I am in the process of booking a 7 day budget camping / lodge combo safari with Bobby Camping out of Arusha, and was wondering if anyone has heard anything about the company? They are registered with TATO - I just was looking for some feedback. They also told me I could pay in cash in US dollars when I arrived or wire the money over to their bank now to book the safari (because I would be travelling for a few months before our safari and didn't want to carry around a lot of cash or traveller's cheques). Are these standard policies?

The other Company is Nature Discovery - we are booking a 5-6 day donkey trek and climb with them as well.

Both dealings with the companies via email have been good, just wondering if anyone has had any dealings with them before.

Thanks

hi,

i'm also in a similar situation....have you gotten any pointers on bobby safaris?

thanks

Haven't had experience with either of those two companies, but the practice of accepting payment US cash only is standard. In my experience, you can't get US Cash from a bank in Tanzania (technically, you can, but the bank teller always says they are out) and operators are hungry for US cash. Most require it.

I had great sucess with Achmed at BaseCampTanzania in Arusha. His email is basecamptanzania@tz2000.com

He booked both my Mt Kili climb and a Serengetti safari form my wife and I. Both were exceptional

Hi
Thx BL !
Just a swift word to say our e-mail address is now management@basecamptanzania.com

I had a great experience with Duma Explorer in December 2004 with a trip to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and up Kilimanjaro. One of the owners is an American, and the other is Tanzanian. They are top-notch, really professional and dedicated both to quality service and also helping Tanzania. I paid on-line with PayPal. They picked me up at the airport. Their guides were great, really experienced and nice. The food was really good with soups for dinner and vegetarian options.

They had nice new tents from REI so all the equipment was in good shape. They have a super website and are really responsive to e-mail. I really recommend Duma Explorer. www.dumaexplorer.com

Just to add my thoughts on Duma ~ I used the company for a climb on Kili and they were AMAZING. From paying online while I was still in the states, to talking to Duma reps via email to make sure I was prepared before I left the states, to the prep session before the climb ~ all of their pre-trip preparation is thorough and helpful.

the climb itself was great because of the fabulous staff (not only are they good at their jobs, they're really great people who want you to have a great experience in TZ). as JoshB mentioned, their equipment is top-notch.

i wish i had used them for my safari ~ but i'm sure i will when i get back to TZ next year!