Top notch from start to finish
Andrew, Andrew, Andrew. From the moment he greeted us at the airport, his happy personality and upbeat spirit immediately let us know we were in good hands and in for a great time. Andrew was a wealth of knowledge regarding the animals, landscape, people and anything Tanzania. We laughed so much and within days, Andrew knew what we wanted like to be out all day on game drives, explore off the beaten path (which meant we found some great private animal viewings that were spectacular), and how to make us laugh. Andrew noticed quickly that I was really into photography and needed the best angles and light for shots and I was amazed at how me would position the car just right for a stunning shot. He knew little things too like to shut the car off every time I was shooting pictures to minimize vibrations. I trusted Andrew whenever he said ” can I move the car” because even if I was in the middle of shooting what was great, it never failed that moving the car meant something grander. He would move us 100-200 yards up the road away from the activity and at first would wonder why but every time, the action followed us.He knows the animals behaviors. Andrew was truly the best guide and I was sad to say goodbye to him when we left after spending 11 days together but promised him we would be back. We never did the “get a pic and leave” but would often sit and watch the animals for long periods of time while he explained the interactions or just sit quietly and enjoy the experience. When everyone else left a site because the lion was simply sleep, Andrew backed the car up and said ” let’s eat lunch here.” We didn’t question, but 20 minutes later, he pulled up to the rock where the lion had moved to the grass and told us to watch. All alone, we watched cubs venture from the brush to the mom to nurse. Incredible! This happened over and over on the trip because we simply sat and watched. Patience is key as well as trusting the guide. We learned to never question when he quickly said we needed to go. They are the best.
“Access 2 Tanzania was awesome! Visiting Africa and going on Safari was on my bucket list and A2T fulfilled it completely. My husband likes spontaneity but I insist on long term planning so when my husband told me he wanted to go to Tanzania in just over 3 weeks I laughed. Two days later he came to me with a plan that Casey and he put together. I was dumb-founded. It was not a canned tour planned by A2T for a group. It was a private itinerary planned by my husband and Casey to accommodate exactly what WE wanted to do and where WE wanted to go. We left for Tanzania 3 weeks later! Amazing!
We changed plans many times after the initial plan and Casey was very patient and accommodated us with no resistance. Casey always had answers to our questions and gave us recommendations that we would never had thought of. A2T didn’t just give ‘lip service’ they provided what they said they would and told us what they could not. I questioned this because they offer so many wonderful options and I wondered what we would actually get when we arrived. Another thing I was pleased with is that during our planning Casey did not constantly try to ‘up sell’ us.
‘Wilfred’ was our guide and he was wonderful. He is such a nice, good and fun person. We felt so lucky to have him. That said, we spoke to others from A2T and they also felt the same about their guides so it is clear A2T chooses their guides carefully. (We still feel lucky to have Wilfred throughout our safari!)
I wish I could remember the names of all the others that we met and who helped us from A2T. We didn’t run into one bad seed. It’s been 5 months since we returned from Africa and although the names are not clear in my mind the warm, wonderful and exciting feeling of Africa will never fade.
If you have the opportunity to go to Africa go with Access 2 Tanzania! AMAZING!!”