Meet the Team - eTrip Africa
E-Trip Africa
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- ATA, IATAN, IGS, KPAP & CODE
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Good enough
It was a great experience; my favorite place was the crater.
US
Email April Cohen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Professional Safari Company
E-Trip Africa did a phenomenal job organizing our safari, providing timely updates in the lead-up and executing everything without fault. Our guide Dickson was top-notch and extremely knowledgeable about all the animals and areas that we went to. We saw all the animals we had hoped to see and were extremely fortunate to see rare animals too--I credit E-Trip with their professionalism and background for making our safari experience a true success! I would recommend them to friends and family without hesitation. Our hotels and campsites were also high quality and the food we ate was also excellent.
US
Email Lesa McNeill Nichols | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Skilled and fun team puts you in best possible position for wildlife photography
Simon and his team at E-Trip Africa made my photo safari trip an epic adventure. I was traveling with a small group of photographers and Simon was hired to make everything smooth from the moment I landed in Nairobi and the moment I left two weeks later. I didn't know when he picked me up at the airport what I would be going home with. It turned out to be a lot, including:
*Amazing photos of the Big 5-lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos and rhinos. On top of that we got photos of giraffes, a serval, cheetahs, hippos, warthogs, zebras, hyenas, antelopes of all types and a gazillion different birds (owls, eagles, herons, flamingos, rollers, weavers, etc).
*A deeper view of Kenyan daily life and culture
*A deep appreciation for the food-especially the fresh fruits and vegetables. Like nothing I had experienced before.
*Memories of bright red, purple and pink skies at sunrise and sunset
*A Kenyan music playlist put together with input from all of the guides
*A moment I will never forget-being surrounded by an elephant herd at sunset right in front of Mt. Kilimanjaro
There are too many moments to review. Simon and his team worked to create these moments for us. They did it with skill, humor, teamwork and camaraderie. It was truly an epic adventure! I would go on safari with them again and again.
US
Email Angela Branson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent! Service above and beyond expectations.
E-Trip communicated with us throughout the planning and preparation process and once we arrived in Tanzania, we were taken care of from the moment we left the airport until we returned to the airport. Everything was thoughtfully planned and prepared for us, we did not have to worry about anything. We had an amazing experience and would highly recommend booking through E-Trip Africa to friends and family. Alladin, our driver and guide, was amazingly knowledgeable and we felt at ease throughout the tour. We saw all of the animals and places we had hoped to see and more and enjoyed the warm hospitality of the people at each and every camp and lodge we stayed at.
Email Vivienne Heinrich | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A reliable company that cares about it's customers and offers good value and excellent service.
This is our second safari booked through eTrip; the first was 2019 to Kenya & Tansania. This year we focused on Kenya. We asked a number of operators to suggest itineraries and provide quotes. On both occasions, eTrip did the best job of listening to what we wanted and putting together itineraries that offered greater luxury for our budget. Our planner and coordinator, Ben, was responsive and patient with our questions and changes, as we finessed the details. It's difficult to imagine going on safari with anyone else.
IN
Email Rebecca T | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic safari experience with highly skilled guide!
I have been on safari over 5 times, every time with a different company, and I can confirm that E-Trip provided an outstanding experience on our recent safari in Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. From the beginning, managers Ben and Aurelie were wonderfully accommodating and flexible, helping us think through exactly what we needed and customizing the trip for some rather unique conditions - we were traveling with 3 generations, including a 2 year old! - and of course our budget. They tried especially hard to make sure that we would get the quality of experience we wanted, while also economizing given our large party. And it paid off hugely! Our hotel stays were luxurious, with amazing views, great scope for relaxation, and excellent food and service.
And for the safari itself... We had a truly phenomenal guide, Alladin, who is highly experienced not only in every aspect of wildlife and the diverse range of ecosystems across the 4 parks we visited, but also in how to lead a group of adults plus a baby, so that our energy stayed up throughout. He showed excellent leadership and sensitivity, reading our moods and needs, managing our expectations, giving us a top-notch wildlife education (while also not overwhelming us), and of course finding amazing sights for us to see. Moreover, he was funny and upbeat, had amazing stories, and allowed us to fully relax knowing that our every need - physical, intellectual, emotional, etc. - was being taken care of. Our group was especially keen on cheetahs, so he made sure to bring us to the highest probability locations - and sure enough, we saw cheetahs several times, including cubs. We also saw a lion chase (alas unsuccessful), and so many lion cubs, including at close range! Other highlights included lions mating, baby hyenas, servals, and herds stampeding at a watering hole. Every day was so full of sightings, especially of baby animals, that we ended each evening feeling incredibly lucky. The height of the trip was being parked almost directly underneath a leopard in a tree, mere feet above us, as it ate a recent kill. Leopards are very very hard to find, but with Alladin's skill we saw several on this trip, including this once-in-a-lifetime sighting.
All told, I cannot recommend E-Trip and their guide Alladin enough!!!
CA
Email Elwood Langley | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great repeat experience with E-Trip Africa
Our trip to the northern Serengeti in Tanzania and to the Masai Mara in Kenya was our third African trip arranged by E-Trip. As in our past experiences everything worked out perfectly from the time we started planning last year right up until we completed our trip. We were met at each airport and smoothly assisted, all flights and lodges were booked without any issues. Ben and his colleagues do a great job and we will certainly book our next East Africa trip with E-Trip.
Email Laura M | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An excellent experience overall
Our Tanzania safari was an amazing experience. We saw so much wildlife, it's hard to describe!
Despite all of the wonder of Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, the thing that really made our trip special was our incredible guide Elisha. You spend so much time with your guide - for us up to 10 hours a day for 8-9 days - so if you don't get the right guide it could really impact the whole trip. Elisha was knowledgeable, patient, warm, friendly, and a genuine joy to be with each day. We came away feeling like we'd made a wonderful friend, a somewhat strange feeling after only knowing someone a handful of days and given you likely won't see them again! I hope the management of E-Trip Africa realise how much of an asset he is to their company!
The organisation of the trip itself was very good. We really appreciated Ben's support and patience as we considered all the options available to us. His advice on accommodation was very valuable, including some insider knowledge on the ins-and-outs of each property which really helped influence our trip and ensured we could stay in line with our principles by supporting the best companies and people. We really appreciated his frank and insightful feedback which meant we ended up in 4 properties we were ultimately very happy with!
The only point of feedback we'd have for management was that it felt like once we paid up in full, the level of communication really dropped down. We ended up having to chase them up a week before departure for all the relevant details (with a holiday of this complexity and cost, earlier contact would have been nice). We'd also originally requested a specific safari guide based on a recommendation, and that was changed last minute, but we had to ask why we'd not been given the guide chosen. The change wasn't an issue (and clearly as above very happy with the alternative we were given!) but proactive comms on this would have been appreciated.
Once we were on the trip we heard nothing more from them, and had no follow-up on our return to ask how the trip was. It wasn't a huge issue as we had a great experience, so nothing to really follow up on, but that extra care and service to check in with how our trip was going / went was something I would have expected based on the excellent reviews, and at least for us personally it felt a little lacking.
Overall though, I would definitely recommend E-Trip Africa, especially making sure Elisha is your guide in in Tanzania, you will have a fantastic time! Despite the minor communication shortcomings, I would still give 5* overall! :-)
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Email Christine Baratta | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Tour operator was informative, patient, kind and very professional.
Our tour was a 12 day African Safari, E-Trip was our host and guides. We started in Nairobi, went to the David Sheldrick Elephant Sanctuary and the Giraffe Centre. Then we drove to Amboseli National Park and stayed at the Ol Tukai Lodge 3 nights, really fabulous and saw elephants, buffalo, giraffes, wildabeast, worthogs, hippos, zebras, flamingos, several birds, baboons, lions, ostrich, gazelle and a few turtles. We then went to Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru, we stayed at Sopa Resort 2 nights. We had a boat ride in Cresent Island in Lake Naivasha and saw the hippos and Eagles. We then drove to Maasai Mara and stayed at Mara Eden Camp, great experience and really friendly people at the camp. We saw more wild animals; leopards, lions, cheetahs and a Cerval cat. Then our last stay was at the Sand River Mara Camp which was so elegant and the food was superb. We want to return in 2025 and visit Africa again!
US
Email Jonathan B | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unbelievable wildlife, customer service and guide expertise!
Our family safari and great migration trip in Tanzania with E-Trip Africa exceeded every expectation. As background, my wife and I had both done safaris on private concessions in Botswana as well as forest elephant and lowland gorilla safaris in Gabon. We didn't expect this trip to exceed either of those experiences, but wanted to take our 10 year old twins on a safari experience. Not only did the kids get an amazing safari, but the wildlife and cultural experiences exceeded all of our previous African safari experiences. Everyday was literally like being on a National Geographic wildlife show. The abundance and diversity of wildlife in Tanzania was well beyond my understanding. We saw all of the big five and then some -with in depth and unhurried experiences up close with many of the animals. What took hours of driving around to see on private concessions in Botswana (at double the cost) occurred regularly on our trip. Our trip also incorporated the Great Migration, which was spectacular to see -even more amazing to see in person than you'd think. Granted, everyone going on a safari should understand that you are attempting to view WILD animals, which means, they're not just there to drive up and see in the same spot -so not everyone will experience the same thing and in general, you should just go into a safari with the understanding that it is an incredible privilege to be out there and enjoy the experience vs. trying to check off every box each day. But that said, traveling through areas that have prioritized conservation greatly increases your likelihood of seeing a diversity of animals. Combine that with an experienced guide (and our guide David was extremely knowledgeable) and in our opinion, a Tanzania safari with E-Trip Africa will be the best safari experience you'll ever have. E-Trip Africa's GM Ben, answered our phone call (US number routed to him in Africa) and took the time to listen to what we wanted from our safari, the age and experience of our family, and put together a proposal. We then spent another 30mins with him on the phone, working through some adjustments we thought might be worthwhile and talking with him about what he thought we'd find best to see, do, etc. He also worked with us to incorporate several cultural experiences, which allowed our kids to see what life was like for people of differing local tribes as well as a local school visit, etc. This allowed our children to better understand Africa overall, and not just think of it as a big place for animals. The lodging was exceptional -even luxurious, though we benefited at the time of traveling shortly after COVID restrictions were relaxed, meaning that several lodges upgraded our accommodations because they were relatively under-booked at the time. The food was also incredible. I really can't say enough good things about the planning, booking, experience and value offered by E-Trip Africa. From the time that Ben took to make sure he understood our objectives and comfort level, to the revisions made for cost, to the time spent to build out some cultural and child oriented activities for our family, the whole booking experience could not have been better. Finally, the quality of your guide is key -not only is this someone who you will spend 8+ hours a day with for the length of your safari, but you will rely on their knowledge of the wildlife, terrain, habitats, etc. to make your trip the trip of a lifetime. Our guide David excelled at all of these things, and it is a tribute to E-Trip Africa for finding and keeping such an experienced guide. I highly recommend E-Trip Africa and Tanzania for your safari!
