It is hard to describe Noel’s performance. He is personable and patient. Noel is an excellent guide who makes every attempt to give you accurate information. He seems as excited as we were about our wildlife viewing. He listened to our requests and made helpful suggestions in planning our game drive each day. He networks with the other guides as well as anyone else who has wildlife information–even a utility truck driver. I think Noel knows everyone. He was extremely successful in locating wildlife. He made our safari incredible. We kept a record of animal species we identified each day. I am sure we missed recording some of them, but we identified a total of 167 animals, including birds and reptiles.
A careful driver, he makes you feel safe in the busy city of Arusha as well as comfortable on the nearly-impassable roads in the Serengeti. I respect his habit of following the park’s guidelines about staying on the roads and not driving across the grass in pursuit of the animals. We saw many other drivers from other companies pursuing animals through the grass. When we drove to a site where lions are often resting under a particular tree, no lions were there. But a ring of beaten-down grass where other vehicles left the road to drive around the lions could be easily seen. Noel had that rare ability to lead other people into compromise without offending anyone.
An example of his sensitivity to our wishes is demonstrated by what happened one evening. In planning our schedule for the next day, we discussed moving the bush walk at Nanyuki from the morning to the evening. We preferred using the morning, when generally there is more animal activity, for a game drive instead. Unfortunately, the Ranger had already arrived at Nanyuki so the schedule for the bush walk could not be changed. Noel assisted us in making everyone feel comfortable splitting up. Those who wanted to go on the game drive did that and the others stayed around camp for the bush walk. Each group had a remarkable day.
Noel was constantly checking with the members of the family to make sure our plans were acceptable to everyone. He was very sensitive to anyone who felt perhaps their voice was not being heard by the rest of the group. (This was a very strong-minded group!) This is a talent I wish I had!
Noel also was very open to answering questions about the culture of Tanzania and daily living experiences. He seemed appreciative of our stories and experiences in the US and never took offense when we asked him if he understood something we said.
“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!”