Great experience with a great guide! - We (couple) went on 2 day safari with Smile With Us Tours Africa. It was a great experience, much thanks to our great guide Apollo. The guide picked us up in Dar es Salaam and drove us to Nyerere National Park/Selous (app. 4 hours). The drive to the park is itself interesting. We were able to see parts of rural Tanzania we would otherwise not have seen. When we arrived in Selous we had a small breakfast before beginning the safari gane drive. It was amazing. We had not expected to see so many animals, and to get so close. The guide was very knowledgeable. In the evening we had dinner and spent the night at Selous Safari Lodge. It was a great place, with good service, and all facilities. The second day we went on a walking safari with a great Mwanda guide before ending the safari with a river boat tour. Our guide then drove us back to Dar. We had an amazing experience. Thank you so much to Smile With Us Tours and especially our friendly and skilled guide Apollo.

Amazing Safari Experience - Felt like a dream! - Our adventure with Smile With Us Tours Africa was simply out of the ordinary. Jacob’s helpfulness in answering all our questions in the booking phase, to helping storing our luggage whilst we were away was second to none. Nurdin came to pick us up directly from our hotel at 4am to drive us to the airport, he was punctual, welcoming and extremely polite. Our exceptional guide Maarufu was waiting for us when the plane arrived in Mtemere airstrip. Maarufu really made our trip, he was extremely knowledgable of the animals and area as well as super friendly and great fun! We started the stay with breakfast in a lodge outside Nyerere National Park. This was followed by a “Walking Safari” accompanied by a Maasai. We learnt about the different trees, plants and animals droppings of the bush - a really useful background prior to the game drives. The Maasai also demonstrated and let us attempt to make fire the traditional way. Before lunch, we embarked on a “Boat Safari” during which we were able to see crocodiles, hippos and many birds. After lunch, we left with Maarufu on our first game drive. After a brief discussion we agreed to travel along the highway for an hour with the goal of finding lions that had been spotted earlier. On the road, we met giraffes, impalas, pumbas, buffaloes and even elephants! After about an hour and a half, and Maarufu’s expert guidance, the ultimate reward, a large family of lions with lots of cubs. The dream! The lions came so close to the car to find shade that we could have reached out and touched them! The drive back to the lodge was full of more animals everywhere we looked. We spent the evening and night at Selous Impala Camp. The tents were very comfortable, the service very attentive and the food delicious. The next morning we left at sunrise for a “Bush Breakfast”. Maarufu used his expertise to track the elephant footprints and to locate a family of elephants with many baby elephants. We had breakfast by one of the park’s many lakes, a unique and memorable moment. We continued the safari before returning for lunch at the lodge, before leaving for Mtemere airstrip, still spotting a number of animals on the way. Throughout the Safari, Maarufu knew how to find the animals, bring the car as close as possible, without scaring them so that we could be as close as possible to them. He also have us a lot of information about the animals and how the entire ecosystem works. It is important to note that we were provided with an open top Jeep, entirely open on the sides, that was just for us. This was very different from the occasional others companies we saw which had a mixture of people crammed into the car, or no open sides. Thank you to Jacob and the whole team for organising a wonderful two days and especially Maarufu for making it truly unforgettable, making us laugh and smile non stop and guiding us to all the animals of the Selous!

Outstanding! - Just WOW, I cannot thank Smile With Us enough. We went on a 2 day safari trip to Nyerere National Park and it was an experience my wife and I will never forget. I must give a massive shout out to Maarufu our tour guide. He was just incredible, he knew the area like the back of his hand and he is so knowledgeable. When we come back to Africa for another safari (because we have to come back it was that good). We will not be using any other provider only Smile With Us.

Amazing! - First of all, everything went according to plan, and it was all set up nice and tidy. Our transport picked us up in our hotel and got us to the airport. He was very friendly in a natural way. From there we took the plane over to Selous. Landing on a sandstrip airport in the jungle. Like one taken out of an explorationmovie set in 1940s. Even the jeeps matched. In Selous we were picked up by our guide, Eric, who was just incredible. Then we went straight onto the safari. Eric gave us a quick introduction of what to expect and after driving for about 3 min. we saw our first pack of animals. As we went deeper more animals apeared. At one point we got really close to an elephant who took notice of the car. The encounter was safe, but the elephant made sure to let us know he was the boss. Putting his trunk on the hood of the car, blowing water onto it. It Even rattled the car with it’s tusks. Our grand finale was the lions. We went deep into the jungle to catch a glimpse of them, and they were as cool as you’d like. That said, the animals is just the half of it. Riding the jeep with a cooling wind, taking in the landscape was so very soothing. The vegitation was equaly interesting, and every time I found something curious, Eric could tell about it in depth. So make sure to ask questions. Our accommodations for the trip faced a small challenge, so we were swiftly shifted to another room, a better one. It must have been the luxorious alternative, with a pool and a beautiful room. The staff was very friendly. We even played a few rounds of Bao (a traditional boardgame, easy to learn) with them. Next day, we got picked up after breakfast to go for a two hour bushwalk, followed by a boat safari. On the bushwalk we were acompanied by a member of the Masai tribe. It gave a further look into the plants and insects living there. On the boattrip we got a closer look on the crocodiles and hippoes. We also saw more birds up close. All in all, just amazing! I had high hopes for this trip, and it exceeded all expectations. One of the best experiences of my life.