Geofrey Nassari, founder and owner company.
Meru Slopes Tours & Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $3,122 to $20,814 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
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Reviews
Email John | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding 4-Day Budget Safari
We were 3 American friends that used Meru Slopes Tours and Safaris on the 4 Days Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongo Crater. We traveled in mid-March 2017.
Finding/Booking the tour: Meru Slope Tours and Safaris is highly recommended by Safari Booking and it has some positive, neutral, and negative reviews. You can’t please everyone, but if something has only 5-Star reviews then there’s a good chance it’s been doctored. I emailed Mr. Geofrey Nasari asking for prices and information and responded within 24 hours to every email. He was very professional and even entertained about 10 random questions and tour changes. He was extremely dedicated and I highly recommend him. You can also contact him on WhatsApp and he will get back with you quickly in English. We paid via bank transfer and the tour company has a bank through the US that will back up the transfer to Tanzania. His price beat his competitors by about $400.
Getting there: The cheapest option is Ethiopian Airlines. This tour included a trip back and forth to the Airport, which would have been about $100 each way without it. The driver (Emanuel) was very accommodating and punctual. He had a sign waiting for us and we rode in a van to the hotel.
Arusha Tourist Inn Hotel: This hotel is owned by the Safari Company and your first/last night are included in your price, saving you more money. It is very basic but clean. The three of us were in one room that had 3 twin beds pressed together. The outlets worked (they are British standard so bring an adaptor if US or European). There is a bathroom connected to the room with a Western toilet and a shower with hot water. Sheets, soap and towels are provided. There is free wifi in the lobby so you can let your loved ones know you arrived and the front desk is manned 24/7. There is a small restaurant that makes breakfast every morning for free (usually eggs, fruit, toast, and coffee) and lunch and dinner are available, but the menu can be limited based on what they have. Remember this is a basic hotel to start and end your trip. There are more luxurious places, but they can be very expensive. For my group looking for a budget safari, there were not many complaints. As the front desk to call a cab for you and they will even negotiate a good price to check out some things in Arusha. Go to Snake Camp and see all the snakes, crocodiles, and lizards that you missed on your Safari. It is also the only snakebite treatment facility in the area and it treats the local population for free. Cool bars in the area that are safe are: Via Via and Snake Camp.
The Safari: Hands down one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have traveled to Africa 5 times now for work and leisure and this will be incredibly hard to top. We had a driver (Innocent, his actual name) and a cook (Godfried) that travel with you. Each place was different, Lake Manyara is like driving through a forest, the Serengeti was plains and desert and Ngorongoro crater. We camped in a tent with twin beds and a connecting shower/bathroom the first night (they even had a bar at the site with musicians and a tumbling show that worked for donations). The second and third nights we were in camping tents with community showers and bathrooms at the site you walked to. Those sites did not have hot water in the showers. We still can’t believe how many animals we saw. There were elephants, hippos, baboons, giraffes, leopards, lions, cheetahs, herds of zebra and wildebeest and even some rhinos. We saw the Big 5 over the whole trip, but not in any one park. Innocent would give basic information, let you take pictures and move on. He had tons of information but didn’t lecture and let you enjoy the animals. He kept us on a good schedule with us only feeling rushed at the very end. He also networks with the other drives over the radio to help each other bring the tourists to where the other animals are located. The camp food was not particularly luxurious but there was plenty of it. We had 6 people in our truck and it was everything from meat and potatoes to spaghetti to fried chicken. A couple days we did packed lunch so we got to eat outside on the hood of the car while seeing giraffes around us in all directions. One thing I did not realize is that you’ll spend about 12 hours total driving to the different national parks. It’s really the only way to get around unless you do very expensive flights between parks. Make sure you tip your driver about $10 per person per day.
Return: Our group divided as they were doing an additional day and we were driven back to the Arusha Tourist Inn.
Overall: This is a budget camping Safari that was well worth the price. If I do a Safari again, I will definitely use this service and I highly recommend it to anyone except those who want to spend the money on hotels instead of camping. This group takes away the hidden costs of the Safaris like your lodging first and last night and travel to and from the airport. Most importantly it is owned and operated by locals. Many of these companies are owned in the US, UK, or Germany so it is nice to support a local group instead of 40% of your overhead going to a company outside the country. There was one hiccup where our guide’s credit card magnetic strip was broken so I had to pay for the park entrance fees and get reimbursed by Geofrey upon our return. Geofrey reimbursed me as soon as we returned, paying me in cash immediately, accepting responsibility, apologizing and giving my group some souvenirs to make it right. This is Africa, things will not go 100% as planned. Seeing the customer service and how hard he works makes me know his business is going to make it. Pick Meru Slope Tours and Safaris for a great price and great customer service.
TR
Email Hatice Tecir | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
8 days safari in Tanzania
This firm is very realible and flexible across the companies in Arusha. At first we were a bit nervous if they pick us up from airport or everything's going well or not. However all they promised came true and we left Arusha to be so so happy by selecting this firm.
We joined the tour in Feb/2019 and went to Arusha National Park,Tarangire NP, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara. Additionally we visted a maasai tribe..
we saw big 5 animals ( elephant, leopard, lion, bufallo and rhino) aditionally giraffe, zebra , cheetah, bufallo, hyena, wildebeest, hartebeest, mangoose, filamingo, secratery birds, water flows, many kind of impalas, dik dik, crocodile, hippos, blue monkey, b/w colobus, antelopes,gazelles and many more...
Firm owner Geofrey is very fast to responce all e-mails and whatsapp msg. He welcomed us very well and so nice to us all the time.
Also our driver/guide Isaack P. Swai was really helpful, kind, well experienced in Safari to us during the safari. He is like a google map and never lost his way during te safari:) and very good at spotting the animals.
Besides cook Akshin is like a stomach engineer , he is very good at cooking and I'm afraid we got some weight :)
I need to say that I'm personally too greatful to all Meru Slope team for this lifelong experience.. never forget this epic tour...
strongly suggested!
BIG THANKS TO MERU SLOPES TOUR & SAFARİ!!
TR
Email Merve | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience!
We booked 8 days safari from Meru Slopes Tours. They picked up us in the airport, and from then they take care of everything. I can highly recommend Meru Slopes as everything was well organized.
The safari was great, We had a really knowledgeable and friendly guide. I can recommend our driver/guide Isaack P. Swai who is an expert in knowing animals. He is also a very safe driver. the food was always nice thanks to cook Akshin.
We enjoyed our safari so much, Thanks to all staff of Meru Slopes and especially to Geofrey Nassari.
You should ask for Isaack as safari guide;)
NO
Email Juan Diego | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
6-day safari. An amazing experience with a highly professional company. Recommended!!
Meru Slopes Tours & Safaris was the correct choice for us from the very beginning. Booking a safari tour in Tanzania is a complex task, full of uncertainty. There are thousands of companies offering a wide variety of safari experiences, but most of the time it is extremely difficult to obtain reliable information about them. We were looking for a budget, more authentic experience, away from luxury lodges in natural areas. After doing some research, we contacted Meru Slopes, as it showed to be a company with a large number of positive reviews on TripAdvisor. To my surprise, and thankfully, Geofrey, the company manager, answered back within one hour, and provided us with all the necessary information, and moreover, answered all our (too many) questions in the following days.
Meru Slopes Tours & Safaris is a really professional and well-organized company. They were able to re-schedule our tour after a two-day delay of arrival in Tanzania due to flight cancellations (not covid-related). Plus, we requested the meals to be vegetarian, to which they agreed and comply in an excellent way.
Speaking of the safari experience, it was everything Meru Slopes promised. We didn’t have to worry about anything but enjoy the trip. The trip started with us being picked up at Arusha airport, and from there a 2 hour trip to Jambo lodge in Mto Wa Mbu (Mosquito River), close to Lake Manyara National Park. There we met the rest (3) of the passengers, And the crew formed by Jacob, the guide and driver, And Rasheed, our cook. They would be with us for the following 6 days. We visited Lake Manyara National Park for the first encounter with the so promised African wildlife. The result did not disappoint: lots of elephants, gazelles,
antelopes, and even the famous tree-climbing lions. After a full day game drive, we headed back to Jambo lodge, where we enjoyed dinner with local food cooked by Rasheed, and experienced some traditional dance exhibitions by the local people from the village.
On the second day, Jacob headed to the famous Serengeti National Park. After 3 hours, we entered the majestic landscape of Serengeti, and spend the afternoon on a game drive before stetting our camp in Nguchiro campsite. The camping place has everything you need to enjoy a good time in Serengeti (kitchen, closed dining area, bathrooms with WC and shower). The camping experience in the middle of a national park surrounded by wildlife is something unique. Nguchiro campsite is one of the many campsites in central Serengeti, all equipped in the same way. We spent 2 nights there, for a total of 2 complete days of game drive in Serengeti (afternoon – full day – morning) from day 2 to 4, something that I personally recommend a lot. Spend 2 days in Serengeti, it is worth it. No need to describe our game drives here, pictures are self-explanatory. But in short, we saw 4 out of the big 5 within the first 24hs in Serengeti, only missing Rhino, which is easier to spot in Ngorongoro.
After lunch on Nguchiro camping site on day 4, we left Serengeti NP, and visited the Serengeti Visitors center, where we learned a lot about the history, ecology, and geography of the Serengeti Ecosystem. Later that day, our adventure took us to Simba campsite A, just outside Ngorongoro crater, where we set our camp again, not before stopping by a Massai Village (Massai Dorf in google maps) to enjoy a Massai cultural experience with the local pastoralists, and buy some of their artisanal work, which help them to maintain their lifestyle. Simba campsite welcomed us with some elephant crossing in between the tents, buffalo grazing, and even hyenas scouting for food leftovers from the kitchen :P.
Day 5 took us to the famous Ngorongoro crater, famous for its high density of animals in a confined area protected by the largest complete crater on earth. Here, the rare and elusive Black Rhino showed at last, allowing us to complete the big 5 (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and rhino). Ngorongoro also allowed us to witness predatory animals (hyenas and lions) feeding on early-morning hunts. After leaving the crater and packing our camp, we headed back for a well-deserved chill night at Jambo Logde (yay, hot shower again). That afternoon, Prisca, who works for Meru Slopes, took us for a cultural tour in Mto Wa Mbu (Mosquito River, the local village where the lodge is located), and showed us the local lifestyle, agriculture production (banana, cassava, jackfruit, bread fruit, mango, rice, etc.), the local, artisanal wood products and paintings, and most important, the banana wine, which we enjoyed together. Thanks so much Prisca, for your dedicated and complete explanations about the life in Mosquito River.
Our 6th and last day took us Tarangire National Park (River of the Warthogs, or “pumba” as everyone in Tanzania call them since 1993), famous for its large number of elephants (and also warthogs, though they are not so famous :P). Indeed, there were a lot of elephants, and we got a couple of really close encounters. We also spotted some beautiful baobab trees. Another interesting fact is that in Tarangire we got to see a large number of carcasses being scavenged by vultures and stokes. The dryness of Tarangire during December makes it hard for wildlife to survive, and sometimes animals die from droughts or stuck in the mud while trying to reach the remaining water in the drying lakes. Beware of the monkeys here during lunch break. They’d steal your lunch, phone, keys… and you might mind a good repellent because it is full of tse-tse flies hehe…
After 6 days, we were taken back to Arusha where we spent the last night, all arranged by Meru Slopes, which also arranged our transport to the airport the following day, to close a 6-day amazing experience.
One last mention for the company Staff, who behaved incredibly professional, we have no other words than a big “THANK YOU”. Thank you to our guide Jacob, whom with his “pole pole, hakuna matata” style, drove us for uncountable hours every day making sure we were comfortable and enjoying, and was so kind to stop every time we wanted to take pictures, explaining us everything he knew about the East African wildlife, while teaching us some Swahili in the meantime. And also, a big applause to our cook Rasheed, who prepared the best imaginable breakfasts everyday before we even woke up, and delicious local meals for lunch and dinner. We really enjoyed it, everything was perfect. Thank you so much! Asante sana!
CH
Email Tim | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience thanks to Meru Slopes
We are a couple and booked a 6-day private camping safari with two nights Serengeti, 1 night Ngorongoro, 1 night Tarangire and 1 night Lake Manyara. We had such adventurous, interesting and wonderful 6 days. Of course, a big part play the national parks with their beautiful landscape and all the wild animals living in them. However, what made our journey exceptional and why I am also so glad that we chose Meru Slopes as a tour operater were our guide Robert and chef Buga. They both made it their mission that we have a great time.
We loved that Robert chose rather lonely paths and calmly spotted animals there instead of chasing other jeeps (of which there can be a lot in Central Serengeti). Also, we really realized how much fun he had on the safari and that he really is a friend of the animals - which is always nice to see that the guide enjoys the wildlife too. Robert called the Serengeti his „second home“, and we really realized that. He knew every street and navigated perfectly (which is not obvious!), furthermore he drove very well making us feel always very safe even though we saw a lot of accidents and breakdowns during our journey. When there was a small problem with the car, he quickly repaired it by himself. Also, when we had questions about specific animals or whatever - he gave answers like Google would. When he was overwhelmed by a question of ours, he was not too proud to take out his „African wildlife“ book and search for the specific information - not just saying something vague like other guides would. And - as it can be supposed - his English was superb, in some discussions even better than ours. As a surplus, he was super funny!
Buga, our great chef, always ensured that we have a delicious hot meal for dinner as well as lunch (a lot of other companies do not offer this). Compared to other adventures like this where you have to be afraid of diarrhea, with Buga, you can even eat the raw stuff like salads or whatever - which was great. He even spoke English and was always in a good mood, which lifted us up even early in the morning.
In conclusion, we had an amazing time on this safari and would recommend it to anyone! Thank you !
DE
Email Guido Colaris | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Magical
We went on our Honeymoon with Meru Slopes & Tours for a 8 day Safari. 5 stars is not enough, I would give you 100 stars if I could! We did our Safari with Jacob, who had been not just our guide but a real friend. The service given by Meru from the very first contact has been more than 5 stars. We visited Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, local Masai tribe, local village tour and the Materuni Waterfalls and coffee plantation. Every day has been like a dream and we had the best experience we could dream off. Jacob does everything to spot the animals and has eyes like a robot. All accommodations were beautiful and of a high standard. Great and delicious lunches and amazing dinners. I would like to once again thank Meru Slopes and Geoffrey for the great experience and a special BIG BIG thank you to my friend Jacob (Jambo, Jambo bwana). All the best ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Email Helen Lee | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Perfect Choice for Our First Safari Adventure
At this moment, I am back home with a joyful heart, ready to pen down this heartfelt review.
Before our trip, we compared several tour companies on Safaribookings and finally chose Meru Slope. Looking back, selecting Meru Slope as our guide for our first African safari was the best decision we could have made.
From the beginning, Manager Almachius made us feel at ease with his timely responses on WhatsApp, answering all our questions. Upon our arrival, he personally greeted us at the hotel, thoroughly explaining the itinerary. On the last day of our journey, Almachius came to the hotel to see us off, which deeply touched us. This personal warmth made us feel like we had a true friend in Tanzania, not just a service provider.
Our safari guide, Mr. Florian, was incredibly patient, professional, and friendly. With his extensive knowledge of safari wildlife and excellent driving skills, he accompanied us on our four-day safari. Thanks to his experience, we spotted the Big Five on the vast plains of the Serengeti and captured many breathtaking moments. By the way, Florian has an amazing Samsung phone that takes much clearer photos than iPhones—so much so that I borrowed it to take some pictures! Florian also answered all our questions about the safari with great expertise. Moreover, he was thoughtful enough to remember our favorite vegetables, ensuring that every picnic was filled with fresh and delicious meals.
A special shout-out goes to the warm, friendly, and energetic Victor, who waited two hours to pick us up at the airport on the first day. Despite the delay, he greeted us with a big smile, played great music in the car, and kept us entertained with his fun questions. His enthusiasm for his work was contagious. On the last day, Victor took us to Moshi Town, where we admired the pristine beauty of Kilimanjaro’s snow-capped peak. He also introduced us to Tanzania’s hidden treasure—a dreamy natural blue forest pool. There, we even enjoyed a unique fish massage, which truly made our day!
Every day, the accommodations and meals were excellent. We especially loved Arusha Planet Lodge and Embalakai Ngorongoro Camp. The former felt like a garden retreat in Bali, while the latter, situated between a Maasai village and an acacia forest, offered both cultural richness and breathtaking wildlife views. We spotted groups of giraffes surrounding the campground and that was a legit Alice wonderland. The staff were incredibly friendly, the rooms were spotless, and the location was simply magical. We wish we could have stayed there longer!
Finally, a huge thank you to Victor, Florian, and Almachius for making our Tanzanian journey unforgettable. Meru Slope provided us with not just a safari, but a once-in-a-lifetime adventure filled with memories to cherish forever. We wholeheartedly recommend Meru Slope to anyone considering a trip to Tanzania. Best wishes for your continued success!
CN
Email ZHANG | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful!!!
这次六天五夜的Safari坦桑尼亚之旅非常完美，旅行社的服务超出了我们的预期！在前期咨询期间就非常耐心迅速详细的回答我们的疑问。Selima厨师的饭菜很好吃，很符合中国人胃；Naul导游（我不确定是不是这样拼写）特别专业，对动物讲解详细，还带我们很近的狮子一家，猎豹还跳上了我们车。此外，整个行程的价格非常nice，旅行社老板太好了，还提供了很多免费的啤酒，离开的时候还给了文化衫，这家公司企业文化真的让人很暖心！感谢旅行社的用心安排，让我们度过了一段美好的旅程！
This six-day, five-night safari trip to Tanzania was perfect, and the travel agency's service exceeded our expectations! They were patient, answered our questions quickly and in detail during the pre-consultation period. Chef Selima's food was delicious and very suitable for the Chinese palate; tour guide Naul (I'm not sure if that's how to spell it) was very professional, explained the animals in detail, and even took us very close to a family of lions and a cheetah that jumped onto our car. In addition, the price of the entire trip was very nice, and the owner of the travel agency was very kind and provided a lot of free beer. When we left, he even gave us a T-shirt. The company culture of this company is really heartwarming! Thank you for the travel agency's thoughtful arrangements, which made our trip wonderful!
PK
Email Umer | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible first Safari experience - African Big Five - 3 Days in Serengeti, 1 Day in Ngorongoro
Okay, where do I start? This was one of the best experiences of our lives. The journey starts 3 months earlier when I got in touch with Kelvin from Meru Slopes, he helped a lot in planning this trip and kept in touch throughout our visa process (which in itself was a journey since Tanzania makes it difficult for Pakistani travelers to enter the country).
I discussed our itinerary with him a lot, shuffled the dates, and our destinations. We were supposed to go on a 4 day Safari to Tarangire(1), Serengeti(2) and Ngorongoro(1), but I changed it to 3 days in Serengeti and 1 day in Ngorongoro and I'm so glad I did this. An extra day in Serengeti was so much worth it.
Arriving in Kilimanjaro, we were picked up by our driver on time, Peus(hope I'm spelling it right) was great. He made amazing conversation and gave us a lot of information about Arusha and Tanzania in general. We really liked him and even requested Kelvin that Peus drives us back after the safari.
Since we took a rest day in Arusha before our safari, we were visited by Kelvin and Max (our guide), who briefed us about our safari and if we had any questions. Local Sim cards were also arranged for us with 4GB of internet, which lasted us our whole trip even after the safari.
Day 1: We started our journey around 6:30am and drove all the way to Serengeti through Ngorongoro. Around 1:30pm after lunch at Naabi gate, we started our afternoon game drive, man, what a day it was. We saw a huge pride of lions sleeping in the rocks, then we saw a huge herd of Cape Buffaloes, Wildebeest, then a Cheetah eating a freshly killed Gazelle. Then we saw another Cheetah up close a few miles away. Then a small herd of Elephants, and finally at the end of our game drive, Max found us a Leopard. Coming from Pakistan, where we have hiked a lot in the mountains and forests, I had never seen a Leopard, but this wish was fulfilled finally in Africa. Thanks to Max. We arrived at our accommodation in Central Serengeti, Heritage Luxury Camp which was a place out of heaven. We slept in the sounds of Hyenas and Lions and it really added to the thrill.
Day 2: We started our day with a early morning game drive, and saw lots of animals. Max managed to locate a huge pride of Lions for us and we spent a lot of time just driving through the endless plains of Serengeti, searching for animals. It was just amazing. We saw Hippos, Crocodiles, Giraffes, Zebras, Ostrich, Pumbas (Warthog), A cheetah upclose, a herd of Elephants bathing in mud and water. Highlight of the day was seeing a newborn Giraffe baby with his mother. I also have to mention here how Max was so helpful when I got sick during the game drive (the usual stomach problems when you travel) and drove us to the tourist point where I spent some time until I felt better.
Day 3: Last day in Serengeti, we started early and drove through plains of Serengeti in search of a Leopard, but spotted a lot of other animals. Lions, Elephants, Giraffes, Gazelles, different Antelopes, Baboons, Hippos, Hyenas, Ostrich, and in our final hour when we were on our way out of Serengeti, Max suddenly took a turn back and drove us to a spot where we looked on our left and to our disbelief, we saw a Black Rhino.
What a day, I never expected it but we completed our African Big Five on our third day in Serengeti. All thanks to our wonderful guide, Max.
After that, we drove to Ngorongoro, and stayed the night in Embalakai Camp, and this was a beautiful place. Enjoyed the stay there and then next morning at around 6am we drove to the Crater.
We were first in the crater and saw so much activity at that hour. Saw Lions, Elephants, Hippos, Wildebeest, and so many other animals. Max took us to far corners of the crater and made sure we had a great experience. We had our breakfast near a Hippo pool and then continued our game drive searching for different animals. All in all, it was an unbelievable experience.
In the afternoon, we started driving back to Arusha where Meru Slopes had arranged for us a complimentary stay at one of the hotels in the city. The safari had come to an end and we still couldn't come out of what we had experienced these past 4 days.
Thank you to everyone at Meru Slopes for giving us one of the best experiences of our lives. Special thanks to Max for being a wonderful companion on our journey. It was like he was a friend or family for us. We wish the whole team best of luck and we hope people of Tanzania keep protecting the wonderful places and animals who call it home. Best wishes from two wanderers from Pakistan.
Email Katy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything we could of wished for
I was quite sceptical of Meru Slopes tour at first. It seemed too good to be true, it was the cheapest safari we found and included transport and accommodation. I had visions of getting there and someone taking our money and running or being left stranded at the airport, but that couldn't of been farer from the truth. The taxi was awaiting our arrival, even though we had huge delays, the hotel was very clean and comfortable, the staff were friendly and the food was lovely.
So maybe it was the safari that was going to suffer with the price I thought, but again was wrong. The guide was extremely knowledgable about all aspects of the wildlife, fauna, history and our surroundings, he was friendly and fun alongside it which made the whole group feel comfortable. The accommodation was no different to anyone else's and at times, actually better and the food along the whole journey was great. I would 100% recommend Meru Slopes Tours to anyone and I think they go to show that you don't need to pay through the nose to have a wonderful experience.