Customer Reviews

We had an absolutely amazing trip with Safari Soles which was recommended by Ella. Given her expertise and experience with safaris, we decided to explore some of her recommendations and we are glad we did. I will definitely consider her recommendation’s when planning future safaris.

We started thinking about a this a year ago and just got home after 14 days on safari in Kenya/Tanzania at 6 different lodges/camps. I wasn’t sure where to start planning but knew I didn’t want to leave it in the hands of some big international tour company. Somehow, I stumbled onto Ella. Between her amazing YouTube content and multiple personal correspondences, she helped me with everything from tour companies to lodges to visas to vaccines to packing and more. Also sent me a really helpful checklist for both Kenya and Tanzania. Although I’ve done my best since we returned, I can’t thank Ella enough for prepping us to enjoy this adventure with confidence.

Ella recommended several safari operators for our family trip to Botswana, and we chose Skytheme Safaris from her recommendations. Our journey took us from Maun through Moremi, Khwai and Savuti, finishing in Chobe.

The four of us had an unforgettable experience, seeing lions almost every day and even cheetahs swimming — something we never imagined we would see !

Ella’s recommendations helped us find an operator that suited us perfectly, and her enthusiasm for safaris shines through in her videos and personal correspondence. Thank you, Ella, for helping us make this trip so special.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Safaris By Ella to anyone planning a safari !

After years of saving up to take our son on a safari for his graduation, I reached out to a well-known and respected local safari company here in Massachusetts. When we met with them, two terrible things happened: first, we learned that the total cost was way out of our budget—what we had saved for years was only enough to cover one person, and there are three of us going! Second, that company never even bothered to follow up with us after our meeting.

Not being familiar with Tanzania at all, I had no idea where to start and genuinely thought our dream trip was completely doomed.

Then I found Ella at Safaris by Ella, and everything changed.

All it took was reaching out to her, and she immediately provided recommendations for reputable, highly reviewed safari companies based directly in Tanzania. What I loved most is that she only shared companies she has personally experienced, complete with detailed breakdowns of why she thought each one was great.

Thanks to her guidance, we ultimately chose Serengeti Wakanda Tours to plan our adventure. The total cost for all three of us combined was actually less than what the Massachusetts company quoted for a single person! Beyond the massive savings, our trip is going to be just as luxurious—if not more so—and we love knowing that our money is going directly to the local community in Tanzania rather than a middleman in the States.

The planning process has been completely seamless from start to finish. We head to the Serengeti in July 2027, and we couldn’t be more grateful to Ella for making it happen! If you’re feeling lost planning a safari, reach out to her—she is a lifesaver! Thank you Ella!!!!

Ella’s insight and recommendations was invaluable while planning my Tanzania/Kenya safari!

Ella is responsive and provides helpful information during the planning process.

Useful for narrowing down safari operators. It’s nice seeing what someone who has been on so many safaris recommends. We used her recommendation in Tanzania and the trip was wonderful.

The guidance from Safaris By Ella was so valuable in our choice of safari company and overall experience. We had no idea where to begin, but Ella’s own experiences helped point us in the right direction. Upon submitting a request for safari company recommendations, we received them quickly. I appreciate that her recommendations come from direct experiences and are not influenced by other factors. We chose Encounter Okavango/Galago Travel for a 10-day safari in Botswana and it far exceeded our expectations. The communication throughout our experience was high quality and the safari experience was amazing. We had a seasoned guide and great camp staff. Our wildlife sightings were incredible and the trip was a dream come true, enhanced by utilizing a reliable company. Ella even followed up after our trip to ensure all was up to the standards we expected. I highly recommend Safaris By Ella as well as Encounter Okavango/Galago Travel!

Recently completed a very enjoyable safari based in Arusha TZ to The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater area, and a fabulous time was had. The guidance of ‘Safaris By Ella’ in helping choose a guide company for our specific needs (in our case Serengeti Clarity) was very useful and helped make it a most memorable trip. A well earned five stars!

Very swift and accurate detailed suggestions of Safari companies.

Very helpful

Ella helped us choose a reliable Local Agent!

We decided to look for a travel agent in Kenya to arrange our Safari and Ella was super helpful. In the end we went with Beyond the Plains Safaris but got quotes from agents who Ella had already shortlisted.

I can highly recommend Safaris By Ella. We had an AMAZING experience with Sky Theme Safaris in Botswana, after Ella’s recommendation.

The owner Olly arranged everything for us in a timely manner, not easy with only 10 days notice. We had a fantastic guide in Mopane (known affectionately as Muffin). He was an incredible, highly trained tracker with an innate ability to take us (and radio assist guides from other trucks) over tricky terrain to catch fantastic sightings such as a cheetah and her 3 cubs, 2 lion prides, leopard, … I could go on. He was known in the park as the Lion King/Whisperer, the other drivers would tell us this … and to top it off he is just a lovely human being. We also had a brilliant chef in Eddie and his assistants Omphile and Raps. Together they were a great team!

We have been on at least 10 game drives/safaris in several countries now and this was by far our best experience; a truly wonderful adventure. I can highly recommend Sky Themes, and Safaris By Ella is a great platform to launch your safari planning. Ella offers lots of practical advice and she has the local knowledge which gave us the confidence to book our trip privately and not through an agent.

Thank you Ella for all your recommendations and tips!

Ella reached out to us immediately we started looking for available Safari options in Keya, Tanzania and Uganda. All the safari tour companies that she recommended and put us in touch with did send in proposals for review. The company we finally selected for our experience was very good, and Ella’s recommendation really paid off.

Received lots of information before our Safari. We have received various quotes through operators that were recommended by Ella. Communication with all operators was great and it was really hard to decide as all offers were excellent. In the end we decided for Beyond the Plains Safari and are excited for our upcoming trip in November.

Also received lots of additional information and tips from Ella after booking. Also really like the YouTube videos which are very informative.

Ella’s advice was a great help in planning our first safari. Her recommendation of Serengeti Clarity was absolutely spot on, as we had such a positive experience with them. They were super helpful from start to finish and we’re particularly grateful to Kelvin our guide for making the trip such a memorable one. Best holiday ever! I’ll definitely be coming back to Ella for advice on our next safari adventure.

Thank you, Ella, for helping us plan our safari in Tanzania. This was our first safari, and thanks to your recommendations and guidance, it turned into a truly unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We chose Serengeti Clarity based on your recommendation, and we were very happy with our choice. Everything was well organized, and we had a wonderful time.

A special thank you for the packing list as well—it was incredibly helpful and allowed us to travel light while still having everything we needed.

Thank you again for all your help and thoughtful recommendations! ❤️

Ella, thank you so much for your help with finding the most incredible company to lead and plan our honeymoon.

My husband and I knew we wanted our honeymoon to be a safari in Tanzania followed by the beach in Zanzibar, but had absolutely no idea where to start, and it was overwhelming when we began our search.

I came across Ella’s website while doing some research and followed her social media. After filling out a form on her website, I heard back from her very quickly and she narrowed our search down with her very helpful list of recommendations. We ended up picking the second option from her list and had the most incredible 3 week honeymoon we could have imagined.

Thank you again, Ella, for helping to make our dreams become reality.

Jessica and Sam

Safaris by Ella has been my go to for planning my trip to Botswana. Ella is full of knowledge and she will send useful links and tips as you bring your trip together. I had10 days to organise my safari and was feeling overwhelmed by what needed to be done with so little time. Ella sent me lots of recommendations and good tips, from her list of respected local guides to book with, to what to pack for this journey. Such a great find!

We booked a private safari with Wild for Game Safaris at Ella’s recommendation after watching her three part video on YouTube. It was a wonderful experience for us. Her website is also very informative and is recommended for planning. Thank you Ella for your assistance.

I would like to thank Ella for all the advice and recommendations when putting together my own Safari program. She was very helpful in selecting and recommending travel agencies that are proven and reliable. It was very helpful and I recommend everyone to take advantage of the Safari By Ella experience.

A very reliable source to work with! Grateful for this.

So far we have just booked our trip. Ella has been very helpful, responding to our questions and referring a couple of good choices. We are going next year so I can update about our experience then.

Looking for local Tanzania safari companies from the UK is difficult because there are so many, not all legitimate. Safaris by Ella enabled me to narrow the search down and concentrate on those that are trusted. A very good service thanks Ella

Ella’s, YouTube video’s appeared during my Tanzanian research for game park safaris, which I then followed for a little bit. The invite was to contact Ella and discuss our ideas regarding preparing for our upcoming trip. So, I did make contact and from that, suggestions for the trip plus safari operators were past onto us.

We chose a few and made contact etc… regrading pricing, time of year, what was in the offer etc.

So far very happy with the direction we are heading as our safari is the first week of September.

Our journey will cover Sth Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania & Kenya over two months.

Thank you Ella for your wonderful support and follow up, we will be in touch after our Safari.

Love her YouTube channel…very entertaining and informative.

I was wanting to find a safari experience in Botswana. I started with normal travel agents and soon gave those up, expensive and lacked flexibility, Doing my search I came across Safaris By Ella. I did a thorough cross reference of reviews – all good. I contacted Ella and told what I wanted. I got three recommendations from her, I used her free guide on what to look and for followed up on the suggestions. I had a front runner and was able to thoroughly review them. We have a contract to travel with them this September. I now have Ella’s guide on how to prepare for the trip to use. Ella’s knowledge and experience helped reduce the risk and match our needs. Thank you Ella for your help. We will recommend you to anyone who asks

Ella was instrumental in us finding a safari provider for us. Her guidance and then follow-up in the bid process helped us arrange find a quality local safari provider, arrange what turned out to be a perfect safari and save us thousands in the process. Can’t ask for more then that.

My Botswana safari experience (May 2026) was a total success, and that was in large part due to Ella’s excellent advice, experience and connections to local providers. From connecting me to safari operators who offered the sort of experience I was looking for (mobile camping safari), to helping me determine the country/region to focus on during the dates I wanted, to giving specific packing advice and breaking down the cost structure of the safari experience for different regions, I don’t think I could have chosen better. I was able to embark on this adventure with more a lot more confidence than I otherwise would have had. Ella also helped facilitate my email communications with my safari provider once I chose one. For someone who had never previously visited Africa, Ella anticipated what questions I would have and what information I would need. I *highly* recommend connecting with Ella when considering an African safari!!

Information Ella provided has been so helpful with the planning of our safari! I strongly recommend using her site.

So I don’t remember how I came across Safaris by Ella but thank god I did! She was so helpful in the process of planning my safari in Tanzania, not only she gave me really good options of companies to choose from, but she also share some useful guides on how to prepare for my trip. Thank you very much!

My Botswana safari experience (May 2026) was a total success, and that was in large part due to Ella’s excellent advice, experience and connections to local providers. From connecting me to safari operators who offered the sort of experience I was looking for (mobile camping safari), to helping me determine the country/region to focus on during the dates I wanted, to giving specific packing advice and breaking down the cost structure of the safari experience for different regions, I don’t think I could have chosen better. I was able to embark on this adventure with more a lot more confidence than I otherwise would have had. Ella also helped facilitate my email communications with my safari provider once I chose one. For someone who had never previously visited Africa, Ella anticipated what questions I would have and what information I would need. I *highly* recommend connecting with Ella when considering an African safari!!

I had a great experience with Safaris by Ella. From the very beginning, they were incredibly helpful and proactive. They provided a curated list of reliable companies to organize my safari, which made the decision‑making process much easier. On top of that, they shared a very clear and practical planning guide that helped me understand the logistics, timing, and key considerations for the trip.

Their support was thoughtful, well‑structured, and genuinely useful. I highly recommend Safaris by Ella to anyone planning a safari and looking for trustworthy guidance.

I have been very impressed with the communication from safaris by Ella. She is prompt in connecting us with local Safari guides that will meet our needs and answers all questions proficiently.

We can’t wait for our experience in September 2027!

Was able to choose a safari company through safaris by Ella. Thanks for the info.

Planning for our trip to Africa was all a bit overwhelming as there are so many companies out there. We were fortunate to find Ella when we started our research.

Ella’s information and recommendations helped us immensely find some highly reputable companies and work out what as important for us to include in our safari. We have now made our booking and excited to do our safari in May.

This is a very useful guide especially for persons taking their first safari or trip to Africa.

Ella was incredibly helpful and responsive!

Ella is amazing.

She gave me so many useful tips , beginning with list of recommended Safari companies to book my forthcoming trip, all of which I contacted and made my choice.

Ella also provided me with do’s and dont’s regarding clothes, luggage etc which was very helpful.

After I go on my safari in October 2026 I will make further updates

Ella provided extremely useful information regarding our safari in Kenya and Tanzania, and was always ready to offer us promptly accurate data and good suggestions in all possible issues of our planned journey. Her help in finding a local company to prepare our tour and to put together an attractive itinerary was indispensable. Thank you, Ella!

We had no idea how to even go about planning and African safari. Ella made our trip so easy and smooth. She provided us 5 excellent companies to choose from. Our experience was flawless and the perfect once in a lifetime trip! I would definitely use Ella again!

Really helpful and detailed website, we got three excellent local options for our Tanzania safari and are going ahead with one. Ella was in touch directly with advice and suggestions, which really helped.

I highly recommend Ella. Initially, I was reading her blog for ideas/background info but was so impressed I asked for quotes. I then received 4 diff ones, all local companies. I researched the cos further and all had excellent reviews so picked one. Price, comms all great so far so looking forward to June! Thanx Ella for doing at better job than a travel agent for free! Tim

Ella was very responsive and connected me with an excellent company in Kenya. She also made very good recommendations about Nairobi and about what to bring to the safari.

Safaris by Ella has been a valuable resource in the selection of our safari company and overall planning process. It can be hard to know where to begin in choosing a safari company or how to ensure the company is trustworthy. The details, reviews and recommendations from Ella guided us every step of the way and we now feel confident in the company we have chosen. We are now free to focus on the adventure ahead!

Ella made planning our Kenya and Tanzania safari trip much easier. She is very detail driven, and her recommendations are excellent. She also makes it easy to ask her questions and for advice- with quick responses. We highly recommend Ella for planning and booking your trip.

Stumbling onto Ella’s content and experience was a game changer for me in booking our African safari. From her recommended local companies to the emails asking if I had any questions and providing guidance, to the YouTube videos she’s posted, she got me from my own 1-yard line to 1st & goal in terms of understanding all of the options and nuances of setting up a 14-day Kenya & Tanzania safari. We can’t wait and can’t thank Ella enough.

Safaris by Ella did a great job in recommending us to Safari Soles to us, for our trip to Tanzania. We really appreciate the referral and close follow up!

I was able to book a safari and get all the information through Ella and her travel guides. Makes everything so much easier and safer

I used Safaris By Ella to find a tour company for our safari in Tanzania and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome! This was our first safari and I didn’t really know where to start when it came to researching different tours and companies, but Safaris By Ella made it so simple! I just had to fill out a short form and within hours several tour companies had reached out to me with itineraries and quotes. From there, I just picked the one that suited our needs and budget the best and our safari did not disappoint – it was an unforgettable experience! I will definitely use Safaris by Ella when booking our next safari!

Ella has been very responsive as we researched our long anticipated trip to East Africa. We were able to book a better and less expensive trip then the ones offered by our US based travel agent.

Ella helped us plan our Safari not only with her online content, but buy keeping in touch by Email, giving useful tips, as well. We had a wonderful time, thank you!