Lynn: Great question. Your safety and wellbeing are of utmost importance. What we can tell you is that Tanzania is a peaceful country. We invite you to visit the United States Secretary of State website at https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/. Here you will see that Tanzania has the same travel advisory level as most of Europe, South Africa and Uganda. In addition, it is helpful to know:
- Each day of your travel within the country of Tanzania will be accompanied by one of the owners of Safaris With A Heart or a trusted guide who speaks excellent English.
- The safari vehicle that you travel within to the National Parks will not be an open-air vehicle. It will be a custom-fitted 4×4 Toyota land-cruiser with a pop-up top for animal viewing. All vehicles are fully registered and well-maintained with proper emergency equipment and spare parts.
- Our safari and mountain guides are well-experienced – most with a decade or more of on the job training.
- We provide you with safety and preparedness information necessary for travel within a developing nation including understanding cultural differences; information on vaccinations, immunizations, prescriptions and over-the-counter medications; and a list of clothing and essentials to bring with you on safari.
- For Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru we recommend that you consult with your physician regarding medical concerns and appropriateness for you to partake in a high-altitude endurance event. We also provide you with information regarding high-altitude risks, appropriate gear, and physical/psychological preparedness. Each trekking group is equipped with an oximeter, first aid kit, and emergency oxygen.
- We provide Flying Doctors Insurance for every traveler which will evacuate you from any place within Tanzania should there be an unexpected medical emergency.
Our name Safaris With A Heart says it all. The concept to combine adventure travel with global outreach was initially inspired by the simple desire to share with others the remarkable adventure and people experiences found within Tanzania. Tanzania remains one of the poorest countries globally and while touring the country in 2011 the extent of the poverty and the desperation of the people was evident. Thoughts began surfacing:
- Not everyone encountered could be helped but surely something could be done.
- These amazing experiences are to be shared.
- What if Americans came and relished the beauty of Tanzania, created lifelong memories AND left the country better because they were there?
What if Americans came and relished the beauty of Tanzania, created lifelong memories AND left the country better because they were there?
The first project was education based in providing full scholarships for top graduating Maasai students to attend a Minnesota college. This quickly branched out into community projects such as treated mosquito nets for 3000 Kilimanjaro area children; micro loans for establishing businesses to sustain the families of single mothers; dental hygiene for school children; funding eight pre-school and primary school classrooms; constructing sport courts (basketball) and sport parks; and solar lighting, water filtration systems, cleft palette/lip surgeries and annual health insurance to an infant orphanage within remote areas surrounding Lake Victoria.
Enthusiasm, the love and the devotion to the Tanzanian people most in need and much time and attention over many years.
The relationships are essential. They not only are they the foundation to creating a very affordable quality travel adventure, but they are also the foundation to the integrity of our charitable purpose.
We design private travel adventures year-round for couples, groups, families, companies and organizations of all sizes. We invite you to visit “Our Clients” and “Our Trips” sections for greater detail.
We also have an open group each January which anyone can join. It is a two week all inclusive trip and the price and the quality afforded is amazingly good. During the first week we go on a 4-day, 3-night incredible animal photo safari to 3 world renown National Parks of the southern edge of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire. We also spend a day visiting our charitable projects.
The second week travelers have the option of taking a 6-day endurance hike to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, exploring the beautiful historic Stone Town and white sand beaches of Zanzibar island or our poplar true cultural immersion experience with hands-on participation in our Lake Victoria charity projects. Our Lake Victoria excursion also includes touring the Rubondo National Park islands in southwest Lake Victoria where you can find chimpanzees (one of only two places they are found within Tanzania), elephants, hippos, crocodiles and bird sanctuaries.
Sure. This is the exciting part! Safaris With A Heart by concept funds Tanzanian and American charities. We do this by generously redirecting company income. Through adventure travel a charity or foundation can organize a travel group and we will donate $750 per person to their cause. As an example, when working with a Minnesota college, over $35,000 was raised/donated toward a scholarship program through a series of 3 alumni safaris.
Charities and foundations who are looking for fun ways to attract, retain and reward members and donors can find this concept very appealing. Likewise, companies who are looking to reward their management or sales staff can do the same and we will donate to an American 501C3 of their choice.
For every traveler, we also generously fund our Tanzanian projects and can custom design this piece to be relevant to the group. As an example, a travel group who supports homeless concerns in the U.S. will receive a $750 charitable donation per traveler from Safaris With A Heart as a contribution to an American charity or foundation who supports the homeless.
Additionally, when the group travels to Tanzania we will connect with a Tanzanian homeless organization and we will fund specific objectives for them such as providing annual health insurance, providing relevant information, donating useful supplies and/or building a shelter. As an extension of our cultural immersion focus, the travel group will take a day from their itinerary to visit this organization in Tanzania and to directly participate in the homeless projects.
Not at all, this does not need to be part of the travel adventure experience. Although this piece will not be the focus, as part of the Safaris With A Heart commitment we will still generously fund our charity projects on behalf of each traveler.
Not at all. Our pricing is highly attractive. Individuals and groups will find that they can plan a quality travel/charity adventure with Safaris With A Heart and still pay ½ to 1/3 less than with other travel agencies or outfitters. This is because it is our devotion to the Tanzanian people that drives our charitable purpose and thus our desire to keep the costs very affordable for this type of travel adventure.
There are so many incredible testimonials. One would expect travelers to say that the epic experience of the mountain or the thrilling experience of the animal photo safari would be the most memorable for them. As awe inspiring as they are, it is undoubtedly the Tanzanian people who win over the hearts of the Safari With A Heart travelers.
One traveler added on a two-week personal safari and traveled throughout Tanzania. He also created a personalized project with his students from a community college. His project was to collect and deliver 180 soccer balls to the children he met along his journey. He gave soccer balls to a Maasai boy herding his goats, to groups of boys he passed along the rural roads, to paces of worship, to small and large schools, to a hearing impaired school, to a refugee camp, to remote villages with no light, and to many others. His text to me during his travels was “this experience has changed my heart forever.”
Another traveler entered a photography contest and won an award for her photography of the Tanzanian people. She was so inspired that she decorated a family room in her home around her African experience.
Another was so moved that he and his wife personally contributed to building a school library and their daughter worked with her elementary school children to collect and donate shoes to school children who were without.
A husband and wife traveler of ours came back three years later with their 3 high school children to climb the mountain and go on safari. We custom designed a program for their daughter to earn her Girl Scout Silver Award. Their daughter collected 500 pounds of donated items such as soccer balls, soccer shoes and uniforms and donated them to disadvantaged Tanzanian school children.
We love these stories because they are genuine and heartfelt. This is the beauty of combining adventure travel and global outreach.
Excellent question.
- What we can say is that we have a very special and unique offering. We are not aware of any other Tanzanian tour company who generously redirects company income in support of American and Tanzanian charitable causes. Others may ask for charitable donations however they do not self-fund projects.
- We not only arrange the travel and custom design the cultural immersion experiences, but we personally meet or speak with travelers on several occasions to prepare them for their adventure. Roger travels to the United States each spring and fall to talk to the people who will be traveling. In so doing, each traveler is immediately comfortable with whom will be responsible for their care, safety, comfort and pleasure in Tanzania. According to one traveler, Roger quickly became a “friend for life.”
- We are the whole package. Roger and I founded and own and operate Safaris With A Heart here in the US and we founded and own and operate our safari company, mountain tour company and non-profit company in Tanzania. There are no middle-entities and we do not hand our travelers over to other companies hoping their care will be up to our standards. We work with each traveler individually therefore any question or concern can be immediately addressed on the spot.
- The integrity of our charitable global outreach is exemplary. We kindly ask that you read our 18 points detailed within our Charity Code of Ethics. This can be found under our “Charity Programs”
Lynn: Certainly – there are great travel financing options available. One financing aggregator that can supply you with quotes from several financing institutions is www.LendingTree.com. Search on their site under Personal Loans and then Vacations.