Aubrey Ryan

Review of Thomson Safaris

My husband, myself and a friend took a 6-day safar...

My husband, myself and a friend took a 6-day safari from the Serengeti through to Ngorogoro Crater, and a Maasai Village. Thomson worked with us to taylor the carefully planned itinerary to our desires and needs.

After a month of working in Tanzania, I wanted to end my first visit there with a Safari that was comprehensive, educational, safe, culturally rich, environmentally sustainable, employed Tanzanians and compensated them well, and that supported local communities, arts and commerce. I found all of those things in Thomson Safaris.

The representatives we planned with were patient and worked with us on our ever-evolving itinerary (given time and financial constraints) until we settled on the perfect schedule and price for us.

Communication during the planning stages was seamless and fun; we were never left waiting for information.

The guide for our Safari, Robert, was simply amazing. He was a wealth of information, and avid birder (like myself), and excellent tracker. And yes, we saw the big 5; you can never be sure with nature and given the scarcity rhinos these days due to poaching. Robert was perfect and we consider him a good friend now!

From a comfort standpoint, we were simply stunned. The "tents" were better appointed than most hotels, warm, safe, romantic, yet left a light footprint on the land and felt authentic and culturally in sync.

Food? Get ready to go on a diet when you come home. I'm STILL thinking about all the amazing meals that were prepared for us.

Safety? A local Ikoma tribesman manned our campground at night with a bow and arrow, and, in case of real danger (you are a guest in the wild, after all) a single security agent who watched the perimeter of the camp with a rather large gun. He was not imposing in the least.

Transport? The vehicle was spacious, comfortable, airy, and well designed to allow for animal viewing.

In short, Safari was a bucket list item of mine; my experience was life-changing. I have Thomson's and their crew, home and abroad, to thank for that.

:)