Joachim was a fantastic guide. This was my third safari (first was in Uganda in 2013, second in Kenya 2015, with other companies). My prior two safaris had fine guides, we saw all the animals we wanted to see, but it was more a punch the clock attitude, not much chatting, and no “extra” info. Joachim, in contrast, was very friendly, always present with us — answering questions, adding information about animals we were seeing or the parks and their history, and also giving us quiet time when we were tired. He never took personal calls in front of us or otherwise seemed distracted.
Joachim was also very knowledgeable about the parks, animals, and Tanzanian history. We enjoyed learning from him. He was attentive to when we wanted to spend more time observing animals and when we were ready to move on. He was also a very safe and good driver!
Most of all, Joachim was friendly, genuine, and really looked out for us. For instance, when we flew out of Manyara, Joachim waited at the airport until our flight departed.
“I thought it well-run and organized. It is a scary venture, heading into a completely different environment and culture. We never felt lost or abandoned or at any time unsettled or unsafe. And this was entirely because of the on site staff and our guide. This supports the company’s description that while the infrastructure may be managed by folks both in the US and in TZ, the training and support of the staff to care for us and manage our trip was incredible. Even with a minor medical need for antibiotics way in the midst of the Serengeti, our guide was in touch with A2T staff and arranged a stop in at a local remote clinic to get what we needed. We didn’t miss a moment of our adventure and our companion received excellent medical care. We moved around a lot and yet we never had transportation glitches or hotel issues. It was seamless.”