Meet the Team - eTrip Africa
E-Trip Africa
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- ATA, IATAN, IGS, KPAP & CODE
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $3,469 to $26,018 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Suzye | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Emmanual has an unbelievably sharp eye for spotting wildlife and is incredibly knowledgeable.
This was one of the best experiences of my life. It far exceeded any expectations I had. My mind was blown by how much wildlife we got to see. We watched a family of lions feast on a giraffe while jackals circled around, waiting for their turn! The landscapes were breathtaking, from the trees to the sky, everything was a treat for the eye. The accommodations were exceptional! I loved the pools and the gorgeous views of the river valley and getting to hear the animals at night from our room. One of the best parts for me was the food though. Every meal was an absolute delight. I want to marry that chef! On the last day the staff brought us a cake and sang and danced and it was the purest thing, my whole family was moved to tears. Ahhh please take me back there!
Email Keith Morgan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had an amazing trip!
My gf wanted to do something special to celebrate her 30th and we bounced between a few different locations/trips and finally settled on Africa. We have each travelled quite a bit but felt like a safari was more than we wanted to try to plan ourselves so we emailed several tour operators to get quotes/plans/proposals. eTrip stood out from the start with their very detailed proposal and cost breakdown as well as their quick responses, dedicated truck and driver/guide, and accommodations with Lemala camps.
Our driver, David, was a joy and knew not only every animal we saw but every BIRD as well [which is a huge feat with the variety present]. He kept our truck extremely tidy and I was impressed that it was even washed almost every night in the bush.
I would highly recommend eTrip and will definitely use them again when we go back [We've already talked about it!]
Email Amyn Husain | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Outstanding service, a flawless program with a keen eye on sustainability and ethics
Ben and Aurelie patiently organised a Kilimanjaro and safari itinerary for a group of 18 of us. Covid delays meant the trip was postponed for 2 years and each time the trip was rolled forward with minimal hassle. What a fantastic crew, superior and experienced guides, a looked after porter team and attention to detail at every corner. We had a 100% summit success and the lead guide’s pole pole approach paid off. I would recommend them to anyone, whether a small or large group. We loved the fact that they are socially conscious with a high standard for all staff accompanying us and no short cut measures to compromise the highest ethical standards. A superb memory.
CA
Email Kevin Medland | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ben was like a family member or friend who just happened to run this tour;
had two weeks with e-trip; did 8 day Mt kili climb and then remaining days on safari; every part was outstanding; ben and his staff were amazing; i was in a group of 18 and everyone was more than pleased with accommodations, food, travel, guides, porters, drivers...all of it
highly recommend travelling with e-trip Africa
prices were competitive but not over priced
Email Laura M | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An excellent experience overall
Our Tanzania safari was an amazing experience. We saw so much wildlife, it's hard to describe!
Despite all of the wonder of Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, the thing that really made our trip special was our incredible guide Elisha. You spend so much time with your guide - for us up to 10 hours a day for 8-9 days - so if you don't get the right guide it could really impact the whole trip. Elisha was knowledgeable, patient, warm, friendly, and a genuine joy to be with each day. We came away feeling like we'd made a wonderful friend, a somewhat strange feeling after only knowing someone a handful of days and given you likely won't see them again! I hope the management of E-Trip Africa realise how much of an asset he is to their company!
The organisation of the trip itself was very good. We really appreciated Ben's support and patience as we considered all the options available to us. His advice on accommodation was very valuable, including some insider knowledge on the ins-and-outs of each property which really helped influence our trip and ensured we could stay in line with our principles by supporting the best companies and people. We really appreciated his frank and insightful feedback which meant we ended up in 4 properties we were ultimately very happy with!
The only point of feedback we'd have for management was that it felt like once we paid up in full, the level of communication really dropped down. We ended up having to chase them up a week before departure for all the relevant details (with a holiday of this complexity and cost, earlier contact would have been nice). We'd also originally requested a specific safari guide based on a recommendation, and that was changed last minute, but we had to ask why we'd not been given the guide chosen. The change wasn't an issue (and clearly as above very happy with the alternative we were given!) but proactive comms on this would have been appreciated.
Once we were on the trip we heard nothing more from them, and had no follow-up on our return to ask how the trip was. It wasn't a huge issue as we had a great experience, so nothing to really follow up on, but that extra care and service to check in with how our trip was going / went was something I would have expected based on the excellent reviews, and at least for us personally it felt a little lacking.
Overall though, I would definitely recommend E-Trip Africa, especially making sure Elisha is your guide in in Tanzania, you will have a fantastic time! Despite the minor communication shortcomings, I would still give 5* overall! :-)
Email Lesa McNeill Nichols | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Skilled and fun team puts you in best possible position for wildlife photography
Simon and his team at E-Trip Africa made my photo safari trip an epic adventure. I was traveling with a small group of photographers and Simon was hired to make everything smooth from the moment I landed in Nairobi and the moment I left two weeks later. I didn't know when he picked me up at the airport what I would be going home with. It turned out to be a lot, including:
*Amazing photos of the Big 5-lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos and rhinos. On top of that we got photos of giraffes, a serval, cheetahs, hippos, warthogs, zebras, hyenas, antelopes of all types and a gazillion different birds (owls, eagles, herons, flamingos, rollers, weavers, etc).
*A deeper view of Kenyan daily life and culture
*A deep appreciation for the food-especially the fresh fruits and vegetables. Like nothing I had experienced before.
*Memories of bright red, purple and pink skies at sunrise and sunset
*A Kenyan music playlist put together with input from all of the guides
*A moment I will never forget-being surrounded by an elephant herd at sunset right in front of Mt. Kilimanjaro
There are too many moments to review. Simon and his team worked to create these moments for us. They did it with skill, humor, teamwork and camaraderie. It was truly an epic adventure! I would go on safari with them again and again.
Email April Cohen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Professional Safari Company
E-Trip Africa did a phenomenal job organizing our safari, providing timely updates in the lead-up and executing everything without fault. Our guide Dickson was top-notch and extremely knowledgeable about all the animals and areas that we went to. We saw all the animals we had hoped to see and were extremely fortunate to see rare animals too--I credit E-Trip with their professionalism and background for making our safari experience a true success! I would recommend them to friends and family without hesitation. Our hotels and campsites were also high quality and the food we ate was also excellent.
IE
Email Colm Fitzgerald | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
eTrip Africa are an excellent tour operator that provide tailored safari experiences for all budgets
eTrip Africa delivered a superb safari experience for my partner and I in Tanzania. I contacted several tour operators for quotes outlining what we hoped to see and eTrip Africa responded promptly with a suggested itinerary. Their general manager Ben then helped to revise and build our final mid-range safari itinerary over the course of a week or so of emails. He was really patient and helpful and, unlike other operators, there were no boilerplate emails - it was clear they paid attention to customer needs. Ben even agreed to skype call before final payment.
Thereafter, we provided all necessary documentation to eTrip Africa and the safari itself was really well organised from our arrival at the Researcher's Rest in Arusha. A big shout out to Eddie and Joseph who went out of their way to help us with our onward travel after we returned from safari. Plus the food was great there! Our safari guide, Samson, was hugely knowledgeable about the wildlife we saw and gave us great insights into Tarangire NP, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Caldera ecosystems. He was very helpful and friendly throughout and we were delighted to have had Samson as our guide. Our accommodation and lunch boxes were excellent throughout including the beautifully located Tarangire Safari Lodge.
All in all, we felt eTrip Africa delivered a superb safari experience with excellent value for money and would be happy to recommend them to any visitors looking to go on safari in Tanzania.
Email Janina ( Nina) | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Expertise and professionalism combined with individual needs was the name of the game
My friend arranged the trip with Ben from E-Trip Africa for 4 of us including herself.
I understand communication and service was excellent with a swift response to our many questions and enquiries. We felt we could rely on Ben and his team to deliver exactly what was requested of them and we weren’t disappointed.
Obviously it was the holiday of a lifetime and I questioned splashing out that amount of money ,but it far exceeded all of my expectations and was worth every single penny( and more).
Our driver and guide on safari- Alladin was amazing. An absolute wealth of knowledge who went out of his way to make sure we had the best experience possible. Nothing was too much trouble for him and it was all down to him that we saw and heard all the fantastic sights and sounds that we did. All this coupled with him having a great sense of fun and laughter made the almost 2 week safari seem like a family adventure, whilst at the same time learning about our amazing surroundings.
We stayed in 4 different camps which were all excellent with wonderful staff and wonderful food and it was so exciting moving onward each time- almost like going on another holiday. And of course the journey to each tented camp involved another wonderful safari experience.
Would highly recommend every thing about this trip from our initial contact with E-Trip Africa through to our very last day when we sadly had to say goodbye to our wonderful Alladin
Email Julia Hubbel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
From the Southern Circuit to the top of Kilimanjaro
Looking out at Kilimajaro from my hotel window this morning is like an otherworldly experience. Ben Jennings, the owner, was grilling me (as is his habit) last night about the service, food, if I was being pressured to summit. He's constantly improving, pushing to get better, and in all ways trying to take E-Trip Africa to another rung higher. My experience of them began back about June through a Trip Advisor referral and it's been top flight ever since. To keep this relatively short and sweet, the first thing that Ben does is spend a fair bit of time understanding- how much experience (this is my fifth trip to Africa) what do you want to do (adventure, out of the way, totally cool stuff, already saw the animals), and basically getting a sense of who you and what you want to spend. The parameters set, he gets to work. In no time I had some options that I grabbed: a camel trek, a Kili climb, and he was able to negotiate a trip to the Southern Circuit which fit my preference for fewer tourists and more bushcamp experience. Ben fought hard for me in terms of cutting costs, and I accommodated where I needed so it was a two way deal. On Kili, since I was going up solo, Ben sent me with his wife, who was excellent company.
The Kili trip deserves extra mention because this is his team. He has top flight guides, and a crew of porters and cooks together for six years. They earn a living wage so that they don't have to maneuver for tips, and that means they are happy, friends, and work well together. This makes for an excellent experience on the mountain for all involved. August, his top guide, and Ignas, the assistant guide, were fun and funny, but also highly attentive to medical issues, very focused on safety, extremely well informed, and when I had a knee go wonkers on the way down from the summit, they helped me down safely.
Contrary to popular lore, we got no hardboiled eggs on our plates. The food was flat out delicious. Ranik the cook spoiled us with his changeups every day and once he learned I loved his soups, I was treated every day with zucchini, leek, I can't recall them all, but I got every last drop out of the bowl, and begged for seconds and thirds.
I am already planning a month with E-Trip Africa in January 2015. From now on I will use them many times over.