It was the day after I arrived in Moshi that Melissa, Dario and I decided to wander through the streets on search of tour companies and in turn, a good budget safari for us to join. Africa is renowned for being very expensive for travellers and it is only getting higher and higher, with an average Kilimanjaro climb of 6/7 days to cost a minimum of $1000- and that would be a good deal.
My initial reason for coming to Tanzania was to climb the infamous mountain that is 'Kili' but upon researching (I do things backwards sometimes) I realised I definitely couldn't afford it. It was a let down but at the same time there are tonnes more mountains to climb in Africa and it's just because of the name that it is rising in cost. I did decide however to take part in a safari because even though that would also be expensive, it would be a bit more affordable for me and would provide amazing memories for me and a tick off the bucket list.
On that day, we took pens and papers and decided to go in search of a tour company with the best deal to offer. We decided that we would pitch the idea of getting the best deal and then blogging about our adventure to entice other 'worldtravellerz' to go with that company. We spent a long day in meetings with many companies around town offering us safaris in for 3/4 days at steep prices which was way over budget and that in turn, wouldn't appeal to the people I write for on this website.
We kept going and met a guy on the street who took us to his 'office' and provided us with a good deal which seemed too good to be true and slightly sketchy. After that, we found a company named MJ Safaris who were located in the YMCA hostel building and seemed very professional. We couldn't help but think, if we have to pay a bit more at least we can trust these guys and we had met a lady who had been on one of their safaris so that was a good start. It's typical in and around Tanzania to be scammed and ripped off at times and so it is important to go with your gut feeling if you think something is a bit off, even if the ofer seems appealing.
The guys at MJ Safaris were not pushy at all, but instead, had a very chilled out vibe while at the same time being very professional and informative. We felt comfortable with them and we built a great rapport during our meeting. Later that evening we decided as a group that we would go back to MJ Safaris the next day to get some more information and finally book the safari once we were happy with the budget price. They were very easy to work with and they provided us with answers to all our questions and detailed itinerary of the safari in question. It was sorted, we booked a 3 night 4 day safari that would take us to Tangarire National Park, Ngorogoro National Park and finally the Serengeti National Park (which is always the most expensive park, but worth it). We were excited to finally get going and the fact that our budget safari included everything for the next few days meant we could sit back, relax and look forward to the adventure. MJ Safaris are highly recommended and the safari we will be going on, will be documented day by day for all of you to get a good insight into the service provided.
Contact info for booking your safari-
http://www.mjsafarisandadventure.com
https://m.facebook.com/mjsafaris
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