About Shilashi Safaris

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About Shilashi

We provide a quality safari experience & car rental

Shilashi Self Drive car hire and safari is a trustworthy and reliable car rental company located in Arusha, Tanzania. We specialize in providing both short-term and long-term car rental options and have branches in Dodoma and Dar-es-Salaam to cater to a wider range of customers. Our well-maintained fleet of vehicles offers more than just reliable transportation; we provide our clients with peace of mind knowing that they are travelling in safe and high-quality vehicles that are suitable for the road conditions in Tanzania and East Africa.

We take pride in offering our customers a vast selection of high-quality and cost-effective vehicles that are perfect for exploring Tanzania, East Africa, and beyond. Our extensive range of vehicles includes compact sport utility vehicles such as the Toyota Rav4 and Suzuki Grand Vitara, as well as sport utility vehicles like the Toyota Land Cruisers Hardtop, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, Nissan Patrol, and multipurpose vehicles. We ensure that all our vehicles are well-maintained, ensuring our clients’ safety and providing them with the best possible experience during their travels.

At Shilashi Self Drive car hire and safari, we offer competitive and affordable rates that cater to all our clients’ needs. Our mission is to provide our clients with exceptional customer service, offering a convenient, hassle-free, and flexible rental experience that exceeds their expectations. We pride ourselves on being a customer-focused company, ensuring that we meet and exceed our client’s expectations.

For long-term rentals, we offer reduced rates compared to existing market prices. Additionally, we offer special rates for volunteers throughout the year and other exclusive offers. We understand the importance of providing flexible rental options that suit our client’s specific needs, and we strive to ensure that our rates are competitive and affordable.

20 Years of Experience

Shilashi Self Drive Car Hire and Safaris have more than 20 years of experience in Tanzania. Our self-drive rental cars are fully insured, and we provide 24-hour rescue services and alternative car/s. A driver can also be arranged for those who cannot drive on their own.

Our team is comprised of highly-trained and experienced professionals who are dedicated to providing our clients with exceptional service. We take pride in ensuring that our client’s needs are met promptly and efficiently. We believe that our client’s safety is of utmost importance, and we ensure that all our vehicles are serviced and maintained regularly to guarantee that they are always in excellent condition.

At Shilashi Self Drive car hire and Safari, we are committed to providing our clients with an unparalleled level of customer service. We understand that planning a trip can be stressful, and our aim is to provide a hassle-free and convenient rental and safari experience. We take pride in our attention to detail and strive to make our clients’ experiences memorable and enjoyable.

Why choose us

20+ years on the market. High quality standards. Modern vehicles.

Tanzania Specialists

We have chosen to specialize in Tanzania, which makes us experts in the local wildlife and regions, and allows us to create a special and unique experience for our clients (as opposed to other "generalist" companies offering standard tours to many different African countries).

Unlimited Game Drives

Each safari offers unlimited game drives with no mileage restrictions and exclusive access to the most secluded and wildlife abundant areas in Tanzania. Most other companies operate shorter, limited game drives and never end up making it far from the lodge - or the other tourists.

Flexible Travel

By choosing Shilashi, you have the luxury of setting your own agenda (with our help) and you won't be shuffled through the rigid itineraries and fixed timetables that other companies often require you to adhere to.

Variety of Activities

Choose from a large selection of unique optional activities including authentic cultural tours, scenic flights, field talks, balloon safaris, bush picnics and walking safaris.

Personalized Experience

You are in complete control of when, where and how long you game drive, what animals you look for, how long you stay at each sighting and when you return - it's all up to you.

Unsurpassed Service

We are committed to provide you with an unsurpassed level of service. Our passion, commitment, and expertise are what set us apart.

Reviews

5 Star rated Tanzania Tour Operator & Car Rental

Excellent
Based on 50 reviews
Xu Michael
Xu Michael
2023-12-10
Kenny the best
Amanda Paust
Amanda Paust
2023-11-27
After 14 days in Tanzania with Shilashi Self Drive and our fantastic driver, Kenny, we will not hesitate to give the best possible recommendations to the company and to Kenny. Best decision of the whole trip to book this service! We were six people who spent most of our time in the car, and throughout the entire trip Kenny was an excellent tour guide, an experienced driver, and good company. He was always prepared to help out with all sorts of arrangements and paperwork for the national parks, and always in a good mood, very reliable, friendly, and positive. He knew exactly where to go to find the best places for spotting animals, getting good food and avoiding traffic. The car itself was very very nice. It had comfortable seats, charging outlets, fridge to keep the drinks cool and a roof that could easily be lifted to allow for a great view of the surroundings. Only minor details can be noted: If you travel in a group of six people, make sure to pack relatively light (we just barely managed to fit six hand luggage suitcase/bag, five backpacks and one large suitcase into the trunk). Moreover, we would recommend flying directly to Tanzania if you have the possibility. We came to Tanzania via Nairobi, Kenya, where Tanzanian drivers are not currently allowed to go, so the company had arranged a Kenyan driver to pick us up from the airport and one to take us back. These drivers were also very friendly, punctual and helpful, but the cars did not meet the same high standards as the safari car. That said, we were overall very happy with the service provided by Kenny and Shilashi Self Drive and would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a safari car and a driver in Tanzania. Thanks again to Kenny and the Shilashi team.
daskl ooo
daskl ooo
2023-10-28
We had an amazing experience with Kennedy and Shilashi. Everything turned out as advertised and Kennedy is a very experienced and knowledgeable guide who will accommodate the experience according the clients preferences. In our case, we were photographers who preferred to shoot from early to morning to late in the evening. A good driver and guide really make the difference in the experience as well as a reliable and strong car. One thing to mentioned might also be the fact that a self organized tour requires the booking of permits for parks upfornt which I didn't know before. Kennedy has helped us though to figure this out in advance which made the trip very smooth. Tanzania is a beautiful place to visit but can be difficult to navigate as foreigner, in particular in remote areas like Serengeti and lake Natron.It is really important to choose a company that is reliable and knowledgeable which will make all the difference in particular in unexpected situations. For these and the reasons above I do recommend Shilashi and Kennedy in particular.
Mark Fraser
Mark Fraser
2023-10-27
We covered 3500km over two weeks. Thanks to Kennedy’s safe driving and expert knowledge of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, the trip went very smoothly and we had amazing game viewing!
Ali M
Ali M
2023-10-19
Expérience inoubliable en self drive grâce à Shilashi ! Nous avons opté pour un safari sans guide afin que l’expérience soit plus complète. Et quelle expérience incroyable ! La voiture un peu ancienne mais c’est normal et nous n’avons eu aucun problème sur la route. Margaret et Candice ont répondu à toutes nos interrogations avant d’arriver sur place. Une fois sur place Kennedy, un guide avec beaucoup d’expérience, nous a donné pleins de précieux conseils et nous a expliqué comment monter la tente de toit. Encore merci à toute l’équipe ! Je recommande +++
Joana B.
Joana B.
2023-09-26
I worked with Shilashi for 6 months and had a great experience. The drivers Maurice and Kennedy were absolutely amazing and helpful! They sorted everything for the team. 100% recommend!!
Sanitas Servicios
Sanitas Servicios
2023-09-22
Amazing women owned safari company. Shilashi team welcomed me since day one like family and was there to help the all time, I did self drive for a week on a Tented Landcruiser and couldn’t have been better. One of the best experiences ever, definitely would recommend. Asante Sana
Eliza Ennis
Eliza Ennis
2023-09-14
Kennedy was an amazing driver and guide! He knew all of the best spots in the Serengeti for finding animals — we saw lions, cheetahs, the wildebeest migration, hyenas, buffalo, elephants, a million giraffes, zebras, every type of antelope, and many many more things! We saw lots of baby animals too (elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions). He was also quite entertaining and did a great job accommodating all of the places we wanted to visit! My only advice is to pay for the car and park fees to Shilashi in advance via wire transfer or bring enough USD to cover all of it — it is hard to get USD in Arusha, and you must pay park fees in USD. The car service didn’t mention this until we had already started traveling so it caused an initial hassle at the beginning of the trip. However, overall I would definitely use this service again! It was also quite well-priced compared to the other offerings.
Valentina Rossi
Valentina Rossi
2023-08-07
Super experience with Candice and all the guys at Shilashi Car Rental. We rent 2 cars, with camping equipment for 8 people in total, for a self-drive experience in Tanzania. We visited Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire. After asking several quotations, they ended up being the most economical option. But still everything was perfect and Shilashi staff has been very available and kind in helping us: *our accommodation in Arusha changed at the very last mintute but the dropped-off the cars at the new address with no extra charge! *they allowed us to return the cars at the airport, and also charged us only 1/2 day on the last day, when we had to chatch the flight (most company will charge you the whole day anyway) *we took good care of the cars and returned them with no damages caused by us, but still both windshield got damaged by stones hitting us while driving (not our fault, but it happened anyway during our rental). They have been very understanding and return 100% of the deposit we left in cash. Absolutely highly recommended!

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Head Office, Arusha

Makao Mapya
Opp Dar Express Bus Terminal
P.O Box 7174 Arusha, Tanzania
+255 755 373 111

Dar es Salam Office

Plot No 120 Block E Mbweni JKT
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
+255 746 690 692

Dodoma Office

Opposite with Tanzania Parliament
Main Entrance Gate
P.O.Box 930 Dodoma, Tanzania
+255 679 003 630

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