The Amazing Shadows of Africa Guiding Team!
Shadows of Africa
- Offices In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $4,303 to $25,818 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
EG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Experience
Our honeymoon was in Tanzania in November 2013. It was split into beaches at Zanzibar and Safari in Tanzania mainland…The safari part was organized by Shadows of Africa and it was beyond amazing. Natasha, owner of Shadows of Africa, has provided us with excellent and prompt support at all stages whether at preparation or during our stay. Also, she helped us with great advices, tips and some arrangements for our other part of stay in Zanzibar, although it was not related to her offer.
It was a 4 days Safari, exploring Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro crater. We have booked Medium accommodation and venues were all perfect, clean and at nice locations with great views. Having at least one night in a tented camp is an experience that we shall not forget and shall not be missed :) Our driver and guide was friendly, attentive and punctual; and we have almost managed to see the big five (the rhino was a bit far away :)). The weather was excellent, however, it was almost end of dry season, so big part of lake manyara was dry and lands were of much less greenery, however, it was still rich of wildlife and we enjoyed our time.
This was ana experience beyond expectations…If you are into wildlife and considering going over there, there is no room for hesitation, just book now :D
Email Marcel Zakrzewicz | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
By far the best Safari ever !
We planned to go Skiing in Germany but after three days the snow started to melt so we decided to see if we can go on Safari as my wife has never been to Africa. I got in contact with Shadows of Africa and everything was arranged in just two days with all the parks and attractions we wanted to see. Service was perfect, from the first pick-up at the airport back to the drop off after one spectacular week. Our driver was very friendly and most important very knowledgeable, we had a lot of fun during our week.
We even decided to change some accommodations for some days while already on Safari and it was not a problem at all, you can really plan your safari on a budget or as luxury as you want and Shadows of Africa makes sure it will be your best vacation ever.
Natasha is a professional in her field, very focused on customer satisfaction which you will notice once you are picked up and the drivers phone rings to make sure you have been picked-up in time and all it ok, outstanding service.
Thank you Shadows of Africa and our driver Sariko for a wonderful week .... !
Email Don Basler | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Photo Safari - Even better than expected
Matt and I want to thank you so much for the fantastic experience with Shadows of Africa in February. As this was our first photo safari we had many questions pre-travel and we very much appreciate your team, especially Jake, for being responsive and patient with our inquiries. Once on the ground in Tanzania our guide and driver, Richard, was on top of every detail, including his recognition of the camera equipment we brought and a trip enhancing suggestion to remove the two middle seats in the Land Cruiser. This gave us the room we needed for our tripod and other equipment. As you know, we requested a very specific 2-person photo safari experience. The Shadows of Africa team responded to that request from the beginning to the very end, even arranging for a place to shower and change on the way to the airport on the final day. This allowed us to have a full last day on Safari.
Natasha, special thanks to you for meeting us at the hotel to adjust our itinerary at the last minute in response to my request to spend an additional night in the Serengeti tent camp. It proved to be a good choice as we lost a half day to rain and the extra night was needed to have a complete experience. All of these details and so much more made our experience a positive memory we can cherish.
By the way, we got some great photos and video of the great migration, lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, hippos, etc. etc. Even some great bird shots. This is why we went to Tanzania and you, Jake, Richard and your whole team made it great. I can’t imagine any other tour company doing better, and the price was very reasonable. I would highly recommend Shadows of Africa to anyone considering such a safari.
Best wishes, Don & Matt Basler
Carolinas USA
HR
Email KruKop | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Maximum Africa Experience
The most important thing when you're booking a safari is to have an experienced driver - and this is the trademark of SoA. The right driver will take you places other drivers do not know of, he/she knows where to find animals and has special connections in local stores and camps. Also, they can choose the right chef for the trip, give you valuable information on the animals and be a pleasant companion. Natasha is one of few safari company owners who finished a demanding safari management program (which includes spending a month in a safari camp and handing vast amount of info about the local flora and fauna) so you can tell her your wishes and fully rely on the safari package she will tailor for you. Best drivers and best management - once you get there, you will appreciate it, as it is the only guarantee you will return back home with memories and experiences exceeding your expectations.
Email Jason D | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari, Superior Staff and Coordinators
We did a long safari (5 days Kenya, 8 days Tanzania, 5 days Zanzibar). We were met at the Nairobi airport and loved our Kenya guide. He really worked hard getting to locations broadcast on the radio with rarer animal sightings. The whole family loved Ken the driver. We knew about Masai Mara and Amboseli but Crescent Island and the walking safari amongst the animals was an unexpected highlight. We transferred to Tanzania midway through the safari which is an awkward border crossing. Our Tanzania driver was very knowledgeable. We had wonderful upscale resorts throughout our stay. It was a mix of luxury tent and gorgeous hotels. My wife developed pneumonia in Kenya that didn't improve with oral antibiotics. Our coordinator Natasha in Tanzania was superb with rearranging our trip so that my wife could get IV antibiotics and we could see game parks closer to Arusha. We still had awesome hotels and I was so impressed with how helpful and caring she was.
SG
Email Joshua Yeo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Virgin Safari Experience with Shadows
Planner: Chris Walker
Local Staff: Ben / Joyce
Guide / Driver: Jackson (with Nick being the driver who transferred us from the airport to our first accommodations)
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TLDR:
Pros - (1) Staff was responsive and did their best to accede to our requests. (2) Actual safari experience was great with Jackson being an experienced guide (17 years under his belt), ability to spot animals and knowledgable enough to answer all the questions that we had about the culture, wildlife and Tanzania.
Cons - (1) Could have better advised us on certain locations / activities that we have decided on (i.e. weather conditions, things to pack for certain activities and plausible experience with the location / activity). (2) Last minute changes which we have agreed to but would have been a better experience if this was avoided altogether (nitpicking here but just to explain why it was not a 10/10 experience).
Overall - 9/10
Our Itinerary - Arusha - Taranguire National Park - Lake Manyara National Park - Ngorongoro Conservation Area / Crater - Lake Natron - Northern Serengeti
Period and duration that we went for - September (Dry Season, mornings and nights can be cold but day time will be hot) - 8 days
Full Review:
Just a day or two before our trip, we were informed that there will be some changes to our accommodations due to availability which we have agreed to. Though this did not affect the entire experience but could have been avoided.
Our virgin Africa safari trip finally happened after 9 months of planning and anticipation. Our first interaction with Shadows of Africa ("SOA") was with Chris who was really helpful and responsive to all the queries and requests that we had. After going through all the quotes from the different agencies and the suggested itineraries based on what we were looking for, we found SOA's offerings and pricing to be the most ideal.
When we first arrived at the airport, just having this trip as our virgin trip to Africa, an unknown place for us, we were relieved when we saw Nick holding up a sign that indicated that he was there to pick us up to bring us to our first accommodation. Overall, the transfer experience here was great as Nick was able to engage us throughout our ride and shared many interesting facts about Tanzania and the people in Arusha.
Fast forward, in terms of our accommodations, we really like Olerai Lodge (which we later found out to be owned by SOA), Acacia Farm Lodge and Mara Luxury Tented Camp. We found the other 2 accommodations (Rift Valley & Lake Natron) which were offered by Africa Safari Group to be sufficient but we were not blown away by the aesthetics, food variety and reliability of electricity.
For our experience at each location, our advice will be to skip Lake Natron altogether given the experience of the activities there, accommodation options and most importantly weather (hot throughout the year). If you are really pressed for time, you could consider just doing Northern Serengeti for the great migration and wildlife (you will pretty much see everything here except the Rhinos which is more likely to be found at Ngorongoro Crater). Even though we really like Ngorongo Crater and Lake Manyara National Park
Just highlighting here that we could have been better advised by Chris for Lake Natron, to make sure that we would have the best experience.
Activities wise, we have visited the tribe (Hazadbe) and had a Masaai guide to bring us to Lake Natron and the waterfalls. In our opinion, we feel that these activities even though it was not all bad, can be skipped once again if you are pressed for time.
In terms of communication, on the actual day for the start of our safari adventure (Day 2), we felt that communication could have been done better as we were left stranded for quite awhile before being informed that we will be transported to the office for our briefing.
For transport, if your budget allows for it, we would recommend taking the domestic flight options for a better travel experience especially after many days of safari in which you would have to wake up quite early every day for.
All in all, even though it just fell short of a perfect experience, we definitely enjoyed our virgin safari experience with SOA and would recommend it for others to try.