Our Previous Client Reviews
Wonderful and memorable trip!!"
Annelise Hansen: 5 out of 5 stars, April 17, 2018
I decided to travel alone for the first time, but never felt unsafe as a female traveler. Said is a very open and honest person and has been working as a guide for a long time in the Usamabara Mountains with tons of knowledge about the region's history and ecology. He's a good storyteller too! I was provided delicious vegetarian meals, sighted several happy chameleons, and was hosted by very welcoming guesthouses during my four day trip! He will hike with you for however fast or slow you wish to go and he is happy to be flexible with the schedule if you wish to alter your hiking route. With no doubt if you choose to hike with Said as your guide, you will be very happy with your decision.
"Excellent 2 week custom made tour with Said-Safari and Hiking"
Sally E: 5 out of 5 Stars, Reviewed January 14, 2018
My boyfriend and I recently went on a tour with Said for nearly 2 weeks in the lead up to Christmas. It was a great experience. Said was very professional, helpful and an incredibly knowledgeable guide. We organised the trip simply by emailing Said directly after reading positive tripadvisor reviews. Our safari was for 7 days with just the two of us as guests, visiting the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara and Tarangire. Said was unbelievably knowledgable about the wildlife we saw and gave us an experience very different from other safaris where drivers just pointed at animals without giving much information about them. In addition to having Said with us as the guide on the safari, we had a driver who was also an expert in birds, which made a wonderful unexpected addition to the trip. We really enjoyed visiting the Usambara mountains as it was extremely quiet and felt much less touristy than other parts of Tanzania (we saw only one other traveller in our 3 day hike there). The bushbaby homestay where we stayed one night on the hike was a great view into a traditional way of living. We enjoyed travelling with a genuine, small Tanzanian company through Said. We would definitely recommend sending him an email and working out a trip option with his company!
"Trek with Said"
Henry W.: 5 out of 5 stars, Reviewed December 7, 2017
What an amazing trek! Said and I did the Lushoto - Mtae trek in 2 days, hiking about 25km a day and taking motorbikes the rest of the way. Said has an extremely intimate knowledge of the twists and turns of the Usambaras, and I felt like I truly got to see a part of the mountains that were off the beaten path. I cannot recommend Said enough, he was an extremely professional, flexible and wonderful guide. If you're going to do a trek in the Usambaras, do yourself a favor and go with Said. "Great experience for body and mind"
florian scharpf: 5 out of 5 stars, Reviewed November 23, 2017
As I unexpectedly had some free time due to a project deleay, I decided to spend some days hiking in Usambara mountains. I contacted Said very spontaneously one day before my departure but he was willing to guide me and sent me a detailed plan of a possible itinerary. When I arrived in Lushoto, he picked me up and we went for a hike to Irente View Point with a great view over the plains. The next day in the morning we started our three days hike to Mtae. This was probably the best thing I did after having been in Tanzania for 2 months. Said is not only a very competent guide whose knowledge about Usambara`s flora, fauna, people and culture seems limitless, he is also a great guy, very humble, kind and open-minded. The tour provided a unique balance of physical activity and immersion into local culture. I think I learned a lot about the Sambaa people through Saids explanations and simply interacting with them. The accommodations on our way were clean and cozy, especially Bush Baby Home stay was a perfect retreat. The food there and also in the other places was delicious. I can only recommend you to do the tour with Said as he will not offer you the usual package that many other tour companies in the region offer. He will individualize the trip according to your wishes and preferences, making it an unforgettable acitivity.
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 July 2014
We hiked the Usambara's for 4 days with Said Salim as our guide in June 2014. We went Lushoto - Mambo in 3 days with the 4th day back to Lushoto to Irente viewpoint.We hadn't organised anything in advance, and Said met us with one day's notice and went through a recommended itinerary with us then organised our departure for the following day. He also arranged our accommodation in Lushoto at a good and cheap place.We loved the trip. The mountains, forest, farming and village views are beautiful but the highlight has to be the people and especially the children you meet along the way. Said took us mostly on rural tracks, not the roads as it is a better experience.Our last night was staying at Mambo viewpoint (not the Eco lodge - the other one) which meant that we had stunning views from the windows of our accommodation. I agree with Said that it was definitely better than staying the final night in a Mtae guesthouse! Other nights were spent at a guesthouse and a convent.All of this was very reasonably priced.Said's English is fantastic and he is very knowledgeable about everything. We gained so much insight into the rural way of life and beliefs as well as nature. His lunches are also great. This trip was right up there with our highlights of Tanzania and is a must for those more adventurous travellers.
