We want to thank you for a trip of a lifetime. We think about Africa every day.
When we were there we didn't want the days to end. It was without a doubt one of
the best times of our lives. I have already recommended you to many people.
You were the best guide and friend. I wish we could come back soon. Our offer
still stands about visiting the United States. We would love to have you stay with
us and treat you to a wonderful trip. Please tell Leonard that we are still looking
for a college for his darling niece. I will e-mail him this weekend. It is our 40th
anniversary so we will celebrate a little but our trip to Africa was our real celebration.
How is the tourist business doing in Tanzania? Maybe I could put together tours
from here. Just a thought. Give our best to your beautiful Mother & sister and
of course we send you much happiness!
Take care. I am preparing a package to mail to you with pictures and other things.
Take care.
Warmly, Paulette & Ralph
AirMuseum@aol.com
.
Hi Leonard,
Thank you for helping us with our first trip to East Africa. All of us have been
terribly busy since we came back. This is mainly due to work. We have enjoyed ourselves
a great deal. Many of my friends are very impressed with your country and I will
not hesistate to recommend you to them should they plan to go to Tanzania.
Arjan and I are still in the midst of sorting out our photographs but mine is
more or less done. It can be viewed at this website..
www.photoisland.com
Login is taukelim
Password is enter
I'm using this site as a way to share my experiences and I'm in the process of
setting up a website to further explain my latest travel to your country.
Again, my thanks for a great trip and it pleases me a great deal to hear that
the money we spent has been put to good use.
With best regards,
Tze Wei
taukelim@singnet.com.sg
Dear Leonard,
Thanks for all the arrangements and the help and hospitality we got.
Special thanks to Abraham and Ron. Good Luck with your business.
Regards,
Srikanth, Padma, Sriram & Maanasa.
padmamv@vsnl.com
"Leonard,
Thanks to you and everyone else at Black Mamba Travels for an excellent two week
adventure in Tanzania! We really appreciated all of your assistance in planning our
trek on Kilimanjaro and through the major safari parks.
Frank, our expert mountain guide made our week long trek on Kili a success as
all three of us successfully reached the summit; his concern for our well-being,
knowledge of the mountain, management of the porters, humor, great cooking and motivation
helped encourage our success!
George, our expert safari guide has the eyes of an eagle!! George's experience
of many decades on safari helped us to see an unbelievable number of animals. We
took many great pictures of the animals and I hope you can post some on your web
site. Also, the standard safari accommodations you arranged for us were exceptional
-- we were all impressed with the safari lodges and camps.
Also, a very special thanks to you for arranging my friend's surprise birthday
party. This was the best birthday party any of us had ever attended. To have a Masai
tribe dance and sing for us at the campsite, while also having a nice birthday cake
arranged, was a very special event. It is examples like this and your attention to
detail that made our trip so wonderful.
I was recommended to Black Mamba Travels by a friend in California who you took
on safari in 2001. I am recommending your company to many people I know and hope
that they will visit you soon in Tanzania. Arranging all of the logistics with you
through e-mail messages was quite easy -- you always responded within 24 hours. Also,
having arranged the tour directly with your company in Tanzania was much less expensive
that arranging the same tour with a travel agent in the United States; I have compared
similar travel plans that cost almost twice as much, for much less quality than you
offer!
All the best to you and your family. Thank you for providing us such a great experience.
Cheers,
Derek E. Weeks
Boulder, Colorado USA
derekweeks@yahoo.com
4 Day / 3 Night Safari Programme - Ngorogoro Crater and Serengeti
Black Mamba Travels Safari Company
Having been friends with Leonard Gideon the owner of the company since my arrival
in Arusha four months ago, I had none of the usual qualms that come with booking
a safari. Friends have previously had incredible difficulty in choosing between
the seemingly endless and indistinguishable companies offering safari and mountain
guide tours. It was reassuring to know from the start that I was in trustworthy
hands and the service throughout was lived up to expectations.
Given how little equipment he had at his disposal at the campsites, the cook seemed
to deliver fabulous meals purely by magic and incantation. Evening meals were
probably the best that I have eaten in Africa and, more importantly, there
was mountains of it. Between the four of us in our group there was always food
unfinished and not because it was not enjoyable. Our guideís English
was excellent, he knew the terrain perfectly and most importantly he was lucky when
looking for game! In the four days we saw over thirty lion, two sets of cubs, two
of the 18 Rhino left in the Crater, three cheetah hunting, elephants, hippos, giraffe
and all that we could have hoped for.
Leopard proved elusive, but as our guideís mantra ran ? "this is the
wild you know". Had it not been for lions growling during the night and a bull
elephant wandering in to drink from the shower tank, I would never have known.The
vehicle was in good condition and there were none of the mechanical faults that less
reputabe companies sometimes encounter. Similarly, the tents were good quality, light
weight and modern and even had all bar a few of the pegs. I would say only that you
should make quite clear that you want breakfast before a game drive, regardless of
how early you leave. Our dawn departure on the third morning in the Serengeti ensured
seeing a stunning sunrise and a waking pride of lion, but there had beena mix up
between the driver and cook and our breakfast arrived after we had left. That left
us hungry for the morning, but the lunch when we arrived was excellent. I simply
cannot recommend the company or indeed the entire safari experience highly enough.
Should you have any questions or simply wish to confirm the review please feel free
to e-mail me on cheekyfitz@hotmail.com
Emmett Fitzgerald
Oval, London
From Emily Friedberg (USA):
A friend of mine hiked Kilimanjaro with Black Mamba safaris in 1995 when they
were just getting started. When I came to Tanzania the first time as a student, she
told me, "You must find Leonard, the director of Black Mamba safaris, he will
take care of you." I never did find him. And when I returned a second time to
live and work here, she gave me the same advice. It wasnât until my friends
and I were standing on the side of the road waiting for a taxi near my house when
a nice man stopped and asked if we needed help (as it was a strange sight to see
three wazungus standing on the side of the road in the dark waiting for a taxi).
We thought he was just another nice Tanzanian but after talking a bit, I put two
and two together and realized that I was talking to the one and only Leonard! After
all the times I have tried to find him it turned out we were neighbors and we have
been friends ever since.
So naturally when my friends and I decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in June, Black
Mamba safaris was the first place we went because I knew Leonard would take care
of us. The climb was wonderful, well extremely difficult but beautiful. Our guide,
Frank was good (he basically pushed me up the last leg as I was too tired to walk·.)
We had everything we needed to summit to the Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa!
emfrieds@hotmail.com
From Anne-Elizabeth Warlick (USA):
I highly recommend hiking Mt. Kilamanjaro with Black Mamba Safari. They were
very organized, provided us with the proper rental equiptment and our guides
were very experienced. Our group was well prepared for the journey, we were
informed about safety and what to expect, and we felt safe with our guides.
And, the food was outstanding! You don't have to worry about getting hungry! If
I climb Mt. Kilimanjaro again, I will definitly go with Black Mamba!
Anne-Elizabeth Warlick
AEliz7@aol.com
From Jose (Tour Director from Barcelona):
Dear Leonard,
Greetings from Barcelona! I am writing to thank you again - and in the
name of all the group - for the wonderful safari you organized for us.
It has been one of my best safaris ever, and the group, which with I had
dinner 2 days ago are very happy with the safari too (we watched the
slide and video and had a great time remembering the trip).
You told me to be frank and tell you my comments of the trip and your
organization.Well, apart from the small details which we already
discussed, the trip was a success. In my opinion this has a lot to do
with the flexibility I found in your agency and in the attitude of your
drivers. My experience, even with expensive agents, is not positive in
this respect. There is lack of flexibility once the program has been
decided and the drivers aren't usually flexible either. This was not
the case in your safari. The drivers were wonderful and we always had
the chance do do changes, to improvise. Their attitude was very positive
and they enjoyed being with us and tried always to adapt to our needs.
We could discussed plans with them and they gave us their opinion -
without trying to stick to the programe or do the less complicated plan
(as is usual in Tanzania).
Thanks for taking so much care, Leonard. I apreciate also your
wilingness to learn and improve your services.
All the best,
Jose
I'd love to share my experiences from the Africa trip - it was absolutely fantastic.
We were six friends (actually, they were five people who knew each other pretty well
+ one of them invited me to go along), and our interest was to get as close to the
land and people as we could. We don't mind "roughing it." One couple, Liz
and James Tarquin, had traveled in Africa for six months about two years ago and
they had made many friends, one of whom, Leonard Lomayani, was in the process of
starting up a small safari company. Leonard is a wonderful guy - just a top-notch
person. He made all the arrangements for us at extremely competitive rates. Three
of the women (my two friends and I) did a 7-day safari covering Tarangire, Ngorongoro,
and Serengeti, while the more buff folks climbed Oldonyo Lengai and Mount Meru -
they had "done" Kili before. Leonard can help you with all the arrangements
for Kili permits and the equivalent to sherpas as well as the safari. Our driver
and guide was great. His name is Chacha, and I can probably dig up his email address
if you want it.
Hope that gives you a pretty good idea!
Sincerely,
Jia
Dr. Jia Frydenberg
Director, UCI Distance Learning Center
Email: gfrydenb@uci.edu
Voice: 949-824-4381
Fax: 949-824-7477
From: tiesworth@hotmail.com
To: JBrett@naturecorp.com
Subject: Re: Black Mamba Travels
Hey Brett...
Just wanted to pass along my experience I had with Black Mamba Travels.
I acted as a group leader and took a group of 9 Americans over in
December. We climbed Kilimanjaro (7 attempted - 3 of us made it!), went
on a 5 day/4 night safari to the Serengeti,
Lk Manyara, and Ngorongoro Crater, and then took off for Zanzibar. We
had an amazing time, with no hassels. Leonard.
(the owner of Black Mamba Travels) got us some wonderful
guides for the mountain and the safari, which as you probably know, can
make or break a trip - especially in Tanzania where you literally are at
the mercy of a compassionate informed local. We saw tons of animals
partially due to the migration, but also because the guide was patient
enough to hang out and wait, instead of blasting through the parks. Our
group had two vehicles and the car I was in had many cameras and a video
camera to boot, so I know we really appreciated the slower pace.
Besides showing us all the sites, Leonard was gracious enough to invite
us up to his home near Illboro for a couple memorable meals, complete with
all the local fare and a great view of Mt. Meru. He took us for a
walking tour around his land and showed us all the different plants and
trees that grow there. I think these visits were some of the most
amazing for our group because it really showed us a small piece of life
in Tanzania. I would recommend this company to
anyone and am planning on taking another group to Kilimanjaro and safari
in January of 1999. The climb was a great experience, but we started at
midnight in a snowstorm and ended up summiting in a white out. So I'd
love to go again when we can actually see something from the rooftop of
Africa! I'm a video producer and editor and I was lucky enough to be able to
take a digital video camera with me. I'm cutting a promo piece for
Black Mamba Travels and also a short documentary about the whole
Kilimanjaro experience. I'd love to pass along a copy to you when I'm
finished! Let me know if you're interested.
Thanks again and best of luck in your travel plans!
P.S. - Wonderful web page by the way - And wonderful company as well!!!
Kwaheri...
Linda Naitoti (means "caretaker" in Masaii) Tiesworth
From: LORLO <LORLO@aol.com>
To: JBrett@naturecorp.com
Subject: Re: Reference
I am happy to give you a reference.
I just enjoyed a 3 week vacation with Black Mamba. We were
given a view of Tanzania that went far beyond the usual offerings from
other safari companies. Our trip was far more in depth than other safari
travellers reported. We hiked up Kilimanjaro - Safari'd the Serengeti - Travel
to
Zanzibar and Pemba. It was the best trip of my life. Black Mamba really
let's you experience East Africa in a personal way. I recommend that you
use Black Mamba.
Subject: thank you
To: Blackmamba Of: 5:7331/12.73
From: Lunaria1@aol.com Of: 2:2/501.
AINTL 5:7331/12 2:2/501
ATOPT 73
AREPLYADDR Lunaria1@aol.com
From: Lunaria1@aol.com
We are back and semi-recovered although I still wake up at 3 in the morning (10 am Tanzanian time). Thank you all for making our trip wonderful. Leonard, be sure to thank Mama Daudi for us. We felt like very special
guests indeed. We will send pictures when we have them. Meanwhile, we
just
send our love. Ginny and Julie
To: Charles_Woolverton@odsnet.com
Of: 5:7311/70.1
THE SAFARI WAS AMAZING! EACH DAY WE SAW AN INCREDIBLE NUMBER OF ANIMALS
THAT I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. WE WERE EXCITED TO SEE A CHEETAH, AS SOON AS
WE GOT INTO THE SERENGETI, (A RARE SIGHT). SHE WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE ROAD AND
EASY TO SEE. WE SPENT LOTS OF TIME WATCHING A BABY ELEPHANT WITH ITS FAMILY, CHASING
BABOONS AND SUCKLING ITS MOTHER. WE ALSO SLEPT UNDER A BEAUTIFUL SKY
FULL OF STARS WHILE WE WERE IN THE SERENGETI. WE HAD A REALLY NICE TIME AND
I HAVE TO COME BACK TO SPEND MORE TIME! WE WERE LUCKY TO HAVE A DRIVER WITH
EYES OF A HAWK. HE COULD SPOT ANYTHING FROM ANYWHERE. ASANTE! RACHEL LONGAN, CALIFORNIA,
.
I REALLY ENJOYED THE SAFARY WITH BLACK MAMBA
I SAW EVERYTHING BUT CROCODILE IN NGORONGORO,SERENGETI,TARANGIRE AND LAKE MANYARA.
IT WAS REALLY AN AMAZING WORLD AND THAT WAS WHAT I WANTED TO SEE.
THERE WERE A LOT OF ANIMALS IN THE PARKS. ANYWAY, YOU JUST TRY THIS COMPANY AND
YOU JUST ENJOY IT! ARIGATO. MASAYUKI IZUMI, HOKKAIDO, JAPAN.
Subject: Recommendations book
DOLORES McKEEVER & SEAN O`KEEFE
71 FINSBURY PARK ROAD
LONDON N.4
ENGLAND
THE SAFARI WE WENT WAS SUPERP, NGORONGORO BEING
ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 3 DAY ADVENTURE, LAKE MANYARA &TARANGIRE NATIONAL
PARKS HAVING THERE OWN UNIQUE FLORA & FAUNA . OUR DRIVER & GUIDE "MR
ALEX" HAVING
EXCEPTIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THE PARKS AND WHERE TO FIND GAME AT ANY TIME OF THE
DAY, IN FACT WE HAD OTHER SAFARI
COMPANIES FOLLOWING US IN TARANGIRE BECAUSE ALEX KNEW
WHERE THE GAME WOULD BE .
I ALSO CLIMBED MT MERU BACK IN SEPTEMBER WITH BLACK MAMBA WHICH WAS ALSO EXCELLENT,
ALTHOUGH A HARD CLIMB AT TIMES THE RAIN FORESTS, SCENERY & GAME MAKING
IT ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE CLIMBS EVER !! ( you can ski back down from the
summit to sadle hut on your feet which is good fun !)
OUR GUIDE SANCHO KNOWING THE MOUTAIN PROBABLY BETTER THAN MOST !!
(ask around Arusha and you will find out for yourself)
ALL IN ALL I RECOMEND BLACK MAMBA VERY HIGHLY INDEED, A PROFESIONAL COMANY THAT
DOSEN'T NEED TO GO OUT HASSLING POOR OLD TOURISTS AFTER A LONG BUS JOURNEY LIKE
SOME OTHER COMPANIES. WHICH SAY'S SOMETHING IN ITS SELF.
Subject: RECOMENDATIONS BOOK!
LACE HARVEY AND KEN SMITH, FROM VICTORIA, B.C. CANADA.
OUR 6 DAY SAFARI WAS ENJOYED IMMENSELY. OUR DRIVER, JAMES, WAS EXCELLENT, AND
VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE. OUR COOK "OLD MAN"SELEMANI WAS EXCELLENT TOO,
HIS HOBBY SEEMS TO BE OVER FEEDING EVERYONE! THANKS MUCHLY!
