Reviews of Smile With Us Tours in Africa

Fantastic, superior customer service

We have just returned from a trip to Zanzibar and used "Smile with us Tours" for a 3 day 2 nights Safari in the Nyerere national reserve. From our first contact with Jacob it was so easy to work out what we wanted to do, agree an itinerary and get it all booked up. 1st class communication from end to end. We paid a deposit and then the balanced on the day of our trip. Every single part of the trip went as planned, top class service all the way, initial collection at our hotel, transfer to the airport for the short 30 min flight from Zanzibar airport to the reserve on the mainland, collected by our guide for the trip Mr Marufu (Mr Famous.) We had a safari jeep to ourselves. Mr Marufu was a fantastic guide, loads of information about the flora and fauna and of course all the animals. We set off from the landing strip and as we had an early start to catch the flight we headed to a camp near by for breakfast, a very nice surprise and an extremley good breakfast. After that we headed into the reserve for our first game drive - exciting times! animals everywhere, water buffalo, giraffe, zebra, impala, warthogs .... the list goes on and on We chose to stay at the Selous Impala tented lodge, we were not disappointed with our choice, a fantastic lodge 5* service and facilities Day 1 was a game drive till lunch time, rest in the afternoon at the lodge and an evening / dusk game drive then back to camp for dinner Day 2 game drive all day, lunch out on the drive sat overlooking a lake watching the animals and life go by - an amazing experience Day 3 walking drive in the bush and a river trip followed by a rest up at another lodge outside the reserve ahead of our flight back to Zanzibar. We cannot thank Jacob and Smile with us tours for arranging a fantastic memorable trip!

Michael & Sharon

Very good experience !

Great experience, Nice guide and driver Really good accomodation I recommend thaïs agence at 100% !! Thank you smile with us tour un africa

Katia

Outstanding tour operator offering the opportunity to get a once in a lifetime experience!

Outstanding experience! I went on a solo safari trip with Smile With Us Tours in January 2023. The experience was super from the beginning to the end. Everything was very well organized to meet my wishes, and I felt so taken care of from the moment I was picked up from my hotel in Zanzibar. At arrival in Nyerere National Park (the plane landed while giraffes and other exotic animals were walking by the runway!), I was met by the most welcoming and genuine guide, Eric. He made sure I had many moments I will remember for life during my two days game drive with him. He put in all his effort to find the animals, we got up really close with them, and he was full of knowledge. I saw hippos, lions, zebras, elephants, African wild dogs, hyena, buffalos, crocodiles, giraffes, warthogs, baboons, black face monkey, impalas, waterbuck, wildebeest and more. I am so thankful for everything he did for me to give me the best experience possible. I also did a safari walk and a river safari where I got to see even more animals, birds and learned about animal tracks, herbs, plants and trees, and about surviving in the wilderness. My accommodation during my stay was at Selous Jimbiza Camp. Here I was met by a very welcoming staff. I was treated as a queen, the food was great, the crocodile and elephant bread the chef made were impressive, and I felt safe both day and night. I totally recommend Smile With Us Tours, and would love to go on a tour with them again!

Monica

Excellent - ultimate experience and great value for money

We can find no fault at all with smile with us safari tour. From beginning to end they were exceptional. Great communicators and our guide Kassim was brilliant. He discovered our love of birds and went out of his way to find all bird species as well as the big animals. Nothing was too much trouble. A private trip for just us at a price that would be cheap for a group tour. And Kassim went out of his way to make sure we were not in the rat run of safari jeeps all chasing the same animals…. We were nearly always alone and saw absolutely everything and at really close range! An absolutely faultless trip - we cannot thank you enough for making memories to last a lifetime

Hilary

Very organized from start to finish

Had a terrific time doing the Mikumi and Selous 4 day safari. Great communication. Would highly recommend.

Colby

Fantastic! Surreal experience, like a dream!

Our adventure with Smile With Us Tours Africa was simply out of the ordinary. Jacob’s helpfulness in answering all our questions in the booking phase, to helping storing our luggage whilst we were away was second to none. Nurdin came to pick us up directly from our hotel at 4am to drive us to the airport, he was punctual, welcoming and extremely polite. Our exceptional guide Maarufu was waiting for us when the plane arrived in Mtemere airstrip. Maarufu really made our trip, he was extremely knowledgable of the animals and area as well as super friendly and great fun! We started the stay with breakfast in a lodge outside Nyerere National Park. This was followed by a “Walking Safari” accompanied by a Maasai. We learnt about the different trees, plants and animals droppings of the bush - a really useful background prior to the game drives. The Maasai also demonstrated and let us attempt to make fire the traditional way. Before lunch, we embarked on a “Boat Safari” during which we were able to see crocodiles, hippos and many birds. After lunch, we left with Maarufu on our first game drive. After a brief discussion we agreed to travel along the highway for an hour with the goal of finding lions that had been spotted earlier. On the road, we met giraffes, impalas, pumbas, buffaloes and even elephants! After about an hour and a half, and Maarufu’s expert guidance, the ultimate reward, a large family of lions with lots of cubs. The dream! The lions came so close to the car to find shade that we could have reached out and touched them! The drive back to the lodge was full of more animals everywhere we looked. We spent the evening and night at Selous Impala Camp. The tents were very comfortable, the service very attentive and the food delicious. The next morning we left at sunrise for a “Bush Breakfast”. Maarufu used his expertise to track the elephant footprints and to locate a family of elephants with many baby elephants. We had breakfast by one of the park’s many lakes, a unique and memorable moment. We continued the safari before returning for lunch at the lodge, before leaving for Mtemere airstrip, still spotting a number of animals on the way. Throughout the Safari, Maarufu knew how to find the animals, bring the car as close as possible without scaring them so that we could be as close as possible to them. He also have us a lot of information about the animals and how the entire ecosystem works. It is important to note that we were provided with an open top Jeep, entirely open on the sides, that was just for us. This was very different from the occasional others companies we saw which had a mixture of people crammed into the car, or no open sides. Thank you to Jacob and the whole team for organising a wonderful two days and especially Maarufu for making it truly unforgettable, making us laugh and smile non stop and guiding us to all the animals of the Selous!

Elliot

Amaizing

They met my expectations in ways i did not imagine

Kanyoti

Amazing Safari - worth every cent

I can highly recommend doing a safari with „smile with us in Africa“. The communication before arrival was smooth. They were very helpful and flexible. During our safari we experienced some extraordinary sceneries. Lake manyara, Serengeti and ngorogoro are very different and have a great variety of animals and nature. Also our driver did a very great job in getting us close to the animals. The accommodations in which we stayed were very comfortable and cozy. The service of the lodges was extraordinary - staff was very friendly and thoughtful. We can definitely recommend the 4days trip! The service we received was above our expectations and worth every cent!

Dorothea B

Great tour with a great guide!

Overall it was a five star safari. We didn't really know what to expect. I've lived in Tanzania for three years, but this was my first safari. I don't know what I was waiting for! We saw all the big animals. I don't know why, but I really wanted to see hyenas and was not disappointed. Be sure to check out Smile With Us tours!

Ted O'Donovan

Great communication making the trip easy and wonderful!!

I couldn’t have been happier with Smile with us Tours. From getting a quote to invoicing, etc., they were always very quick and professional to respond and answer any questions I had along the way. They also were less expensive than any other safari I got quoted and the experience was top notch! I didn’t have to stress or worry - they took care of everything and my family had a wonderful time, especially with their knowledgeable guide who went out of his way to see ALL the animals. :) 100% recommend their company.

Kristen Foote

Wonderful service! Would recommend Smile With Us Tours, to any one looking for a Safari experience!

We were not quite sure what to expect, as this was our first safari experience but Smile With Us Tours eased any apprehension we had. Jacob was very timely in responses and answered all of our questions. The price was reasonable and the service was very professional. We did a tour in Mikumi and Selous with Matata, who was an excellent guide! He was not only knowledgable but also very passionate, which really added to our overall experience. He went out of his way to make sure we saw any and all animals possible, e.g. giraffes, hippos, elephants, zebras, hyenas, baboons, crocodiles, lions, elusive serval cats ect. We even saw a leopard kill but missed seeing the leopard. All of the people we met along the way were very welcoming and we are so grateful to have had this experience. We definitely recommend this company to any future safari goers!

Sheena

Excellent 5-Day Mikumi NP, Udzungwa and Nyerere NP Safari Package with Smile With Us

We are a family of 4 and enjoyed a wonderful 5 night safari visiting Mikumi, Udzungwa and Nyerere. It was our first safari. Communication and organization of the trip was excellent and very individually. Every single part of the trip went as planned, top class service all the way. First day early morning pick up from Dar by our tour guide Erick, an excellent guide and warm hearted young man. The ride was in a comfortable big 4x4 land cruiser top up roof. When coming to Mikumi park Erick was very knowledgeable where to spot zebras, wildebeests, impalas, buffalos, giraffes, baboons, elephants and lions. First night our accommodation was inside Mikumi. Day two we did a morning game where we saw a lions only two meters away from our land rover. After this we went to Udzungwa mountains and did a guided hiking tour to Sanje waterfalls which took 3 hours. The swim in plunge pools was lovely. At night we stayed in camp Bastian, a beautiful camp with lovely accommodation and fine food. We loved it. Day 3 we drove to Nyerere national park and stayed in the very special Neyere tented camp. After arrival we embarked on a guided boat safari. We saw many hippos, birds and crocodiles in their natural habitat. Day 4 we joined for a two hour bush walk where a bushman and great story teller explained about animals and plants. We learned and laughed a lot. After this we went for a full day game. Erick knew exactly where to go to see the wild animals. We even saw wild dogs and hyena. On day five we flew back to Zanzibar. All was very well organized, the flight tickets to Zanzibar as well as the pickup from the airport to our hotel. Thank you Smile! We had an incredible time and couldn’t have been happier with you.

Andrea, Nura, Faris and Abdalla

Memorable

If you come to Zanzibar please do not miss out on doing this safari. The animals in the wild, and the beautiful scenery will forever be part of our memories. They just walk to your hotel reception and pick you up and bring you back. Very secure. Amazing experience!!! Once in a lifetime! The driver, Eddy was very very kind.

Joao magalhaes

We had remarkable tour in Tanzania, excellent services with affordable price

Smart and truthfully comany. We will market to others who want and wish to see animals in Arusha-Tanzania. Thank you director Jacob and your team for good customer care and quality services you provided to us.

Backfolk and family

Kilimanjaro and Safari

Just finished my Kilimanjaro 6 days hike through the Machame route + 4 days of safari with Smile with us tours in Africa. Have to say, was not expecting the level of professionalism and dedication of the team to meet all our needs and demands. Food was excellent, crew was experienced, in both instances (hike & safari) 7+ years of experience, some even 15 years experience! I personally felt I was in good hands all the time, safe and well informed about all that was happening. Have nothing to say against, professional team, recommend!

Petru

Canceled safari by operator

We booked our safari two months in advance. 4 days before the date we got a request from the tour operator to re-schedule the date due to organization issues. We managed, re-arranged our schedule. After that it was extremely difficult to communicate to the operator, we received no info, no replies to emails. Complete incommunicado. We only hope that we will receive back the deposit we paid - the safari never happened. We could still give five star even after a canceled safari as we can understand if there are unforseen technical difficulties during organizing a tour - but at least, talk to your client! Not communicating, not answering emails for days just a few days before a scheduled and then re-scheduled safari, leaving the client in uncertainty deserves nothing but one star.

Barna

Excellent experience, knowledgeable and friendly

Jacob and Freddy have been terrific! From the beginning Jacob was prompt in accommodating and developing an itinerary that worked for our group. He went above and beyond to schedule our COVID19 testing with a local doctor before our departure. Freddy was our safari guide and driver and was with us during the entire stay. He understood what animals we wished to see and worked hard to spot them. He was great company and very knowledgeable about the culture, animals, plants and may other questions we asked during our trip together. We highly recommend using Smile with us travel and would use them again.

Romy & Todd

This man saved our safari

After we were swindled by another tour operator Jakob stepped up and saved our safari for us. Even though this had to be arranged at the very last minute, everything was great! We had a fantastic five day safari with excellent car, driver, cook and lodging. All in all a very good experience and we recommend everyone to book their safari with Smile tours.

Koen and Nikki

Smile with us Tours do their job with Passion,Quality and Love!

The Company is very well organized and extremely professional in Safari experience. I found very easy to organized the safari tour with my family. The smile team knows what they’re doing and they’re open/friendly which makes easy to communicate with them. With Smile tours, me and my family made our long time dream came true...The big five

Florence