Feb 23, 2026
The Honeymoon of a Lifetime - Ask for Safari Monster Simon!! - My husband and I are from the States and did a 6-Day Northern Circuit Honeymoon Safari (Nov 29–Dec 4, 2025), and I genuinely don’t have words big enough to describe how extraordinary it was. In fact, it took me a few months after our trip to write this review and get everything into words - but I’ll try, because our guide, Simon, deserves it!
From the moment we met him in Arusha, we knew we were in exceptional hands. Simon (aka “Safari Monster”) is an Arusha native and Swafa tribesman who studied tourism and African ecology extensively - and it shows in everything he does. He didn’t just point out animals. He interpreted the landscape. He explained seasonal river systems, fire ecology, predator behavior, tracking techniques, conservation policy, medicinal plants, and bird calls.
He could identify birds instantly (which was a huge plus, as I am a newer birder...I logged over 100 new species on this trip thanks to Simon!), name trees in Latin, and somehow spotted a pregnant dik-dik at 45 mph through thick brush. I am not exaggerating, it was the most impressive eco-toursim experience I've ever had, and I work in sustainability and conservation full time - Simon knew his stuff in and out! He also was well known by other drivers and had a great network, so when something rare was spotted, he was ON IT. We knew he had the trail of something good and fully trusted him each time, and we were never disappointed.
The vehicle was new, well maintained, spacious, and comfortable, even on some of the particularly bumpy African roads. We always felt safe and welcome everywhere we went, and it was easy to enjoy the landscape and animals from the truck. Plus the cooler system in the back was great, cold water the entire time and the charging station was a huge plus!
Over six days we explored:
Tarangire National Park (including a night drive!)
Central Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater
Lake Manyara
The foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Materuni Waterfalls, and Kikuletwa Hot Springs
We saw the Big Five, endless herds, hundreds of birds, the famous tree-climbing lions, smaller less common predators (even a quick hunt between a fox, eagle, and rabbit!) and landscapes that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
And the photography. The photography!! Simon brought a Canon 200D Mark II with a Sigma 150-600mm lens and captured almost all of our most spectacular wildlife shots at no additional fee. He noted that he was new at photography and safaris gave him the opportunity to practice - I think his photos are at the Nat Geo level, and thank goodness he had that camera because my phone doesn't hold a candle to the pictures and videos he was able to seamlessly AirDrop right then and there to my phone. The pictures he took were on our annual Christmas card, and we plan to get some framed for our home! Seriously, Simon is talented with that camera, and I would pay extra just for the experience and souvenirs from the photos alone the next time I visit.
Beyond wildlife, he helped immerse us in Tanzanian culture, guiding us in purchasing kanga fabric, explaining kitenge and batiki textiles, trying lots of new delicious local foods, and stopping at a Tanzanite shop where my husband surprised me with earrings that I’ll treasure forever.
On our final day, we were guided by Enock for the Kilimanjaro hike, coffee tour, and hot springs. He was also fantastic - teaching us about village life, music, bird species, and local traditions.
Every lodge we stayed in was absolutely amazing. Service was impeccable, the views were stunning, and the food was so SO good. Everyone was so genuine and kind, we wouldn't hesitate to stay again at any of the overnight locations.
This was the best honeymoon safari we could have ever asked for, and in no small part thanks to Simon and the Safari Soles team. I would recommend this tour to ANYONE - in fact, we're trying to figure out how we can get back and explore more of Tanzania with them ASAP!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 13, 2026
10/10 - All great! Junior our guide a great, answered all our questions and knew where to take us each day to have a unique experience. A joy to also have a guide who speaks in Spanish. I could say it was a perfect experience!!! During the booking process it was also very easy, we adapted the plan to be what we exactly wanted. I would recommend it for sure!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 29, 2025
Exceptional Safari Experience by Richard Moshi and Action. - 5 out of 5 on this experience. The staff did a wonderful job.
Budget camping experiences were awesome but not for the faint of heart. Washroom and shower conditions are challenging. Proper preparation is important.
Safari experience provides exceptional opportunities for close wildlife encounters, but the journey is challenging if your schedule is condensed.
Action was an amazing cook and easy going guy.
Richard was an exceptional guide and driver. Easygoing and informative. He had amazing vision to spot the wildlife and help us spot all the major wildlife one would expect on a Safari.
Great English skills!
Great Knowledge!
Great Driving skills!
Highly recommend Action as the cook and Richard Moshi as the guide.
I recommend people bring a minimum 10 x binocular or zoom lens for cameras for their viewing experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 28, 2025
Very professional safari tour - This tour was very well organized and professional. We did budget camping so were roughing it a bit but the tents were good and the food was excellent and prepared fresh every day. Way better than some other tourists we saw with boxed/bagged meals. The Land Cruiser was in excellent condition and felt premium inside. We saw a lot of older vehicles that were not as well maintained and were glad to have a nicer vehicle compared to other people. Our driver and guide Richard was amazing. He’s very personable, responsible and knowledgeable. We were able to get very very good close up photos of animals including a lion family eating and seeing the wildebeests migrating across the river. He has uncanny eyesight and is able to spot animals with insane ability even without binoculars. If you value safety, you will be glad to know that Richard gets to the good spots without driving dangerously like some other companies we saw.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 28, 2025
Amazing tour! - Our tour was nothing short of excellent! I have never seen so many animals in my life. Our amazing tour guide, (King) Richard, and our fantastic chef (Mr. Action) added to our experience. Richard took it upon himself to get the most animal sitings as possible, and Mr. Action made sure we were well fed so we had enough energy. Visiting the Hazabe tribe at the end of the safari was a great way to finish up our action packed trip! Highly recommend Safari Sole and Richard, Mr. Action and his team.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 28, 2025
A trip of a lifetime! - We had the best time in Tanzania, all thanks to our incredible guide Richard, our amazing chef Action, and the rest of the Safari Soles team! The booking process was super smooth. Furahini patiently answered all my questions and even helped us rent a camera for the trip. Richard was an absolute gem of a guide - fun, knowledgeable, and somehow able to spot animals from miles away. He took such good care of us throughout the 6 day safari, and we learned so much about Tanzania and its wildlife thanks to him. Action and the supply crew were also fantastic. Action kept us well fed with his delicious meals! We also got to visit the Datoga and Hadzabe tribes which was a super unique experience. I've already recommended Safari Soles and Richard to all my friends planning a trip to Tanzania!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 20, 2025
- In July, we went on a 6-day camping safari with Safari Soles, and it was nothing short of amazing! Our itinerary included Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, the stunning Ngorongoro Crater, and three unforgettable days in the Serengeti.
Our guide, Emmanuel Dohho, was absolutely fantastic – knowledgeable, friendly, funny, and incredibly skilled at spotting wildlife. Thanks to him, we saw the Big Five and so much more. He made every day feel like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
We also want to highlight our amazing chef, Msana, who prepared the most delicious and varied meals every single day. Whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner – everything was freshly made and tasted incredible, even out in the bush!
The whole trip was well-organized and smooth.
This safari was truly a dream come true, and we can't thank Emmanuel, Msana, and the whole Safari Soles team enough.
Asante sana – we’ll be back!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 1, 2025
Great First Safari in Tanzania - I had a great safari trip with Safari Soles! My guide Richard was outstanding. I wanted to focus on finding great photo opportunities and he did a great job of not only being active on the radio to find the animals but also once there making sure I stayed patient to get better shots (as other jeeps would come and go quickly, missing opportunities, we stayed at several sighting for 30 to 60 minutes, allowing for additional photo opportunities). As a solo traveler I was a little skeptical about spending more to have a personal guided tour (a whole jeep just for me) and spending 5 days driving around with the same guide. But Richard was fun and easygoing and answered all my questions and make the experience better. In the end it was worth spending the extra money rather than taking a chance joining others in a packed jeep.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 4, 2024
Great guide, great chefs, and great organisation for a reasonable price - We had an amazing experience with our guide Ernest and chef Ibrahim (first 2 days) and chef Dennis, the rest of the trip.
First of, Ernest was able to show us all the beauties of Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, we saw lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, giraffe and many many more animals. It was truly magical.
He was able to quickly spot the animals and was experienced in the pathing of the parks. What we also appreciated is that he took the time to explain behaviors of different animals.
Second, if we needed anything, we could ask Ernest and he would help us. He set up our tents, was clear in communicating the plan for the next day or help us out whenever it was needed. His English was excellent and made it easy to communicate.
One thing that clearly stood out was the quality of the food from chef Ibrahim and Dennis. Every day we had an amazing breakfast, lunch and dinner, something we havent heard from other safari experiences. We only spent one day at the tented lodge an gata, which was great in general, but the food from the lodge couldnt meet the quality of the chefs Ibrahim and Dennis.
Lastly, I also appreciated the clear communication from safari soles regarding quotes, options and planning before and during the trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 4, 2024
Very amazing experience - Everything went very well from the beginning to the end.
We had a very good time with Elias. He was very friendly and professional. He was always available, organized everything for us and made sure we were having a good time. Thanks to him we could see a lot of animals and even the big 5. It was very nice to have a french speaker person to explain to us the wonders of Tanzania! Thanks again to him and to you for your availability, your hard work and your responsiveness to our messages.
We also really appreciated the choices of lodges we had. All were very cleaned, beautiful and with a very kind satff. The food was always very tasty. For the lunches, it was very good to have a hot meal instead of sandwiches.
Review provided by Tripadvisor