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
AE
Email Zaid | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 Day Safari (Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti)
We had a amazing experience on the Safari organised by Kiliholiday Tours.
The owner (Mack) was very professional and was very attentive to all of our requests and changes in the plan prior to our arrival. He was easy to deal with and you can even communicate with him on Whatsapp.
The Driver/Guide (Jo Jo) was a really nice guy and he was very knowledgeable of what he's doing and provided us with a great insight about all the wildlife and information about each national park. We had a lot of fun hanging out with him.
The food was great but there should be some improvement in the lunch boxes provided during the Safaris.
We were lucky to see The Big Five along with almost every type of animal you can find in those parks. (Thanks to Jo Jo of course).
Another area of improvement would be (has nothing to do with Kiliholidays, but more about the facilities in the parks), the bathrooms need to be renovated and cleaned properly in Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
Overall, We would highly recommend booking your Safari with Kiliholidays and ask for Jo Jo directly as he will ensure you have a memorable experience.
Thank you Kiliholiday Team for an awesome experience.
US
Email Tony | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing, affordable,friendly,knowledgable team, and easy to work with.
I really was not expecting such wonderful service we received from the time they picked us up from the airport, the drive to the hotel was amazing as the transit driver was very friendly and full of information. It was a sightseeing transfer in itself. We were excited about our safari, we left early morning in a 4x4 truck, the driver guide spoke good English, very friendly and informative. We really enjoyed our safari package, we did not expect it to be so well planned and everyday was an exciting day. Ohh! the wildlife we saw was worth
IT
Email Maria Camilla | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 3-day safari in Selous Reserve, perfect organization: definitely to recommend!
PERFECT! That’s how I can describe the safari we made with Kiliholidays in August. I was travelling with my 19 year old daughter and my 14 year old boy and we were 100% satisfied under all respects. Having limited time and budget, we chose Selous Reserve in the South, because it is only 5 hours by car from Dar-es-Salaam and offers an amazing experience of African wildlife during the dry season. Despite the short notice (few days) Mack, owner and manager of Kili, was quick and efficient in replying (overnight, both by e-mail and Whatsapp) and arranged perfectly our trip, advising us to the best to make the most out of the few days we had at disposal. His price was inclusive of everything and competitive compared to similar proposals found in the web. Our driver and guide Joachim was knowledgeable and always ready to answer our questions about Tanzania and wildlife, definitely an enjoyable company. Food was prepared nicely by cook Daniel, who took our preferences well into account.
On the first day we were picked up at the ferry dock from Zanzibar short before 9am, the travel to Selous was itself a worthwhile experience through Tanzanian inland, in particular the last 100 hundred chilometers of dirt road through small villages. Our comfortable 4-wheel private vehicle showed absolutely no problem during the three days and went successfully through several routine police controls. We had a quick lunch in a local restaurant on the way and arrived at Selous Hippo Campsite – a small suggestive campsite outside Selous reserve - right in time for a wonderful sunset boat safari along Rufiji River: two hours among hippos, crocodiles and an amazing birdlife, definitely a plus of this trip.
The following day Joachim drove us the full day through Selous Reserve, where we were overwhelmed with an incredibly abundant wildlife: dozens of giraffes, impalas, zebras, gnus, hippos, crocodiles, a few buffalos, lions, etc. They were often very close to our vehicle, which had a pop-up roof allowing us to enjoy all this at the best. Only elephants were difficult to spot on that day, but Joachim and our local guide Amir did not give up searching until we met a nice family including a baby elephant.
Accomodation was in a comfortable tent for three persons, Daniel served us breakfast and dinner under a pleasant veranda facing the river. For our day in Selous and the travel back to Dar he prepared tasty lunchboxes.
The 2-hour walking safari we had on the last day, accompanied by a local guide and an armed ranger, was really interesting and instructive tour and completed nicely our Selous experience. We left the campsite at around 10 am, as planned.
Back in Dar es Salaam, Joachim helped us get our tickets for the ferry back to Zanzibar on the following day and then drove us to a budget lodge he had booked for us as per our request: definitely an attentive complete assistance from the first minute to the very last one!
Should we get the chance to come back to Tanzania to visit the parks in the North (we are already dreaming of it), we will surely choose Kiliholidays again.
UA
Email Semen Plakhotin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good experience
Safari is really bright and unforgettable experience. We chosen Kili by reviews. Now I can say that I agree with all positive reviews! We were satisfied with the selection of the company that organized the safari for us. Everything was professionally. It was comfortable to travel. The food was delicious and the portions was huge!
We were met by the ferry in Dar es Salaam, and we immediately went to Selous by 4WD car.
Road took about 6 hours with lunch-stop. In the same day was a river safari by boat.
Next day was game drive in the Selous. One-day game drive safari may seem insufficient. Take 2-full-days game drive. Last morning - 2 hours walking safari with local guy.
Read carefully the conditions of the accomodation. We decided that a accomodation in the hippo camp will be in lodge, but it turned out to be spending the night in a tent on the territory of the camping. As an exception, one night we were placed in the lodge (thanks to Mack and manager).
So, enjoy your safari holidays with Kiliholidays Tours & Safaris Africa.
Reply from Tours by Locals (aka Kiliholidays)
Posted on Oct 22, 2015Thanks Semen! it was real pleasure to hear that you had a great time during your visit here. Well! we appreciate you comment too, we have changed accommodation from the camping ground to the room at Selous hippo camp as can be seen on the given Itinerary. So No more camping ground.
Thank you so much and hopeful to host you again soon
Mack Kornelio
Kiliholidays Team Leader
DE
Email Theresa and Ludwig | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari tour
We booked the safari in advance, so we were very excited about how it might be and whether everything will be fine...
When we arrived in Daressalam, Mack visited us at our hotel and gave us all the important information we needed. The next day he and our guide picked us up and the journey could start. Our guide was a very very nice guy (Joak) who always took care of us and wanted to make out the best of our trip. He showed and described us all the beautiful plants and wild animals, that was amazing.
The lodges where we stayed overnight were comfortable and in good condition. The whole trip was very well organized and planned. We had a great time in Tanzania and enjoyed it a lot.
The money you spend on such a trip is absolutely worth it....!!!
UA
Email Anton | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great expirience
It was our first safari. Everything was just perfect.
JE
Email Karim | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing adventure with really experienced guide
Kiliholidays was really excellent. We really didn't know what to expect when you are arranging your safari from so far away. We were very pleasantly surprised that Mack our contact had sent our driver to collect us from the airport then we met him at his office to go over the finer details. We had good accommodation in Arusha and set off early the next day for Lake Manyara. This is very beautiful and a great introduction to the wildlife we saw later. We camped the first night to save on cost which was good and the food was excellent. The next day was spent heading to the Serengeti, we saw lots of Masai and plenty of wildlife. Our guide John was very experienced and spotted animals we couldn't even see.
Our accommodation in serena lodge was spectacular, no fences and wildlife is all around you. The next day was in serengetu again then onto Ngorogoro crater. This was really a special place for us with so much animals all in one place. We saw everything and again stayed at the Serena lodge in that location which is one of the best hotels I have ever been too. This ezoerince with Kiliholidays will be one we will not forget. We did this as a family with our 8 year old daughter who absolutely loved it too even though we spent a lot of time in the safari vehicle. I would recommend Kiliholidays to everyone.
Reply from Tours by Locals (aka Kiliholidays)
Posted on Jan 13, 2016Thank you very much for taking your pressures time to post your reviews about your safari experience with Kiliholidays Tours
We value your contributions and we thank you very much for choosing Kiliholidays as you lifetime safari destination company. We look forward to seeing back soon.
Warmest regards
Kiliholidays Team
PL
Email Kasia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience with Kiliholidays!
I can give my full recommendation to Kiliholidays. The contact person (Mack) was very helpful, and we managed to arrange all the formalities from home, including the airport transfer to Arusha organized by him (a couple of hours by bus from Dar Es Salaam). During the three day safari we were driving a Toyota Land Cruiser, and despite it was quite an old make it was indeed in mint condition. The driver (Tom) was very professional and helpful and proved to have immense knowledge about the wildlife. After a full day of driving around the national parks our cook (Rama) treated us with some of the most delicious food we had eaten during our stay in the mainland of Tanzania. Overall, the three day safari experience (including a day at Ngorongoro, a day at Tarangire and one at Lake Manyara) was a memorable experience, and not only due to the picturesque landscapes and the wildlife, but also because of the way it was organized. Overall, I would give a full five-star rating to Kiliholidays!
BY
Email Kate and Yauhen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was fantastic!
We had a 3-days safari (Tarangire, Lake Manyara and NgoroNgoro). Everything was just wonderful! Mack is a very good manager. He provided us with all information we needed before the trip. First we arrive in Dar es Salaam. There a colleague of Mack Freddy met us and helped to take a bus to Arusha. During our safari we saw a lot of beautiful animals. Our guide Tomas told us a lot of interesting information about behavior of animals, their migration, history of national parks, about the country and its traditions and people. Our chiefs Gedeon and Rima (the second day) cooked really tasty dishes, the accommodation at Panorama camp near Lake Manyara was nice. So we got from safari everything we expected and even more. We definitely recommend Kiliholidays Tour and we will remember this fantastic journey for the whole life. Asante sana!
Email Nam | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari in Mikumi
I was so hesitated when I looked for Mikumi National Park safari because I was foreigner and didn't know which one is good. I asked several tours, among them Kiliholidays was the fastest respond tour. That was why I choose this. Safari was good, two days were enough to look around Mikumi. Mach was nice and I am willing to recommend Kiliholidays.