“Everything about our Safari with Restoration was amaizing! The weather was perfect, we saw fantastic wildlife, and Bariki made sure that everything was taken care of for us.”
Truly a once in a lifetime experience!
Jayne and Grant R.
Golden, Colorado USA
"We knew we were in capable hands from the moment we met Bariki of Restorations Safaris. Our first impressions were confirmed and expanded over the rest of our safari. Bariki has an in depth knowledge and sensibility of the culture, wildlife and natural surroundings of his native Tanzania. Without his keen senses and expertise of animal behavior we would have missed many exciting and unique sights and experiences. For instance, he spotted a pair of lions, not visible at first to our untrained eyes, in the golden grass of the Tarangire, and thanks to his insight and patience, we were able to observe this pair's mating ritual. Truly a once in a lifetime experience! We felt we not only had an incredible safari, but also had made a new life-long friend in our host and guide."
We can't wait to return!
Brian and Tami B.
London, England UK
"Our lives changed on our trip to Tanzania this year. Bariki, our guide, used his deep experience and incredible knowledge to transform our trip from simple sight-seeing into a connection with the land, the people, and the astounding animals. We were truly moved to action by Bariki's concern for the environment - we can't wait to return. We'll definitely go with Restoration Safaris because of the passion for creating good and helping Africa."
This, we will never forget!"
Sheila T. and Brian W.
Washington D.C. USA
"Everything about our safari with Restoration was amazing! The weather was perfect, we saw fantastic wildlife, and Bariki made sure that everything was taken care of for us. As our guide, he struck the perfect balance between being the expert in charge, and letting us dictate the pace of the day. So when we wanted to sleep in one morning, or spend well over an hour quietly watching a huge herd of elephants, we could! But the real highlight was planting trees with a group of orphans in one of the villages. The holes were pre-dug by the nursery providing the tree saplings, so planting them was actually very easy, and the children were SO excited and eager to participate! Watching them handle those saplings as if they were the most precious things on earth was incredible. This, we will never forget!"
A guide who has lots of experience!
Tse-Sung Wu
I just got back from 15 dd of safari that included some trekking. The company is Restoration Safaris (https://www.restorationsafaris.com), and it's locally owned and operated out of Arusha. They created a custom trip for my partner and myself. We had the vehicle and guide/driver all to ourselves, and could linger as long as we wanted. All safari vehicles have a roof that pops up into a shade so you have a 360 view from high. It was really great- we saw hundreds of elephants, handfuls of cheetah and lions, a leopard, scores of giraffes, hippos, all kinds of birds (lost on us as we're not birders), and the Great Migration. Every day seemed better than the previous. We were probably spoiled with Tarangire and Arusha NPs by the time we got to the Serengeti, where, as in Ngorongoro, animals are really far away (prob. need at least 400-600mm to get them, at which point you're doing animal portraits only, not really recording your experience of what you see with your naked eyes). The animals we saw in Tarangire were either much closer or in a more interesting environment.
One thing in choosing a safari operator is to make sure you find a guide who has lots of experience- to be able to predict when and where animals will show up; and contacts- drivers tend to tip each other off on animal sightings to help each other out. It's also important to find one who's passionate about getting you to see amazing things, and who's good at reading your interest and energy level so he can get you what you want. On our last day, with a 10AM flight out of the airstrip in the bush, our guide convinced us to go out at 6am for one last game drive- plenty of time to for breakfast and to catch our puddle jumper back east. And when we saw our first cheetah no more than 20 ft from the land rover, I don't know who was more thrilled- us, or him, hearing us babbling and going crazy.
Our accommodations were all very nice, clean, and comfortable, and not necessarily high end (we wanted to keep costs down). But you should know that safaris are expensive: locals don't do safaris the way westerners do them, at least in Tanzania. It's all a question of logistics- getting you from spot to spot, food, water, etc. All that's carried in, and it's not as if there's an existing infrastructure. We never felt unsafe during our trip, which included an 18-20 mile trek over 2 days and walking safari (aka, hike in a national park), etc.
One thing you might consider is whether the company is locally owned. I like that all of my money was going to a local company- the more Tanzania benefits from safaris, the more it will work to preserve its natural habitat. The company also donates trees to plant in local schools.
Tara T
2020-01-08
Truly Amazing Experience with the best hosts
Words cannot describe what a wonderful safari vacation we had with Restoration Safaris. Bariki and his wife Mourine are the bests of hosts. They planned our entire trip while in Tanzania & Zanzibar. After spending two days in Mount Kilimanjaro (one day well spent hiking to the Maundi Crater).. we then embarked on a 10 day safari with Bariki and he went above and beyond in both hotel/tented camp accommodations and national park tours. After our safari came to an end, we spent another 5 days in Zanzibar in which Bariki and Mourine took care of all domestic flight arrangements and hotel accommodations from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, something that would have been difficult for us to figure out and plan on our own. Thankfully for Bariki & Restoration Safaris saw everything that Tanzania has to offer and left with so much more. Bariki’s kind nature made it very easy for us to enjoy spending hours with him touring Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. He was always thoughtful and trustworthy each step of the way, from planning the entire trip, to bringing us hot coffee to enjoy in the cold Ngorongoro Crater. Plan with confidence with Restoration Safaris that you will have the absolute best vacation and safari experience with the most kindhearted people & family. Thank you Bariki and Mourine for a truly amazing experience. Until next time, Tara.
Melissa Haug
2019-11-04
Bucket list vacation
Bariki, Mourine & restoration safaris were marvelous. Anytime you are traveling to a foreign country there is nerves and uneasy ness. They made our trip unforgettable and not one worry the 15 days we had with them. Not only are they a humble, friendly, accommodating, patient company but they know Tanzania very well. All of our accommodations were bigger than my imagination in so many different ways. I felt like we really saw so many different areas and stayed in such different places. This is a trip I won’t forget and they are people that we will never forget and always recommend. If you like the small family feel with flexibility and trust don’t go anywhere else you have found it. Thank Bariki and Mourine for all you did and do. Keep changing lives!
Cody C
2019-01-15
An unforgettable experience
My experience with Restoration Safaris blew away my wildest expectations. Mourine and Bariki run one of the very few Tanzanian-owned safari operations, and they are absolute professionals. They worked with us to put together a customized trip that would meet our budget but still allow us to see the many spectacular animals and environments that we had dreamed of. Every step of the way, it was clear that we were their number one priority. Mourine made all of the logistical matters an absolute breeze, and Bariki continuously went out of his way to surprise and delight us with his knowledge of the parks and their wildlife, as well as his sixth sense for animal spotting. This was the stress-free vacation we needed. I can’t recommend them highly enough!
Elena
2019-01-06
A safari that exceeded all expectations
From start to finish we had an amazing and absolutely unforgettable safari experience with this charming, Tanzanian-owned safari company. I can only imagine that these are memories we will reflect upon fondly for the rest of our lives. Mourine is easy to communicate with and worked to quickly design a safari that would fit our (limited, student) budget and timeframe. Email her and she can make magic happen. Bariki did a flawless job as our tour guide and took care of everything from the moment he picked us up at the hotel. He shared amazing tidbits of knowledge with us along the route and kept us in a constant fit of laughter. His extensive experience as a safari guide is apparent and his English is among the best I have encountered in my three months living in Tanzania. I’m already dreaming of heading out with Restoration Safari for another adventure. Asante sana, restoration safari, nitarudi kusafiri na ninyi.
Jesse U
2018-03-22
Absolutely spectacular
Before we even got to Tanzania our guide Bariki was going above and beyond to make sure we had an amazing experience, taking us to places I could not have even imagined we would go. Every single day was an equally impressive experience, from our starting excursion to ngorongoro to walking up the slopes of Kilimanjaro I cannot think of a single thing that didn’t surpass my expectations. Not only did we see every major animal sought after on safari, we were literally inches away from them through the excellent driving and animal knowledge of our second guide Alfio. Our lodgings were a series of awe inspiring rooms, but the kubu kubu lodge in the Serengeti stood a step above the rest in terms of accommodations and service. Overall Restoration Safaris provided me with an experience that tops any other thus far, and I would recommend them to every person I know.
Rachael V
2018-03-20
Wonderful people and company
I could not have imagined a better trip. Bariki was taking care of us before we even arrived in Arusha. They helped us to decide the dates of our trip and then sent us an itinerary for our stay. We spent 13 days in Tanzania with Bariki and Alfio. During the trip we visited local villages, and spent time at Ngorongoro, Ndutu, the Serengeti and Mount Kilimanjaro.We saw all of the big 5 and many other animals during our stay.Bariki is a very kind man who seems to know everything about his country and the local tribes. There was not a single question that we had that went unanswered. After spending only a few minutes with him it was clear how much he loves his country and his profession. He takes great pride in what he does and it shows in the quality of the trip. Alfio is very charismatic and knows all about the animals. He was passionate and worked to make sure we saw the animals we had hoped to see. He also seemed to know the answer to every question.All of our accommodations were extremely comfortable and Bariki was able to get us a night at Kubu Kubu (an upscale resort in the Serengeti) for one night. They absolutely spoiled us and made the trip highly enjoyable. There is no other company I would ever use for my next trip back.
lainaday
2017-07-04
Incredible Experience With Restoration Safaris!!
My criteria for a Tanzanian safari were fairly simple. I wanted a locally-owned company that was environmentally responsible and safe with knowledgeable guides. Restoration Safaris ticked every box and then went above and beyond all expectations! We spent 9 days with Bariki and Emmanuel and everything was planned perfectly. From our Kilimanjaro hike to Ngorongoro to our incredible Serengeti game drive, the trip was spectacular. The lodging was comfortable and clean and in some cases world class (highly recommend Kubu Kubu lodge in Serengeti!). On top of all of that, Bariki is a true professional who not only knows seemingly everything there is to know, but genuinely cares about his country – from the plants and animals to the people. You couldn’t go with a better company. Thank you Bariki and Restoration Safaris!
MelOrillia
2017-03-18
Tanzania safari – the trip of a lifetime
Restoration Safaris is Tanzanian based safari company owned and run by Bariki. Going with a locally based company has many advantages and having Bariki as our guide we gained valuable cultural knowledge and experienced very special wildlife behaviour. Every day of our nine day safari was exciting and yes, we saw the Big Five, but there were so many more special moments. Bariki is a man you can trust to take care of every detail of a once in a lifetime vacation. We will be recommending Bariki and his company, Restoration Safaris to all our friends!
Passport285378
2017-01-02
Amazing experience , highly recommended !
It was the most important decision for us to choose a good tour operator for our upcoming wild life safari of Tanzania. We did a little research on the internet & zeroed in on the Restoration safaris based in Arusha, Tanzania. It is being run by Maureen & Bariki Laiser. We found them extremely honest & helpful. We wanted to have a private & customised safari. They designed a perfect 12 days itinerary for us. We started with a gentle 1 day hike at the Kilimanjaro foothills. Then we visited the Arusha, Terengire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro & Serengeti national parks. We saw almost all animals & birds. We were very lucky to have witnessed a pride of lions killing a zebra & a cheetah killing a gazelle. Bariki himself was our tour guide cum driver. We found him very knowledgeble about the region, animals & birds. He is a very safe driver as well. All the lodges they had chosen for us were the first class. Overall we came back very happy & satisfied. We would highly recommend Restoration safaris to anyone wanting to visit Tanzania for the wildlife watch. Truly amazing experience
ethuynh5
2016-11-06
Local Company That Goes Above and Beyond
My boyfriend and I went on a Safari with Bariki and Restoration Safaris from December 28, 2015 – January 4, 2016. It was a once in a life-time trip made extra special by the Bariki and his wife, Mourine.To start, Mourine was fantastic and worked around our budget and schedule with ease. We communicated over email. Our guide Bariki was with us everyday of the safari from pick up to drop off and we are so thankful to have gotten to know him. Bariki has been a guide for over 20 years and a few years ago, he decided to start his own company. His knowledge and passion for what he does is inspirational. He has a deep respect for the animals too, knowing how close he can get, and how long the car should stay before it stresses the animals out. In addition to being well versed about animals, he is also knowledgable about the local tribes, especially the Maasai. Lastly, Bariki is the consummate professional, working hard to make sure each and every day was perfect. After tracking in dirt and sand the day before, we would start each new day with a spotless car.For us, being with a local company was really important. This is a way to directly support the local economy. Overall, my boyfriend and I had a fantastic time seeing the animals, learning about the local cultures, tribes and even learning phrases and animal names in Swahili! I highly recommend doing a safari with Restoration Safaris and am happy to be a reference for Bariki and Mourine.
