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
Good tour company
Great communication and response time when organizing a tour for us. They were accommodating with our special requests. Mack was especially kind and knowledgable.
FR
Email Josee Sodoul | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Organizations with higher experienced staff
We have recently ended the safari trip here in Tanzania. As soon as we started dreaming about safari and reading reviews, we knew that kiliholidays is the company to go to. It did not disappoint. We felt safe, in professionals’ hands, everything was taken care of and went smoothly. The rented equipment was of highest quality. We fully trusted our guides during this exciting adventure. Thank you, Johnson and Mack and Agrey with all staffs involved. To be honest, I do not think that anyone else could have made us (inspired, helped, supported) to reach the summit, only Johnson. Johnson was the real captain of our team and I am sure my friend and me reached the summit thanks to him!
FR
Email Vivien doisneau | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experiece
During our very first visit to Tanzania, we visited 3 of the national parks: Tarangire, Serengeti & the Ngorongoro crater. Thanks to our guide Suma, it was an unforgettable experience! Suma is a very competent guide, with excellent knowledge of the animals, natural environment and his country. We were very impressed with the way he navigated the roads full of potholes and managed to spot the animals at the same time! During the safari we saw an incredible number of animals, including a leopard and cheetah up close! Suma is a friendly, sociable person who has a passion for wildlife and was able to answer all our questions about the animals we encountered. He helped to make this a memorable holiday which we will look back on fondly for years to come!
DE
Email Johannes | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The trip was a perfect journey with unforgettable memories.
We did a Safari including Serengeti, Tarangire, Lake Natron and Ngorongoro. The duration was six days. We loved every minute of it. Our guide provided us with information about the animals and was an excellent driver. But more important he was soo kind. The communication between him and my family was perfect. The cook was really funny and prepared amazing food. We saw a lot of animals includig the Big 5 and cheetahs and saw how the Masai tribe lives in northern tanzania. All in all we had an amazing time. The memories will stay forever. Big thanks to the organisation!
NL
Email Maaike | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Friendly, well trained aknowlegable staff that will do everything they can for you.
Very reliable, clear in communication and taking great care of us during our climb of Mount Meru.
I would defenitly book them again on a next climb!
IT
Email remo maria | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
terrible experience
These are the serious problems, defaults, and contractual misrepresentations I had to endure that ruined my vacation.
1) I had booked the trip in 2020 before the covid. I paid an advance of $1000 in February 2020. As you know, due to covid the borders were closed, making it impossible to make the trip. Mr. Mack of Killiholidays told me that I could reschedule it later. HE NEVER Mentioned any costs to reschedule the trip, EVEN IN HIS MAIL OF 2022 IN WHICH HE HAS GIVEN ME THE POSSIBILITY TO SCHEDULE IT FOR 2023.
When I rescheduled the trip for this year, when there were finally no more problems tied to COVID, Mr. Mack told me that he was only recognizing $500 of the $1000 ALREADY PAID. Never before had Mr. Mack told me that I would lose that money if I rescheduled the trip.
I repeatedly asked for explanations but the information I received was very vague. Just not to lose another $500, I still decided to book the trip with him, but subject to recourse.
By reason of the fact that Mr. Mack has never documented to me any expenses incurred by him for changes in travel dates and has since proved himself to be non-compliant in various other respects, which I will explain below, and which suggest how he decided to withhold $500 for no reason whatsoever) I consider it incumbent upon him to return this $500 to me. On closer inspection, in fact, $500 (i.e., 50 percent of the advance) is a penalty for cancelling a trip and certainly cannot be withheld where the trip is actually made instead.
It should also be considered that the cost of the trip compared to the original cost has increased a great deal from what was agreed upon in 2020. In 2020 we had agreed on a total of 3800 euros, while the request for 2023 was a whopping 4600 euros!
2) Mr. Mack sold me the lodge in Nierere Park as a lodge with a swimming pool. It is the Mloki Lodge, as shown in the brochure. In fact, the lodge does not have a swimming pool and never has. To prove my point I attach the brochure of the trip where there are photos of the nonexistent pool and the link of the mloka lodge https://www.mlokasafarilodge.com/ where it can be verified that there was never any pool.
Moreover, I immediately wrote to Mr. Mack astonished at the incident, but he did not reply, shutting himself in an embarrassed silence. This too is a serious breach of duty by Mr. Mack and shows his bad faith and his attempt to deceive me. I should add that almost all the photos in the brochure sent by Mr. Mack do not correspond to the Mloki lodge booked, which is much less luxurious.
3) The program Mr. Mack sent me states that the transfer from Nierere to Mikumi was 4-5 hours. This is a route that took as many as 8, and this is the time normally needed, as can be seen from Google Map. Knowing this, I would never have agreed to do such a demanding program, or to do it under the conditions indicated to me by Mr. Mack.
4) Mr. Mack charged me, due to his mistake, for an extra night at the Ruaha River Lodge. Realizing the mistake, acknowledged by Mr. Mack himself. I then repeatedly asked for a refund (this was the not insignificant amount of $650) but the cash money never arrived, despite Mr. Mack's continuous reassurances that I would receive a refund as early as August 15. Upon not receiving the refund, I immediately assumed that I would never see that money again. This was also due to the fact that I had asked Mr. Mack to transfer it to me via Paypal, while he said he did not have Paypal, while in the emails Mr. Mack claims to have a Paypal accounT.
5) also in the brochure sent to me, it mentions a transfer from Ruaha to Dar es Salaam on August 28 with a leisurely departure at 10 a.m. (note that the next day we had a plane at 5 a.m. to return to Turkey, where we then continued to Italy), for 6 hours maximum travel time. I later found out from the driver (a very serious person) that the trip from Ruaha to Dar is an 11-12 hour drive, which is also confirmed by Google Maps, which estimates the trip at 10.47 hours (without the stops needed to get gas, go to the toilet, etc.). 12 hours of travel time by car was never on my radar, and I also find it risky to subject the driver to such grueling hours. If I had known, of course, I would never have agreed to such a schedule, which, as can be seen, is clearly false in some places and neglects crucial information;
6) The 12 hours of never-announced travel could easily have been avoided, since Mr. Mack could have had me leave for the safari a day earlier, and break the return from Ruaha into two days: in fact, I had expressed all willingness to anticipate our arrival. Not only that. He himself had said that he would study this possibility.
Finding myself in this situation, I asked Mr. Mack to book me a plane from Ruaha to Dar es Salaam, asking him at least to use the $500 advance unduly withheld. He refused, of course, and demanded instead to use the $650 he owed me. To that $650 I then had to add another $135 because the plane ticket cost much more.
I agreed to pay this amount for the following reasons:
1) because I was sure that the $650, otherwise, I would never see it again for the reasons already explained,
2) because without the plane flight, the last day of the vacation would have been a massacre (imagine a 12-hour drive and then having to catch the plane at 5 a.m. the next day)
3) I would also have run the risk of missing the return flight from Dar to Istanbul, should there be any problems.
However, this is a cost that I could easily have avoided if Mr. Mack, without overlooking the very relevant circumstance that the trip from Ruaha to Dar took 11-12 hours (and not 6), had anticipated the safari by one day, as I had repeatedly requested.
Again, then, Mr. Mack attempted to con me into more money. Think about the fact that after the same man forced me to pay the $135 for the airfare, he called me and told me that the flight from Ruaha to Dar was no longer available, and that I would have to leave from Iringa. This is a much cheaper and much less comfortable flight. Clearly, Mr. Mack wanted me to take that flight so he could keep the $135 already paid, and also profit from the difference between the lower cost of the flight to Iringa and the $650 used to buy the flight from Ruaha. I objected strongly, and after I threatened him, suddenly the flight from Ruaha came up.
I have submitted all these facts to the Arusha Police.
US
Email Leena | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip
Had an amazing trip! Kiliholidays is professional and everything was clear ahead of time. We did 4 days 3 nights camping. It was my first time camping, it still felt easy and comfortable because they prepare everything for you. Godson was an excellent guide. Couldn’t recommend him enough. Very experienced and knowledgeable. Our cook Daniel was also excellent, we had delicious home cooked meals throughout the trip. All in all, highly recommend!
ES
Email Pablo Mosquera | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome
It’s a great trip! Our guide, Eduard was incredible, very kind and atentive!
We saw many animals in our trip, find leopard twice, find male lions group, cheeta, rino.... it’s impressive!
The campings were cool, we enjoy a lot sleeping with Zebra in Ngorongoro, great accommodation. We had a cook, a profesional cook call Dan, the breakfasts and diner were super! He also shows you Tanzania songs jaja
I would recommend it to my friends.
Thanks guys.
PT
Email Patricia Pinto | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and safe tour with a great driver.
Our safari was 5 days, we went to tarangire, Serengueti and we finalized, our tour, in lake manyara.
We recommend to stay one more day in Serengueti instead of to visit lake manyara.
Our tour guide/driver (Abraham) was very nice
BR
Email Alessandra Fonseca | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Instructive and remarkable safari.
I chose this company because it was the one that offered me the best cost-effective safari and adapted it to the way I wanted. The attentiveness in responding quickly to my questions via email also made all the difference. It was memorable! Tanzania's parks are wonderful! Our guide was very instructive and also very attentive, especially when my daughter felt sick at the beginning of the safari (nausea due to the car rocking). We had an issue with the car, which was a little old, but it was quickly solved by our guide Abraham. We loved the safari and would choose the same company if we ever go back!