Tour Operators in Tanzania
Question
Hello!
I am thinking of Safari to Tanzania, I see a lot of information online, a lot of service provider, Can I get some directions to get the best tour operators?
Thanks!
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Answer ( 1 )
You can surely get a right tour operator and minimize possible problems! First of all go online, get enough information, and pick 5 companies, check their reviews online, and if good then go to the next step!
Ask some hard questions when you discuss a safari with the safari company, and if you can’t ask them in advance then find another company. Most will have an e-mail address and they all will have a telephone.
There are a zillion safari operators in the Arusha area, some are good, some are excellent, some are not so good, and some have stories about them that you would find hard to believe. Questions should center around the kind of vehicles they are going to use, what training their guides have, what happens if you get out on the safari and your guide turns into a guide from hell, is drunk or is found using drugs or tries to hit you up for additional money, are their on-board radios, first aid kits, and vehicle repair tools in the vehicle, do the guides have a mobile telephone, what all is included in the price (be specific), will you be met at the airport and taken to your hotel or wherever you are lodging, is there an evaluation of the safari and is it sent to the owners of the company at the completion of the safari, what happens if you get to one of the locations and the place is full of mud and you can’t travel through the park or for some other reason the park is closed that you selected, get an accurate description of the lodges and/or campgrounds where you’ll be staying, what food and water will be provided in the price, how many people do they pack into each vehicle, etc.
If they aren’t willing to answer all of your questions satisfactorily and in sufficient detail for you, go and find another safari company. After you ask your questions (ask several companies and you’ll begin to see some patterns and differences) then you can figure out which ones would be worth the money they are charging, which are overcharging, and which are too cheap to be telling the complete truth. Everyone has to pay the same rates for their vehicles, for their diesel fuel, and a similar rate for their guides.
Don’t try to compare rates and prices to what you would expect it to cost in your home country, for example USA. for similar entertainment or amusement. If you look through these posts you will find one safari company which indicated what she paid her guides (and it was a fair wage) and it would be for a month what you probably make in a day, thus remember the guide when the safari is finished with a reasonable tip if he did good work for you. Other expenses such as diesel fuel and vehicles cost much more then they do in the U.S.
You will be rewarded for your extra work and care in choosing a safari company. You could be traveling out in the parks with other vehicles which have paid 2 or 3, even 4 or 5 times what you can get a good safari for.
Good luck!!