Reviews of Smile With Us Tours in Africa

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Reviews of Smile With Us Tours in Africa — SafariFind | SafariFind

Our group of 3 families (10 persons) took the 3-day safari tour at Selous (Nyerere NP). From our first contact with the operator until the end of the tour, everything ran seamlessly, to our full satisfaction (in terms of professionalism, efficiency, speed and quality of service, experience and value for money). The operator was highly efficient and professional. Jacob (their contact person) was always kind and very prompt in responding to our communication, and arranged to pick us up from our hotel in Dar Es Salaam and drive us back straight at the Zanzibar ferry terminal on Day 3, which helped avoid the hassle/cost of additional transportation arrangements. On day 1, we arrived at Jimbiza Camp (Selous) in the early afternoon, and were greeted with a warm smile by Godson, the person in charge, who was polite, well-organised, always available, and ensured we had a smooth, pleasant and safe stay. Our tents were clean, spacious with all necessary amenities for a safari accommodation (including en suite WC and shower). After a quick lunch at the camp, we had a boat ride on the Rufiji river, saw many hippos, a few crocodiles and various animals and birds, while enjoying a beautiful sunset. Day 2 was the full safari day in the Nyerere NP by jeep. Kassim and Msafiri, skilled drivers, highly experienced guides, and most of all, persons of remarkable kindness and personalities, drove us smoothly and safely through the rough Tanzanian roads and the Park's terrain. They displayed their experience (and good local information network) in locating several kinds of animals (including a pack of 14 lions), while showing mastery and respect in the way they approached them, causing the least possible disturbance (as opposed to a number of 'kamikaze' drivers around us, who clumsily drove at high speeds towards the animals, scaring them away.) Our guides also had an extensive knowledge of the animal and plant ecosystem, and shared with us interesting insights on the Park's species and the environment. On the 3rd day, instead of the usual 'morning walk in the jungle', Kassim noticed our interest to visit a Maasai village, and was kind enough to arrange a visit through his own contacts with the tribe's chief. We spent about 2 hours there, in what proved for us to be a highly educational interaction with these unique, proud and hospitable people. We are thankful to the operator, and most of all our remarkable guides, for one of the best experiences of our lives. First-time safari visitors should bear in mind that this is wild nature, and seeing all animals you would hope for involves an element of chance. So cherish the experience as it comes, and appreciate what you will be lucky enough to encounter.

Prompt, reliable, responsive, and great value for money

My family recently (July 2024) completed a 14 day safari in Tanzania (plus a couple of pre & post days in Arusha and Dar Es Salaam). Of these, 7 days were in the North (covering Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro), and the remaining 7 days were in the South (covering Nyerere, Mikumi and Ruaha). It also included a couple of flights within Tanzania. The entire trip was arranged with the help of ‘Smile With Us Tours In Africa’, and I have nothing but nice things to say about them. All planning, booking, payments, etc. were centrally coordinated by Jacob, who has been absolutely wonderful! I started by requesting an itinerary from Jacob. He was prompt, and the itinerary he shared covered all the parks I wanted to visit. I worked with him closely to fine-tune the number of nights in each park, change specific camps / lodges, and add extra activities like walking safaris and night safaris. This took several iterations, and Jacob was always very prompt in sharing the revised itinerary. I was working with a couple of other providers as well, and Smile’s quote was the best for the itinerary I wanted. Once everything was to my satisfaction, I finally booked the safari with him in July 2023 by paying 30% of the cost in advance (with the remaining due a few days before the start date). Considering the amount involved ran into 1000s of dollars, I was apprehensive about the advance as well as the final payment. After all, I would be paying the whole amount before the safari had even started! What if Smile couldn’t deliver, or if things went wrong? Fortunately, my apprehensions proved to be completely unfounded! From booking till the beginning of the safari, Jacob kept me informed periodically about the progress regarding hotel bookings, flight bookings, etc. He was also very responsive whenever I had any question – he typically responded within a few hours of my email, which was amazing considering the time difference of 7 hours between the US and Tanzania! A few days before the start of the safari, he also shared his local contact numbers as well as the contact number of the guide assigned to me. Once my trip started, the execution by Smile / Jacob was flawless. All airport pickups and drop-offs were on time, and the guides / drivers assigned to me were pleasant, welcoming and knowledgeable. The camps / lodges were excellent, and the 4x4 Land Cruisers assigned to us both in the North & South circuit were in excellent condition with comfortable seating, a built-in fridge and outlets for charging. I firmly believe that the true test of any organizer is when things go wrong, and Smile / Jacob shined there as well. We had 2 nights booked in a lodge in Nyerere (Nyerere Tented Camp). When we reached there, it had a lot of things that ticked us off: the atmosphere was not at all welcoming, it had hygiene issues, and it had geckos – lots of them! Having geckos on the walls is one thing - this place had so many crawling on the floor of the restaurant!! I brought this up with Jacob, and he immediately found an alternate accommodation for the second night – and this was during the high season! Another instance of making things right was when our Land Cruiser broke down on the last day (which is not a reflection on the condition of the vehicle – the best of vehicles break down in the tough conditions of these parks!). Jacob worked with our lodge, and arranged a game drive through them to make sure that our experience didn’t suffer and we ended our trip on a happy note! All in all, I had a very positive experience with Smile / Jacob from the beginning of the planning to the end of the trip. I would not hesitate to utilize their services again, and whole-heartedly recommend them! A special shout-out to our guide Salum Msese (aka Salim) – he was absolutely wonderful, and went above and beyond several times in the 7 days we spent with him on the Southern circuit. Just to give an example: We had a day full of driving (Nyerere to Mikumi that took 9 hours), followed by a night game drive (3.5 hours) - and he did it with a smile, without any hint of tiredness. The next day, he did an early game drive and then another long drive (Mikumi to Ruaha that took 7 hours) - and this was after only 4 hours of sleep! Salum was always eager to show us as many animals as possible, and took every effort to ensure this – he followed lion footprints, spoke with other guides, and made sure we had the best possible experience.

Raag

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