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    On safari in Tanzania

    Our Unforgettable Experiences pages are written by Tribes clients. They tell us in their own words what they really felt about the things they did and places and people they met on their holidays with Tribes. Hopefully this will help you when it comes to trying to decide where to go and what to do.

    We'd like to thank everyone who takes the trouble to write one of these Experience reviews for us. This is a new part of our website since February 2010, and we hope they will be added to quickly over the coming months.

    2. 11/12/2011
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    5. We saw the Serengeti, Ngorogoro crater and Lake Manyara. Do not miss the Serengeti or the crater, but make sure you give yourself plenty of time as the distances to be travelled by jeep are long if you are starting out from Arusha.
    2. 24/09/2011
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    5. Chimps at close quarters in Mahale and excellent game viewing in remote locations. Katavi is a very special place indeed and is well worth the effort which is necessary to reach it.
    2. 14/08/2011
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    5. Must be one of the best places in the world for safari.
    2. 27/07/2011
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    5. For folk from our part of the world the safari was just a wonderful, never-to-be-forgotten experience which was so much better than we anticipated. We also spent one night at the Rift Valley Photographic Lodge. The night here was up with the nights under canvass. It is a beautiful place to stay with amazing views across the Rift Valley to Lake Manyara, and a lovely menu.
    2. 10/07/2011
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    5. Marvellous!!! Cant' wait to go back to Tanzania
    2. 06/06/2011
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    5. We saw all the animals on our list and many more. Unfortunately the migration had moved away from central Serengeti as the rains had been relatively poor but no matter - there was still plenty to see and marvel at.
    2. 19/02/2011
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    5. It was my lifelong dream and it went beyond my expectations would do it again in a heartbeat
    2. 09/02/2011
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      • Had a whale of a time!
    5. Slightly disappointed that the large herds of wildebeest weren't in the area at this time of year but plenty of other things to see Highlights included a serval cat hunting during thed ay, cheetah with cubs and many lions and cubs
    2. 10/01/2011
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    2. 21/12/2010
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    2. 10/11/2010
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      • It was OK
    5. Lake Manyara: The game viewing was limited due to a shortage of rain and the parks brown arid state. Some interesting sittings and worthy of the two visits, it was unfortunate that the drought meant the water€™s edge was some distance away so the flamingos could only be seen as dots on the horizon.

      Ngorongoro Crater: Unfortunately the lateness of the short rains had resulted in a severe shortage of grazing and many of the animals had moved off the crater floor to the inaccessible crater rim/escarpment where better grazing was available. But some notable sightings were still made with perhaps the highlights of a Black Rhino and calf, a cheetah, numerous lions, and a large bull elephant. Apart from the dust the main problem was that regularly encountered in National Parks, you cannot drive off road and have to view from a distance so that €˜close encounters€™ are few and far between.
      We were glad to be there in the low season as even then there were more than enough vehicles, the one and only picnic spot quite busy (but also very picturesque). Unfortunately the use of radios to broadcast news of sightings meant that some vehicles spent their time driving at breakneck speed from one sighting to the next making the experience somewhat unpleasant for the rest of us.
      Whilst visually the crater is stunning the lack of game and the behaviour of others made it less than my favourite destination. A big disappointment.

      Serengeti: Perhaps the leading sights were a female lion and her three cubs that we were able to stay with for over a mile as she made her way from a rocky outcrop where she had presumably spent the night to a water hole just off the main road, the journey included a brief and perhaps half hearted attempt to hunt some impala; at the end of an evening drive, separately, two leopards - a female and a massive male. We saw plenty of plains game and enjoyed a number of close encounters with elephants, plus numerous lion sightings etc. It was however a great shame that the migration had broken up into small separate herds as the €˜Great Migration€™ was one of the reasons for visiting the Serengeti.
    2. 24/10/2010
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    5. Safari is a wonderful experience but the key is to make sure you see a wide variety of animals. Two full days was enough time to witness most and to keep the interest for the children.
    2. 22/10/2010
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      • Had a whale of a time!
    2. 03/10/2010
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      • Had a whale of a time!
    5. Safari was excellent saw loads of wildlife, just not very relaxing and a lot of bumpy travelling, don't get that much free time to spend together if this is booked for a honeymoon, but lovely places to stay.
    2. 01/10/2010
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      • Don't even think about missing this!
    5. The only thing we had hoped to see but missed, was rhino. We only had a fleeting view of a leopard, but saw over 60 lions and 24 wild dogs plus 5 cheetahs. Superb and not busy.
    2. 17/09/2010
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    5. We had a fabulous time in all the camps- it really was surreal much of the time. We could hardly believe we were seeing all these glorious animals in their natural habitat. We were glad to be at different camps in different locations. There is a wide variety of terrain - savannah, forest, rivers, lakes and allowing 3 days in each area gives you the best opportunity to see all the resident animal and bird life. We met so many people from all parts of the world - so many interesting stories.
    2. 08/08/2010
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    2. 07/08/2010
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    5. Brilliant in every respect. Liberating to feel you don't have to dress up or wear make up! To see so many animals at such close proximity is an experience to be remembered for a lifetime. Ruaha National Park has varied terrain which makes it attractive and interesting and we were lucky enough to see 22 types of animal. Many folk we spoke to had visited other safari parks and said they were crowded with jeeps and tourists. Ruaha is not - the most jeeps we ever saw viewing the animals together is 5.
    2. 04/08/2010
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      • Don't even think about missing this!
    5. Go South, very personalised camps. Close game viewing especially in Selous where it appears you can stray from the tracks if needed - essential to follow wild-dogs. Travel by air, saves time and is good fun - heard some stories from other guests about the 7/8 hour journey times to cover a few hundred Km.
    2. 01/07/2010
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    5. For us this was the best part of the holiday some people say 3 or 4 days are enough they€™re wrong we could have stayed forever
    2. 26/06/2010
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    5. Mwagusi is a very high quality Safari experience with excellent game viewing across a broad spectrum. Though at the time we were there in late June the river by the camp was dry and consequently there was very little game viewing from our veranda. Accommodation is luxurious and service impeccable. Not to be missed. Selous Impala Camp has the Rufiji River which gives a new dimention to the Safari. While we felt that the game viewing in the bush was rather limited with the sighting of a pack of wild dogs at their den being the only real highlight, the river safaris more than made up for this. Not only do you see (close up) hippo and crocodile but also giraffe wading, elephant swimming and buffalo wallowing. It is also paradise for anyone interested in the birdlife. Not to be missed. The accommodation is not quite as luxurious as Mwagusi but still of a very high standard.
    2. 17/06/2010
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    5. An amazing experience. Each area we visited was quite different in the terrain and wildlife that we saw.
      Would definitely recommend experiencing both the northern and southern parts of Tanzania.
    2. 12/06/2010
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    2. 11/02/2010
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      • Had a whale of a time!
    5. Ruaha - beautiful and remote (as billed), very green with lovely flowers, butterflies and birds, plenty of animals to see, the highlight was a cheetah and her cub with a kill.
      Ksima Ngeda - a great experience to go out on an early morning hunt with 3 Hadsa Tribesmen
      Ngorogoro Highlands / Lake Ndutu / Serengeti - The herds of zebra and the thousands of wildebeeste with their newly-born calves, spreading as far as the eye could see across the plains, was amazing. We were also thrilled with the plentiful sightings of lions at close quarters.
    2. 29/06/2009
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    5. Words cannot explain how wonderful our trip to Ruaha in Tanzania was with Tribes - an incredible safari! The game viewing was unbelievable! Lions, elephant, zebra, hippo, giraffe, water buffalo - and that was only on the drive from the airport! It was a once-in-a-lifetime holiday for these Americans and truly an unforgettable one!

    2. 08/05/2009
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    5. A fantastic experience for us all with so many wonderful memories for us all. Within 24 hours of leaving home we had seen the most wonderful wildlife and just kept saying "wow!" over and over again!
    2. 05/01/2009
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      • Had a whale of a time!
    5. Everything ran like clockwork, our driver and guide was a delight - discreet, knowledgeable, good company - and the food in the final four days of the tented camp was excellent. The whole migration experience in the Serengeti was everything that we had dreamed about.
    2. 25/12/2008
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    5. The holiday exceeded expectations. We didn't really know what to expect, especially from the safari. But it was absolutely fantastic. We asked the kids what they would do if they were to come back, and they both chose the safari. We all really loved it in ways we didn't really expect.
    2. 21/09/2008
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    5. We managed to see more animals on safari and in such a way that we don't feel better could possibly have been achieved. Our guide, Herbert, showed us more animals than we were hoping for. He was very patient with us wanting to stop all the time and take photos or to sit quietly for lengthy periods of time to look around us. We never felt rushed.
    2. 27/07/2008
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      • Had a whale of a time!
    5. The most memorable part of the holiday was seeing the great diversity of wildlife and landscapes, from the wildebeest on the plains, lions on the rocks, flamingoes in the lakes and dolphins in the sea! Plus being made to feel very welcome by all the people we met - we were celebrating two special occasions and received special treatment several times.
    2. 26/06/2008
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      • Don't even think about missing this!
    5. I have been overwhelmed by the sights and sounds. I can;t beleive how many exciting experiences there have been. We enjoyed practically every minute. The variety of wildlife was spectacular and each time we saw animals they were doing something different, so each encounter was unique. The contrasts betwen habitats and locations added to the enjoyment too. North and South Tanzania showed distinct differences but they were all fascinating. The wealth of wildlife was incredible and we felt that it was a privilege to see the animals in their environment.
    2. 06/01/2008
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      • Had a whale of a time!

      Had a whale of a time!

    5. We saw more wildlife than we'd imagined and got close to the animals. It was also good to have a choice of activities and not to have to share safaris with others. The scenery was so stunning and we got to see many different landscapes. It was good to go on safari without being just one of many jeeps in the area - some days we saw no one else at all.
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