Do I need to check back availability with you?
No, it is not necessary to contact us and check availability. Everything you can book online on our website is available and you can just book it online.
In case of shared safaris, Kili climbs and shared day trips, will the tour be cancelled if nobody else books for the same day that I book?
No, your booking will never be cancelled from our side. We cooperate with two other big safari operators and therefore can guarantee enough participants for the shared safaris offered on our website at any given date.
Also for the Kilimanjaro climbs we cooperate with partners. In almost all cases there is a group. However, even though the situation is highly unlikely, it is potentially possible that you are the only climber. In this case you will have your own porters and guide.
For the shared day trips, if you book with a lead time of one week or more, we can usually find other participants to join you. If you book with shorter time notice, you might be the only one doing the day trip.
How can I make a payment?
There are 3 payment options:
1) Bank transfer
You can make a payment via bank transfers to one of our accounts in Tanzania. Here is the Bank Company Details
A/C NAME: SHAYO TREKKING AND SAFARIS LTD
BANK: NMB BANK -TANZANIA
BRANCH: NELSON MANDELA BRANCH
A/C NUMNER: 40310027342
SWIFT CODE: NMIBTZTZ
ADDRESS: Market Street,Moshi Town.
OR
A/C NAME: SHAYO TREKKING AND SAFARIS LTD
BANK: CRDB BANK PLC -TANZANIA
BRANCH: MBUYUNI BRANCH
A/C NUMBER: 0252364235600
SWIFT CODE: CORUTZTZ
BRANCH CODE:3823
ADDRESS: Mbuyuni Street,Moshi Town.
2) Direct credit card payment
You can make a payment through PesaPal. We can process credit card payments.
Please note that a 5% processing fee will apply.
Will I get an invoice/receipt?
Of course you will get an official invoice and payment receipt. When you book online, it will be automatically issued and emailed to the email address you provide. Should you not see the invoice, please check your spam folder, where
automatically generated emails end up at some providers. We will confirm receipt of any payments done via credit card or bank transfer immediately
What are the next steps after placing a booking?
When making an online booking, you will immediately receive via email an automated invoice/receipt. Should you not see the invoice, please check your spam folder, where automatically generated emails might end up at some providers.
Generally, latest on the working day following the day on which you do your online booking, you will receive another email from one of our representatives, summarizing some key information about your booking.
Around 3-7 days prior to the start of your safari you will receive another email from our safari coordinator with exact details about your guide and pick-up time.
For the Kilimanjaro climbs, you will usually meet the guide the evening/night prior to your climb at your accommodation in Moshi for a briefing. You will be informed about this from us in writing.
Which accommodation options do you offer for the safaris?
On our website, you can find details about the safari accommodation options, including pictures and names of the campsites and lodges used.
Can I customize the safari itineray?
You cannot customize the itinerary of SHARED SAFARIS, but you can customize the itinerary of PRIVATE SAFARIS.
In case of a private safari you have your own driver-guide and vehicle, so there is total flexibility concerning the itinerary. You can just book online a private safari of the duration you wish (e.g. 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 5 days) on our website and then write in the comment field how you would like to itinerary to be customized. The rates are the same for all private safaris of the same duration.
Please note that the itinerary you are requesting for must be logistically feasible (e.g. taking into consideration distances that need to be driven; e.g. a “2 days only Serengeti Safari” is not feasible due to the large distances between Moshi/Arusha and the Serengeti – it would mean that you would just drive to Serengeti on the first day and then return to Moshi on the second day, so you won’t spend any time inside the Serengeti other than the overnight stay). We will reply to you via email to confirm whether the itinerary you have requested is logistically possible. You can also contact us and ask prior to making the online booking.
Why don’t you offer the 3 days safari including Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater as a shared safari?
We don’t actually recommend this itinerary, as due to the large distances, it involves a lot of driving and not so much time for game viewing inside the National Parks. Usually clients can have a much better safari experience choosing the 3 days itinerary including Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire, which includes a variety of different landscapes and wildlife.
If you would like to visit Serengeti National Park, we recommend you to book a 4 days safari instead of a 3 days safari.
Anyway, as we regularly receive requests for a 3 days safari including Serengeti, we decided to list this option as a 3 days private safari for those people who absolutely don’t have more than 3 days of time and insist on visiting Serengeti. As there are not so many people chosing this itinerary though, we cannot offer it as a shared safari. Those deciding to go for the 3 days private safari including Serengeti must be aware of the fact that it includes a lot of driving within a relatively short time.
Travel planning
When and where should I arrive in Tanzania to join a safari or Kili climb?
We recommend you to arrive latest the day before the start of the safari or Kilimanjaro climb, as the safari and Kilimanjaro climb starts early in the morning. For Kilimanjaro climbs there is usually a briefing about the climb in the evening before the climb.
In the online booking process on our website, you can simply add accommodation at “Kilimanjaro Crane Hotel.” for the night prior to your safari/Kili climb (and also for the night after your safari/Kili climb) by checking the respective check-box. Kilimanjaro Crane Hotel is a simple, but modern and clean budget accommodation in Moshi Town, offering AC and non-AC (fan only) single, twin and double rooms.
However, if you prefer you can stay at any other hotel. For safaris we can pick you up from any hotel or public location in Moshi Town and Arusha Town at no extra cost. For Kilimanjaro climbs we would pick you up from Moshi only.
The recommended airport is JRO (Kilimanjaro International Airport). We can also pick you up from the airport on arrival (and also bring you back to the airport at the end of your holidays). If you would like to book airport transfers, just check the respective check-boxes in the online booking process.
What time and where does the safari/Kili climb/day trip start?
3-7 days prior to your safari, Kilimanaro climb or day trip, you will receive an email from us informing you about the exact pick up time. Please be ready at that time at the reception of your hotel so that we can start the safari without any delay. Please inform us about the hotel/location where you would like to be picked up in the comment field when making an online booking, or if you haven’t booked your accommodation yet, email it to us as soon as you have this information.
For safaris:
We will pick you up from your hotel or any other public location in Moshi Town and Arusha Town.
For all safaris, except for the 3 days private safari (Ngorongoro + Serengeti) the pick up time in Moshi is between 6:30am and 7:00am and in Arusha between 8:30am and 9am.
Only the 3 days private safari (Ngorongoro + Serengeti), as a lot of driving is involved, will depart one hour earlier than above indicated departure times.
For Kilimanjaro climbs:
All Kilimanjaro Climbs start at 9am from Moshi. We will pick you up from your hotel or any other public location in Moshi Town.
For Day trips:
The Chaggaland day trip starts at 9am from Moshi. Arusha National Park day trip usually starts at 7am. Tarangire National Park day trip usually starts at 6am. All other full day trips usually start at 10am.
Private bookings for half day trips can start at any morning and early afternoon time. You can let us know your preferred time.
We will pick you up from your hotel or any other public location in Moshi Town.
What time and where do safaris/Kili climbs end? If I have might outbound flight on the same day, what time should it earliest depart?
The end time of the safari on its last day is typically:
* At Arusha Airport around 5pm
* At Arusha Town around 5:30pm
* At Kilimanjaro International Airport around 6:30pm
* In Moshi Town around 7:15pm
If everyone in the group agrees, you can stay longer in the National Park on the last day (which is often the choice of people doing the 2 days itinerary), which means you would arrive up to 3 hours later than above indicated times.
Kili Climbs usually return around 11am to 1pm to Moshi Town on the last day. We can drop you at your hotel or any public location in Moshi Town.
Please note that we cannot guarantee these times as there might be reasons why your return delays, e.g. traffic conditions, sickness of a traveller, technical problems of the vehicle etc. So if you book a flight, make sure to allow buffer time. For international flights you have to be at the airport latest 2 hours prior to the departure time.
Which is the best time of the year for a safari?
You can do your safari throughout the year. The driver-guides will adapt the routes within the National Parks following the migration patterns of the animals to make sure you can see a maximum amount of animals.
Is a safari possible during rainy season?
Rainy season is in Tanzania from middle of March to middle of May, and from middle of November to middle of December.
You can perfectly do your safari during rainy season. It will most likely not be raining throughout the day and when landscapes are green you can see many animals.
Safaris are never cancelled due to rain. The 4WD safari vehicles can pass almost any road and the driver-guides will adapt the exact routes within the National Parks if necessary.
Is a safari possible during rainy season?
Rainy season is in Tanzania from middle of March to middle of May, and from middle of November to middle of December.
You can perfectly do your safari during rainy season. It will most likely not be raining throughout the day and when landscapes are green you can see many animals.
Safaris are never cancelled due to rain. The 4WD safari vehicles can pass almost any road and the driver-guides will adapt the exact routes within the National Parks if necessary.
What do I need to bring for the safari or Kili climb?
Please see our safari packing list.
Please see our Kilimanjaro packing list.
Are vegetarian or vegan meals possible?
Vegetarian meals are available. Please inform us when making the booking about your preference for the vegetarian meal option.
Concerning vegan meals, we have tried to train our cooks to understand the concept of vegan food. However, as a vegan meal plan strongly differs from the Tanzanian way of cooking, they might not follow it 100% strictly. Cow milk is particularly often used for sauces. So we recommend clients who expect 100% vegan meals, to directly ask the driver-guide/cook what he is planning to prepare as a meal and ask for the ingredients being used, and advise him to avoid those ingredients that don’t match their dietary requirements.
What does the “camping equipment” that is provided on a safari or Kili climb include?
For camping safaris, it includes a basic tent, a sleeping pad, a sleeping bag, a foldable camping table and a foldable camping chair.
If you book a simple lodge safari which includes camping on certain locations where no simple lodge exists, in addition to above equipment we also provide a field bed and we use a larger tent size compared to the camping option.
For Kilimanjaro climbs, we provide a basic tent, a sleeping pad, a foldable camping table and a foldable camping chair. Please note that the sleeping bag is not included. If you don’t bring your own sleeping bag, you can rent one at hiking equipment rental shops in Moshi (which is approx. 15 usd for the duration of a Kilimanjaro climb).
For shared safaris, how many people are in the car? Which cars do you use? Does everyone have a window seat?
The maximum capacity is 7 passengers. We use 8-seater Toyota Landcruisers which are customized for safari use (including pop-up roofs) in case of a group size of 5-7 persons for any safari of a duration of 3 days or longer. In case of a group size of up to 4 persons, we use a 5 seater Toyota Landcruiser with pop-up roof.
About Budget Safari Tanzania
Is Budget Safari Tanzania a perfectly licensed tour operator?
We are a company, which is fully registered in Tanzania with BRELA (Business Registration and Licensing Agency) and TRA (Tanzania Revenue Authorities). Our company name is SHAYO TREKKING AND SAFARIS LTD. Our brand name for budget safaris, Kilmanjaro climbs, and excursion services is Budget Safari Tanzania.
We also are fully licensed from TANAPA (Tanzania National Park Authorities) to operate safaris and Kilimanjaro climbs in all Tanzanian National Parks.
Where can I find online reviews about you?
There are a few reviews on our Website Review page and Facebook page:
We have just recently started to spend effort into social media, so there are not many reviews yet. We would appreciate if you could leave your review.
Do you have a physical office that I can visit?
https://web.facebook.com/shayotrekandsafaris/
Yes, our office is located in Moshi/Tanzania at the following address:
NSSF Building, 2nd Floor, Old Moshi Road.
Please see the location on Google Maps.