Elleme Africa Safaris — private safaris in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda
No. 01Arusha
Private safaris, planned by the guides who drive them
Journeys measured in stillness
Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda in our own vehicles, at your own pace — with a guide who has driven every road on your route.
Locally owned in Arusha · Private vehicles · A guide replies within one working day
- Countries
- 4
- Private itineraries
- 20
- Parks and places
- 23
- To a guide's reply
- 1 day
- Serengeti National Park
- Ngorongoro Crater
- Tarangire National Park
- Lake Manyara National Park
- Nyerere National Park (Selous)
- Mount Kilimanjaro
- Zanzibar
- Arusha National Park
- Gombe Stream National Park
- Ol Doinyo Lengai
- Mount Meru
- Udzungwa Mountains National Park
- Uluguru Mountains
- Usambara Mountains
- Lake Natron
- Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
- Lake Eyasi
- Mafia Island
- Mikumi National Park
- Amboseli National Park
- Aberdare National Park
- Hell's Gate National Park
- Lake Nakuru National Park
20
Private
itineraries
Our story
Founded by guides, run in Arusha
Elleme Africa Safaris was founded in Arusha by guides who had spent a decade on these roads. We are locally owned, we employ our own drivers, and we maintain our own fleet — which keeps prices honest and keeps the person planning your trip accountable for it.
Most of our guests come through a recommendation. That is the whole business model.
- Locally owned
- Private vehicle and guide
- Reply within a day
How it works
Your safari, planned in four steps
No call centre and no pressure — one guide from first idea to the last sundowner.
Tell us the shape of it
Dates, how long, who is coming, and what you would regret missing. A paragraph is enough.
We draft a route
Within one working day: a day-by-day plan, named camps and a full price with nothing hidden.
We move things around
Most itineraries change two or three times. Swap camps, add Zanzibar, slow the middle down.
Confirm and travel
Thirty percent holds the booking, the balance is due six weeks out. We meet you at the airport.
Ways to travel
Choose the shape of your trip
The Great Migration
Where the herds are right now
Two million wildebeest and zebra move in a slow clockwise loop through the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara. Where you stay matters more than how long you stay.
- Wildebeest, plus roughly 300,000 zebra and 500,000 gazelle moving with them
- 1.5m
- Travelled in a single clockwise loop each year, across two countries
- 800 km
- Kilometres of Serengeti–Mara ecosystem the herds keep permanently grazed
- 3,000
Jul – Aug
The Mara River crossings begin
The front of the migration reaches the Mara River. Crossings happen without warning and can last minutes or hours; being camped within thirty minutes of the river is what decides whether you see one.
- Where to stay
- Kogatende, northern Serengeti
- Odds of the big event
- High
Where to go
Four countries and an island
The northern circuit
Four parks, a day apart
Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara sit within a day’s drive of each other — the backbone of most first safaris.
Why Elleme
Six reasons, plainly put
Guides, not agents
The person who plans your route has driven it. Questions get answered by someone who was there last month.
Our own vehicles
A maintained fleet of extended Land Cruisers with charging, fridges and roof hatches that actually open.
No middlemen
We are locally owned and book camps directly, so you pay for the safari rather than the commission chain.
Private by default
Every itinerary is yours alone. Leave at five, stay at a sighting, skip a park — it is your vehicle.
Honest seasons
If a month is wrong for what you want to see, we will say so and suggest another one.
Fair to the crew
Salaried guides, insured porters, and a fixed share of every Kilimanjaro climb to the mountain team.
Experiences
Handpicked ways to travel
Travel resources
Reading before you book
Plan your safari
Best time to visit East Africa
Seasons, crowds and the itineraries built for them change month by month. It opens on this month — pick any other to compare.
Long dry, peak season
Tanzania in July
- Season
- Dry
- Crowds
- Busy
- Itineraries
- 3
The classic safari months. Animals concentrate on shrinking water, the migration reaches the Mara River, and camps book out a year ahead.
Built for July
Dry season in July
Before you ask
A few answers up front
Almost certainly yes, though the process differs by country. Tanzania has its own e-visa or visa-on-arrival; Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda share the East Africa Tourist Visa, or can be entered on separate single-country e-visas. Requirements vary by nationality, so confirm with the relevant embassy or official immigration site before booking.
A yellow fever certificate is required if you're arriving from a country with yellow fever risk. Malaria prevention (tablets plus standard mosquito precautions) is strongly advised for the safari regions in all four countries. Routine and hepatitis A/typhoid vaccinations are commonly recommended — a doctor or travel clinic can confirm what applies to you specifically.
Camps and lodges provide drinking water — usually filtered or bottled — rather than expecting guests to drink tap water directly, which we'd advise against throughout the region. Bring a refillable bottle; most camps will fill it for you.
US dollars (2009 or later, undamaged) are the most useful single currency across all four countries for tips and incidentals, alongside some local currency for smaller purchases. Card payments work at most lodges but not at park gates or with mobile guides.
In towns and near park gates, usually yes with a local SIM. Inside the parks themselves, coverage is patchy to nonexistent, and camp wifi (where it exists at all) runs on satellite connections that vary camp to camp — we tell you what to expect at each stop before you travel.
Begin your journey
Tell us when you want to go
A guide replies within one working day with a draft route and honest pricing. No deposit until the itinerary is right.
- Phone and WhatsApp
- +255 684 896 398 Chat
- Time in Arusha
- --:-- EAT, UTC+3