H. Bales, UK.
Dear Marc
Just dropping a line to say thank you so much for organising our holiday. It all went very smoothly and we didn’t have to worry about a single thing as we were looked after all the way. Our safari guide, Tesha, was excellent, very knowledgable and accommodating, we were passionate about seeing everything not just animals, but plants, flowers, birds and insects. We saw the big 5 plus everything else and in abundance. Tesha encouraged us to leave at 6 every morning to miss the other cruisers and to see animals in action; we were rewarded with a leapord walking up so very close at 6.10am followed by lions with 2 cubs eating wildebeest shortly afterwards. The landscape is amazing just like I remembered from my childhood. Your choice of the Serena was great, the staff are wonderful and efficient and so naturally friendly, we were also in the right spot at the right time for animal spotting (we met people from Grumeti where animals were sparse and they hadn’t even spotted elephant, of which we saw 100s). The only thing we didn’t like was the ghastly piano ‘classics’ played every evening – not authentic mood setting at all – but they’re working on this aspect. The Ngorongoro was very special as expected, again the staff at the Serena were the best ever encountered.
On to Zanzibar to the delightful Ras Nungwi, with the beautiful beach with the most amazing clear warm sea. (The manager (SAfrican) asked after you too). Again, totally amazing and so relaxing. We got to hold baby turtles at the nearby turtle tidal pool. My husband has now found his ‘best ever’ hotel – Emerson & Green – what a magnificent experience. Its a bit knocked around the edges but in this hotel it doesn’t seem to matter. Dinner on the roof was divine.
My only complaint, which is my own fault, is that we didn’t stay longer in either location, I should have added a few extra days into the schedule. We are looking forward to our next trip out there, but it’ll have to be a few years off tho.
M. Neves, UK.
Hi Marc,
We´ve just returned from Tanzania/Zanzibar. I would like to tank Tanzania Odyssey the excellent advice concerning the program. The acommodations and service level in ALL aspects allways exceeded our expectations. Please also extend our thanks to Roy Safaris team (Theofilo and Habib) for their professionalism and courtesy.
We will be back next year to cover the Southern parks and to dive in Zanzibar.
Best Regards!
N. Armstrong, UK.
James
I booked Sheila’s & my honeymoon through you last year. I meant to do two things: (1) congratulate you on the arrangements. Ras Kutani and Selous in particular were both excellent, and it was clear that your customers were getting particularly good treatment; but (2) ask you whether Ras Kutani was OK post-Tsunami. I am aware there were a couple of deaths in Tanzania and Ras Kutani is very close to the beach.
I would be grateful to hear and thanks again for organising a first class trip.
R. Underwood, USA.
I’m not sure if you have spoken with Caroline but we wanted to thank you for your assistance with organising our week at Fundu Lagoon. The “Lagoon” was of course magnificent and Julia Bishop is obviously an excellent manager with a skill in maintaining civilisation against the odds. The diving there was also very good and the organisation relaxed, accommodating and helpful.
The two “suites” were far more than we needed in that the boys could have bivouaced (sp?) with us but I guess that we all did a special service in testing them out and providing an impetus to get them ready. We would certainly choose one of them again if we return.
Coastal Aviation were also excellent and all went smoothly, if in an African kind of way. They seemed to be better than ZanAir so maybe that is why you chose them.
Beyt al Chai in Stone Town was OK but it was a Saturday night and the neighbouring open air nightclub was very loud unti 02:30. I’d advise people not to stay there unless they sleep soundly or you know when the night club stops early.
All in all, an excellent week so thank you. Caroline will no doubt give you a blow by blow acount if you need any further feedback.
Lucy & Chris, UK.
Hi Julian, Marc,
Thought I would just drop you a note to let you know that our trip was absolutely awesome!Without a doubt it was the best trip we have ever had, and I just wanted to thank T.O for all the expert advice and arrangement making!
The safari lodges were superb,we found it really hard to say which we preferred as we loved them both for very different reasons! If you’re after any specific feedback on lodges…
Mwagusi – The warmest welcome we have had anywhere in the world I think!
Dinner under the stars = an experience that really differentiates it. A couple of minor issues (e.g. lights not working, lack of hot water) were instantly resolved, so magnificent service
Selous – Beautiful rooms, amazing fly camp experience (you could maybe make more of this, a lot of people who were thinking of it seemed quite unsure about what it involved but it was truly wonderful!)
Mafia – beautiful place, great chef, great diving, quite windy!
The only thing I would say is that while the arrangements were totally seamless and everyone else knew exactly where we were supposed to be and with who, we could have done with a little bit more info on the itinerary (e.g. that there is a Kinasi office at Dar airport/that we would get a Kinasi plane etc – we were a bit confused when we didn’t get our Mafia tickets from Coastal!)
Anyway, that was just a small point, we would recommend T.O. to anyone, and perhaps we will even return for our real honeymoon one day!! (and yes, we did get a lot of teasing about that particular typo on the itinerary!)
Perhaps I will send you a photo of the cheetah and tiny cubs we followed for a day when we get our pics back!!
P. Hayden, UK.
Dear Marc,
I just wanted to say thank you for organising such a fantastic honeymoon for us. The arrangements were excellent and everything went very smoothly.
I suspect you would like some feedback on the places we stayed and have set out our impressions below.
Ras Kutani was amazing. The setting is very beautiful and the simplicity makes it very relaxing and just what we needed after the wedding. The staff there were very friendly and professional and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. In particular, the food was excellent.
Selous Safari Camp was also fantastic. We were staying in Private Selous which is the new part they have recently opened and it was great. Because it is only 4 or 5 tents it makes for an intimate stay and provided plenty of opportunity to meet and talk to the others staying there. The staff there are also great. Angela, who is running Private Selous, was very welcoming and helpful and our butler, Mohammadi, was brilliant and always seemed to be around whenever we needed anything without making us feel like it was a chore for him.
Ras Nungwi was a slightly different experience from the other two places because it was much larger and more like a normal hotel. The setting there is beautiful and we enjoyed our stay but felt that it did not compare to the first two places in terms of service (particularly in the restaurant) or quality. Having said that, it was quite busy when we were there and this may partly explain it – a friend who stayed there a couple of years ago when it was quiet tells me the service then was very good.
We only stayed one night in Stone Town at Emerson & Green but that was a fantastic experience. We had a beautiful room (a garden room on the third floor) and dinner in the rooftop restaurant was very enjoyable (and there was certainly no shortage of food!).
Anyway, we are very happy with the arrangements you made for us and feel we had a fantastic honeymoon. Thank you very much for all your efforts.
P. Massey, USA.
Wow what a hotel ! Beho beho is a must, like being in someones home with food to die for, views to die for and extraordinary beautiful rooms open to the view in the middle of nowhere, literally. The guiding was exceptional and the animals…..
To sit quietly for 2 hours amongst a pride of wild lions snoozing whilst cubs play….. To be lying in bed in the pitch black when hippos scream at lions to get them to back off, 20 metres from your wall-less room…. To watch the dawn break and realise 3 lions have been watching you from 20m away…. To stop a stampeding elephant from running you over by shouting at it…. To stalk crocs and come round a corner and find a full english breakfast laid out with all the trimmings (including silver topped Marmite jar!). All this whilst learning so much and seeing what Africa is like with no people in it.
Thanx for suggesting this Corinna. Send all your friends and clients !
Well not the weak hearted maybe
N. Kime, USA.
HI Julian
Hope things are well with you. This is the first chance I’ve had since we’ve been back from our honeymoon to send you an email to say thanks for arranging what was a truly fantastic holiday. We loved every minute of it! I have to say, the safari was definitely the highlight although I couldn’t have done more than 3 days of it – those 5.30 starts were a killer!
The internal flights were actually ok (God bless valium) but I really didn’t enjoy the hovercraft experience – Paul really wasn’t happy with me by the end of it.
Anyway, thanks again for everything and also a huge thanks for your help with getting our camera back. We really appreciate it.
take care
E. Wood, UK.
Dear Marc
In amongst my well organised floor filing system, I have just found the honeymoon itinerary you put together for me (Oct 04).
I note you wanted some feedback – and I have only got praise!
The trip was superb: we stayed in Zanzibar for 2 nights, then onto Selous for 4, Jongomero for another 4, then Ras Kutani for the last 4.
All were excellent, but particularly the welcome we received at Jongomero from Stuart, Karen and the Guides.
We were also impressed with the organisation of the trip, which went amazingly smoothly.
I’ve had no problem in recommending Tanzania to my friends, and hope someday to go back there myself.
If you want any specific feedback about the places we went to, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
R. Wade, UK.
Hi Jus,
How’s it going? I have just had the most incredible 2 weeks!! It was awesome and I can’t believe it’s over. At the Ras Katani we could have been the king and queen!! none of the other people could work out who we where – I think they thought we were celebrities or something! Every meal we had came with complimentary champagne and usually in a special place with lanterns and candles everywhere!! Then of course, we were lying on the beach on the 2nd morning and these horses came up next to us. I was so excited to see who was going on the horses and turned over to have a look, only to find out they were for us! It was fantastic! – I was riding a horse in my just a bikini with no shoes or anything. I had the sorest bum after that I can tell you! Anyway, after the champagne lunch in the jungle that was cooked next to us by Juma, we thought it could only be Juls that layed this on!! Thanks so much for everything Juls, I had a truly fantastic time and can’t wait to tell you about the rest of the trip. I have taken pictures of all the other places we stayed, you might find them useful. Anyway, please thank Mark aswell, Rors said he was great about everything.
Are you free for a catch up anytime soon, would love to tell you everything. Also, I will need to grab the marriage thingy off you quite soon. I think you had it, but I’m not sure. I need it to change my name over! I’ve already got a new signature!
R. Walker, UK.
Very late with my thankyou to you and Mark – as usual cant find the bloody time. If I write a letter as well can it go on your site?
P.S For the meantime can you tell Mark (and yourself) it was the best holiday Bex and I have ever been on (and we have been on some bloody good holidays) – Thank You!!!!!!!!!!
A. York, UK.
Highlights? Well, how about the pride of lions that decided to take up residence IN Beho Beho while we were there. One of the guides had to lock himself in the bathroom for a couple of hours until a particular lioness got bored! Brilliant.
A. Bushill, UK.
Dear Tanzania Odyssey,
I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for sorting out an amazing honeymoon.
I’m pretty well travelled and I have to say Tanzania and Zanzibar were much more than I could have hoped for. And more to the point the accomodation you recommended and organised for us was fabulous. The safari lodge was as romantic as I’d hoped possible and the entire safari experience was ideal.
Polly and I didn’t want to roast on a beach for our honeymoon and thanks to your honest and well informed advice we managed with your help to tailor our honeymoon around our needs…and the result was a dream holiday that will live long in our memories. Thanks for all your help and expertise,
S. Duval, UK.
Dear Julian and Marc,
Sorry for the delay in sending you this email (loads to catch up at work after 2 weeks off!).
Florence, Robyn, Woody and I would like to thank you for our fantastic trip to Tanzania. We had a great time (we still have the holiday blues!!) and we rated it as one of our best holiday ever!!
Thanks a million for all your advice on the camps. It was spot on.
They were all marvellous, very welcoming, set in amazing sceneries and extremely friendly people. In both reserves, we saw so many animals we didn’t know where to look. We saw loads of lions, elephants, hippos, crocs, impalas, buffalos, wild dogs (a pack of 21 including puppies!!), leopard, elan, giraffes, zillions of colourful birds, etc… And we truly enjoyed our fly-camp in Selous.
Zanzibar was so different from the mainland but as marvellous and so relaxing that it was very difficult to leave. Thanks to Agnes at Beyt al Chei, we went to some delicious restaurants (Emerson & Green is overrated. We went there for lunch and the terrace is miniscule. Sorry we cancelled our dinner booking but glad to have done it as we met some people who went & were very disappointed by the food/service. Great place to go for a pre-dinner drinks though for a wonderful view of Stone Town.).
We will definitely recommend your services to anyone who wishes to go to Tanzania and deal with an agency which has truly experienced the camps and the country.
Thank you again for all your efforts and for making our holiday an unforgettable one.
A. Whitton, UK.
Marc
Jayne and I had an absolutely fantastic time, thanks very much for sorting everything out at such short notice and also addressing my ineptitude at leaving the Air Mauritius tickets behind.
We have some digital photos of the Oberoi that I will send you shortly and I also took one of their resort maps so you can show potential guests the layout and facilities etc. I recall that you were moving office so if you let me have your new address I can pop it over or post it.
I am also hoping you may be able to help on two matters.
- We walked away from Ras Katani (The initial beach resort) with their multi-way power adaptor (cheap here but not sure how easy they are to come by over there), not sure if you have any way of getting it back to them easily.
- To resolve the left behind ticket issue we had to actually but 2 new tickets which they said they will refund us in 12 months time, unless we could produce the original tickets. I have relocated the original tickets and was wondering if you knew what the formal process was for getting an immediate refund by returning them.
Cheers
A. Hobbs, USA. 2005.
Julian,Mark,
Just a short note and apologies for not emailing sooner to say how much we enjoyed our honeymoon package that you organised for Heather and I. The arrangements were excellent and everything went like clockwork. The pleasure and confidence we had with the smooth organisating you both did was immeasurable. As the holiday progressed so did our contentment and relief that we choose your company to deal with.
Thanks a lot guys it was superb.
Do y
u have any connections with tours to the Galapagos islands???
M. Clements, UK.
Hi Julian/Mark
We just wanted to say how much we enjoyed our honeymoon. It really was incredible and the safari was definitely one of the best things I have ever done – so a honeymoon to remember!
Thankfully the start of the honeymoon wasn’t a sign of things to come…We exchanged contracts on our new house the day before we went so were pretty stressed before setting out. We arrived in Tanzania minus any currency, video tape, films or any kind of safari gear – well me anyway – we ran out of time (and I was sulking a little as we weren’t upgraded on the flight)! Being new to Safaris, we also weren’t aware of the luggage restrictions (didn’t have time to read the small print). We came across several unhappy pilots grumbling about our huge suitcases! So we did feel like complete amateurs but it was funny and didn’t spoil the trip! Next time we’ll also know to take things like binoculars etc.
Anyway, we really would find it hard to fault anything at all (other than perhaps a few too many flights on small planes – not my favourite thing! The service, food, hospitality, scenery etc was amazing everywhere. Everyone was so friendly too. My favourite place was probably Ras Kutani and Matt’s was Mnemba Island. We really loved Beho Beho too. The staff were fantastic and it was nice to have 3 days there.
We thought the itinerary was perfect, a great combination of beach and safari and nice to see a variety of places, although we would have like a bit longer at Selous Safari camp as it was a bit of rush as we had to go off for our fly camp. So we didn’t get the chance to fully appreciate it. I loved the game drives & boat safaris, the walking ones were a bit too energetic! Anyway, as I’m sure you can imagine, we saw loads of animals, lions, elephants etc, although no wild dogs and have some amazing footage and photos.
One of the best things about the trip it was the number of people – ie there weren’t many, most game drives/boat safaris etc we were on our own – just with the guide. You hardly saw any other cars either. The people we did meet were lovely, including a couple
who had just taken 7 weeks worth of Larium in one week who were feeling particularly horrible! And there were still quite a few private dinners for 2 etc so it did feel like we were on our honeymoon.
The only place that wasn’t quite as good as the other was, Matemwe Bungalows, mainly because the pool broke the same night we arrived, and due to the tides we couldn’t swim in the sea either, so we did get a bit hot!
We actually bumped into quite a few other people that had booked through you guys including a couple called Roger and Helen who we are definitely planning on keeping in touch with.
Anyway, I can’t wait to plan the next trip to Africa and just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help and for booking us the perfect honeymoon. I am really hard to please and even my expectations were exceeded throughout the entire holiday which is saying something.
We have been recommending your company to everyone we meet!
Best wishes from both of us
S. Aird, UK.
This is a terribly overdue note and i apologise, but i did want to drop a quick note and thank TO and yourselves for organising our Honeymoon trip in September.
We had a magical time and everything went incredibly smoothly. Your local operators did a great job and on all the numerous connections we made, we did not have to wait once for a pick up and not once was our arrival unexpected at a hotel.
The hospitality at all the venues was exceptional especially so at Kleins and Ng Crater Lodge which are unbelievable places. The Ras Nungwi Ocean Suite was spectacular too (but talking to others there , there was some disappointment about the normal rooms given the cost so just a heads up!)
The only one constructive feeback we wld give , was that we left Ras Nungwi on the day prior to our DES departure at midday and had an obligatory overnight in DES but we also saw several people on that London flight the next day at 1030ish that had left the Ras v early that same morning, thus getting themselves an extra half day and night at RN. That would have been preferable i think so again, just a heads up it can be done.
Happy to provide a formal recommendation for TO if you should ever need one and sorry i don’t have any video to share , it broke the first day!
thanks again for all yr assistance
L. Doggett, UK.
Dear Marc
Rupert and I had an amazing honeymoon, it really was the best holiday ever and we were very sad to come home. Beho Beho was amazing and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Thank you so much for organising such a once in a life-time trip.
L. Harrison, UK.
Returned last week from Tanzania, an absolutely marvellous trip.
Our guide was very pleased with the itinerary Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Manyara with time enough to see an awful lot and not feel desperately rushed or exhausted and an added bonus for him- guide accommodation at Serena Lodges apparently amongst the best. All the accommodation was superb, the views just kept getting better and better, always a room with THE best view, just wonderful.
All arrangements faultless, no hassles at all. Roy Safaris very welcoming and efficient and Clamian, our guide, was quite superb. His knowledge, understanding and appreciation of all flora and fauna most impressive and his Masai background gave us a fascinating insight into a rapidly changing country.
Zanzibar was a great way to unwind after that, Ras Nungwi an idyllic spot to lie on the beach and not be on the lookout for lions etc. The views to die for still, and the great food and wine an unexpected but much appreciated bonus. Their friendliness and helpful service could not be faulted.
Just writing this has taken me right back there again, wonderful memories to see us through the winter, thank you.
N. Bere, UK.
Dear Julian and Mark
Having recently returned form our holiday in Tanzania and Zanzibar I thought I would take this opportunity to thank you for organizing such an amazing trip. We stayed at Beho Beho for a wonderful 4 nights. Far from being busy we were the only guests in the camp! The accommodation and hospitality were second to none and we were made to feel like house guests rather than paying visitors. Nothing was too much trouble and I was even provided with travel sickness pills for the return flight following a rather bumpy inbound trip!! The game viewing was fantastic, Spikes knowledge is incredible and we were able to get surprisingly close to lions and a leopard. We would highly recommend this place it really is everything you could wish for.
Ras Nungwi was a little disappointing on the accommodation front and rather more commercial than we had anticipated. I guess we had been rather spoilt at Beho. However the beach was beautiful and the perfect place for us to unwind after all the early morning safaris.
All in all a wonderful trip
Thank you and kind regards
P. Hume, UK.
Hi Marc – A very happy new year to you all. Thank you so much for arranging such a superb holiday. Everything worked like clockwork. We could not have enjoyed it all more. The guide we had at Ndutu – called Nicholas – was outstanding. He couldn’t do more than he did to make the whole experience memorable. One of our thrills was not only seeing the animals but that there was such a variety of bird life – and Nicholas was a great ornithologist too which was fun. The lodge itself was great and everyone so friendly and helpful – also met such interesting people.
We met the boys and the visit to the school was a huge success – they seemed overwhelmed that we went. Johnnie thrilled to see that the money that the Volunteers had given had been well spent on a stand pipe and a new classroom.
Ras Nungwi was again just great – and all the staff were not only extremely friendly but put themselves out. The boys had a ball and befriended the chef and the diving instructors. So all in all a huge thank you for arranging it all for us. The first hiccup occurred on arrival at Heathrow – not enough baggage handlers!
We did feel that it would have been helpful to have had some local currency on arrival to tip people – and we were also thrown by the number of times we seemed to pay airport tax – so hadn’t enough dollars at Zanzibar! We hopefully will go again – I just loved Africa.
A McGarry, UK.
Dear Marc,
Paul and I would like to thank you for your excellent planning of our safari to Tanzania. There was only one little “hiccup” and that was soon corrected. When we arrived at Niarobi there was no CC Africa agent awaiting us to take us on the arranged tour of the city. The head office was contacted by an agent and it was all sorted out within a few minutes. It was evidently their mistake and not yours.
Marc, your suggestions were excellent and we’re glad we listened to you and took your advice. One day in the Ngorongoro crater was certainly enough. We thought it was rather over-rated actually, even though we enjoyed it. The rest of our safari and the three camps were simply marvellous and Jongomero Camp in Ruaha NP was our favourite, mostly thanks to the fun-loving staff.
Thank you for your assistance and Happy New Year!
M.Ash, UK.
Hi Julian
This i a VERY VERY belated thank you! I recently realised that I never wrote to thank you for organising an amazing honeymoon last July. Oops!
We had an amazing time and wanted to thank you for superb organisation, inside knowledge and attention to detail. Every part of the honeymoon from the week on Safari to Zanzibar was a dream come true. We also wanted to say a special thanks to our guide – Habib – from Roy’s Safari’s. He was incredible, so kind, so knowledgeable. Having spoken to fellow travellers, it was obvious our guide was the best of the lot! The lodges were amazing. We’re now very hooked on safaris – I took over 2,000 photos (thank goodness its a digital camera!). The week at Ras Nungwi was just the tonic needed after a week of bumpy roads. The staff were fantastic. We were initially disappointed not to have got a chalet room, however, there wasn’t much difference between them in the end and not all the chalets had a view, so we were very happy to have got a lodge room after all. The Spice tour rocked and I’m still using the spices we bought back.
If there was on bit of negative feedback – which is in no way your fault, but you might want to pass on – its to do with BA! The honeymoon ended on a sour note when we arrived at the airport in Dar to find that our flight on BA was full and we were told that we could not get on. Myself and at least 20 other passengers were pretty upset. After 2 hours of pleading, begging and even a few tears we managed to get on board – in business class. The BA crew on board were excellent, but the grounds staff at Dar were awful. I know some of this may be the laid back atmosphere, but the way we were treated was disappointing – thank goodness it was at the end of the holiday!
It really was a dream come true and we hope to return to explore more of Tanzania one day (wish we’d won the big lottery last night!). We’ll be sure to use your services next time.
Cheers!
P. Yate, UK.
Just to say thank you the holiday was great and your organisation of it very impressive. No problems at all. Loved the Selous.
Saving up for Gorillas.
J. Olsen, UK.
Hey Julian,
Thanks again for a wonderful vacation. It could not have been better. Everything was planned out perfectly.
On a personal note, I want you to be aware that I spoke with Jen, our Director of Operations, regarding your company. I told her that if we were not 100% satisfied with our current tour operator in Africa that I would highly recommend you and your company. I will keep you updated.
Also, I do have some pictures of Olakira and our tent. Let me know if you would like me to send these to you.
H. St John, USA.
To Marc and Nick
I thought you should know that the trip you organised for us was once again excellent. We had an interesting time in Dar at the beginning and end of our trip. We visited Bagamoya – well worth a trip and also you need to know how good the Amani Beach Hotel is. 4 blissful nights/5 days that could not have been better. Ibrahim Khatari the manager and his staff were excellent.
It is true to say however that the swimming either from Ras Kutani or Amani Beach is not much good. Safe and warm in the Indian Ocean but little or no sea life.
All in all an excellent trip. Emmanuel our driver and guide from Roy Safaris was very good.
We need to know what we can do when we next go back to Tanzania. Answers please.
Thanks again.
S. Pain, UK.
Hi Nick,
Sorry it’s taken a while to get in touch after returning from holiday – been busy getting back into the normal routine and recovering from a bug we caught on the plane back to London! We had an amazing trip and everything worked just as smoothly as we hoped it would, so thanks again for all your help with the planning and booking. Nadine was especially reassured to see someone waiting for us whenever we stepped off a plane and was pleasantly surprised that all the transfers were completely trouble-free (not always the case with previous holidays)!
Staying with the Nomads was definitely the highlight – the camp was excellent, the guide (Felix) was fantastic and the animals were amazing.
Selous was also a perfect start to the trip (we were greeted by impala when we landed on the airstrip and saw lions mating on our first ever game drive!) and Ngorongoro was as you described it – lots of animals and lots of cars! We were glad we included it in the itinerary though because if we hadn’t seen it for ourselves, from the comments other people made about Ngorongoro while we were in Tanzania we would have felt as though we were missing out. Ras Nungwi was beautiful.
We’ve also been recommending Tanzania Odyssey to everyone, so you should have a few new customers coming your way!
Thanks again for helping us have a perfect honeymoon 🙂
R. Mattison, UK.
Dear Marc and Julian –
We travelled with you guys to Zanzibar and Tanzania last October and had a great time, at Ras Nungwi, Serena Stone Town, Sand Rivers and Ras Kutani. Apologies for the delay in feeding back how great it was!! life has a habit of taking over on return from holiday!
Also, we had to make a claim from our insurance when we came back and that is the main reason for the email – our insurers need a copy of out itinery and confirmation of the dates we travelled. Helpfully i have lost this and i wondered whether you still had it on file. If you could email me the same as soon as convenient that would be most appreciated.
Kind regards and look forward to the next holiday we can book through yourselves!
G. Arrow, UK.
Hi guys
We had a great time in Jan in Nogorgoro/Serengeti/Zanzibar. All went well guide Maji was particularly good, saw all game that we had hoped to see and more.
We will probably be back to talk Botswana in 2007/8
Lost your letter re other locations, do you cover any parts of South America, make a change this winter
Regards
G. Mathers, UK.
Dear Julian,
Thought I’d drop you a line to let you know that we both came home last Sunday regarding this trip as being one of our most enjoyable experiences. The whole period went like clockwork and what we saw far exceeded our expectations. It really was a wonderful time. I probably mentioned to you when we first arranged the itinerary that I would dearly love to see all three of the big cats but at the same time appreciated that luck would play a big part. As it turned out our driver for the week worked wonders and we witnessed some of the best scenes possible. I could go on and on and on here enthusing over the trip but I’ll resist other than to thank all involved at Tanzania Odyssey very much for your part in arranging the visit – absolute magic. As I mentioned, our driver, Adam, was an absolute gentleman, very knowledgeable and I will also email ‘Roy Safaris’ to let them know how pleased we were with everything.
S. Goss, UK.
Hi Marc
Sorry not to reply to this earlier, we were already enroute. Just wanted to give you some feedback on the honeymoon.
It was absolutely fantastic, really really amazing. Both SSC locations were exceptional, such wonderful personal service, great food, great accommodation, great hosts. We loved every minute of SSC and Ras Kutani.
Ras Nungwi was good too, but not a patch on the other 2. I think going to Ras Nungwi 1st then the 2 SSC locations would have been best, save the best til last etc.
Thanks you so much for organising it all. We’re still adjusting to the real world- very slowly.
All the best
J. Piper
Dear All,
Just a quick note to thanks everyone at Tanzania Odyssey for a truly memorable holiday (honeymoon). We could not have asked for a better time.
All transfers were remarkably well organised and straight forward and the recommended places to stay were superb. I would recommend our itinerary to anyone. I think this was reflected in the fact that we did not want to leave each place we stayed at. Thought it may be useful to jot down a few remarks about the trip.
Ras Kutani was the perfect starting point and a really relaxing couple of days. Even invited to the staff quarters to watch the World Cup! The Selous camp was a superb start to the safari experience and being taken out for a boat trip on the afternoon of our arrival and cracking open a beer at sunset on the lake was fantastic, followed by a good couple of days mixing walking and driving. For us though, I think the absolute highlight of the two weeks was the Beho Beho camp. The incredible views, fantastic rooms, service and quality of the guide (Spike in our case) coupled with the incredibly warm and friendly atmosphere that Rita and her team provided has left a lasting impression on us. Whilst only our first safari, so no real comparison, these guys seem to have got everything spot on and I genuinely think it would be a shame for anyone to visit the Selous without a stay here. We also experienced their bushnight, which again, we would highly recommend.
We finished the trip with six nights in Ras Nungwi and one in Stone Town, which was a nice way to chill out at the end of the trip. After the first three places we stayed, Ras Nungwi came as a bit of a culture shock as we’d got used to not being around too many people. If I were to make any comment, I would say that the rooms seemed a little tired, particularly the bathrooms, but please don’t take that as a criticism as we had a fantastic stay there and I think the comment is probably more indicative of the quality of accommodation we had become used to.
Thanks again for a fantastic holiday. From start to finish Tanzania Odyssey have been nothing but professional, honest, knowledgeable, helpful and informative. However, above all is the non-pushy approach of the staff, which makes a big difference when you are spending not an unsubstantial amount of money. I would have no hesitation in recommending you guys to anyone and would be more than happy to provide a reference for any prospective customers you have.
Best regards
S. Karia, UK.
Hi Julian,
Just a note to thank you for organising a good itinerary for us in Zanzibar and Tanzania. Richard’s wedding went well and the safari was really good. I would thoroughly recommend Roy Safaris and in particular the driver/guide, Habib.
M. Wear, UK.
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.
