Our Luxury Safari Jeeps
Mama Savana Safaris
- Offices In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
CA
Email Cathy | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
All communication with Mama Savana was done by e-mail, which was always answered promptly. Alex was very helpful and patient with me. The safari was spectacular, we saw the big 5 and many other animals, cheetah, leopards, elephants, zebra, giraffe, lion cubs playing, a day old elephant were particularly memorable. Harun, our driver was very knowledgeable and answered all our guestions.
We also spent 5 days in Zanzibar. Stonetown is beautiful and we should have stayed there another day, there's so much to see and explore. The resort and beach were like being in paradise. All our accommodations were comfortable and meals were delicious. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime for my family and myself. We left Africa with many warm memories and feeling like we are part of the Mama Savana family.
PL
Email Tim | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lifetime experience!
We decided to go for a Safari with Mama Savana in March. Without hesitation we can admit it was the best decision we could make.
During organisation we had great contact with very kind owner, Alex. He gave us all vital details and was very flexible while arranging our trip. He arranged airport pick ups and hotels before and after Safari.
During our Safari we were guided by Alen. The real Safari master and magician. He's very experienced, smart with great sense of humour. During 6 days together he became our good friend. With his experience and huge knowledge of the nature he took us to wonderful places showing much more than we could expect.
We can honestly recommend Mama Savana Safaris. Thanks to them we had magical trip and lifetime experience!
Email Lu | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable experience and a fantastic service from Mama Savana
Took me few months to write the review and I can say that the excitement about our 10-day safari experience with Mama Savana are still very vivid in my mind. I have never revisit the photos of a holiday so many times as I've done with the ones I took while in Tanzania. This was not our first safari destination and our awe was not because it was the first time we've seen fantastic wildlife or landscape. Everything was just amazing, the tented camps, the lodges, the drives, the food, Alex from Mama Savana was great in organising everything to fit what we wanted to do and very quick to respond and act when needed. He even helped us with aspects of our holiday in Zanzibar before we started the safari. Joseph was a fantastic safari driver and the Osinon tented camp was the best of the many we experienced. Mama Savana staff are all very polite, reliable and professional, I highly recommend booking with them. After flying from Zanzibar to Arusha in a small plane with fantastic views of the Kilimanjaro, Joseph was waiting for us at the airport and took us to meet Alex at the nearby Coffee Lodge. We then started our drive to Tarangire National Park, where the majestic baobab trees are a particular feature of the landscape and where you'll see a lot of elephants. The Sangaiwe Tented Lodge was great and we enjoyed the views from the lodge (although we really spent pretty much all daylight hours in safari drive, so didn't quite enjoy the pool and other facilities). Our next stop was Lake Manyara National Park, with a very different type of landscape and vegetation, and the hot spring, which was interesting to see. As it had rained a lot in previous days, Lake Manyara was quite deep and we didn't see the large gatherings of flamingos there and some of the roads around the lake were flooded. Yet, a very interesting park, I think it was the only place where we saw Sykes monkeys. From there we went to Lake Eyasi where we spent the morning with the Hadzabe tribe following them on a hunt, seeing how they cook and live. It was a genuine experience as that day they were very successful in their bow and arrow hunting. We then visited the 'blacksmiths', a primitive forge where they were melting down old padlocks and using the metal to make arrow heads (using a nail and a hammer!), ornaments and other stuff. We then went to visit the house of a Toga family, again, very genuine experience as we found out that that the local guide's sister was one of the (many) wives of the house we visited! From there we headed to the fabulous Serengeti National Park. Spectacular does not do it justice. You need to go there to appreciate the size of the park (no wonder Serengeti means endless plains in the Masai language!) and the vast numbers of animals. On arrival at dusk at Osinon Tented Camps we had an excellent dinner under the stars and really enjoyed the whole of our time at that camp. Great food, great staff, fantastic location. From central Serengeti, we went to the Ndutu area, which was my favourite really. In February, the wildebeest migration just bring an amazing number of animals, all with their calves, and you can see them even by the road, wildebeests, zebras, impalas, gazelles, hyenas, birds of all sorts... and then there are the tree climbing lions, lions mating and lions with cubs, and cheetahs, leopards and more... unforgettable! The Heritage Camp was really nice. Our last safari day was in the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater... wow, what scenery! Our stay at Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge was great…lovely property will all the trimmings. Brilliant rooms and settings, very good service and there we finally had time to go for a swim in the pool, so nice!
Thanks to everyone at Mama Savana and sorry this review was posted late. I do hope you are starting to get some tourists back as you probably had such quiet times due to the Covid pandemic. I'm sure you clients will have a brilliant experience and be as pleased with your services as we were.
FR
Email Timothée | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgetable safari !
Mama Savana is a very professional company. Alex is very reactive and flexible in the planning of the custom made safari (Always good proposal), especially in this covid period ! Our guide Allen was very experienced and friendly during the safari. He knows where to go and when to see the animals. We learned a lot with him !
Besides we also booked hotel and excursion in Zanzibar with mama Savana and everything went well too.
US
Email Audrey and Chris | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari of a Lifetime!
Despite COVID-19 we took the plunge at the end of September and travelled. This was our sixth safari vacation, but accounts of an empty Serengeti were too much to resist. Luckily, we found a safari operator, Mama Savana, who was willing to work with our last-minute requests and assure us of ultimate flexibility should flights cancel or our COVID test turn out positive. Alex was great to work with—always professional and friendly and he went over and above regarding prompt responses; at one point I asked him if he ever slept since I’d receive responses in Tanzania’s late evening hours. Alex put together an excellent trip for us that included, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Central and Northern Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater. Camps ranged from amazingly luxurious to good—I asked for the range of accommodation to balance cost and luxury, and Alex listened.
Our guide Allen was one of the best we’ve encountered during our safari experiences; a true safari master. Often once guides learn we’ve been to Africa they stop educating us, even though we ask them to share their knowledge. Allen was awesome, lots of information!! He has great overall knowledge and great bird knowledge. We loved that he carried bird field guides so that he could show us the bird in the book. I’d take a photo of the page right after the bird photo so It’d be an easy ID a month later when I started sorting through photos. Allen was great at making sure we got good photos and has a keen eye for lighting and composition. Allen is also an amazing “spotter” which certainly provided experiences we may not have had without him. Allen understands animal behavior and was able to time our approaches to increase the likelihood of seeing a specific behavior. For instance, in the Ngorongoro Crater we witnessed a male ostrich executing a courtship dance to an interested female. We watched from a distance until the female laid down and the male quickly ran over to receive his prize. Only once the male started running toward the prostrate female did we maneuver closer—if we’d have moved too soon, the pair may have changed their minds and we’d have missed the mating. We also saw a large group of wildebeest crossing the Mara on Oct 5th! Allen hung back from the riverbank for that one too and encouraged patience explaining the likely behaviors we would witness prior to a potential crossing. After two hours it happened, and it was an amazing experience that will forever be etched in our memories. Lastly, Allen has a fun sense of humor and was a great traveling companion, we gained a friend on that safari!
Every safari is a once in a lifetime experience but having the wildlife essentially to yourself in one of the world's premier safari destinations is an unparalleled experience unlikely to ever be repeated again. While this experience was certainly unique, having an expert planner and an expert guide, like Alex and Allen, will set a solid foundation for your safari. Thanks Mama Savana!
US
Email Helen Garcia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Better than I could ever imagine! Amazing!
Booking a trip to Tanzania can be overwhelming with all the tour company options. But look no further, booking mama Savana was the best decision we made. From the moment I inquired about the trip, Alex texted me. He answered all my questions and adjusted the itinerary and our accommodations to fit what we were looking for. He was so responsive. One day before our trip Qatar airways cancelled our flight! I panic text Alex and he immediately Re-arranged our tour to go along with the next flight. He even booked a local flight for us because Qatar was no longer flying us to JRO as originally planned. It made what would’ve been a nightmare problem, a breeze. From the moment we got off the plane both Alex and Joe greeted us. They brought us flowers and customized their jeep to welcome us.
JOE WAS THE MOST AMAZING GUIDE EVER! Wow that eye on him. He would stop the car and be like “look right” and here we are grabbing binoculars and he had already spotted a leopard or a lion so far back. He didn’t miss a single animal! I have no idea how he could spot all those animals so easily.
Also thanks to Joe and his amazing patience, we got to see the Wildebeest cross the Mara Mara river! WOW it was the most incredible thing I’ve ever witnessed. Then he spotted a lion feasting and said “do you mind if we get closer.” He took us off path and we then found ourselves 4 feet away from a lion eating a gazelle. I have selfies with this lion. It’s amazing. What a thrilling experience. He is the best guide, best animal spotter, and a very knowledgeable and sweet guide. we actually enjoyed those fun facts he shared. This safari exceeded all my expectations, I am still on cloud 9 thinking of everything we experienced.
The accommodations were also amazing!!! The staff at the hotels went above and beyond for us. I have absolutely no complaints! Everything went so smoothly.
DE
Email Pavan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Awesome Safari!!!!
This November 2020 we visited Serengeti for the second time .Mamasavana did a professional job . The guide was Allen . He was very good . As I am into photography he was aware of my needs .As far as lighting and good positioning of the vehicle goes . He was exceptionally good at sighting animals . This is my 3 rd safari in Africa and my 50 th safari overall . I am into wildlife and myself very knowledgeable about flora and fauna of Africa . To satisfy us with guiding skills was a tough job and Allen did a fantastic job . I wanted to go to different parts of Serengeti .Bologonja ,northern , central ,mbuzi mawe areas . Allen covered all these areas tirelessly and we sighted many animals in action . Our priced sightings were when we sighted a giraffe mom guarding it's dead calf from hungry hyenas . The mother was just not ready to give up it's dead calf to the hyenas . The hyenas were harassing the mother giraffe for many hours . The hotels ,lodges and camps we stayed at were top class and the flights arranged were all perfect . Travelling during corona was a blessing in disguise .
Special mention to Mustafa he was punctual while picking us up on arriving at Kilimanjaro airport .On the last day we did a local tour of Arusha and some shopping and he was here too very accommodating and took us to an Indian restaurant called hot tandoor for lunch . The food there was just awesome. Mara Mara tented camp in north Serengeti was glamping gone extreme. The best food we have ever had. Kubu kubu tented camp was equally breathtaking. My photo collection from this safari is just very very good compared to my previous ones . At the last day we topped our safari experience with a breathtaking hunt . A cheetah took down a gazelle and it was just mind-blowing . Alex was precise and professional in arranging the safaris. He gave all info so that we could make informed decisions. Allen is a safari specialist and as I was interested in birds he went that extra mile sighting interesting birds for us . Amazing amazing safari. Our next safari will definitely be with mamasavana with Allen and Alex managing the safari along with my sisters family.
AT
Email Patryk | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Amazing Experience!
We decided to do a safari last minute and out of the agency's we contacted the proposal from Mama Savana convinced us with it's professionalism and attention to detail. The manager, Alex was always available and responded unbelievably quick to our questions and requests that we had. Also during the trip he was always available to contact, so we always felt in good hands. In the end Alex and Mama Savana came up with a perfect plan for our last minute Safari. Everything was planned and executed perfectly. Everything went as planned and promised. Our guide was Allen and he did a great Job driving and showing us all the best places. We got to see the big five and the amazing nature in serengeti through his guidance and we always felt safe driving with him. Finally, all the camps Mama Savana suggested and booked for us were beyond our expectations in comfort and service quality. Overall we received great quality for money and amazingly friendly service through this agency. We can fully recommend it to everyone!!
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Email Dana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari of a Lifetime!
My partner and I embarked on the 4 day safari through Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti, Dec 29 - Jan 2. Haruni was our safari guide, and he was so knowledge, kind, funny, and accommodating. He made sure we saw all the animals, including the big 5, and was always ready to stop the car so I could do a sound recording, or back up 20 feet so I could get the perfect picture. We were very impressed by the accommodations, especially LAKE MANYARA KILIMAMOJA LODGE, which was spectacular. After that we spent 2 days in Serengeti; a highlight was going on a hot air ballon, which we highly recommend. On our last night, my partner proposed, and he did it in Swahili thanks to the help of Haruni. We definitely recommend going on this adventure and having Mama Savana / Haruni guide you!
CH
Email Krzysztof | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best experience so far
My review is based on low season experience, so high season experience might be different.
It's really hard to choose safari operator as there are so many of them.
My criteria numer one was flexibility - I wanted to start safari whenever I want and I wanted to be able to modify it when its ongoing.
My first contact was Alex, the owner of Mama Savana.
He responds to all messages in a few minutes, it's incredible.
He assured me that I will be able to modify the trip whenever I want - and it was true :)
Our base plan was 5-days safari: Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro
As it was really the very low season, almost all of the time we were alone in most places and we had amazing encounters.
We have seen a family of lions hunting and then eating pregnant zebra.
It was very brutal, but so exciting..
After day 3, we asked to extend the safari by lake Natron - it was not a problem at all.
The road between Serengeti and Natron is very long (maybe 10 hours) but so beautiful.
Joseph stopped anywhere we asked.
On lake Natron we did hike together to the waterfall - another amazing experience!
After 6-days of safari we decided that we want more and we did additional 3-day safari - Kondoa paintings, Tarangire and Hadza tribe.
Everything was great, especially Hadza tribe.
I think Joseph must be the best safari guide on the planet.
Joseph has eagle-sight and he actually sees better without binoculars than us with binoculars.
He must have some additional eye on his head spotting distant animals.
He also has incredible knowledge about wildlife and he speaks English VERY well as well as Spanish.
After 9 days together he was like a friend or a part of the family.
Thank you very much for whole Mama Savana team - especially Joseph and Alex.
We will be back in the dry season :)
