Our Tanzanian Safari with Pristine Trails was the adventure of a life time. There were 6 of us both friends and family. Our Safari Guide Peter’s expertise in identifying... read more and locating animals made each day a unique experience. Other tour groups were jealous of our delicious hot meals at mid day. We stayed in 3 different national parks with no boundaries between ourselves and the birds and animals. A young elephant was pulling leaves off the tree outside my window.We saw giraffes,antelope, zebras, Wildebeests, Elephants , leopards, cheetahs, a male ostrich performing a mating dance, a pride of lions with cubs and 3, male lions taking a siesta together.We ended with a stay in Zanzibar with talcum powder sands, clear aqua water and the history of Stone Town.

  Unparalleled Trekking Experience with Pristine - Recently Summited Kilimanjaro end of Sept with Pristine and was thoroughly impressed! A big shout-out to our guides Yaki, Ibrahim, Passat, and Gladness for their unmatched expertise, and the dedicated... read more porters for their relentless support. Pristine Trails excelled in their offerings - comfortable walk-in tents, scrumptious meals, and notably, clean toilets. Their meticulous planning and execution ensured a memorable journey. Highly recommended for those seeking an impeccable trekking experience.

  Incredible and beautiful trek to Kilimanjaro and Safari at Tarangire and Ngorongoro  - I had the good fortune of going on a trek to Kilimanjaro and then visit Tarangire and Ngorongoro national parks on a safari. Every aspect of the trip was very... read more well taken care of.

To start with Kim at Pristine helped us with our planning and made sure all our countless questions were answered.

On the trek Yaki was our lead guide and he and his crew were absolutely incredible! Our comfort and safety was their paramount concern. They made sure it was an unforgettable and beautiful experience. I cannot praise enough their genuine concern and care and above all their professionalism!!! They are friendships I have built for life!

Safari to Tarangire and Ngorongoro was breathtaking to see all the animals in their natural habitat. Peter was our guide and he did an excellent job making sure we got to see all the animals. He also helped us shop a lot of souvenirs.

To summarize you don’t have to look beyond Pristine for your Kilimanjaro trek and safari adventure.

  Exceptional trip to Tanzania!  - We just returned from a trip to Tanzania and can not say enough good things about Pristine Trails. We did a 5-night/ 6- day safari to Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and... read more Central Serengeti. From the start Kim was very quick to respond, offered great suggestions and the booking process was seemless. When we arrived in Kilimanjaro, there was a gentleman waiting for us and he took us to an absolutely beautiful hotel in Arusha where we stayed for 2 nights. We then met Peter, our amazing guide and spent the next 6 days with him. Peter was very knowledgeable, very patient and extremely good at making sure we got to see as many animals as possible. He was kind, thoughtful, flexible, funny, and we couldn't have had a more perfect guide. I can't say enough good things about Peter. We had a wonderful hot cooked meals/lunch in the bush every day while others around us had cold box lunches. We even had a woman come up to us and ask us who our tour operator was during lunch because she couldn't believe our beautiful lunch. It was a fabulous experience and i can't recommend Pristine Trails enough!

  Pristine organized a GREAT trip!! - We had a fabulous trip with Pristine Trails. I am going to try to break up this review into 3 parts; the booking, the guide and our actual trip.
... read more /> We had Kim Krowne as our trip consultant who she was patient and knowledgeable. I don’t think there is much reason to shop around for price. The factors that affect your total cost will be the amount of days you stay, what you want to do, and what level of comfort you desire. I think the important thing is to find a company that you trust. Kim worked with us for about a year planning out our trip. She gave us lots of options and made suggestions that we would not have considered. Pristine is based right in Arusha and has people right there in case anything comes up. We liked the idea of Pristine because you have the same guide for the entire journey. We ended up doing 5 days in Rwanda to see the gorillas (Gavis was our guide there) and the 15 days in Tanzania at 5 different national parks (with Peter as our guide). We stayed at the second level of luxury in most places. We decided to take one vehicle just for ourselves (my wife and I). It would have been cheaper going with a bigger group, but I am very happy with our decision and I think we had a better experience because of it. Kim provides a great reference document that will help you plan for your trip. The only thing I would have asked for is more detailed information on tipping culture – who, how much, when? I would strongly recommend Kim and Pristine Trails and am happy to answer any questions you have if someone wants to e-mail me.

Our guide in Rwanda was Gavis and I cannot say enough great things about him. He was organized and informative. Before we arrived at any new experience, he would explain what was going to happen, what we needed to do, if there was tipping involved, and how much. I had some great non-safari conversations with Gavis and I really feel like I made a true friend. I would return to Rwanda just to visit him. I even gave him a hug after our time was done, and I am NOT a hugger.

Peter was our guide in Tanzania. He has done it for a long time and knew where to find all the animals. He was a great source of information and my wife and I ended up playing a game to see if we could stump him on any questions. We FINALLY succeeded on Day 14 with a question about what you call a group of vultures. Everything else he knew. He was fun and funny with just the right level of sarcasm. I always felt safe with him driving and it was nice having just the two of us in the car. Peter got to know us quite well. I have a few medical issues that I was very worried about, but Peter (and Kim) managed those very well. There is a cooler in the car in case you need to keep insulin cold. Peter even made sure I had power in all my rooms for my CPAP. There was no problem if I didn’t think I could finish a climb. One of my favourite things was just going to a Masai village near Lake Natron and having a beer and lamb and hanging out. It was an authentic experience. Peter is dedicated to his craft and has a love for what he does. There was a couple times that other guides / groups would leave garbage at the picnic sites and Peter would always collect their garbage as well as ours.

We started our trip in Kigali with a free day to roam around. Kigali was very clean and safe. We were told over and over again that we could go out any time, day or night, and feel safe. The country has a day once a month where everyone, even the president, goes out and cleans their neighbourhood. I found Rwandans very authentic. I met people and enjoyed conversations that

were not based on transactions of people trying to sell us stuff. I would definitely do a few more days in Rwanda if I returned. The gorilla visits were very well managed. You get assigned to a group of 12 people and one group goes to see each troop of gorillas. The first day we were assigned a medium climb and my wife made it, but I was unable to. It was about 3 ½ hours trek up a 30 degree incline. The park rangers seemed genuinely sad that I didn’t get the experience, so they worked with Gavis and got me out the next day, but I had to taker a stretcher up. I felt like an idiot having to take a stretcher. It was an easy climb, and I think I would have been fine going on my own, but in the end it was comfortable and I hope I helped enrich the local village. A lot of money comes into the local villages by having tourists hire a porter to help them get up the mountain. The cost was $10, but I gave mine $15. The stretcher ended up being $200 (for 6 people to share) and I gave $220. At least the money went to the local economy. You get 1 hour with the gorillas, and it goes so fast. They were about 4 feet away from us and the closest one had a little baby. I am very glad we added Rwanda and the gorillas to our safari trip.

For the rest of the trip, we stayed mostly in tents right in the natural parks. It is like camping with a butler and a chef. They really spoil you. There is no way you will ever eat all the food they give you. We were super impressed at all the places we stayed and tipped above the usual rate (we tipped $50/night). The only downside of a tent is that there usually are no fans. It gets hot and did not cool down most nights until 2 am.

You ride in a Toyota land cruiser that has been extended to 4 rows and has a pop-up roof. It is pretty comfortable. I am sure there is a lot of maintenance going into these vehicles after experiencing the ‘African massage’ you get on some of the washboard roads. The cooler is great for keeping coke or a beer in it for the game drives. All of the lunches are served hot out in the bush. Peter would set up a table complete with a tablecloth, wine, 3-4 courses and even dessert. Many of the other guide companies received only box lunches.

I was shocked at the abundance of wildlife on our ventures. Before I went I had hoped that maybe we would be able top see a couple of elephants and giraffes. The animals are everywhere. It would be more strange to be driving and not to see something. We added a night drive which was super cool. I would have done more of those, but they are not allowed in most parks. We also did the balloon ride that was also one of our favourite experiences. It was the best views we got of the Mara River, the hippos and crocodiles.

  Everything Exactly as Planned with zero hiccups!!!! - My husband and I just returned from our Safari, Mount Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar trip which was all booked with Pristine Trails. There are many companies to choose from... read more and we are so happy we ended up with Pristine. Everyone went the extra mile to ensure everything went smoothly and everything was exactly as promised. In addition, our Safari guide Laurent Samila was fantastic and so knowledgable. Our Mount Kilimanjaro guides, Kim and Suley where the best guides we could have asked for to ensure a safe and successful summit, not to mention all the support staff that Pristine employs. When we started looking into companies, we contacted a few companies and read about others online. Immediately when contacted, Pristine responded in not only a timely fashion but also asked us all the right questions so they could start building our trip. Most of it was anchored around our 8 day Lemosho Kilimanjaro trek. One of Pristine's founders, Kim was who we worked with. Kim was beyond helpful and responded to all our questions and gave us great suggestions all around. For the Safari and Zanzibar you can also select your accommodations based on different price points, which was a great option. I will tell anyone I know who is thinking about a Safari trip and/or Kilimanjaro trek about Pristine. There are so many companies to chose from and we were beyond happy we found Pristine and would highly recommend them. My husband and I have done many adventure trips and have had mostly positive experiences but Pristine went above and beyond.

  October 2023

I and group of my 7 friends hiked the Machame Route with Pristine, and afterwards we had a short two day safari to Tarangire and... read more Ngorogoro. The trip was absolutely fabulous and I could like to thank Pristine(Kim), Guides (Yaki/Passat/Ibrahim/Glady), and the excellent and very very kind porters.

This was a dream for me to hike and summit the Kilimanjaro and they all as a team made it happen for me and I am very thankful for that. I enjoyed every day of my hike with the team who was like a family.

It was perfect and they all helped to accomplish my goal.

The safari was a lovely way to end the trip too 🙂

Archana Mirle

  Extraordinary Safari Trip - An Extraordinary Safari Trip

We used Pristine Trails to plan our trip to Tanzania. And so glad we did! The trip came about with dear friends finally... read more realizing their dream to go to Tanzania and we decided to tag along. Then, a third couple joined in, too. Pristine handled the arrangements for all three couples seamlessly. They use a great email notification system, with to dos and reminders, all designed to ensure the trip will go smoothly. And it did! At Pristine’s suggestion, we all obtained our visas online beforehand to avoid long lines on our arrival at Kilimanjaro Int’l airport. Highly recommend that! Transfer drivers were always there waiting for us, and they were all nice men. Our safari guide was great- knowledgeable, funny, an excellent communicator, and he took us to places other drivers might not to increase what we saw. He had an ability to scope out locations the other drivers did not know about or were unwilling to travel to. Many times, we were the only safari vehicle in an area and this produced incredible experiences with many lions one day, and on another day we were the sole safari vehicle under the tree with a leopard. Every day was so visually rich, and the following day seemed to top the day before. Frankly, there is nothing like seeing animals in their natural habitat. I had done a safari back in 2007, but I had forgotten how miraculous and wonderful a safari can be.

We stayed in great places- tent camps. But, high-end tent camps, where food and luxury really abound. I think we were spoiled by it all, but why not? There is really nothing like visiting Africa. From the sounds, smells, people, and sights, it is simply an extraordinary trip. And finding the right tour operator makes all the difference in the world. Hurray for us that we chose Pristine Trails. From Kim and Edward to those we met in Tanzania, these are all knowledgeable, caring professionals, who take their job seriously, and will work hard to see you, too, have an extraordinary trip!!

  Highly recommend Pristine Trails - Pristine Trails helped us plan and organized our 15 nights safari/trek in northern Tanzania. We decided to use this company based on their responsiveness and thoughtful advice while also... read more listening to our plan. It took us several months and many many emails with Kim until we are satisfied with the itinerary. Throughout the process, Kim has been patient and consistently show that she really want to do this trip for us. In our view, what set Pristine Trails apart is their flexibility to tailor made our itinerary with different choices of lodges and of course competitive pricing with no compromise in the quality which we can confidently attested to after doing this trip.

We visited Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Natron and Serengeti. We also walked 2 nights / 3 days camping from Empakai Crater to Lake Natron. Our guide is Laurent and our chef (during the walk) is Severin. They are excellent and very thoughtful. We were very well taken care of and we still miss spending time with them. We saw pretty much everything we want to see - 2 wildebeests river crossing (big group too!), cheetah, leopard, black rhino, serval, so many lions and much more. Laurent is so good at spotting animals and anticipate their next moves putting us in great position to view / taking photos. He was with us from our first day until the last and we were so grateful to have him making sure that we enjoyed every moment. Severin made dinner for us in the bush that was so good.

I have no hesitation to recommend Pristine Trails and we plan to use them again for our next trip bringing our family to Tanzania.

  Luxury Safari of a Lifetime! - Every detail taken care of from start to finish! We traveled to Ngorongoro Crater, two locations in the Serengeti and Pemba Island as a group of 3 couples - close... read more friends. Our itinerary was custom designed by Kim and Edward, Pristine's owners. They are responsive, personable, and know Tanzania well. Kim is from the U.S. but spent 12 years there and Edward is a native.

Our guide, Laurent, was knowledgeable, professional, affable, had a great sense of humor, and was anxious to make our experience the best it could be. As we engaged in casual conversation with him, we learned about the animals, the culture, and day-to-day life. We also learned that Pristine's safari vehicles are maintained after every outing, whether it's a day trip or a 15 day safari. And, unlike many companies, Pristine does not limit how much fuel the drivers/guides can use, which means that they have the freedom to explore areas most other companies can not. These were things we never thought to ask while considering which company to choose. One example of this for us was to be in the Serengeti, without another vehicle anywhere to be seen, and to pull up within a few feet of a stunning leopard in a tree. We just parked and were in awe as we spent as much time as we wanted. That our guide even spotted this leopard from a crazy distance with his binoculars was mind blowing.

Knowing we wanted to be as connected to nature as possible, but still enjoy our creature comforts, Kim selected high-end luxury accommodations. They were exclusive tent camps. but don't be fooled by the "tent camps" name, these rooms are spacious, gorgeously decorated, and in the most magnificent settings. We woke up one morning to a giraffe right off the patio of our room!!

At the end of each game drive, we thought there would be no way the next day could be as amazing, but there was at least one remarkable experience each day, and most days there were several. We had reason to interact with two other Pristine drivers/guides and they, too, were charming, warm, fun, proud and excited to share their country with us.

One of the ultimate desires of our group was to witness the wildebeest migration across the Mara River. Seeing one crossing location would have fulfilled the dream, but we saw three different crossing locations that day...FANTASTIC!

When our safari came to an end, we flew from the northern Serengeti to Pemba Island. This part of the trip was for relaxation, scuba diving and snorkeling. The resort was peaceful, the beach was clean and we had it almost to ourselves. The rooms were so beautiful and we each had our own plunge pool. What an amazing way to end this trip.

Our friends started safari a few days before us, and went on to Zanzibar after us. Therefore, there were many logistics to manage and from pick up at the airport upon our arrival, to the safari, the accommodations and the flights within Tanzania, every detail was considered and managed.

I could go on and on about the quality of service, attention to detail, and care of Pristine Trails!!

  50th Birthday Celebration - Perfectly planned and executed trip by Pristine Trails. Had a couple of great safari days where we saw the Big 5 and a bunch of other animals. The... read more timing was setup just as we asked and all the accommodations were excellent. We stayed at the beautiful Gibbs Farm and then saw both Ngorongoro Crater and then Tangerine National Park. The two days of safari were just right to get us acclimate to the higher altitude and over our jet lag before starting our climb up Mt Kilimanjaro. All of the guides were wonderful and very friendly and accommodating the entire trip. Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro had always been a dream of mine, but what really made it special was the people we met and did this adventure with. They were always motivating us and providing good cheer and fun every step of the way. Our lead guide "Yaki" did a great job managing the expedition and leading the group. Every detail of the trip was thought of and performed at a high level. I highly recommend Pristine Trails to anyone wanting to summit Mt Kilimanjaro and spend a few weeks visiting this country with such beautiful scenery and people

  Celebrated 50th Birthday w/ Twin Brothe, Friends and Pristine Trails - Pristine Trails was top notch and put together a truly unforgettable trip. US-based team led by Kim made sure we were all well prepared with packing lists and detailed... read more itineraries before we left. Once we got there everything went extremely smoothly as we spent 2 nights at Gibbs Farm coffee plantation visiting Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park seeing the Big 5 (lions, buffaloes, leopards, rhinos and elephants) and a lot more (cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, etc, etc). However, the highlight of the trip was certainly hiking up Kilimanjaro. Truly a beautiful and special place but made even more so by the Pristine Trails' caravan of 37 team members that supported our group of 8 to the top. This included the highly-professional, knowledgeable and good-humored guides Yaky (lead guide), Juma, Ibrahim and Sampson to our very own personal attendants (mine was Ali) who ensured our tents, cots, hot-water for washing up, showers, etc would all get packed up as soon as we started off each day and would be ready for us when we got to a new camp, the porters who carried all the gear and always had a bright smile on their faces and a kind word of encouragement even as we tried unsuccessfully to race them up the mountain and finally our cooks who ensured we had 3-course meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner - I may have actually gained weight. Was extraordinary value for money. Since returning, I've highly encouraged my co-workers and friends to include a trip to Tanzania in their future travel plans and if they do so to certainly use Pristine Trails as the whole team was full of diligent, genuine and kind people that have a passion for showing you their beautiful country and making sure you have a trip of a lifetime.

  Our 16 days (Feb 19 -Mar 7, 2023) Kilimanjaro & Safari trip was absolutely amazing and unforgettable. It's one of my best trips. The entire group of 19... read more people made to the top of the Kili including an 81 year old guy Mr. Gary. Kim and her Pristine team was very professional on helping us from planning to finishing the trip. It's super easy and efficient to communicate with Kim. Everything is transparent including tipping amount advised by Kim. The crew members worked hard and dedicatedly. Their goal is "One Team, One Dream". Without their help, our dream of making to the highest stands free peak - Kilimanjaro couldn't become to true. All services were awesome and food was excellent at the Kili trekking. The accommodations of Safari trip couldn't be better. Drivers are very experienced and nice. Everyone was very satisfied with everything. We truly appreciated all their effort and help. We definitely recommend Pristine Trails Adventures & Safaris to our friends and other people.

  Look no further! Book with Pristine Trails! - What an amazing adventure! Kim and the Pristine Trails team helped us plan and execute a trip of a lifetime! We couldn’t be more thankful!

Kim was incredibly... read more knowledgeable, patient, efficient and delightful to partner with as we planned our adventure. Over months of planning, Kim emailed us endless ideas and options. Her patience with all our questions did not go unnoticed and were greatly appreciated.

The climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro via the 8-day Lemosho route was a true adventure! Our lead and assistant guides, Francis & Thomas, were relentless advocates for our safety and well-being throughout the trek. Maji Maji!! They were professional, funny, and always had their eye on the mission. Their first priority was safety and second priority was reaching the summit! Our group of four all reached the summit! The porters who supported us were absolutely, the most amazing group of humans! Their smiles warmed our hearts and their constant attention to every detail did not go unnoticed. We couldn’t have had a better team! Team Simba! Please do not choose a company who are not KPAP certified.

Our 5-day safari included time in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Central/Southern Serengeti. We had an outstanding time with our guide, Peter. He was patient with all our questions, relentless in his pursuit of finding us as many animals as possible, and shared highlights of Tanzanian history. His driving skills were top notch. We were lucky enough to see the Big Five and so much more! The lodges recommended by Kim were all amazing. Being nestled within the Serengeti with zebras walking through our camp at night was truly a magical experience! The Miracle Experience balloon ride over the Serengeti followed by a delicious bush breakfast was well worth the additional cost.

Quick safari tip: If using a SLR camera and don’t own a telephoto lens, consider renting. We were lucky enough to see a previous post and rented a 100-400mm telephoto lens, which enabled us to take high resolution, close-ups that would not have been possible otherwise.

As a final stop, we spent 4 days on the east coast of Zanzibar. A few days of total relaxation in complete paradise. If it’s hot & humid we would recommend skipping the Stone Town walking tour but if you do end up in Stone Town, don’t pass up Kim’s recommendation of a rooftop dinner at Emerson on Hurumzi Tea House. It was truly a special way to end our time in Africa.

We are absolutely so grateful to the Pristine Trails team! Shout out to Joel who was our on the ground contact and always available via WhatsApp! Kim is an absolute master at crafting an African vacation! You cannot go wrong with Pristine Trails. Don’t hesitate! No need to look any further. Book now!

  16 day safari was awesome! - This was my 3rd safari to Tanzania. I was happy with the other operators and sent requests to them and a few I had not used.

Since I... read more had already been on safari 2 times, I knew what areas and camps I wanted to stay at.

I really clicked with Kim! She actually listened to what I wanted. This is not always the case.
She suggested staying at Gibbs Farm which I had not considered. Am I glad we stayed there! The grounds and accommodation are spectacular!

One camp would be closed for renovations. She suggested Sanctuary camp on the crater. It is very close to where you have to check in to descend to the crater floor. Sanctuary was a very nice camp.
For the rest of the safari we stayed at the Lemala Camps which are excellent.

Our guide Laurent turned out to be the best guide I have had on my 3 safaris. My previous guides were very good, but Laurent is brilliant! Besides being a very good and careful driver, he’s was excellent at spotting wildlife and able to predict their next moves.
Laurent set up a table, chairs under the safari vehicle awning for our lunches.
Oh my, the lunch he arranged for the first park was awesome. We really had good variety.
He was able to answer my safari partner questions on a wide range of subjects.

I wholeheartedly recommend Pristine Trails and Adventures with Laurent as your guide.