Encircle East Africa Anmeldelser 

We were attracted to Encircle East Africa because it was run by Maasai. The proceeds from our fees benefited the Maasai people and contributed to the preservation of their culture. Our concern was that use of a small safari company would result in modest accommodations. The opposite was true. Planned by Encircle, the entire two-week journey was flawlessly executed and magical. Our hotels and camps were first rate, food was plentiful and delicious, the guide extraordinary and the animal sightings were amazing.

I have always wanted to do a safari trip and I felt very lucky indeed that Jo chose Sianga and Encircle East Africa. It was very special. Sianga and our guide Frank were wonderful ambassadors for their people and culture. In particular I was impressed by the way Sianga carefully and skilfully planned the different stages of our journey: starting with the immersion into Massai culture in his home village where we were welcomed so generously and looked after so well – what a privilege that went far beyond the usual quick tourist visit. In the second phase, the game drives in the Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro national parks we were incredibly lucky to have Frank Sabore as our guide. His knowledge of wildlife is second to none and he is a thoughtful communicator; his experience meant that we were always in the right place at the right time; he really looked after us. We saw a huge array of different species and never felt rushed. It’s a very intense experience and we learned a huge amount from Frank and his guide-in-training Njama. But we also had such a fun time: Frank’s unfailing cheeriness and good humour made the whole thing extra special.



The last part of our trip was some downtime in Zanzibar – there’s a lot to process and, again, this was part of Sianga’s plan, starting with a night in a wonderful historic house in Stone Town, then moving onto some real pampering R&R on the beach.



Throughout the whole trip and the lead-up Sianga was available and prompt in responses to any queries, no matter how small. It couldn’t have been better – THANK YOU.

Such an awesome trip….. thank you encircle east Africa travel. Of all our travels this trip is top of the list and it was the personal interactions with the staff of Encircle East Africa which made this possible. Our trek up Kilimanjaro fulfilled all expectations and more thanks to Ally and his team of guides, all the fabulous porters and of course the cook. The stay at the Maasai village was a highlight as the people were so warm and welcoming and eager to help us understand their culture and lifestyle. And as for the Serengeti…. Our guide Frank was a bottomless pit of information, entertainment, expertise and enthusiasm. An unforgettable trip in an unforgettable country. Tanzania will always be in my heart. Asante.

I have just returned from the most amazing 3 weeks in Tanzania, Rwanda & Uganda. My sincere thanks to Encircle East Africa for all the planning & consideration that went into making this trip so memorable. The accommodation was superb, the people warm & welcoming & the food was great. Frank, our guide/driver in Tanzania was an incredible source of information about culture, birds & wildlife, & his knowledge of the Serengeti was second to none.
And Nicholas,who met us at the airport & took us to meet his Maasai family at Kiserian, was always there with a friendly smile.
Thankyou to everyone at Encircle East Africa who helped make this trip one that I will always remember 💙

From the start to finish our tour was absolutely brilliant!!! Sianga could not have been more helpful and accommodating to all our needs. The guides he used are brilliant. You could not ask for a better experience. Thankyou Sianga and all your staff from Encircle East Africa for an unforgettable holiday.

What an amazing experience ths trip was! Sianga from Encircle East Africa is a Maasai man basedin Brisbane who works with family and contacts in Tanzania and Rwanda to arrange a seamless trip of a lifetime.

We all agreed that the highlight is the culural experience in his own village. The Welcome from the community was amazing and warm. The accomodation and facitilies are fairly basic, but pefectly fit with the culture, people and landscape. We slept so well, the food was plentiful and the best we had on our trip. Long leisurely chats over coffee or a beer onthe verandah learning about Maasai culture, watching them take the goats, cattle and donkeys out to graze, waving to children, safari walks, sunset overthe plains and spotting giraffes and other wildlife! Visiting the Boma and meeting his family and all the children was very special. We took a large bag of oranges for all the children!

The next part was the safari to Taragire, Serengetti and Ngongoro Crater NPs over 6 days. Frank Sabore, our guide was the BEST! His ability to spot wildlife and take us to the best spots reflected his 14 years experience as guide. He was so respectful of them and patient. Whilst others rushed in, got a photo and rushed out, he waited and it was always worth the wait. His knowledge of BIRDS was also amazing - highly recommend EEA Tours and him to all bird watchers!

The next part was a flight to Rwanda to start our trip into Uganda for a gorilla trek (hard going up hills and down paths cleared by machetes - but so worth doing!) Up close and personal! The drives are long, but there's so much to watch as you go and it's a very different landscape to TZ. THe Queen Elizabeth NP, a trip to the Equator, and a river cruise watching hippos ended a trip of a lifetime.

Accomodation was first class - loved the lodges - glamping tents>

Nicholas, our TZ contact was on hand any time we needed help, advice. He met us at the airport and farwelled us when we left. We really felt like we were part of a wider family and had made friends in Africa , not just passed through.
Handy hint -- tips are and essential part of the income of many people we met, some rely solely on tips to live, others supplement a basic wage with tips. Be prepared and ready to pay for all services, more for good service. And bartering is widely used to purchase goods.

Amazing experience. One of our best trips, and we have visited 35 countries!

Have just got back from a 3 week tour to Tanzania. A truly amazing experience. Spent 2 nights in Sianga's Maasai village where the people were so welcoming & beautiful & the children a delight. Our guide, Armani throughout the Serengetti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire & Lake Manyara was very knowledgeable & couldn't do enough for us. Saw so much wildlife up close, especially lions with their cubs, cheetahs, elephants & every imaginable animal there is there. Can highly recommend the hot air ballooning over migration. Also went to Uganda for an unforgettable gorilla experience, so worth it. Everyone always talks about the animals but the people are just as amazing. Thank you Encircle East Africa & especially Sianga for arranging this unforgettable trip. Carol

If you are looking to get the BEST African Safari experience then you need to contact Encircle East Africa! My wife and I had the trip of our lives in Tanzania and it is all thanks to the amazing team at Encircle East Africa. I would recommend this to anyone.

Everything in the process from building out our itinerary with Sianga to making sure we were taken care of every step of the adventure was seamless and well organized. We had a team of people greet us at the Airport who then stayed with us for the entire journey. Our tour guide John was OUTSTANDING and we can't say enough great things about Nicholas & Daniel. John, our tour guide, helped share all his local knowledge and cultural insights along with being an expert in navigating all the national parks. The first day John met us he made a point to ask us about what animals and sights we were most interested in and made sure we were able to see them all. Our favorite day was in the Serengeti where John led us to a pride of over 20 lions feeding on a buffalo that was recently hunted. The experience was unforgettable and did not end there. We saw Africa's BIG FIVE and everything from Elephants, Giraffes, Hippos, Cheetahs and even a Leopard!

Per Sianga's advice, we also hired a photographer, which ended up being one of the best decisions. The photographer, Daniel, greeted us at the airport on our first day and was there for us throughout the entire trip. In addition to being a friendly guide, he captured amazing photos that we will cherish forever.

The lodging was beyond our expectations and service everywhere we stayed was top notch. Sianga and the team have definitely done their homework to find the best partners possible.

We hope to be back soon to see our new friends again!

We had a fantastic time during our Safari with Encircle. What we appreciated the most was the safari to Serengeti and the experience in the tended camps, living in strict contact with wildlife. We also appreciated very much the other fantastic parks (Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Mayara and Tarangire). The trip was very well organized thanks to the experience and connections of Sianga who comes from there and this insight and local knowledge made the difference. His team also was fantastic, in particular our guide Frank , who stayed with us for all the time we were in Tanzania; thanks to his knowledge of animals he was able to find out and show us up close all the wild animals (lions, giraffe, zebras, cheetahs, ostrichs, elephants, monkeys, cobra, eagles, owl, vultures, hippos, rhinoceros and many others). We felt protected while visiting all this fantastic places having a so experienced guide. The experience in the Masai village was also touching and we had the opportunity to appreciate their simplicity and their values ​​while living in their village. I highly recommend Encircle East Africa to anyone is planning a vacation in Tanzania!

Encircle East Africa ha organizzato in Tanzania un viaggio perfetto su misura per noi. Quando abbiamo chiesto di aggiungere alcune attività si è mostrato efficacie ed efficiente

Encircle East Africa have really done their homework in finding top quality accomodation as well staff members like our guide Frank who really know the fauna and flora of the area.
Being a solo traveller having their company and care in looking out for me was just amazing. I came back feeling as though I could have done more. Well a fond hello to all my guides and hotel staff I hope I will see them again.

My friend and I had an INCREDIBLE 2-week experience in Tanzania thanks to Encircle East Africa, and would certainly recommend them to anyone else considering a vacation in Tanzania. Sianga (the head of the company) was extremely responsive and creative in crafting our custom itinerary, which included a hike up Kilimanjaro and a 5-day safari. Despite not knowing a word of Swahili or how to navigate ourselves around the country, we felt completely comfortable the entire time, because the Encircle team took great care of us and really looked out for us, making sure we were safe and having a great time. First there were Eliya and Namnyaki, who scooped us up from the JRO airport, showed us around Moshi, and accompanied us on a beautiful coffee farm tour and waterfall hike in our first 2 days. Then there was Elly Anase and Nagabona (our outstanding Kilimanjaro guides) and their team of amazing porters, who kept us safe and well fed on the mountain, taught us their encyclopedic knowledge of the native flora and fauna, shared with us fascinating stories about the history and culture of the area, and made so many unforgettable memories in the process! When my friend got a flare of knee tendonitis that made descending the mountain very painful/difficult, they took turns supporting him from either side (like "human crutches") for hours at a time--showing just how dedicated they were to our happiness and safety. Last but certainly not least, we have to give a bit shout-out to Frank Maine and Jenipher Richard, our tour guides once we reached Arusha. Jenipher made sure we were settled in to our hotel, took us out to delicious dinners and showed us around the city--she could not have been more warm and welcoming! Frank was our safari guide for 5 days, and we could not have hoped for better. His knowledge of the plants and animals in all the national parks we visited was truly extraordinary, the picnic lunches were excellent, and we enjoyed learning a lot from him about Maasai culture as well! He reliably spotted all the coolest animals that we definitely would have missed on our own--in the first 2 days alone, we saw a cheetah, a leopard, lions, giraffe, zebra, monkeys and numerous other species! Bravo to you all, and thank you!

I had an wonderful trip to Tanzania with Encircle! I travelled to Arusha, the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, and had an overnight stay in a Maasai village. From the early stages of planning the trip, the attention to detail—making sure my needs were met— was noticeable. I spoke with Sianga over video chat a few times before my departure, to plan out the details and he made sure everything was seen to. When I arrived the hospitality from Sianga and his team was wonderful. I was personally in Tanzania to study Maasai culture, and Encircle provided me unparalleled access and local expertise to be able to interact with Maasai people and cultural sites. That is the true difference the team at Encircle has—exceptional local connections and knowledge that allows you to visit and stay at the best places, and experience East Africa like a local insider. If you want to experience the truest flavor and the best of what East Africa has to offer, I recommend traveling with Encircle. Their local expertise, combined with their kind hospitality and attention to your every need will ensure that you a phenomenal experience.

Fabulous experience!

I felt so lucky to get to tour with Sianga! He took me to the most magnificent places in Tanzania - we went on a safari, went hiking through waterfalls, hiked up Mt Longido, ate the most delicious food, and met the most wonderful people. Sianga made sure that we were cared for throughout the entire trip, and also made sure that all of our tourism was sustainable and brought benefits to the local community. Sianga and Encircle East Africa are an incredible company and I would recommend traveling with them to anyone! I cant wait to get to go back! This was a once in a lifetime trip uniquely catered to our interests.

We were blessed to visit Tanzania in March 2020, and cannot recommend Encircle East Africa highly enough. If you are wanting a truly authentic travel experience then Sianga is the perfect person to organise your trip. Being a Massai from a village nearby Arusha, now living in Australia, he completely understands how to make your experience a once in a lifetime opportunity.
We began the holiday with a few nights in Zanzibar, which was a most luxurious start. Our Massai guide through The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Arusha was Frank,who quickly became much more of a friend and travel companion and took wonderful care of us. His knowledge of wildlife and the environment was amazing. From The Serengeti and Great Migration to the mystical almost surreal Ngorongoro Crater we saw every possible African wildlife in their natural environment.
We also visited a Massai family who welcomed us so openly, sharing lunch (a goat slaughtered and prepared for our visit), singing, dancing and gaining an insight into the traditional Massai way of life.
Our Encircle East Africa holiday was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, thanks to Sianga’s insight into his homeland and our two wonderful guides Frank and Jenipher. Highly recommend!!

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to go on this wonderful trip! I would highly recommend it! Encircle East Africa was the best call. The experiences are not like any of the other safari companies. It is very authentic, well organized and I felt very taken care of. Jenipher and all of Encircle East Africa, really went out of their way to provide the best experience. I felt that I not only got to explore, but also learned a lot about the people and environment. Thank you!!

This is experience was absolutely life changing! I thank Sianga for investing his time to prepare everything for us and arranging the best experience we could ever ask for. Jenipher was absolutely amazing and I’m 100% we have gained a new lifelong friend. The whole team at encircle where completely amazing and made the adventure that much better. Going to the school village and meeting the kids melted our hearts. Having the ability to teach them how to colour in letters and read books will bring plenty of memories. Having the Masai men and woman do a traditional dance for us was invigorating and having the ability to join in was pure fun. I also enjoyed the fresh goat they prepared for us. I absolutely love meat and as it is quite expensive in Australia, this was one of the greatest gifts I could ever ask for. The last two days of going to Tarangire and Ngorongoro crater was blissful! Getting the opportunity to see animals close up and experience them in nature was also very good and ‘Jacob’ our driver was very knowledge driven being able to inform us of the almost every animal (as we had did our own research on our favs). Overall this trip has been completely life changing and I cannot thank Encircle enough!!