Hilary and Martin - owners of Suricata Safaris
Suricata Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $190 to $600 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
FR
Email Zakaria | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari. Totally recommended !
We totally appreciated our Safari with Suricata Safaris.
Hilary was very accomodating. It was easy to communicate with him before the trip to arrange all the details. Our guide Ezekiel was really nice and know a lot about Tanzanian wildlife.
Suricata team is the best in class !
Hakuna Matata.
KR
Email Eunjee kim | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Never better than this.
Quick reply , all inclusive, well explained etc.
When I met them first in Arusha, Suricata people Welcome us. They try to explain everything in detail.
Furthermore, we did not like the accomodation they recommend us, so I found the other one, but they came to our hotel and explained tomorrow schedule.
Also I was afraid that they would not come to pick me up, but they came to pick me up very correct time(like 6:30am)
I have never found they were late. They were very promised people.
Also when I had 3days tour, the safari car had no problem at all. I found they always fill the fuel fulled.
I actually have got quotation more than 10 company. However I never regeret that I have chosen Suricata safaris.
I strongly recommend suricata for young 20~40years old people.
Never better than this.
This company is quite young, so I am sure that young people will like it.
Asante.
US
Email Ian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible wildlife, in-depth knowledge, delicious food, safe driving and all around unforgettable
So, how do you choose a safari company? I'm sure you've read tons of reviews, looked over dozens of itineraries and read page after page of tips and recommendations. Let me help you out: pick Suricata!
I took a 7-day camping safari with Suricata to Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. Of course the wildlife and landscapes were breathtaking, but what really made the experience unforgettable was the professionalism, hospitality and humor of Hilary (the owner), Mandela (the guide/driver) and Dionis (the chef).
A few highlights:
- Hilary picked us up from the bus stop with a huge smile even though the bus was 2 hours late.
- The safari vehicle is one of the best we saw in the bush. Tons of room inside, very comfortable and very safe.
- Mandela, the driver and guide, has super human abilities to find animals. He makes it a point to take his own path instead of following dozens of other vehicles. This means that you'll often get to watch animals without any other cars around. And you'll be able to look out into breathtaking landscapes and actually hear the wildlife versus sitting in the middle of 20 cars revving and idling the entire time.
- Mandela was also a great storyteller and knew information about wildlife, trees, plants, food, history, culture, etc etc.
- Dionis, the chef, will make the best soup you've ever eaten. He even made pizza... in the bush, without an oven. Make this man an Iron Chef!
- Mandela and Dionis also listen to what you want out of a safari and go out of their way to make sure your trip is comfortable, stress free and safe.
I could go on, but you get the idea. Can't wait to go back!
US
Email Heather | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very smooth and fantastic experience, once we got the kinks worked out
Suricata Safaris is a shining new company in a competitive field, and you should absolutely book them. I recently did a 6 day/5night camping safari with them, and they handled everything so nicely, from the itinerary to choosing the best campsites. They have (as of right now) three drivers—Frederick was our guide, but we also met Mandela, who was super charming and enthusiastic.
You could not ask for a smarter, more informed, funny, patient person to show you the wilderness than Frederick. He knows his field incredibly well, from who/what/how every predator hunts, to understanding where to find the action. (We saw a cheetah take down a zebra, and a lion miss one in the same day.) He’ll answer all your questions and include information you never knew to ask, all with a great sense of humor. He's patient, and it pays off in the best sightings.
Dioniz was our chef, and I guarantee you’ve never eaten better while camping. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all multi-course affairs with a million choices. You’ll be spoiled by him for sure. He’s up at the crack of dawn to set a table with a tablecloth for your breakfast and the food is *chefkiss* He’s got skills.
We had some communication difficulties with Hilary, but all were sorted quickly. Most stemmed from him getting emails from two different people, so I recommend having one point person as the organizer. Be prepared to pay the receiving end Tanzanian bank fees for a wire transfer as well as your own bank’s. BUT, he personally drove us to the airport, which was lovely.
Suricata can’t guarantee a specific driver, although we were told we were confirmed with our request. It wasn't a big deal, just another communication issue. You won’t go wrong with any of the guides, though, so it’s ultimately nbd. We also requested separate accommodations but were in shared tents (just my friend and me together) the whole time. Again, re-confirm all the details of your trip a few days before to make sure Suricata is on the same page.
I would have preferred a more detailed itinerary, like an easy to print pdf including drive times between sites (some are 6 hours) and a recommended packing list, but that’s nitpicking (which, I learned from Frederick, is a term that comes from baboon grooming habits). You will need this for your visa, so be sure to ask Hilary for a list of each day.
Don’t go crazy with safari gear—you’ll rarely be out of the car, and then only at picnic sites/washrooms. Pack comfortable shoes you can take off quickly so you can hop up onto the seat fast enough to get that once-in-a-lifetime photo. Basically dress like you’re going on a road trip. I never even considered wearing the safari hat I brought, and hiking boots were definite overkill.
Don’t forget binoculars, a towel, bug spray, itch cream, soap/shampoo, tissues/tp, and a few warm layers. There is a charger for all your devices in the safari vehicle! I don't think I was below 80% charged the entire week.
Suricata did well by us. You can feel confident you’re getting an amazing trip with super smart people you’ll be happy to spend a week with. I had an unforgettable time and made some new friends along the way!
Email Gennady | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hillary has jointed us to company Blue mountain safari. Before he didn't tell
Hillary sold us the tour from company Suricata safari, but when we come to Arusha he has jointed us to freelancer how he have said, but later we have known that it's the company blue mountain. So Hillary has layed to us. That's terrible.
Plus Hillary asked to pay a tips for 10 dollars from each per day. That's terrible.
Guide Emanuel has ugly behavior. Every questions from us and others make him angry.
When we asked to stop him behind the animal he become angry too. We didn't asked him to stop more then one two time per day.
Reply from Suricata Safaris
Posted on Mar 11, 2018Dear Gennady,
we are very sorry to hear your complaint via the safaribookings feedback form.
We were not aware of the situation you were in, and would have done everything to fix the situation.
We can only ask for appologies.
We are really sorry and again would have done everything to correct the situation in case you had informed us before.
Kind regards.
BE
Email Wouter | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
On adventure with Hillary to Tarangire and Ngorongoro
At the end of July I went on safari with Hillary to two of the most famous national parks in Tanzania. Tarangeri and Ngorongoro. It was amazing. Where other guides did not succeed in other parks, I was shown cheetas that brought their boys to a group of friends, monkeys who were mating and rhinos inside the crater. These things are very rare. It is not easy to say whether it's a coincidence or the guide to see these things. But it were two days apart, I do not think it's a coincidence anymore. That's why I say a big "merci" to Hillary !!!
DE
Email Felix | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the best experiences i had in my life
The service and the communications were very good, you get a lot of information about the animals and the food you get is really good.
You are sleeping in Tends in the Serengeti which is a great experience. But if you wanna have higher comfort you should book by a different company where you can sleep in apartments.
I have seen the "big five" on a three day Safari and all the other animals you can imagine.
Email Ezekiel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Up Close and Personal in Tanzania
My father and I booked a Safari in February 2017 through a bunch of middle men (each taking a cut off the top), eventually ending up with Hillary as our driver. We joined another four people from around the globe and from the get go, we counted ourselves lucky to have Hillary as our guide.
He was enthusiastic, and willing to be flexible, while providing us with the best complete safari experience possible. Hillary was able to get us up so close to the game and seemed to know exactly where to go. We spent the best part of an hour driving around to try and find some male lions in the south of the Serengeti and Hillary's determination and patience paid off.
If you ask nicely, he may even let you drive along the African plains.
US
Email El E. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable safari experience!!
I was a little nervous at first since I was traveling as a solo woman, but this safari turned out to be an amazing and unforgettable experience!! My driver from Suricata was Ezekiel, he was great--very knowledgeable, informative about all the animals, and attentive to us. I did the 4 day safari and we saw basically all the animals at the top of my list: Cheetahs (in Serengeti only), lions, leopard, elephants, Rhino, giraffes, and lots of hyenas, which are my favorite!! The sceneries are just spectacular, just like you see on TV, especiallly Ngorogoro. The Serengeti is fascinating...it's just plain/open spaces where you think there's nothing there, but actually all the animals are there! I was also happy that Suricata was able to provide special meals for me since I'm vegan. I absolutely loved this safari and my only regret is that I didn't choose a longer one as I would've loved to spend more days in Serengeti and seen more rivers.
PT
Email Carlos Mendes | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Caring and attention to detail.
For a first-time safari, their attention and caring to detail was impeccable. Our guide Ezekiel was not only knowledgeable but also passionate, making every moment an enriching experience. He was also very honest without giving to much expectations of what we could see during the rainy season. I thank him for that. The accommodations, specially inside the NPs were comfortable and very immersive, as we could see and hear buffalos, hienas and lions during the night. The food cooked by chef James was delicious and I'll definetely missed it. Finally, the sights were breathtaking and thank you for meeting our wishes. Hopefully, I will come back soon.