Lion King Safari Guides
Lion King Adventures
- Offices In:
-
Canada
United States
Switzerland
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,115 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
US
Email Jon | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unmatched
With so many safari companies to choose from, deciding who to spend a week with can be a daunting task, especially when you're doing it from 8000 miles away. Most operators have good reviews which makes the selection process even more challenging. The very first email that I received from Caroline spelled everything out. Information such as total cost, payment options, and ability to customize essentially every aspect of the trip, was provided. She presented me with a detailed itinerary for our private 6-day safari (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara) which included the parks we would be visiting, travel time to each location, what to expect at each park, and lodging information. I ultimately selected my own lodges to stay at but Caroline answered all my question, provided feedback on my choices, and made recommendations to maximize park and animal viewing time. I can't explain it but from my initial correspondence with her, I knew that I was going to book with Lion King Adventures.
To secure your trip, you have to make a deposit and then have until 6 weeks prior to your trip to pay in full. You can pay via credit card if you value security though that incurs a fee. The other option is bank transfer and there are a couple ways of doing that. I have never paid for a trip that way because of the absence of financial protection. However, I got over my anxiety and ultimately paid via bank transfer and it went without a hitch (Caroline provided very detailed instructions so it turned out to be easy). Once you pay the deposit, the reservation team (aka Rose) takes over. Rose made sure everything was set prior to us leaving. Due to one lodge closing its booking window, I had to book it on my own, which resulted in a reduction in my payment to Lion King Adventures. I miscalculated and ended up overpaying. However, Rose brought this to my attention and when we were picked up at the airport, the driver returned my overpayment in cash. I tell this story because it is a testament to the honesty and integrity of Lion King Adventures.
When we arrived, we were met by one of their drivers who drove us to our lodge in Arusha. The following morning, we were picked up by Gilbert. Gilbert has been doing this for some time and this was evident by the end of the safari. Not only did he turn out to be great at spotting animals but he understood their behavior and passed this knowledge on to us. He got us up close to cheetah (which are not exactly easy to find during rainy season) so that made both of our kids very happy. He was super nice (he is easily someone that you would become friends with), prompt, accommodating, and clearly enjoys what he does. He also takes his time. In the parks, we were frequently passed by other safari vehicles. The reason is that he was constantly on the lookout for animals and there's no way to do that well if you're in a rush. The only time he did drive "fast" in a park was when he knew he had to get somewhere fast in order for us to see something special, like a leopard eating an impala. How does he know this? He is frequently communicating with other guides to find out if anyone else has come across something interesting.
Lion King Adventures is a local family owned tour operator and it felt like it. Every person I communicated with prior to the safari (Caroline, Rose, Edward) and during the safari (Gilbert) went the extra step to take care of us. They said in their introductory email "The nature of safaris can be quite adventurous and Lion King’s number one priority at all times is your safety" and this was very obvious. I said that we were often passed by other safari vehicles in the park. We were also frequently passed by other vehicles when traveling on regular roads. While they were clearly trying to get to their next destination as quickly as possible, Gilbert as well as the driver who picked us up at the airport cared only about us getting there comfortably and safely. We appreciated this.
Thank you to everyone at Lion King Adventures for making this an epic trip that we will cherish forever.
Email Sue Westaway | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ozzie was great, he is very professional and knows where to find the animals
Lion King Adventures was excellent...7 days in the Serengeti unforgettable..Ozzie my tour guide was a lot of fun and very professional
US
Email Karan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Knowledgeable, caring, great service, friendly
We recently went on a 7 Day custom Safari tour in Tanzania with Lion King Adventures, and it was truly an unforgettable experience! The wildlife sightings were simply amazing, and we were fortunate enough to see so many different animals in their natural habitats. We saw lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, buffalos, giraffes, wildebeest, zebras, various antelopes, hyenas, jackals, foxes, hippos, crocodiles, and countless varieties of birds. It was a true feast for the eyes!
We stayed at some lovely lodges arranged by Lion King Adventures, which were safe and comfortable. The lodges were surrounded by elephants, Wildebeest, zebras, bucks, cheetahs, and leopards, but the staff took great care to ensure our safety at all times.
The service provided by Lion King Adventures was top-notch from start to finish. Caroline was extremely helpful with the initial process and communication, and Pendo devised a great itinerary and did all the bookings to the luxury lodges we stayed at. A special mention goes to our guide, Gama, who was simply fantastic. He made the trip more fun with his smile and enthusiasm, and he was one of the best guides anyone could have asked for. Gama was incredibly knowledgeable and skilled, and he made sure that we saw all the Big 5 game animals and many more. He was great at showcasing the best that Tanzania parks safari has to offer, and he was always ready to answer any questions we had about the wildlife or the parks.
Overall, I can't recommend Lion King Adventures enough. The team went above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of our trip was taken care of, and they truly made it a trip of a lifetime. Thank you to Caroline, Pendo, and Gama for making this such a special experience!
NO
Email Faraz | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable safari experience, fantastic throughout!
We decided last minute for a safari and booked with Lion king adventures on very short notice (1 week! )
They handled our request very quickly and professionally, tailoring the experience for us to perfection. Everything was simple to set up, in a safe and organized manner.
The safari itself was wonderful. Our guide Joseph made sure that we never lacked anything, and we managed to see everything we wanted. He was very knowledgeable and made sure we got excellent viewing angles and great photo opportunities! He put a lot of effort into the game drives and the whole experience, we could not have asked for more. We felt very Well taken care of with him.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable experience with a great guide, can warmly recommend to everyone.
IT
Email Roberta | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awesome! Deep knowledge of Tanzania wildlife, passionate about their job, top accomodations
I choose Lionking after a deep analysis of almost all the available alternatives for Safari in Tanzania, and it was the right choice. Easy communication in any moment of the planning of the safari or during the safari itself, top score in terms of value for money, super reliable in any moment of the journey. The car was new, the guide Oswald had a “magic” touch in finding wildlife. The result of this is what we considered to be probably one of the top 3 holiday in our life (and we travel A LOT and it wasn’t the first time in Tanzania). We already look forward to come back as soon as we can.
CN
Email Giselle Bonet | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best ever!
I am so happy with this trip and the way lion king plan everything and take care of us, Huruma was our travel guide and he was amazing know everything about the parks and the animals and was very helpful every moment we want to come back and have him again with us
LU
Email Andrea | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Experienced and very professional. Top service for Tanzania safari
Thanks a lot to Lion King for the impeccable organisation, and especially thanks to our guide Oswald (Ozzy). True safari veteran, he was able to turn our safari into the experience of a lifetime. Very professional, knowledgeable and accommodating, he went above and beyond to ensure we always felt comfortable and safe. Very important, he can also spot wild animals better than a cheetah! Also hotels, private jeep, lunch boxes were top notch. Nothing is left to chance with Lion King except for how many animals you get to see, which is a safe bet in Tanzania.
Email Ella | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible local company with brilliant guides who built us a perfect personalised experience!
We have just got back from a safari with Lion King Adventures with Mwita as our guide and we couldn’t recommend them highly enough! From Rose & Pendo answering our (millions of) questions ahead of time and helping us build a personalised itinerary to the actual safari itself where we covered Tarangire, Serengeti (central & North), Ngorogoro and Lake Manyara - everything was perfect. Our trip was made by our safari guide Mwita who was incredible, so thoughtful and focused on making our trip perfect. He was so knowledgeable about Tanzania and the animals and a genius at placing the safari vehicle where the animals were going to head to (rather than just joining a crowd of cars where they were ) setting up intimate experiences with leopards, lions and elephants crossing in front of us! He was genuinely passionate about the animals and his excitement was infectious - especially when we saw the wilderbeest river crossing (twice!). As an added bonus he was also a mechanic, not only did he look after the car so well but he was able to offer advice to drivers of other companies who had flat tyres or broken down as well as being a great driver so we always felt safe and looked after. We wanted to book with a local company and they were the perfect one. We would recommend to everyone!
CA
Email Karen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An luxurious experience with a great team!
I was quite hesitant when preparing for this trip, as this is an once in a life time experience and there are so many choice in the market. LionKing is the most responsive (literally get back to me in an hour in every email communication) and gave me the best suggestions on the itinerary! I immediate feel their professionalism on the first day. My guide Yuseph has a passion for wild life, he is always explaining the animals' habit, behavior, strength to me. Also he love to spend as much time as possible when we spot some interesting animals. He is open to suggestions on adjusting the route and time to better fit my personal interest. He is keen to know how the food and accommodation were (of course they are all excellent!) and will make improvement base on my comments. I saw all the beautiful animals that I wish to see, with a very good angle every time, and took cinematic photos and videos along the way.
I really appreciate the efforts the team put on my trip, I feel they really love what they do, that makes a difference. Would definitely recommend to my friends!
Email Sarah & Gordon | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
100% recommended - experience of a life time
What an amazing experience! From start to finish our Tanzania trip was organised completely smoothly, from the airport pick up, last minute day tour to Mataruni village to our 7 day safari and stay in Zansibar. Our route from Arusha to Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro was a true adventure and we were so lucky to have Mwita as our guide. His knowledge and wisdom about nature and the wildlife have been incredible. He was able to spot animals whilst driving along the most bumpy roads- he just always seemed to get where the action was. And where necessary he encouraged us to stay patient. We saw 5 river crossings in the Northern Serengeti, an absolute nature spectacle! Plus several lion kills, lions mating and lion cubs and all the Big5. The beauty of the Serengeti and the sheer number of animals is mind blowing. The choice of lodges was also great, we most enjoyed Kuba Kuba and Mara Mara. Mwita also arranged a visit to a Maasai village that felt really authentic - he chose a village where people didn’t try to sell us any souvenirs- it felt very real and authentic and we learnt a lot about the culture of this tribe. Thank you so much for this amazing adventure Mwita, Bright, Pendo and Godwin and the entire Lion King team. Before booking this trip we had spoken to a few more tour companies, some of which were acting as a middle man which reflected in the price and advice. With Lion King you’re dealing with a local tour operator based in Arusha. We couldn’t recommend this company more to anyone who is looking for an unforgettable trip to Tanzania.