Tanzania Safari & Kilimanjaro Testimonials

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Videos Review on Youtube:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQd0Z3qef4U&feature=em-upload_owner

https://youtu.be/_RaMB0zUzQ8

It was one of the best trip I ever had.

One week before arriving Yesse Lema made contact with me and wanted to get to know our group. After arriving three day before Yesse came to my room and introduced himself in person and advised us he would attend the hotel at 4:00 the day before and explain the trip and make sure we had the right equipment and what food we liked, On day one Yesse introduced assistant guide Hiliery Kombe and Maisha Francis and our adventure started, We could not have had better Guides, they worked very hard to meet our every need.

We would not have summit if it wasn't for the superb effort by these three guides. I can not say enough about their effort to get us to the summit.

I will always remember their extraordinary effort to get all four of us to the summit.

Always will be in our hearts

The safari was a 5 day and was also very good Paul tried his best to get the best positions for picture taking and cleaned the vehicle every night .

Thanks to Zara tours It was and absolutely fabulous trip.

You exceeded our every expectation.

Thank you again

Pat

Ann

Janet

Nikki

(comment received Feb 28, 2017)

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip. 

We believe the guides, cooks and porters were committed to our comfort and, more importantly, our safety.  We were with the Mndeme team.  Super group.

Diane

 (comment received Dec 3, 2016)

Everything went better than expected.  Our guide, Living, assistant guide, Frankie, and all the porters were great!

The transportation and hotel were wonderful as well.  The staff at the hotel was really friendly, helpful, and patient.

It was really one of the best experiences of our lives.  Thank you!

Paul

(comment received Oct 2, 2016)

Jambo ………….our family all arrived back safely from Tanzania on Thursday completing an amazing and emotional experience.

The task was to climb the mountain, which three out of seven accomplished but that was only part of the story. Your beautiful people, their friendliness, the scenery the colours…amazing. The safari was great too and we packed much into a relatively short time !!! 

Between KLM, African Safari and yourselves, thanks for looking after our delayed contingent – but they arrived in time for the trek.

Everyone we met from Zara Tours was a credit to your organisation and to your country and we are now on the e-mailing list for several guides, “Senior” Porters, one Chef and his assistant! The quality and variation of the meal products that Evance produced from his tent left us dumfounded. I suspect we were gives special treatment travelling as a family group and my wife and myself soon became known as Mama and Papa !

For the Kilimanjaro trek, very, very special thanks to Jaffari Kimolo and his core team Joshua, the Kabila brothers, Evance, Juma and Muzee (you brought tears to my eyes) ………….and thanks to all the other unmentioned heroes too.

For the Safari – thanks to Hansa (apologies if this is spelt incorrectly). Knowledgeable, trustworthy, a safe pair of hands at the wheel who didn’t take risks or flout any rules. I wasn’t worried one.

So asante san Zara Tours and all of your team for giving us this life changing opportunity.

On the negative side…..it is likely that at least two of us will be knocking at your door in the future for a return match with the mountain once we have sorted out how best to tackle altitude sickness !!!!!!

Kwaheri (for now)

From the heart,

Papa Geoff

(comment received Aug 28, 2016)

Hello Adam,

Just arrived back in the UK following our trip to Tanzania. Our Kilimanjaro experience was perfect, we both thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing. Our guides Kabila and Raymond were both excellent and we couldn't have wished for better guides. The food cooked by Armani, our chef, was incredible- I'm amazed at how he can cook such delicious meals on a mountain! And all our porters were so lovely and hard working. The staff in the hotel were also so welcoming and friendly, special regards to Juma who taught us some swahili before we headed up the mountain.

Thanks so much for such an incredible trip! Will definitely recommend Zara to friends.

Helena.

(comment received JUNE 12, 2016)

Thanks for following up. My trip was phenomenal. Tanzania is an an amazing place and Kiliminjaro was a spectacular trip. Zara tours has a great staff at the Springlands hotel and assisted me in any personal excursion, outside of Kiliminjaro, that I made. Loved the team that i was paired up with in Amani, and Wilfred. The guides always gave us info about the different areas in the hike and assisted in getting us to the top. Couldn't of asked for a better group to go with. The camps were set up nice and the daily agendas were all doable.

Thank you for everything and helping me have one of the best experiences of my life.

Regards,

Daniel

(comment received May 24, 2016)

I had a great experience with Zara Tours while I was in Tanzania. The staff at the Springlands Hotel took very good care of me and the overall experience of completing the 6-day Machame Route climb was one I'll never forget.

There were a few concerns I had during this trip though.

(Pre-hike) I did not like having to pay $4 USD for a plastic bag to carry my sleeping bag/gear. I think it would be a reasonable expectation that if a sleeping bag is being rented, then it should come with a waterproofed bag to be carried in. If I'd known a bag like this was needed, I would've packed a couple of strong plastic bags for the trip. I don't feel this was well communicated in the pre-departure checklist.

(Meals 1) It felt that there was far too much food prepared for each meal. From the start of the hike, I would leave a full third of each meal untouched. This was especially true of the pastas and potatoes. Even the lunches were too much to be finished.

(Meals 2) I did not like the breakfast porridge at all. This is totally a matter of personal taste, but it just didn't agree with me and I don't think I had more than a single bowl of it during the trip. The crew kept making more every day, even though I was leaving it untouched. There was often enough toast or other food, so filling up wasn't an issue.

(Post-hike) The tipping process was very awkward. I was expecting to be part of a group and did not know I would be the only hiker in my "group". I wasn't prepared for being solely responsible for tipping the entire team. Perhaps Zara can provide more details on the make-up of each group, maybe a week prior, so the hiker has a better understanding of how much cash they need to have on their person.

The hike itself was amazing and my guide, Wilibard was fantastic. He took very good care of me and expressed a great deal of concern for my health and safety. Wilibard has great knowledge of the mountain and the region. He was able to answer all of my questions and provided excellent advice throughout my trip. Overall, I would definitely recommend Zara Tours to anyone who is interested in hiking Kilimanjaro.

-mathew

(comment received May 24, 2016)

Hi Adam

We had an exciting visit to Tanzania. this was my second time with Zara. 10 yrs ago I also did a safari and climbed Kilimanjaro. Was successful this time also. One on my group needed to be removed from mountain second day and you guides were excellent and making all arrangements. We were all very happy with the set up and will recommend ZARA to our friends

Thanks, Bryan

(comment received May 22, 2016)

Hi,

We loved the Tanzania trip... hats off to your team and we super love all our porters and guides too.... Babu/mango/richard and our waiter goliza(?) ...

Will leave feedbacks soon in tripadvisor or your social media...

we've gotten to your group through out mountaineering group who have been using zara since 2006 so there's no problem with spreading the word about you!

Thanks for making our trip memorable

Joy

(comment received Mar 19, 2016)

I'm hoping to see Macon tomorrow in Calgary!

We were very impressed with the planning, the route and acclimatization seemed better than other groups, and everything went as described.

All the equipment was good quality and in good condition.

Everyone at Zara was friendly and fun.

We never lost any weight because the food on the mountain was fabulous.

As Canadians the total price for us was a bit high, paying 1.4 to 1.5 times U.S.$ 
We were not happy with the mosquito nets at Springlands, they did not hang well.

Overall we were very satisfied and would recommend Zara Tours.

John

(comment received Mar 18, 2016)

Hi George

 I just wanted to pass this on to you….good work Hassan and Zara Tours!

Hello John, well I have had the time of my life and the safari has fulfilled every expectation. Thank you for arranging it for me. My driver/guide Hassan was excellent, a good driver and a fount of knowledge, I highly recommend him. The walk to the waterfall was quite tough as I had to do a bit of climbing and ford the river four times. But Imade it and had a brilliant Maasai guide called Equil. The morning walk to Lake Natron was a pleasant two and a half hour ramble. Hunting with the Hadzabe tribe was just amazing and most unexpected, I wasn't sure what the visit would be about. The balloon trip was great and I would suggest it to everyone. At the moment the main migration is in South Serengenti so we didn't see the vast herds and numerous predators but we did see lots of mixed herds and amazinglandscapes.

The lodge at Lake Natron was wonderfully quirky and a great location with excellent service and food. Ikoma tented camp was just like Out of Africa with hyenas banging against the side of the tent. Again brilliant service and food. Roika wild camp was fabulous, great accommodation, service and food and the sounds of elephants rumbling and lions roaring. What a place.

A really memorable holiday , probably my last great adventure. Thank you again John. Kind regards, Margaret Sent from my iPad

 Many Thanks

John

(comment received Feb 21, 2016)

Hi Zara tours staff,

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for your wonderful service and high quality experience you provided my husband and I on our honeymoon in late December.
Our luggage arrived 2 days late.  When we first realized our luggage was not going to make it in time for the start of our Kilimanjaro hike, we thought we would have to miss the hike altogether.  We were pleasantly surprised to learn that we could postpone our hike by one day (since Zara offers daily departures) and that our guide was willing to accommodate the new schedule.   When our luggage still didn't arrive the following day, our guide (David) helped us by taking us to the rental office and assisting us with picking out all of our necessary equipment.
We left for our hike on the 22nd, and in the meantime, the wonderful staff at Springlands Hotel was able to track down our luggage and have it waiting for us on arrival back to the hotel following our Kili hike. They even offered to send a porter up with our luggage to meet us halfway up the mountain (we decided against this since we had already rented everything we needed).  We were incredibly pleased with this customer service, and also how friendly all of the hotel staff was.
Our guide for the safari (Mr. Mulo) was also wonderful - he had a great sense of humor and seemed to genuinely enjoy his job and showing us beautiful Tanzania.

We'd be happy to show this review, or a similar review, on Trip Advisor or whichever site you prefer, to let others know of our wonderful experience with Zara.  We will certainly recommend your company to all those we know who are planning a vacation in Tanzania.  (I also work in the international travel industry, so I will certainly be able to share this with many clients!)

Thank you for helping to make our honeymoon such a fantastic trip of a life-time! :)

~Lauren~

(comment received Jan 23, 2016)

Hello Yosia,

I had a wonderful time at Kilimanjaro last week and it was mainly thanks to the Zara crew that accompanied me.
I didnt get a chance to give some feedback or reccomendations or anything ... Is there a way you could help me with that? Or any other way  to show my gratitud besides the tip?
They were as amazing as the mountain!

Thank you!
Sarah Mac

(comment received Jan 11, 2016)

George:  We were never given any evaluation forms to give feedback on our trek and safari guides.  Please make sure this email evaluation gets to the right people, so that Filbert, Muhsin and Samuel get the credit they deserve.

Our 6-day trek at the end of December was everything we could have hoped for.  Chief Guide Filbert and Assistant Guide Muhsin took care of our every need.  Not only did they set the perfect pace for each part of the trek, they were also very knowledgeable about the plants we saw along the way, and were understanding and encouraging when we got tired.  We would give them both an A++ grade. The porters, cook and waiter were also fantastic.

Our 5-day safari was similarly well-done.  Our guide/driver Samuel was extremely knowledgeable about the animals and landscapes we encountered, and often did additional research in his books to answer our more detailed questions.  He is a very safe driver, and an easy person to spend many hours with in a car.  He gets an A++ grade as well.

We would highly recommend each of these three guides to any future guests.  They are wonderful individuals, with excellent leadership and language skills.

Many thanks, also, for your part in arranging this most amazing birthday celebration (21st birthday for Sierra and 60th birthday for Bob) in Tanzania.   It was truly a “bucket list” trip.  Michele and Bob.

(comment received Jan 09, 2016)

I recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with Zara Tours, and I wanted to thank the team for their great work. Frankie was the best guide I could have hoped for, and I had a wonderful experience because of his expertise and incredibly hard work. I wouldn't have reached the summit if not for Frankie! The rest of the team on our climb was also very attentive and made sure that I had everything that I needed, and I appreciated everything that they did for me. I look forward to returning to Tanzania and Mount Kilimanjaro soon with Zara.

Thank you,

~Teresa~

(comment received Sep 16, 2015)

Dear Sirs

My family and I have just recently finished a 7-day safari with your agency. We were accompanied the entire time by your staff member, Mr. Baraka Sospeter. And Mr. Kessy was our driver.

From the moment of our arrival to the time of our departure both of these men were constantly concerned for our comfort and well-being as well as committed to fulfilling all our wishes. Using his exceptional command of the German language and his extensive knowledge, Mr. Sospeter presented us much information about the land and its people. He was always courteous, polite and punctual, was always in a cheerful mood, and above all was always professional and thorough concerning our safety.

Mr. Kessy with his perfect knowledge of the area, was an ideal match and complement. At no time did we ever have the feeling he was not in total control of the situation or that he had put us in danger.

Lastly, although the Christmas celebrations fell in this period, both men never seemed tired or distracted.

I would like to sincerely thank you for an unforgettable week and ask you to please pass along this gratitude and thank-you to our two guides, Mr. Sospeter and Mr. Kessy

Harry Forst

(comment received Dec 29, 2014)

Dear all,
I made a Safari in October 2014 with ZARA Tours and spent a wonderful time in Tanzania. Our German speaking guide, his name was SALIM, was very qualified and competent and really a nice guy. Thank you very much for this wonderful experience.

Best regards,
Herta Gerdes

(comment received Dec 6 , 2014)

I have just returned from the most amazing holiday.
We arrived at Kiliminjaro on Sat. l8th October and were introduced to HAMZA our Guide for the week.
HAMZA - was just wonderful so informative.
I travelled with my son, his partner and 7 year old grandson and my daughter. (Cathy Wills booked the trip)  HAMZA was the perfect person to introduce the wonders of a Safari to us all.  Just everything was perfect - animals of course, accommodation - congratulations to you all.

(comment received Nov 5 , 2014)

Dear Zainab

I like very much to express my gratitude for the very good treatment from your company.

To be 64 year and not in the best shape it would not be possible for me to achieve this with out a person as Gilbert and his team.

Big thanks to him and his team.

I ask you to give him the letter in attachment.

Beste hilsener / Best regards

Jan O Hjetland

MRC Solberg & Andersen AS

(comment received Nov 03 , 2014)

Dear Zara-Team,

In August of this year we had a very beautiful safari trip in Tanzania with your company. Our driver and guide was Goodluck.

We would like to thank again this amazing guy who was always very friendly, kind and attentive. With his great knowledge about the African nature and culture he always had an answer to our questions.

He always was very well organized and informed us about the daily route. Thanks to him, we were able to see “The big 5”.

Also we were very pleased with the accommodation and service in the Highview Hotel and Serengeti Wild Camp.

Our trip was an unforgettable experience and we will be back to Africa for sure, hopefully with your company and our good friend “Goodluck”. Please send our warmest greetings to him.

Kind regards

Manuela Börner

(comment received Oct 25 , 2014)

Dear Zainab,

 I’m writing you to thank you for the wonderful experience we had climbing Kilimanjaro with Zara Tours in July this year.

 We are very pleased with how everything was organised from your side (thank you for getting us to Uhuru peak!). We had a very good experience with our guide Salim who took us up to the top with great skills and motivation. Also, we much appreciate the flexibility that was shown from Salim’s side in adjusting our schedule to our loss of baggage at the airport. For your record, we will without hesitation recommend Zara tours as well as Salim to any of our friends planning a Kilimanjaro hike.

 Once again, many thanks for an unforgettable experience!

 Best regards

Eric Carlson

(comment received Aug 29 , 2014)

It is time to say Thank You!

The 21 of July 2014 we reached Uhuru Peak at 06.30 AM just in time for sunrise. I, Filip, Hakan and Leo would just like to send a big thank you to head guide Michael and his brilliant team. Michael, Justin and the rest of the team gave us such an awesome, once in a lifetime adventure with memories to cherish for the rest of our lives. Thank You!

We are so impressed by, with such an ease, Michael guided his team, all the logistics with heavy equipment, excellent service and food, and 'pole, pole' walking pace adjusted to fit our group perfect. Even though we had to experience a sad death among another group, we always felt safe and in the best of hands of Michael and his team, never compromising with our safety.

A big thank you also to Zara Tanzania Adventures. You must be so proud of your company and the people working for you. You are running an excellent operation!

Best regards,

Helene, Filip, Hakan and Leo

 Helene Lundkvist

Owner/Partner

(comment received Aug 24 , 2014)

Dear Zara team,

We went on a trek to Kilimanjaro with Steven and Frederik and came back yesterday.

Would like to write and say thank you very much and that it has been one of the best vacation experiences We have ever had. despite the hardship of the route for first timers like us, I don't think we would have made it up without the help of Steven and Frederik, who where some of the best guides we have ever come across and who always had our safety and spirits in mind.

We are writing this as we think we misunderstood the rating sheet after having talked to other people on the trek. We would in that regards like to mark the entire group effort as excellent and would definitely recommend Steven and Frederik to our friends who seemed super keen to do the venture themselves when they heard we where going.

Once against thanks for an amazing trip and apologies for any miscommunication in the ratings.

Please let us know if we can clarify upon anything

Best regards

Katrin and Miro

(comment received Aug 26 , 2014)

Dear Zainab,

It was a pleasure to meet and talk to you yesterday in your hotel.

Summarizing our conversation as you requested in writing I (and my 2 friends traveling with me) believe that everything worked perfectly well. From the first day to the last second when you drives us to the airport. Hotel excellent, service and facilities and special remark to include In the pack to use the hotel facilities plus room the last days before going to the airport. Good relief to take  a shower after seven days in the mountain.

Being more specific on the journey to Kilimanjaro, let me say that we were amazingly surprised for all the logistics you have put in place moving stuff up and up and up and up and up and finally down, preparing the tents, food and other facilities in every single camp in a very precise and organized way.

Regarding all the team that travelled with us ...all were 5 stars, from the guide Fernando to the last porter  without forgetting the cooker and waiter.

But we would like to make an special  remark to our guide and leader of the entire team. FERNANDO was  great, supportive, always explaining all the things with the required details, being patient with us and the most important thing guiding us to the summit that was our goal.

You are lucky having someone representing Zara tours like he is doing.

Once again thanks and congratulations and do not have any doubt that I will pass my comment to Tuareg that was the company we used in Spain and to our friends in case they  want to repeat our experience.

Ignasi Ricou

(comment received Aug 08 , 2014)

Dear mrs. Zainab A. Ansell

We had an amazing safari trip in Tanzania and my boyfriend and i both agere that we have your driver Nelson, Maglan to thank for it.

We could not have had a better driver. He knew so many tings about the animals, he was really helpful and always in a good mood.

We would recommend him to others.

No dout that we had the best guide in Tanzania :)

Regards

Tina

(comment received Aug 07 , 2014)

Dear Zainab,

I gave a very high rating for Springland Hotel and Zara Tours.  It is amazing what you have been able to accomplish and the high level of service to meet western expectations in Tanzania.  I will do all I can to promote your organizations because I can see they not only provide real value to visitors like myself, but also help the local economy and more specifically provide good stable jobs to people.  I am also very thankful that you are a believer in Jesus Christ and have such a powerful testimony.

There were a few things I did observe that could have been improved and two in particular were worth mentioning in my opinion.  Rather then publicize the incidents I feel it is much better to let you know privately so you can address them without hurting your reputation or public image.

The first is I made a decision to go to Kilimanjaro Airport to see if I could fly out on standby the day before my flight.  I knew there was a high probability that the flight I was trying to get on would be full but I thought it was worth a try. I not only reserved a room, but I paid for it in advance as there were a few items I wanted to have available in case it didn't work out, but I didn't want to travel with them with me so I left them in the room.  When I got to the airport the drivers made sure I was taken care of.  I was enjoying the company of one driver and decided to hang out at the airport even though I could have got a ride back with another driver after finding out I would not be able to fly out on standby.  As it turned out the flight he was waiting for a passenger on was delayed for much longer than the flight screen indicated and I was very late getting back to the hotel.

However, I wasn't concerned because he told me he was in communication with the staff at the hotel and they were fully aware that I was returning.  This was not just one communication, but several.  The driver reassured me after each call.

However, upon returning to the hotel to pick up the key to my room I discovered someone had given my room away and all the items I left behind to use were gone.  Needless to say I was not happy about that.

I had paid for the room and wanted the convenience of using the items I had left in the room.  The person there on staff was not able to confirm that I had reserved a room, but gave me a different room anyway on my word that I had prepaid for a room.

In the future hotel staff should be instructed not to give a paid room away unless they confirm with the driver that the person actually caught a flight.  In this situation it was inexcusable because I was standing right by the driver when he was talking to hotel staff letting them know that I would be returning to my room that night.

The second incident involved our luggage.  The check in luggage did not arrive with us and so we had to wait until the next evening.  However, for some reason even though the luggage did arrive on the next KLM flight for some reason it was not delivered to us that night, but we had to wait until the next morning.  This meant we had to rush to prepare our Porter duffel and day hiking packs for the climb up Mt.

Kilimanjaro.  In our rush all five of us ommitted important items to help us make a safe and successful climb.  In addition, three of my five hiking companions had extremely vital pieces of gear missing!!

One was missing his expedition mittons, his down parka and all three were missing their headlamps.

I suggested to our group leader that one of us needed to go to the airport with the driver to pick up our luggage, but trusting soul that he was he said that was not necessary.  I trusted his judgement because he had traveled internationally to and from India, but obviously he made the wrong decision.  Because we were not physcially there to retrieve our luggage it caused the baggage to be exposed to being pilfered and the theft of these important items for our climb.  It put their personal safety at risk because they could not replace the quality of those items with rental gear.

One of the three in our party came in on the same KLM flight that Sanjay, Roger and my luggage were coming in on.  Because his luggage didn't arrive either his duffel had to be brought to him at Shira Camp 2.  He was missing his headlamp, down parka, and expedition gloves.

There are several observations and lessons to be learned from this and there are things that Springlands can do to mitigate the problems created by late arriving check in luggage.

First, please insist one or more of the party go to the airport with the driver to be there physically to pick up late luggage when the plane arrives to reduce the amount of time that check in luggage is unsecured.  I noticed at the airport when I arrived that when the baggage arrived from other lost luggage was left unattended and any number of unauthorized people had access to it.

Second please advise people that there is a "high probability" that check in luggage may not arrive and they may want to take other precautions such as shipping gear directly to Springlands via DHL or at least keeping critical gear in carry on (which is what I did).

Arriving a day early is a good plan, but it doesn't do any good if the person doesn't go back to the airport the next day to physcially retrieve their luggage.

Getting through security is exasperating, but it is necessary in order to keep control of essential items for the climb.

I hope these suggestions are welcome and used to help other travelers have a more pleasant experience and successful summit.

One more suggestion is that you advise people going on the safari to bring warm weather gear.  It was very cold in the Ngorongoro crater area and I almost got ill because I didn't have enough warm clothing with me.  The driver would not turn on the heater because he didn't want to blow dust into the vehicle.  I finally convinced him to rollup his window and to turn the heat on without the fan so warm air would be generated to take the chill off.

Otherwise I had a phenomenal experience and even the adversity was part of the adventure.  However we were all seasoned hikers.  It may not have turned out as well for those with less experience.

Cordially,

Jim Cribari

(comment received Aug 04 , 2014)

Ms. Ansell,

My nephew, Bradley Ranson and I were recently on one of your hikes to Kili (Marangu route)

July 14- July 19 2014

I wanted to be sure to let you know how wonderful your two guides were – lead guide, Ema (Emmanuel) and assistant guide, Salim

I personally don’t think I would have accomplished the hike without the help of Ema – the encouragement he gave me especially during the climb to the summit was outstanding

My nephew feels the same about Salim – a great pair guides

Lastly, the porters were great. I do want to make mention of Bob our waiter – he went above and beyond always with a great smile on his face (even when it was really cold outside).

I look forward to knowing that Bob will rise the ranks and hopefully become a guide someday – he has the personality and the charm.

 Regards,

 Elizabeth 

(comment received July 25 , 2014)

Our three nights at Serengeti Wildcamp was above all expectations! I was stunned by the food, the tents and the fact that you sleep in the middle of the savannah! During the night we heard buffalows and zebras grassing just next to our tent. And every night af 7 PM a hyena showed up. It was a bit scary at first, but the staff told us, that for them the hyena was just like a dog walking around among the tents. 

The safari trip was one of the most exciting things i have ever experienced! And I can only recommend this camp. Delicious breakfast and dinner!

Sophie B

Hjoerring, Denmark 

(comment received July 26 , 2014)

We had a great stay at Serengeti Wild camp. We laid in our beds at night listening to lions and hyenas. Zebras and gnus passing our tent... This was awsome!!! The people who worked there were amazing. They made our stay super.

Kristin A

Fetsund, Norway 

(comment received July 25 , 2014)

“Close to the nature - superb place - nice people around you!”

Be "in the wild" and in many ways feel secure, then go to Serengeti Wildcamp in Serengeti National Park. Nice place to stay, superb room for me and my 2 children (18 year girl and 15 year old boy). Employees perfect! I'm looking back with nice feelings and both of my children would like to come back "in the wild" and listening to the animals when the night comes "towards" you :-) Thanks for this experience Guys!!

Jacomo13

Roskilde, Denmark

(comment received July 25 , 2014)

Our three nights at Serengeti Wildcamp was above all expectations! I was stunned by the food, the tents and the fact that you sleep in the middle of the savannah! During the night we heard buffalows and zebras grassing just next to our tent. And every night af 7 PM a hyena showed up. It was a bit scary at first, but the staff told us, that for them the hyena was just like a dog walking around among the tents. 

The safari trip was one of the most exciting things i have ever experienced! And I can only recommend this camp. Delicious breakfast and dinner!

Sophie B

Hjoerring, Denmark

(comment received July 18 , 2014)

Dear Zainab

 I write to congratulate you on the successful running of ZARA tours.  I was most delighted to see that Zara is owned and operated by a black woman (forgive the cliché), but it is worthy of note, particularly as I now live in the UK for school and this is not a common occurrence.  You are dedicated to offering quality service at all levels to clients which is welcome, particularly as we are overtaken by profit-making organizations who only pay lip-service to client satisfaction in many cases.

I was most impressed by the attention to details, even the wearing of gloves by the persons at the buffet, the level of hygiene at the hotel, the pristine grounds and attentiveness of staff rivals any luxury hotel in any “developed” country, and even surpass some, it was a small place with a big heart, that’s the feeling I got.  Thank you.

 My main purpose for writing however is to express my awe and total respect for the guides and porters. Kitenja and Thomas, my angels on the mountain, without whom I would not have made it.  “Uncle” Bruce or Brucie as he was affectionately called, was a competent and effective leader.  Living, Saba, Ambrose, Peter and Jerry, and the others whose names I forgot, or I did not meet, Spice, who carried my bag.

 The effort that they made to make sure all went smoothly was beyond expectations. We were well fed, on time in what is considered luxury, that could be expected in extreme camping.  This they did without complaints, always smiling; without proper gears for protection of their own person.

 There was a genuine desire to please, and most of all to ensure we all made it.  They went beyond the call of duty, I recall Thomas wiping my nose and mouth after throwing up from mountain sickness, when I had no strength or desire to do those simple things J.

Everyone in the group were impressed and appreciative, to the point of even feeling a little guilty when they came to assist in packing sleeping bags or taking extra packs when we could not manage.  There were no complaints from the group, just amazement at the amount of work and their strength and capacity to provide such service in such conditions.

Please convey our highest respect and appreciation.  I am now back and proudly say to family and friends I climbed Kilimanjaro, knowing very well that I could not have done it without my angels.  They are awesome people.  My love, appreciation and utter respect I give and humbly submit that I will always carry them in my heart.

 I hope to be back in short order to do some work at the orphanage and to see them again.  I would love to stay at Springlands once more so I will keep in touch and do my booking directly.

I wish you all the blessings for continued success in your business as you enrich the lives of others and create amazing experiences for people to discover Africa and themselves in the process.

 As we say in Jamaica, One Love.

Sincerely,

Carolyn

(comment received July 16 , 2014)

Kitondo

 We enjoyed the trip a lot, and I will certainly recommend Zara to anyone wanting to visit Tanzania.

 Thanks

 Roger

(comment received July 15 , 2014)

Abdi and Kitenja.  I want to tell you how much Davis and I enjoyed the trek and appreciate your help and the help of your team.  Your focus on our success summiting was noticeable from the start.  Everything you did from carrying our day packs on summit day to helping Davis down when he bonked was immensely helpful.  Your advice along the way was right on target.  Your experience getting low-landers like us up to the roof of Africa was so obviously. While it was easy for you physically given your training, your understanding of what our bodies and minds were enduring was obvious.  You likely can't understand how much this means to us given that you climb the mountain so often, but you should know that Davis and I will remember and cherish this adventure for the rest of our lives.

Thanks also for the incites into Tanzanian culture. I find it interesting to compare and contrast cultures.  There is a lot that we Americans can learn from the Tanzanian way of life.

 (comment received June 30 , 2014)

There is no doubt that we have a wonderful and unforgettable trip in Tanzania with ZARA Tours. Thank you very much! Moreover, we will recommend our friends consider ZARA Tours if they want to travel to Tanzania.

Kind Regards,

Yufei chen

(comment received April 10, 2014)

I have had the best guide ever, William is smart, caring,confident, experienced and he made my trip so great. I will definitely recommend him to others that are going to Killimanjaro.

My whole crew was great, they all did their best, to make my trip as good as possible. Great food, awesome waiter, and the porters were nice and helpful.

Your services will be recommended at my blog as well:

gunnpaaferiealene.wordpress.com

Gunn Tjessem

(comment received Mar 19, 2014)

The Zara team we had were brilliant and honestly we had not a single complaint as those guys made it memorable for both Selogen and myself. From their comforting words to their guidance throughout the trail and to their motivation on summit night .. They were brilliant !!!

We successfully summited !!!

Stanley , Hamisi and their crew just blew us away.

And if it weren't for them we would not have had such a fabulous experience on such a majestic mountain

Kind regards,

Rose

(comment received Mar 18, 2014)

Dear Stephen Waithaka – Zara Properties

We have had the best vacation of our lives. So we thank you so much for this splendid experience!

We stayed at Hotel Springlands Moshi, Hotel Highview Karatu, Serengeti Wild camp, and Ngorongoro Wild camp. All those places were top-nice and with a friendly, obliging and helpful personnel. We especially enjoyed Hotel Springlands, where the staff took the time to learn us some Swahili phrases, and the Serengeti Wild camp, where we felt like family J It was so great fun.

The safari – game drive was fantastic. We had Abubakar Atik excellently driving us, and sharing his great knowledge of the country, the animals, the people and nature. We saw so many magnificent views, and got so close to the wild animals, that we will never be the same again. Tanzania got under our skins!

So indeed this was an experience of our life time. The only problem is, that we are now dreaming, all the time, of going back to Tanzania, have to come back as soon as we can! And when we do, we will certainly use Zara Properties again.

Asante sana!

Kindest regards

Kirsten

(comment received Jan 23, 2014)

Dear Zara Team,

we were climbing mount Kilimanjaro with you end of last year (voucher-number 2013/12/255), but we were coming back a day earlier and therefore did not get the chance to stay at Springlands after the climb but we’ve got rebooked to a place in Moshi (Leopard hotel) instead. However, we’ve given the staff at Leopard hotel the feedback-sheet which we’ve received at the end of the climb, but we’re not sure as to whether this sheet has actually found its way into your offices. Therefore and due to the fact that we were absolutely hooked with your services, we wanted to provide additional feedback using this channel.

First and foremost, we’d like to thank for the perfect organization of everything. In fact, each and every step of the whole endeavor was just perfectly planned and we could enjoy every minute knowing that we’re in good hands. That started with the accommodation at Springlands and ended with the fact that we’ve asked for an earlier completion of the descent which subsequently got quickly organized to our full satisfaction. That brings us to the most important person: Freddy, our guide and friend. This guy is simply amazing and truly we can just recommend him and his services to each and everybody who feels like climbing mount Kilimanjaro as Freddy seems to be the key to getting there. Not only did he show professionalism, dedication and expertise but also did he care about us and his team whilst he did not forget to smile and be happy all the time. He seriously made our trip a great enjoyment and congratulate you at Zara for having such a great guy as your employee. However, we also would like to mention the rest of the team which we were also extremely amazed. Everything just worked out perfectly well (e.g. the stuff was always there and dry; the food was extremely delicious and we could not stop eating …) and we felt that the whole team knows what to do and is worth every cent.

So again, thank you very much for making our trip not just a great success but also a great enjoyment and please send our best regards to Freddy and the team. Again, Zara must be extremely proud of having such people working for them. 

All the best from Austria,

Tanja  and Markus

(comment received Jan 20, 2014)

Four friend and I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in December 2013, during christmas. We had Africa Safari who cooperate with Zara Adventures and were well cared for. I especially loved the guides (Edwin and Florian) and porters. Everybody were so friendly and had a smile in there faces despite the hard work. Our guides Edwin and Florian were kind, patient, helpful, strong men. Thanks!

 I was grateful for our own toilet tent I realy appreciated that service! The food was good, the chief did a good work! ...and the popcorn, that were something to look forward to! And the porters, my good, they walk with our bags and it looks like no problems!

 We were very well cared for! For example: One of my friends got sick and our guides took care of him and had him under surveillance. With the help of their little tricks they got Simon on his feet and he was one of those who then reached the top. It was a turnaround that! :). Edwin helped me down from the mountain. An old injury to the knee, ligament, made itself reminded. It made my muscles being lazy during the descent from the mountain. But with sticks and Edwin I manage go down from the mountain. I appreciated Edwin very much with his patience and for our chats down the mountain. Florian was also absolutely wonderful! Care for us, lookin after us and could set the pace for our group, had good sense of humor (which we all appriciate) and had a lot of knowledge about the flora around us. With those two we had luck!

 Edwin and Florian was well respected of everyone we met. And we respected them a lot! They have a lot of knowlede about the mountain, the flora, sickness, leadership, people skills, good decision makers, good knowledge of medicine, empathy, humor, caring and interested in other people. Furthermore, many good tricks that will come in trials while on Kilimanjaro. The two of them with the porters are a very good team. Thank you for leeting us having them during or visit at Kilimanjaro!

On Friday morning the 28th, I think it was. Simon and I search for Edwin at our hotell but couldn´t find him. We had some things that we wanted to give him, Florian and our porters some things. We had to give our things to a work colleague. We hope that our things reach Edwin and that something came to benefit!

This is a most gorgeous, unique place in the world. I'm so glad I got to experience it, despite my knee. And it is definitely challenging and definitely worth the effort! Send my best to Edwin and Florian! ....and if they would get the idea to climb Kebnekaise an afternoon;), we will of course help them up! :) Kebnekaise is the highest mountain in Sweden (only 2,099 meters).

I looked after or guides at facebook and website, but I couldn´t find there Pictures :(.

Best regards,
Camilla  

(comment received Jan 7, 2014)

Dear Sir or Madam,

At the end of September we had a very wonderful Safari in Tanzania organized by your Organization.

We had some very interesting and funny days made true not only by your staff in High View Hotel

and Icoma Wild Camp, but also by our german speaking guide Goodluck and our driver Robert. They both

made this journey unforgetable with their knowlegde. We very much appreciated the stay in Tanzania and

hope to come back sometime in the future.

Is it maybe possible to hand over the attached picture to Goodluck and Robert with a very big "asante sana"?

Thank you very much 

Florian

(comment received Dec 1, 2013)

Hello,
I would like to tell the world what an amazing experience is climbing the
 Kilimanjaro, we were a group of 5 girls, 3 guides and 19 porters.... A life
 changing experience. Raymond, Felix and Julius (Lara), have been the best
 guides ever. So much fun and knowledge. I will climb it over and over again
 with them. I recommend to anyone Zara tours and especially Raymond, Felix
 and Julius as guides, they will make sure you make it to the top... BEST
 TRIP EVER!
 Thank you
 
 Marta Rodriguez Sanchez

(comment received Nov 1, 2013)

Hallo together,

SPRINGLANDS HOTEL  was a surprise for me an wonderful. I was traveling with WIKINGER and ZARA TOURS an was thrilled. Many thanks to everyone for everything. I'm so happy about my trip to Tanzania in Africa. I was on the Kilimjaro and have experienced a wonderful safari   - just great. Here are some photos from my trip for you.

 For me, a life-long dream came true and I thank all of  !!!!!!!!

 JAMBO JAMBO KILIMANJAORO. . .

Christian Eckert - Our SUPER GUIDE
was prepared as WIKINGER for Kilimanjaro and Safari
He always knew EVERYTHING and declared like
So we flew with him trustingly into the distance

With his experience and then POLE POLE
All we really came to on Kilimanjaro
This moment is not to describe
And will be remembered forever in the memory

Then we toured on through Tanzania
Of the Big Five were all there for us!
We could hardly believe it - but it was true
And so the Serengeti was wonderful for us

Christian - I thank you again for EVERYTHING in this way
and wish you again and again: GOOD TRIP
Sincerely, Ursula

 - in the German rhymes  :- ))   -

 I hereby send the best rating for SPRINGLANDS HOTEL

with best regards from Erfurt -  Germany

 Ursula Grobe

(comment received Oct 27, 2013)

Hi.

We have been on a safari-week starting at 19 February. We got a safari guide with the name of Anthony Alex.

It was a fantastic week and we got to see many animals very close.

Anthony educate us in many things like the life of the animals, circle of life and eco systems. Now we understands a lot more when we are looking on TV programs with wild animals.

The success of the week was must due to Anthony.

Thank you for a fantastic week.

Best Regards

Björn and Anna Lindstedt

(comment received Mar 22, 2013)

Dear staff at Springlands Hotel

Ashleigh and myself want to thank you for our time we had staying with you, before and after the climb.

All the staff were wonderful, helpful, caring, and happy. We arrived at Moshi  on the 13th of January then we climbed

Kilimanjaro on the 15th of Jan , I found Spring lands to be like a hidden treasure and a safe place to rest.

We met a young man called Nur who did so much for us, in fact I called him my son, I tried to send him an email but it was sent back to us something was wrong with the address.

Nur introduced us to our guide, Milton, he also is an amazing person and its because of him that we made it to the top of the mountain.

They need a medal or an award for outstanding service. 

I look forward to returning to Springlands hotel as I would like to climb Kilimanjaro one more time.

I have been telling everyone in Australia about my time in Moshi and our climb and Africa.

Thank you Thank you

Regards

Jenny and Ashleigh Mc Innes

(comment received Mar 19, 2013)

Hello,

I can't say enough wonderful things about Zara and am so glad we chose them!  All the staff we encountered, everyone from the desk and wait staff at the Springlands Hotel to our guides and porters on the mountain, were amazing.  Everyone we encountered seemed to have a good and always willing to help attitude.  My husband and I must give the most thanks to our lead guide, Winford Mtui.  He and David literally pushed and pulled me the last couple hours up the mountain, and provided so much support and encouragement on summit night.  I was about to quit about four hours into the summit attempt, and Winford assured me I could make it to the top and we did make it to Stella Point.  I think I would have so many regrets if I had actually quit so I have Winford to thank for this.  Remmy has been very helpful also.  I left a jacket at the hotel, and she actually found it and made sure it was mailed back to me.  I received it in the mail today.  We only had time for a 2 day safari at Manyara and Ngorongoro.  I think our favorite night was at the Ngorongoro Wild Camp.  What a beautiful property!  We also had a lot of fun on the free city tour of Moshi.  Rashid led us on the tour walking up and down main and side streets, and I am so thankful for this because I know we got to see parts of town that we may not have seen without a guide.
Thanks again to all the staff at Zara for making this a trip of a lifetime for my husband and me.  This is definitely the best trip we have ever taken!

Sincerely,
Sarah  and Kevin

(comment received Mar 3, 2013)

Hello and Gruess from Salzburg,Austria,

We want to thank Zara Tours and specially Faustino and his Co-Guide Justin and all of his fantastic hard working team. (Very good food !!! thank  you to the cook)

They made us an unforgetable and incredible time in November 2012. 7 days Machame Route - in the snowstorm Fasutino and Justin made us going up so easily we could not believe being up and watching the sun rise after the snowstorm

We highly recommend Faustino and his team to anyone who is interested in reaching the Uhuru Peak.

Carolin and Karl Schnoell

PS: No photo from Karl and Justin - he was up short after 5am - to dark and to cold to wait

(comment received Jan 18, 2013)

Dear Sir or Madam,

We are writing this email to commend Hamsa for the fantastic wildlife safari tour he guided us on from Dec. 31, 2012, through Jan. 6, 2013.  Hamsa was extremely knowledgeable about the different parks & conservation areas we visited and the wildlife living there.  He had an incredible talent for finding rare animals such as lions, cheetahs, leopards, rhinos, and many others!  Hamsa was an excellent driver and got us safely to all of our destinations.  Hamsa is very personable, answered all of our many questions and was very patient while we took photographs.  We had a great time traveling with Hamsa!  If we came back for another safari, we definitely would want him to be our guide.  Please convey our sincere thanks to Hamsa for his efforts to give us a terrific experience on our wildlife safari.

Very truly yours,

Charles.

Janet

(comment received Jan 18, 2013)

We got home yesterday.

Thanks so much for leading an unforgettable trip to Uhuru!  Your and your team’s great service, continuous upbeat attitude and good humor made the trip a winner, despite the rain and snow every day.  I will never forget the way you and Victor helped Stephan down the mountain when he got the altitude sickness – he is now completely recovered, and the way you, Husseini and Ashmani  kept us going to the top.  It is this  dedication that will make us recommend you and Zara Tours.

Thanks again,

Dan

(comment received Jan 07, 2013)

Best wishes for the new year 2013 from yor german guests Jutta und Harald.

We had in September 2012 unforgetable holidays in Tanzanias national parks. Your guide nicknamed Josh and driver Mohamad showed us country, people and best of all the wildness of animals. It was fantastic!

Please forward them our special greetings.

Jutta

(comment received Jan 1, 2013)

Hello,

I recently went to Tanzania and did both Kilimanjaro (Lemosho route) and a 5 day safari with Zara.

The trip was excellent, and was more than I could ever have imagined.

What made it amazing was my trek guide Charles Thadey Shayo.  He was so incredible, I would and will recommend him to anyone.  It is rare to find someone that looks at the big picture, who understands hospitality and is so genuine - in two languages!

He and our waiter Dilunga, were teaching me Swahili, were friendly, interactive and a pleasure to be around. 

I have kept in contact with Charles, and I am actually now planning to return to Tanzania, and have encouraged my friends to do the Zara safari (our guide Emmanuel was really great as well).

I just wanted you to know how incredible these workers are, they are so valuable and promote Zara in such a positive light.  It really made the difference for me.  I work in non-profit and hospitality so these qualities are really important for me.

Thank you again - it was a life changing trip and I cannot wait to get back to Moshi.

Best,
Joanne 

(comment received November 29, 2012)

The journey to the summit of Uhuru Peak was undoubtedly an once in a life time experience for us. Our gratitude to all the kindness and care we received from our guide Nechi, his guide assistant Shaio and their team of porters in each and every step of the way cannot be expressed in words.

We will never forget our 7-day climb up Kilimanjaro and the incredible group of dedicated young men that made possible for us to accomplish it.

Through all our stay in Tanzania we felt blessed to count with the first class service offered by all Zara’s staff members, including hotel receptionists’, waiters, cookers, drivers, gardeners …

We’ll highly recommend Zara Tours and Nechi’s team to anyone interested in reaching the roof of Africa.

Thank you Zara Tours, Nechi and team! We wish you well.

Sincerely,

Daniel & Claudia Martinelli, Brazil

(comment received November 11, 2012)

HI there,
I recently booked a tour through your company (sustainable package 2) and just wanted to write and let you know how pleased I was with the entire experience. Everything exceeded my expectations and I am so grateful for the experience I had with your organization. Your hotels are beyond amazing. Your staff (at the hotel, the guides, safari drivers, etc) are all so friendly and helpful. I was especially pleased with the Highview hotel. The hotel's walking guide took us on a tour of the hotel grounds and the coffee farm and was extremely knowledgeable about everything, including plants, animals and history of the area. I enjoyed this experience very much. When I return to Tanzania I will definitely be booking with Zara Tours again. Thank you so much, it truly was the trip of a lifetime!

Lacey Guest

(comment received October 11, 2012)

Dear Zara Tours,

I just wanted to compliment you on the outstanding service we had on our recent Kili climb on the Lemosho route (June 4th-10th). Our guides were outstanding. Yahoo! was an incredible leader who managed the day to day operation of the camp and climbing in a calm and thoughtful manner. I also want to compliment Jacob, Hamesi, and Soloman as well as all the others for their thoughtful and patient assistance on the climb. I couldn't have done it without their help and expert guidance. Thanks for making the TDS climb such a successful experience.

Pamela Brouillard

(comment received June 27, 2012)

Hi,

I'm just back from a wonderful trip up Kilimanjaro, and would like to tell you what a wonderful job Gilbert and Jimmy did. Gilbert was my guide, and Jimmy was my assistant guide, as well as pitching my tent and serving me my food every night.

I believe there were originally going to be two people in my group, but the other person must have canceled, so that meant that I had an incredible amount of one-on-one attention lavished on me. Gilbert was a very enjoyable hiking partner, and he did many extra things for me that he didn't have to do, such as taking me on a side trip one evening when I expressed an interest in exploring. His English is excellent, and he is a fountain of information, not just about the natural history of the mountain but also about politics, history, and culture. He was conservative at first about keeping me safe, but once he got to know me and was able to appraise my physical abilities and level of experience, he allowed me more latitude, which made the trip a lot more fun.

Jimmy, however, was the one who really rose to the occasion on this trip. On summit day, Gilbert asked him to accompany us for safety, so that we would be a group of three rather than just two. Jimmy went in front and I went in the middle. We passed the other groups, and by the time we were nearing Stella Point we were about an hour and a half ahead of the next group back. At this point it was becoming more and more clear that Gilbert was seriously sick. He hadn't been on the mountain since before the rainy season, so he probably wasn't quite as acclimatized as he could have been -- and of course altitude sickness is notoriously fickle. Although I kept trying to convince him to head back down, he insisted on coming up as far as Stella Point, where he waited in the wind while Jimmy guided me to Uhuru. Jimmy was very confident, and obviously knew the mountain extremely well. In my opinion, Jimmy's performance in this difficult situation is the best possible indicator of his readiness to step up to being a guide.

I was a little hesitant about whether to tell you the details of this summit day, since I didn't want to create any negative impression about Gilbert. But after all, we're all only human beings, and we work within our physical limitations. I think the way Gilbert persevered up to Stella Point showed an iron will. Furthermore, his decision to have Jimmy come up with us turned out to have been exactly the right decision for both everyone's safety and my own success in reaching the summit. His level of experience, maturity, and good judgment set up the situation so that everything turned out OK, even when something went wrong.

Regards,

Ben

(comment received June 25, 2012)

Dear Zara tours,

I Just returned from a great trip to Kilimanjaro and two days safari. I just want to let you know that I am very happy about the way things went. I found that everything was very well organized. The guides were great. On kilimanjaro I went with Isack Samson who did a great job and made the trip a great succes. On the safari I went with Peter Minja who had great knowledge about all that we saw. He was very nice and polite and willing to make an ekstra effort to ensure a trip of of the ordinary. I will definitely recommend zara tours and the two guides, that I went with.

All my best Zara and thanks again Thanks for an outstanding trip.

Best Regards

Lasse Frederiksen

(comment received May 29, 2012)

“To the Zara Team,

We would just like to thank you all for making our Kilimanjaro Adventure so memorable. We did the 6-day Marangu route in aid of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation in Australia and to celebrate the life of our beloved mother who passed away. We managed to raise over $17,000 between 4 of us.

Thanks to your team of amazing and experienced guides and porters, each member of our team successfully summited. We would like to thank them personally – Bouga, Samwell, Daniel and Thomas!! Thank you all so much, you’re stars!! We miss you already! We also encourage anyone looking for a lifetime adventure, to contact Zara Tours, and get involved! You will be amazed!

Jem, Melo, Papa Simba, Liza, Mick, Julie”

All my best Zara and thanks again Kind regards,

Jemma norton

(comment received April 22, 2012)

Hi Joram and Zara, Further to my sisters email below, I also wanted to say a HUGE thank you for organising such a wonderful trek and accommodating me with our request for Bugga and Samwell as our guides. Our experience in Tanzania was unforgettable, and I will make sure we always recommended Zara tours to anyone wishing to travel to Tanzania. Our biggest thank you must go to our guides and porters. Without them we would NEVER have made it up that mountain, and in particular on summit night when Bugga, Samwell, Thomas and Daniel went out of their way to ensure we all pulled together as a group and encouraged each other to keep going.

The four of them together were the most inspiring men and never once let us give up, or think we were not capable of making it to the summit. Bugga went as far as to continually warm my hands which were frozen and felt like they were going to fall off! I have written a testimonial below which you can use on your website if you wish:

"Thank you Zara Tours for organising the most incredible experience of our lives whilst trekking Mt Kilimanjaro to raise money for cancer in memory of our wonderful mother.

The highlight of the trip, including the summit, was enjoying the company of our incredible guides Bugga, Samwell, Daniel and Thomas (now friends for life) who made the journey so rewarding. They never once let us believe you would not make it to the summit, and continually motivated us to keep going, and sung and danced to entertain us when we most needed it. Their support and guidance was invaluable. So thank you to Zara and your team for such a rewarding journey."

Thanks again.

Mel Norton

(comment received April 20, 2012)

Hi, Zara. I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful experience we had with you. My friends and I hiked the seven day Machame trail with our guide Innocent and assistant guide Mohammed. They helped our whole group successfully summit Uhuru Peak. And the staff at Springlands bent over backwards to make us comfortable, especially the owner, Zainab Ansell. Thank you, Mama! We had a great time!

Katie, USA

(comment received April 14, 2012)

Good afternoon,

My group recently climbed Kilimanjaro with your company (Mellups party) and first of all, I can not thank you and your guides enough for the experience of a lifetime. We were treated like family. Thank you,

(comment received April 6, 2012)

Dear Zara Tours,

Nick and I had fully intended to have a conversation with Zainab prior to our depature, but she was busy both times we went by her office. So hopefully this note will get to her some way. Just wanted to say that we had a fantastic experience with Zara, and Festo was a HUGE part of it. He is the reason why every single person in our group made it to the top, including me! His guidance helped us avoid altitude sickness and various other ailments climbers generally experience. His encouragement - "Have a strong mind, think positive, you are going to make it" quite literally pushed me to peak (I repeated the phrase to myself countless times on the ascent to Uhuru!). I always felt safe and taken care of during the 7 days we were on the Mountain; Festo and his team are simply exceptional! Thanks for your time. It would be greatly appreciated if this note gets passed on to Zainab.
Yours,
Jin

(comment received March 1, 2012)

To
The Management
Zara Tours, Moshi , Kallimanjaro
Tanzania,
Dear Sir/Madame,
We took a trek up to Mt.Kilimanjaro in December 2011 through Gap Adventures but, stayed at your hotel. As we understand , the trip was organized by your company. I am writing this letter to express our gratitude. The service staff at Moshi, Springdale hotel was fabulous. They demonstrate care and professionalism. I avail this opportunity to express our personal gratitude to our guide Mr.Colman Temba and his team for incredible leadership and dedication to customer care. We would never make to the summit with their help. As head guide Mr.Temba exhibited many of the qualities that are essential to a successful climb. The team worked in such a harmony that our expedition turned into a dream of a life time. We like to thank you all for wonderful hospitality and professional service.
Yours truly,
Dr.Naimul Brampton,
Ontario Canada.

(comment received February 15, 2012)

We are now back in Austria (we had a trip to Sanzibar after the Safaris). We really enjoyed our journey through Tanzania. Everything was organized perfectly by Zara, the staff was friendly and helpful in all accomodations. Our driver Samo was great, he explained everything, has a great knowledge of animals and is a really nice guy, so that we also had a lot of fun with him! We will recommend ZARA to all our friends! Kind regards Bettina

(comment received February 13, 2012)

Thank you to everyone at Zara. We had a wonderful time on our hike to the top of Kilimanjaro. Our guide Winford and his team did an exceptional job of getting us to the top safely and helped to insure we had a great time. The food and the service were great! We were very happy with the food and service at the Springlands hotel too.  

Thanks so much,
Paul, Maria, and Paul Jr. Gannett

(comment received Jaunary 20, 2012)

Hi Joram, How are you? Thank you very much for helping to facilitate our trip to Kilimanjaro last month. It was an amazing trip and Zara treated us very well. We will definitely recommend you to other friends. Thanks again and hope you are well, Adam

(comment received Jaunary 8, 2012)

I am very satisfied with what I can during the trip, from beginning to eat, rest, and travel Zara always be patient waiting for us to walk slowly because it is the first trip for me, thank you to accompany us up to Uhuru peak, we are proud of the process trips with experienced people like you, and in Indonesia Gorky's first red-white flag at the top of Uhuru,,, congratulations to Ganterand kevin is the first Indonesian students who reach the top of Kilimanjaro .. Gilbert, Salim, Anton, jimmy my guide.

(comment received Jaunary 2, 2012)

Dear Manager,

Please forward enclosed pictures to Yours excellent guide Henry as an additional thanks for the fantastic safari we had 18-23 Dec!

Bertil, Christina, JohnFelix and Alice

2001 I had the chance to do a technical climb on the great Baranco Wall with a friend.
It was a fairly hard and difficult climb to the summit on mixed terrain with vertical ice and overhanging rocks, finally following the Heim Glacier to Uhuru Peak.
We were perfectly supported by a strong and cheerful group of ZARA porters and guides. Only with that support we could go for that single day push - and succeed!

(comment received November 25, 2011)

Our journey to the summit of Uhuru Peak was the ultimate experience of our lives.  Words cannot express the care and kindness we received from Godlisten and his team each moment of the way.  We will cherish our eight-day climb up Kilimanjaro for the rest of our lives and will never forget the beautiful group of people that made it all possible.  We highly recommend Godlisten's team and Zara Tours to anyone interested in reaching the rooftop of Africa.  Through all of our research, we discovered tour companies that charge twice as much as Zara to climb Kilimanjaro, but we guarantee you won't find better service or guides out there.  Thank you Zara Tours, Godlisten and team!

Sincerely,

Desiree & Billy Hessel

Dear Zara,

I spent many months preparing for it and yet I still felt completely unprepared when I first set my eyes upon Mt Kilimanjaro’s peak that reached above the clouds and that was far too close to my airplane window! I felt that feeling of sheer panic again when I saw the vast mountain from our truck window as we approached  the  park gates on the first day of our climb. My luggage had also been lost and so this added to my anxiety.

My first night sitting around the table with almost 7 other strangers my feelings of anxiety soon began to subside: laughing and joking around a delicious meal that surpassed all my expectations of what we were going to eat on the mountain, we became an instant team. As our climb went on, our entire team, including our most excellent guide Godlisten, our assistant guides, and our porters grew very close. Our guide made sure I had everything I needed to be safe and comfortable on the mountain despite my lost luggage and the Zara tours crew ensured that our spirits remained high throughout the entire climb. 7 of our team of 8 reached the summit and it is a moment in my life that I will never forget. I have travelled around the world quite a bit but I must admit that I have never walked away from a trip with such an amazing sense of accomplishment and I want to thank Zara tours for the special memories I will hold dear forever.

Thanks you.

Kathleen Vissers

(comment received September 7,2011)

Dear Zara!

Thank you for the wonderful holiday you offerd us. Climbing Kilimanjaro was an unforgettable experiance. Please say thank you again to Allen and Barick. The organisation by Zara was perfect,including all details.

And also the safari with driver Omari was absolutly perfect. Springland, Highview an Ikoma Wild camp are very comfortable places.

All in one: if friends want to go to Tansania,we will recomend Zara as perfect outfitter.

Thank you again.

Alfred Fegerl

(comment received August 29, 2011)

Dear Mama Zara,

It has been a great pleasure to stay at your properties Springlands hotel in Moshi, Highview hotel near Karatu, and the Wild camp in Serengeti. Your management and staff went far and beyond to make sure our stay was as comfortable as possible.

As part of an educational tour, our group has been discussing the educators' role in the life of students and their families and I could not help but think about the pre- and school-aged children who live along the Tembo road in Moshi. Our bus was leaving nothing but a cloud of dust as we were passing by their houses. The children saw me and the group only as an attraction and a reason to smile, waving at us each time we drove by, but I could see how I was adding to the fine red sediments in their little lungs.

I am sure your staff have dreamt of dust-free garden and smooth rides to and from work, and I believe if all of us put our heads and efforts together, we can pave this road very soon. As I was preparing to leave your wonderful country, I felt responsible for the dusty marks I left in these children's lungs and wanted to contact you and ask you for the ways I could contribute to paving the road leading to your great hotel.

Wishing you and your staff all the best and looking forward to hearing from you!
Thank you again,
Adelina

(comment received August 11, 2011)

Dear Penny and Zara Staff,

I just wanted to write a quick little note about Emily and my experience on the mountain. We climbed the Machame route from June 20-26 with Kabila and Amani. We had such a great time and everything that was in Kabila's control, it was handled very professionally. Our cook, porters, guides, etc. were awesome and really made us feel comfortable throughout our hike.

The experience was like nothing I have ever done in my entire life and I will never forget it. The people, the views, the build up to reaching Uhuru peak-it was all worth it. SO thank you to you and your staff as well as Kabila and his crew-i could not have asked for a better time on Mt. Kilimanjaro!

-Krissy

(comment received May 13, 2011)

Zara tours,

I'm a little late in sending this in, but I just wanted to let you know that we had a FANTASTIC time with our trip to Tanzania. 

We went on the 7 day Machame hike with John Kaswende as our guide (fantastic guide
and great person!), Feb 15-21, 2011.  I know I speak on the behalf of everyone in our group
(Myself, Greg, Chris, Mike, Toby & Steph) that the hike, guides, cooks, porters...
everyone!...was phenomenal. 
My dad (Greg) is still, 6 weeks later, commenting about how our trip was one of the best trips he's ever been on.
John & crew made us feel comfortable and at home while on our hike and ensured that we were healthy and safe.

I would definitely (and have already) recommended Zara Tours and John Kaswende to friends as the group to go with to hike Kilimanjaro!
 

Cheers!

Kayleen

(comment received April 11, 2011)

Hi Guys...

…we just returned to the USA & UK from climbing Kili and doing a Safari with Zara and it was AMAZING!

Our group (Toby, Steph, Papa, Dada, Chris & Mike) would like to personally thank our phenomenal Senior Guide JOHN and his amazing team of assistant guides, waiters, cooks and porters who made our trip up the mountain not only possible, but an absolute pleasure and great fun. They were genuinely concerned for our wellbeing during our whole trip and went above and beyond making sure we were looked after.

Johns passion, enthusiasm, knowledge and love of his homeland and the mountain shone through with every local story, Tanzanian historical fact and countless animal quizzes he gave us as we climbed the mountain! John is an amazing asset for Zara Tours, a true ambassador for the company and a man who loves his family, heritage, history and surrounding area. You really did make our trip something that will live with us forever in our memories.

We will have no hesitation in personally recommending John Kaswenke, his team and Zara Tours to anyone planning on visiting Tanzania.

THANK YOU SO MUCH (-: A picture is attached of our group at the summit with John and our assistant guides.

Toby

(comment received Mar 6,2011)

Hello,

Please send our best regards to the very skilled and professional guide “Isa” (spelling?). He is an honor for Zara Tours.

Kjell, Karin, Kristian and Kristin

(comment received Feb 26,2011)

Dear Sir/Madam,

We have been on a weeks' safari from 11th February and simply must let you know how greatly we enjoyed being looked after by your guide/driver Paul Costar.

He was an extremely good scout, informative and knowledgeable on all aspects of fauna and wildlife, an excellent quick-reaction driver and, last but not least, always helpful, friendly and humorous.

We highly recommend him to future visitors and hope that you will pass on our warm appreciation.

Kind regards,

Ute and Kathie

(comment received Feb 26,2011)

I took a 6-day safari tour last week with a group of 8 people. We had Abdullah and Dawson as our guides. It was the best vacation I have ever had! Abdullah and Dawson were so knowledgeable and kind and attentive. I was amazed by their talent to drive, avoid rocks and holes in the road and other vehicles, all while pointing off to the left and saying, "About 200 yards over there under a tree there are 3 lions."

I had thought traveling in Africa would be difficult, however thanks to the helpfulness of our guides it was a very easy and very enjoyable experience. Tanzania is so different from anything I have ever seen before, and the experiences there moved me. Please thank Abdullah and Dawson for me, for all that they did for our group, and I will recommend them to everyone I know.
!
Susan Byam

(comment received Feb 16,2011)

Hi Steve,

We had a GREAT time with Zara! Everything was very well organized, planned and carried out. We especially appreciate your competitive price for the quality of the tour.

I especially am grateful for Michael, Julius, Emmanuel and Joel, our guides and assistant guides. They were fantastic and extremely competent.

Thanks again for the great experience!
Yaya

(comment received Feb 9,2011)

Hello,

I just arrived home in Sweden yesterday after my African trip which went via Zanzibar.

I am mostly pleased with my climbing trip and the way you organized it. I had the best guide ever in Daniel, a superb cook and nice porters. Nothing more to wish of. You are doing a great work and I will recommend your company to any person.

Kind regards

Lena Larsson

(comment reveiced Feb 2,2011)

We have now returned to the United States from our wonderful visit to Moshi, Tanzania.  I just wanted to let you know that our experience with Zara exceeded our expectations.  You guides, porters and staff in general were an absolute joy to work with and we had an adventure of a lifetime.  Keep up the great service and who knows...we may just see you again sometime!

Thanks again,

Bob Marcantel

(comment reveiced Feb 2,2011)

I would like to thank everybody who made my trip such a wonderful experience. First the organization of all the details, including Lemosho Kili climb, 2 day safari and 4 days in Zanzibar. Thanks to Lydiah for arranging and suggesting places, all worked out fine. Then a VERY SPECIAL thank you to my guide Wilbard Mrima, without him and his team of Salim, Martin, Jackson,Honest and Amos, I would have never made it up to Uhuru. Wilbard is a special young man, a very talented guide!!

I will be attaching a couple of pictures: January 11, 2011 we made it to the top!

Assante sana to all!

Ursula , 58 year old bidi from Canada

(comment reveiced Jan 26,2011)

It's been over a month since we come from the wonderful Safari at Tanzania and we still remember it like it was yesterday ... We want to congratulate the outstanding team of Zara, especially the fabulous Sam (our guide in Safari), an amazing person, always concerned about our well being and comfort. It was a memorable trip, made possible only because of the professionalism of Zara staff.

We take this opportunity to also send you a photo of one of you wonderful safari accommodation.

Hopefully we'll see you guys again.
Regards

Luísa and Pedro
(Portugal)

(comment reveiced Jan 24,2011)

Dear Zara Tours, Thank you so much for a wonderful trip. We climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in January 2011 and we were very impressed by your company. The hotel staff were amazing. Also many thanks to our guide, Prosper, and his team. We could not do it without them. Prosper was there for us all the way and he is a great ambassador for Zara Tours. He was very knowledgeable about the mountain and briefed us every day on what to expect. Attached is a picture of Prosper if you want to pass it on to him. Thank you The Campbell and Traut families (comment reveiced Jan 23,2011)

Well I am not happy to be home to -13 C weather in canada but I am extremely happy with my whole adventure in Tanzania. I hope ou receive my comments that I filled out on my departure day from the Springlands Hotel. The 6 day Rongaii  was perfect. The guide, Prosper will be highly recommended by me to whomever is interested in climbing Kili. I am a pilot with Air Canada and hear a number of fellow pilots and cabin crew members expressing interest in this type of adventure. I will be sure to recommend Zara.

Sincerely,

Graham G. Ross

(comment reveiced Jan 21,2011)

Hi

 It's been over a month since we come from the wonderful Safari at Tanzania and we still remember it like it was yesterday ... We want to congratulate the outstanding team of Zara, especially the fabulous Sam (our guide in Safari), an amazing person, always concerned about our well being and comfort. It was a memorable trip, made possible only because of the professionalism of Zara staff.

 We take this opportunity to also send you a photo of one of you wonderful safari accommodation.

 Hopefully we'll see you guys again.

Regards

Luísa and Pedro

(Portugal)

 (comment received Jan 11,2011)

When we departed for Ros Michamvi we had no idea what to expect. The magnificent place we encountered at the end of the bumpy dirt road was a delight and a complete surprise. The beautiful, elegant beach resort was what we had dreamed of for our honeymoon. It was as though you had seen our vision board. We wanted to contact you immediately and thank you, yet could not connect by internet. All day, yesterday, resting in luxury, walking on the beach, playing in the ocean we kept repeating out loud, “Thank you Zeineb.” What a gift you gave us!

During the next few days we will follow up with Draft Proposals relative to us contributing to your income in different ways - by supporting you in growing your Africa business; Zara participating financially in my Himalayan treks; and Zara capitalizing on the Usana Opportunity with minimal input or work.

Kindest regards and many thanks
Werner and Heshie

(comment received Jan 09, 2011)

Everyone,

Got back to the US safely this week. I wanted to say thank you for taking such good care of us and re-arranging our trip at a moment's notice. We thoroughly enjoyed our break, Kilimanjaro was every bit as challenging as we had expected and a life time experience - Rashid and Abell were incredibly supportive and helpful. After Kilimanjaro we travelled to Cameroon where we met with the charity that we were climbing Kilimanjaro to support - we had an extraordinary 3 days there before making our way back to the UK and then the US.

You might be interested to see a few photo's we posted on our website.

http://www.active.com/donate/oyebogtennis/oyebogtennisMASON

Thanks again,

Charlie

(comment received Jan 06, 2011)

I just wanted to write a thank you to Zainab Ansell and everyone there for a memorable trip. It changed my life and was the most amazing thing I have experienced. You all were so kind and I will not forget any of you. I had traveled there alone and came away with so many friends. I even was lucky enough to meet a beautiful young single woman from Australia who I will never forget. Her name was Megan  and is still there on Safari as we speak. She will probably be returning to your hotel in the coming days. If there is any way you could somehow relay to her that she forever changed my life it would greatly be appreciated. Also a specal thanks to one of your employees. Yovin was quite the entertaing guy. Again I thank you all and take care.

Mike

(comment received Aug 22, 2010)

Hi Zara tours,

We came back from our Tanzania trip a few days ago and we are so pleased with EVERYTHING!

First of all, our guide, Abdel. Such knowledge, interest and hospitality we met from him made our trip outsanding. He did his best to find the animals in the parks - and he knew right away what kind of animal we were watching and how they live. When two of us got ill, he really tried driving carefully through Ngorongoro. Not easy, but he tried. We gladly recommend him as a guide.

Second of all, we are very pleased with the timing. From landing at Kilimanjaro, lunch, the hotel... we never had to think for ourselves, everything clicked at all times.

Third, the flexibility. The guides of course knows the areas and have tried doing things in certain orders, and the changes they made for us and making possibilities for us to choose from was also great.

So over all we are as satisfied as one can be. Thank you!

Greetings from a rainy Sweden. Emma, Daniel, William and Hans.

(comment received July, 25th, 2010)

G'day

I would like to thank Zara tours for the recent climb that we completed. We were a group of 13 and we did the Umbwe route.

All the porters and guides were the happiest bunch on the mountain. We as a group were happy and jovial.

The Senior guide made the trip for us.
Yusuf, you are no doubt the best guide that Kili has!! Your pride in what you do shines through every word that is spoken. You are a true ambassador for the mountain.

Cheers
Paul

(comment received July, 22nd, 2010)

We want to thank you for a wonderful trip this summer - 2. July - 10. July - where we went on safari to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Tarangiere. We stayed at Springlands, Hotel Highview and also had two nights in the Ikoma Lodge - very exciting.

Also we must give our best recommendations to our guide - Big Henry - who lead us through the marvellous adventures in a very professional manner. Without him I am not sure, we would have seen so many animals - hippos, elephants and even a lion hunting! He was very pleasant company, too, and we had many talks about wildlife, African culture and the way people are living in Tanzania - we send him our greetings! Will you please hand over the enclosed letter and photos to Big Henry - if he has an email address, we would be delighted to send him a letter now and then - we got a true friend in Africa..

Also thanks to the staff at the hotels, who were very kind and pleasant company, too. They even cooked a wonderful hot lunch for our two young girls - Sofie and Sarah - one of the days where they decided to stay at the hotel while we went to Tarangire - great service!

Asante sana - and salama!

on behalf of the Tuemand Group - Hanne Tuemand, Esbjerg - Denmark

(comment received July, 20th, 2010)

I would like to say that our tour with Zara was unbelievable, and we will recommend Zara to anyone we know going to Tanzania. The safari was great, and our guide Edwin was able to take us to some hidden spots with no other jeeps that got us up close with cheetahs and an entire pride of lions! After talking with other people, we found out exactly how unique that was and how lucky we really were. He was also able to spot 4 of the Big 5 for us by our second day of safari, and he was one of the first two jeeps to find the rhinos in Ngorongoro, so we knew we had a great guide.

The hike up Kili was an experience we will never forget, and a huge part of that was because of our guide Said, and the assistant guide Atibu. Said was so friendly and knowledgable about the plants and the hike that he took away all the worries we had about summiting. He also was key to helping my wife push through her mental block and help her summit. The biggest help they gave was on the way down when my wife sprained her ankle from the constant downhill hiking. Said and Atibu literally took turns with her on their backs to get her down from Horombo Huts to the bottom. To say that they were helpful would be an understatement. Without the two of them, especially Said, we would have never had the incredible journey that we had, and we would not have summited or made it down safely. Said went from being an amazing guide to being an amazing friend, and we will recommend him personally to every single person we tell about our trip with Zara. You are truly lucky to have him in your organization.

Thanks so much for the trip of a lifetime, and we can't wait to tell others to travel with Zara. Thanks!

Adam and Dana Hirsch

(comment received July, 19th, 2010)

Excellent service from Zara Tours, especially from Penny, whose prompt replies and reassurances eased my mind about going to Kilimanjaro on my own.
I wouldn't have made it to Uhuru Peak, without the care and guidance of my guide, Nechi, and my porter, Kenedy.

Regards,
Chooi Lan

(comment received July, 14th, 2010)

Dear Joram,

I had a brilliant time and was looked after from the moment I was picked up from the airport to the summit. My guide Prosper was thoroughly excellent and gave me the encouragement and support to make it. Without him I doubt I could have made it. The meals were much better than expected and I didn't want for anything.

Thank you

Emma

(comment received July, 14th, 2010)

Good morning and thank you for your e-mail.

All our trip went very well and we would like to tell you that the guides of the trekking and the safari -Crispine and Fabian- and the rest of the team during the trekking, did their work very well. We felt very comfortable at the hotels and Serengeti Wild Camp.

Thank you again and kind regards.

Susana Díaz

(comment received July, 8th, 2010)

Good morning and thank you for your e-mail.
All our trip went very well and we would like to tell you that the guides of the trekking and the safari -Crispine and Fabian- and the rest of the team during the trekking, did their work very well. We felt very comfortable at the hotels and Serengeti Wild Camp.

Thank you again and kind regards.

Susana

(comment received July, 8th, 2010)

Hi friends We are Jose Delgado and Lina Rojo.
I send this email to inform you that we are at home and we'll bring the memories of this trip will be forgotten. I have to thank their treatment, because without it there would have been the same, thanks to the guide Benjamin for their joy and support in difficult moments, the rest of the team that accompanied us to Meru and Kili, the guide and driver Ben for their patience and for their good work with the car and for his kindness, Yovin of the restaurant for their joy and wonderful care, and all those people that were outstanding at any time of our comfort and of course Penny.

What can we say? It allowed all went well even with our big problem with the language. We forget things, sure, but that they be informed. Thanks to all Zara for making this were unforgettable days, talk to you whenever we ask for Tanzania.

Thank you for always.

(comment received June, 24th, 2010)

We had a wonderful vacation in Tanzania. We were very pleased with the service at Highview. Especialy the pleasent people that worked there - always smiling and helpful.

We were more than satisfied with the driver and guide at the safari. Masavi and Ezekiel were the best team we could have wished for. Ezekiel is a young knowing man, who allvays were willing to tell us what we saw. He has a pleasent behavior, and is a good comunicator. He had a book with him containing the different animals we saw- a very good idea. We found, that Ezekiel was very aware of our wishes. We give him our best recommendations.

Masavi is an experienced driver and a pleasent man. We felt very lucky, because we saw so many different animals - we are sure, that most of our luck were due to Masavi and his excellent driving and his experience. They were good company and had a wonderful sense of humor.

We came to appriciate Ezekiel and Masavi very much - and we hope you will say hello from us.

Jette and Peter C., Denmark

(comment received April, 12th, 2010)

We just want to say thank you for the great time we had on the mountain. We want to say thank you to our guides Mike and Side ( Said) these to guys are the reason that we reached the summit.

They really did a good job, gave us a save and comfortable feeling and made this trip unique and unforgetable. We really will recommend the guides and you as thier company.

We liked the food on the mountain, the whole trip was really professional and good organized, thanks for all

I'll send two pics the summit, hope you'll like them.

Greetings Sandra F. and Stephan Z., Germany

(comment received March, 30th, 2010)

Hello,

on the 23.02. to 24.02. we made a trip with Emmanuel to Lake Manyara NP and Ngorongoro Crater. I want to tell you that Emmanuel was a very good driver and guide. His knowledge about the land, the people, the special things in the area, about the National Parks and the animals was very good. He explained all the things in an interesting way. He drives very carefuly and our feeling in the car was safe. He also is a very nice guy and we had a lot of fun with him in this two days.

Much greetings to all of you and Emmanuel,
Ludger G. and Simone P., Germany 

(comment received March, 3rd, 2010)

Came to Arusha for some safari expedition and wondered where else in the world can I get such an experience. Zara was dedicated up the last day... This is it people, if you want to explore Tanzania to the fullest, ZARA tours is it.

Thank you ZARA for the memory of a lifetime.

Stive, Finland

(comment received March, 1st, 2010)

On the behalf of "The Erling Baera Group" who climbed the Marangu route with Zaratours 25th jan - 1 st feb 2010, I just like to thank you for making this a really great trip for us. The organization of the trip from your side was very professional, and everything from ordering, payment, pick-up at arrival, accommodation and equipment provided was just great.

Your staff at the hotel and the drivers were all really fine people and they all provided good service. It was very practical that we charged our room at the restaurant and bar, so we did not have to bring cash at all time. The price level at the hotel was highly acceptable and made no need for running the streets at night in search for a meal at a decent price. THANK YOU!!!

Most of all we like to thank the most amazing guide. We walked with John, who really made this to be an event for life. John took good care of the group and his porters. He has a personality that just everybody has to come along with, and it`s impossible to not be in a good mood together with him.

He came down from the mountain the day before we started, and was sent up again the day after we came back. Even so, he was positive at all times. He made us feel safe at all times and was very well skilled due to the routs and the flora and fauna at the mountain. Our porters were good, and it seems that they had great respect for Johns integrity. We already miss him a lot and we wish him the best, both at work and in his private life. We will kindly ask Zaratours to forward this message to John, and give him my mail address.

Best regards, on behalf of Erling Baera Group, Lars P., Norway

(comment received February 25th, 2010)

Hello Mrs. Ansell!

I just wanted to thank Zara Tours for an amazing experience climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro! I would not have done it without my incredible guide Milton Mtui - you are the best ever Milton! He was professional, knowledgeable and so supportive when I was struggling with altitude sickness.

I would absolutely book a Zara Tour in the future and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Milton Mtui as a guide!

Thank you Milton and your amazing team! I never could have done it without your patience, friendship and wisdom. 

Amy (a.k.a Twiga)

(comment received February 18th, 2010)

Four anxious guys arrived Springlands late in the evening friday 11. december, our goal was Kilimanjaro/Uhuru Peak.

Saturday we used for relaxing and also visiting a orphanage close to Springlands. We brought with us a lot of clothing, and also some footballs as a gift from the Norwegian Soccer Society.
Football suits we also had, and everthing was highly appreciated. The kids were polite and very charming, and despite their destiny as orphans, they seemed to have a good life there.
Sunday morning we were ready for the mountain and we met our fantastic crew, with chief guide Pius Emani, assistant guide Hamis, our excellent cook Lisungu and all the other guys  - Evanca, Marunda, Josephy, Sele +++.

We went the Lemosho route, and had a fantastic hike all the way. Following Pius and Hamis excellent guiding, we had no problems at all, neither physical nor with equipment. We were all in great shape. The food was good - tasty and well-prepared, and large portions.

Every day we hade amazing nature experiences, from the green rainforest, to the wide shira plains, the odd nature of Barranco valley, the breakfast wall,  to the sterile landscape between Barranco and Karanga, the sunrises and the sunsets, glimps of the mountain every day, the deserted Barafu Camp - and of course the overwhelming moments when the sun rised when we walked from Stella Point to Uhuru Peak.

Standing on Uhuru Peak at 06.15 friday 18th december - on my 50th birthday  - that was a moment me and my friends never will forget. Standing on the roof of Africa, viewing the sunrise over Mawenzi  -  words hard to find, but it was an extreme moment.
  
Thanks to Pius Emani for exellent guiding and advices, thanks to Hamis for singing for us during the walk up to Uhuru, thanks to Lisungo for his cooking, thanks to Evance for morning tea and a great tanks to all the other porters who made our journey possible. Your efforts, your high spirits, your mountain skills and knowlegde are priceless and invaluable.
 
We would also like to give thanks to Penny for her service and advices. Thanks to Mohammed - our driver and Safariguide who carried us safely through Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. He is hawk-eyed and spotted a lot af animals we didn't see! Thanks to the staff at Springlands and Highview.
 
Best regards
Morten, Vidar, Bjørn, Eirik - the four kili-guys
Torill, Vidar, Madelein, Terje - the safari-travellers.  

(comment received February 15th, 2010)

Hi,

On behaf on our group (Anders, Lis and Tora) I have some more comments to add to our trip on Lemosho route, 7 days with Nteze and Joseph as guides.

Nteze and the group were exellent. And even though Joseph got sick and could not make it with us to the summit, Haji our waiter was an EXCELLENT substitute. He was very professionel and we couldn't have made it without both Haji and Nteze. Haji and Nteze knew exactly what to do and what we needed, and they were always in a good spirit and were always smiling. And not to forget the porters they were very hardworking, friendly and smiling too. Thanks for an amazing experience. Best regards Tora

Tora, Denmark

(comment received February 6th, 2010)

Zara, I would like to thank you for what was an unbelievable, life-changing experience on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and your company, along with Dreamworld Adventures South Africa were fantastic in making it the most enjoyable and well-organised adventure of our lives!
 
Tom and Simon were real heros and I would really recommend them for their professional approach, amazing knowlegde of the mountain and top drawer organisational skills!
 
Kind regards,
 
Shane B., South Africa

(comment received January 15th, 2010)

Good morning! 

We have just finished a fantastic safari tour on 6-12 january, 6 scandinavian persons Ulf*2 and Anne*4.

We had a fantastic driver and guide named Godfrey. We give him top score in our ranking and will highly recommend him as guide/driver. Please give him as many tours as you are able to and he wants. Godfrey is a gentle person, reliable and safe driver. He knows a lot about parks, animals and nature.

Furthermore his english is excellent, he is well informed about Tanzania in all respects as well as global challenges, politics, economy and african development. We got a feeling he has a great potential.
 
Our best wishes from a snowy Sweden.
 
Ulf Richard L.

(comment received January 15th, 2010)

Dear Zainab
 
My wife and I had a very pleasant stay at Hotel Springland at christmas. We enjoyed the Kilimanjaro trek. It was tough and exiting. The safari afterward was fantastick. We saw the big five. But we had never thought that the animals would come so close to us with only a few meters distance.

We left Hotel Springland on december the 24th for the safari. Our driver was Emanuel. He was very handsome and polite. He drove very well. He was also a very good guide. He told us about the landscape, the people, who lived there and the vegetation. He told us about the animals and he was very good to discover the animals laying in the grass or climbing in the trees. He could tell us if the animals were sleeping or hiding for hunting.

Emanuel was even a good singer and entertainer which made our safari extraordinary. Emanuel made the safari so fantastic. We hope you will use Emanuel as a driver and guide. He and future guests deserve it.
 
Best regards from Denmark,

Ove H., Køge
 
(comment received January 14th, 2010)

Dear Zara Tours
 
We are 3 people from Denmark, who just have been on a trip to Tanzania for 2 weeks. We were going on a safari in Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti.

We had the pleasure to be picked up on the 20th of December in Kilimanjaro Airport by Mr. Mohammed (sorry I do not now the last name). And we had Mr. Mohammed as a guide.
 
I am writing to you, to tell you how much we appreciated being together with Mr. Mohammed. He was driving the car very nicely and safely, and he had a very good eye to see the animals. He knows a lot about the animals, and it was a pleasure to hear about it.

We hope you will send our greetings to Mr. Mohammed and say thank you to him, from us. And we will sent our best recommendation to Mohammed, and hope that you appreciate such a good guide.
 
Best regards
Jesper K. Denmark
 
(comment received January 5th, 2010)

Hi Zainab and all at Zara Tours, 

I am writing to give a very very big thank you to the team who arranged our wonderful honeymoon, Dave & I had a fabulous trip and so many memories.
 
Penny was brilliant, for over a year she has been responding to all my queries and personal requests, nothing was too much bother and her quick replies (never more than 24 hours) and attention to detail was amazing - everything she planned happened like clockwork.
 
The staff at Springlands and Highview were hardworking, friendly and caring, the accommodation was clean and organisation spot on. I can't remember the man's name at reception in Springlands ? Yasim?? but he was great and always had a smile.
 
We have to give a special mention to Ikoma Wildcamp, Joseph and his team are offering a unique experience. For such a young man he has an mature manner with guests and excellent managerial skills - all the people we spoke to loved their time at Wildcamp and despite the 'basicness' of the accommodation we really felt part of the savannah. I know Dave is keen to keep in touch with Joseph and his progress in tourism.
 
All the men (guides, porters, cook etc)  on our tours were lovely. Wilson was a brilliant guide, so experienced and clearly respected by all on the mountain. When you see other groups you realise how well looked after you are with Zara, and that care is priceless on Kili.  Bonny was such a nice man, knew a great deal of information, he clearly loves his work and gained so much pleasure from making our safari the best.
 
The trip across the border to Kenya went with no problems and we did enjoy the time at Karen Blixen - I asked you for a small, luxury tented camp in the Mara, and you organised the perfect place. The camp is exquisite and the staff very attentive, of course you have to pay for that and I think we both agreed that although wonderful, the time at Wildcamp was just as special.
 
So now we are back in Brisbane, Australia and showing all our friends the photos of our trip, many would love to travel to Africa in the future and we will recommend Zara to them all.
 
Many thanks again
 
Sarah & Dave W., Brisbane, Australia
(comment received October, 30th, 2009)

In September, 2009, my daughter, granddaughter and myself climbed Kili and we had a wonderful trip thanks to our guide, Faustine, assistant guide, Justine. Also, thanks to David and Jacob and the rest of the porters who took very good care of us.

They were all excellent and we appreciated their efforts. They did everything for us.

We had such a good time. Thanks, everyone. Asante sana.

Barbara D.
(comment received October, 29th, 2009)

Hi,

I have just got back from my trip to kili and would like to make some comments!

I was in a group of 5 and we had Heavenlight and Cagio as our guides. How wonderful they were (are). Cagio and Heavenlight were always so considerate and always checking out to see that everything was good and that we felt ok.

I can highly recommend them for another group and always felt so safe and looked after. The rest of the porters and chefs were unbelievable!! Bernard, the waiter always made us laugh... we loved him! The wonderful chef, Heavenlight made us such delicious food we always ate too much.

Temba and Awish came up w us to the summit and was so helpful we couldn't have asked for more. Emanuel, walter ..the list goes on. Always a smile and helpful!!

The way they work and carry... I am in awe!!

Thank you!

Kristina A., South Africa
(comment received October, 22nd, 2009)

Dear friends,

thank you for the nice trip to the Kilimanjaro with your organisation. We were from 6/9/09 -12/9/09 on tour with our guides Zakaria and Augustino on the Lemosho route. Congratulations! These guides were very, very good. We hope that many other tourist will go in the future with these guides.

Thank you for all.

Your "marafiki" Andreas and Anette W. from Germany,

we were in Tanzania through our german travel agency Diamir-Reisen

(comment received October, 16th, 2009)

The tour was well organised, I had a great time. The guide (Adbi Kasim) helped a lot along with his assistents. Overall a great experience and look forward to another adventure with Zara soon!

Andrew B., South Africa

(comment received October, 14th, 2009)

Hi,

Just want to thank Zara for a wonderful trip!! Enjoyed it very much! Our guide Abdi (rate him very high!) made the trip!

Thanks for everything.

Johan van R. (South Africa)

(comment received October, 14th, 2009)

An absolutely amazing experience. The Zara Tours Guides and porters are very professional. They give you all the right advise and just know how to motivate you! Ask for Abdi!

Thank you Zara, I made it to the top!

Gerhard van A. (South Africa)

(comment received October, 14th, 2009)

Penny,

I just wanted to let you know I enjoyed the trip very much. I made it to the summits of both Mt. Meru and Mt. Kili. The guides, porters and everyone at Springlands made my trip wonderful.  Thank you very much.

My guide, Joseph helped me made it to the top of both mountains. I'm certain I could'nt have done it without him. Both Joseph and Nicholas (porter and waiter) were especially good to me and made the trip very special. I am grateful to them and I wish Zainab Ansell and all those at Zara Tours recognize what a wonderful job they did.

Please give my thanks to Joseph and Nicholas again.

Asante sana,
Melinda K.

(comment received October, 10th, 2009)

I wanted to thank Zara Tours for a successful Climb on Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Lydia was very helpful in booking the trip, Yassin was forgiving and didn't charge me for losing my safe box key on the mountain - (it was during a rain storm!). And Charles, my guide, allowed me to change course and to attempt the western approach - which made the trip very special! You all made it a successful trip

Gregory H.

(comment received October, 10th, 2009)

Dear Sirs,

from 14th to 23th of September my Dad and I spend our holidays in Tanzania making a Mount Kilimanjaro climbing tour operated by your company ZARA Adventure tours.

Almost two weeks passed by and I'Tm still fascinated and full of unforgettable memories of these days. For this reason I want to express my elation which is among other things dued to the good performance by the members of staff and manpower ZARA supplies.

Initially I would like to point out that this journey was one of my greatest experiences in my life. Both, the mountain itself and the organization through your company, in particular the guys who accompany us on the mountain during the whole time side by side - are responsible for the success of this wonderful week we spent on the Marangu Route.

Not only that we made it to the top, but also the whole ascent was an enjoyable, exciting adventure. At this point I want to underline that I'm aware of having this wonderful successful days for the most part due to the amazing guidance we
had. I want to recommend our guide Jospeh Kitundu, an exceptionally gifted and competent man. All the days through we were in safekeeping due to his reasonable care he took, also he took into account our individual wishes and
interests.

To learn the Kilimanjaro with Joseph was such a big pleasure, so if I will do this ascent once more, I would only ask for him to be my guide, as well I will recommend him to my friends and relatives here at home. I don't believe we would have made the summit without Joseph and his pleasant, warmhearted way.

We laughed together when there was fun, together we cherished precious moments the nature offered to us, and in the difficult hours on the way to the top he believed in me and gave me the strength to go on. We'll never forget the friendly support he and our assistant guide provided to us and want to express our real gratitude for the concession and efforts Joseph and the team made for us. I'm sure you appreciate having such brilliant guides like him among in your team.

I look forward to the day I come back to Tanzania having a revival of this adventure. Last but not least I want to mention my appreciation for your involvement in sustainable tourism and the Mount Kilimanjaro Porter Society! I send you my best wishes for continued success in your commitments.

Kind regards and Asante Sana,

Claudia from Schwerte/ GERMANY

(comment received October, 4th, 2009)

Hello,

Firstly, I want to thank your company for the amazing experience of climbing Kilimanjaro (summited September 24th, 2009). Am back home in Australia now and wishing I was back in Tanzania. Your country and your people are truly beautiful!

I would especially like to commend Eli (guide) and Simon (assistant guide) for their unfailing support, knowledge and friendship throughout the tour. Both are exceptional people and go out of their way to ensure everyone in the group not only makes the summit but learns and has fun along the way. Love ya guys!!!

Sandy H. (or as Simon calls me Mrs Monkey).

(comment received September 30th, 2009)

Dear Sirs,

We participated in the Kilimanjaro tour organized by your agency between 19/09 -23/09 following Marangu route. With this e-mail we would like to express our gratitude and appreciation for the organization of the trip. Above all we were delighted with the service we received from our guide Godlisten. He was very helpful in all issues we addressed to him, took care of all of us with a speciall attention to the older participants of the trip. Without him our memories from this lifetime experience would not be the same.

That's why we would like to thank him very much for everything he did for us whising him many equaly satisfied tourists in the future.

Congratulations to you for having such a team among your employees and for the professional organisation of the adventure.

With best regards,

Anna P. and Maria T.

(comment received September 24th, 2009)

What more can I add to all of the great testimonials on your website? I guess that Zara is consistent in providing a great service for a very reasonable cost! I had cancer last year, and wanted to do something extraordinary to celebrate the successful treatment. Kilimanjaro seemed to be perfect.

Milton, our guide, kept a watchful eye on us during the entire climb and descent, assessing our individual skills (ranging from an experienced mountain hiker, to a guy who goes to the gym regularly, to me, a 44 year-old soft office worker).  Milton would brief us at night and each morning, checking up on how we slept, how were our meals and appetites, and generally how we were feeling. He was the epitome of “poa” (cool).
 
I don’t think that I would have made Uhuru Peak without Milton, the excellent assistant guides (Dev and Peter), the porters, and our cook. We had one-on-one guides for the summit attempt, and Peter set the pace for the final "assault" specifically for me (I was having difficulty breathing at that altitude). I thank him for getting me to the peak.
 
Lastly, all of the guidance and preparatory information from Zara made all of the difference between success and failure.

Asante sana!
Jeff
Sunderland, Ontario, Canada
Reached the summit September 5, 2009

(comment received September 21st, 2009)

Dear Sirs,

I have just returned from a 6 day trek on Kilimanjaro's Machame route and would just like to express how impressed we were with the professionalism displayed by Zara on the mountain, from the experienced guides to the constant support of the other staff.

Particularly, we would like to inform you that our guide Joseph Marandu, 'Photo,' was of the highest quality.  His knowledge of the mountain and his constamt care of his clients should be noted.

As students, we could not really give the team the tip they deserved so I would appreciate if these men could be recognised for showing Zara in its finest light. It is thanks to them that I will be recommending your company to friends and family in future.

Thanks again,
Daniel S.

(comment received September 21st, 2009)

A big thank you to Shabaz, our guide, for this wonderful week spent on the Machame route! And to the rest of the team: Bashiri, who took us all the way to Uhuru Peak `pole pole' and even made the detour to the top of Lava Tower, Michael, Mohammed, whose appearances in the mess tent always brought a smile to our faces, Ramadhan, Franco and all the others who took great care of us all along! We summitted on 22 Aug. 2009 and it was an  experience we're unlikely to ever forget. We'll definitely be recommending Shabaz and Zara to our friends. Again, ahsante sana to you all!

Corinne & Masumi, UK

(comment received September 10th, 2009)

Hello Lydiah!

Be sure I'll recomend Zara to everyone, it has been a nice experience and I want to share it.

Congratulations to all the team working for Zara in the offices, in the hotel, in the mountain... thanks for all.
 
Kind regards,
Francesca

(comment received September 9th, 2009)

I want to thank you for a wonderful tour to Zanzibar that you arranged for Stacey W. and the rest of her group.  It was well organized, had great accommodations, the transportation and the guides were excellent and on time, and were very knowledgeable and helpful. We had a wonderful time over there. Thank you so much.

 
Dorane K.
Arizona, USA 

(comment received September 5th, 2009)

Jambo Zara Tours,

I just want to thank you for a very well organized trip to the Kilimanjaro, everything was fantastic. Thanks also to my excellent guide Joseph Mark Meela and his team. I did the 5 day Marangu Route and summited on July 17th. (Uhuru Point)
 
Kind regards from Holland,
 
Edwin W.

(comment received August 30th, 2009)

Dear Zainab and Rashid,

My wife and I wish to thank Zara Tours from the bottom of our hearts. Our 24 day excursion in Tanzania was more than we could ever have imagined. I climbed Kilimanjario from June 4 to 10, 2009. I reached Uhuru Peak with Bruce and Fortunatus. The Zara crew and my fellow climbers were responsible for my success, along with that strenght that you don't know you have till you need it... Bruce's talk on summit night was a big factor behind my ability to overcome exhaustion like I had never felt in my life. I climbed for my 50th birthday and Zara wrapped up this intense gift, with their great Moshi hotel, great staff all around...

My wife and I then did safari for 8 days and zanzibar for 3, before heading to Dar for the rest. Thank you Zainab. Thank you Rashid (I work Canadian Travel Shows with Rashid). Thank you Bruce and the whole crew, Robert on safari and all staff at the Springlands and the Highview. All of you are guilty of one thing - we are coming back in 2 years. I am going to get in better shape and I want to spend more time at Kili's summit, we want to see more southern parks, and I need to spend more time in Zanzibar town.. I also found a mountain in Lake Natron I want to climb...

God bless,

Raymond C. and Hélène C. (Tanzania High Commission of Ottawa)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

(comment received August 30th, 2009)

Thanks for all guys which helped us during our trip to UHURU PEAK  and especially to chief guide Freddy, guide Serafimo, cook Victor. Everything was perfect. Hope to return to Tanzania

Vladimir, Vladimir-junior and Sofiya S. from Russia

(comment received August 29th, 2009)

To Zara tours,

We are a group (The W. family), that was on a safari in northern Tanzania with your company. I am writing to give my highest recommendation for your chauffer, Madil. Most importantly he was a good and safe driver. We were a family with an age range of 60 years, which can place special demands on the driver. Madil handled it perfectly. He was also very pleasant, friendly, and open. In general, it was very relaxing being around Madil, which is a big plus when you are spending several days together. Madil found all the animals and plants we dreamed about seeing. Additionally, he could answer all our questions regarding the animals, plants and culture. Overall, we were very pleased with our driver.

We give our highest compliments to Madil and Zara Tours,

The W. and G. families from Denmark

(comment received August 29th, 2009)

In July 2009 (July 21 - July 26) I climbed the Kilimanjaro with my family and made it to the very top. I only made it to the Uhuru-Peak because of the great team we had. I want to thank you for our guide Festo who helped us through all the difficult parts, took care of us, showed us a lot of plants and was absolutely amazing in such a kind and loving way. We had a fantastic time, it was extremely funny and lively and we all had the feeling, that Festo and his team belonged to our family. We felt safe and very well in his company and everything was just perfect.

Thank you again for all this amazing experience, for Festo, his team and the delicious food. I will never forget these 6 days.

Lots and lots of kind greetings from Germany, especially to Festo,

Inga K.

(comment received August 28th, 2009)

We want to thank our guide Zungu for his excellent trekking with us through the Marongu Route to the summit from 19.07.-23.07.09 (Springland-Hotel).

We are medical doctors from Germany, 56/57 years. Zungu helped us a lot to make our dreams come true. We never had such a wonderful, helpful, experienced und friendly guide as Zungu - and his crew. We will recommend him to all our friends and relatives in Germany - and also your company.

This will be unforgettable for us !!

We would be glad to get the e-mail-adress of Zungu to send him some pictures from all of us and to stay in contact with him.

Sincerely yours,

F. and G. from Bremen
(comment received August 25th, 2009)

I would just like to say a huge big thank you to Zara Tours for my Kilimanjaro experience. It was booked through Maynardo Tours - and Zara was our contact and tour operator in tanzania. We were there from 2 August - 8 August 2009.

The professional and efficient service that we recieved was fantastic. The people were all very friendly and helpful in making the trip a huge success. From the guides - right through to the Springlands Hotel staff.

Our head guide - Mudi - went above and beyond and ensured we had a good time and that we were safe on our whole trip on Kilimanjaro. 5 out of the 9 summitted and those that did not unfortunately got sick. PLease express my thanks to Mudi for his wonderful attitude and help on the mountain.

I love the Tanzanian people and will promote your country and your company at any oppurtunity I get.
 
Thank you again

Regards
Cherylen
East London - South Africa

(comment received August 25th, 2009)

Hello Zainab,

We are back at home, back at work and busy with our normal lives, but our trip to Kilimanjaro changed our lives, and we want to thank you, your company and Mudi and his amazing team. Together with Thomas and Gosia, you guys make a great team. Please read our climbing report below!

We've shown our pictures to everyone, and will definitely recommend your company for the personal service, professional teams and of course, the TOILET!!

Thank you again,

Kind regards
Annelie, Coretha and Eugene
(comment received August 24th, 2009)

6 June 2009. Exhaustion! As it consumes every inch of my being I try to stay awake while putting one foot in front of the other. Pole, pole. It was full moon but our path was hardly noticeable, as we were only the second group to the summit on this day. I tried to convince myself that the last few steps to Stella point will not be so bad, that the hurting will stop when I get there, but it did not help and tears ran down my cheeks…

… but it all started only days before that, 2 June around 10am we arrived from Moshi at the Machame gate and while our tour operators sorted out our permit and our porters and guides were weighed in, we tried to stay as calm as possible and had to be told more than once to sit down for a while by Mudi, our guide. We were ready and strong and rearing to go!

Day 1 was a little tougher than expected, but we all made it in good spirits to Machame Camp and even had a Kilimanjaro beer when we reached the camp, while popcorn, biscuits and coffee were prepared for us, but not before we got our little blue “skotteltjie” with hot water for cleaning up. This was also the first time we saw her from so close, Kilimanjaro, above the clouds. But I think our greatest surprise was the fact that we had our OWN toilet, and did not have to share the very smelly “long drops” with the rest of the groups! Only at Barafu Camp did we have to use the public toilets, as there is no water and therefore our luxury had to stay packed away until we got to the next camp. We also had our first meal, and at first tried to calculate the amount calories we consume by all the starch and pasta, but Rama, our cook, did an amazing job and kept all meals interesting and very tasty and we normally emptied the plates. Dustin, our waiter, always presented the meals with a little shyness and announced very proudly in this case, CUCUMBER SOUP.

3 June - Day 2 started with great expectations and we decided to take lunch at Shira Camp and not along the way, as this was one of our shorter days. The camp was covered with mist when we got there, as it happened in most cases and we could feel the chill moving in! After our routine clean-up and popcorn and coffee, Mudi took us for a long walk to the highest point to help with altitude. Back at camp we had supper and got to bed at about 7pm, not thinking that we could sleep this early, but we were wrong… we were out for the count!!

4 June - Day 3 got up around six, the first group to be awake as every morning. We started walking early and our porters caught up with us in no time, just to rush past and set up camp at Barranco Camp. We had lunch at Lava tower and wanted to climb it, but it was so misty and cold that it was really impossible. We were at an altitude of about 4630 and could not believe that we had to go all the way down again to 3860 all that walking up hill just to go down again… all in the name of altitude! Arrived at Barranco Camp in thick mist and could not see anything, only later that afternoon did we see the Great Barranco wall, and the ever so gracious Kilimanjaro. The wall scared us and looked monstrous and very very difficult; again we took off our hats to the porters who had to carry all our gear up this route! We had an early supper and got to bed straight after.

5 June – Day 4 we were the first group to climb the wall, and it went much easier than anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, at times we had to go on all fours or do half a split to reach the next rock, even some scary times, but Mudi is an awesome guide and talked us through it, showing us where to put each hand and foot to get to the top safely. Luckily we were there in off season and it took us just over an hour, Mudi said that it can take up to four hours in peak season, as you have to wait for the group in front of you and obviously cannot pass them. We stopped at Karanga valley to fill up our water supply and climbed yet another steep hill just to be welcomed by a set table with an awesome lunch above the clouds, it was amazing! We arrived at Barafu Hut after a long day and walked the last two hours in rain and hale like ice snow, it was freezing when we got to camp. We had supper at 5pm and then got dressed and ready for our summit. Got woken up at 11pm and left just before 12am.

6 June – Day 5 – 12am …all you do is walk and think and walk and pray and walk. Pole, pole, one foot before the other. Pole, pole. I spoke to the angels all the time, never heard anything back, but when you stand on the top of Africa, and experience the most amazing sunrise, you know they’ve heard you! We reached Uhuru Peak at about 6.20am and spent very little time here, took a few pics and wanted to stay longer, but Mudi got us round up and told us it is time to go, that altitude sickness is not over yet and we have another few hours to go before we get back to Barafu camp. We reached it at about 9.20ish, we were exhausted and went straight to our tents for a 2 hour rest, got woken up with lunch and off we went again to Mweka Hut. We walked for about 14 hours on this day and were totally exhausted!!!

7 June – Day 6 we decided to get up an hour earlier than planned to get on the road – we were craving for a hot shower and did not want to waste any time. We had breakfast and afterwards rounded up all the porters and guides and personally gave each one his tip, without them our trip would have been impossible. They then got together and sang the song Kilimanjaro, we all cried!! We got to Mweka gate late morning, did all the paperwork and got in the bus back to our hotel!

We’re at the airport, on our way to Zanzibar and it’s been 3 hours, our plane still not in sight. Each sit with our own memories and thoughts while surrounded by curio shops with cheep replicas of Kili and a sense of emptiness and sadness overwhelms me. After months of preparation, six days on the slopes and 15 minutes at the summit, it is all over now ... and yet, the mountain consumes you, because now, Kilimanjaro is in your blood! Your sweat and tears have paved your way to the top and you are now part of it.

Yes, I have climbed and conquered, but I’ve been conquered and have a new found respect for the mountain above the clouds.

Viva Mt Kilimanjaro. Viva!

Hi guys.

We are back in Madrid from our stay in Tanzania with you. Just to say it has been an unforgetable trip for me and my family. The organization (thanks Penny for all your interest and planification) has been excellent and our driver and guide, Roy, has been simply the best.

We lived during seven days many experiences than we never will forget. We will recommend Zara and specially Roy and Penny to all our friends and for sure, we will come back in some years.

Thanks again.

Kind regards, Carmen, Spain
(comment received August 10th, 2009)

Dear Zara Tours -

I was recently on a trip with you, organized by my daughter May. I have some positive comments about the safari.

I think the safari was well planned, was well done and that we all enjoyed it. The Springlands Hotel, the Highview Hotel and the Ikoma Wild Camp were all very good. I especially want to compliment our drivers Henry (Henry Barrike?) and Henry (I don't know his last name). They are skilled drivers on difficult roads, always safe, always responsive to our requests to stop for photos, always informative about the animals and vegetation and always fun to be with. They are also excellent spotters of wildlife, able to see a leopard resting in a tree, 100 meters away. We compliment the Henrys and wish them well.
 
I may return to Tanzania with my wife to go on safari. If so, we will ask for one of the Henrys to be our driver.
 
Thank you for your excellent organization. I will recommend it to others.

Please pass along a copy of this email to each of the Henrys. Thanks.
 
Alastair R., Denver
(comment received July 31st, 2009)

The trip was fantastic! Crispine and the whole crew that helped us get to the top were fantastic!

Mike and Marea, New Zealand
(comment received July 22nd, 2009)

To everyone at Zaratours:

Thank you for a fantastic trip this June! We booked our 5 day safari, 7 day Kilimanjaro Machame climb, and 5 day Zanzibar trip with Zaratours, and were pleased that everything turned out so well. Our accomodations were great (Springlands, Ikoma Wildcamp & we especially loved the Highview hotel), and service was excellent at each location.

We had an amazing time on the safari, enjoying the beauty of the Ngorongoro crater, Lake Manyara & the vast Serengeti. Our guide on the Kili climb - Yusuf - was wonderful. He had years of experience and was super enthusiastic to pass along his knowledge about wildlife & ecology. We loved it. The food on the climb was also suprisingly excellent! We were impressed & let the chef know it.

Overall a wonderful experience & unforgettable vacation. Thanks :)

Marta & Frank, Canada
(comment received July 12th, 2009)

Hello, my husband and I just wanted to let you know that we just finished a 7 day trek to Uhuru point with Elibariki. He was absolutely fantastic - the best of the best. The porters were also amazing and we feel so lucky to have used your services. We also walked with Festo and he was also a fantastic guide. Your men work very hard and provide the best services. 

Thank you Martina & Patrick H.
(comment received July 10th, 2009)

Hello -

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for the amazing climb up Kili... I was part of the Machame trip that got back on May 11, and both Frankie and Fausti were excellent.  Fausti in particular timed our climb up Kili perfectly, allowing us to reach the summit just as dawn broke - which was absolutely amazing.

Plus, I also wanted to say thanks to Pemba (I might have misspelled his name), but he's the guide with a broken foot who gives rides around town.  He picked me up on the 12th, took me to the bus station, and arranged for me to get a ticket on the right bus... all with a big smile.  As the bus station at Moshi is a little crazy - I really appreciated it!

Anyways - just wanted to say thanks again; I'll definitely be spreading the word about Zara!

Mike

(comment received June 3rd, 2009)

Dear Zainab A. Ansell

I would like to take a moment to thank your company for a great vacation to Mt. Kilimanjaro. The beauty of Africa was overwhelming, leaving us with many terrific memories. Our cook, waiter and porters did a wonderful job, what a good crew. We wanted to especially thank Willy Peters for his leadership skills, human resource and knowledge of the trail. We hope Willy’s administrative skills are admired and appreciated by ZARA Tours.

I want to personally thank Addison our assistant guide, he is kind, steadfast and always there when you need him. Without Addison’s help and encouragement my climb to Uhuru would not have been successful.

Thank you for the Wonderful Experience of Africa.

Sincerely,

Gary T., Hellings

(comment received April, 1st 2009)

Sorry for the delay in getting round to sending this note. However, I would like to thank you for your splendid work in getting the four of us to the top of Kilimanjaro for the dawn of 11th Feb this year. With 3 heavy smokers and a rather stout elderly gentleman this was quite feat. We all found it a breath taking experience. I think we all feel that it was such a remarkable thing - so far outside of any experience we had had before - that we are only now beginning to take it all in. (With the help of 3000 photos). Having said we 'would never do that again', we are now wondering if we might in 2-3 years - especially as we have several friends that would have liked to have done it and are now very envious of us and want to do it some time soon. When will your last trip be? Maybe we could time it with that? Please do convey to all your men that helped us how greatful we are for their eforts, patience and good humour.

We have had the extra benefit of a party of UK 'celebrities' doing the exact same trip 2-3 weeks after we did and having the whole thing shown on TV last week. Really helped us to re-live it all. They raised quite a bit of money!

You can check out their exploits at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/rednoseday/2009/ or watch it again on a PC on www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer. Did you see them on the mountain?

Anyway - thanks again. Sorry we did not get to hear you sing - perhaps next time.

Photo attached for the record.

Regards
Tony

(comment received March, 31st, 2009)

Dear Zainab,

I hope this e-mail finds you well. I don't know if you will remember me. My wife and I climbed Kilimanjaro last June with Jaquetta M.. Bruce was our Zara guide. Our book -- an 8 inches x 8 inches, 160-page affordable gift book -- is about to go to press. It includes over 100 spectacular photos (my wife is a travel photographer) and a text that weaves personal observations with the history of the mountain, its people, its flora and fauna, etc... It is beautifully designed. In the text I mention our hospitable stay at Springlands and I recommend Zara Tours and give your website. Here is the link to the book:

http://www.interlinkbooks.com/product_info.php?products_id=2005&osCsid=5ea1e7b315f33c15ad9dd88e4e240c20

(comment received March, 27nd, 2009)

Dear Members of Zara,

I just want to say a big big THANKS from the bottom of my heart and I hope you pass my sincere thanks down to the Team that guided our way. I had the big luck to enjoy a trip to the Kilimanjaro with your Guides Daniel Mombo and Joseph Meela from the 4th to the 10th of March 2009 and I must say, that these guys were absolutely fantastic and they did really everything to support, to entertain, to help, to delight us and to make this wonderful trip  an amazing highlight for every part of our group.They cared for us more than anybody here in Germany would do and they were always friendly and calm and taught us a lot of interesting things about Africa, the Mountain, the nature and the people. Also the porters, the waiters, the cook and especially the assistant Guide of Joseph, his name is Crispen (he supported me extremely on my way to the top and did a really good job!!!!) and our waiter were SO nice and very obliging and
hearty that it really touched me in my heart. I will never forget this unbelievable trip. I promise, I will recommend your company to everybody who wants to travel to your wonderful country. I am planning to come back at the end of this year to enjoy the Rongai Route or the Mount Meru and of course I will book the trip at ZARA. But be sure, I want to
have the same team we had this March !!: - )  I hope you can make that possible for me. It would be great if you say Hello and my sincere thanks to the guys.

Thank you for the great work.

Kind regards from Germany
Maria M.
(The other members of the group were Kai M., Susi W. and Norbert K.)

(comment received March, 27nd, 2009)

Jambo Zara Tours!

We would like to use this letter as an opportunity to express our thanks to our quide THEOPHIL KARIA and his assistent quides: ATTLEY WALLECE BENSON and THADDEUS KIMB for helping to make our Kilimanjaro trip one of the best experiences of our lives.

Thanks to the whole team and Zara Tours!

With very best wishes,
the Hungarian Team
(Papa Ernesto, Ernestina, Zsu, László, Papa Csaba, Mama Rodi, Zoli, Kati and Brigitta)

(comment received March, 22nd, 2009)

Hello to all of you in Zara, 

We will thank you for a beautiful and wonderful trip to the top of Kilimanjaro, on friday the 20th at 05.45 o clock in the morning. A special thank to our guide Pius and his assistent Rafael, and a special thank to Pius, he made it possible for us to come on the top, he showed us to go "sakta - sakta". And we are very thankful to him. Thanks to the whole team, with Domenoqe, our famous cocking man, who brought us warm tea to the bed every day and gave us so much very good food every day. And the assistent guide Rafael who helped us to the top, together with Pius, and at last Julias, and to the 5 other sherpaes for bringing the food, tents, bagages, and all the other things. That was, maybe, one of the best trips we ever had in our lives, thanks to all of you.
 
The safari trip was also very fine and all these days together have given us a fantastic experiences and we are still thinking about this beatiful trip every day.

Haltdalen 09.03.2009

The best greatings to you all from Anbjørg and Øyvind from the snowland Norway
 
(comment received March, 9th, 2009)

Hallo! Thank you for all. On 29.01.2009 I was on top of Kilimanjaro. At 6.30 am i was on Uhuru Peak. My Guid was Frank Njema. I arrived with him the top of Afrika on Marangu Route. It was the best advanture of my life. I hope, that you integrate this picture into the homepage of Zaratours. I think, that Zaratours is the best team to organise the climbing to Uhuru Peak. In some years i will come back to Tansania. And then i will have the next climb to Uhuru Peak. With Frank Njema and Zaratours.
 
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
 
Mr. Andreas B. from Jena, Germany.

(comment received March, 7th, 2009)

Hello, I just want to send you the best regards from Lithuania and some links to photo galleries.

Here you can find the best 850 photos I made during the trip to Kilimanjaro and Safari with Zara Tours:

http://picasaweb.google.com/d.babilas/Kilimandzaras1

http://picasaweb.google.com/d.babilas/Kilimandzaras2

Good luck,

Dainius

Kaunas, Lithuania

(comment received March, 5th 2009)

Hello Adam: 

We did go on safari with Zaratours from January 19 - 29. We had the 9 days/8 nights package covering the Usambara mountains, Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. There were six of us (Canadians) travelling together. I am originally from Zanzibar and planned the trip for the group. I was hoping it would be a memorable experience for my friends and I, and it was. Zaratours really came through.
 
Our experience with Zara was exemplary. Muna was very helpful in arranging the details. We had a superb guide in the person of Godfrey Hodari. Besides being a very capable driver, he was also a very knowledgeable guide and always went the extra mile to meet our needs. In fact, we found all of Zaratour's staff to be very courteous and helpful. We also had the privilege of meeting Zainab --- what a delightful person!
 
Your facilities were clean and comfortable -- from Springlands to Highview (what a great location!) to the wildcamps. Your prices are extremely competetive. We all felt that we received great value for our money.
 
We were well taken care of by your staff from the moment we landed at Kilimanjaro airport to the time Godfrey dropped us off in Arusha. We shall remember our experience with Zaratours with fondness for some time to come.
 
We will be recommending Zaratours to our friends and relatives in Canada and elsewhere.
 
Please convey our best wishes to Zainab, Godfrey and Muna.
 
Asante! Tunakushukuru!
 
Kass S.

(comment received February, 18th 2009)

Dear Madam,

RE: OUTSTANDING BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

Reference is made to the above captioned subject.

Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) wish to register her appreciation to the entire Management and staff of your company for the outstanding tourism business you have been doing with us the past few years.

The Management is impressed by the way you have been marketing the national parks and therefore bringing a significant number of tourists to the parks. Indeed, you are a tourism marketing model to be emulated by others in the tourism industry. You are strongly encouraged to keep up that spirit. Meanwhile, TANAPA wishes to assure you full support in your business endeavor, and promise to continue improving our services for maximum visitors satisfaction.

Any feedback on solidifying our partnership in business is welcome.

Thank you once again.

Yours sincerely,
TANZANIA NATIONAL PARKS
A.J.H. Kijazi
FOR DIRECTOR GENERAL

Download this letter as a PDF.

Dear Sir,

The past 12, 13 february I did a safari with daniel to manyara lake and ngorongoro crater. I only want to tell you that the safari was perfect . Daniel was an excellent guy and guide (he spoke spanish too), and I am very happy with the organization of zaratours and the guide you choose for me.

It was a perfect day at the crater and i enjoyed with daniel.

Thank you very much.

Javier, Spain

(comment received February 16th, 2009)

Dear Adam,

I am writing to let you know that my daughter and I successfully climbed Kilimanjaro in January this year. It was our second attempt and I am writing to let you know that we had a wonderful time. The guide and assistant guide were just wonderful and they gave us such a lot of support and encouragement. They assessed our capabilities and arranged every day to suit our needs. The timing of reaching the summit at Stella point was absolutely perfect, as we reached Stella point just as the sun was rising. The porters and the rest of the support team were also incredibly supportive and hard working. Please see photos of us at the summit and of our support team. We can't thank you enough for this wonderful experience and please let our guides know that we think they are the best. Our guide was Frederick Thaby and our assistant guide was Adam Mattem.

Kind regards
Christine and Sally W.

(comment received February 16th, 2009)

Hey Adam,

Jamin and I had a great trip with Zara. The facilities (Springlands and Highview) were fantastic as well as the staff especially Basil. Our safari guide Hamza was very courteous and an excellent guide. I will recommend Zara to my friends.

Thanks,
 
Brian M., USA

(comment received February 16th, 2009)

Hello,
 
We really want to thank all the team of Zara. It was unforgettable time, we had during the climbing to Uhuru peak and visiting national parks during Safari. Penny from Zara Office was very attentive and organized everything without any reproaches. Our guide Yusuf, asst guides (Mohamed and Yahaya) and all their team did excellent job. The cook and his food was amazing - the best we had during all our visit! Yusuf is very interesting person. We liked his sense of humour, sarcasm, openness and courage. It was interesting to listen him. We felt, that the team of Yusuf was the best in Machame route. We had not only best food, but best places for tents in the camps, big attention to our luggage and etc. It was really "no punishment" as Yusuf said before our hiking. He was right. After Kilimanjaro we met very interesting person Lazaro in Highview Hotel. He accompanied us to Elephant Cave. He can be very interesting guide, because he have experience of living in Masai community. It was very important time for us. We signified the Millenium of our native country Lithuania (1009-2009). We raised the flag of Millenium at the top of Kilimanjaro (19.01.2009). It was great fiesta of our birthdays - we did it a few days before being 30 years old. So you helped us to do that and we have the best recommendations about Zara. Please rise the salary for the best people, who work in Zara. They are deserving that :) Thank you.
 
Best regards,
 
Dainius and Ingrida
Kaunas, Lithuania

(comment received February 11th, 2009)

Dear Zainab and Roger,

this is Allen, the medical student who came with the group of 6 in mid-December and did Kilimanjaro and the safari with your company. We had the chance to speak briefly and unfortunately our early departure to DAR meant that I didn't have a chance to say a proper thank you and goodbye.

I wanted to say thank you to both of you for all of your help and working with us to plan our trip. Roger, thank you for helping me with the internet so I could figure out arrangements for our next leg of our trip. Thank you also for treating our guides and our group to some beers when we came back from the mountain; it was an incredibly nice reward! Zainab, thank you very much for working with us on the finances; I know that it was a lot of effort and probably some headache, but I really appreciate the extra attention and flexibility you gave us. It's very hard putting together these trips, and all of your help really made the process smoother. Thank you both also for the gracious gift of wine that you sent us... it was fantastic and we definitely had fun drinking it! Overall my experience with Zara has been extraordinary. I write a travel log online and have many friends and acquaintances who are constantly asking me for travel advice. There are two sets of friends who are definitely planning on coming to Tanzania soon and are looking to follow my footsteps - I will definitely forward them along to you, knowing that you guys will provide some of the best service available!

I also wanted to write commendations to some of your staff who were incredibly vital in helping me plan this trip as well.

Muna worked with me from the beginning of our email-exchange, and she was both incredibly friendly (over email and in person!), and a pleasure to work with. She was very knowledgable about all of the details of our trip, had great attention to detail, and was very flexible and receptive whenever I had questions or requests. When I had some problems with my credit cards, she was extremely patient and made extra time available so we could try and work the details out. I think she is an incredibly valuable asset to your Sales team, and I found her service to be exemplary. For my friends who will be coming to Zara in the future, I will be sending them directly to Muna as she made the entire planning process that much better.

Yasin was a huge help to us near the end of our trip. I met him and spoke with him several times during our two weeks in Moshi/Kilimanjaro/safari/Springlands, and he was particularly helpful near the end of our trip. Due to chaotic planning, I was unable to arrange for the details of our Zanzibar portion of our trip. Yasin made a bunch of calls on my behalf, arranging for ground transportation, accomodation, and even gave me the phone numbers of some of his contacts so I would have someone to call if I got lost. He was both generous with his time explaining things to me and he was also very detail-oriented; something that every trip planner loves to see! Yasin was instrumental in planning our trip, and I am grateful for his help. He also has fantastic customer service skills and is incredibly easy to talk to. His natural friendly personality and relaxed attitude makes him an excellent person for your customers to greet when they come in the door!

Stewart & Eliah were our guides for the Kilimanjaro portion of our trip. They took us up the 6 day Machame route, and all 5 of our group made the Uhuru Peak summit. I wanted to write a commendation on their behalf thanking them for their attention to detail on the trip and their constant vigilence to both our safety and our comfort. They checked up on our health constantly, kept us well fed, well hydrated, and provided small creature-comforts that made the trip quite enjoyable (hot tea, warm-washing water, laying out our sleeping pads at night). They made a point to ask if there was anything else we needed, and they always attended to our needs in a rapid and efficient manner. Their porter team was incredibly friendly and easy to work with, and their entire group was filled with warm, smiling people. It was a pleasure to have traveled with them, and I am grateful they were our guides. We always felt physically safe and well taken care of in their ward, and we are thankful for them.

If any of these staff is up for promotion or their permanent records can reflect customer evaluations, I would love for these to have a positive effect on their careers!

Thank all of your for your help and support once again. I am sure that I will be sending friends to see you all soon, and hopefully I'll see everyone again some time in the future. =)

Warmest regards, Allen

(comment received January 24th, 2009)

Hi zaratours, in the time from 20.Dec.2008 until 30.Dec.2008 we (me, my husband and our 17-year-old son) spent our holidays in Tanzania. The first four days we climbed Mt.Meru and then we started for six days Safari. Climbing as well as Safari was really fantastic. Our mountain guide Daniel M.Mombo and his crew took trustfully care of us. They were friendly, pleasant and very helpful. Also our safari-driver and guide Abdallah Matumbo was friendly, pleasant and helpful. He is a very safe driver and he showed us many animals. Our cook Rashid was always funny and he cooked fantastic meals. I will always remember the excellent soups. We really enjoyed the days with our guides and we were sad, when we had to say good bye. Yours sincerely, Monika, Rainer and Philipp, Germany

(comment received January 22nd, 2009)

I am writing to let you know that our Kilimanjaro guide Mikao was excellent. We trekked the Machame route with him a few weeks ago, and our trip was fantastic. He was professional and showed excellent leadership with his assistants and porters. He always paid close attention to our safety and comfort. We very highly recommend him. Thank you so much for an amazing adventure!

(comment received January 21st, 2009)

Hello, 

I just want to thank you for an absolutely wonderful trekking experience. My cousin and I did a 4-day Mt. Meru trek (Jan 2-5) and a 6-day Kilimanjaro trek (Jan 6-11) via the Machame route with Zara and it was just amazing. Our guides -- Steven (Faustine Bura), Julius, and Anthony -- were really really great! They were attentive and experienced and super nice, and I would definitely recommmend them to anyone as guides on their Tanzania trek. Our cook made absolutely delicious food, and the overall service on the trek and at Springlands Hotel was perfect. Thank you again for giving us an amazing experience. :-)
 
Sincerely,
Neha
 
(comment received January 17th, 2009)

Hi Zainab, 

my wife and I climbed Kilimanjaro recently with Zara tours and the treck was a fantastic experience for us. Our guide was a man called Emmanuel and I want to pay the highest compliment possible to Emmanuel and his team. Emmanuel was an outstanding guide and was a major factor in getting us to the top. He was friendly to us, helpful at all times, patient and very knowledgeable on the flora and fauna of the area. We were also guided on the last day by his brother Daniel and another chap called Pascal, who also did a fine job for us. I can honestly say that without the endeavours of Emmanuel, Daniel and the team that we would not have made it to the top. The team did a great job cooking fine food for us etc. I don't know how they do it! I will be passing on the details of Zara and will be recommending Emmanuel and Daniel as guides to my friends who are planning to do the Kilimanjaro trip. I think that Daniel would also make a great guide as he has very good English and is also very helpful and knowledgeable.
 
Best wishes and well done to all.
 
Regards,
 
Kieran

(comment received January 14th, 2009)

Dear Zainab,

I just got home from the trip with Mike Davies in support of Mango Parish. You guys provided all the driving for our parish activities (Kaseem & Abdul) and safari (Mohammed) and coordinated all of our accomodations on safari to the three parks. Everything Zara did was top notch, much appreciated and made our first trip to your lovely country a tremendous
experience.  I am coming back in December to climb the mountain and rest assured, I will be booking my climb with you guys! Look forward to meeting you on one of my next visits.

Sincerely;
Jim D.

(comment received January 12th, 2009)

We wanted to write to you express our overwhelming satisfaction and appreciation to Zara Tours, and most specifically, to our guide (Yusuf), asst guides (Mohammad and Yahaya), the amazing cook and porters that made this a once-in-a-lifetime trip.  Making the summit to Uhuru Peak as the sun was rising, that was a bonus in what was an amazing experience on so many levels.

Yusuf and the climbing team exuded professionalism and we always felt that there was a genuine concern for our well-being.  Throughout the climb, we were constantly learning - about the environment, ecology, safety, culture, language, and about each other.  We loved the up-beat personalities within the group, the laughter was contagious, and we would like to think that we have made new friends (rafiki).

The experience has made an impact on our lives in ways we had not expected and we will cherish the memories.

Asante sana,
Tammy & Mark - Canada

(comment received January 8th, 2009)

Now we are again back in Germany. Our stay in Tanzania was wonderful. From 23-31 Dezember we were on the move, starting from the Meru View Lodge with our driver Zuberi and our cook Msafiri. Both have tried very hard to make our safari pleasantly and they were open for all our wishes and looked after us very well.
 
Msafiri accompanied us also as a guide on our trekking through the Maasai land. He was very reliable, planned the time well, knew the overnight stay places, organised the luggage transportation with the donkeys and cooked still well. We would like to thank once more to your company and to the both warmly.
 
Lots of love from Germany, Maria and Jürgen

(comment received January 7th, 2009)

I hereby wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEWYEAR, especially for my dear guide named Stewart (see photograph) and his crew, who brought me to the top of Uhuru Peak on june 22th 2008 at 07:00 a.m. It was a great experience! Thanks to all of you!!!

Since I do not have the e-mail adress of Stewart I kindly request please forward this message to him or pass my direction to him in order to sent him a letter and some more fotographs. I hope to be back in Tanzania in 2009 or 2010 to do Kili Circuit or Mount Meru.
 
Yours gratefully,
 
Paul, The Netherlands

(comment received December, 30th, 2008)

Now at Xmas I find the time to write you and say on this way: thank you! Why ?

In october 2008 I climbed Kilimanjaro and my guide was Yohana and his crew. I was totally satisfied and very happy, it was a great experience for me and Yohana and all the others made this trip to a unforgetable adventure for me. Yohana did everything for me, he was always there for me and he taught me Suaheli. I was very glad to get HIM for the six days. "My" cook and porters did also everything for me and the always smile when they saw me. This is one of the reasons why I like to remember climbing Kilimanjaro.

In Germany I tell everybody who asks me about the Tanzania trip from Yohana and his crew and if I should come
again to Tanzania I only want to go with Yohana. Yohana is the best :-)!!

Now I want to wish you merry christmas and a happy new year. Best wishes to you and also greetings to Yohana.

Sincerly,
Thomas, Germany

(comment received December, 27th, 2008)

Everything about the climb up Kilimanjaro was fantastic. Very impressive the way everything just worked. David Charles is an excellent guide, along with his assistant David Samuel. They made sure everyone was taken care of at all times. I would absolutely recommend this climb to all of my friends. Really appreciated the private toilet facilities on the mountain. The safari was also enjoyable. The Highview Hotel is beautiful and the food is amazing. The servers were always very attentive.

Kezia, Canada

(comment received October 10th, 2008)

Dear Zainab Ansell!

we`ve have been on top of kilimanjaro two weeks ago through the machame route with your organisation and we would like to say thank you especially to our guide Jacobson juma senge and his team for perfect and professional guiding and perfect service. it was really a great experience.

I send you a photo from the summit with Jacobson please to put it on your homepage, because I saw that there is no good picture of him to be seen.

with best regards from Austria,

Stefan  & Sigrun

(comment received October 4th, 2008)

Dear Ms. Ansell,

my wife and I want to thank you for the wonderfull 8 night/9 day safari we did with your company in Sept. 2008 [Usambara Mountains, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara, Tarangire]. In the beginning, we were unsure to do your tour because the price of $1800 per person was 40-60% cheaper than similar quotes that we received. We were unsure of the quality because of the low price. But we have to say that the accommodation, food, vehicles and itinerary were all very good to excellent!! MOST OF ALL, ALI WAS A FIRST CLASS GUIDE, DRIVER AND FRIEND.
 
Thank you,
Tammi and Avi, Israel

(comment received October 3rd, 2008)

Dear Sir or Madam,

from August 27th - August 31st my brother and me climbed up Kilimanjaro and continued our journey with safaris through Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangre national parks, one day each park. It has  been a stunning trip.

The entrire crew around our guide Hassan and his assistent guide Rajid cared about us so accurately. Although it was an outdoor trip they effected a luxury atmosphere with great meals, warm water, tents, nothing was missed - an "all around carefree package". We only had to walk. Hassan and Rajid choosed the most effective tracks and speed, always as discussed and accordant to our fitness. Their assistance at last enabbled us to achieve our ambitious aim: three days up and two days down the mountain.

During the exceedingly relaxed safaris Sam familiarized us with the natures`s beauty. He showed animals and plants we had only known from the zoo and botanic garden. Without his tracking of wild animals and his hints we would not have seen so many interesting and breathtaking things. The lodges were also an event for itself.

In summary, we didn't miss anything (even the flights to our next destination were automatically confirmed!) and we had a great journey in Africa. Thanks a lot for all your efforts.

Kind regards,

Alexander  & Stefan, Germany

(comment received October 3rd, 2008)

Hello,

we have climbed Kilimanjaro 20th July this year and we have enjoyed this trip via Machame route very much (16. - 21. 07). Thanks to the team accompanying us we were able to reach Uhuru Peak. These people did all to make our trip as comfortable as possible. We didn´t expect so much comfort. Thank you very much to all of the team.
 
Special thanks to our guide Ferdinandi S. Shirima and the assistent guides Oresty S. Shirima, Anselm and Andrew. All of them are experienced and attentive guides and they were good companions for our climb. We have the addresses of Ferdinandi and Oresty and we will send them some pictures later.
 
Kind regards
 
Ulrike and Manfred, Germany

(comment received September 15th, 2008)

Hi Melinda (Africa Encounters - Zara agent)

Firstly I would like to thank you for a very well organized trip to Kilimanjaro. The info supplied by you and your company was spot on and nobody in the group if they stuck to the info on your e-mails was surprised by anything. I have to say we were surprised when we got to Moshi but in a very good way, we were met by very friendly staff and made to feel very welcome and right at home.

Further more the staff from Zara were great the guide Bruce and his team did everything possible to make us comfortable and the food and cleanliness of the tour is very commendable. We all reached the Uhuru summit which was a great achievement in itself.

I had pneumonia that they thought to have been mountain sickness and was taken off the mountain with Bruce not leaving my side, I was taken to the Hotel were the lady from Zara made arrangements for me to be taken to hospital and she gave me a room for the night after I came back from the hospital.

Bruce stayed with and made sure I was taken care of till after 12am before I was taken back to the hotel and given a meal and a good nights rest.

The point I am trying to make is that all the staff we encountered were very friendly and helpful and stopped at nothing to make our trip as safe and successful as possible.

Your company is working with great partners in Tanzania and I will definitely refer future climbers to make sure they use you and the people from Zara.

Once again thank you.

Regards,

Bosseau, South Africa

(comment received September 9th, 2008)

Hi to all at Zara,

I just wanted to say thank you all so much for the really great experience of climbing Kilimanjaro. It was a life changing experience. I was delighted with all your staff, particularly Muna, Theophil and Zungu.

Can you send me the email addresses of Theophil and Zungu. I would like to write to thank them personally.

You have a truly great company and I will be recommending you to all my friends.

Kind Regards, John (Start Date 12.08.08 7-day Machame Route)

(comment received September 5th, 2008)

Hello,

I am writing to express how much I enjoyed this trip. I had never done anything like this before and was very happy with how helpful, cheerful, and knowledgeable the guides and crew were.

I did not reach Uhuru Peak, but I did enjoy the trip a great deal and don't think I would have enjoyed it more if I had. For this reason, I think the current rating system of counting how many climbers reach the peak in a group should be changed for one based more heavily on feedback.

In future I will definitely be recommending your company and Eliawony as a guide.

Regards,

Ralph
(comment received September 3rd, 2008)

Dear Muna, Zainab, and Adam,

We just wanted to send an email to let you know how much we enjoyed our safari. You did a truely great job, and our driver Isa was wonderful as well. The hotels were even better than we expected and everything was truely better than we could have ever imagined. At Ikoma tented camp the cook even made me a birthday cake on my birthday!! Thank you again for all the work you put into this, and please feel free to provide our contact information as a reference to prospective clients. We will spread the word about Zara to anyone we know going to Tanzania!!

Much thanks again -

Stephanie, Angel, Robert and Beverly

(comment received September 2nd, 2008)

Dear Kili-team, dear Mrs. Zainab Ansell,

I want to say you a big thank you that you have supported me. My dream became true and I see the Kilimanjaro and nearly I had done the summit (my highest point was Kosovo camp 4.892 m) but in case of safety and my breathing problems I had to stop and turn back. Thank you Bryson and team that you gave me all our assistance!! At last I want to send you pictures for your memories. Many extra thank you’s to: Bryson, Robert, Brema, John, Asak + Malia! Mrs. Zainab Ansell you can be proud of your team!!!

Warm Regards, Markus, Vienna, Austria

(comment received August 27rd, 2008)

My wife Ragna and I really enjoyed our holiday in Moshi, Kili and Ngorongori-Serengeti a couple of months ago. On arrival members of your staff remembered me from last year which made me feel almost like coming home.

Our guides Dickson and Boonaw (?) made a very good job. All the time working in a serious way and showing a responsible attitude. In addition easy to deal and nice to talk with.

Since I failed to climb Kilimanjaro, and I am sometimes a persistent person, there is a change I come back a third time. In that case I will send you a mail well in advance to inform you. Maybe Dickson is available if I make a third attempt.

Regards
Stig-Arne

(comment received August 23rd, 2008)

Dear Jackson and team,

We just wanted to say a very big thank you for getting us up Kilimanjaro (last week of June). Our success was certainly due to you and your team’s hard work and professionalism. It was a fabulous trip of a lifetime, and we will always remember you and be grateful for the help you gave us.

Best wishes, Emma & Rod

(comment received August 18th, 2008)

Muna, Zainab et al at Zara Tours,
 
What a spectacular hike and tour you put together for us! The guides, porters and entire staff were professional, engaging and overflowing with Tanzanian spirit.
 
Next summer 2009 a Kilimanjaro Marathon in planned in Moshi, on June 21, I believe. A couple friends of mine, perhaps more, are interested in running the marathon, and after a day or two of rest participating in a Kilimajaro hike (6 or 7 day). Are you able to put a package (airport, accommodations, shuttling to & from the marathon course, a kili hike, and perhaps a Serengeti tour, and return to airport) together for them?
 
Again, thank you for the awesome adventure.
 
Zara rules!! 
                               
P.S. Please send 5-10 Zara Tours brochures. I will distribute them with my personal recommendation.

Mike, Coon Valley, WI

(comment received August 6th, 2008)

We had an amazing, unforgettable time on Kilimanjaro. Our guide Felix was absolutely wonderful and without him I don't think I would have made it to the summit. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. Muna, at Springlands was especially great and seemed to go out of her way to make sure we were doing well and had clear itineraries.

Teeb, New Haven, CT

(comment received August 6th, 2008)

We came home from safari a couple of weeks ago. We had a perfect tour maybe because of our driver Madil. We would like to travel with you another time.

Yours
Gert, Denmark

(comment received August 5th, 2008)

Everything was better than expected. We enjoyed ourselves very much.

The guides and hotel staff were truly interested in providing good sevice. We especially want to compliment Nelson and Yasiff at the hotel... they went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable.

Lawrence, Florida, 26.7.

(comment received July 26th, 2008)

Hello Zara!
 
In June we were in Tanzania in your hotels and tended camp. We climbed Kilimanjaro and we were in Serengeti and Ngorongoro.

It was a great experience, and your help was very good. Congratulations to all your staff, specially Daniel Douglas (Kilimanjaro Mountain Guide), Robinson (Safari driver), people who works in Serengeti wild camp and the hotels staff with our favourite waiter, Yovin, on the top. I send you some photos for them.

Thank you for everything and we hope to come back in the future.

Patricia, Jesus and Angeles, Spain

(comment received July 26th, 2008)

Hello friends:

My name is José Antonio and I will go to Tanzania in August with my wife and three friends. In Spain we have contracted the trip with NATURTREK and in Tanzania with ZARA.

We were in Tanzania two years ago and we climb the KILIMANJARO with ZARA and we have very good memories, we would very much like our guides: Richard Meela and Denis Meela. They did a good job and the rest of the team also (cooks and carriers). We want them (Richard and Denis) to be our guides in the ascent of Mount Meru and Kili (in 2008).

We attach in this post some photos of our trip in 2006. Thank you for everything and see you soon,

José Antonio, Spain

(comment received July 13th, 2008)

Hi team!
 
I am writing this e-mail to thank all of you who made our GGM-Kilimanjaro Climbing possible for this year 2008. I admit that it was a physically and mentally stressing exercise, but with our great determinations and cause for HIV/AIDS epidemic in Tanzania/Africa/Global, our feet and our hearts were alltogether strengthened and hardened to make the Uhuru peak a possibility!! Most of us made it to Uhuru peak!

I have never faced such a mentally and physically challenging exercise as Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, NEVER EVER BEFORE! I therefore pour out my sincere gratitudes to all the Companies, Friends, Climbers, Kili team Captains (Pj & Sean) & any one who in one way or another made our "trekking" to Uhuru peak possible.

I extend my gratitudes to Porters and Guides who were performing "Miracles" up there on the Mountain, to make our "trekking" a comfort, without their "alien" capabilities our trekking would be a day dream! "Pole pole....slowly slowly" we trekked to Uhuru Peak (5895 m) above sea level!
 
Again I say thank you and I appreciate!
 
Cheers,
 
Sadick Muhanga,
Tulawaka Gold Mine

(comment received June 28th, 2008)

Hello, my name is Josh Forrester and I was there at the Springlands hotel to climb Kilimanjaro at the beginning of April 2008.  
 
I wanted to thank you for a great experience on Kilimanjaro. My stay at the Springlands Hotel was wonderful and a great way to start off my African adventure. The entire staff was very friendly and accomodating. Nice clean rooms and really good food.  
 
Sabi was an outstandind guide. He was super friendly and very knowledgable about the mountain. David cooked more food than I could eat, and I was pleasantly suprised at the good quality of food as well. My porters were Mr George, Chafi, Gidieon, George and Gabriel. They all did an amazing job for which I am very thankful. I chose the Machame route for 7 days.
 
I have some friends who are interested in doing the climb in the future as well. Sabi was such a great guide and had a top quality crew that I will make sure that my friends contact you and request Sabi for their guide.
 
Thanks again for a great adventure!

Josh

(comment received, June 10th).

To Robert L. Minja (ZARA Safari guide)

Dear Robert,

Thank you for a wonderful safari together with you in February. We are now home in Denmark, and now the weather is like in Tanzania when we were there. We came home with 2.500 pictures, so I have been busy.

You can see some of the pictures by following this link: http://www.bredeole.dk

As soon as we will have enough money, we will visit you again! We often think back at the time with you.

Hakuna Matata

Birthe and Ole, Denmark

(comment received May 13th, 2008)

We had a very, very good trip for almost 2 weeks (beginning of January) through the National Parks in the North. We had a lot of time in the Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Ngorogoro and the Tarangire. And it was so amazing to stay there.

Thanks our two guys: Ramazan the cook and Hassan the guide and driver. We always had delicious food and a lot of fun during game-drive.

We will recommand Zara-Tours in any case! Next time we want to see the Selous-Park and will surely book at Zara.

Many greetings from Germany.

Sigrid and Karl

(comment received May 8th, 2008)

I recently did the Kilimanjaro trek with ZaraTours. I have to say, that this trip was one of the hilights of my life. I  admit, I wasn't sure what to expect - but I was challenged and inspired beyond anything I could have imagined. We had a great traveling group, and it was organized extremely well, start to finish. I can't say enough amazing things about the guides and the crew.  They were absolutely great. I can honestly say, if it weren't for their help and encouragement, I'm not sure my trip to the summit would have been what it was! I was unbelievably determined, but it was very challenging indeed.  They were patient and knowledgeable - and they didn't let us give up. One thing stuck out in my mind from a conversation I had with our guide Frankie. These guys have climbed over a 100 times - I said "Don't you ever get tired of doing this? Going up and down, taking care of all these people?!" and he said something to the effect of  "This is YOUR dream to climb Kiliminjaro - you are here once. I am just doing my job, and my job is to make sure you make it to the top"   For guys 'just doing their jobs' -- I think that they all went above and beyond - they treated us like we were the most important group they'd had. I know that everyone that was there would agree with me in saying that they were just great. If you travel with ZaraTours, all you have to do is get fit,  show up with the right gear, have a positive attitude and a darn good dose of determination..... and they will take care of the rest!

(comment received April 21st, 2008)

We've had an outstanding trip to kilimanjaro and a great time in Tanzania!
Unfortunately we are back at work. But deep in our minds we are still on the top of africa at Uhuru Peak. Yes, we all did it to the top. And even without any problems. Not even headache or nausea. In my opinion this ist the credit of our guide who always goes "pole pole" :-) and the additional acclimatisation day has been a wise decision.
 
In the name of my wife Tanja, Carmen and Stefan  I would like to thank you very much for organizing this trip so well, Debbie. Everything has been perfect. I would also like to thank you for giving us such high priority by choosing Joseph "Photo" as Guide. He told us about your communication to him in advance. :-) He did an outstanding job and managed the camp in a very professional manner.

But also Joel and Andrew, our two assistant guides, have done a great job. A special thanks goes to Hamit our cook and Karim our waiter. We have eaten like kings on the mountain. Every meal was a festival and Karim take care of everything, water in the morning, tea, crackers and biscuits and he built every day our tents. We didn't expected such a fantastic service and we appreciated it very very much.
 
And last but not least the porters. They have done an extremly hard and good job. The Umbwe-Route is very spectacular, but for the porters this route is really a big challenge. We were so sorry for them, that the have to carry all the weight on this steep route. They worked very hard for us and for that immense performance, they have our highest respect. Everyone have been so kind and considerated. We found some good friends on this seven days.
 
We will recommend your company and especially you, Debbie, and your Staff to all our friends and colleagues and will come back as soon as possible for the next trip. :-)
 
Many thanks and take care
 
René, Tanja, Carmen, Stefan

(comment received April 18th, 2008)

Hi Zara!

At http://www.ihr-einkauf.at/index.php?page=artikel&id=228 you can find a detailled travel report about the Kili-Climb we did beginning of February with guide Kabila. The text is in German.

Regards from Vienna

Sana Brauner (Chief editor)

(comment received March 26th, 2008)

Good Morning,

Just a short note of 'thanks' to the entire Zara team for helping to make my Kili trip one of the best experiences of my life!! I would especially like to thank John and Robert for truly taking the time to ensure that everyone within our group had a similar experience. We heard many horror stories from other travelers about their guides and porters, and how their lack of professionalism impacted their entire trip....John and Robert truly made the difference on our trip!! Please pass along my sincere appreciation to both of them.........

Sincerely,

Mike

(comment received March 26th, 2008)

Jambo!

Today I saw a documentary on TV about a group who climbed the Kilimanjaro. It was nice to see! I realized again that I am still fascinated by the Kilimanjaro Climb! Myself I am very lucky that I had the possibility nearly half a year ago to experience an unforgettable Kili Climb with a beautiful sunrise at Uhuru Peak! With the great support of Yohana and his team I really enjoyed every day on the mountain and I had not expected to feel so good/healthy on my way up to the summit and down again!  :-)

So I want to say again THANK YOU to all you friendly people at ZARA/Springlands Hotel for this unique experience! I don't hesitate to recommend you!

All the best!

Kwaheri
Kerstin, Germany

(comment received March 25th, 2008)

Dear Sir or Madam,

we have had a wonderful safari with your company. Our driver Mister Abdulla was an excellent driver and guide on the safari. We have got on very well with him and can recommend him warmly. We say thanks for the wonderful days, Abdulla!

All together we have liked the trip very well and we would like to thank you.

The best greetings from Germany

Uwe und Katherina

(comment received March 20th, 2008)

To the owner of Zara:

I wanted to let you know how extremely pleased we all were with our two guides on our trip up Kilimanjaro. We took the Rhongai Route and summited on February first. Our Guides were Saidi Ngaina and Mohamed Ngaina.

They were extremely well organized and looked after our every need. I am sure looking after such a large crew is very demanding.

I was extremely impressed on how they both kept an eye on our physical capabilities given that we were an older group. I told Mohammed many times I would not have made it to the top were it not for his help. Their friendly coaxing manner was particularly appreciated even when we faltered.

I would highly recommend them to any other group looking to climb Kilimanjaro and want to thank all of you for a great trip.

Regards
Ross, Canada

(comment received March 11th, 2008)

Thank you all at Zara Tours, for a wonderful arranged climb to Kilimanjaro and safaris in Ngorogoro Crater National Park and Lake Manyara National Park in late January 2008.

We have taken some very nice pictures and would like to send some of them to our guides. Can I ask your help with the phone number and e-mail address of our Kilimanjaro guide Johnny and our safari guide Zamo?

Michael, Denmark 

(comment received March 10th, 2008)

We came back form our trip around Tanzania one week ago and would like to thank EWP and ZARA for organising it. Everything succeded and was according to the schedule. The country is beautiful and worth of visiting.

We are very satisified with ZARA service. All the crew in Springland was very kind and took special care upon us. Especially we would like to praise our guide from Kilimanjaro trekking Daniel D. Mlingi. Daniel and his team did their best to enable us to reach the peak and make our trip higly comfortable. We have to emphasize that the food we were served was amazing as for such height. Daniel is very kind, friendly and social man. He gave us lots of information about customs, culture and nature of Tanzania. We were very lucky to have him as our guide.

We have only one request. We were surprised that the local banks did not accept small heads US dollars issued before 2001. It would be higly recommened if such an information is passed to your future customers.
 
With best regards,

Magdalena and Mateusz, Poland

(comment received Feb. 22th, 2008)

Just a quick note as I have now arrived back from Kilimanjaro with my son, we both got up to Uhuru Peak.

I wanted to say how very satisfied I was with all aspects of the trip, everything was carried out most efficiently, we had an excellent team with our guide Photo and his crew, they all worked very hard on our behalf. I would have no hesitation in recommending booking through EWP/Zara for this trip, we were very happy with everything and getting to the summit was a great plus!

If you have any potential Irish customers looking for a reference I would be delighted to talk to them.

Best regards,
David

David Ensor, Ireland

(comment received Feb. 10th, 2008)

Good morning Zainab & Zara Tours,

We arrive last week to Barcelona (Spain) from Zanzibar and all our holidays has been wonderful. Both safari & diving in Pemba&Zanzibar. 

We only want to congratulate your organization and all your personal team in our first part of trip (Safari Arusha-Moshi)

Also, nice to meet David (our guide-driver) for his responsability and great company in our 5 days. We have been very hapiness with him and spent so funny moments especially when we meet a very near Leopard (regards to him) !!!

Thank you for all and see you soon!

Pedro & Marta from Barcelona

(comment received Jan. 22nd, 2008)

Our small group stayed at the Highview Hotel earlier in the week and had a wonderful time. After 2 days camping in the Serengeti and all the dust we all enjoyed being greeted with warm, moist towels to clean up with prior to check in. We loved the hike to the elephant caves with Joseph and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to have a more intimate experience of the countryside and the local people.

We also wanted to thank the hotel staff for letting my wife and I practice some of our ballroom dancing routine in the lounge area - we enjoyed the audience and the applause. You have a wonderful property and we will do all we can to promote it to our friends who might be headed to Tanzania.

Thank you again for the outstanding hospitality.

Kind regards,

Kip

Kip Koelsch
Wellness Adventure Coordinator

(comment received Dec. 4th, 2007)

Of course, I can tell you how a life time memory we were able to get because of all Zara tours staff did for us!

Everyone we met made our experience a lot better than it could ever be!

Thank you very much and you can be assured that we (I and my sister) will have no hesitation in recommending Zara for a true Tanzania experience.

Ebba

(comment received Nov. 20th, 2007)

I will never forget the hospitality I enjoyed with your company on my maiden trip to Tanzania last week.

I  note the following:
* Yassin is an excellent staff and deserves all the support and promotion available from the management.
* Prosper is a very skillful giude and deserves support from the team in training him to supervisor-guide status so that he can start training other guides for Zara, also pay his tuition to improve his English that he so keen to learn. I respect him a lot and he is a fine gentleman!
* Kabari took me to Ngorongoro and I was amazed about his knowlege, skills and hospitality.
* Porters Frank and Makubuli where awesome
* Waiter Sylvian was fabulous
* Cook Alidi made sure I had good meals

I  need u to know that because of you support, i managed to break a record as the first Nigerian-south african to summit kili!!!! Thanks again... I am definitely coming back!!!!

Chris Musah
(comment received Oct. 29th, 2007)

Zara Tours, 

We had a great trip with Zara Tours and are very pleased with our guides and the team for both the Kilimanjaro and safari excursion. Our guides where Wilson (Kilimanjaro) and Mombasa (safari), both very knowledgable and positive!

Best regards,
Jarle and Gry

(comment received Oct., 17, 2007)

I had the pleasure of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro last September.  Thanks to Zara tours, I had a wonderful time.  I can't remember the name of my guide, but he did a GREAT job!  If you can find out who he was, I would like to know and tell him again how wonderful my experience was.  I recommend Zara to anyone interested in the trips you offer.  I took the Rongai route and made it to Uhuru Peak.  My climbing partner was Errill Avecilla. Thanks again!

Anthony
(comment received Oct., 14, 2007)

Dear zara team, we have to say THANK YOU so much for the perfect safari. it was the best we ever did till now , we had so much fun and enjoyed it very much. special thanks to EMMANUEL our driver, please say also to him many thanks and all the best and we hope to hear from him, because we have a little present for the beautiful time we had with him.

Thank you once more,

Bernhard + Claudia Roither, AUSTRIA

(comment received Oct., 10, 2007)

Just want to let you know we are back home from our Holiday in Tanzania. We had a great time and everything worked out perfectly...not one glitch!! Met the owner of Zara at Springlands and had a nice talk with her. Everyone at EWP and Zara made our adventure come true and we have a lifetime of memories...thanks to you and your good planning,
 
The personnel at Springlands and the teck guides and safari guide were outstanding and we felt every minute welcome  and safe.
 
With best wishes,
 
Ingrid Knight,
Adele Grasee
Carolyn Horn

(comment received Oct., 10, 2007)

Zara was wonderful and very professional.  I would highly recommend this agency as well as the great guides.  Thanks for a great trip!!!! Thanks also to Dickson, my trusty guide. I could have not made it without you.

David Davenport, Douglasville, Georgia

(comment received Oct., 5, 2007)

The climb was amazing, the experience was awesome, Photo is by far the best guide on the entire mountain!!! Khamisi his Assistant guide was sensational also and we would have never made it if it were’nt for them. His whole crew that he chose on this trip was amazing from the cook, to the weighters to the porters - all brilliant and no problems whatsoever… Again, I cannot emphasise enough how great the service was from start to finish. We’re very happy and I will gladly recommend Zara in future for anyone wanting to do Kili :

Hani Al-Omari, Salim Al-Halabi, Mouhammed Choukeir, Kheiry Sammakieh, and Seif Sammakieh.
(comment received Oct., 3, 2007)

Comment: The 5 gentlemen are Lebanese bankers on a charitiy climb for the London based “Lebanon United” group, an organisation that raises money and promotes awareness on humanitarian and sustainable development initiatives in Lebanon. You can read the full story of their climb here.

My friends and I just did the Marangu route with Zara. Emmanuel and his team were truly amazing. Daniel, the assistant guide made sure we all summited. Sabas, the waiter was a true example of someone who is excellent at his job. Emmanuel and his team made our trip so much more memorable than it would have been if they were not there. Their spirit, moral fortitude, strength of character and constant positive attitudes and encouragement was truly uplifting. I
commend them all highly.

Jelly , Mark and Dessie from Ireland.
(comment received Sept., 23, 2007)

Jambo to all @ Zara,

We've just got back to the UK after spending time with Zara on 'Kili' and on safari. Our thanks to everyone at Zara (and that is everyone - Jamal and the rest of the team @ Springlands, the people @ Highview and the guides and porters, the lady in the office {whose name I can't remember} @ Springlands who sorted out our flights to Zanzibar for us) for making it such a wonderful holiday and a truly memorable experience. The attention to detail that is given, ensures little is left to chance.

I did the 7 day Machame route and whilst Chombo was in the main, busy with a larger party, Mzui looked after me fantastically well. And to stand at the top was just such a thrill for which much credit must go to Chombo and the rest of his team.

At the very start, my bag failed to make the flight and didn't catch up with me until 6 days later when someone very kindly brought it all the way up from Springlands to our camp. What an effort – but representative of the way I felt that Zara treated its clients.
   
And if that was good, then Massawe on the Safari excelled. He was knowledgeable on where to look for the animals and considerate as to our needs and he was a joy to be with and provided us with a fantastic five days. A superb time with many happy memories.
 
Asante sana ( I hope I've spealt that correctly) to everyone @ Zara
 
Martyn & Jan
WALES!

Martyn Thomas
Wales
(comment received Sept. 22, 2007)

Zara is a really excellent choice for a Kilimanjaro climb or Safari. Everything was very well organized, from pickup at the airport to the stay at the hotel to the climb and safari. The Springlands Hotel is definitely an excellent place to stay before the climb and between the climb and the safari. Milton my guide was the secret of my success in summitting. Although I did the physical part, his trail instruction and strategy allowed an older (62) but fit person such as myself to succeed. We started early the final night and he fit his pace to my needs. We summited at the same time as the others. There were no older hikers at Uhuru point that morning. I am from Ohio USA, so I had little experience at high altitude. Milton knew exactly what to tell me to do during the first few days to make up for my lack of trail experience. He was very very good.

E. Quinn
Ohio USA
(Machame Route - Safari Package #1 - August 19, 2007)

The Kili climb portion of my trip far exceeded my expectations, with excellent service provided by my guide, Eliawoni Mtui, assistant guide, Stephen Ruwaichi Mtui, cook, Fretien, and the rest of our group. I would highly recommend Elia, Stephen, Fretien and the rest of the group put together by Elia to anyone considering a climb with Zara tours. Simply put, Elia and Stephen were superb guides and Fretien was an excellent cook. Because of their efforts, my climb was a wonderful experience. Please pass along my sincere thank you to Elia, Stephen, Fretien and the rest of the group.

I would also like to note that the staff at the Springlands hotel provided excellent service, in particular the reception staff and Neema from the dining staff. The hotel accommodations and service also exceeded my expectations.

Thank you.
Regards,
Kirsten, from Vancouver Canada
(Rongai Route - Feb. 18 to 24, 2007) and Safari (Feb. 25 to Mar 1, 2007).

I am very appreciative of everyone at Zara Tours and especially yourself for all the arrangements that made my trip to Kilimanjaro and Serengati Safari a memorable one. You guys had to do a lot in order to made my trip to Tanzania and Kenya a memorable one. If I come across anyone who wishes to explore those countries, I will highly recommend you and Zara Tours to them.

My very best regards to all of you at Zara Tours!
Jan.16/2007

My best Regards!
Mostafa A.