Our safari guides

On a RedSoil safari the guide and the driver are the same person, and that shapes the whole trip.

They drive the vehicle, which on these roads is a skill in itself. They find the animals, which is the part people notice. And they run the day: when you leave, how long you stay, where you eat, and which track to take when the radio says there is something on the far side of the valley.

They also read you. By the third morning a good guide knows whether you want to sit with one leopard for an hour or cover ground, whether the children need a break, and whether you would sooner have the light than the closest view.

Away from the animals they handle the park gates, the paperwork, the camp arrivals and anything that goes wrong. Most of that happens without you noticing, and that is the idea.

If something is not working, tell your guide first. Almost everything about a private day can be changed on the spot.

Every safari here is private, and the same guide stays with you from the first morning to the last.

That matters more than it sounds. A guide who changes at each camp starts again every time: what you like, how fast you want to move, whether you are a birder or a photographer or a family who needs to be back by four.

By the third day a guide who has been with you throughout is anticipating instead of asking. They already know to stop at the kopje because you liked the last one, and to leave the crowded sighting because you said you would sooner find your own.

It also means one person is accountable for your week, instead of a rota.

On Kilimanjaro the same holds. The head guide who briefs you at the gate is the one who walks beside you on summit night.

Guiding in Tanzania is regulated, and the rules explain a good deal of what happens on your trip.

Guides working in the national parks are licensed, and the park authorities check that at the gate along with your permits. It is not something an operator can skip.

Walking is separate. Anywhere walking is allowed, an armed park ranger goes with the group. That is a park rule and not an operator preference, and it is why a walking morning has to be arranged in advance instead of decided over breakfast.

Kilimanjaro has its own requirements. Climbs are led by licensed mountain guides, the crew is registered, and the park records who goes up and who comes down.

Off-road driving, night driving and how close a vehicle may approach an animal are all set by the park, not by us. A guide who stays on the track is following the rules, not being careful with the car.

A climb is carried by a team several times larger than the climbing party.

There is a head guide, responsible for the route, the pace and the daily judgement about whether each climber is fit to go higher. There are assistant guides, so that anybody who has to turn back can be walked down without stopping everybody else.

There is a cook, working out of a mess tent at altitude and producing far more food than you will want to eat.

And there are porters, who carry the tents, the food, the water and the group equipment, reach each camp ahead of you and have it standing when you arrive.

The ratios matter. Ask any operator how many crew go up per climber and what they are paid, because a thin crew is the first sign of a climb priced below what it costs to run properly. Our page on porters and tipping goes into the detail.

Long before a guide meets you at the airport, somebody has spent a while on your trip.

The first conversation is with the person who builds your itinerary. They ask about your dates, your group and what you want out of it, then put a route together and price it. Most trips go through two or three versions before anybody books anything.

Once you confirm, somebody secures the camps, the transfers, the park permits and any internal flights, and chases the details we need from you: names as they appear on passports, dietary requirements, and anything medical that changes what we would recommend.

While you are travelling, that team stays reachable. Your guide handles the day. Anything larger goes back to the office.

None of it is visible on a trip that goes well, and that is how it should be.

Guides are not interchangeable, and the more you tell us the better the match.

If you are a birder, say so. Northern Tanzania has over a thousand recorded species, and a guide who knows them turns a quiet hour into the best part of the day.

If you are photographing, say so. It changes where the vehicle is parked, how long you sit there and what time you leave camp.

If you are travelling with young children, say so. Some guides are much better at it than others, and on those trips the pace matters more than the sightings.

If somebody in the group has a bad back, gets motion sick or does not hear well, say that too. It changes the seat, the route and the driving.

And if this is a first safari and you have no idea what you want, say that. It is the most common answer we get and it is a useful one.

A few questions tell you a great deal about who will actually be with you, whoever you book through.

Is the guide also the driver, or is there a separate driver? On a private trip here they are the same person, and it pays to confirm that elsewhere.

Is the vehicle private, or shared with other guests? A low price per person often means shared.

Will the same guide stay for the whole trip, or change at each camp?

On a Kilimanjaro climb, how many crew go up per climber, and what are they paid?

Can the guide be briefed on what you care about before you arrive?

Ask us all five. Ask other operators the same. The answers tell you more than the photographs on the page do.

Park fees are set by the park authority, charged per person per day, and identical for every operator. They are the largest single part of what a trip costs and nobody can discount them.

What is left after the fees pays for the vehicle, the fuel, the camps and the people. So when one quote sits far below the others, the difference comes out of that remainder, and in these parks and on this mountain it usually comes out of the crew.

On the trail that shows up as fewer porters carrying heavier loads. On safari it shows up as an older vehicle and a less experienced guide.

Tipping is customary and it is a real part of what guides, cooks and porters earn. It is not a bonus on top of a comfortable wage. Guideline amounts are discussed at your briefing, and you bring the cash with you, because there is no cash machine in the parks or anywhere on the mountain.