We had an amazing experience, and we attribute the joy, success, and adventure of the trip to our guide (and now friend for life), Joachim.
From picking us up at the airport, Joachim was extremely attentive to our needs, telling us “your wish is my command”, and he went above and beyond to deliver on that message. He was consistently checking in to make sure we had everything we needed. He has great communication skills – speaking very clear English, but more importantly, doing an excellent job communicating the agenda, park and animal facts, etc. Joachim would make sure we understood our options and explained the different choices we had throughout our days, but we loved that we ultimately were always in control of our schedule and activities with his sage advice.
Joachim is also extremely knowledgeable about all things Tanzania, African culture, the various parks and reserves, and of course, the animals. He is clearly a student of the trade – often referring to what is stated in guidebooks about animals and also imparting his own experience and knowledge. We learned so much about so many different birds and animals! He was also a master navigator of all the areas/parks we visited. We were often stopped by other drivers to help with directions (to which he always offered help) and always knew we were in good hands when a new exciting sighting came over the radio that he would be able to navigate to it quickly and safely.
We found the big 5 in just two days, and then from there, Joachim helped us tick all our other wishes off – Cheetahs? Check – we saw 6. A huge group of elephants? Check – we saw over 20 cross a river together. An epic river crossing for the great migration? CHECK. We saw a “National Geographic worthy” crossing. He spotted a lioness in a tree from over 50 yards away and the same day also found a sneaky lion on a quick view of his tail! He also was very attentive to making sure we got the best camera angles possible for our photos and suggesting shots for us to take.
Overall, we had the trip of a lifetime and we can’t thank Joachim enough for his part in that. He made us feel safe and cared for.
“It was excellent! The pre-trip planning with Karen was great and she and/or Allison promptly answered my many questions at various points prior to our actual trip. Also, Karen was extremely helpful in making our final day in Tanzania as comfortable as possible – she arranged for us to spend the afternoon in the Arusha Access 2 Tanzania day room. Our transport guide for the day, Haji, brought us a wonderful selection of Tanzanian food for lunch! He as well as Stella and the A2T staff were very nice and welcoming! Our safari guide Noel was such a good man and an excellent guide. He was thrilled to learn that we had requested him at the recommendation of my friend, and he didn’t disappoint. I don’t know how anyone can navigate the unmarked Serengeti roads like he did. He made sure that we were comfortable, safe, and had everything that we needed. During the trip, another A2T guide, David, and his 2 passengers (whom we previously met during the village tour) invited us into their land cruiser to watch the wildebeest crossing because they had a better position. We really appreciated that!”