Shadows of Africa

A Tanzanian safari company with offices across East Africa

Shadows of Africa is a safari company that tailor-makes private tours, with its main office in Mateves, Arusha, Tanzania. The homepage calls it "a Tanzanian World Travel Award winning Travel Agency" and a "Your One Stop African Operator," and says it has been running trips "since 2010." It sells its tours as private, in "Private 4x4 custom safari vehicles" with "Unlimited game drives with expert guides." The contact page lists offices of Shadows Of Africa Ltd in Arusha, Nairobi (South-Gate Building, South-B), Kigali (Makuza building), Reno in the USA, Maribor in Slovenia and South Africa, plus a Zanzibar office run as Tales of Zanzibar Limited. The destination menu centers on Tanzania and Zanzibar, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, and also lists Zimbabwe safaris, Ethiopia's historical sites and South Africa, with beach extensions as far as the Seychelles. Day trips run from Nairobi, Arusha, Dar Es Salaam, Kigali and Zanzibar.

Safaris and sample tours

The homepage groups trips as Wildebeest Migration safaris, gorilla and chimpanzee trekking, multi-country safaris, cultural experiences, weddings and honeymoons, Mount Kilimanjaro climbs, safaris from Zanzibar and day trips. Its "Tour ideas" list gives lengths and seasons for the Migration trips:

• Wildebeest Migration Safari, Western Corridor, 6 days (June)
• Wildebeest Migration Safari, Green Season, 5 days (April and May)
• Wildebeest Migration Safari River Crossing, 6 days by road (July to October)
• Wildebeest Migration Kenya & Tanzania, 11 days (June to October)
• Wildebeest Migration Safari, Calving Season, 5 days (December to March)

The Migration panel frames the route as running "From the Ndutu region of the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara in southern Kenya." The romantic holidays page adds a 6-day Love is in the Air Honeymoon Flying Safari on Tanzania's Northern Circuit, including Lake Manyara, and a Migration calving season trip combined with Zanzibar. It says the company hand-crafts honeymoons on the beaches of Zanzibar or the Seychelles, on a Tanzania safari, or around gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda.

The trip menu also lists classic, walking and family safaris. The blog backs the program with planning guides: a month-by-month guide to the Migration, gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda, where to stay in the Serengeti, Zanzibar beach hotels, bush planes in Tanzania, the tribes and religions of Tanzania, and a piece on seeing Kilimanjaro from the air for those who do not want what it calls a gruelling 7-day hike. Dated posts from 2024 to 2026 cover a Christmas safari in the Serengeti, combining a safari with a Zanzibar beach holiday, and the wildlife encounters it rates highest in Tanzania's national parks. The menu's wildlife and culture sections cover the Big 5, birdwatching, the Masai and the Hadzabe tribe.

Weddings, accommodation and on-safari promises

The Zanzibar wedding page says the company offers a selection of wedding and honeymoon venues in Tanzania and Zanzibar with safaris attached, and can book flights from the guest's home country and organize the ground arrangements. It says couples can marry with a handful of guests or none, that civil weddings in Tanzania and Zanzibar are usually held at the hotel or on the beach, and that a church wedding is possible if the couple brings a letter from their church declaring them free to marry in a religious ceremony. It adds that the planning itself can be done by the chosen hotel. It passes on the hotels' rules: bookings should be made as early as possible, hotels accept a maximum of 2 weddings per day, and most will not take wedding reservations between December 24th and January 4th, over Easter or on other public holidays.

On lodging, the homepage says: "We seek accommodation with friendly owners, helpful staff, great food, amazing pastime options, spectacular views, pleasant atmosphere and clean facilities," and "We guarantee good value for money, whatever your choice of accommodation is." Its "Why Book" list promises tailor made, private tours; expert advice 24/7; world class guides and unlimited game driving; specialized safari vehicles; and full financial protection.

The site also points to a Sustainable Transport Selection Policy and a Safari Etiquette guide, and says it partners with One Tree Planted to plant trees in its guests' destinations.

Booking, memberships and support

Booking starts with an enquiry: describe the trip, a travel consultant curates it, then you confirm. The site promises a reply "within 24 hours." Contact lines include a US phone number (+1 585 312 1991), a US WhatsApp line (+1 332 331 8621), a US toll-free number on the contact page (+1800 559 9144), and 2 Tanzanian emergency numbers (+255 784 954 453 and +255 622 134 453). The Nairobi, Kigali, Maribor and South African offices each list their own numbers.

The memberships page names the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) and the Rwanda Tours and Travel Association (RTTA) with their contact details, and says the company is a member of the African Travel & Tourism Association (ATTA). It also shows a SafariBookings partner listing, describing SafariBookings as an online marketplace for safari holidays. The footer describes the company as "an international team dedicated to sharing the beauty and wonder of Africa with the world," with a copyright line for Shadows Of Africa Ltd running from 2010, and the about menu's "Why us?" list repeats the pitch: safari tour specialists, years of experience, private vehicles, safe traveling and financial insurance.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The sample tours show lengths and seasons but no prices, and the site does not set out deposit, payment or cancellation terms; the footer links a separate Terms and Conditions page. "Full financial protection" is promised without naming the scheme behind it, and the World Travel Award is mentioned without a year. The site does not say which languages its guides speak.

Shadows of Africa suits travelers who want a private, vehicle-to-themselves safari in northern Tanzania, often timed to the Wildebeest Migration, with the option to add Kenya, gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda, or a Zanzibar beach stay, and who like having a local office and emergency line on the ground. Couples planning a Zanzibar or Tanzania wedding will find specific practical guidance. Travelers who want fixed prices up front will need to request a quote.