Travel reviews by Ms T. from Costa Mesa, CA
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
4
Excursions taken
1
My Sep 2021 trip
Tanzania between 11 Sep 2021 and 22 Sep 2021
"This trip was a “bucket list trip” from me to my mom for her 70th birthday. We originally planned to go in June 2020, rescheduled to June 2021, and then finally to Sept 2021. It was worth the wait!
Truly a trip of a lifetime and I don’t think we could have had a better experience. All the properties we stayed at were great and all the staff at all the properties were just so kind, friendly and attentive. Personally I preferred the experience and the guides at the Nomad properties (Kuro and Lamai) just a touch more than at the Asilia property (Highlands), but all were great. I thought Nomad did a little bit better job of seeming more “connected” to the area. Lamai in particular just blew me away - the design, the location, the staff were all impeccable. I can’t wait to go back!
It was also pretty special to be there while the parks and properties were at low capacity - twice we were the only guests at the properties, and having our own vehicle and guide for the entirety of the trip was amazing. I’m already planning to go back with my husband in 2023, but I know it won’t be quite the same.
Things to know:
- definitely bring Dramamine or something for motion sickness - those small planes can be rough and we were with several people who had issues.
- You lose a whole day getting to the crater - the drive from the airstrip to the lodge area is 3 hours, the road is AWFUL (though apparently they’re fixing it), and due to the hours you can’t do a late afternoon/ evening drive at the parks.
- I’m not a photographer and know nothing about cameras but I rented a camera for the trip (Sony RX10) and it was some of the best money I spent."
Truly a trip of a lifetime and I don’t think we could have had a better experience. All the properties we stayed at were great and all the staff at all the properties were just so kind, friendly and attentive. Personally I preferred the experience and the guides at the Nomad properties (Kuro and Lamai) just a touch more than at the Asilia property (Highlands), but all were great. I thought Nomad did a little bit better job of seeming more “connected” to the area. Lamai in particular just blew me away - the design, the location, the staff were all impeccable. I can’t wait to go back!
It was also pretty special to be there while the parks and properties were at low capacity - twice we were the only guests at the properties, and having our own vehicle and guide for the entirety of the trip was amazing. I’m already planning to go back with my husband in 2023, but I know it won’t be quite the same.
Things to know:
- definitely bring Dramamine or something for motion sickness - those small planes can be rough and we were with several people who had issues.
- You lose a whole day getting to the crater - the drive from the airstrip to the lodge area is 3 hours, the road is AWFUL (though apparently they’re fixing it), and due to the hours you can’t do a late afternoon/ evening drive at the parks.
- I’m not a photographer and know nothing about cameras but I rented a camera for the trip (Sony RX10) and it was some of the best money I spent."
Arusha Coffee Lodge
"Arusha Coffee Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
11 Sep 2021
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Average
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Kuro Tarangire
"Kuro Tarangire review"
2 nights
Arrived
14 Sep 2021
"We loved the tucked away rustic nature of Kuro. Didn’t feel like we were compromising on anything.
Beds were comfy, room was beautiful and spacious, food was excellent. Staff were phenomenal - present and helpful but not overbearing.
Loved hearing the animals at night!
Joel was an absolutely spectacular guide - it was clear he was experienced in knowing what to look for.
All of our drives were amazing - we had. Four separate lion sightings in one day, and a great up close leopard sighting as well!
We were also able to get super close to giraffes and elephants."
Beds were comfy, room was beautiful and spacious, food was excellent. Staff were phenomenal - present and helpful but not overbearing.
Loved hearing the animals at night!
Joel was an absolutely spectacular guide - it was clear he was experienced in knowing what to look for.
All of our drives were amazing - we had. Four separate lion sightings in one day, and a great up close leopard sighting as well!
We were also able to get super close to giraffes and elephants."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
10+ sightings
Eland
1 sighting
Elephant
8 sightings
Giraffe
8 sightings
Leopard
2 sightings
Lion
6 sightings
Striped Hyena
1 sighting
Wild dog
2 sightings
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
The Highlands
"The Highlands review"
3 nights
Arrived
16 Sep 2021
"Property is gorgeous. Staff is excellent. Room was great, though it definitely got warm in the late afternoon - staff brought us a fan which helped along with keeping the door open.
We enjoyed the separate bar area (very cozy!) and drinks before dinner. Also really appreciated that the chef confirmed the menu for the day and was able to adjust to preferences.
My only issue is it was way too much food every time! Appreciated the variety but two meats and six sides for two people is just too much and felt wasteful.
I really enjoyed the Olmoti hike - the view from the top is just stunning. It is difficult though - steep and there’s hardly a path. Having the Maasai and ranger guides definitely helped!"
We enjoyed the separate bar area (very cozy!) and drinks before dinner. Also really appreciated that the chef confirmed the menu for the day and was able to adjust to preferences.
My only issue is it was way too much food every time! Appreciated the variety but two meats and six sides for two people is just too much and felt wasteful.
I really enjoyed the Olmoti hike - the view from the top is just stunning. It is difficult though - steep and there’s hardly a path. Having the Maasai and ranger guides definitely helped!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Black Rhino
1 sighting
Buffalo
10+ sightings
Elephant
5 sightings
Hippo
4 sightings
Lion
4 sightings
Spotted Hyena
5 sightings
Wild dog
5 sightings
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
Safari in Ngorongoro Crater
"Safari in Ngorongoro Crater review"
17 Sep 2021 • All-day excursion
It was definitely very cool from a geography/ scenery perspective, and the density and variety of animals was great; that said, I think I would skip the crater on our next trip.
You lose a whole day getting there - the drive from the airstrip to the lodge area is 3 hours, the road is AWFUL (though apparently they’re fixing it), and due to the hours you can’t do a late afternoon/evening drive.
I was glad we stayed three nights and did two crater drives (shorter second day). Some of the other guests stayed only two nights which meant about a day and a half of travel time for one day in the crater.
You lose a whole day getting there - the drive from the airstrip to the lodge area is 3 hours, the road is AWFUL (though apparently they’re fixing it), and due to the hours you can’t do a late afternoon/evening drive.
I was glad we stayed three nights and did two crater drives (shorter second day). Some of the other guests stayed only two nights which meant about a day and a half of travel time for one day in the crater.
Lamai Serengeti
"Lamai Serengeti review"
3 nights
Arrived
19 Sep 2021
"Our stay at Lamai was nothing short of spectacular. Could not have asked for anything else.
It helped that we were the only guests the 2 out of the three nights we were there. James and the whole staff were just phenomenal- Baraka the waiter was super sweet and very attentive. The property is gorgeous and tucked into a hill. Rooms are beautiful and the beds were super comfy. We loved being able to see buffalo, zebras, and even giraffes in our “front yard.” I wouldn’t even think about staying anywhere else in Serengeti after the experience we had - one of my all time best stays anywhere in the world. It’s that special.
I would be remiss if I didn’t commend our amazing guide, Lazaro. He really went above and beyond to do his best to make sure we were able to see everything we wanted.
We hadn’t seen any cheetah, so we spent a whole day looking for them - didn’t find them on the first drive of our last day (though we had some great lion sightings including a recent kill and one month old cubs). Lazaro must have put in calls to everyone he knew in the park - as soon as we got in the truck for our last evening drive he said there’d been a cheetah sighting so we raced over there and got to see her lounging (a lion had stolen her kill and was eating it nearby). On the way back we saw a ton of elephants and giraffes, and a gorgeous leopard. It was like a speed safari in a little over two hours and just a fantastic and really special way for us to end our trip."
It helped that we were the only guests the 2 out of the three nights we were there. James and the whole staff were just phenomenal- Baraka the waiter was super sweet and very attentive. The property is gorgeous and tucked into a hill. Rooms are beautiful and the beds were super comfy. We loved being able to see buffalo, zebras, and even giraffes in our “front yard.” I wouldn’t even think about staying anywhere else in Serengeti after the experience we had - one of my all time best stays anywhere in the world. It’s that special.
I would be remiss if I didn’t commend our amazing guide, Lazaro. He really went above and beyond to do his best to make sure we were able to see everything we wanted.
We hadn’t seen any cheetah, so we spent a whole day looking for them - didn’t find them on the first drive of our last day (though we had some great lion sightings including a recent kill and one month old cubs). Lazaro must have put in calls to everyone he knew in the park - as soon as we got in the truck for our last evening drive he said there’d been a cheetah sighting so we raced over there and got to see her lounging (a lion had stolen her kill and was eating it nearby). On the way back we saw a ton of elephants and giraffes, and a gorgeous leopard. It was like a speed safari in a little over two hours and just a fantastic and really special way for us to end our trip."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
10+ sightings
Cheetah
1 sighting
Eland
2 sightings
Elephant
8 sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Hippo
7 sightings
Leopard
3 sightings
Lion
5 sightings
Spotted Hyena
4 sightings
Wild dog
1 sighting
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
Food was great. Service excellent."