Gosheni Safaris Africa — Local services in Arusha

Before we went on safari in Tanzania over the Christmas holidays, we researched a number of safari guide outfits here on TripAdvisor. Gosheni caught our attention because it had good reviews but was less expensive than many of its similarly-rated competitors, and we found that they offered the most flexibility in terms of customizing your own itinerary, which was very important to us. After soliciting quotes from three outfits, we went with Gosheni. We are glad we did.

First, our guide Laban was absolutely incredible. Very polite and professional, and he has a college education in zoology so he was very knowledgeable about the birds and wildlife we saw. This was important for us because we are well-informed birdwatchers and his knowledge of the local bird population was extensive and accurate. Insist on Laban if you want to birdwatch. Laban was also a responsible guide. We watched many guides nearly run over animals in the Serengeti, while Laban would get us as close as possible without disturbing the animal’s natural behavior or startling them.

Second, the truck was very nice. The truck becomes your second home for the trip. We saw a lot of older trucks used by the bigger companies that we had considered hiring (including some broken down and on the side of the road between Ngorogoro and Serengeti, which has an awful gravel highway). Our truck was a Land Cruiser that was barely a year old, WiFi (!!!), and it had AC for the rear compartment, chargers for our cameras and phones (using a number of outlets, including American 2-prong type), and a refrigerator that came well stocked with water, beer, wine, and soda. Laban either took the car to be detailed every day or did it himself, even when we told him it wasn’t necessary.

Being familiar with off-road vehicles ourselves, we noticed that the Gosheni trucks had BF Goodrich tires. If you aren’t familiar, these are often twice as expensive as generic/off brand tires. Laban told us that management insisted on BFGs in order to make sure the safaris run smoothly. I thought this was a very important detail that would be missed by most passengers, and it shows that Gosheni is laying out a good bit of money to prevent breakdowns.

As far as the safari itself, Laban met us at Kilimanjaro International. We had a rough couple of days after Kenya Airways lost our luggage; without getting into too much detail, avoid Kenya Airways at all costs, as they cancelled and rebooked us at least 4 times in addition to losing our luggage. So it lifted our spirits to see that Laban was waiting for us, and he had set out a table near the truck with a bottle of wine and a white tablecloth for us to sit at while we listened to his briefing on the itinerary. We stayed a few nights in Arusha at the Planet Lodge which was excellent. We used this as home base for safaris to Arusha park and Kilimanjaro.

Speaking of Kilimanjaro, Gosheni gave us a separate guide just for the mountain hike. Saloom (unsure of the spelling) had summitted Kilimanjaro 92 times and knew the mountain like the back of his hand. It was great that Gosheni provided us with a skilled second guide just...

My wife and I booked the first half of our honeymoon with Gosheni Safaris and we couldn’t have had a better experience. Marline graciously worked with us over the course of six months to plan our perfect safari experience. It was our first time traveling in Africa and it was very reassuring that Gosheni had arranged for a driver with a sign waiting for us at the airport. The first night in Tanzania was at the Mt. Meru Hotel and it was very comfortable.

On our second day our guide Arnold picked us up at the hotel. Arnold is amazing, kind, thoughtful, brilliant, and funny. His knowledge of the animals and the workings of the park system was extensive. I was impressed by his ability to spot the animals and provide information, while navigating the roads and avoiding ruts and potholes. He always purposefully positioned our vehicle so that the sun was in the best spot for photographing the animals. We felt very safe and well taken care of. An extra special benefit of traveling with Arnold and Gosheni happened on our second day. For some reason the internet had gone out at one of the national parks, and it seemed like there were a hundred safari jeeps parked at the entrance waiting hours to get in. Apparently, Arnold knew one of the rangers and we were allowed to go in and pay the fees the next day. That day we saw a cheetah hunting gazelles, a pride of lions with the cubs nursing, a pair of jackals, a serval and a pack of hyenas in a den with their cubs. If we had been stuck waiting at the entrance, we probably would have missed all of this and gotten to our camp much later than we did.

As for the camps and lodges, they were also top notch. The staff were all very attentive and the food was excellent. The day we started the safari I told our sales rep, Marline, that I have a bad back. Before I could ask, she said that I needed a firm mattress and she would call the lodges and put in a request. Every place we went the mattresses were perfect and I went the whole trip without a flare-up.

Another benefit of traveling with Arnold was that before he was a safari guide he was an auto mechanic. He said that they do regular maintenance and he tells the mechanics exactly what his vehicle needs. I mention this because we have some friends who used a different company, and their jeep had a few breakdowns. Unfortunately, they spent a good portion of the safari waiting for their vehicle to be fixed instead of out and about spotting animals. On the last day Arnold took us to the airport at Kilimanjaro (we did not know there was also an airport in Arusha) for the second leg of our honeymoon on Mafia Island. Arnold was not just a great safari guide but a great ambassador for Tanzania. He gave us lessons in Swahili and knowledge of the culture. We went from knowing nothing to feeling comfortable navigating the rest of the way on our own. Tanzanians are the kindest people we have ever met and we would love to return. Whenever any of our friends mention wanting to go on a safari, we will...

My husband and I cannot say enough good things about this company. We started planning our safari trip earlier in 2022 and reached out to a number of different companies. Gosheni was the best in terms of pricing and what they offered. Peter was a terrific communicator. He was very accommodating and flexible with our itinerary.

From the moment we landed in Tanzania to the moment our safari trip came to an end we had the most seamless experience. I had asked Peter to arrange to have some one pick us up at the airport. Our driver, Jesse, was waiting for us as soon as we exited the terminal and took us to our private airport transport. He made us feel so comfortable and ensured we were comfortably dropped off to our rooms in the hotel.

The safari itself was incredible. Our tour guide, David, was very experienced. He had very good knowledge of wildlife and was a terrific spotter. We got to see all the wildlife we came to see and more! And we learnt alot about wildlife from him. He went above and beyond for us and we cannot thank him enough. For example, we really wanted to see a black rhino (which are limited in numbers) and on the last day he managed to spot one in the distance!

David also made sure that we got to see the wildebeest migration. The day we went to see the crossing there were a number of other groups also waiting to see this but many of them missed out. David expertly practiced patience and he eventually spotted the crossing in the distance! This was the most exciting experience and one I will never forget.

The days were long and involved ALOT of difficult driving, but David carried on always prioritising our comfort and experience. He was a very experienced guide and I am grateful we were allocated someone with his knowledge, experience and patience.

Our accommodation at each location was very beautiful, clean and comfortable. Waking up to the sounds of lions, or to elephants wandering outside our rooms was an experience I will never forget.

The number and diversity of wildlife we got to see during this trip was unbelievable. This truly was a trip of a lifetime and Gosheni made it an unforgettable experience.

The only thing I would add is we did a masaii village tour (which we requested be added to the tour). Personally this was our least favourite part of the tour, and if I do another safari I would not do it again. The experience felt forced, awkward and we felt guilted into spending money. Please note however this is NOT a criticism of the company as this is something we requested...