Quite frankly our safari in Tanzania was a trip of a lifetime.

As far as Safari Soles go – Ibrahim organised the entire holiday. Chief met us at the airport & we had Abdul as our safari guide. He was brilliant and we were really sad to leave him when we travelled home. He looked after us so well, his experience and knowledge of animals just shone through, his knowledge was second to none. We saw lots of animals including the Big 5 and the Ugly 5.

We also saw over 200 bird species – thanks to Abdul who specialised in birds. We got lucky!

We would go back tomorrow and will revisit for sure at some stage in the future.

The whole experience was 10/10.

Most importantly, the people of Tanzania made the trip – they were so friendly and welcoming.

Safari Soles were absolutely brilliant.

Thanks to your YouTube videos helped us to book this amazing trip.

I can not speak highly enough of this trip.

Quite frankly our safari in Tanzania was a trip of a lifetime.

As far as Safari Soles go – Ibrahim organised the entire holiday. Chief met us at the airport & we had Abdul as our safari guide. He was brilliant and we were really sad to leave him when we travelled home. He looked after us so well, his experience and knowledge of animals just shone through, his knowledge was second to none. We saw lots of animals including the Big 5 and the Ugly 5.

We also saw over 200 bird species – thanks to Abdul who specialised in birds. We got lucky!

We would go back tomorrow and will revisit for sure at some stage in the future.

The whole experience was 10/10.

Most importantly, the people of Tanzania made the trip – they were so friendly and welcoming.

Safari Soles were absolutely brilliant.

Thanks to your YouTube videos helped us to book this amazing trip.

I can not speak highly enough of this trip.

They were faultless. Very professional.

After watching Ellas videos we decided to get some quotations off her recommended company’s. We decided to book with Safari Soles.

Mandela our guide was brilliant. This was our 3rd Safari and he was by far the best. I felt he actually considered the safety of the animals and took his time not rushing like some of the other jeeps. We also managed to get the perfect shots as he knew where the animals would move too. Very experienced. My partner is a photographer so it was perfect for him.

The accommodation was excellent. I loved the Safari Haven Camps ❤️ in Ndutu and Serengeti. The staff were very accommodating and the rooms were spotless.

All the chefs cooked amazing food. The cooked picnic everyday was a great touch. Something we had never experienced before.

All the booking was really straightforward. We dealt with Hope who was very efficient. He tailored our trip to suit. We also added 2 of our friends on afterwards. This was really straight forward to amend.

I am so glad we added Ndutu on( after watching your video) my favourite.

This journey would not have been possible without Ella McKendrick, who recommended Safari Soles in Tanzania and their sister company, Native Afrika Voyages in Kenya. Her advice was invaluable: she connected us directly with trusted local operators, avoiding large marketplace platforms and unnecessary commissions, while also supporting local African businesses. Ella also shared detailed country-specific travel checklists, which were incredibly useful and made planning far less overwhelming. It was also reassuring that our safari closely reflected what we had seen in her YouTube travel videos — everything unfolded just as she had shown and described.

From the start, Safari Soles were professional, responsive, and easy to work with. They took time to understand our budget, accommodation preferences, and interests, and created a fully tailor-made safari. Flexible instalment payment options were another appreciated touch.

Our trip began in Kenya with Native Afrika Voyages before our driver Cyrus escorted us to the Isebania border and assisted us through customs, where we were seamlessly handed over to Godlisten from Safari Soles. It was one of the easiest border crossings we’ve experienced, and travelling by road allowed us to see both countries properly.

Godlisten was our driver and guide for five days in Tanzania, taking us through the Serengeti, Ndutu, and Ngorongoro Crater. He was kind, highly experienced, and an excellent driver, and his knowledge of wildlife, birdlife, animal behaviour, and Tanzanian history greatly enriched our safari.

After the safari, we stayed at Arusha Farm House. On our final full day, Enock drove us to Materuni Waterfalls and a coffee-making tour in Materuni Village near Mount Kilimanjaro, introducing us to our local guide Elya, whose knowledge of the area and plants enhanced the walk.

The Materuni coffee experience was a highlight of the trip, with warm local hosts, singing, fresh Arabica coffee, and a shared lunch in the village. Spending time with Enock, Elya, and the local community, learning some Swahili, and hearing young Tanzanian perspectives made this day especially meaningful.

Safari Soles’ accommodation advice was excellent, including their suggestion to spend a night in Ndutu rather than staying entirely in the central Serengeti. The Safari Haven Migration Camp was a beautiful tented camp I recognised from Ella’s earlier Safari Soles trip.

What truly sets Safari Soles apart is their customer-focused approach. We appreciated meeting Laurent, the manager, to share feedback, and on our final morning Frank drove us around Arusha and to the airport, friendly and knowledgeable like all our drivers. Complimentary drinks in the vehicles and the high-quality safari vehicles were thoughtful finishing touches.

Overall, we had a fantastic experience and highly recommend Safari Soles to anyone planning a dream safari. I would also highly recommend Safaris by Ella — her guidance, resources, and personal experience were invaluable in planning our perfect trip. Special thanks to Ella McKendrick, and to Godlisten, Enock, Frank, Laurent, and Boniface for their care, expertise, and excellent coordination.

*photo credits my travel companion: @aussicobra

The trip with Safari Soles was excellent. At the start of the trip we had some flight delays that resulted in us arriving in the wee hours of the morning. The Safari Soles team seamlessly adapted to our early morning arrival and our later than anticipated start the next day.

Our guide Baraka was so nice, informative, had good sense of humor and adapted to our likespreferences quickly. My family was impressed how Baraka would maneuver the car around other safari vehicles to ensure we had a good view and still respecting the views of other vehicles and sharing timeviews with other vehicles. He seemed extremely connected with other drivers and used this to solicit wildlife sighting information. Baraka was comfortable talking about life in Tanzania and non-safari topics, this allowed my family to learn more about the culture, people etc.

After seeing many other groups eating “”box”” lunches, my family very much appreciated having tins of foods to be shared family style vs the “”box”” lunches.

For the pre-safari information that you send out, I would suggest adding a note to bring along N95 mask for the dust as anyone with respiratory issues may find the dust on the roads somewhat of a challenge.

Thanks for your informationservice on helping us find Safari Soles, I would 100% recommend them to others.

We are 3 senior ladies travelling Africa. We had looked at several different safari companies prior to leaving Canada but didn’t really know which or how to choose. I found Ella online and read her material. I shared with my friends and we decided her experience and recommended tour companies were a good choice. I sent inquiries to a few and Safari Soles was the first to answer with very helpful information.

We chose Safari Soles based on Elly’s recommendation and were not disappointed! Our guide’s name was “Innocent” and he was fantastic! We had laughs, great conversations and we learned a lot about tribal cultures. We would all recommend Ella’s information as crucial before going on safari. Who would know not to wear black and dark blue because it attracts flies that bite??! We didn’t but Ella’s experience and knowledgeable guides told us what to pack and what to expect.

Loved our Tanzania Safari!

I got 3 recommendations which got me 3 quotes. After some conversation with the operators to tune some aspects we went with Safari Soles, one of Ella’s recommendations. The trip was excellent! In particular, the guide we got was awesome. Very easy going while super-professional at the same time. Perhaps someone else might be able to match him but certainly not do better.

Safari Soles was absolutely fantastic! One of the things I like the most was how responsive they were when I had questions or wanted to make changes. Our driver was absolutely awesome. Meals were terrific. Tented camps were perfect.

Nothing bad to say.

I read Ella’s blog and watched her videos and felt connected to how she travelled would be just right for us and what we would like and we were right! We got reccomendations of 3 safari companies in Tanzania and went with Safari Soles Tours who were just exceptional! The care their staff (julieth) and guide (simon) took to organise our safari was wonderful and the safari honeymoon was exceptional. Choosing the right company is very stressful and I’ve learnt that what is important is the passion and care of the company and the guide plus the jeep itself and route. A new jeep means better comfort on those bumpy african roads and a private tour means total control of what you do and allows your guide to learn what you like and don’t like which makes the day and game drives work perfectly. Safari soles did that for us and Ella and her beautiful writing lead us to them so thank you Ella as we so nearly gave up on the honeymoon safari dream as there was so much choice it became overwhelmimg but you made it easy for us and showed us the way to an exceptional honeymoon. I also just loved that Ella is Ella.. a down to earth, relatable, lovely English lady. Would def use her reccomendations again and can’t reccomend safari soles enough for tanzania and the Serrengeti.. do not miss ngorongoro national park tho.. that was just mind blowing!

We just returned from Tanzania last week and had the most amazing time! Safari Soles was incredible to work with. Vivian was super responsive and took care of all the little details. We had some great guides both on our city tours and on safari. We really can’t imagine having a better experience with anyone else. They provided the best customer service I have ever seen.

We are so very thankful for Ella’s recommendations and support in setting up our safari. She connected us with Safari Soles, gave us great recommendations and travel tips and checked in with us to make sure that our planning was going smoothly and that we enjoyed the trip afterwards. She honestly saved us a lot of money in giving us the connections and confidence to book directly. I’m really grateful to Ella and recommend reaching out to her if you are planning a trip to Africa!

Dear Ella, thanks a lot for suggesting the idea of combining Kenya and Tanzania, we very much enjoyed the trip. Both Native Afrika ( Guide Antony) and safari soles (Guide Reginald) have done a great job. These guides were very much interested in showing us all the exotic animals ! I also was able to photograph many of them properly. The highlight of the trip was the River crossing by the Wildebeest and seeing a leopard very closely.

Used this service to get three quotes and I ended up using Safari Soles. Was an amazing trip!

Thanks Ella, for recommending Safari soles and Native Afrikan Voyages we really had an excellent time in Tanzania and Kenya and felt very safe throughout the trip.

They gave us the best guide / driver who knew where to take us to show us the big five and the migration

I will be writing a review for them on trip advisor as well

Thanks again

Sneha

It was a 5-star experience from the very beginning with Safaris By Ella. We received two proposals within 12 hours of our inquiry. Then Ella offered tips on how to select the perfect safari for us. We booked a safari in Tanzania with Safari Soles. Jackson from Safari Soles was extremely responsive and helpful at setting up a custom-made tour for us. Both of them were absolutely wonderful to work with. Ella also provided a nice PDF summary of things to think about and prepare for travelling.

If you are thinking of booking a safari, do yourself a favor and go with Safaris By Ella to help with the process. She will save you hours of research and unnecessary stress.

Ella’s recommendations were wonderful. She responded very quickly and was full of knowledge. We went with Safari Soles. They were absolutely wonderful to work with. Very professional. Gave information quickly and efficiently. Our guide for the week was caring and informative. I have been recommending them to everyone. Their choices of accommodations are superb.

We chanced upon the Safaris By Ella when we searched African safari. Going through her blogs and vlogs on YouTube, we decided on our itinerary and filled out a form through her website to get no obligation quotes for a Safari in Tanzania. The very next day, we received 3 quotes from her curated local Safari operators. We also got a few quotes from other tour operators and finally decided on Safari Soles a recommended tour operator by Ella. During the trip planning phase, I reached out to Ella a couple of times with questions and she was prompt in answering all of them. We wanted to visit local schools during our visit and she connected me with a school owner. Visiting the local school will be a great memory for all of us, especially our kids.

She even sent us a To-do and packing list which truly helped. Thanks to her, we were prepared with the mandatory travel insurance for Zanzibar.

We had an amazing experience with Safari Soles – our tour operator. They remained engaged throughout the trip planning process as well as during the trip. Their guides Abdul and Floridi are very well experienced and made sure we were able to see the Big 5, the great migration and the river crossing all while staying ethical and not chasing any animals.

I would absolutely use Ella’s curated itineraries and tour operators for my next Safari adventure.

I highly recommend Safari by Ella when you are planning for your safari. It was my first time in Africa and honestly I did not know where to start. I watched many of Ella’s videos on YouTube and reached out to her via her site. She was so responsive and helpful.. She linked me with Safari Soles in Tanzania and I was all set for a trip of a lifetime. I could have not hoped for more honestly and I returned last week with amazing memories wanting to return to Africa again. I highly recommend you reach out to her if you are planning a safari.

I found Ella’s descriptions and suggestions very helpful. Even after I chose one of the tour guides she recommended, she took the time to answer some of my questions regarding appropriate attire. She greatly simplified my research and enabled me to schedule a great safari a mere 10 days before my departure. Thanks Ella!

Ella was incredibly helpful in choosing my safari adventure! She presented several amazing tour operators and, when I had specific requirements, she expertly filtered my options to help me find the perfect fit. Her knowledge and attention to detail made the entire process smooth and stress-free. My tour is in September, and I couldn’t be more excited! Thanks to Ella’s guidance, I feel extremely confident in my choice. Highly recommend her expertise!

I used Safaris by Ella to book my safari in Tanzania and it has been brilliant! Ella helps you step by step. I didn’t contact her as I am pretty independent, but at just the right time before we went she sent a very helpful guide of what to do when you are actually going. We also used her help to get quotes from good safari companies that can be trusted as, when you start looking at safaris in Tanzania, the information you find from various sources is overwhelming. Thank you so much for your help, Ella!

Safaris by Ella was invaluable in planning our 8-day safari in Tanzania. It provided many of the details I was looking for about what to expect and the tour company recommendations led me to the local company we ended up booking with.

We had a wonderful experience with Safari Soles. They were very helpful in planning. Our guide was very knowledgeable, an excellent driver, and patient with our questions. We liked all of our accommodations, but especially Safari Haven run by the same company. We would definitely recommend them.

My thanks once again to Ella for the information and the company suggestions.

Hi Ella,

Thanks for giving us a lead of safari operators in Tanzania! We did the safari with Safari Soles and had a fantastic trip. Here’s the review i posted on trip advisor:-

The Tanzania safari with Safari Soles was an amazing experience! During the planning stage, Rachel was extremely prompt and forthcoming with information which helped us plan the safari. She handheld us at each stage and helped us create a package that aligned with our budget and expectations. She gave us an overview of the places we would visit, accommodation for each night, and was frank about what to expect at each place.

During the first day of the safari, we were introduced to our safari guide Japhet. Wow! What a guy Japhet was! Very soft spoken, patient, and knowledgeable about the various flora and fauna we were expected to come across in the next five days. Each day he would brief us about the plan for the day, and the attractions to look out for. He discussed with oncoming drivers about the animal sightings they’d had, and planned our route accordingly.

We were extremely satisfied with the safari where we not only sighted the big five, but a lot many other birds and animals.

Strongly recommend Safari Soles for a planned, customised safari!

Best wishes to Team Safari Soles!!!

Safari to Tarangire was really great! We went on december 10, just for 1 day. That was a first test for my wife to see if she will enjoy it before planning another one later for more days.

We all enjoyed the experience, the guide provided by Safari Soles Tours (found after interacting with Ella) was great, very friendly, we learned a lot. In few years hopefully we will go to Serengeti.

Thank you for sharing all those useful contacts, I highly recommend them as well.

Hi Ella,

Thanks for giving us a lead of safari operators in Tanzania! We did the safari with Safari Soles and had a fantastic trip. Here’s the review i posted on trip advisor:-

The Tanzania safari with Safari Soles was an amazing experience! During the planning stage, Rachel was extremely prompt and forthcoming with information which helped us plan the safari. She handheld us at each stage and helped us create a package that aligned with our budget and expectations. She gave us an overview of the places we would visit, accommodation for each night, and was frank about what to expect at each place.

During the first day of the safari, we were introduced to our safari guide Japhet. Wow! What a guy Japhet was! Very soft spoken, patient, and knowledgeable about the various flora and fauna we were expected to come across in the next five days. Each day he would brief us about the plan for the day, and the attractions to look out for. He discussed with oncoming drivers about the animal sightings they’d had, and planned our route accordingly.

We were extremely satisfied with the safari where we not only sighted the big five, but a lot many other birds and animals.

Strongly recommend Safari Soles for a planned, customised safari!

Best wishes to Team Safari Soles!!!

Safaris by Ella was invaluable in planning our 8-day safari in Tanzania. It provided many of the details I was looking for about what to expect and the tour company recommendations led me to the local company we ended up booking with.

We had a wonderful experience with Safari Soles. They were very helpful in planning. Our guide was very knowledgeable, an excellent driver, and patient with our questions. We liked all of our accommodations, but especially Safari Haven run by the same company. We would definitely recommend them.

My thanks once again to Ella for the information and the company suggestions.

I would rate my experience with Safari Soles a 10/5! The experience was absolutely fantastic. From the whole process of building out my safari with Regina, to airport pick up (and drop off) with Chief, to our amazing time with Oscar (who was your guide in Manyara, I believe), to our day spent with Andrew, it has been an incomparable experience.

We had booked two extra days in Tanzania for downtime before and after travel (the day before our safari and the day after), and even though we were not on our safari, Safari Soles made sure that we had someone to pick us up and bring us to the airport (Chief who is an absolute joy and so funny).

Oscar is who really made the trip for us. A kindred spirit, he was really up for anything. I don’t think my mother and I have ever laughed so much. Not only was he kind, but he was extremely knowledgeable, and had so much information to share (not only about the animals but also about his country).

Every hotel (camp) we stayed was fantastic, and we were met with welcoming arms (one camp enjoyed our company so much they asked us to stay longer).

All this to say is we had the trip of a lifetime, and I will most certainly be going back, and going through Safari Soles so I can see my good friend Oscar again!

Ella connected us with the best safari operator in Tanzania!

The trip was absolutely fantastic from planning to execution. Safari Soles made our dream come true!

– very comprehensive materials

– clear and speedy communication

– supportive when it came to negotiating the price

– smooth pickups at every stage of the trip

– our guide was extremely polite, funny and knowledgeable

– we have met other guides from Safar Soles on the way and they all seemed to be the same

I was 100% satisfied with my choice.

Bumping into Ella’s page was the best thing happened to us while planning our dream vacation.

Thanks again!

We had a wonderful experience all made possible by Safari Soles Tours. We thank you for your blog as it was very beneficial, helping us understand the differences between booking directly with a Tanzanian Operator and going through an American travel agency. Your recommendation gave us the confidence that Safari Soles was a legitimate Tour Operator, considering the numerous online Tanzanian Operators to choose from, not to mention the requirement to make an upfront 40% deposit payment before arriving in Africa.

Happiness George of Safari Soles coordinated our trip. And while there were a few communication mishaps, she continued to work diligently to ensure our trip was everything we wished for and more. The accommodations she chose were perfect, a mix of beautiful luxury lodges and comfortable “glamping” tents. The staff at each accommodation was extremely hospitable and worked hard to ensure we had a great experience.

Innocent was our Safari guide. He did an excellent job of getting us where we needed to be, communicating with the other guides to locate the latest animal find, even driving for 12 hours a couple of days to ensure we saw all we could possibly see and get to our accommodation in time for dinner. He always had a great attitude and smile on his face and continuously checked to make sure we were “all good”, our new favorite phrase! He was also very knowledgeable about the animals we saw and the customs of the locals we passed.

Ella, your help gave us the peace of mind to follow through with a Tanzanian Operator so that we could afford to take the trip of a lifetime. Thank you again. We agree that you should continue to recommend Safari Soles to others.

Booking our safari using one of Ella’s recommended local providers (Happiness at Safari Soles) has been a pleasure. We have our own itinerary tailored to our requests at a fraction of the cost of large commercial safari companies. The service has been personal, efficient and informative. Ella’s communication has been excellent throughout and we now have a fantastic trip to look forward to.

Ella’s site and Youtube channel are super informative. thorugh her platform i got in touch with tour operators who were very proactive and professional.I ended up going ahead with Safari Soles, one of her reccomended operators and it was an amazing experience. Highly recommend them and Ella!

Dear fellow travelers,

We are at the end of our 13 days here in Tanzania and Zanzibar. We are flying home tomorrow, after 13 days of a perfect family trip.

It is the first time we let someone else plan for us, we travel a lot as a family, always planning everything ourselves. This time it has proven to be too complicated. I am so glad I found Safaris by Ella.

You explained the benefits of booking directly with local businesses and we are so glad we did. We asked for 9 days safari and 4 days of pure relaxation. Using Safaris by Ella we got in contact with two companies and chose to use Renatus from Safari Soles Tours. The team at Safari Soles Tours, planned and executed a perfect, stress free holiday within our budget.

At the planning stage all questions were answered within 24 hours. Plenty of advice on packing and getting organised were given. During the trip, we felt like every step was taken to accommodate all of our needs, wishes and wants with ease and pleasure. Nothing was too difficult or complicated. Our guide Ernest was extremely knowledgeable, and fun to be with. We planned the days together, Ernest knew all three parks and the animals habits like the back of his hand, which helped when it came to seeing the wild life. This trip would not have been as successful without him.

The packed lunches which were balanced cooked meals were prepared by the lodges and camps we had stayed at the night before were a great touch, much better than the standard packed lunch and ensured we got to sample the cooking of the places we stayed at.

The car was fully packed with endless water, soft drinks and the excellent Kilimanjaro beer as well as wine. 5 stars trip from start to finish!

Thank you Ella for facilitating this , your service is excellent!

Safari soles did a magnificent job and we were well treated and taken care of. No demand was too much or impossible. The organization was the best and all the recommendations of places to stay were superb.

We had a fantastic driver who was very knowledgeable and patient.

Thank You Ella for the recommendation.

Safaris by Ella is great! I’ve learned so much about what to prepare and everything about a safari trip to her. Also connected our guide Safari Soles Tours through her. Highly appreciate everything she does!

From start to finish it was superb.

Oken was very responsive the whole trip, sorting out last minute changes etc.

Our plane out of the Serengeti was broken on landing and I was straight onto Oken and he started sorting an alternate flight. We were only an hour late in the end and made our connecting flight to Zanzibar

The itinerary worked perfect. The only thing I would change is I’d have 1 day to Walk the ngorongoro crater and 1 day to safari inside the crater. What a place that was. The hotel we stayed in on the crater rim was just unreal….

Everything surpassed my expectations to be honest.

Wished I’d done more safari and not gone to Zanzibar.

Our guide Abdul for safari soles was a good man. He was passionate about the animals and didn’t like chasing them down and surrounding them like a lot of guides do. We liked that.

Thanks for the referral on your website it worked a treat.

The proposals received were varied. Safari soles was by far the most responsive. I ended up booking with them and was there with my son last week. We just got back last night. It was possibly the most fun we have had in a very long time. Our guide Danny was amazing, everything was spot on and as promised or better.

Thank you so much for passing our details and I will certainly my be recommending you and safari soles to all of my friends and family.

Safari to Tarangire was really great! We went on december 10, just for 1 day. That was a first test for my wife to see if she will enjoy it before planning another one later for more days.

We all enjoyed the experience, the guide provided by Safari Soles Tours (found after interacting with Ella) was great, very friendly, we learned a lot. In few years hopefully we will go to Serengeti.

Thank you for sharing all those useful contacts, I highly recommend them as well.

From start to finish it was superb.

Oken was very responsive the whole trip, sorting out last minute changes etc.

Our plane out of the Serengeti was broken on landing and I was straight onto Oken and he started sorting an alternate flight. We were only an hour late in the end and made our connecting flight to Zanzibar

The itinerary worked perfect. The only thing I would change is I’d have 1 day to Walk the ngorongoro crater and 1 day to safari inside the crater. What a place that was. The hotel we stayed in on the crater rim was just unreal….

Everything surpassed my expectations to be honest.

Wished I’d done more safari and not gone to Zanzibar.

Our guide Abdul for safari soles was a good man. He was passionate about the animals and didn’t like chasing them down and surrounding them like a lot of guides do. We liked that.

Thanks for the referral on your website it worked a treat.

Ella was so helpful and wonderful in helping us prepare for our trip to Tanzania! She really has done a lot of the legwork and has a plethora of knowledge gathered from her experiences to help others plan their own trip of a lifetime. Love that she recommends locally owned safari companies! Thank you, Ella!

We highly recommend Ella for helping choose a company. Her first hand knowledge was super helpful. She has excellent response time and sent much needed information we didn’t think to ask.

Safaris by Ella is great! I’ve learned so much about what to prepare and everything about a safari trip to her. Also connected our guide Safari Soles Tours through her. Highly appreciate everything she does!

The proposals received were varied. Safari soles was by far the most responsive. I ended up booking with them and was there with my son last week. We just got back last night. It was possibly the most fun we have had in a very long time. Our guide Danny was amazing, everything was spot on and as promised or better.

Thank you so much for passing our details and I will certainly my be recommending you and safari soles to all of my friends and family.

Ella has been extremely helpful in familiarizing us with challenges of safari in Tanzania. It was our first time in Africa, and we did not know anybody, so it was really helpful that we could rely on advice from Ella and avoid mistakes we would inadvertently make. I should stress that Ella did all this without any payment, and she did not push us to any particular company, so we feel very grateful and would recommend Ella to any newcomers to Tanzania.

Safari soles did a magnificent job and we were well treated and taken care of. No demand was too much or impossible. The organization was the best and all the recommendations of places to stay were superb.

We had a fantastic driver who was very knowledgeable and patient.

Thank You Ella for the recommendation.

Dear fellow travelers,

We are at the end of our 13 days here in Tanzania and Zanzibar. We are flying home tomorrow, after 13 days of a perfect family trip.

It is the first time we let someone else plan for us, we travel a lot as a family, always planning everything ourselves. This time it has proven to be too complicated. I am so glad I found Safaris by Ella.

You explained the benefits of booking directly with local businesses and we are so glad we did. We asked for 9 days safari and 4 days of pure relaxation. Using Safaris by Ella we got in contact with two companies and chose to use Renatus from Safari Soles Tours. The team at Safari Soles Tours, planned and executed a perfect, stress free holiday within our budget.

At the planning stage all questions were answered within 24 hours. Plenty of advice on packing and getting organised were given. During the trip, we felt like every step was taken to accommodate all of our needs, wishes and wants with ease and pleasure. Nothing was too difficult or complicated. Our guide Ernest was extremely knowledgeable, and fun to be with. We planned the days together, Ernest knew all three parks and the animals habits like the back of his hand, which helped when it came to seeing the wild life. This trip would not have been as successful without him.

The packed lunches which were balanced cooked meals were prepared by the lodges and camps we had stayed at the night before were a great touch, much better than the standard packed lunch and ensured we got to sample the cooking of the places we stayed at.

The car was fully packed with endless water, soft drinks and the excellent Kilimanjaro beer as well as wine. 5 stars trip from start to finish!

Thank you Ella for facilitating this , your service is excellent!

Ella’s site and Youtube channel are super informative. thorugh her platform i got in touch with tour operators who were very proactive and professional.

I ended up going ahead with Safari Soles, one of her reccomended operators and it was an amazing experience. Highly recommend them and Ella!

Booking our safari using one of Ella’s recommended local providers (Happiness at Safari Soles) has been a pleasure. We have our own itinerary tailored to our requests at a fraction of the cost of large commercial safari companies. The service has been personal, efficient and informative. Ella’s communication has been excellent throughout and we now have a fantastic trip to look forward to.

We had a wonderful experience all made possible by Safari Soles Tours. We thank you for your blog as it was very beneficial, helping us understand the differences between booking directly with a Tanzanian Operator and going through an American travel agency. Your recommendation gave us the confidence that Safari Soles was a legitimate Tour Operator, considering the numerous online Tanzanian Operators to choose from, not to mention the requirement to make an upfront 40% deposit payment before arriving in Africa.

Happiness George of Safari Soles coordinated our trip. And while there were a few communication mishaps, she continued to work diligently to ensure our trip was everything we wished for and more. The accommodations she chose were perfect, a mix of beautiful luxury lodges and comfortable “glamping” tents. The staff at each accommodation was extremely hospitable and worked hard to ensure we had a great experience.

Innocent was our Safari guide. He did an excellent job of getting us where we needed to be, communicating with the other guides to locate the latest animal find, even driving for 12 hours a couple of days to ensure we saw all we could possibly see and get to our accommodation in time for dinner. He always had a great attitude and smile on his face and continuously checked to make sure we were “all good”, our new favorite phrase! He was also very knowledgeable about the animals we saw and the customs of the locals we passed.

Ella, your help gave us the peace of mind to follow through with a Tanzanian Operator so that we could afford to take the trip of a lifetime. Thank you again. We agree that you should continue to recommend Safari Soles to others.

We just booked a safari using Safaris By Ella. It was easy to do and we got a private safari for a great price.

Ella connected us with the best safari operator in Tanzania!

The trip was absolutely fantastic from planning to execution. Safari Soles made our dream come true!

– very comprehensive materials

– clear and speedy communication

– supportive when it came to negotiating the price

– smooth pickups at every stage of the trip

– our guide was extremely polite, funny and knowledgeable

– we have met other guides from Safar Soles on the way and they all seemed to be the same

I was 100% satisfied with my choice.

Bumping into Ella’s page was the best thing happened to us while planning our dream vacation.

Thanks again!

I would rate my experience with Safari Soles a 10/5! The experience was absolutely fantastic. From the whole process of building out my safari with Regina, to airport pick up (and drop off) with Chief, to our amazing time with Oscar (who was your guide in Manyara, I believe), to our day spent with Andrew, it has been an incomparable experience.

We had booked two extra days in Tanzania for downtime before and after travel (the day before our safari and the day after), and even though we were not on our safari, Safari Soles made sure that we had someone to pick us up and bring us to the airport (Chief who is an absolute joy and so funny).

Oscar is who really made the trip for us. A kindred spirit, he was really up for anything. I don’t think my mother and I have ever laughed so much. Not only was he kind, but he was extremely knowledgeable, and had so much information to share (not only about the animals but also about his country).

Every hotel (camp) we stayed was fantastic, and we were met with welcoming arms (one camp enjoyed our company so much they asked us to stay longer).

All this to say is we had the trip of a lifetime, and I will most certainly be going back, and going through Safari Soles so I can see my good friend Oscar again!