BANANA FARM ECO HOSTEL — Hotel in Arusha

I am Rating the Safari experience wie made with Banana Eco Hostel, Not the Hostel itself:||While the first two days in Tarangire and Manyara were very nice, we started having problems with our car on the first day already and had to be picked up by another guide in the evening. On the third day the problems got way worse. While going to Serengeti, our car broke down. After standing there for about 1 hour, we were then brought to the gate by some other guide where we waited for another 2 hours for our car to come back. In the end, we could not do a game drive in the evening. We had to bring the other people joining us to their camping and after that arrived at our lodge at 10:30 pm.|We were driving in the dark without finding the way properly. Also, as the windshield wiper did not work anymore and the roads were wet, the vision was really bad. We ended up having a little accident with a bus as well. All in all, this was extremely scary.||On the next day, we did not do the morning safari as planned but startet at 8:30, and then obviously had to pick up the other people again. We then waited at the camp for about 1 hour to get the car packed. So in the end we spent over 4 hours just driving from camp to camp and waiting for the car to be ready to go. Instead of starting the safari, we then went to the visitor center and after that had only around 1,5 hours of safari in Serengeti left where we barely saw anything. Then our car broke down again. After waiting for about 1 hour, another guide could pick us up and bring us to Ngorongoro Crater. |So all in all, we spent most of the 2 days in Serengeti waiting for our car to work again or someone to pick us up, or driving to pick up other people. |As you can imagine, this is not exactly how we pictured it. Especially when paying 600 dollars per day for this experience.|Also, as our car was so bad, we had to go very slow all the time, which took additional time. We experienced that with the many cars that had to pick us up during these days, each one of them was in a much better condition and could go way faster.|Also, our car did not have radio call and no chargers as was stated in the tour description.||So while we had great first 2 days, this was way below our expectations and overall a bad and frustrating and sometimes even frightening experience. ||What was also very frustrating is that we did not get any response to our complaints Even After contacting the Hostel over several Channels...

I am Rating the Safari experience we made with Banana Eco Hostel, Not the Hostel itself:

While the first two days in Tarangire and Manyara were very nice, we started having problems with our car on the first day already and had to be picked up by another guide in the evening. On the third day the problems got way worse. While going to Serengeti, our car broke down. After standing there for about 1 hour, we were then brought to the gate by some other guide where we waited for another 2 hours for our car to come back. In the end, we could not do a game drive in the evening. We had to bring the other people joining us to their camping and after that arrived at our lodge at 10:30 pm. We were driving in the dark without finding the way properly. Also, as the windshield wiper did not work anymore and the roads were wet, the vision was really bad. We ended up having a little accident with a bus as well. All in all, this was extremely scary.

On the next day, we did not do the morning safari as planned but startet at 8:30, and then obviously had to pick up the other people again. We then waited at the camp for about 1 hour to get the car packed. So in the end we spent over 4 hours just driving from camp to camp and waiting for the car to be ready to go. Instead of starting the safari, we then went to the visitor center and after that had only around 1,5 hours of safari in Serengeti left where we barely saw anything. Then our car broke down again. After waiting for about 1 hour, another guide could pick us up and bring us to Ngorongoro Crater. So all in all, we spent most of the 2 days in Serengeti waiting for our car to work again or someone to pick us up, or driving to pick up other people. As you can imagine, this is not exactly how we pictured it. Especially when paying 600 dollars per day for this experience. Also, as our car was so bad, we had to go very slow all the time, which took additional time. We experienced that with the many cars that had to pick us up during these days, each one of them was in a much better condition and could go way faster. Also, our car did not have radio call and no chargers as was stated in the tour description.

So while we had great first 2 days, this was way below our expectations and overall a bad and frustrating and sometimes even...

We booked a 2-night package that included both the safari tour and lodging at the company’s guesthouse. It was presented as a “mid-range experience with personal touch” – sadly, our experience was far from that.

Starting with the accommodation: the room was basic, which we expected, but it was also not very clean. The bathroom had a persistent smell, the shower didn’t drain properly, and there were stains on the bedding. At night, the area was noisy and there were no fans or mosquito nets, even though they were listed in the description.

We were served dinner on the first night – a simple plate of rice and a few vegetables, very small portion, not freshly cooked. Breakfast was two slices of bread and instant coffee. We asked if we could pay to upgrade to a more filling meal, but were told “this is what’s included.”

The safari itself was very rushed. We left almost two hours later than planned because of a “car issue,” and the guide didn’t offer any apology or explanation. Once in the park, we had to stick to a tight path, and when we asked to stop to take photos, the guide often said “we’ll come back” – but we never did.

Packed lunch was just a sandwich and juice box, no water included. When we asked, the driver gave us one half-empty bottle from the front seat, which felt uncomfortable.

The biggest issue was the lack of honesty. Before booking, we asked if the accommodation had private bathrooms and were told “yes of course.” Only upon arrival did we find that we had to share with two other rooms, and there was no apology or solution – just “it’s full now.”

Overall, we paid $950 per person for this package and it felt more like a $300 experience. The lack of transparency and care really left a bad impression. Tanzania is a beautiful country and the parks are incredible – but we would advise others to look for a more professional and...