Tanzania’s Animals and People
Raymond was great! He has a great personality and certainly knew his stuff. He was full of facts and stories about Tanzania, its animals, its people, history and much more. He joined us for dinner several times and we enjoyed his conversations. I can honestly say I think he’s the best driver I’ve ever met! How he got us through some of the muddy roads is a mystery to me. He even drove us through a road where a truck was already stuck in the mud, but he went through it in seconds. He was very safe. He also arranged a meetup with Maningo, our guide in 2013, to say hello in person. Due to delayed flights, my sister-in-law, daughter and I arrived at the airport hours after my brother’s arrival. Rather than take my brother to the hotel, Raymond stayed with him at the airport and got to know him quite well. When my sister-in-law’s luggage was lost, he followed up with the office daily and updated her regularly. He drove back to get her luggage while we were in the hotel in the Ngorongoro Crater. Raymond was particularly good at positioning our vehicle for the best photographs. He let us decide when we were ready to move on if we wanted to stay longer for viewing.
“Every detail was meticulously planned and perfectly suited to our needs. It was obvious that Karen paid careful attention to how we prefer to experience travel and matched us with a guide who perfectly suited our style. Barney was incredibly professional and let us set the tone and pace. He is an outstanding guide in so many ways; he quickly read us and we bonded immediately. Throughout the journey it was obvious that Barney is well respected by the other guides and they often follow his lead because he knows where to go and how to find the animals. He is also an incredible photographer–I got to a point where I just handed him my phone and he meticulously captured our trip. With no exaggeration, our 8 days with Barney were life changing and we think of him each and every day.
While we requested clean and comfortable accommodations with private baths, every place we stayed far exceeded our expectations. Nyikani and Mara Mara were the standout favorites. I have spoken with folks who were unsure and had reservations about the food that would be provided. We ate incredibly well–food was more than plentiful, very good to extremely delicious, and the soups were the best I have ever eaten. Service was consistently exceptional.
Honestly, we can’t say enough positive things about our experience and have been recommending Access 2 Tanzania and Barney to all we can.”