Southern Tanzania Wildlife and Chimpanzees

I researched many Africa tours but could not find an itinerary that did exactly what I wanted to do. I contacted Discover Africa to see if they might be able to help. Bianca was terrific. She listened to what I wanted to do and put together a perfect itinerary. She offered a couple of different “camp” options at each stop along the way. She put the whole thing together and helped me work to a price point I was comfortable with. The entire trip went flawlessly. I was very impressed with Bianca and Discover Africa.

A trip of a lifetime. Great guides covering Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyana, Ngorongoro crater and southern Serengeti, where we saw herds of elephants, giraffes, antelope, zebra, wildebeast, cape buffalo, eland, jackels, hyenas, mongeese, hippopotomi, rhinoceroses, lion, leopard, cheetah and loads more. This was followed by a more relaxing period on the beaches of Zanzibar, where we snorkelled with dolphins and amongst the numerous fish living on the coral reef.

Every day on safari, we woke thinking that the day could not be better than the previous one but were consistenly wrong.

The fixed accomodation was excellent, the mobile camp was more agricultural as expected. Food across the various locations was good to great.

Definitely worth the money, with incredible experiences

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.

We are beyond words in our satisfaction with Discover Africa and especially our travel agent Vihann.

When we initially spoke to Vihann about visiting he wanted to know what we hoped to see and do, as well as our budget. Vihann got back to us very quickly with the perfect personalized itinerary to celebrate our 45th. wedding anniversary.

The main reason for going was to see the animals and the migration. That expectation was definitely fulfilled. Our itinerary planned by Vihann was perfect for us. We loved the people, food, accommodations and special touches provided by our hosts to make it unique. We were very well looked after throughout our trip.

Vihann kept in contact to make sure everything was going well. What could be nicer than a private dinner and special celebration with music, dancing and champagne provided by our camp hosts! Our guides S.P in Ngorongoro and Andrew in Serengeti provided by Discover Africa were the best. They made sure we had many opportunities to take pictures of the animals and scenery. We were most impressed with their knowledge of the animals and culture. Our last few days spent at Nungwi Dreams Resort was a perfect ending to a perfect trip!

We are spreading the word to friends and family about your company. A trip like this should be on everyone’s “bucket list”.

Kathy and Brad

This was my first safari. I didn’t expect to be so pampered. Everything was first class. We had everything provided for us before even asking. We had a dedicated team at our service. Megan was on call whenever we needed something and she would always check on us along the way. We felt very well taken care of on all fronts.

Our trip was arranged by Carel Verhoef at discoverafrica.com and was perfectly organised.

We flew into the Masai Mara from Nairobi and all flight connections and transfers were arranged for us and went like clockwork. Carel was also very generous with his advice having lived in East Africa for some years – he is a mine of useful information.

My wife and I have had this trip to see the wildebeest migration on our bucket list for some time and we decided to go this year to coincide with our wedding anniversary. For that reason we were looking for something special yet reasonably priced and Carel helped us find Mara Ngenche. What a spectacularly good choice that was.

We stayed for 5 nights the camp and were extremely well looked after. The staff are fantastic. Our waiter, Steve, learnt what food we liked and didn’t like and was always on hand with a glass of wine and also taught us some Swahili! The Masai guards who escorted us to & from our tent especially Musanga, Karbolo & Lindeni were always on hand, very polite and interesting. Almost everyone speaks excellent English.

The game drive vehicle that we used was completely open at the top and sides and was very comfortable. We had some fabulous sightings with Joseph, our very experienced driver/guide. He was excellent at anticipating the animal’s movements to ensure good photos. In one afternoon we saw the Big 5 and on another occasion 4½, as we could only see the leopard’s tail that time.

The position of the camp on the confluence of two rivers was so relaxing and we often sat on the deck watching the 30 or so hippos all day, even though they didn’t move very much. Breakfasts and lunches were served under the trees beside the river. Dinner, served in the restaurant, was four courses and was beautifully prepared and presented.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip and the staff at Mara Ngenche made it more than special. When it came time to leave, my wife cried because she didn’t want to go. Of all the holidays we’ve had over the years, this has been our most memorable.