How to choose the right tour operator in Arusha

When I first arrived in Africa (2008), the online world had no real impact in terms of online bookings or travel in general. Aside from booking flights to Africa or possibly hotels, everything was to be organized on location. Thing is, finding an operator who offers day tours in a place such as Arusha was not an easy task and despite a lot of change since 2008, even now it can be a serious effort.

Finding day tours in Arusha

Even though this is the gateway to Serengeti National park and a number of other iconic attractions such as nearby Kilimanjaro, finding a reliable operator for day tours in Arusha can be a nightmare. Why? Well, there is a well known saying in Africa (T.I.A – This is Africa) and it stands for the fact that things always go wrong here. Yes, for one reason or another, your vehicle will break down, the guide won’t show up or you may not even receive any response to an enquiry.

On top of this, the market is “sown up” in Arusha, meaning that hotels are owned by tour companies or will only ever recommend one specific day tour. This can be a plus as sometimes it means they will only deal with the best but unfortunately, it more than likely means they get paid more by the operator regardless of their performance.

So what to do?

Well, if you do manage to track down the office of whatever tour tickles your fancy, then by all means ask them the questions: Can you be sure they will show up? What is included and what is not? Is that the full price? Can you have a discount?

Honestly, there is nothing by the way of customer service in Africa that you will find in most other places so the response to any of these questions may not be exactly what you want to here. And honestly? This is what prompted me to set up Daytourz.com – to make it easy for people like myself to find day tours in Africa.

Is this a sales pitch?

Yes and no, Yes because I am telling you the benefits of this website by creating fear but then no because this is the actual basis for what I do. Tour operators cannot always be trusted, some are good, some are amazing and some are simply useless. So, I want to help you find the best day tours but at the same time I want to make sure you get in touch with the right tour operators in Arusha so that you’ll stick with us by the time you reach your next stop in Africa. It’s really that simple but if you want to take a chance by all means go ahead!