Easy Travel and Tours Ltd — Attraction in Arusha

Trip Planner: Gladys Transfer Driver: Said Guide: Cornel Length: 9 Tour Type: Private

To begin our safari planning, I contacted Easy Travel TZ and was promptly put in touch with our safari planner, Gladys. From the first moment I spoke to Gladys, she was 110% committed to not only creating a safari that fit our needs, but made sure to take into account our budget. I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly Gladys created a possible itinerary in a VERY easy to understand chart. [I am very visual, so this was a huge help to me] One of the biggest things that gave me great confidence in Easy Travel TZ from the beginning was how transparent they were about everything, from the price to what was and wasn’t included in that price. After going back and forth a few times with Gladys, we created the perfect itinerary that took into account both what we wanted to see within a price that suited us. Throughout the whole process, Gladys was very considerate about what we wanted, revised our itinerary as many times as needed, and never go impatient about having to change various things for our trip before we confirmed it. Once we confirmed our trip she created a more in-depth itinerary which I also really appreciated, because the last thing one wants is miscommunication on what was expected. Upon arriving in Tanzania, we were met by our transfer guide Said who had our sign, was ready to go, and made sure we were comfortable. Getting to Arusha was no trouble and Easy Travel TZ made the entire process effortless. Also, Gladys made a point of meeting us before we left for our safari at our hotel. The next day our guide, Cornel, was eager to start our safari, had the vehicle ready, and came to our hotel on time. One of the biggest things that will make or break a safari is the guide, and I am happy to say we had one of the best guides out there as a first safari to Tanzania. The entire time Cornel was attentive, spotted the animals, and was well versed about the animals in each park. Throughout the whole trip, Cornel was very easy to talk to and always made sure to accommodate us in anything we needed. During our drives, he skillfully maneuvered the hard terrain and made sure the ride was as comfortable as he could make it. [keeping in mind the roads are very bumpy, something the drivers cannot help, but he did a great job nonetheless] It should be added, the vehicles Easy Travel TZ uses are in very good condition considering the roads they travel on, and we never had a break down. Not only did Cornel do a phenomenal job spotting animals, he knew facts and figures about every animal we saw. Along with knowing information about each animal we saw, he had extensive knowledge about the villages and parks we visited. No point during the trip did I feel Cornel didn’t care about finding the animals for us, and one time he said, “You guys just relax and I’ll do the work of finding the animals”. It was a real pleasure having Cornel as a first-time safari guide [our first safari] and will definitely ask for him next time if I can. Along with driving well, he always made sure to park so that we got the best view possible. Even towards the end of the day when we were getting a bit tired, Cornel never stopped scanning the land for animals. After the safari when we came back to Arusha, Gladys met us one more time to make sure the safari went well and if we had any feedback. This was nice because you can tell Easy Travel TZ is devoted to making sure the customer doesn’t feel forgotten once you send them your money and that if there’s any issue they are there to assist. I highly recommend using Easy Travel TZ for any of your safari [and climbing Kilimanjaro] needs, be it a group safari, private safari, day safari, or week long safari. No matter what you’re looking for, they will work with you to create a memorable trip that fit within your budget. Plus, no matter what your budget, the places they select for you to stay at are...

Our trip to Tanzania was the trip of our lifetime. This was our first trip to Africa and we were apprehensive of how it would go. We wanted it to go flawlessly without any issues. Thanks to Easy Travel and their team our trip to Tanzania turned out to be a memorable one. From the time we landed at Kilimanjaro airport through the ten days we were in Tanzania to the time we departed from Kilimanjaro airport – Easy Travel and their team made sure that we were safe, comfortable, and had the best time ever. Many thanks to Easy Travel for making this happen.

From the beginning, response from Lizbeth of Easy Travel was amazing. She responded the very next day with a proposed itinerary that included additional things to do and details of all accommodation options with links to each one. Through the next three months Lizbeth patiently responded to over 50+ emails answering all our questions. Lizbeth’s detailed and prompt responses made us feel comfortable and as we continued the email exchanges we felt even better working with Easy Travel. Lizbeth’s suggestions on various aspects of the trip was very useful and valuable.

Denis, our guide was an amazing person and a great guide. He was a very safe driver, courteous, kind, and took very good care of us - from the time he picked us up from airport to the time he dropped us off at airport - we were in good hands. He made sure that everything went off very well. He was extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of safari and shared with us all the information as we traveled through the region. As we did the game drives and went from one place to another Denis shared lots of information about the national parks, its animals, Tanzania, its history, culture, and its people.

The planning and arrangements made by Easy Travel at various hotels was excellent. We were floored by the best lodges selected for us by Easy Travel. Each lodge had its own unique features and flavors, locations were great, rooms were nice, and the folks at these lodges treated us extremely well. By selecting excellent places for us to stay, Easy Travel made our trip especially memorable. There were two outstanding lodges where we were treated exceptionally well by their staff and their tented lodges was an experience of our lifetime. Amazing places! I will review these lodges separately. Of special mention are the Mara River Tented lodge and Ole Serai Luxury Camp - Turner Springs.

Easy Travel also arranged for a day hike of Mt. Kilimanjaro from Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut and back. James who was guide for the hike was an amazing guide. He is extremely knowledgeable, kind, and kept us at a pace that was comfortable for us. Though we were skeptical whether or not we will be able to complete the hike - James worked with us and helped us complete the hike. He made sure that we were comfortable and were able to enjoy the hike at Kilmanjaro. When one of us was having difficulty getting down the mountain, James located walking sticks to help her with the descent. Our daughter is already planning to go back with her friends for the hike to the top of Kilimanjaro. And she is already a fan of Easy Travel.

At the end of our trip the owner of Easy Travel, Mr. Musaddiq, met with us and sought feedback on all aspects of our trip. Since our trip was planned and executed extremely well by Easy Travel we had only positive feedback to provide. We also got to see Easy Travel’s massive facility where they maintain all their safari vehicles in house. It was not surprising that Easy Travel was celebrating their 30th year in business. With the kind of planning and execution they did for us and made our trip a memorable one I am sure that they have a great future ahead of them. We were very impressed by Easy Travel and their ability to plan and execute a memorable and lasting memory of Tanzania for us. Thank you. We are now a fan of Easy Travel and we will definitely use Easy Travel on our future trips...

We initially booked our 5-night safari and 3-night stay on Zanzibar with Easy Travel in February of 2020, planning to travel in July of that year. That booking experience was excellent; we were joining with 2 friends who had already booked the itinerary, and Brenda at Easy Travel made that a seamless experience. She was responsive to all of our questions within a day, provided excellent documentation, and overall made sure we felt prepared for an amazing trip. And then, COVID...

Obviously, we didn't travel as planned in July 2020. Easy Travel was communicative throughout the pandemic, and assured us that we could reschedule for the same itinerary whenever we were ready to travel in 2021. A full year later, we finally selected dates, but our travel companions had changed. Easy Travel was able to book our new companions on our same itinerary without any issue, and we were all set to finally visit Tanzania in July 2021.

Then, the flights we had initially booked were canceled and we needed new flights, which gave us an extra day on the ground. Easy Travel was able to adjust our reservation in Arusha without issue. The email thread at this point was well over 100 messages, and they still kept everything straight and helped us feel safe and prepared. I think Easy Travel managed the pandemic craziness as well as anyone on earth. And that's all before we actually got there!

As soon as we landed in Arusha our driver, Everest, was there to meet us. We loaded up our safari vehicle (which is well-appointed and extremely clean) and headed straight for the Easy Travel office where Nu greeted us and gave us the full rundown of our itinerary, answered any questions we had, and helped us get our COVID tests scheduled so that we could travel home without issue.

When it was time to head out on Safari, Everest picked us up at our hotel and we headed out to Lake Manyara. Unexpectedly, the brief stop in the village of Mto wa Mbu along the way was a highlight of the trip as well. We were prepared for Lake Manyara to be an "appetizer" for Serengeti the next day, but the density and variety of animals there is impressive in its own right! The Tortillis camp in Lake Manyara was excellent as well, and our dinner there was our best all trip.

The drive to Serengeti was long, but Everest was an excellent driver and travel guide, providing amusing anecdotes and local history along the way. His knowledge of every mammal, bird, and reptile along the way was incredible, and over the course of our week together the only question that didn't get a completely satisfying answer was "why do zebras have stripes?"

Our time navigating Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangire was amazing; Everest's ability to quickly navigate these huge parks to find fascinating natural scenes was incredible, and it felt like every minute possible was well-spent. The Tortillis camps we stayed in in each park were truly special places, and the staff were absolutely incredible. Consistently good food and drinks were an excellent way to start and end each day, and we left wishing we had more time to spend in camp talking with the staff.

Everest took us directly back to the airport for the next leg of our journey, and our trip to Zanzibar and transfer to our resort in Nungwi was perfectly arranged. Our 3 nights at Sandies' Baobab were as relaxing as we were hoping for, especially after such an action-packed safari itinerary. Easy Travel's help arranging transfers to and from the resort and our COVID tests while there made the full experience completely stress-free.

We cannot recommend Easy Travel highly enough. Through immense change, they communicated consistently and effectively with us for well over a year. They took all proper COVID precautions while there, and made our long-awaited trip the experience of a lifetime despite everything happening around us. Thank you, Easy...