Metamo Reviews 20

What an experience. It wasn't just a Safari experience as we got to visit with the actual people of Kenya. Metamo knows how to do it right!

It’s hard to put into words just how incredible this trip to Kenya was. Every aspect of the trip was meaningful… From red rhino, to Lukenya, Mount Kenya Safari club, and Kilima Camp, each place offered something unique. Safari in the Maasai Mara was definitely the highlight of the trip… We saw lions, elephants, baboons, cheetahs, hippos, crocodiles, and more… Utterly amazing!
Thank you, Greg and Susan for all of your planning and organizing for this experience. I’ll never forget.

We had an incredible trip with Metamo! Everything was well organized for our Kilimanjaro hike and we loved our guides, cooks and porters. After our hike, we had a great one-day safari and relaxing stay at a beautiful hotel arranged by Metamo. Thanks for everything Metamo!

Metamo, perfection!

Words can not adequately describe the level of service, care, and attention to detail both before and during the trip that Metamo gives. This was our second trip to Africa with Metamo. The first trip was four years ago to go on safari with my family in Kenya which was flawless and a life-changing experience for all of us (which even included a spontaneously arranged guided walk through the bush and along a river by Maasai Warriors!). This time we set our sights on climbing Kilimanjaro. Metamo helped us choose the best time of the year for our busy schedules and the weather, the route to give us the best chance of success, and even coordinated the climb for me to celebrate my birthday on the summit as the sun came up! To see the sun coming up over Africa is not something that can be described in words. The Mountain Crew Team were wonderful people, encouraged us, joked around and kept things upbeat. They took care of everything for us so we could focus on the climb. Our lead guide was so knowledgeable and really an expert in his field. The accommodations before and after the climb were Metamo level. Perfection. Everything about Metamo is 5 Star and I couldn't recommend a travel company more. You will be in the best hands possible for an experience of a lifetime. I look forward to my next adventure with Metamo!

You know that feeling of anxiousness that comes with travel to an unfamiliar country half a world away? Well, with Metamo you can just relax and enjoy what will certainly be a life-changing experience. My son and I, along with 3 close friends just returned from 11 days in Tanzania where we trekked to the summit of Kilimanjaro and still had time for a one-day safari in Tarangire National Park. Matamo’s concierge-level travel service began long before our journey, as they provide personal assistance with every level of planning including developing our itinerary, Visa application, health and insurance, training advice, travel booking, detailed packing recommendations, and much more. Metamo flawlessly handled every detail of our trip including meeting us at the airport, transporting us to our luxurious hotel, guiding us through Arusha during a day of sightseeing and souvenir shopping, transporting us to the Kilimanjaro trailhead where we were met with lunch by our very capable guides, cook, and porters; guiding us safely up and down the mountain with a level of comfort I’ve not previously experienced and with an approach likely to ensure summiting success; meeting us at the end of the trail for a very memorable celebration of our success – all five of us summited – with our entire team of guides, cook, and porters; returning us to the hotel, making last-minute arrangements for a next-day private safari in Tarangire National Park (note: I cannot recommend this highly enough as it rivals the experience of trekking Kilimanjaro); guiding and entertaining us on our last day in Arusha, and finally returning us to the airport. Metamo’s representative in Arusha, Mufasa, and Metamo’s guide on the mountain, Wilfred, took excellent care of us both in town and on the mountain. The accommodations were top notch as was the food. In fact, if your expectation is to perhaps lose a couple pounds on the trek, you can forget about it as the food is too tasty and plentiful and the guides ensure that you eat to keep up your energy. I cannot over emphasize that Metamo’s service covers every aspect of your trip – from the time you arrive until you depart, every need (and cost, including tips) is attended to. I was witness to many other trekking companies on the mountain and it is my honest opinion that no company took better care of their clients than Metamo. If you want a truly memorable, stress-free experience book your Kilimanjaro trek, safari, or both with Metamo. One last bit of advice – bring gifts, lots of gifts. You will become attached to your guides and porters and you will want to leave gifts. We all left much of our gear behind – including boots and jackets – and we wished that we had brought a large duffle full of thrift shop americana-style clothing to leave behind.

Metamo was a wonderful experience. I could not have asked for anything more from a company for this adventure. I felt heard, safe and most importantly I had so much fun!

Before leaving for our adventure, we anticipated the best part of the trip would be the feeling of accomplishment from summiting Kilimanjaro. Though we did summit, the highlight was the being unplugged from civilization in the vast openness of Africa's tallest mountain, meeting new friends and learning from our guides and porters about the land and the people we were among. I traveled with my adult son and life long family friends. Metamo's team handled every detail of our twelve day stay in Tanzania (picked us up at the airport, arranged first class pre and post climb accommodations & dining in Arusha, handled everything involving our Lemosho route climb, organized a post-climb coffee plantation tour, drove us to the airport, and so on). We'd do it all over again in a second and without changing a thing. We recommend that anyone thinking of visiting Tazania, Arusha or Kilimanjero contact Metamo.

My husband and I went to Africa for our honeymoon with Metamo in June of 2022. We have been to many other countries and by far this was the most unbelievable experience. We have always planned our trips ourselves, but there was no way we could have had the experience we did without Metamo. We were blown away.

We chose Tanzania and spent a week on safaris through the Serengeti and then a week on Zanzibar. As soon as we landed, Mufasa (our guide) was at the airport waiting for us...everyone should meet Mufasa, he is the best guide there is! We spent time at two different camp sites, each unique and breathtaking in their own way. Mufasa was in constant contact with Greg, making sure that everything went as smoothly as possible. We saw every animal you could possibly imagine from the small leopard tortoise and even smaller lilac-breasted roller to the giant African elephant and black rhinoceros. There were zebra and wildebeest everywhere, you could hear the hippos playing at night and the hyenas hunting. We had elephants at our campsite breaking down trees within a couple yards away from us. We saw lions with their cubs, a couple leopards, giraffes, crocodiles, and more. There is nothing more romantic than having dinner with your partner overlooking the sunset on the Serengeti, elephants and other wildlife in the distance, with floating lanterns around you...we had no words to describe what we were feeling.

When we left the Serengeti and arrived in Zanzibar, we were introduced to Ali, another amazing guide we highly recommend. We spent time in Stone Town where we experienced local foods and traditions. We went to an incredible night market and spent the next day visiting a spice farm. We had some of the best food at these places and learned so much about the history and customs of the people in Zanzibar. After a couple days exploring, Greg had booked us a beautiful and very romantic villa on the beach at Baraza Resort. It was the perfect place to wind down after all the travel and excitement. We spent our days there snorkeling, walking the beach, visiting the spa, and relaxing.

Greg had planned everything perfectly down to the smallest details. He had amazing relationships with the Metamo guides, we never had to worry or stress about anything. The staff at our tent sites and resorts were more than accommodating and kind. We highly recommend Metamo and can't wait for our next travel experience with them.

My recent trip to Kenya with Metamo was above and beyond my wildest expectations. The Metamo guides took us behind the scenes to see and experience a side of Kenya that I never would have seen without them. We went into a local community where we spent a couple of days hanging out with kids and adults and getting to know their culture first hand. We went to local markets where there were no tourists, had a behind the scenes tour of Nairobi, and experienced an authentic Masai Village while on safari. The multiple safaris we went on were absolutely incredible and our wildlife guide was phenomenal.  He was able to place us in optimal positions to be able to view the wildlife drama unfolding in front of our very eyes.  We saw the Big Five and thousands of other animals including seeing the migrating wildebeests and zebras and gigantic crocs waiting for them in the water. We saw over thirty lions in all kinds of different situations: lions on a cliff overlooking the water with one lioness roaring at a crocodile just below her, eight lions walking right by our car, a lioness sharing a zebra she just killed with a male lion, we saw several lion cubs playing, and the list goes on! Our safari vehicle was top of the line as was everything else. Our luxury camp was amazing and it was up on a bluff with sweeping views of the plains below and animals dotting the landscape.  The food was delicious and varied and almost everything is grown on site. It is hard to put our trip with Metamo into words and I am still trying to digest all that we experienced in just under two weeks. I look forward to my next travel experience with Metamo.

I have been in the travel biz for a big % of my working life, and I haven’t run into too many tour operators that have the kind of passion, care, service, and attention to detail that Greg and Metamo have. Not to mention, their absolutely awesome secondary mission is to put underprivileged kids in Kenya through school, and change their lives!

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of my adventure to Kenya with Metamo. Everything was so well organized and I was so well looked after that I didn't have to worry about a thing. We saw so much wildlife and got off the beaten track to experience different cultures. The accommodations were spectacular - we even had several zebras come into camp while we ate lunch, At night we heard lions and hyenas far off in the distance from our wonderful tented camp on a hill that looked over the plains below. The food was healthy and delicious. The guides and staff were so friendly and knowledgeable and went the extra distance to make sure we were always well looked after. We saw the start of the migration, got to see the Big 5, and searched and found rhinos in the rain. I wouldn't have changed a thing. I highly recommend Metamo to anyone thinking of going on a safari in Africa.

This trip was flawless in terms of logistics, activities, food, hospitality, and friendships made. As someone who travels often, I had no idea a trip could be planned and executed so well. From start to finish, every hour was accounted for and mapped out. We did not have to worry about any logistics. All of those hours were filled with unique activities that only someone who has lived in Africa would be able to coordinate.

Kilimanjaro:
Hiking Kili is a memory I will never forget. The guides were incredible, had answers to every question, as well as advice for every aspect of the climb. They were determined to get us to the top (we got to the top!). I was blown away by the hospitality and food! As someone who backpacks often, the food we ate on our hike compared (and was better) to food I cook at home! I'd recommend trying the Tanzanian chili ketchup! We built strong relationships with the guides who were so kind as to teach us Swahili and I'm still messaging a few of them! Sawa Sawa

The list Metamo put together of what to bring was a necessity. I spoke with folks on other tours and a lot of them did not bring appropriate clothing and struggled with the cold temperatures on the last day. We celebrated with a ceremony, champagne, and cold beers at the bottom of the climb, which was amazing after 7 days of hiking.

Safari:
We saw the big 5 and more! We walked into the lodge and there were Zebra's walking around about 10 feet away from us, which was quite a way to enter the lodge. The guide that Metamo connected us with was a pro among pros! He was determined for us to see the Big 5 (and a lot more). We even saw Rhino's twice, which is unheard of. The food, hospitably, and accommodation were fantastic! Certainly one of the coolest bar's I have had a drink at. Not to mention the lodge is 100% off the grid and sustainable, which is something important to me. All the food is grown there!

Anyway, Metamo absolutely killed it and I will certainly be planning more trips with them! Well they will be doing the planning :)

I knew we would enjoy our trip with Metamo but didn’t expect how much. What surprised me most was just how much we fell in love with Africa. It certainly made me appreciate my life and the people in it. I was so impressed by the local people. They had so little yet life was good and they were happy. The lions were a highlight. I didn’t expect to be so close to them! It was an Amazing African Adventure!

I have been on 3 trips with Metamo and each one was personalized to my requests and needs with great attention to detail. I’m looking forward to my next adventure with Metamo.

Our trip with Metamo was nothing short of life-changing. I always tell people that the animals were incredible but the people are what make me want to go back. I came home with a different view of my own world and community. Every day offered something incredible to remember but what we all remember the most is tea with a Joyce, a local woman who lived near Red Rhino Orphanage at the time. A complete strangers to us and speaking no English, Joyce showed us the true definition of hospitality. One of the safari trips that remains in my mind involved a lioness on the hunt. It was hot but just starting to rain. We watched her miss her kill, then walked straight to our window and pushed her head right to the window. She was angry about missing the kill and we were all very happy that everything was closed on our vehicle. The lioness stalked away and the rain created beautiful colors in the fields. I can still see that image in my head. After interacting with the people of Kenya, I realized very quickly how happy they all were. I also saw how little they had in terms of personal possessions. It seemed clear to me that we clutter our lives with "things" in our culture and it does little to make us happier, if not the opposite. I am forever mindful of this on a daily basis. There was a level of personalization and intimacy to our trip, and halfway through we tried to think of ways to get our driver to visit us in the US. Enough cannot be said of the experience altogether and we are just waiting for our kids to be old enough to share in a repeat trip with us.

The trip with Metamo was the most unique, most eye opening trip/experience I’ve ever had. There were numerous highlights but the top one was the Ngorongoro Crater.....it was spectacular!!! So many things - but we were immersed in the local culture on a daily basis which made the trip that much more meaningful. The interaction with locals made the trip even more special. I guess for me the absolute primitive and simplistic lifestyle was extremely eye opening—I was very exposed to the world prior to this trip but was impacted by how time has virtually stood still in many parts of Kenya/Tanzania outside the main cities. From mud huts, to no electricity, phones, TV’s, cars, to herding cattle, the animal kingdom on full display etc. etc. The visual pageantry was on display every day. The entire trip was priceless and easily the most rewarding/meaningful trip I’ve ever made. The cultural awareness/learning experience alone made the trip worthwhile. Being up close and in person observing animals on full display in their natural environment was something I’ll never forget. I think it helped teach me to appreciate simplicity and to not get caught up in the negativity of western life. In short it gave me “perspective”.

It is hard to explain other than the way I look at life is totally different from how I saw life before the trip. It is a trip filled with so many moments of "life" where it becomes a very reflective trip. Life changing! Each day of our trip was an incredible memory. As we would close out each day we wondered how anything could get better and then we would wake up the next day and it seemed to be even better then the day before. Being with friends and family and experiencing all of the beauty of Kenya together Watching a lion family with the mother and her cubs. Another one was when the Cheetah mother and her babies had cornered a baby wildebeest and the baby wildebeest came up against our jeeps for protection and how the driver slowly moved the jeep towards the higher grass and the baby wildebeest followed the movement of the car and escaped once he could protect himself in the grass. There are so many - additionally having the opportunity to witness the great migration.How beautiful Kenya was and how friendly the people were. Additionally the abundance of animals. Seeing nature untouched up close and personal. Having a front row seat to witness some of nature's true marvels.

Traveling with Metamo allowed me to meet new people and see a part of the world, that I never imagined going to. Between the African locals, nice hotels, safaris and hospitality I have a new perspective on the world.

Our family trip to Rwanda and Kenya with Metamo was spectacular. It is a totally different world over there. These experiences allowed me to fully understand just how large and diverse our world really is. A definite highlight for me was spending the magical time with the gorillas in Rwanda. I also enjoyed working with all of the children’s home and at a school which was one of the most amazing and influential experiences of my life! There were funny moments the entire trip but I think going on the safaris with all of the other kids on the trip had some of the funniest moments. Seeing the family of cheetah's attack the wildebeest is definitely something I will never forget! An adventure with Metamo is the best!

It was the best family vacation we have taken. This trip introduced us to a different culture, and we were able to share this experience together. I was always laughing and learning from the tour guides on safari. They were very entertaining. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of seeing the animals in their natural habitat. For me, the most memorable part of the trip was visiting the Masai Warrior village and learning how families lived within their community.