Tours by Locals (aka Kiliholidays)
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB, KINAPA, MNRT & TPO
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
FR
Email Nicolas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing first safari experience
4 friends and I did a 8 days tours safari around Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Natron...
Beyond the magical landscapes and wildlife,
Mack, the owner, showed real flexibility during the organization of the safari and was very helpful at the end when we had problems with our return flight to Dar Es Salaam.
Tumsifu, the driver, and Innocente, the stomach engineer, were so friendly and competent, everything was perfect.
Do not hesitate, go for Kiliholidays Tours (and ask for Tumsifu and Innocente if possible...)
CA
Email MBurry | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Average safari at Selous Reserve
We booked a 2 day, 3 night safari to Selous Reserve. Communication with Mack was good, our driver was punctual, and there were no surprises with payment. We were told that we had been upgraded to a better lodge at no extra cost, as Kiliholidays had received complaints about the lodge they typically book. This was appreciated and a good business decision. The lodge (African Safari Lodge) was beautiful and the rooms were great, but the food was average (we have had much better in Tanzania thus far).
Our driver and guide was friendly, but he did not seem to have much experience with the reserve itself. We were disappointed with the game drives, though to be fair, I know any safari is a gamble and our lack of sightings may not have had anything to do with our guide at all. Coming to Selous is a trade-off-you won't face traffic jams like you would in the Serengeti, but it is also harder to spot the big animals.
Finally, I was disappointed that the we didn't follow the schedule/description we had agreed upon prior to booking. I was told that we would have a chance to swim in a hot spring at sunset on day two, and was really looking forward to it. When we asked our driver/guide about this, he seemed surprised, and said there is a hot spring, very far away, and that the only time we could swim is in the late morning/early afternoon. We declined, as this would cut into our game drive time, and a hot spring at 14:00 in the heat isn't appealing. Very misleading.
I should add that we had come from Maasaii Mara in Kenya and had an AMAZING safari experience for a much LOWER cost! Our guides in Maasaii Mara were incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgable and we were on game drives from 06:00 until 18:30. We saw so much wildlife, mainly in the morning and evening. With this safari, we left one day at 07:30 and returned at 16:30, and the second day left at 09:00 and returned at 15:45.
To summarize, our experience was very average and not the best value.
DE
Email Thorsten Schultz | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari experience
We booked the 3 day Safari package in Selous. On Friday we were picked up at 9 am at our hotel. There we had to pay the rest of the Safari in cash (1000$). This is quite inconvinient, as it is hard to get so much money in Tansania (ATM charge fees and only gives out TSh, bank only gives out 800$ per day). So if you can I would recommend to get the cash in your country in advance.
The trip to Selous takes about 5-6h. Our driver ("Fun") was really nice and helpful. During the whole trip water was provided, however, for other softdrinks one would have to pay. On Friday evening we had a 2h boat safari.
Saturday was really intense. Early in the morning (6am) we had a walking safari with a native guide, which was a unique experience. Afterwards we had a Jeep safari from 9am to 5pm, which was the highlight of the whole trip. It is amazing to see all these animals in their natural habitat.
The accomodation was nice and comfortable. All food was included and comparably good.
On Sunday we were driven back to Dar es Sallam and taken directly to the ferry to Sansibar.
All in all it was a very enjoyable experience.
NL
Email Andrea | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very professional driver, excellent accomodation, wonderful places
Safari has been amazing. The place where we stayed, the Farms of Dreams lodge, was stunning.
We got picked up on time at Arusha airport, first day at Tarangire park, we could spot Antilopes, Elephants, Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes, Velvet Monkeys and from far away also a Cheetah. There are facilities at the entrace of the park. Tumsifu, our guide, has always been very professional, friendly and ready to answer all our questions. Packed lunch food was good.
Second day, Ngorongoro crater was very nice. The place itself is gorgeous, and full of animals. A lot of wildebeests and zebras, but we could also spot lions, hippos and a rhino from far away.
Third day, lake Manyara, very nice, more rainforest environment. Close encounter with elephants and baboons.
Farms of Dreams lodge was fantastic. People are very friendly and make you feel always good. I'd really like to be back there.
Only 1 little trouble in the beginning, dealing with payments. We would have liked to pay by card or bank transfer, but system was not properly working and they told us that the safari was supposed to be paid in cash only few days before leaving. But that got fixed easily.
Email Molly Davies | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience! Totally recommend
I booked to climb Kilimanjaro and then do a safari with Kiliholidays (Mack, who was great at organising it all). I booked the 7 day machame route, which is most scenic and every day had incredible views, recommend this route! I have to say it was the best experience of my life, summiting is unexplainable you HAVE to do it yourself to totally understand the amazing, for me emotional, breathtaking (literally lol) moment and due to one guy, my guide Rufano Masi this was made possible, not only was he a guide, he was a friend. He made sure himself and his brilliant team went beyond everything they could do to make it a brilliant experience, I can defiantly say they exceeded in performance and expectation, I cannot thank them enough. Their smiles and support filled the camp every second of the day making even the tough times a lot easier. Every day was its own challenge and unique experience building up to the final summit day, Rufano was professional in every way and totally trustworthy and as a young (20 year old) single girl from England travelling for the first time on my own I felt totally safe and comfortable the entire trip. Rufano was encouraging making us all laugh everyday, he made sure we all had what we needed (and if I was missing something he made it available on hire) and from the very first time I met him at our briefing he was full of passion and determination that I would achieved what I wanted too, this passion was constant throughout the trip and myself and my amazing group submitted! His experience showed through his great knowledge and communication was easy, his English is nearly as good as mine! I learnt a lot from him, if I was in Arusha for longer I would have also loved to have gone on a coffee tour and visited the hot springs which I know he takes clients too, I will have to come back again! I don’t want to give to much away from Kilimanjaro because it’s an individual experience, am amazing sense of achievement which effects everyone differently I would love to encourage anyone thinking about it to just go for it and from my experience Rufano is a perfect guide! Oh and not to mention he is a great photographer capturing many special moment throughout the trip!
We summited in 6 days instead of 7 due to Rufanos suggestion due to his experience and knowledge of the weather conditions not being the best if we had that extra day, myself and group trusted his opinion (he gave us the option totally up to us what we did as we paid for 7 days) but he knew best, and it was the best decision we made! It did mean squeezing 2 days into 1 but It showed it was a great decision because we made it to the top and I’m greatful and so so glad we did it! This is just one example of Rufano thinking about what is best for this clients in order to achieve that end goal. This meant we had an extra day of rest before safari which I was also grateful for!
The safari was amazing During this 4-day camping safari you will visit the Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park. We saw lots and also saw rare things such as a leopard and also 10 lions catching a buffalo! Our driver was knowledgable of the animals and parks! Totally recommend this! Amazing experience! Thank you Kiliholidays, everything was organised from my airport pick up until last day of safari where I had my own accommodation sorted in Arusha (they dropped you off and were more than happy to stop by a shop on way back). Overall the best experience which I will treasure for the rest of my life no problem was too big/too small I couldn’t have asked for more!
Email Julia Harrington | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience with very knowledgeable guides and a chief who made delicious meals.
An amazing experience I will never forget. Great staff, excellent facilities.
US
Email Jim | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari, accomodating guide
The guide was very accomodating and flexible. He worked with our schedule and modified his plan and route to facilitate the things we wanted to see. He was very nice. I recommend this group for anyone.
Email Julitha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent 7 day Machame route with kiliholidays.
We completed the 7 day machame route with Kiliholidays Tours. Well organized and professional services. Our guides and porters were knowledgeable, helpful, and wonderful to hike with for 7 days. The food was delicious and the tent camps were very comfortable. We were led by guide, Barnabas and assistant guide Fred.
The whole team was great to work with from booking and answering questions and last minute requests. All of the wonderful porters who were part of Barnabas team. They did their absolute best to make it wonderful and unforgettable experience.
A couple of things in particular that I would like to highlight. The cook for our trip (frank) was amazing. He made meals that kept us going and were as good as almost anything I had in the one prior week I had been in Africa- Tanzania. His soups in particular were great and kept us warm.
I really appreciated the approach to tipping employed by Kiliholidays as well. We were told up front that at the end of our trek we would be able to give our tips directly via sealed envelopes given to each member of the team, which we did. It was nice to be able to hand each man their tip directly as I had heard that sometimes the porters don't receive all of their tips when they are given to the company directly. These guys worked incredibly hard and deserve every penny.
Finally, Barnabas and Fred did a great job getting us to Uhuru peak. The night of our summit attempt it was snowing, quite cold, and there was already enough snow in places for me to sink up nearly to my waist. The group of 17 behind us only had 7 make the peak. But by carefully picking our departure time, route, and giving us clear instructions we made it just at sunrise and it was spectacular. Thanks to Mack for his great advice on route selection.
I would not only recommend Kiliholidays for the professionalism of the office staff and operations manager but also by the clearly passionate, caring, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful guides, cook and porters. We could tell they enjoyed working together and they were singing to keep up our spirits.
US
Email Bethany | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flexible and fun!
The communication with Mack before the tour was excellent. They were able to add 2 people to the tour at the last minute.
Thomas our driver and your guide was professional, flexible and informative. Highly recommend this tour!
RO
Email George | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
perfect safari trip, perfect guide, best price
We had a wonderful time in 4 days safari trip in game reserve Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti, all organised by
Kiliholidays. We receive also airport transfer and accommodation before flying back home, that a perfect service also. Kili is a small company in Arusha, and this is one on the reason that I choose them. They pay attention for every client, because is very important for them to survive in a high competitive market of tanzanian safari. The communication with the manager, the knowledge and ability of the driver was very important and made for us a great trip and lifetime memories...Mack, Thomas, Daniel, thank you and good luck