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:
- $3,442 to $25,818 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
MA
Email Tara Fraiture | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Our family safari with E-Trip was an epic, life-changing adventure!
My family and I would like to recommend E-Trip Africa wholeheartedly! We just returned from an incredible 12-day adventure in Tanzania and Zanzibar. Ben and his amazing team arranged every detail, and we were delighted with the results. Our guide, David Mushi, became an honorary member of our family-my daughters, ages 11, 14 and 16 loved him! He was incredibly professional, warm, efficient and knowledgeable. He was 100% available for any of our concerns at any time. We all felt like we learned so much about nature, geography, geology, conservation, and science in our time with him. We started out our adventure at the lovely Researcher's Rest in Arusha and I was happily reminded of my early childhood days with my parents, who lived in East Africa for many years in the 60's and 70's. A beautiful, tranquil escape right off the busy neighborhood road in Arusha, we thoroughly enjoyed our overnight there. The setting, the dinner, the quaint and cosy lodge, we loved it all. It was also apparent that this unique, lovely lodge has suffered from a lack of tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We happily donated to help keep this little oasis in business.
Our trip was perfectly planned and carefully thought out, down to where we stayed every night. We appreciated staying at three very different Lamala Lodges, where ecotourism is a must-solar electricity and no plastics. Lalama is truly a gem in Tanzania-we could really tell that the staff cares about its people and the beautiful country of Tanzania.
My girls were anxious to see all of the Big Five animals, and we certainly did! On our first full day in Tarangire National Park, we were in the MIDST of a herd of about 200 elephants, it was truly amazing! The Serengeti was also incredible; we must have seen a total of about 30 lions in our three days. We came across a pride of lions eating a massive cape buffalo; astonishing!
The most incredible moment, however, was about 30 minutes from our Lemala camp on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, where we were amazed to see a huge male leopard saunter our right in front of our vehicle, pause and stay for a few moments and then slowly walk back into the bush. We caught it all on film and it's astonishing.
We also thoroughly enjoyed the wildebeest and zebra migration-it is truly a sight to see when you look out onto the Seregenti and see wildebeest and zebra in the thousands, as far as the eye can see!
Zanzibar for three days at the end of our trip was so much fun. The Blue Bay Resort is a lovely place; also eco-friendly with solar paneling and moving towards no plastics. Our Christmas day at the resort was fabulous. Thoroughly enjoyed our arranged tour of Stone Town as well; what a colorful, buzzing town with a fascinating history.
Many, many thanks for the trip of a lifetime, Ben, for the Fraiture Family!!!! We are so grateful for your careful, compassionate planning. Please send hugs to David from all of us.
One more IMPORTANT thing to note-we were nervous, evidently, about traveling from Morocco to TZ and on to Zanzibar during the pandemic. Qatar Airways did a great job of keeping us safe and secure and E-Trip Africa was amazing in regards to our health concerns. They went above and beyond what was expected to reassure us and to keep us safe. We had one vehicle and one (amazing!) guide during our 8-day safari. He wore a mask in the safari vehicle at all times. He asked us that each time we entered the car, that we sanitize our hands (the sanitizer was provided, even though we also had our own). Each of our lodges were VERY careful about social distancing. We always ate outside and the entire staff were masked and careful. I would 100% recommend E-Trip, even during this difficult time. Cases in TZ are relatively low and we also easily and efficiently got tested in Arusha before returning to Morocco. Again, this made SUCH a difference in our comfort level. Many thanks again, Ben!
NL
Email Edward Kornet | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
best guide ever: Alladin, best car too: cooling compartment for food and drinks + a powerbank
We were very well informed in advance about what to expect in different travel periods, national parks and accomodation. Ben the "manager" was also very flexible in changing accomodation on our demand. He also took care of the inland flights. We could not find all of them at the internet ourselves but he could still book them.(Zanzibar-Arusha) We did not aim for the greatest numbers of lions and elephants but wanted to experience nature at its best. The proposed trip to Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater fitted us very well. Tarangire being not as flat as the Serengeti but hilly and dotted with trees of which the baobab trees stood out was outstanding. Not only the landscape but also the numbers of animals and the variety: not did we only see hundreds of elephants a dozen of lions, lots of wildebeast,zebra,giraffe,gazelle,buffalo and impala but also eland, reedbuck, bat-eared fox, jackel, banded mangoest, common mangoest, small mangoest, rock hyrax,dik dik, waterbuck, brown parrot, ostrich,lapped faced vultute, hooded vulture, saddle billed stork, marabou,martial eagle,long-crested eagle,goshawk,tawny eagle, bare-faced go-away-bird, white browed coucal,hornbills,rollers,starlings,barbets, spurfowls,francolins, chestnut-bellied kingfisher and even more. Our guide Alladin made us feel very comfortable/at ease. An outstanding friendly and knowledgable person. Not only professional but also human. We stayed for two nights in a simple but pleasant "bungalow" from wich we could overvieuw the tarangire landscape including the river( tarangire river camp ?). We saw three lions sleeping in a tree right in front of the accomadation ( at +/- 100 meter)
From the bathroom we saw impala, warthhog and dik dik. How enchanting. Alladin told us we were lucky to be just at the end of the dry season(all animal need to visit the river for water) and exploring tarangire during three days( 1 + 2 x 1/2)( instead of 1) gave us the opportunity to see more of the park and the animals than day visitors. Lake Manyara although small was complementary with its dense forrest, wet land and (salt)lake. It provided us with new impressions an vieuwings of new species: bleu monkey, silvery-cheeked hornbill ( thanks to Alladin: he spotted all of them where we failed to spot them ourselves) black heron, african spoonbill, hammerhead,jacana,black crake, yellow billed stork,hadada ibis,sacred ibis,little egret, great white egret and more. It was the wrong season for lake manyara but we would not have liked to skip it. It is very charming in its own way.We stayed near the ngorongoro crater and Alladin was eager to leave before sunrise to be able to show us some rhino and he did. We saw three of them among which a young. We also saw heyena chasing wildebeast and three kori bustards, a pelican, grey crowned cranes, hippos and more. Ngorongoro crater provided us with new sightings but was not green at all ( at the end of october)
Maybe we were so spoiled by the other parks especially tarangire that we lacked to see the full beauty of the crater.
According to us ( three times on safari) you do not need to spend more than 3 to 5 days on safari to be completely satisfied.Next day we stayed at planet lodge in Arusha. Alladin drove us to the airport in the morning.
We really would like to recommend e trip africa if you want a relaxed and convenient safari and you might be so lucky to meet the best guide ever; Alladin.
AE
Email Claus Larsen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
From the first contact to the end was a world class experience. This is how great looks like!
To deal with e-trip Africa have been a really great experience. Everything went really smooth and with 100% focus on giving us the best possible service and a memorable experience. Its one of the few times where delivery is above expectations but this was the case. Everything was taken care of and we could focus on having a good time and absorb the experience. I will recommend e-trip Africa to everyone in my network who plans to visit Africa and I will without a doubt use e-trip Africa again. A lot of other agencies could learn from this and learn how world class customer service looks like. The few points we have which could have made our trip absolutely perfect is not worth mentioning.
We can highly recommend e-trip Africa and you will for sure be guaranteed value for money!
Email Brett McKenzie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Brilliant from first Contact to saying Goodbye
I can not recommend E-Trip highly enough! I’ve travelled to 68 countries and dealt with a lot of operators - E-Trip were brilliant from my first email interaction. I sent email requests to 22 Safari operators asking for a recommendation 10 day Safari.
It was t my first time to Africa Ron safari and I wanted to see who could meet my needs.
Ben and Aurielle ( Owners) provided a customised itinerary options ad stood out from any other operators I contacted. It was obvious they have visited the various camps they recommend to stay at and promptly answered any Q’s I had.
Once arriving for safari my primary clothing g bag was lost by Airline - Ben firstly lent me clothes and he took over responsibility to get my bag to me 2 days later - The bag loss was t E-trips fault but that’s the kind of service they provide their customers.
David our private guide for the whole 10 days was simply superb - experienced guide with vast knowledge of animals behaviour and was funny and always looking after my daughter and I. His ability to see animals we couldn’t see was amazing and as an avid photographer always managed to position the vehicle for best photo positions.
E-Trips custom Land Cruiser is roomy, New , well maintained and comfortable on what can be rough roads.
The camps and lodges we stayed at were superb and food was always of high quality - as were lunch boxes provided each day.
Finally the fact that E-Trips bank account is in USA gave me piece of mind when making payments for the trip.
I unreservedly recommend the E-Trip team as a brilliant Lifetime experience provider for your safari trip.
Email Dale and Nancy | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guide, with customized agenda, from an operator who knows Africa and cares about your safari!
With hundreds of tour operators to choose from, what’s important? Your guide, your agenda and an operator who truly understands Africa and cares about your individual adventure. E-Trip delivered a life-time experience! Explore with them.
Your guide is a make-or-break factor, who must speak your language, understand what you want to see, be experienced and capable to find what you want to see and be able to alter the program to meet your needs. E-Trip’s David, with an education in conservation and over 20 years of experience, exceeded our expectations. We urge you to work with any operator on selecting your guide (from profiles and ratings) before you book.
E-Trip provides complete flexibility to tailor your agenda to what you want to see and where you want to go, priced accordingly. You are not “stuck” with a fixed set of packages or combined with strangers. We wanted to see the herds, which are far in the north during September, and E-Trip made this happen. When you are planning, understand that the National Parks (Tarangire, Ngorongoro,…) keep a strict 24-hour window on entrance and exit time, so if you want to be there longer, then plan for more than one day. Ask questions, because every month is a little different in Tanzania. E-Trip provides for a legitimate guided cultural tour of a Tanzanian town, which may include a Masai village, but will also incorporate family living and African cuisine (if you’d like). This can be a longer, or shorter experience, depending on you. Avoid those many artificial Masai village tours!
Although this was not essential for us, E-Trip can also provide a safari that spans multiple countries, if that’s what you want to do.
Ben and Aurelie are westerners who have spent years in Africa, and live in Arusha. E-Trip is their company. They fully understand the land, the people and culture, and the game areas and animals, so they are fully equipped to provide knowledgeable, personalized advice as you plan and customize your safari. Ask questions and pose options – they will help you build your dream safari.
Email Zac | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
E-Trip Africa paired expert trip planning with exceptional guiding for the perfect Tanzanian safari
E-Trip Africa was exceptionally communicative and made the entire booking process a breeze. They provided options with clear price breakdowns that added insights into our trip that were not available from other safari providers. The accommodation, vehicles and guides were exceptional. We have been on 15 to 20 safaris and this by far the best. I would highly recommend them to anyone considering a safari in East Africa.
CA
Email Renee | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience that exceeded expectations.
Ben was prompt in replying and relaying all needed information. He set us up with the best possible guide (Joachim) for our trip. Joachim made the trip what it was. The animals are there but quite often you need a trained person with an eagle eye to find them (especially the tiny ones). Joachim was THE BEST! He was intelligent, courteous, genuine in his love for doing his job and really seemed to enjoy himself as much as we did. It was the perfect match. I cannot say enough wonderful things about both Ben (E-Trip) and Joachim.
7-day Serengeti Safari
The drivers were great. The accommodations were very nice. The safari was amazing. Given that my only complaints are a so-so sack lunch on a couple of days and the unfilled desire (rightly unfulfilled) to safari drive into the night, I think it is safe to say that I HIGHLY recommend E-Trip.
Email Cara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You can count on E-trip
E-trip consists of a couple who live in Arusha. With such a small operation you get to know the people well and get excellent service. We exchanged dozens and dozens of emails planning the trip. They answered every single question we asked. They made us feel comfortable and prepared for our first trip to Africa. When we had a hiccup with an airline (NEVER fly Precision Air) Ben was immediately in action on the phone trying his best to help us with Precision customer service. It was great to have someone to call whenever you needed help. E-trip offered competitive pricing and was the only company we spoke to that provided a detailed break-down of costs, which we appreciated because we knew what we were paying for.
We got to meet the E-trip family when we stayed at J&J Guesthouse. They live upstairs and the bottom floor, a very nice, British style home, is a bed and breakfast, where you can also eat dinner with the other guests. We got to talk to the other guests about their trips and we were able to talk to Ben about our trip and ask any questions we had about the upcoming safari. The house and grounds were very nice and we enjoyed staying there. The home-cooked meal was very good.
We spent almost 1 week in Uganda with our guide Milton. He is the best guide you could wish for. He speaks very good english and so we were able to learn a lot about the culture and the parks. He took very good care of us. We did chimp trekking as well as gorillas, which is not to miss. We highly recommend going to Uganda, because of the wildlife and culture, but also because Milton took such good care of us and was so interesting to talk to. In addition, he is passionate about animals and the environment and has worked at the National Parks. Your guide is with you about 12 hours a day and is critical to a successful trip. Make sure to tip well. They work so many hours and give such great service.
Our guide in Tanzania was David. David has been a guide for 20 years and so he knows the parks very well. The wildlife distribution depends on the time of year and he knows exactly where to look for each animal. If we were self-driving we would have seen 10% of what we saw with David. He stopped for as long we wanted for any animal. As soon as we stopped he turned the car off so we could take good photos.
Amazing trip. We will be sending our friends to E-trip.
ES
Email Eva | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Helpful and reliable
Ben was extremely helpful and patient trying to accommodate all our requests during the preparation of the trip. Our guide, David, was excellent: good driver, wise guide, and enjoyable company.
The car was in good condition, although we had a small problem with one of the tires.
The lodges and tented camps were correct and very convenient, in good locations. The Researchers' Rest in particular is an unpretentious B&B which had everything we needed for our first night in the country, comfortable and very good value.
The safari was short and well optimized. David planned every day carefully and helped us to identify the animals and birds we found. He really enjoys his job and makes it enjoyable for the customers!
When we returned to Arusha at the end of the safari Ben took us to the rental company where we had booked a car, and made sure everything was in order before leaving us.
We find it very important to find someone reliable in a country like Tanzania, which is not easy for independent travelers. And the staff of E-Trip Africa are reliable people.
The only reason to give 4 stars instead of 5 is that we found the package a little overpriced, and we didn't liked too much the tented camp in Serengeti (Nieleze), although this is not E-Trip fault! Apart from that everything was really good.