Founder of Dancing Zebra Safari, Jessica Mathews
Dancing Zebra Safari
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Member Of:
- Africa Travel Association (ATA) & The International Ecotourism Society (T.I.E.S)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $12,142 to $43,363 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Jen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
African Honeymoon Review, Tanzania, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Zanzibar
We wanted to find a travel company to work with in planning our honeymoon to Tanzania. We did a lot of research, and reached out to several travel companies for quotes, information, and itineraries. When working with Dancing Zebra Safari and Jessica- her service and passion stood out to us. Which is one of the reasons we ultimately chose to move forward with this company. She planned a 10 day itinerary for us in Tanzania starting at the Arusha Coffee Lodge --> Lake Manyara, Neptune Lodge --> Ngorongoro Crater, Lemala Kuria Hills --> Northern Serengeti (We had a self-booked accommodation in Zanzibar). She planned every detail possible for us, from our arrival to Kilimanjaro, all transfers and domestic flights between the different reserves, accommodations and games drives and all we had to do was arrive and her in-country team took it from there, this put us at ease and made our lives easy. She was pleasure to work with, you can tell she has a passion for Tanzania, travel, and planning these amazing trips! She does her research too. You won't be disappointed when you choose this company, this travel planner will put her heart and soul into making sure you have a wonderful trip!
Email Patti C. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A safari to remember!
Dancing Zebra was extremely helpful when arranging our safari in Tanzania. We had multiple locations and schedules to arrange and Jessica Matthews managed it all. We stayed at Dunia Camp in the Serengeti and Gibbs Farm near the Ngorongoro Crater. Both properties were magnificent. The Camp was beautiful, comfortable, and provided a wonderful place to return to each night after days of exciting game drives.
The camp is managed by women and their attention to detail for meals, service and accommodations was superb.
Gibbs Farm was beautiful and charming. The tour of the gardens, farm and coffee plantation was a wonderful addition to our safari schedule. Meals were delicious, prepared from fresh produce from the farm. The "cottages" were well appointed, complete with a fireplace that provided a cozy ambiance each night.
We cannot say enough about our guide Alfred. He was professional, expert and engaging. I am sure that everyone thinks that their guide is the best, but Alfred truly was! He could spot game from what seemed like a mile away, was knowledgeable about plants, animals, the skies, and customs. He was patient, allowing and encouraging us to linger, watch the behavior of the animals and not simply check off the animals in our viewing book. This was our third safari experience in Africa and the first time we had the same guide for multiple locations. We all agreed that it was the best experience.
Email Lindsay | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect personalized itinerary
We loved working with Dancing Zebra. With the company being a little smaller than many companies out there we felt really comfortably with Jessica, and her great communication throughout the process of booking and during travel. We felt like there was always someone on the other end of emails, text or calls to make sure any of our questions were answered. The trip she put together for us based on vague ideas we had was perfect. Everything and everyone made us feel so special, definitely a 5* vacation, and the trip of a lifetime.
Email Cece | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Dream Come True
How do you say thank you for making a dream come true? Through missed flights, changed itinerary and minor illness, Jessica and her Dancing Zebras were there for me, to smooth the way and keep my home-hubby informed. Believe me, there are no travel agents to compare to this service; no more luxurious accommodations; better informed guides; or friendly camp staff. Hippos grazed at night outside my tent. Maasai warriors jumped for me. I saw lions hunting and mating. This was safari the way I wanted it to be and never thought it could be!
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Email Bettina R. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Worth every Cent!
If you are ever planning to do a safari in Tanzania ”Dancing Zebra Safari Company” should be your choice. Having traveled to Tanzania with this company to three of the most beautiful camps, I can honestly recommend Dancing Zebra Safari Company to be your agent. A perfect coordination of camps and planning of our trip made it the most enjoyable journey without having to care about anything. Everything was perfectly arranged and explained so that one had only to think about what to put in one’s bag for the journey, and even here you got written suggestions what to take.
The camps, starting with Chada Katavi in Katavi National Park, were well chosen and we were spoiled and taken care of from the first to the last day being in that beautiful camp. Even a fly camping and a walking safari had been organized, and all our guides were full of knowledge and very caring. Moving on to paradise like Greystoke Mahale camp on Lake Tanganyika was also planned and operated in the most perfect way, and one always felt safe and able to enjoy every single moment. Just completely relaxing.
Flights were checked and confirmed before leaving from one camp to the other so that there were not bad surprises. Our third camp, Kigelia in Ruaha National Park, was another well planned highlight and from the first to the last minute worth every cent spent. Altogether Dancing Zebra Safari Company was the best solution as operator for our safari and we will certainly book with them again for our next safari.
Email Mark | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Two thumbs up!
Our safari travel agent did an amazing job of planning our Tanzania trip together and arranging for everything. We didn't know much about where we wanted to go when we first talked. She gave us the lay of the land and prepared itineraries for us to review, adjusting them to help fit our budget and priorities. We ended up deciding on a ~9 day trip to Serengeti National park and Zanzibar, staying with a mobile campsite in the Serengeti, a resort on the east side of Zanzibar and then a hotel in Stone Town. Our agent booked everything other than our international flights and provided us helpful materials and a packing list before we left. The trip couldn't have gone more smoothly.
Friendly drivers were always there waiting to take us from the airport or airstrip to our hotel or campsite. Our accommodations were fantastic. The Serengeti campsite in particular, we can't recommend enough. It was great being able to not worry about the arrangements and just enjoy being in Africa. Two thumbs up!
Email Ann | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A mind-blowing experience!
Thank you Dancing Zebra Safari Co. for putting together a trip of a lifetime for my husband and I! Jessica organized an amazing trip to Tanzania for us. In 10 short days we experienced so much and enjoyed luxury with adventure.
We went on a four day safari in the Northern Serengeti. We had an amazing guide (Ian) who catered to our desire to see certain animals.
We saw everything!! Ian even made sure my husband got to see a leopard! My husband and I were both overwhelmed with the beauty of Tanzania. Following our safari we traveled to Mahale, a beautiful camp off the shores of Lake Tanganyika, to embark on a mind blowing experience, chimp trekking. WOW! We were only feet from our closest cousins in arguably one of the most pristine places in the world. What we saw and experienced was enough to make this our most memorable trip to date. In addition we stayed in luxurious accommodations and enjoyed Michelin-level cuisine the entire trip.
Jessica made sure every detail of our trip was arranged. Someone was always waiting to take us to the next location or make sure we were well taken care of during our entire journey. Dancing Zebra Safari Co. is a cut above! We are already dreaming about and planning our next trip to Tanzania.
Our tour operator went above and beyond to make this trip special for us! Amazing!
We had an amazing time on our safari. I never imagined just how beautiful Africa would be. We saw the big five along with so many other beautiful animals. I’ve never seen so many vibrant colors and the landscape didn’t even look real! Apart from the beauty of tanazania, our favorite thing had to be the people. Before we even started on our journey Jessica at dancing zebra planned everything perfectly for us. She was so knowledgeable and took time to talk with us (multiple phone calls) to alleviate any of our concerns and answer all of our questions. Our flight that we personally booked got changed and they had no problem rearranging our accommodations to match the new flight. Our tour guide Frank was phenomenal. He was so knowledgeable and taught us all kinds of animal facts. He made the safari for us because he was so into the animals. I really wanted to see the great migration and he went above and beyond to contact different people to make that happen. The migration was breathtaking. Frank took a ton of pictures that looked professionally done and shared them with us at the end of the trip. All of the lodges we stayed at were beautiful and the employees were absolutely amazing and so hospitable. We learned Swahili, had private dinners with gorgeous views, and went on nature walks learning about the culture and surrounding areas. We were so sad to return home and will definitely be back. And there is no doubt that we will use dancing zebra, Jessica, and Frank the next time we book!
Email Lisa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything from start to finish was done correctly & there were no surprises.
PLEASE book with this company!!!! Jessica was amazing to work with. Very knowledgeable about all things Safari (and then some!). We had the best of the best...from the moment we landed in Tanazia to when we left Zanzibar, everything was handled and hassle free. Everyone we meet along the way were genuinely wonderful and great to work with. All the accommodations and meals were more than 5 stars! Never once had any troubles with the vehicles breaking down. We plan to book another trip with Jessica & Dancing Zebra Safari Company.
Email Tracey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Experience!!!
Jessica planned an incredible trip for us that included Safari in Tanzania, relaxation in Zanzibar and a quick stop in Nairobi. Jessica was a pleasure to work with and is a true professional.
The accommodations were all outstanding and the service was incredible. The service and staff at the lodges were by far the most caring and friendly that we have ever experienced. All aspects of the trip surpassed our expectations. We got incredibly close to the animals and saw more than we anticipated. We thoroughly enjoyed breaking up safari with visits to two tribes. Spending time with the Datoga and Hadza tribes and learning about their cultures was a real highlight.
Mwiba in Southern Serengeti was a little out of the way but absolutely worth the trip. If you have the chance to visit, don't pass up
on it! The lodge, service and scenary are outstanding. We also got closest to the animals here because it is a private game reserve.
Our drivers and guides Frank, Henry and David in Nairobi were all fantastic. They were all very knowledgable, easy going and professional. The roads in Ngorongoro and Eastern Serengeti were treacherous at times but Frank navigated them with ease and did his best to make the rides as smooth as possible. The guides were also all experts on spotting animals in the distance.
We added in a balloon ride at the last minute and we loved it! It requited a very early morning but was worth it. My husband who is afraid of heights did not find it challenging or scary at all. In fact, it was a very smooth, relaxing ride. The view from above is majestic!
I highly recommend Jessica and Dancing Zebra Safari! We had an amazing trip!