Lake Manyara

Hi Edward,

We both agreed that we had to write to you and let you know just how great our trip was!

Echo Beach hotel was fantastic. The owners and all the staff made us feel very welcome and it was the perfect hotel for us. Small, quiet, on the beach, fantastic food, clean rooms and great service. They were extremely helpful in organising trips for us and in particular the diving was very good. We are both keen scuba divers and so having an instructor on-site was really helpful. We did dives from the hotel in their own dive boat as well as a trip to the other side of the island organised and led by the Echo Beach instructor and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.The hotel even managed to organise for me to watch England play in the world cup at a nearby bar!

Next came the Safari in the south (Ngorongoro Crater & Lake Manyara). This was our first safari and so both of these experiences were amazing to us (despite being warned that these areas are closer to zoos than Safaris). A private jeep was definitely worth-while so thanks for the advice with regard to that. Plantation Lodge was lovely too: beautiful rooms, more great food and very helpful staff.

The grand finale was of course the trip to the Northern Serengeti and to Alex Walker’s Serian camp. This was definitely one of if not the best wildlife experiences we’ve ever had on our travels (and having backpacked all over the world – including places such as the Amazon and the Galapagos, hopefully this is saying a lot). The camp is extremely well organised with fancy plumbed “tents”, great food and great service. However, the real reason this camp is so great is of course Alex himself. As well as making every evening meal memorable with his stories and general wildlife knowledge, he clearly cares a great deal about the experience that every one of his guests has. He works as hard as he can with your guides (who are also excellent) to get you to the right places at the right times and to make sure you are enjoying yourself. Consequently, we got to see all of the big five within about 10m from our car. An intimidating site when one of those big five is a massive Rhino.
Of course, ticking off the big five wasn’t even the biggest highlight wildlife-wise – that had to be being in the middle of The Great Migration – and again we have you to thank for convincing us that this was the best idea for us and the best use of our money. I think in fact, our only negative point for the entire trip would be that we wanted more time at this camp. It was that good and every
extra day is definitely worth it.

So, finally, we can fully recommend everything that you organised for us on the trip. Every hotel, trip and even connections were perfect.

And of course that means that we can fully recommend yourself also. Being backpackers and used to organising our own trips, we weren’t really sure what to expect. We are so used to having to sort out
transport and connections ourselves that we found it hard to believe it could all work so smoothly; which it definitely did. Our stay at the Serian camp convinced us we have to return to it when it moves
South and so we will no doubt be requiring your services again in the
future.

Many thanks for all your help and advice and for booking us a fantastic and memorable honeymoon.
J Collis 2011

Hello Julian,

First, we want to thank you for making a memorable trip truly exceptional.

Although, the trip did not start on a good foot the first day, the rest went perfectly like clock work. Thanks to you. The Tanzanian Air flight from Dar Es salaam to Arusha was delayed three and half hours, which got us into Arusha Coffee Lodge about 2:45 AM. I would suggest in the future to book the Precision Air Flight which was on time. Even if the international flight is delayed, there is another Precision Air flight later on.

Regardless, the next day was a completely different story. The Coffee Lodge was nice and the hospitality was great even at the 3:00AM check in.

Our driver Daniel was outstanding as guide, was a book of knowledge and always accommodating. His admiration of our kids made him even more pleasant to have.

Tarangire was great as we saw the three cats in our first day: lions hunting, three cheetahs crossed right in front of our vehicle, and a leopard in a far away tree. The Treetops were truly amazing and the people were extremely nice. Everything included in the price, even all drinks and laundry, made it even nicer.

If we were to change another thing in the itinerary, it would be to skip Lake Manyara along with the Serena Lodge there. The rooms were shabby and the people inhospitable. I had to fight with them to bring another fan since the one we had made a terrible noise. Eventually, they gave me the managerʼs fan. Having to pay for drinks and even bottled water and juice made things worst, especially when they charged us corking fees for opening our own bottle of wine at dinner.

Ngorongoro Serena Lodge was nice and more pleasant. The head waiter canceled the corking fee when we complained. They were definitely more accommodating there. We still had to pay for bottled water and juice though. The Ngorongoro crater was amazing as we saw five lions feasting on a kill close by and many hyenas from close up . The male lion sprayed the vehicle in front of us, which gave everyone a laugh.

On our drive from Ngorongoro to Manyara airport, we asked our driver, Daniel to find and stop at school away from all the tourist stops. We had some small tokens and gifts for the kids. That in itself was an unbelievable experience. Seeing all these smiling school faces despite their extreme poverty made you appreciate all your blessings. Upon leaving, we could see huge smiles in their faces as they waved with their gifts in hand.

Flying to the Serengeti was the best thing that we did, as there was another couple who drove the trip and it took them 11 hours. They looked really beat, even the next morning. Lemala camp was ok but the guide/driver there was useless. I guess our standards were high because of our first driver Daniel.

Switching to Sayari camp was the best thing we did. Barbara and Jo who run the Sayari camp were nice and extremely accommodating. That made the stay so peaceful. Also, the facilities were everything that you wanted. Definitely, everyone chose the Sayari much over Lemala.

Now, the high point of our trip was our last day at Sayari, where we patiently awaited the migration of the wildebeest. Our patience paid off, as we were the only vehicle to see the migration. That was the most amazing scene that you can ever experience. We saw hundreds of them stampede and eventually cross the Mara River. No Nile crocs to feed on them though, as I think they were still full and basking in the sun from the wildebeest crossing and feast, just before our arrival to the Serengeti.

As you see, our trip was beyond our wildest expectations for everyone, and we want to thank you for making it so perfect.
Sincerely,

M Al-Natour 2008

Julian
Heather and I are just back from our safari and we would like to thank you for arranging what has been a fabulous holiday.

We have special memories of the four locations – Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater and Zanzibar -  each of which was magnificent.We have only previously seen the wildlife on TV programmes but the big cats, hyenas, elephants, giraffe, hippos, eagles, vultures, pelicans and others too numerous to list are indeed so amazing and exciting in the flesh that it is easy to understand now why people dedicate their lives to studying and conserving them.

It is the people that can make or break a holiday and the Tanzanians are clearly naturally very friendly. Special mentions must go to Roy’s Safaris for providing a very comfortable Landcruiser and to our driver Chamillus who was safe, friendly and very knowledgeable. Chamillus was happy to go at our pace giving us plenty of time to stop and observe whenever we wanted – he was the perfect guide.

We stayed at five hotels, Rivertrees Country Hotel near Arusha, a small hotel with beautiful grounds and vegetable garden, and this was ideal for a rest day after the overnight flight. All the three safari hotels had such magnificent views with swimming pools that their other services were almost irrelevant – however Lake Manyara Serena was excellent and probably the best of the three (apart from their band of entertainers who would have been appreciated more if they had taken breaks for rests), Serengeti Sopa was very good alround (the Sopa has a staff choir which provided excellent after dinner entertainment).the Ngorongoro Sopa seemed to be the biggest and busiest of these three hotels (the central heating in the bedroom was much appreciated but yes it is very cold at night in the dining room so we would advise travellers not only to take a fleece but to wear some extra layers as well).

Our final hotel was the Fumba Beach Lodge on Zanzibar for a couple of days relaxing after the week’s safari.This was an idyllic Indian Ocean beach location, quiet, warm seas, outstanding views, dining on delicious food under the stars – something that we had dreamed about and was very special to experience.

On top of all this African day to day life is just so different to Europe that it does have to be seen to be appreciated.

Once again thank you to all of the Tanzania Odyssey team.

M Wear 2005