RA Safaris

Visited: Mar. 2022 Reviewed: Apr. 20, 2022 Submitted in:

After speaking to a bunch of different tour operators, we decided to go with RA Safaris because they’re a small local business, owned and operated by Tanzanians - important in a time when tourism is still recovering. Zeph was very generous with his time and went back and forth over the itinerary with us to make sure we made the most out of our time, settling on 5 days with them - Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, plus a day hike at Kili.

Our guide was Sahele, and he was with us from the airport pickup all the way to drop off. He was so knowledgeable and determined to get us to see every animal - AND WE DID. Big 5 plus cheetahs, sable cats, so many hippos, thousands of zebras. He took us to a spot way out in the Serengeti for lunch and while we were peeling hard boiled eggs, several elephants came up to this tree and scratched themselves on it, giving themselves dust showers. It was stunning. Sahele knows all the spots and isn’t shy about getting on the radio or driving out into the sticks to make something amazing happen. We ended up seeing 4 rhinos when some folks don’t get to see any.

He came down with a pretty bad cough during the trip and had no problem wearing a mask for our comfort during the trip. The gas tank cracked in the Serengeti but Sahele was able to resolve it without having it affect the overall timeline of the trip.

On Safari we did a mix of lodges and tented lodges. Everywhere we stayed was fantastic and comfortable with delicious food. We enjoyed the tented lodges the best! We are vegetarians and meals were not an issue for us.

I wouldn’t recommend doing a day-hike of Kili - there’s surprisingly no animals at Kili, there wasn’t a rewarding view, and it’s an exhausting drive from Arusha. Maybe do Meru instead, which is much closer and seems to be more interesting at lower elevations.

As to be expected, you’ll make some sacrifices going with a small local operator (like the truck being on the older side) but go with RA Safari because the prices are extremely competitive, the lodges they selected are incredible, they are knowledgeable and great communicators, and they’re the type of organization that deserves the support for the community they’ve created.

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Visited: Aug. 2021 Reviewed: Aug. 17, 2021 Submitted in:

We made 10 days game drive through Selous Tarangire Serengeti and Ngorongoro. I chose this agency because it was a small one I wanted to support Tanzanian tourism and workers. So I suggest always to choose a local agency not an European one so that money could stay in Tanzania. I love animals I am vegetarian and the tented camps and lodges suggested were perfect, they always asked me about food preferences or intolerance.
The trip was great so many lions in Serengeti, i counted during the safari 77. Their conservation is at the top; also many elephants in Tarangire and stunning views of nature.

The Driver Salehe made his best for let us see wildlife, the contact with the owner Zef were very good he managed well also at the first by mailing. We had problems with car and Zef solved them.

So I suggest this agency they try to make the best in order of what are your planner. Amazing game viewing.

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Visited: Jun. 2021 Reviewed: Jul. 27, 2021 Submitted in:

RA Safaris made our trip to Tanzania an incredible and unforgettable experience. Our guides, Johnson and Salehe, were extremely knowledgeable of the habitat and animals. They were also both great drivers and even while driving could spot animals. The land cruisers were such a fun vehicle to drive in. The car’s ability to open on the top made it even easier to get a better view of the animals. There were also outlets in the land cruisers which were extremely convenient to charge our phones and camera.

We saw some spectacular sights on our game drives including many baby animals, parts of the migration, and several lion hunts. Salehe and Johnson were always ready to get up and go early in the morning and happy to drive until dusk, allowing us to see as much wildlife as possible. Salehe and Johnson were also accommodating to the many photos we wanted to take and let us take our time in capturing all the beauty that was around us. Our trip to Tanzania was truly spectacular and we do not think it would’ve been possible without the amazing guides and planning done by RA Safaris. We can’t recommend RA Safaris more!

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0People gave this
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RA Safaris organized a private safari for me several years ago. The safari and abundance of wildlife that I saw left such an amazing impression on me that I feel like it was yesterday.

As a female, I was concerned about going on a safari alone. From the moment I stepped out of the airport, Eli and my guide, Gideon, did everything they could to make me feel comfortable and safe. They were wonderful and extremely professional.

While on the safari, Gideon taught me so much about animal behavior and because of him, I gained a much deeper appreciation of wildlife.

The trip was amazing. 100%, I recommend Real Adventures. You will not be disappointed. Gideon is a fabulous guide!

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13People gave this
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RA Safari is the best tour operator that we could have worked with.

I found them through a reference from a relative who has traveled with RA multiple times and always had a great experience, so going in I had some peace of mind. However, Zeph, Elli, and our guide and friend Salehe surpassed all expectations.

I contacted over a dozen operators and not only were RA best pricing-wise but while traveling everything was perfect and extremely professional. A big part of your safari trip is the guide and Salehe was extremely patient with all of our requests. A big purpose of my trip was taking pictures and whether 1 or 100 shot, Salehe was always patient and careful to ensure that we got the best possible angle.

All in all, if you are going for a safari, I only have two suggestions:

1. Go with someone local rather than a non-Tanzanian operator
2. Travel with a guide who is patient, hard-working, and genuinely likes animals. This will make a huge difference to your trip.

RA Safari was the best and I wholeheartedly recommend them

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2People gave this
a kudu

I want to spend just a couple of word to review this company for the organization of Your African Safari. We were two people from Italy that asked for a week of safari visiting the most it was possible.
They offer us a 6 night safari visiting the Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. They booked for us all the lodges and the internal flights to and from Arusha. Our guide (amani) was perfect, he really knows everything of the parks and animals. We had a private jeep, that was in a good condition, clean and with thew opportunity of charging our phone and camera inside. Gideon (the owner of the company) is a very nice person, he organized all for us with just a couple of mail and everything was great.

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12People gave this
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I organized a trip winter 2012 with RA Safaris and was one of the best experiences in my life.

The guide was incredible, he knew where the animal would be and would take all the effort for us to see the most difficult to find, like the leopard, male lion and rhinos.

When I booked they were the only ones that tailored the itinerary to make sure we were going to be staying on the best areas depending on where the migration would most likely be.

I would recommend everyone to book with them,

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13People gave this
a kudu

An exciting safari with a perfect organization. All staff very very kind with us and our guide Edward very knowledgeable and experienced about the safari, the life in the savannah and all animals. Accommodations and food were perfect for us: very comfortable for our trip. All trips and transfer were included and it was great.
We absolutely advise to choose RA Safaris to have an amazing experience in Tanzania.

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10People gave this
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Words cannot describe the amazing safari adventure we experienced.
Our guides were the BEST and provided such knowledge about the most beautiful land I have laid eyes on. Countless memories were made and I will highly recommend RA Safaris to anyone thinking of embarking on this trip of a lifetime.
I have never left a vacation so anxiously wanting to return.

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12People gave this
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My family and I recently returned from 11 days on safari with RA Safaris. We had a great experience with every aspect of our safari. Eli made planning the safari very easy and he is very responsive. Zeph and Gideon are very friendly and gracious, and took care of all our transfers. Our guide, Salehe, was superb! We enjoyed getting to know him. He is extremely knowledgeable and had a wonderful way about him. He was very patient working with our children and taught them enough Swahili to get them by at mealtimes. We enjoyed the national parks of the Northern Circuit and stayed in an assortment of lodge types to get a flavor of what the different locations had to offer. All of our expectations were met and we can't imagine having a better experience. We look forward to returning again someday.

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12People gave this
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