Testimonials - Real Adventure - Tanzania
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The vehicles were amazing. I enjoyed riding with all of them (Gideon, Orie and Jeremiah. Each one had special interest which I learned a great deal. Most of the lodges were very elegant with very comfortable rooms.
I particularly liked the order in which we did things. The tent lodge (Tindiga Tented Lodge) experience was especially unique and rewarding.
I recommend your company without hesitation.
Thank you all.
Bob Robert Stein, USA 2008
Gideon was full of information. There was not a single question he couldn’t answer about wildlife or Tanzanian culture. He commented on and gave background about every animal, plant and bird we saw. Everyone loved being in his car. He is also great fun. All guides (Gideon, Ori and Jeremiah) were very patient and god natured about answering our questions.
Vehicles: vehicles were well maintained, clean, and quite comfortable considering the bumpy roads we traveled.
Lodges/Hotels:
- Ilboru Safari Lodge: Loved atmosphere and friendly staff/great food
- Tindiga Tented Lodge: lots of character, fun to be in a tent one night
- Bougainvillea Safari Lodge: Beautiful grounds, nice rooms, very comfortable
- Arumeru River Lodge: great accommodations, friendly owners
- Momella Wildlife Lodge: rather rustic, but fine for a night, loved seeing giraffes grazing behind cabin
- Serengeti Sopa Lodge: Very upscale (more than I’m used to) rooms clean and comfortable
All lodges had good service and food, and friendly staff. I can’t remember specifically all lodges.
Karen Clark, Nevada City, USA
Fadhili has amazing knowledge, experience and is patient. Articulate regarding animals, birds and culture. His curiosity and passion were inspiring. Very sensitive and considerate to our needs + courteous and respective to wildlife.
Innocent (Chef) was flexible and accommodating. He cooked delicious food, helpful and sweet company. Very observant and responsive to our needs beyond food.
The Landover is a hardy machine and earned our deepest respect. . Driver and Mechanic Fadhili was impeccable, vehicle always clean despite Mzungu Chafu (Dirty Mzungu).
Ian Coss Group 2007
Gideon is extremely bright and knowledgeable not only about the animals and their habits, but about Tanzanian culture, history, politics, e.t.c as well. He was very generous in sharing his information, kept a running commentary throughout the day. I don’t think there was a single question he couldn’t answer. Very personable as well and a lot of fun! Very good eye for spotting animals too.
Ori was also very knowledgeable and personable. He presented a lot of info and answered all our questions. While driving through his tribal territory, I enjoyed the additional info about his tribe that he provided plus listening to him talk to locals in his language made fore more personal experience. Excellent eye for spotting animals (binocular eyes!).
I never saw any of the drivers show any signs of imitations from the constant bandage f questions and the sometimes trying conditions (flat tires). They were fantastic. Real People. Nothing rehearsed anything “canned”.
Vehicles: vehicles were great for viewing because with top up, vehicles allowed for a breeze and were very comfortable.
May be Gideon drive a vehicle that accommodates more people?
During planning of the trip, Gideon and Zepha were extremely helpful in answering our questions and providing information. I was extremely impressed with Real Adventure: The trip far surpassed my expectations. I will definitely do my best to promote Real Adventure when I go home.
Rae Schwaderer, Aptos, USA
Daniel is a very experienced guide. He told us a lot about the animals. Drove the car very good. Took us to a lot of great places and sights. Easy to talk with. Great sense of humor. An extra ++++ for the sunset trip on Christmas Eve, which made our safari extra special. He was simply great.
Prosper cooked excellent food. A lot of food. The chef was very accommodating and professional. Dinner always ready on time. Prosper seems to be very innovative when cooking. We would have liked more traditional Tanzanian food. The Christmas cake was very much appreciated.
All camping sites was nice, all surroundings was very good.
The vehicle was always clean and nice. It was comfortable with plenty of room for the three of us.
I thank you for a GREAT Safari!!
Daniel Rutgersson, Matilda Andersson, Tomas Olsson - SWEDEN.
This experience far exceeded my expectations. Each driver guide was skilled and knowledgeable in a slightly different area so being a passenger was a different experience with the different drivers/guides.
- Gideon: a vast knowledge of animal life and social customs of groups of people
- Ori: quick spotter of exotic birds
- Jeremiah: keen eye for animals. We enjoyed and learned much about Tanzanian politics from him
Lodges were comfortable, some more than others-however, no complaints. The tented lodge was wonderful because we were so close to nature.
The vehicle were “hakuna matata”
This was one of the most wonderful trips of my life-Thanks to all of you.
Laura Stein, USA
Amani is a very very good chef. Made always something special (and more than enough). The best chef we saw comparing with other groups. The camping equipment was very good, no complaints. Everything seemed better than other groups we met.
Zephaniah (Zepha) was very helpful. Perhaps put more options on the website.
Marina and Albertjan, Netherlands
All guides were helpful. Gideon was very knowledgeable and Ori was a charmer. They all pleased us. All the hotel staff were friendly especially the ones out in the remote areas.
Prices are reasonable for your hard work and long hours.
Suyemi Toyama, USA
We were very happy with the experience we had with Manuel. He was wonderful. He knew a lot about the animals, their habits and would always tell us interesting facts and information. He would also always truly try t find us all of the animals possible and see.
- Ilboru Safari Lodge: great stay and fabulous meals
- Bougainvillea Safari Lodge: Very nice Resort
Fun vehicle to ride in. loved being able to stand up and see everything.
This was a great experience. Always we felt that Real Adventure was going above and beyond for us.
Jennifer Ferguson and Graham Hook, Canada
This trip has been absolutely wonderful and will treasure the memories of all we saw and experienced. Real Adventure made me feel very safe and taken care of in a fairly hostile environment. When trip was over, I felt like I had a new family…… the guides helped to create an environment of fun and “Real Adventure”. The tent camp was wonderful…. I loved the experience and amazed at how luxurious it felt! I would recommend all trips to include this.
Margaret (Peggy) Blessing, USA
A fantastic trip - thank you so much. You looked after us so well and all your team were incredibly friendly. It was an incredibly well run and well organized trip. I hope to bring my husband back soon. The food was incredible. Joseph worked s hard and provided us with amazing meals---- brilliant, great variety and very tasty. George and mike were always very helpful.
The tents were great! Very pleased to have mattress. The eating area was brilliant.
Rebecca Streatfeid, UK
I had a great trip. The wildlife viewing was exceptional and exceeded my expectations. Ori provided excellent guiding. Very sensitive to clients needs/requests. For example at Ngorongoro Crater he stopped for me every time we encountered Grey Crowned Cranes because I loved them and got the exact camera shot I wanted. He was also very good about positioning the vehicle so we had the opportunity to obtain the best photographs and lighting. Probably the best example of his attentiveness was exchanging the warm water bottles for cold ones at the store the water was bought at on a very warm day. His courtesy and thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated by me and my fellow passengers. Ori is an excellent Driver-cum Guide. He was very considerate of the passengers trying not to bounce us around unnecessarily on the rough roads by avoiding potholes as best he could. He passed other vehicles safely and at reasonable speeds. Ori is a very knowledgeable and excellent guide with remarkable observational eyesight. He was great about stopping for bird watch and helping us to identify any bird spotted. He also taught us the Swahili names of the animals and more. Ori answered questions about plants, animals, and birds as well as whatever questions we thought of. He was always friendly, kind, thoughtful, very patient and respectful. As you can tell, I cannot say enough of how much I appreciate Ori and the great service he provided. Asante san Sana Sana Ori.
Tamara Sasaki, Tahoe City, CA-USA
Emmanuel was very kind and the driving skill very good but so tough which was sometimes exciting.
Sunny Kang, Korea
I can’t say enough good things about Ori. He is so good at being a guide in everything. He is very thoughtful-he knows how to position the vehicle for the best viewing and light for pictures. Hr follows vehicles far enough behind to avid as much dust as possible and he patiently waits for us to take pictures and doesn’t start until we are ready. He has an amazing knowledge of wildlife, including birds and an even more amazing ability to spot them in difficult conditions-far away in trees or bush etc he is always positive, smiling, friendly and he can change a tire in no time. He is fantastic and I am glad he was a part of my safari experience.
The lodges that were chosen were very nice, much nicer than I thought we would get for the money we spent. The staff and service were especially good. Everyone was very warm, welcoming, and professional.
This was the trip of a life time. I had so much fun, saw so many wildlife species, so many diverse habitats, learned so much about Tanzania, tribal societies etc. the trip was very well-paced, the destinations and activities were great and I couldn’t have imagined a better experience.
Good Luck.
Laura Patterson, Sacramento-USA
Guides were fantastic. The meals were brilliant. How Joseph made such amazing food at the top of the mountain…………Brilliant.
The standard of service and desire to help ++++ made the trip special and incredible. I have been extremely impressed both times I have traveled with Real Adventure. Particularly reassuring is the confident way in which Gideon solved any problems. We had to visit the hospital in couple of scary occasions and it was comforting to have such an informed and capable team supporting us.
Thank you so much.
Emma Kirk, UK.
Guiding was excellent all round. Great food quality. We all had a fantastic time. I am looking forward to bringing another group next year.
Ben Wilkinson, UK
Gideon and Ori are good drivers, safe, considerate and well informed on birds and animals. Will stop and let us take photos and will ask us if we are ready to go. GOOD JOB. The hotels were all wonderful. Vehicles were GREAT considering the terrain we went through. Good variety of activities between cultural and animal viewing. WELL PLANNED.
Laurel King, Woodland, USA Website: www.outdoorindustryjobs.com
Gideon is an outstanding Guide. We are very grateful for all his efforts. Joseph is a great chef-----excellent food everyday. The Real Adventure team was all very helpful and did a first rate job throughout the trip. Many thanks to them all.
Howard Tuckett, Caterham, UK
Gideon is very knowledgeable and excellent in driving. He also has excellent CEO skills. The hotels were gracious hosts and excellent accommodations. The vehicle was well maintained---- I feared Tanzanian vehicles would have many breakdowns but I was joyously wrong! I am taking my photos to a local travel agency.
Marsha Hand, USA
To: All Tanzania Safari Travelers - April 8, 2008
From: Dan Will
Re: Real Adventure Ltd.
It is with great pleasure that I am writing this letter to share with you the joy I have had with my dealings and experiences with Egidius Kabitulila and Zephaniah Kambele, owners and operators of the Real Adventure safari company based in Arusha, Tanzania.
By way of background, I first met Egidius Kabitulila in 2003 when he was working as a driver/guide for another Arusha-based safari company. I was very impressed by Egidius from day one of the whirlwind two-week tour of Tanzania I took with 11 fellow travelers ranging in ages from the mid 20’s to the early 70’s.
During that 2003 safari with Egidius, I found him to be extremely personable, professional and knowledgeable. Egidius is indeed fluent in English, as advertised. You will surely love the clear, mellow and melodic manner in which he speaks. I can also vouch for Egidius’s uncanny knack for spotting wildlife at long distances. Above all, Egidius proved himself to be a true gentleman, in every sense of the word.
Prior to my return trip to Tanzania in May of 2007, I tracked Egidius down and was thrilled to learn that he and Zepha had started their own safari company. I corresponded with Egidius and Zepha via e-mail for several months prior to my departure and they were both very helpful in arranging accommodations at the Impala Hotel in Arusha, which I highly recommend.
During that 2007 trip, I had the great pleasure of going back on safari with Egidius at the Arusha National Park, after which time, Egidius drove me and my brother-in-law, Prof. John Shoka, a Tanzania native, to the home of a beloved elderly family friend in the city of Moshi, near the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, for an overnight stay. Having Egidius as our driver/guide and good friend for those two days greatly enhanced the experience.
It was also comforting to know that I was able to contact Zepha at any time via e-mail and cell phone. In that regard, I strongly urge at least one member of your tour party to purchase an inexpensive cell phone in Arusha or Dar es Salaam so that you can stay in contact with your loved ones at home and with your Real Adventure crew, in the event you should stray from the group while in town. You can purchase pre-paid airtime cards at even the most remote outposts.
Yes, there are many other safari companies based in safari capital of Arusha, but no others possess the heart and soul that Egidius and Zepha put into Real Adventure Ltd.
PS: Please visit the Website for the Non-Governmental Organization John Shoka has established, with the help of his relatives and friends, to help his home village of Kishapu.
www.kishapu.org
Dan Will, USA.
As a recently retired Head I took a group of staff and pupils to Tanzania last summer (2007) having previously traveled privately with Egidius the year before.
The trip involved a three week stay in Arusha, at a school on the foothills of Kilimanjaro, up Mt. Meru,
on Safari to the Ngorongoro crater, to Dar es Salaam, and to Zanzibar. All internal arrangements for travel, Accommodation, food and programme were accomplished by Egidius's team.
We had a fantastic trip. The organization down to the smallest detail, the care of the individuals including medical help, and constant will to please were quite exceptional. I have had the fortune to travel extensively and am delighted to recommend Realadventure without reservation.
My School is returning to Tanzania with Realadventure again this year (2008) and my one regret is that I will not be with them.
Hope you enjoy a great trip.
Rob Davey - former Head Caterham School
I'm reaching out on behalf of Real Adventure. I'm a US citizen who has organized my own travels to Tanzania, so I know it can be difficult to find trust worthy local agents---particularly when you're planning your trip from far. Luckily, on my trips to East Africa I had the opportunity to meet Zephaniah and Egidius of Real Adventure.
They have been working in the travel business for over 10 years and that experience is invaluable to helping their guests have a memorable, safe, and first rate trip. They are locals who know the region and can adapt a trip to meet your needs and interests. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions---I would be happy to discuss my experience.
I wish you the best in planning your trip to Africa. It will be an adventure of a lifetime!
Safari Salama! (Safe journey!)
Kind Regards,
Joyce DeMucci, USA
Amazing Gideon. His driving was superb. He was very good at spotting animals at distance. I have no idea how Joseph produced such good food. Thank you very much for making our trip so good and for making my birthday so special. I will miss you all.
Ollie Atherton, 31 Peter Avenue, Oxted, R118 9LG, England.
Robert (driver-cum guide) was service minded and took very good care to us. He was a careful driver, which made us feel very comfortable. He was also an excellent guide and a good animal spotter. Robert was very nice and friendly with a positive attitude. We hope to have him as our guide on our next safari trip as well.
Kitoi (chef) was also very service minded bringing us impressively good food, and always with a positive attitude. He always made sure we got the best possible. Also recommended for future safaris.
The campsite at Lake Manyara (Twiga Campsite) and Ngorongoro (Simba Campsite) was ok; Robert and Kitoi improved the campsites with their great service.
The trip was over our expectations.
Juan, Jessica, Martin and Charlotte---Sweden
The guide (Dickson) was very knowledgeable and very kind. The services were excellent. He was very patient and a responsible driver. We really appreciated his services. He was well prepared not only with knowledge, but also with a pair of binoculars to share with all of us (thanks!).
Everything ran very smoothly, professionally, and the staff were very nice and helpful. We will recommend Real Adventure to other travellers.
Adrienne, Milo, and Tina, USA and UK
Jackson is friendly and honest, that makes you feel at home and you can trust his opinion, therefore offers straightforward and good service. He had binoculars and books for us to share.
Amani (Mr. Kiss) was always in good mood, even very early in morning. He is a good chef and we appreciated his service. Apart from cooking he also provided us with warm water in the morning and evenings. He also knows about the national parks.
The camping equipment were perfect. The tent was very good.
The vehicle was very comfortable
Zephaniah, Asante Sana tena! (That’s Swahili meaning ‘thanks a lot again’) for all your participation. Your persistence and cool head convinced us to go with your company, and we had good time. Thanks to driver and cook, and you of course. We will promote your safaris in The Netherlands.
Lotje Paauwe and Jonathan Lekkerkerk, The Netherlands
Wonderful! Dickson was so attentive, helpful, courteous, friendly, knowledgeable (keep up with those classes!) and an excellent animal spotter! He was also a very careful driver. We knew we were in good hands.
We had the best tent in the campsite. The sleeping bags were clean, warm, and so were the pillows. Thank you.
The jeep was amazingly clean when it picked up in Arusha. Top went up without problem and there was enough space for everyone.
Zephaniah (Zepha), thank you for your care. We were very impressed by your professionalism and how all the details were taken care of, including accommodation upon return. We appreciated your calls to the guide to keep in touch and your constant attention. In fact we plan to write to our guide books to include you in their next edition.
Lindsay, Nikola, and Kim. England and USA
Guiding skills were very good and we felt safe. The food was very good and tasty. The equipment were very comfortable.
Very nice Trip. It exceeded our expectations in total. Thank you very much! (ASANTE SANA!).
Anders and Petra---Sweden
Robert was a good driver and excellent at spotting animals. He knew a lot. We appreciated friendly and professional treatment (both on arrival and during the tour). Robert tried really hard to find the animals (which he succeeded with). He drove from early morning to late afternoon.
Rikard and Beatrice---Sweden
Michael was very good in guiding, knowledge, friendly and good English. Much food, good taste.
The hotel (Out Post) was in good standard, good staff and service, Internet accessibility and good breakfast.
We are very pleased.
Anders and Jenny---Sweden
Camping safari is fantastic; you take meals at the campsite while at the same time viewing the animals and nature in general…just there within the nature. You guys at Real Adventure, keep it up. We were extremely happy to be served by you. The camping equipment was excellent, big spacious tents…we felt so different from fellows at the campsites due to your unique equipment. Thanks all.
Han, Anna, and Mike---UK
The food was so delicious, Willy is a good chef. The guide and his assistant tried hard to make us feel safe and reach the roof of Africa. They did a great job. Generally speaking, the chef, porters did a great job. The food was in time and good.
Deliang and Timothy, China
Thanks Zephaniah for arranging for us such a wonderful trip. Both wildlife safari and Kilimanjaro trek were amazing and we will come back. Stay there until we come. Cheers!
Eric, Jane, and Andrew--------Australia