements with ease and made us feel safe at every step, staying in constant contact and being very responsive.

Accommodations: far exceeded expectations and were beyond what we imagined, perfectly capturing the essence of a safari. We lucked out that on several of the nights we were the only guests on property- so had over the top service. A reason to book before tourism comes surging back!

Value: we knew this would be a bit of a pricy trip, but Adelle worked with us to get what we felt was a great overall value within our budget. She helped recommend where to pull back and where to spend more on hotels, activities, etc and her advice was excellent. Worth every penny. We could not say enough to compliment the team or recommend more highly – thanks again for the experience of a lifetime!!

The safari tour was exceptional. The properties, guides and service were top-notch. Our expectations were very high and this trip far exceeded them. Communication was very good. Everything expected happened, plus more. Matthys worked very hard to help with everything that we needed.

Communications: Excellent combination of calling to chat about plans and details, followed up with emailing of detailed information. Made all arrangements easy for us from the actual booking to payment procedures, exchange rate recommendations, visa advice, packing advice and suggestions for malaria prophylaxis amongst other details. Service: Went above and beyond to help adapt the itinerary to suit everyone’s needs and timings. Made excellent suggestions based on group travelling and ensured that all of us were happy.

Expectations: Exceeded ! Was impressed with the knowledge of the consultant (Carel Verhoef) of not only the country (Uganda) but the best transport routes, practical solutions to travel plans, excellent ideas and well chosen accommodation establishments. He helped and arranged all the details with diligence and really listened to what our needs were and then made it happen. Will definitely use them again.

Tour: Everything and more than we expected. From a luxurious & relaxing (much-needed) start of the trip, to smooth transfers, an incredible hike and mountain experience, a unique wildlife experience that should be on everyone’s bucket list and then a calm and gentle wrap up with great wildlife and lodge choices.

The assistance during the trip was also superb as we had a typical “travel-in-Africa” experience where we were delayed and there was a risk of missing our Gorilla Trek and losing our permits. During the ‘race’ to make it in time, the support from Discover Africa to help with arrangements was outstanding. (PS: You can’t ‘race’ in Africa) Thank you to Discover Africa for a trip of a lifetime. It will never be forgotten.