Maasai Wanderings
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About Maasai Wanderings
Maasai Wanderings offers unique African wildlife safaris, mountaineering treks, cultural experiences, historical site visits and beach holiday escapes exclusively in Tanzania. We are passionate about our wildlife, tribal cultures and all of the mystical treasures that Tanzania has to offer and this makes us proud to present it to you. The combined experiences of the Maasai Wanderings team demonstrates a concise understanding of wildlife behaviours, practical local knowledge of culture and history and dedication to each individual adventure – all of which create a ‘special’ experience!About our safari vehicles
At Maasai Wanderings, we have a fleet of Toyota Landcruiser 4WD vehicles, modified for game driving and wildlife viewing. These include extended 8 seater and normal 6 seater versions, including driver’s seat. Each vehicle has a pop top roofs (or can be modified for photographers with rollback canvas roof and windows), large windows, charging system, first aid kits, Simba jack, fire extinguisher, reflector triangles, tool kits, refrigerators and is driven by an individual driver. We have our own garage and mechanics on-site for services and repairs and they can even convert our own vehicles to the extended version when required. Upon request, we also include tea/coffee basket for the clients free of charge. Our team of guides speak English, French, Spanish, Italian and Swahili; as well as their own tribal languages. All members have a minimum of eight years guiding experience, with a minimum of Certificate of Wildlife & Guiding (two year course). Each guide has guide books and binoculars to offer for use by the clients. However, if clients would like exclusive use of binoculars, they should bring or hire their own. The guide teams are recognizable by their khaki & orange polo shirts, khaki short or long sleeve dress shirts, khaki short or long trousers, cap, black vest or sweater; all embroidered with our uniform logo. We pay above award wages and work together as a family, sharing good times and bad.
What a wonderful safari. Maasai Wanderings organised the trip according to all requests and gave even more. The whole trip exceeded any expectations we had. The two drivers we had in Kenya (Antonio) and Tanzania Chris) were extremely respectful, intelligent, knowledgeable and ethical. We were impressed with their patience of our continual questions and requests for information. As well, we were very impressed with their consideration of animals, especially their knowledge of where the animals would be tracking. Several times, we parked at a distance only to have some other company drive too close or even park in front of us. They were excellent drivers on very difficult roads. They amazed us with their ability to drive and spot difficult to see game at the same time. Luckily for us we saw the big five on our two days of safari. Also all the employees at the camps we stayed at were extremely polite, friendly and interested in our experiences. They had a high level of skills in hospitality and made us feel very welcomed. Also, the accommodation at the Maasai Wandering mobile camps was extremely good, clean and comfortable even in the very remote circumstances.
Thank you Maasai Wanderings for exceeding our expectations.
Australia
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Two of my friends and I used Maasai Wanderings to arrange our Tanzania Safari and we were totally blown away at how amazing it was. From the planning and budgeting, to pickups at the airports, to the amazing guide, Muba that we had the entire trip, to the spectacular camps, and then there was the animals! We saw so many species and so many of each species. I never expected to see so many elephants! We saw hundereds!
And Muba could spot so many things for us to see and was an amazing driver.
Our vehicle was perfect - loved how the roof raised up so we could stand to observe and photograph.
United States
Maasai Wanderings puts together a spectacular safari that I'll always remember. Driver/guides knew everything and could find anything you wanted to see.
We stayed at Nasikia Luxury Camps which is a sister company of Maasai Wanderings. Accommodations for 5 star and dinning was right up there at the top.
I highly recommend Maasai Wanderings to anyone planning a safari to Tanzania.
United States
We had been thinking about a safari for several years, and in January decided to use Maasai Wanderings based on a friend's recommendation. The experience was incredible. We saw an unbelievable variety and number of animals including lions, zebras, elephants, hippos, cheetahs, leopards and buffalo.
A buffalo was grazing outside our room at Rhino Lodge - so close we could hear him chewing the grass. Our favorite lodging was the Naona Moru tented camp. Our guide, Godwin, was highly knowledgeable and took a lot of time to explain the animals and their habits. We chose a private tour, which worked well for us. Godwin met us at the airport and drove each day. We stayed in 3 different lodges and 2 tented camps, which worked well and gave us a variety of experiences.
I would definitely recommend Maasai Wanderings. Godwin accompanies a lot of professional photographers. We visited a Maasai village and brought gifts of school supplies and a few clothes. Truly the experience of a lifetime.
United States
A friend recommended Maasai Wanderings for their high level of service, ease of communication when making plans, quality of guides, accommodations and value. We couldn't agree more!
Donna customized our itinerary around our daughter's schedule as a volunteer in Mwanza and our wish list for safari. The amount of time we spent intimately observing wild animals exceeded our expectations and the thousands of photos we took bring back the emotions, sights, sounds and smells (the rain in the Serengeti smells so wonderful!) of this amazing family vacation. Our guide Godwin's experience and passion put us in the right place at the right time!
Highlights include: Finding a leopard resting in a tree who spotted prey and then witnessing the kill - the circle of life. Listening to hyena laugh and lion roar from the comfort of our luxury tent camp, then observing the picked clean remains of their nighttime revelry when we left camp in the morning. Having a herd of elephants walk behind our parked truck and coming upon a journey of more than 50 giraffe, way too many to count. Not to mention the endless stream of migration from sun up to sundown! To decompress from our travels, Donna arranged a few days on the white sand beaches of Zanzibar. A perfect ending!
We are grateful we seized the opportunity to use Maasai Wanderings when we joined our daughter in Tanzania.
United States
We spent 8 nights on a Northern circuit safari in Tanzania and it was just incredible!
Our guide Muba was excellent.....he always seemed to be in just the right place at just the right time for spotting wildlife! He was knowledgeable, friendly and efficient....THE perfect guide!
The standard of accommodation was excellent, we especially loved Naona Moru camp and Escarpment Lodge was sheer luxury!
The vehicles are very spacious, but do show signs of wear and tear....hardly surprising when you see the state of the roads/tracks in the parks especially the dust and rocks in the Serengeti! The vehicles are also equipped with refrigerators and charging points....great when your camera battery is about to die!
I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Maasai Wanderings....if (when!) we return to Africa they would be our first choice!
Asante sana, Maasai Wanderings.
United Kingdom
I travelled with an amazing group of people in June and visited the Serenegti National Park and adjacent areas. We explored the region in vehicle and on foot.
The team with Masaai Wanderings and Nasikia Camps that we stayed in were just superb. Every moment was filled with awe and the knowledge of the guide was supreme. We travelled the extent of the Serenegti and in that time we saw lion and cheetah and countless elephant and antelope.
The guide set us up with great stories and fascinating facts of animals, history of the area and then the beautiful surroundings of the landscape. His knowledge of the area is unsurpassed as he knew every little road and valley. He was kind and gentle and patient with the volume of questions asked.
From the beginning of the journey, even in the planning phase, Masaai Wanderings and their team were so professional and courteous at all times. Every aspect was taken care of in great detail.
Thank you to every team member and staff member for the amazing journey I enjoyed with you on this safari. Even the chefs at the various camps were amazing in what they produced on the table with every meal.
Simply the best!
South Africa
We had an amazing safari experience in Tanzania thanks to Perfect Africa and Masai Wanderings. I booked through Perfect Africa - Natalie was a pleasure to work with, she was friendly, responsive and answered my (many !) questions and accommodated my constantly changing itinerary.
Our guide, Kurwa, picked us up after our pre-arranged Kilimanjaro hike, and we had a day safari in Tarangire park before staying at Sangaiwe Tented lodge. We loved the tented camp with amazing views over the plains. Food was excellent and plentiful. Our safari vehicle was a little worn inside, but we loved the stand up open top, great for animal viewing.
Next on the itinerary was Ngorongoro Crater, followed by a stay at the beautiful Endoro Lodge. We then flew to northern Serengeti and the highlight of the trip - a few nights at Kaskaz Mara camp. This place was stunning - a real "out of Africa" experience. Amazing accommodation, food and service with a family-like atmosphere with the staff. Our guide John was very knowledgeable and happy to accommodate our wishes when arranging the game drives. The vehicle was fantastic - open sides, super comfortable with lots of legroom (and a beer-stocked fridge!). We were lucky enough to see the wildebeest migration while staying here.
Overall, an amazing trip - I would not hesitate to recommend using Natalie Benson at Perfect Africa and Masai Wanderings for your safari in Tanzania.
United States
A group of 7 of us decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro & then to go on safari. The whole adventure was with Maasai Wanderings. For this review I will focus on the safari.
The lodges where we stayed were fantastic, clean, and well-serviced. The meals provided, both by the lodges and the packed lunches, were nourishing and plentiful.
The game viewing was outstanding and special thanks to Everest our game ranger who was a fountain of knowledge and had eyes in the back of his head! Having done a few game drives in the past this was by far the most outstanding experience.
Maasai Wanderings were professional, organised and the staff were friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and very accommodating. I hope to return to this wonderful piece of heaven on earth and I would definitely go with Maasai Wanderings again.
Australia
This review concerns our private trip in Tanzania with Maasai Wanderings in June 2014 (2 weeks).
It was our first time in this country. We came there mainly to enjoy wildlife, nature, landscapes and good sightseeing.
And the least one can say is that we really enjoyed all what we saw.
From Tarangire and its huge herds of elephants (we also spotted a leopard) to the magic landscapes and animals of N'Gorongoro Crater and the greatness of Serengeti and the millions of wildebeests and Zebras, everything has been above our expectations.
And what about the cheetahs, giraffes, lion cubs playing, eagles, antelopes, buffaloes, hippopotamus, sunsets...
Even meeting Masaai tribes and knowing a bit more how they live was interesting.
Our guide was very kind. He gave us a lot of information on wild life and his country and always in a friendly way.
He was moreover constantly ready to adapt to us (safaris time, pause for restroom, moving back or forwarding on demand to let us having the best possible view to watch animals)...
We were initially a bit anxious experimenting tented camps but we finally decided trying Nasikia Tented Camp after being advised by Donna.
It was a great, completely different of classic lodges and safe experience in immersion in the middle of the bush.
Listening all the noise of the bush at night while you are in your bed is pretty existing.
Our kids are still talking about those nights where we heard lions roaring, hyenas away.
More generally you are closer to the nature in tented camp and still get all expected accommodations (true bed, private shower, private flush toilette, very kind staff, cooked meals etc.).
Now that we know what tented camp is, if we have to go back one day in Tanzania for safaris we will book more nights in tented camps.
Our final days to Zanzibar were a good idea to relax, chill out. Warm temperatures, sun, white sand, palm trees, turquoise water and amazing diving spots to continue your safari under water this time.
We also did the 'spice tour' and 'dolphin tour'.
To conclude, we saw a lot of wild animals, were perfectly guided (in a friendly atmosphere), experimented and enjoyed tented camps and finally relaxed in Zanzibar.
Thank you again to all Masaai Wanderings' staff for this great and unforgettable experience.
France
It is with reluctance that I post this review as the guides and ancillary staff we encountered in the Masai Wanderings tented camps were superb: well trained, professional, courteous, good fun and very knowledgeable. It was a pleasure to be with them. We saw some marvellous sights.
The problem was the cavalier attitude towards clients (clients paying a lot for this service). On the 27th September we were in our jeep with the guide and an American couple at the Mara River. At about 11:45 our guide took a call from someone he called his boss. It transpired that an Australian couple had landed at the airstrip at Arusha and as there was a problem with the jeep due to pick them up and we were to go and get them. This involved driving hell for leather for 2 hrs to get to the airstrip, waiting around whilst it was found they were not there, driving to the permit office to find them and then waiting around for them to have their permits issued. We and the American couple missed half a day of a safari and instead had a miserable time as passengers in a rough ride and waiting around kicking our heels. As the American guy put it, We didnt pay all this money to be a taxi service. His wife was red in the face as being in the rear she was considerably shaken up by the journey. Masai Wanderings did not see that this was a problem when contacted.
In contrast, our tour operator, Yellow Zebra (an excellent company) also took the view that this was unacceptable and immediately refunded the cost of a half a day safari.
United Kingdom
Cleanliness of vehicle
Meet and greet team
Quality of itinerary
Responsiveness of staff
