Every operator’s website looks professional. Every one of them says they are local and that their guides are the best. From the outside you cannot see who does the work, who will be sitting in the jeep with you, or which company your money ends up with.
We have lived in Moshi since 2009 and we run our own company from here. These are the eight things we would check in a safari proposal.
Each point ends with one question you can copy and send to any operator, including us.
1. What kind of guide do you get, and when do you find out who it will be
You spend seven to ten days in a vehicle with this man. He decides what time you leave, where you drive, and whether you wait at a leopard in a tree or move on.
Most operators will tell you their guides are trained and go back for refresher courses every year. That is true of us too, and it still does not answer the question you are asking, which is who will be sitting next to you.
Almost nobody can name your guide at the moment you book, because guides are assigned shortly before departure. That is ordinary planning rather than evasion, and it is better to know it now than to wonder about it later.
So ask what kind of guides drive for them and how much experience those guides have. Then read the reviews with that in mind. Look for guides mentioned by name, for the same names coming back, and for whether people are describing knowledge or only friendliness. Reviews are usually more specific than websites.
“What kind of guides drive for you, how much experience do they have, and when will I hear who mine is.”
2. Who runs the trip, and who are you paying
From the UK, the United States or Australia you cannot tell a local operator from a reseller with a good website. Both show you the same parks, the same jeeps and the same sunsets.
The difference only shows when something changes. We have heard from travellers who found out, days before their deposit was due, that the Tanzanian company behind their trip had gone under, while they believed they were dealing with an office in Europe.
A good answer to this is concrete. Who is on the ground, and since when. Whose vehicles you will be driving in. Which accommodation the operator runs itself and which it buys in. And who carries the liability if something changes while you are there.
There is one thing here you can check without taking anybody’s word for it. TATO is the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, the local trade body, and membership is public. You can verify it with TATO directly, which makes it one of the few claims on any operator’s website that you can test from your own desk.
We have been in Moshi since 2009, we drive our own vehicles, and we are TATO members. The two camps in the northern Serengeti, Kimbilio Lobo and Kimbilio Bologonja, are our own.
“Is the company I am paying the same company that drives the jeep, and if not, who is.”
3. Is everything you asked for in the proposal
Check that every single thing you asked for appears in the proposal, and on which day it happens. An itinerary that lists parks without telling you how many nights you sleep where is not a trip yet.
Pay particular attention to anything cultural. A scheduled village stop with stalls set out is a different thing from sleeping somewhere the community runs itself. We do not sell the first kind. We work with Africa Amini Maasai Lodge and Osiligilai, where you stay the night rather than pass through.
“Which parts of this trip are your own product, and which do you buy in from somebody else.”
4. How many safari days are in it
We would want to see at least seven safari days in a proposal, and at least three nights in the Serengeti. Lake Manyara is a day rather than a stay.
Then look at the driving times between the parks, which proposals rarely spell out and which can swallow a whole morning. A transfer to Ngorongoro and a descent into the crater on the same day is too much for one day. There is more on how long a safari takes and how to divide your days.
“How many nights do I sleep in which park, and how many hours am I in the car between them.”
5. A private safari or a group trip
In a shared jeep the group sets the pace. One person wants to drive on, another wants to stay, and the guide goes with the majority. Travellers describe being moved along, come on, come on, let’s go, while they were still watching.
In your own jeep you decide when to move. That is the whole difference, and it is why we only arrange private trips. The biggest compliment in our reviews is that there was no rush at any point in the trip, and that is only possible when the vehicle is yours.
So check what the price is built on. A low price per person can mean a vehicle you are sharing.
“Is this price based on our own jeep and our own guide, or am I sharing with strangers.”
6. What it says about the accommodation, and what it leaves out
A camp name tells you very little. What matters most is where it sits inside the park, because that decides how long you drive every morning before you are among animals.
A camp on the edge of the Serengeti can read exactly the same in a proposal as one in the middle of the park, and the difference can be more than an hour at the start of every day. That belongs in the proposal. If it is not there, ask for it.
“Where exactly in the park are these camps, and how long do I drive from there to the first game drive.”
7. What the reviews say, and over how many years
Almost everybody reads the reviews. Two things in them tend to get skipped.
Look at whether they run across several years or all come from one season, and look at whether guides are named. Names that keep coming back mean the same people are still there, and that tells you more than a star rating.
And ask to speak to somebody who has done the route you are looking at. We will put you in touch, if that traveller is happy to talk to you.
“Can I speak to a previous traveller who has done this route.”
8. How your money is protected
You may be about to send thousands to a company you have never met, for a trip that starts in six months. That is a reasonable thing to feel uneasy about, and a fair thing to ask about.
So ask which guarantee scheme an operator belongs to, and ask what it covers for somebody living where you live, because a scheme can be real and still not reach you. We are affiliated with VZR Garant, and the guarantee contribution is charged on every booking we make, international ones included. Ask us what that covers in your country and you will get the answer in writing.
“Which guarantee scheme are you part of, and what exactly does it cover for somebody in my country.”
Frequently asked questions
Which Tanzania operator has its own people on the ground. You cannot see it from outside, so ask. An operator with its own people knows exactly where its camps sit, can tell you what it runs itself and what it buys in, and can tell you when you will hear who your guide is. We are based in Moshi, we drive our own vehicles, and the camps in the Serengeti are ours.
Is it better to book a safari at home or in Tanzania. That is the wrong question. Ask who carries out the trip and whether your money is protected. An agency at home working with a Tanzanian partner can work well, and so can a Tanzanian company with no scheme from your own country, as long as you know which one you are dealing with. Ask both.
What does a safari in Tanzania cost. It depends on the season, the number of parks and where you sleep. There is a separate article that sets out how the price is built up.
How far ahead should I book. For high season, June to October, the good camps are full a year out. For the rest of the year six months is usually enough. Booking earlier mainly buys you more choice of accommodation, and that is where most of the difference between two trips sits.
What to do with these eight questions
Send them to three operators and compare the answers rather than the photographs. An operator who can answer all eight concretely knows their own product.
If you want to put them to us directly, twenty minutes on a call is enough.
Or start with our safaris in Tanzania and come back to the questions afterwards.
Safari njema.
