Tours by Locals (aka Kiliholidays)
- Office 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)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
AR
Email Mario | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great cultural experience in KIlimanjaro National Park and around
Good alternative to know Kilimanjaro NP, in case that you decide not to climb it. History about National Park and trekking n the slope of the mountain, in a cultural trip inside local people villages.
NL
Email Gerard | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Intesting safari tour in the south of Tanzania during the rainy season
The itinerary of the tour is very good; well filled with a lot of variation. The driver / guide only joined us during day time (not at breakfast, not at diner) and did not talk too much. This way, our privacy was respected and we highly appreciated this behavior. Price / quality ratio of the offered tour is ok. Organization and driver both appeared flexible. Selected lodges were nice.
The jeep was good and comfortable but was not sufficiently equipped with tools needed to repair the car (inappropriate jack, no towline, torch etc.), this can be improved. The traffic in Tanzania is very slow; commuting from one location to the other takes a lot of time. It would be appreciated if the amount of commuting can be minimized / optimized. The driver could drive faster were permitted.
KR
Email Seunghee Oh | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
We booked 4days safari tour via Kiliholidays Tour.
The manager of travel agency was trying to satisfy all we wanted and we were satisfied, too. He came to us, when we had just arrived at our hotel after finishing safari tour, to hear review from us. These kinds of efforts can be upgraded quaility of tours from Kiliholiday Tour.
We were also happy with our guide(driver) and cook because they were enthusiastic about their duty. Guide had a lot of knowledge about animals, plants, etc. and foods made by cook were really delicious.
I already miss my days in Tanzania. Hope to visit again :)
FR
Email Virginie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A good experience with kiliholidays tours
There is a good agence. The communication is easy by email .They have a good driver Thomas , and The tour is very interesting. The lodges booked are very good , we always had a good welcome.
IT
Email Gianluca and Simona | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Safari
A wondeful tour of northern parks, lots of wildlife and great contacts with local people. Thank's for everything, and a special mention for our guide/driver.
Email Andy & Sharon | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic!!
We went on the 6 day southern circuit safari with Kiliholidays and we had a fantastic experience from start to finish. We have never booked a trip direct with the tour operator like this before, and Mack, who did the booking for us was really helpful and informative, he answered any questions we had and made booking the holiday really easy and stress-free!
Our guide was called Mike and he was Amazing!! So helpful and friendly and nothing was too much trouble, he knew loads about the wildlife and the culture and traditions of Tanzania. He helped to make our holiday even more special.
We would definitely recommend Kiliholidays (and Mike as a guide) if you are thinking of booking a safari.
A Massive thank you to Mack, Mike and all the staff who made our safari a trip we will never forget!!
Reply from Tours by Locals (aka Kiliholidays)
Posted on Jun 16, 2016It was a pleasure to welcome your party to Tanzania and our hearts are warmed to hear that you enjoyed your time here. 6days is a good length of time to spend here - there is always something new to see, especially if you have as good guide to point everything out. Compliment to Mike our driver and guide. Our staff are always happy to answer e-mails in advance of the trip, as we all realize how big a commitment a safari trip is.
Thank you, both for your visit and your comments.
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....!!!
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.
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.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good value budget safari with the excellent guide
We travelled with Kiliholidays over Christmas when we had two couples of friends visiting from Europe. We went on a 4 day trip including hiking Ol Doinyo Lengai and game drives in the Ngorongoro crater and Tarangire National Park. The program was quite hectic for such a short trip, but that was our request and Kiliholidays went out of their way to make this possible. Our guide and driver Walter was the perfect guide - experienced and very knowledgeable about everything from plants and animals, to culture and history. He is an excellent storyteller and kept us entertained through the 4 days. But he also knew when to give us space and leave us alone, which was nice as we were a group of friends traveling together. We also had a cook with us who made very nice food given the tight food budget it must have been. The lunch boxes were not the most exiting, but I believe similar to what other safari companies serve, but breakfast and dinner was very tasteful. I was worried beforehand that the low budget of the trip would sacrifice the quality of the guide and the experience of the trip, but we truly had a wonderful experience and would be happy to travel with Kiliholidays again at another occasion.