Kili Serengeti Guides
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- TTB & ATA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
RO
Email Elena H | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professionaly guidance and services offered by heart, passion and respect for nature,
We spent our honeymoon in Tanzania and decided to start with safari then Zanzibar.
Unfortunately we spent only two beautiful days in safari with this professional and devoted people.
We were picked up from the airport in the evening before safari by Emman, the business owner, who explained us the next two day’s itinerary.
The next morning our guide Mike came to pick up us from the hotel to start the amazing journey.
In the first day he drove and guided us through all Tarangire National Park, spotting many animals. He stopped to see every animal and every important tree, plant or other thing, also explaining them in details.
We spent the night at the Panorama Safari Camp near lake Manyara where we enjoyed a great dinner made by Chef John (samosa dish was my favourite) watched the sunrise next morning and headed for Ngorongoro crater.
There we had another amazing day, spotting all the animals with their offsprings.
The next day we had some situations with our flights and Emman helped us all through, even if this wasn’t his business.
We had such an wonderful experience in safari and this thanks to this great people and team.
I recommend Kili Serengeti Guides with all my heart if you are looking for the best from safari.
CH
Email Dom | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic and flexible day trip
We were in Arusha on business and had an extra day to ourselves before we left that night. Emman was extremely helpful and quick to reply, setting us up with a day trip itinerary for Arusha National Park which left early and got us back in time to make our flight. We were able to arrange all of this within 24hrs of the excursion. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and provided great service. Highly recommend this if you are just two people because you get the jeep to yourself as compared to being put in with another group.
FR
Email Anne | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very nice and exotic experience
Very pro and reactive trek agency. They organized an "end to end visit" - picking at our hotel, picnic, canoe tour, return to the airport...
Our guide was nice, pedagogue, eager to explain us tanzanian culture, tradition, nature...
We'll certainly come back !
DE
Email Andrea | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excelent service and personalized experience!
I am very happy with the service provided by Kili Serengeti Guides! I would definitely recommend their services! The service provided was very good from the begining. Communications were fluid and prompt and the owner of the Company was always responsive and helpful. The Team meet with us on the previous day to Safari to provide some explanation and they even gave us a lift to a local Museum and took us back to the Hotel afterwards (no extra charge). Safari was amazing and Mike (the driver and guide) surely knew what he was doing, his experience could show. He was very kind and did a very good job! We had a wonderful time and it was an amazing life experience. Thank you for everything!
CA
Email Clinton R | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a wonderful experience! Kilimanjaro and Safari were amazing!
Kili Serengeti Guides is a small but growing company. I was referred by a friend to Emmanuel. Communication from the start was easy. I did both the safari and the kili climb. On the safari side, Mike and John were amazing people! They made me feel like i was their family. Mike tried his best to show me all the big 5 african animals and i was able to see all of them. Rhino and Leopard were the hardest to spot but Mike did his best to show me these two hardest animals. I basically saw a couple hundred lions, 2 rhinos and 4 or 5 leopards and many many more amazing animals! John was an amazing cook! He made sure i liked the food and he's a really funny guy. Mike and John definitely made my stay in Africa amazing. Not only was the safari memorable, i've missed Mike and John! They were amazing.
Kilimanjaro Hike was just insane! It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Wouldn't be able to do it without Dave, Ali, and the incredible team. Dive himself climbed kili more than 75 times. He constantly motivated me at times when i was too exhausted to even talk. He would encourage and guide me constantly. Ali was just amazing! such a nice person. He was my personal butler basically. He took care of me, spoilt me. Can't ask for a better team! I was a little bit sick on the last day of descend and they brought me to the hospital after my climb, and made sure i was progressing well.
Look no further if you want a fantastic african experience. Imma, Mike, Dave and the team cannot be missed! Enjoy!
Email Perico Pineda | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service, affordable price, highly recommended!
As it was our first time to travel to Tanzania, it was a bit overwhelming to even start planning a 15 day trip to the country - starting from Dar Es Salaam to Moshi and Arusha then Zanzibar and back to Dar. Through a friend's personal recommendation, we contacted a local guide who gave us a ridiculous quote for a 7 day tour. Frustrated, we asked for help from other expat friends who work in Dar and searched for budget tours as well. Luck turned out when we found Emman's Facebook Page. Emman responded well to most of the questions we asked re visas, yellow fever vaccination, transits, and most importantly - details on our planned Safari trip. She gave us a detailed and clear itinerary for Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro and to our surprise, a quote which suits our budget. Two weeks before our trip, we've been in close contact with Emman to sort out the minute details of our trip, making sure that we maximize our time, save on costs and enjoy. Emman was very helpful in dealing with our hotel reservations (giving us choices and tips), bus arrangements (Dar to Moshi), and flight bookings (Arusha to Zanzibar). She gave us advise on how to improve our 15 day itinerary and gladly answered all our questions (even calling the immigration in Dar just to make sure we had the relevant info re visa and yellow fever vaccination).
When we reached Moshi, she volunteered to pick us up from our hotel and gave us a free tour to the waterfalls and hot springs since she had a client doing the tour anyway. It was a very thoughtful offer and by doing that we met another lovely traveler who later became a friend. In Arusha, Emman took us to our hotel, making sure that we had everything we need and that we're comfortable. In the morning, we were picked up on time by her friendly driver and the 4x4 car ready for our Safari.
The whole Safari experience exceeded our expectations. Earlier on, we were warned by friends and other travelers about fly by night tour operators, sub-standard services, etc. especially when taking budget Safaris. Turned out, we had the best experience with Mike (driver and guide), Emman (managing director) and John (chef). Emman joined us during our Safari, making sure that we enjoy our trip and all our needs were met. Mike, on the other had, did his best to answer all our questions and patiently showed flexibility to accommodate our requests. John, our wonderful chef, was also very friendly, flexible and accommodating.
In the 4 days that we were on Safari, we enjoyed every bit of it. Each day was carefully planned, packed with game drives and other side trips. We enjoyed the special trips to the Maasai villages, buying a goat for our barbecue dinner, a quick visit to the Olduvai Gorge, and picnics near the lake and under big trees in the savannah. Emman made sure that what's on the itinerary was followed and not rushed.
On our last day in Arusha, Emman showed us around the city before our flight in the afternoon. We enjoyed visiting the Cultural Arts Center, containing amazing artworks from various artists not only in Tanzania but in Africa as well. The whole morning was relaxing. A few hours before our flight, Emman took us to the airport.
Our whole experience with Kili Serengeti Guides made us appreciate our trip to Tanzania even more. There was no dull moment during the trip, communication was very efficient, the driver and guide provided was very friendly-humble-knowledgeable and fun to be with, arrangements were superb, itinerary was completely followed, no extra or additional charges even when we were with them for 6 days (for a 4 day trip), personalized service, and professional way of handling our needs. I couldn't ask for more.
Emman and her crew surely exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend their company to anyone who wants to experience Tanzania in a meaningful way.
DE
Email leetah | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mixed feelings
I had a great time in Tanzania, but I am somewhat disappointed that I cannot "rave" about the services offered by Kili Serengeti guides. Perhaps it is because I had just come from Kenya with an outstanding guide, so it was natural to make comparisons (and that may be unfair).
The Good:
KS Guides met my group at the Kilimanjaro airport upon arrival, arranged all transfers, hotel accommodations, and activities. The price was extremely reasonable and we did everything we set out to do! Most meals were included, so once we had paid the guides (cash upon arrival), there was very little need for any cash on hand throughout our stay, other than for souvenirs, tips, and incidentals. The safari vehicle we took to Ngorongoro Crater was great - large enough to accommodate the group, comfortable, the top popped up (like most safari vehicles), which made the experience more enjoyable. By the way, the crater itself was AMAZING! Definitely go there if it's on your list; you WILL see a ton of animals. KS guides brought in some local guides when we visited Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Chagga village/caves/coffee plantation. Those local guides were wonderful - friendly and informative, easy to talk to, accommodating, etc.
The Bad:
With the exception of our day trip to Ngorongoro Crater, we were driven around in a small mini-van (actually, it was smaller than a mini-van, but I don't know how else to describe it) that was not very comfortable for my group. There was just enough space for our luggage in the back, but we felt like we had to cram ourselves into the vehicle, climbing over seats at times because the mechanism for the front seat to fold forward got stuck. A couple of the seat belts were non-functional as well, which was a huge concern for one member of my group since they work in a safety-related field. In general, the van was not comfortable, the AC did not work so we were hot (I could overlook this - it IS Africa, after all, I expected to be hot - however, it could be a problem for some). The windows on all except the front of the vehicle were also tinted with an incredibly dark tint, which made it nearly impossible to enjoy any of the sights we were passing and made it seem dark much earlier than when it actually was. Additionally, we took this vehicle down dirt roads with pot holes that it was simply not intended for. There were times when we weren't sure the vehicle was going to make it, and we wondered why KS guides had opted for this van vs. the safari SUV that we had taken previously, which was more capable of handling this type of terrain. We were given no explanation for the change in vehicles, and I can only imagine it was a cost-saving effort for them, since the van likely consumed less fuel.
Okay, enough about the uncomfortable ride... I also was not pleased with the first hotel we stayed at in Arusha. The accommodations were just so-so and there was a loud generator outside my window, making it difficult to sleep. Breakfast was supposed to be included but did not start until after we needed to leave in the morning, so they packed a "boxed breakfast" for us to go, which was nice; however, it was essentially nothing but bread. We also didn't get any coffee as they did not have "to go" cups available.
Finally, I need to speak about the guides themselves. There were 2 people with us most of the time. I am not sure why, as they did not seem to actually DO anything special, since they also picked up local guides for some of the places we went (making us all less comfortable in the already too-small vehicle because the new local guide joined us in the van!) I initially thought there were 2 to share in the driving when we went to Ngorongoro since that is quite a long drive/day. However, that was the one time that we did NOT have two people with us, which didn't make sense at all. The driver who took us to the crater did give some "tour guide" type information about the animals, but generally only when we asked. Perhaps this speaks to a lack of experience, but I have had much more involved guides in the past. These guys were more like escorts, which is fine, if that's what you want. It just wasn't what I was expecting. On the days when we had local guides, there were still 2 KS guides with us. At one point when we stopped to visit a waterfall, we had 4 (or 5) different people with us. This was awkward since most of them didn't say anything and yet tipping your guide is part of the local culture, so it felt like a ploy to get more tips out of us. We opted to tip the one local guide who rode with us in the van because he was friendly, informative and just generally great at what he did! We did not tip the extra people who were milling about that day.
All in all, I wouldn't say I had a bad experience. KS guides did take us to some amazing places and they arranged everything for us ahead of time. They were very responsive via email. However, the actual guides themselves were a little less personable than I was expecting for someone who does this for a living, and they did not communicate well with us in person, which led me to feeling frustrated at times.
Reply from Kili Serengeti Guides
Posted on Feb 26, 2018Dear Lateeh,
We Kindly appreciate your feedback and our sincere apology for our services setbacks. As a business owner, I promise to work on them and I will make sure such kind of setback will never happen in future.Thank you very much and wish you all the best in your Life. Welcome to Kili Serengeti Guides.
With thanks
Emman Elisante
Managing Director
Kili Serengeti Guides
DE
Email TJ | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
great job accommodating a very demanding group in a short amount of time!
Safari tour was great with a nice spacious jeep. Had an amazing time at Ngorongoro crater, waterfall, Mt Kilimanjaro observation and view point, then a great tour of a coffee plantation at the Chaga caves! A little uncomfortable/ cramped in a different vehicle for in between transportion with a big group but doable. A little difficult with the communication with language barriers and itinerary but they did a great job overall and really tried to accommodate everyones needs.
Reply from Kili Serengeti Guides
Posted on Jan 25, 2018Dear Tasha,
I am pleased and happy to receive this nice review for Kili Serengeti Guides to move on and improve more! Our passion is to deliver the best service to our clients, whatever it takes. Hence, it is truly a wonderful feeling that we have delivered well and made you happy in your 2 days safari holiday in Tanzania!
I have considered all comments and I will work on it properly to make sure it won't happen again. Thank you again and your most welcome anytime.
With thanks
Emman Elisante
Managing Director
Email Juhi & Michael | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service, very accommodating with last minute changes & very prompt in answering queries.
Excellent service rendered, organised our stay and travel plans from DES to Arusha & arranged a prompt pick-up from the airport. Emman (manager) met us at the airport personally in Arusha, and immediately put us at ease. Japhet, our guide and driver, was not only knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the various parks, but also a very pleasant person, who made sure our safety was paramount. Costa, our cook, made some nice salads and local cuisine for us as we requested, besides the continental cuisine on the menu.
Emman (the manager ) was absolutely brilliant and made sure that we had constant contact with each other and was very happy to re-organise our itinerary and went out of her way to sort out our local travel (besides the safaris).
We would recommend Kili Serengeti Guides and Tours as we couldn't have asked for better service.
Thanks Emman & all the very best in your endeavours!!
IN
Email Katie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience
After much research I selected Kili Serengeti Guides. They delivered in every aspect. They planned the tour (7 day) and gave me a complete itinerary. They accommodated a last minute change to include a balloon ride. They delivered on everything they promised. The manager Immaculate answered my emails promptly. Best of all was our Safari guide, Mike. He was professional and really knew the animals and birds. He was fun to be with. We didn't get lost in the large Serengeti reserve. We saw sixty-two different animals and birds including the big seven. Mike was a big part of the success of our safari with Kili Serengeti Guides. I recommend this company to everyone who is planning safari to Tanzania