What a trip!!   The route DETASA planned for us was spot on. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to cover so much territory, see so much wildlife and so many varieties of birds, and plants.  A big part of the success of the trip was directly due to our guide, Francis -- a very kind, smart and just all around nice person, a perfect fit for the three of us. His ability to spot, identify and describe the habits of the animals and birds was just amazing. I was also struck by his ability to find his way through these parks and to take roads where we saw no one but saw plenty of wildlife. About 80% of the time we felt we were the only ones on safari, a real plus. The accommodations at the tent lodges were just fabulous. Each one offering something unique. All were beautiful, cozy and very comfortable. The views at Tarangire and Kirawira were breath taking. The food was just delicious at each tented camp  and lodge we stayed. All in all, it was a trip of a lifetime.  Now that I am back in cold, wintery Minnesota, I am wishing I was still enjoying the warmth, beauty, sights and sounds of Africa. Asante sana!!  to you, your company and in particular to Francis.    

Cheryl Y

 

We just returned home. I want to tell you what a great time we had. Ayubu and Francis were absolutely fantastic - very knowledgeable, friendly and so flexible and accommodating. We all agreed that they were what we would remember most about the safari trip.  We really enjoyed the game viewing and we feel lucky that even in a relatively short time we were able to see all the animals we hoped to see including the rhino and leopard. The lodges were really good. I would say that the Ngorongoro Farmhouse was our favorite for its friendliness and the Iraqw music and dancing which was a good introduction to Tanzania. But the accommodation we enjoyed most was the tented camps. The mobile camps seemed 'closer to the animals' - and we really enjoyed that. On Zanzibar, Pongwe beach resort was absolutely superb. Very small, very friendly and the beach and huts like a paradise. I am sure we will come to Tanzania again in future and I will certainly come to Detasa again. I would recommend Detasa to anyone coming on safari!

James N

 

I want to thank you for putting together a great safari, for us.  It was everything that we had hoped for and more! It was nice working with someone who is honest and didn't try to up sell services, to maximize profit, or change the trip, once we arrived. I also want to thank you for arranging to have Ayubu as our guide.  While the trip, itself, was amazing, having Ayubu as our guide made the trip exceptional.  His knowledge, skills and demeanor put us at ease from day one and insured that we experienced a very memorable safari.  He is a very valuable asset to your company and compliments the feeling of trust that I developed with you. Maureen and I have traveled, quite a bit, but this is the first time that we have ever returned from a trip and thought that there was nothing that we would have changed.  From the lodge choices to the guide, it was perfect! I wish you and your company much future success and be assured that I am recommending to all my friends that they take a Tanzanian safari, soon, and that they only contact Destination Tanzania Safaris to book their trip of a lifetime. Thank you, again, for a wonderful experience.

David and Maureen S

 

On a scale on 1-10 (with 10 the best) our trip was a 12! The crew was wonderful, every one of them! They gave a very good image of the Tanzanian people. Detasa did a good job of preparing us and the accommodations they chose were the best!

Sara and Matt

 

Thank you for all the work you did to make our trip so special - especially making sure we got the best guide in Tanzania.  Alex is such a great person and he pulled out all the stops to make sure our trip was exactly what we wanted. We really enjoyed all the places we stayed while on safari, and the camps were really special. Again I just want to say a great big thank you to you and your staff for the planning and for giving us such an amazing trip of a lifetime.

Nessa D

 

We just want say a huge "THANK YOU" for such a wonderful trip up Mt. Kilimanjaro! It was the trip of a lifetime for us and the entire Detasa team was so helpful and well-organized from start to finish. Our guide, Noel/Mchilli was an absolutely fantastic guide -- very knowledgeable and well-prepared.  Throughout the trip, he was very helpful (and encouraging).  When we felt ill, he struck us as very knowledgeable regarding our symptoms and their potential severity, as well the best way to deal with them. He was fun and interesting to talk to and we felt in very safe hands with him in charge all the way through. The assistant guide Busta was very kind, set a nice pace while leading and was great company at dinner.  Busta was also an assistant guide on my sisters' trip up the mountain a couple years ago and they remember him fondly as well. Everyone else was also incredible and there was no way we could have made it without them, so thank you to all for making this possible.  This is something that we have both wanted to do for a long time now, and we now have so many great memories to take away from the experience.  We would definitely recommend Detasa to anyone considering a climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

Whitney and Andrew

 

Our safari was one of the best ones we have ever been on! Our guide Joseph should get a gold star for his performance as a guide, he gave us 110%. If or when we ever return for another safari, we will certainly contact you. P.S. The 110AC charger in our Landrover for charging batteries saved my life. All of the camps had 220 only.
George G

 

Kathleen and I had a wonderful time on safari. Joseph was an excellent guide and we saw tons of wildlife. Joseph will no doubt tell you we spent LOTS of time simply enjoying animal behavior.  I left the USA thinking that this would probably be the only time I visited Africa....I came home figuring I would visit again!  I appreciate so many things about the way Innocent, Karen and Nova run your business:

• responsible, knowledgeable and fun guides
• no cap on mileage
• the evident communication you had with our guide Joseph, making sure that the expectations that we had shared with you were being met
• your unending patience with the long lists of questions we had during our phone calls
• a great itinerary, both in time of year and locations visited
• great lodge selections

I think that Joseph will tell you that once we were there Kathleen and I were flexible and enjoyed every day.  If Joseph is any indication of the talent of the rest of your guides you are doing a great job hiring!  The trip far exceeded our expectations.  We were so impressed with Tanzania, its people and the wildlife.  This was truly a trip of a lifetime.  THANK YOU SO MUCH! 

 Jacqueline and Kathleen

 

I would like to express my gratitude for letting me live with my wife and the  couple of friends with whom we have traveled, a truly unique experience. Thanks Karen for having arranged everything with patience satisfying our demands. Thanks to Novatus who welcomed us with his smile, the first and last day in  Arusha and hosted us for lunch on the last day without our knowledge. But....a special thanks goes to our guide, Ayubu. He managed to make us understand and know  what is a safari and what is AFRICA! He told us, reassured us, guided  us (the best off-road driver ever seen), has helped us in times of hardship,  has made known to people who are humble and true, non-standard tourist, has
made us the company of his patience and kindness and experience .... Thanks Ayubu!!!! You'll remain forever in our hearts!! Thanks Detasa!! You are really SAFARI!!!!
By Giuseppe, Grazia, Fabio, Monica from ITALY

All the wonders of Africa-especially the amazing East African nation of Tanzania can best be experienced on a Detasa tour! Whether you are interested in hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro or exploring the Serengeti or Ngorongoro Crater (Caldera) Detasa is THE ONLY way to go! We have traveled to Australia, Peru, Japan, Mexico, Jamaica and all across Western Europe (from Ireland to Italy, Greece to Germany) and our trip to Tanzania was our all-time favorite for many reasons. The high quality and attention to detail is what impressed us most about our Detasa adventure. We spent 10 days on safari-including the Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater-and each day was better than the day before! Our guide Ayubu (the BEST) was extremely knowledgeable, funny and well versed on African geography and culture. His infectious laugh and passion for all things Tanzania was contagious-and we could not imagine a better first journey to Africa. In addition we visited a Masai village, a Lake Victoria fishing village and hunted with the Hadzabe tribe-all simply amazing! Imagine being only a few feet from a pride of lions or a family of cheetah, seeing a giraffe or elephant up close-or watching dozens of hippos jostle in the water-all experiences we had. Detasa handles every detail from landing at the airport to leaving-and along the way provides an authentic and pleasurable trip that allows you to simply sit back and enjoy. We HIGHLY recommend Detasa to any and all travelers-you WILL NOT be disappointed in any way. Now back your bags and sign up!
Mike and Karen E.

As someone who has never traveled to Africa before, it put my mind at ease knowing that Detasa was taking care of everything during the entire trip. They were with me every step of the way to make sure my entire vacation went smoothly. From customizing the itinerary until checking into my return flight home, Detasa took the hassle and worry out of my trip and allowed me to enjoy my vacation. While in Africa, the thing that stood out about Detasa was their people and their equipment. Their employees were always nice and professional. Not only does Detasa treat their clients well, but they take care of their employees too. They also make sure to buy quality equipment – which makes a huge difference when dealing with extreme African conditions.
Kyle S

 

Ayubu and Alex were amazing guides! I truly believe that they made our trip all the more special and provided us with unbelievable game viewing opportunities. They were extremely accommodating in whatever we wanted to do while always lending their expertise in realizing what would make our experience memorable. I really can’t say enough about these two – they were incredible! I feel that they always went above and beyond their duty to make this a trip of a lifetime for us. We constantly harassed them to stop for pictures and inundated them with questions – they always were helpful, knowledgeable, and gracious. I don’t know how they were able to drive such long days, always spot wildlife everywhere and from great distances, and deal with our constant requests but they did so throughout the trip with generosity and grace. Their knowledge is also something to take note of – it was endless and incredible! I don’t know how they can see the things they do and know all the details of the wildlife that they do! But of course, this added such a dimension to our trip. I venture to say that I highly doubt other companies and guides provide such service! I definitely plan on recommending Detasa to all my friends and even hope to travel with you again someday!

Joyce

 

Let me just say, that I have never taken the time to make public recommendations on a trip, although I am a seasoned traveler. For the very first time, I feel compelled to actually say something. We spent two weeks in Detasa's hands 1) going on safari with our family and another couple, and 2) hiking up the Rongai route in Mount Kilimanjaro with just the 3 of us. From the start, we felt you had our best interests at heart. When customizing a trip from afar, one never knows how things will actually turn out. In this case, our trip ran seamlessly and far exceeded our expectations. Your expertise provided us with several options and we were able to customize the itinerary to suit our needs.  It turned out, dare I say, pretty perfect! Our itinerary was comparable to the expensive luxury packages we’ve seen with other outfitters, yet at a fraction of the cost.  I believe that this cost savings occurred because we eliminated many of the “middle man” layers. Detasa represents the best of both worlds in that it is based in both the U.S. and Tanzania. We felt comfortable dealing with an outfitter that we could contact in the U.S., that delivered great customer service, and that also employed a Tanzanian staff of porters, guides, and managers. We had an ideal experience and we would gladly recommend Detasa to anyone who is planning a trip to Tanzania. The staff and people at Detasa are absolutely amazing. They seem happy and it is reflected in their work. We enjoyed meeting Ayubu’s family, all the porters, and we especially want to thank Karen, Innocent, Ayubu, Justin, Gabriel, Nova, Elliott, Juma, Adamson, Hussein, and Peter for making our trip awesome. Kaila, our daughter, sends a ‘Naku penda sana’ to all!

Ann, Greg and Kaila

 

 

Because our group wanted to reach the summit via the more challenging Western Breach, we had some difficulty finding a tour operator that would accommodate us with our small group of three, and our travel dates, considering that we also had to fit in the Kilimanjaro Half-Marathon after the climb (ouch), and then a safari! Destination Tanzania Safaris was the best-rated outfit that we could find within our budget, and I can't imagine having found a more professional, courteous, and safety conscious group. It was a cold and challenging climb - made as comfortable as it could possible be (the food was great!). It was a great trip, thanks to Innocent and Karen who helped with our itinerary (and more), and to our fantastic guide - Bonaventure, and finally thanks to each and every Detasa team member that was involved in the trip, and there were lots.
Brian,Glen,and Elena