They came, they saw, and shared their comments, feedback and photographs. . . 

We receive a lot of feedback from people from all over the world who have been with us on holiday to East Africa – we have posted a few of their comments here along with some unique photographs they have provided us with. Should you wish to contact people who have been with us, we can supply contact details for you to contact them directly.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our break . . .
Joshua was an excellent guide. The best accommodation was Swala Camp although we were happy with all the hotels. 
Island Express did a morning tour of Stone Town. The return trip was very smooth, car and flight being all on time.
Thank you very much for planning and organising such a wonderful trip. Eileen appreciated very much the cake presented by Karufuu. We took it to our lodge to enjoy it with a glass of champagne.                                        Francis Jordan, England, U.K. 

Thank you for all your efforts on our behalf. We had a simply splendid holiday. It was absolutely fabulous.                                                           Roger and Gaynor, Swansea      

I just wanted to thank you for a great trip… The location was amazing and you really heard those lions roaring throughout the night.  Felt very close to nature. . .the  food and staff were fantastic . . . really, everything was perfect. . .wouldn’t have changed a thing.  We really thought yours was a first class operation, and we were very impressed...  you'll get 100% of our referrals.. .  Your patience (answering our countless questions) and detailed preparation of our custom weeklong Tanzanian safari made all the difference.  Everything from our itinerary, vehicle, lodging, and guide couldn't have been more perfect… we had a blast.  I'm recommending you to everyone who's considering going to Africa.                                                             Jed (Film Executive, London)

We just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you for all your help putting together our holiday plans for Tanzania.  We had a tremendous trip and your recommendations were excellent.  We were extremely impressed with the organisation for the Kilimanjaro trek in particular.  It will be something to remember every Christmas from now on!                                                                                             Claire, London

We just wanted to drop you a line to say what a great time we had on our honeymoon. Our guide was fantastic and all transfers went smoothly - it really was a holiday of a lifetime and we wanted to thank you for arranging it all so well for us.  We will definitely be recommending you to our friends and colleagues.                                                                                     Sharon, Surrey

 We got back to the UK last night so I thought I would email to say a huge thank you for all your help in planning such a fantastic safari for us! We had a brilliant time! Our guide N was great, the lodges were lovely and we saw loads of animals!  Zanzibar was great too, lovely beaches!
 Thank you again for all your help, we had a wonderful time.                                            Heather, London

 Just wanted to tell you our holiday was FANTASTIC - everything went according to plan... we loved the safari and had a great driver who looked after us really well and was good company.  He also had excellent eyesight and seemed to spot wildlife in the distance that we found difficult to pick out with our binoculars.  We seemed to see everything - especially in the Ngorongoro Crater.  I enclose a couple of photos for interest. In Zanzibar, the beach resort was exactly what we all needed - great beach, pool and all facilities up to standard. We greatly enjoyed the Dolphin trip (where we swam with literally dozens). Thank you for all of you hard work and organisation.              David and Annika, Kent

Raphael was a great guide, always checking we were happy and finding almost all the animals we requested! The balloon flight over the Serengeti was unbelievable and the breakfast afterwards - with so much champagne amazing. 
Thanks again!  Best wishes                                                                                                                 Robert and Maxine Parker England, U.K

THANK YOU So much for organising everything so well for us.  We had a great time and all went well, very smoothly despite the multi trip itinerary.  Especially all the changes last Wed on Zanzibar! I will certainly be recommending you to others whenever possible.                                             Kathryn Garnett,U.K

I am writing to let you know that we have had a wonderful experience with Roy Safaris at all times. The staff has been extremely friendly and accommodating with us and we feel we could not have picked a better Mountain and Safari company. The whole experience in the mountain was simply unbelievable and beyond our expectations. Zacharia was a fantastic and encouraging guide, and believe me, we did end up needing that. Not to mention the quality and extremely tasteful food Emmanuel prepared for us. Please extend our praises to them.
The safari portion with Joshua was also simply wonderful. Everything worked like clockwork and he was extremely friendly, knowledgeable and tried his best at Spanish, something we gladly appreciated. We were also very pleased with the car and all accommodations along the way. Everything was perfect. I will recommend your company to any person I know that is planning on travelling to Tanzania, and you will sure have repeat costumers if we decide to return again for more of that amazing nature, mountains and friendliness that we discovered in Tanzania.
Thanks for an amazing trip and perfect honeymoon. Ah yes! and thank you so much for that South African wine you complimented us with. We are saving it for a special occasion!                                                                                        Jesus, Spain

Thank you for all your efforts on our behalf. We had a simply splendid holiday. It was absolutely fabulous. And for arranging a most enjoyable bottle of Red to welcome as at Mountain Lodge. A really lovely thought.
Sanjay and Tesha were absolutely marvellous, and the safari itself was so well organised, it was a joy.
The Breezes was a super place to stay, the staff there were brilliant. In fact, the whole trip was wonderful.
The Tanzanian people are such a lovely contented and welcoming people that Gaynor and I have already decided that we will visit the Country again rather than go back to Kenya.
Thank you again, especially for your personal touch, your kindness and consideration.   
                                                                                                                       Roger and Gaynor, England, U.K.

This is just a quick note to let you know how much we enjoyed our holiday. Clamian was superb, from the moment he met us at Arusha airport to the point he saw us on to our plane at Seronera at the end.
He is such a personable man, happy to share with us information about his background, family and beliefs. This aspect of Clamian was as interesting to us as his obvious knowledge of the wildlife of the areas we visited. He was more than happy to vary the programme as and when we asked (such as shortening the length of one drive, making another one longer, taking us up to Olduvai Gorge and Shifting Sands, etc. etc.).
Theofilio, who we met for our initial briefing (and the painful part of handing over lots of money for our holiday!) was extremely pleasant. He seemed genuinely pleased that we were using Roy Safaris to view his country.
The vehicle was extremely roomy and, because of the conversion, my wife and I could easily move around to get the best angle to view/photo the animals and birds. Clamian kept the vehicle spotless, inside and out, throughout the holiday. Apart from your logo it was the easiest way to spot our vehicle when it was parked at the lodges!
You may or may not be interested to look at some of our photos. If so, use the internet link below and follow the simple instructions.
We shall certainly be recommending Roy Safaris to any friends or acquaintances of ours who may be considering a safari in Tanzania.
If (or when) you extend your operations to the south of the country (Ruaha, Katavi, Mikumi etc) we will very seriously consider travelling to Tanzania once more.                                                              Phil & Ruth Craven,U.S.A

As far as comments on the services provided by Roy Safaris is concerned there is very little that I can add to my e-mail of 9 November.
You personally were more than helpful and patient while we sorted out our itinerary which of course gives a very good impression of the company service. However the gentleman who gave us our arrival briefing was frankly rather off hand. Both Ian and I commented that it was rather a waste of time and we did mark down on this point on our comment sheet which we gave back to Francis. 
No criticism of you as the hotel was our choice but the Emerson and Green Hotel fell short of our expectations. It is I accept unique and it is an experience to stay there. The rooms were not well serviced e.g. only a large towel provided (no hand towel) no shower gel or shower cap and beds not turned down at night. Anyone who had walking difficulties would find access on the stairs to the rooms difficult and to the restaurant on the roof virtually impossible. Having gained access to the restaurant for the breakfast we all agreed what was served was quite deplorable. No cereal and the fried eggs hard and not very warm together with small pieces of toast that were more like rusks than toast.
This contrasted with all the other accommodation that we stayed in from the Dik Dik in Arusha, all the lodges, Sopa and Serena, and Breezes where the service and the food were first class and could not be faulted in any way.
Much of course must depend on our driver/guide and I can only say again that Francis was wonderful. He was a mine of information, always prompt, courteous and had the happy knack of being friendly without being familiar.
We have been asked lots of questions about our holiday and what were the highlights and downsides. Quite honestly we have said that there were many highlights but no downsides thanks to the way that you had advised and arranged everything for us.
We flew with Kenya Airways who were very good in all respects. Perhaps I could say here that we booked with Trailfinders who do advertise nationally in the U.K. and they were very much cheaper than the person that you recommended. I did check with several booking agents e.g. Travelbag and all were cheaper than your named agent so perhaps you could look into this when advising on flight costs, an important element of holiday budgeting.
Are you by any chance back in Tanzania or are you still in Sheffield where we may be able to catch up with you in December when we shall be up there?                                                                                                                                             Bryan Renshaw, England, U.K.

We had a wonderful time in Tanzania and particularly on Safari. It would be very difficult to pick out any major lowpoints during the Roy Safaris tour. So I'll just describe my impressions of it all.

Our Guide:
The biggest bonus was Sal. He was an absolutely fantastic guide who loved both animals and driving  - as well as being a fun guy to be around who was very sociable.Say hello to him from both of us and wish him the best of luck with everything.

National Parks:
We saw a very good range of parks and I would thoroughly recommend people not missing Arusha & Tarangire from their itinerary. As you know they are a lot less famous to us but in some ways much better because you can often spend an hour without seeing any other cars.

While the Serengeti & Ngorongoro totally lived up to their names the amount of jeep traffic did get a bit ridiculous on occasions.Credit again to Sal for getting us to commit to early starts as the early morning journeys were much more exciting as we felt a lot more exclusive and saw more animals without frightening them off.

The Grumeti river trip was probably our least impressive day.Probably because it was a long drive and the river was low and while we did see crocs the big ones weren't very near and as you know they don't move around that often! I would have regretted not giving it a go - but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

Wildlife:
The wildlife was truly amazing and Sal could spot things with his naked eye that I couldn't spot with binoculars.
Every park was different but I'll be predictable and say the lions in the Serengeti were the best.
Second place would be the elephants in Tarangire.
We also had a black rhino walk right past us in the crater which was amazing.

Accommodation:
I loved the really atmospheric place (forgotten the name - sorry!) we stayed in on the first night on the road. It was after we'd been through Arusha Park & seen a bit of Tarangire.
The hotel in the middle of the Serengeti was good fun, with good entertainment and a great bar.
The second tented accommodation place we stayed in wasn't quite as atmospheric but still fun. . . much more of a European camp site feel!

We had a wonderful time and I have recommended Roy Safaris to anyone who will listen!
We felt very well treated particularly when we saw what other tourists were putting up with. Again Sal was the best guide we met. 
I hope that helps and many thanks for organising such a great itinerary. It's a shame I didn't get to meet you.
My mother has just gone back to Tanzania to teach so I may return next year!
                                                                Michael Whitty, (Deputy Picture Editor for leading newspaper), England, U.K

I've been meaning to drop you line ever since we got back at the beginning of January.
Just to let you know, my wife Rowena and I really enjoyed our safari. We had a splendid guide/driver called Millinga (he told me to say "hello") and a great cook called Walter.  They were both a credit to Roy Safaris. Tarangire, Manyara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, were all wonderful, but for me the highlight was Lake Natron. I loved the scenery, it's remoteness and above all the Flamingos - I could watch them all day.  I'm starting saving for a trip to Lake Borgoria now.
We enjoyed Zanzibar too.
Anyway, I wanted to thank you again for your help in arranging a memorable safari - it was great service.
                                                                                                                                Tim Barnes., England, U.K

  We very much enjoyed our trip with you in November. We thought the level of service we were given was excellent. It was nice to have the same driver/guide (Salvatore) from the minute we arrived until the minute we left. Salvatore was a very knowledgeable guide and we got along with him very well. We felt that we didn't have to worry about anything, as it was already carefully planned for us.
Everything was very well organised and efficient. I can honestly say that we found no faults with any of our trip. The only thing that we would possibly change if we were to go again, would be to choose to visit only 2 parks rather than 3, as there was quite a lot of driving involved in our trip - which was unfortunate for poor Salvatore!
We would definitely recommend Roy Safaris to anyone who would like to visit Tanzania - in fact I have already suggested it to some of my friends and family.
Hopefully in a few years we will be able to visit again ourselves!
                                                                                                                                                             Roxy, U.K

I'm happy to share our experiences from our safari and climb. Chip and I still talk about it.  As a matter of fact, I give Chip a hard time because he won't put a wedding picture on his desk at work--- instead, he has the picture of us at the end of the climb-- with huge grins on our faces.  :-) It was an amazing experience for both of us.

Having done 99.9% of the research for the trip, I thought the price of our trip was about average compared to other companies.  There were other companies who may have been a little cheaper and others that were considerably more, but seemed to be using the same lodges and offering similar itineraries.  The only things that seemed to separate us from the more expensive companies was the tablecloth on their picnic tables at the visitor centre in the Serengeti and chairs at lunch on the climb.  I felt like we got a lot for the money and was happy to know I hadn't paid an extra 1000 GBP for a cloth napkin!

While I like to meet other people, I liked having our own guide and vehicle.   It allowed us the flexibility to go where we wanted and see the things we wanted.  Salvatore was fabulous!  He could spot an animal or bird with his naked eye that we couldn't even find with our binocs! Salvatore had an amazing ability to spot animals from an extreme distance.  He was so warm and friendly and we enjoyed spending the week with him!
The lodges were all great and they were all unique. 
As for the climb.. .  Elias our guide was friendly and very encouraging.  I started the climb with a sore throat and a slight cold (big no-no) and told him as such once we were under way.  He kept an eye on me and was patient with me when I asked over and over if my symptoms and cough were normal.  He was very knowledgeable about the mountain and maintained a very slow pace which helped us be successful.  We felt lucky to have had such incredible guides for both the safari and the climb.

If I were to do it again, I would try not to pack as much into our itinerary or mix longer stays in with some short stays.  We were on the go so much that I would have liked to spend more time enjoying the lodges and relaxing.    I also didn't realize how intrigued we'd be with the cultural side of things and would have liked to have gone to visit a village and learn more about the lives of the Maasai.

I've recommended Roy Safaris to other people who have mentioned they want to go on safari and would be happy to pass your new company along as well.  . .  Finally, there's a few pics from the trip.
Best of luck with your new company!                                                                                                                                                          Shannon, U.S.A

I am so glad that you wrote to me because we wanted to contact you after our return from Tanzania, but one thing followed another, etc, etc.
Suffice to say that we had a fantastic time - both on safari and in Zanzibar and we want to say thank you for organising and delivering such a great programme.  That applies both before, during and after the event.  In planning our holiday we really appreciated the way that you considered our proposals, provided options and then allowed us to change our mind before signing up.  This was particularly helpful because this was the first time that we had organised a safari over the web.
During our 10 days on safari we were so fortunate to have the services of Adam as our driver/guide (and to have one of your vehicles for our exclusive use!).  Adam was brilliant.  We worked together as a team in planning each day's activities.  He has eyes like a hawk and can spot a male lion under a tree half a mile away.  He is also extremely patient and flexible - patient in that he is prepared to wait as long as we wanted to linger and take photographs; flexible in that if we wanted to return to one of the lodges early, that was no problem.  We also enjoyed the variety of overnight accommodation that we stayed in - mainly lodges but also a couple of tented camps and a family-owned hotel.
Having had such good service in Tanzania, we were a little apprehensive when it came to transiting to Zanzibar.  But again the arrangements worked like clockwork and the company that you partnered us with were extremely helpful.  After we returned from Zanzibar, I picked up an email from Adam, because he had heard on the news that there had been a small earth tremor in Zanzibar and he wondered if we were OK - such after-sales service!  Our time in Zanzibar was such a contrast to the activity of the safari.  We spent hours relaxing on our verandah, overlooking the ocean, reading and enjoying the perfect warm, light breeze.
So thank you, and thanks to the rest of the team at Roy Safaris.  We have already recommended your services to friends of ours and will continue to do so in the future.  Although Narine's hand-painting has long since disappeared we have some wonderful photographs and video material that are the perfect reminder of a great holiday.

Please feel free to use these comments in any way you think fit and use us as a reference if that would be helpful.
With very best wishes.                                                                                                                                                            Narine, U.K

Sorry this has taken a while, the weekend before last, my Grandmother died in America, so I have been very busy communicating between my mother in Australia and with friends in America. Things are now returning to normal and here is the update on the safari.
Unexpected but greatly appreciated was the VIP status! and we got an upgrade to KiraWira!! which was great and a memorable experience. Overall, all the accommodation was very good to excellent and the order and timescale in each National Park, Zanzibar Beach and Zanzibar Town was just right and made for a good balance between driving, gaming and crashing out. Roys (Susan and Sanjay) were brilliant, Landcruiser very comfortable and Raphael was excellent - he worked very hard and his knowledge of wildlife was first-class, he really was a perfect guide.
On the mainland, the Arusha Impala was OK but nothing special. Often overlooked, Arusha NP was really nice. Mount Meru - the lady (Josephine?) was extremely welcoming and did a huge lunch. Tarangire Sopa was good. Kirurumu was excellent - similar ethos to Matemwe - lovely, I would like to live there, really nice staff, lovely location, simple, basic, quiet, relaxed, informal. NgoroNgoro Sopa was good, on our wedding anniversary, the General manager relaxed the rules and let us drink your bottle of Cava at the restaurant, then, all the staff danced and sang through the restaurant to present us with a huge cake they had baked! Thank you for all your help and persistence in getting us accommodation at the Serengeti Serena. The location was ideal and much better than Sopa. We had 1 night at the Serena 1 at Kirawira, then 2 at Serena. This worked out perfectly re. travel time into Serengeti. (Manyara to KiraWira via Olduvai might have been too much driving over rough roads for one day.) The migration was late this year, so the game was in Seronera. When we returned from KiraWira, we were allocated their best room No 2 and had the wildebeest migration passing by for the first three hours right under our window! - fantastic!! Upstairs room is a must!!! Incidentally, we called into the Wildlife Safari lodge, it looked OK, a bit dated but nice.
In Zanzibar, Matwemwe was excellent, Gail welcoming. It was a great place to chill out after a hard safari. It was quiet, friendly, good food, lovely beach, good swimming and most importantly, very informal and relaxed. OneOcean and Gary were friendly and helpful and the snorkelling was world-class. The Dhow Hotel was excellent too and good location. Most importantly, quiet. We enjoyed the facilities at the Tembo which has the same excellent standards, better because sea view, sun terrace and pool. But, on weekends there is a very loud disco next door in the evenings. So we were glad to stay at the Dhow.
Island tours were very good, so too were Kenya Airways with massive legroom, great food and on-time. We had no security problems, the local people were lovely, relaxed and no threat at all. No problem with Mosquito and Tsetse either. Incidentally, from 1 July, there is a new $8 pp exit fee at Stone Town airport which is a "safety fee" for baggage. This is in addition to the $25 airport tax pp.
Summing-up, it was a fantastic holiday, please do not hesitate to use us as a reference, we shall certainly pass on a recommendation to the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet. Lastly, please send an address where we can send some photographs to you.                                                                                                                                              Ann and Andy Willingale,England, U.K.

I wanted to write and let you know how very impressed I was with our safari with your Company between 29 June and 6 July.  From the outset you were prompt with replies to our emails, explicit and helpful with your suggestions as to our safari itinerary and generally most efficient.  Our welcome from Theo at the start was sincere and warm and his briefing was thorough.
A very big thank you to all your loyal "backroom" staff who are, as I'm sure you know, crucial to the success of your business.
A special reference must be made about our brilliant driver/guide, Thomas. He was at all times courteous,  kept our vehicle clean daily, punctual (when we were not!) and above all attentive from the start to our needs by listening carefully to the chatter between Anne and I  and picking up on the clues - for instance, that we enjoyed birdlife, we did not enjoy other tourists but rather listening to the "sounds of Africa" while  sitting quietly watching and waiting for "a story to unfold" before us.  His knowledge of the wild and of Tanzania was more than a little impressive and with it he had a  refreshing sense of humour.   In all, I thank him for contributing enormously to the full enjoyment of our trip.  You have, in Thomas, a most valuable member of your staff - but then I am sure I am not the first of your clients to tell you that fact.
I will enthusiastically recommend  Roy Safaris to any person I meet interested in going to Tanzania.
Please be sure to pass on my sincere thanks for a truly memorable holiday to all concerned.           Judie Stringer, South Africa/U.S.A

Thought you would like to know how the holiday went. It was FANTASTIC - everything went according to plan - no hitches anywhere along the way, which, since the itinerary and flights seemed quite convoluted was remarkable.
We all loved the safari - We had a great driver in Mohammed of Roy Safaris - who looked after us really well and was good company.  He also had excellent eyesight and seemed to spot wildlife in the distance that we found difficult to pick out with our binoculars.  We seemed to see everything - especially in the Ngorongoro Crater.  I enclose a couple of photos for interest.
Wrt where we stayed - a good mixture of places;  we particularly liked the Ngorongoro Farm Lodge. . . Both of the tented camps were fine - the second one in particular was much more comfortable. Food was good at all of them.
The Bluebay Beech Resort was exactly what we all needed - great beach, pool and all facilities up to standard . . . We greatly enjoyed the Dolphin trip (where we swam with literally dozens) and our dinner at the Emerson and Green restaurant.
Thank you for all of you hard work and organisation.  Do you cover any other African countries/trips?
                    David, Annika, Camilla and Tiggy (by the way the children's packs were gratefully received and used).England, U.K.

We just wanted to drop you a line to say what a great time we had on our honeymoon. Our guide was fantastic and all transfers went smoothly - it really was a holiday of a lifetime and we wanted to thank you for arranging it all so well for us.We will definitely be recommending you to our friends and colleagues."Precision" air weren't really precise but that was to be expected. One thing you may want to pass on to your future clients is that the precision air transfer from Arusha to Kilimanjaro airport is not free and even though the whole coach had been told otherwise, we were made to pay before they would let us into the airport. 
                                                                                                                                                                                   Sharon Sutcliffe,England, U.K.

Mum and I got back to the UK last night so I thought I would email to say a huge thank you for all your help in planning such a fantastic safari for us! We had a brilliant time! Our guide (Nicholaus) was great, the lodges were lovely and we saw loads of animals!
There was a bit of a mix up at the beginning but that was all sorted out really well by the rest of the team in the office so it didnt affect our safari at all!Zanzibar was great too, lovely beaches!                                                                                                                                Heather Cowdry x, U.K.

Rach and I and James just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help in organising all of our travels. We just had the most wonderful time and wouldn't have changed a thing. I have set up a share album on a website with some of our photos so that you can see the gorillas and us getting to the top of Kilimanjaro! I will send you the link separately. 
John was our guide for Kili and he was just fabulous. Rach was sick for the first few days and he was very concerned about her. In fact all of our guys were great - we had Hussein and Josphat looking after our meals and lots of great porters. Nobody thought we would make it to the top, especially because Rach got sick, so it made it even more special to actually get there. 
We had Ali and Abdi looking after us on safari and we had a lot of fun together. Particularly when we had lions in our campsite in the Serengeti! We got to see a cheetah kill right in front of our car as well - Ali said he's only seen three in 12 years. We were very lucky. Well, again thank you again. Your help was what made us go with Roys in the first place and we are now very happy to recommend Roys again to our friends who are now all very keen to come to Africa. I hope you enjoy the photos.                                                                                                         Jillian Reid, Sydney, Australia

Just a quick e-mail to thank you so much for the great time you gave us on safari in Tanzania last week (I was part of the 'Beasley' group booking).  We really enjoyed all aspects of our holiday in Tanzania.  Nancy's organisation from the UK end was brilliant, the hotels and vehicles were good and we saw some brilliant animals too.  Thomas and Habib, our guides, were exceptional and really made the holiday.  Please say thank you once again to them from us.  We really enjoyed their company, as well as their animal tracking skills.
I have attached a few pictures for your interest - one of our group next to the van and a couple of a lion in behind a Roy safari van - using it for cover as she stalked some gazelle!!
Finally, thanks to Sanjay for the free T-shirts at the end of the holiday - we all wore them on the last day!
We will let our friends know how good you were if they are ever booking to go on safari. 
                                                                                                       Emma & Graeme Herd, (part of a group of 8),U.K

*Note: Aim 4 Africa Ltd has sought permission of the above clients to use their comments and photographs on this website. Aim 4 Africa Ltd reserves the right to publish any material on this website with permission from the owners of the copyright and in compliance with the Data Protection Act