Nadine W, September 2019

4 days Safari in Tarangire NP, Ngorogoro Krater and Lake Manayara

We spent very interesting, experience packed and well organised 4 days with Kwetu Tanzania. Dennis as our Guide and Frank as our Driver excelled our expectations. Dennis with his broad knowledge of fauna and flora and good connections to various people involved in the Safari was a pleasure to travel with. We felt very safe during the whole trip as Frank, our Driver, was driving very foresighted and careful.
We had the chance the experience a lot of the wildlife and Dennis shared also some insights into the Culture of Tansania. We appreciated also the punctuality of the two of them.
All in all it was really an experience I can recommend and think that Kwetu Tanzania really made the difference. Thank you!

Rosy Danby, August 2017

My first contact with Chris at IntoAfrica and through the entire trip the experience was stress free and thoroughly enjoyable. IntoAfrica is based in the UK and books safaris with, KwetuTanzania based in Arusha. The holiday itself was all I had hoped it would be, and more. We started with a one day trip to Arusha NP which set the scene for the main 7 day trip, ‘Tanzania Explorer’, which progressively increased the magnificence in wildlife and scenery. First Lake Manyara, then Serengeti and finally Ngorogoro. The trip is a well-structured itinerary and the amount of driving is well broken up. We found the two cultural visits very interesting and the potential for feeling voyeuristic was overcome by the local guide at each village who made us feel so welcome. These were not ‘staged, just for tourist exhibitions’ but lived in family homes and villages. The Kwetu team is first class and Dennis is the star. From the moment he met us at the airport to the time we had to say goodbye he was such a pleasure to be with. He is exceptionally well-organised and was involved in every element of the trip and paid so much attention to detail. He is also an excellent guide and so happy to share his knowledge. It was a pleasure to be driven by Athman who is a very considerate and careful driver and who also has a considerable knowledge of the local wildlife. Both Dennis and Athman stick to their principles and the rules of the reserves which, correctly, do not allow off road driving. We saw a number of jeeps flaunting this regulation in an attempt to get closer to the wildlife. This can have serious consequences, for example cheetahs abandoning their young. Our thanks too to Walter for the various meals and our packed lunches – he certainly fed us very well. We are just wondering what our excuse can be for a return trip before too many more years pass.

With very best wishes

Rosy

Mpendwa Dennis,

Habari za siku nyingi?

We would like to thank you for the safari to Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Park. We liked your friendly and competent way to guide us during the two days. Also Neema (our 3 years old) really enjoyed the trip and still talks about the elephants that greeted each other. We appreciated very much that you knew a lot about the flora and fauna... We also liked that you offered an individual tour for us and you really cared for our and Neema's needs. We very much appreciated that you - in contrast to many other companies - did not stop at various places to pursue us to buy souvenirs. Furthermore, we liked that Athman did not drive too fast (also in contrast to other safari cars we saw). We experienced Athman as a careful driver.

We also liked how thoughtful you prepared the lunchbox and that you gave attention to details like the tablecloth. We have already recommended Kwetu Tours to friends of us who are considering to travel to Tanzania next year and we will not forget to recommend Kwetu Tours to the Lonely Planet Travel Guide.

Many greetings to Athman.

Best wishes,

Tobias & Katharin from Germany.

In December 2015, my wife and I came to Tanzania for our honeymoon, and to climb Kilimanjaro. From the moment we landed in Arusha we had consistently excellent service. Dennis, who had arranged everything for us was exceedingly generous with his time and seemed to understand exactly how we wanted to experience Kilimanjaro.

The entire team that supported our climb were efficient in their duties. Each member took great pride in making our time on Kili as memorable and comfortable as possible. We felt as though each of the crew were our family, positive and extremely hardworking. We ate like kings on the mountain; nothing outlandish, but beautifully prepared, delicious meals that lifted our spirits and our bodies.

Our guides were tremendous, they engaged us with information about the surrounding ecosystem and terrain, knowing when to allow us to wander and take photographs and always thoroughly answering our questions. We felt safe and supported throughout the trek. On the way down my wife suffered from mountain sickness and was in tough shape. The entire team came together to move her down quickly and safely to receive the appropriate care, and she quickly recovered. She was treated with the care of a family member.

We wanted our trek on Kilimanjaro to be the experience of a lifetime and it certain was thanks to Dennis, our guides and our support crew. We are planning to return for more adventures in Tanzania and will be asking Kwetu Tanzania Eco-tourism & Safaris to take care of us once again.

In December 2015, my wife and I came to Tanzania for our honeymoon, and to climb Kilimanjaro. From the moment we landed in Arusha we had consistently excellent service. Dennis, who had arranged everything for us was exceedingly generous with his time and seemed to understand exactly how we wanted to experience Kilimanjaro.
The entire team that supported our climb were efficient in their duties. Each member took great pride in making our time on Kili as memorable and comfortable as possible. We felt as though each of the crew were our family, positive and extremely hardworking. We ate like kings on the mountain; nothing outlandish, but beautifully prepared, delicious meals that lifted our spirits and our bodies.
Our guides were tremendous, they engaged us with information about the surrounding ecosystem and terrain, knowing when to allow us to wander and take photographs and always thoroughly answering our questions. We felt safe and supported throughout the trek. On the way down my wife suffered from mountain sickness and was in tough shape. The entire team came together to move her down quickly and safely to receive the appropriate care, and she quickly recovered. She was treated with the care of a family member.
We wanted our trek on Kilimanjaro to be the experience of a lifetime and it certain was thanks to Dennis, our guides and our support crew. We are planning to return for more adventures in Tanzania and will be asking Kwetu Tanzania Eco-tourism & Safaris to take care of us once again.

Deborah and Lynette, USA

We heartily recommend Kwetu tours led by Dennis Lyamuya

We have taken week-long nature courses in the U.S. led by staff with wildlife expertise and  have been on many short nature trips in the U.S. with knowledgeable leaders. 

 

Dennis has a deeper and broader knowledge about animals and plants than any tour leader  we have experienced previously, knowledge based on what he learned growing up and then  built on and expanded acquiring a four-year college degree in an intensive program in wildlife conservation management (in his year, 27 students started the program; only 5 including Dennis completed it). 

 

Dennis does not just know how to spot and identify wildlife; he knows the animal’s gestation period, how it gives birth, and many other details of its life cycle.  He knows about the healing properties of dozens of local plants, including many that he has used personally.  He even knows what many of the animals taste like (“eland is especially delicious”) since his college degree program included training to identify meat being eaten by poachers.  Dennis shared his amazing knowledge in a low-key, unassuming way, calibrated to our interests and what we could reasonably take in, given all the new information.  If you are interested, he will tell you the scientific name of a plant or animal you are looking at, including the many species of spectacular birds. Or you can just stand in awe, watching thousands of wildebeest thunder through the Serengeti on their majestic migration. 

 

Other highlights of the trip for us included seeing the East Africa Rift, and particularly Oldupai Gorge where human ancestors left footprints three million years ago. We also liked the two nights’ camping, made particularly special by the parade of elephants feeding near our tent and the star-studded night sky. 

 

We confess that our reactions to the two cultural excursions are complicated.  On the one hand we appreciated the knowledge, openness and generosity of spirit of the local guides and the local people to whom they introduced us; we find ourselves talking about those visits as much as about the spectacular wildlife; and we know that the villagers derive financial and other benefits from tourists.  On the other hand we felt intrusive and awkward. Having come to Africa in part to see wildlife that is not caged in a zoo, it sometimes felt as if we were looking at people, who – though not caged – were being presented to us for whatever entertainment or edification we chose to derive.  Perhaps there is no way out of this dilemma when visiting a country challenged by the tension between preserving indigenous cultures and addressing widespread poverty.  The cultural tours were certainly informative and we recommend them despite our discomfort. 

 

Thank you, Dennis, for making this an extraordinary experience for us.  Also thanks to Athuman, our driver, for his quiet competence, and to Gabriel, our cook, for producing traditional African dishes that made the camping part of the trip even more special.

 

Deborah and Lynette