Tanzania Crater Capers

Our Clients’ Reviews

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  Matthew Lomax

  TANZANIA CRATER CAPERS

  

  Written September 2012

  A fantastic itinerary...has a bit of everything. Really enjoyable to wake up and set off on our next adventure without having to do any planning....really well organised. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Tanzania is a beautiful, friendly country. Reaching the first camp on Kili - seeing our first herd of elephants - seeing our first lion - the view from the beach lodges on Zanzibar - so many memories that will last a lifetime.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  JM was a great group leader - he was never off duty with the kids - taking them into the hotel grounds to spot bush-babies at 10pm - providing interesting histories of the Chagga tribes, the Maasai wars, the flora and fauna. Top guy.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  You don't need yellow fever inoculation if only transferring at Nairobi...check with Tanzanian High Commission.

  Tipping is obligatory...take advice from your guide.

  The walking day on Kili is 25km (half of which is obviously uphill!). Strenuous for anyone....our 8 & 9 yr olds made it but it was tough for them.

  Learn some local lingo - everyone will say hello ('jambo') if you say hello to them.

  Expect a couple of hours drive to get anywhere...the roads are slow and bumpy but there was plenty of space to stretch out in the buses / land-cruisers and so much to see out of the window.

  A good set of binoculars is essential for every person on safari.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  This trip was worth every penny. The standard of hotels / lodges was fantastic, especially Kichanga Lodge on Zanzibar....total luxury.

  Stone Town is more like an arabic kasbah....expect half a day to come to terms with the hussle and bustle after the previous rural areas visited.

   
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  Kathryn Skeates

  TANZANIA CRATER CAPERS

  

  Written September 2012

  This was a great trip and the itinerary had been thought out very well with lots of varied trips and accomodation designed for families. There was something for everyone from shopping in Stone Town, walking, beach and safari, fab. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  There were numerous inspirational moments on our trip from getting to Killi base camp, spotting 2 rhino on safari and swimming with a sea turtle!!!!

  What did you think of your group leader?

  We only had a leader part on the time then a driver on safari and no-one in Zanzibar. John our leader in the beginning was very helpful.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Take some warm clothes for climbing Killi. Also be aware of the tipping which you need to do constantly, we were told what to tip by our tour leader to the main people but everyone expects something all the time! We spent around $300 per family of 4 on tips. Also the flight Arusha to Zanzibar the luggage is 15kg pp and this should include all hand luggage so beware.

   
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  Eric Cassells

  TANZANIA CRATER CAPERS

  

  Written August 2012

  Overall this was an excellent taster of the many facets of Tanzania - mountain, safari, beach, and town.  For a newcomer to Africa, it was perfect. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Elephants at close range in numbers - we saw a full range of expected animals, but the there is something about  elephants.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Our group leader was informative, helpful and good company.  Unfortunately, he had to leave unexpectedly for a couple of days, but the alternative cover arranged was also excellent.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  1. There is a fair amount of travel from on scene to another (and maybe the travel arrangements could be rationalized a bit)

  2. I would also recommend the safari elelement as more suitable for older children and teenagers (long days in 4X4s).

  3.  Seek clarity early on from Exodus leader as to the expectations on guide tipping, etc., and good if you can organize this at a group level.

  4.  Be prepared to adjust your behaviour if your trip to Zanzibar coincides with ramadan. 

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Left me wanting to know and experience more - which was exactly the point

   
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  Nicole Barnard

  TANZANIA CRATER CAPERS

  

  Written January 2012

  An amazing trip of a lifetime! Looking back its hard to imagine how we fitted it all in, but we did. The trip was so well planned and organised, with everything thought of and planned for. We saw so much of Tazania and Zanzibar every bit of it stunning. The guides we brilliant, hotels were lovely. As cheesy as it sounds we had the time of our lives.   

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  It will have to be a few as there were so many inspirational moments: 

  Walking through the rainforest on kilimanjaro was eerily beautiful and the sense of achievement for my son to get to the top of where we walked to was great.

  Meeting the Chagga tribe was really nice and visiting the hidden gem of the waterfall, where we walked across to the bottom of the waterfall through the river with our trousers rolled up!

  The safaris were incredible I was delighted to see so many different animals including; a herd of over 50 elephants so close they touched the landrover, a cheetah basking in the sun and on a hunt, lions lazying about, a warthog getting chased by and fighting off 5 hyenas - to name but a few we saw so many others.

  The Kichanga lodge on Zanziba was gorgeous, the beach was pure white sand, the sea was warm and full of fish (if you want out to the lagoon with a snorkel -definitely recommended) and the pool with hammoks ready for when the kids want to plat and you want to relax.

  The history of Stone Town is fascinating and well worth taking a tour if you can and we also took a trio over to Prisoner Island where we saw the giant tortoises, then we went snorkeling in the reef, it was fab! 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Emmanuel was brilliant, very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, professional and great with kids. Even with my sons continuous questions and requests for collecting 'stuff' he remained the same never tiring or seeming fed up with him. That also goes for the guides who took us up kilimanjaro and round the village, Alex the safari guide - who again knew so much and worked hard to find animals impart his knowledge and answer a never ending stream of questions.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Make sure you have comfortable footwear for walking. Take warm clothes as well, I only took one warm top thinking I wouldn't need them, the nights and mornings are cool enough on Tanzania to need something. Plenty of insect repellent and suncream.

  I was really pleased that I decided to buy and take a really good camera with a good zoom, well worth it.

  I regretted not taking a book with me as the nights lent themselves to some reading.

   

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  An incredible experience for me and my son, as a single parent I was worried that I would be left out or that my son would be bored or lonely, I didnt need to worry everyone were friendly and welcoming. Just fantastic!

   
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  Michelle Boobier

  TANZANIA CRATER CAPERS FAMILY HOLIDAY

  

  Written September 2011

  We had a fantastic holiday. Every day was filled with new experiences and adventures. We fell in love with Africa and can't wait to go back! 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  It is very hard to pick out particular highlights of our trip because we did so much and every day was full of exciting experiences but...............seeing our first elephants in Tarangire; the view into Ngorogoro Crater; visiting the village, drinking banana beer in the local bar, the kids playing football with the local children, having a go at wood carving; visiting the Masai village; Migunga tented camp with its resident monkeys, mongoose and hornbills; the day walk up Mount Kilimanjaro and reaching 3000m (half way!), seeing Black and White Colobus Monkeys on the way down; the fabulous Kichanga Lodge in Zanzibar with its gorgeous beach; our snorkelling trip with Captain Ali in his dug out mango tree..........

  What did you think of your group leader?

  We had several guides on our trip. Our safari guides/drivers were Loyson and Gabriel and they were excellent. They had an incredible knowledge of the area and were brilliant with the children. We could not have asked any more from them and in many ways they made that part of the holiday for us. For the Mount Kilimanjaro part of the trip we were guided by William and Richard who were equally excellent. I do not think that the younger children would have made it to the end of the day walk without their good humoured encouragement! The trip went like clock work and it felt extremely well organised which made it very relaxing for all of us.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  We went in August and the safari/Kilimanjaro parts of the trip did get quite cool in the evenings so some warmer clothing is essential. Good walking shoes are important for the kilimanjaro day walk and beach shoes are an absolute must for Zanzibar. We took beach towels with us but these were not necessary as all the hotels provided beach/pool towels. We would have liked to have taken some packs of pencils, pens and exercise books to give to the school we visited. There was a money donation box but I think our children would have liked to have given something to the class teacher.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  We went on this trip with our children aged 15, 14, 12 and 7 and we all had a fantastic time.  The trip was brilliant because it balanced the different elements of wildlife and culture very well and still gave us a few days relaxation on a beautiful beach at the end! We believe that it represented good value for money and would  recommend Exodus to our friends.