Your guide to Tanzania's wonders

In late September/ early October we used Tanzania Specialist ("TS") to book a two and a half week trip including hiking Kilimanjaro on the Lemosho route, a three day safari and five days in Zanzibar. Whilst the initial booking process was a little slow and required a couple of email chasers, the trip was outstanding and everything in-country was seamless. No issues with internal flights, transfers all arrived promptly and on time and the scheduling was well thought out and planned. I would highly recommend using this agent for anyone planning a trip to Tanzania. The staff were incredibly professional and friendly and we felt well looked after the entire trip. Further details below for each part of the trip, focusing on the people that made it so special (rather than a full itinerary). Kili The night before we started the hike we arrived at Kilimanjaro Luxury Camp. This lodging was selected by TS and was beautiful. We stayed in permanent canvas tent structures that were the size of a junior suite, with a beautiful bathroom that was larger than most hotel rooms I have stayed in. The staff were all lovely and it was the perfect way to start the hike. The local food was also good! I won't get into too much detail on the hike itself, as I want to focus on the fifteen people that made the six days on the mountain so special. My two friends and I had no idea what to expect as none of us had hiked for an extended period nor with the help of guides and porters, but whatever expectations we had were completely blown away. Starting with our main guide, Waziri. This man knows the mountain like no one else. He looked after us so well, gave us a lot of confidence and was a lot of fun. He is kind, has a heart of gold and after spending six intense days with him we're all pleased to be able to call him a friend. He was also incredibly focused on our safety and welfare, setting a steady pace for us during the hike, taking our vitals in the evening and constantly checking in with us on how we were doing. If you are ever hiking Kili, YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR WAZIRI. YOU WILL NOT SUMMIT KILI WITHOUT HIM. No one else will do. He is the man! Emmanuelle was our assistant guide and was also great. Sadly he got a little ill in the first few days and had to head back down the mountain, but he was a crucial part of the team up until that point. For the summit, one of the porters, Robert, was our assistant guide. He was diligent during the summit, which was challenging for the three of us, and right by our side as and when we needed him. Our waiter, Adam, was exceptional. Every morning, he'd knock on our tents at the exact time we agreed upon with coffee, hot chocolate or tea, fill our water bottles, put out hot water for washing and bring all of our food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He was always smiling and couldn't do enough for us. He is such a warm person and was crucial for keeping up morale and putting a smile on our face. I don't even know where to start with Gidion. We were all expecting rice and beans for six days and stocked up on Cliff bars and other protein bars, but the food he cooked throughout our hike was exceptional. Soup to start ever dinner, amazing local stews, fried fish, chicken noodles, spaghetti bolognese, pancakes and omelettes for breakfast - I didn't expect the quality of the food to be anywhere near the level we received and we were totally full every night. I took 22 snack bars with me on the mountain, I left with 18... I think that says enough. Gastor and Innocent were our other specialist porters. Gastor was head of the tent crew and Innocent in charge of setting up the portable toilet. We had no idea what the camp set up would be or what the environment would be like. Every day, the entire crew would pack up after we left camp, hike at 3-4x our pace to catch up with us and beat us to the next camp to ensure the campsite was set up ready for our arrival. These guys were carrying a 70L full bag on their back with their own belongings, and 20kg on their neck/head to set up the camp whilst climbing Kili. I've never seen anything like it and we were all so grateful that they put in so much effort to ensure we had the most comfortable experience as was possible. Gastor made sure everything was perfect for our arrival. Cleaning and carrying the portable toilet is not exactly the most glamorous job and Innocent made sure everything was clean and sanitized before we used it. Really crucial job and very grateful for everything he did. The rest of the porters were fantastic. All so much fun and some of the strongest guys I've every met. They wanted to chat to us and taught us a bunch of swahili. When we finished hike, we all grabbed a drink together and it was the perfect way to say thank you. Make sure you tip well! These guys deserve it. If you are ever thinking about climbing Kili, use TS and request this crew! They are the Dream Team: Waziri - Chief Guide Emmanuel - Assistant Guide Gidio - Chef Adamu - Waiter Innocent - Toilet Porter Robert - Summit Porter Gastor - Tent Crew Erick Francis Elia Salimu Muhindi Joseph Benson Emmanuel Safari For our Safari, we stayed at the Wentworth Lake Manyara Kili Mamoja lodge. The place was incredible and the staff couldn't do enough for us. Would highly recommend. Frank was our guide for the three different safaris we did, which were Tarangirie, Lake Manyara and The Ngoro crater. His knowledge of the parks and the animals was exceptional. We felt like he really knew what to look out for and wouldn't just follow the crowds. In Lake Manyara, we were driving down the road pretty quickly and he spotted a fresh baby leopard track in the ground. The footprint was tiny and I have no idea how he spotted it. He had great stories, made a bunch of recommendations for us and was a thoughtful host for our three days on safari. Would highly recommend.

An Unforgettable, Perfectly Organized Safari Experience It exceeded all my expectations! Everything was perfectly organized and ran like clockwork. The food was well-prepared and clean, the accommodations were fantastic, and the tour itself was wonderful. But above all, the staff truly made the difference. Lina, the Customer Satisfaction Agent, was always easy to reach, quick with effective solutions, and incredibly flexible. Bosco, our guide, was fantastic—he tailored the program to our wishes and needs, and he took great care of my elderly mother. Thanks to his thoughtful planning and extensive knowledge, we were able to see the Big Five. Thank you, Lina and Bosco, for this unforgettable vacation! And special thanks as well to our travel advisor.

Once we arrived the total experience was beyond our expectations. We were met at the airport and in the hands of an experienced person associated with the Tanzania Specialist at all times. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, caring, thoughtful and totally interested in our agenda. He went out of his way to ensure we saw everything on our "bucket list". The persons at our lodging were just as friendly and caring to our every need and want. We recommend Tanzania Specialist to anyone wanting a once in a lifetime African safari experience.

Dear Tanzaniaspecialist, Thank you very much for our unforgettable safari and holiday. We visited the Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. All with amazing wildlife and so many beautiful animals to see. In particular we want to thank our guide Jackson Lyoseko. We had a very good time, he made sure we got the best views of the animals en told us everything about them. Asante sana Jackson! After the safari we went to Zanzibar which was also very nice and beautiful. The organisation made sure we got picked up at the right time and everything was very good. We would really recommend booking your trip with tanzaniaspecialist. Everything was very well communicated, the whole planning was very clear and all staff were very nice and easy to talk to. A big five stars to this organisation and its staff!

We cannot say enough good things about how AMAZING our experience in Africa was & it wouldn’t have been possible without the Tanzania Specialist! From their travel agents to safari guides to lodging staff we were delightfully overwhelmed with how amazing this team was. Our travel agent helped curate both our safari itinerary and beach itinerary exactly to what my husband and I wanted for our honeymoon. They informed us about what to pack, what to wear, cultural aspects to be mindful of, specific rules of the country, arranged all our travel transfers (safari guides, airport pickups, extra excursion travel, etc.) and made the entire trip so easy. From the moment we stepped off the plane to the moment we got dropped back off, the Tanzania Specialist had us covered. Our safari guide, Innocent, became a friend not just a tour guide. He was so informative about the general culture, the animals, the parks, the best places to spot animals and got us positioned perfectly anytime we spotted anything. He was very easy to communicate with, every morning he picked us up he & the truck were cleaned up and ready for action, we loved how excited he was for the adventure he took us on everyday. We hope when we come back in a few years that we can have him guide us again! You absolutely have to book the hot air balloon ride of the Serengeti, it was truly surreal and a magical way to get a totally different view of the safari. Worth every single extra penny! The specialists packed us lunches for our safaris everyday which were great! Loads of food and tons of options, each lodge’s staff were so friendly & ready to help with whatever we needed. Each lodge also did an amazing job at really celebrating our honeymoon & making it feel special with beautiful decorations in our room each day when we returned, it was so sweet! In zanzibar our room was setup with champagne & fruit plate which was so special. We really want to thank the whole team for every part of our once in a lifetime adventure and a beautiful honeymoon!

Excellent Safari trip with Tanzania Specialist! The experts from Tanzania Specialist did an amazing job to let us experience wildlife and nature in Tanzania! From the planning, organizing and execution, it was all perfectly done, with great care for our adventure and wellbeing. Our guide and driver Godson was outstanding in his performance. The 24/7 assistance is really there when you need them to solve a problem, so important! The itenary was great, the adventure was truly amazing. Tanzania Specialist is highly recommended!

Exceptional 15-Day Tanzania & Zanzibar Adventure! My recent 15-day mother-daughter trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar, organized by Tanzania Specialist, was a spectacular success. The planning was meticulous; everything flowed seamlessly, and the logistics were flawless. Our guides were consistently on time for every pick-up, which took all the stress out of our travel days. We enjoyed a wonderful mix of accommodations, combining both standard and luxury tents and hotels, all of which were amazing and added to the authentic experience. A huge highlight was our safari guide, who was truly exceptional—highly professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely positive. He made our time in the national parks incredibly enriching. We also took a highly memorable and recommended tour to a coffee plantation in Arusha, which was a wonderful cultural experience. The customer service was also a standout feature. Having a dedicated contact person (Customer Success Agent) available from the start was a real comfort. We used this facility for a couple of questions, and the responses were always prompt and helpful, making us feel supported throughout the entire trip. The only minor note is that the walking safari at Tarangire wasn't a highlight for us, as we didn't get close to the animals, though this was not a reflection on our excellent guide. Overall, Tanzania Specialist delivered a world-class, stress-free, and memorable adventure. I highly recommend them for an incredible journey!

My husband and I just had a wonderful 10 day safari and Zanzibar experience with Tanzania specialists and couldn't be happier with the service! The communication via email was solid during the long research/booking process (with Victoria). Then we had easy and regular communications via What's App with Riziki throughout our trip, which was very smooth. You end up with quite a few different drivers/people (for airport transfers, etc.) and all went well. Lastly, and most importantly, was a fabulous safari driver, Akbar! He was a 35 year veteran of driving safaris and was so very knowledgeable about the terrain, the wildlife and where to go/when to see the best things. We saw the big 5 (Rhinos were tough and we could only catch a glimpse of the top of them but we're counting it!). The lions, elephants, cape buffalo, giraffe, wildebeast, leopard, cheetah, sooo amazing to see and see UP CLOSE! We really appreciate how attentive, safe and knowledgeable he was as your driver can really make or break your trip. Would highly recommend this organization as it's quite big (lots of trucks/drivers) with a lot of resources behind them so if something does happen, you know you'll have people there to help out in no time. The resorts were also quite wonderful, especially the glamping tent in the middle of the Serengetti!! Wow! Thank you so much!