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
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Email Pooja | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 Day Great Safari - Surreal Experience!
We booked a 5-day group Great Safari which was an incredible experience! We saw the big 5 animals in 1 day. Our itinerary included Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire. Our guide, Melita, has in depth knowledge of all the animals, parks, and the Maasai people. He navigated the drive really well. I am so glad he was our guide!! My only feedback is for improved communication with the briefer. Our itinerary was changed and we weren’t informed until the night prior. I also had difficulty reaching our briefer after the Safari to arrange transfers but all was arranged appropriately in the end. The tour was all inclusive with transfers, food, water, and lodging. All of the lodging were very beautiful, accommodated different dietary restrictions, and were in scenic places in the parks. The exception is the SG resort in Arusha which unfortunately had outdated and unclean rooms for one of our nights. Overall, I recommend this operator for your journey!
RU
Email Ilyas Kalimullin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was very good organized, easy going 6 days safari
Company met us in Arusha airport. After night in a hotel we started our 6 days safari.
First day was Manayara, actually we didn't see flamingo there, but we saw hippo very close. After a night in good camping we went to Serengeti NP for 2 days. It was awesome there - many gnus and zebras. We also saw different cats - lions, cheetahs, leopards.
Every day we had excellent dinner and breakfast with hot meal made by our cook. And also we had lunchboxes in the car, but the lunchboxes were not so good.
The only problem, which upset us was that
the program of Suricata said "Day 5 : Ngorongoro Crater tour .
After breakfast, proceed directly to the Crater floor for a full day crater tour with picnic lunches. Later proceed back to tarangire in the evening"
But actually we had only half day safari in Ngorongoro, we were upset of this fact.
But it total everything is very good. We recommend this company!
That was amazing!
This was our first experience on safari. Everything was great. We met at the airport, placed in the hotel. In the evening came, Hillari, we paid main amount for safari. He asked our preferences in food, when my wife learned that cook can cook separately for her food without gluten, she was very happy! Was one confusion with paying, in the contract not mentioned on the amount of a tip for guide, they were fixed, 10$ with person per day. I think you need it to write in the contract! In our country tips are not mandatory and fixed. But guide the Mandela and cook Salim, great fulfilled his work and very tried, so we were pleased to pay a tip! We really liked it, we will recommend to our friends! The price is very good.
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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!
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Email Colin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simon is great!
Simon was a great safari guide. He was knowledgeable and friendly. While the itinerary I booked got a little messed up and I was with different groups each day, Simon more than made up for it. In general, the camping safari was good value.
Once in a lifetime experience
The scenery is so good and I’m really surprised that there are varieties of animals in safari! The campsite we stayed has a room to improve in a shower room but in total the experience was brilliant!
Email Aahsan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari
We had an amazing experience on this safari! We saw so many different types of animals right from the start, and most of these were so close to the car we had a great view. Our guide Lewis was very knowledgeable and could answer any question we put to him. The food and camping facilities were all great and better than expected. Chef Salim made sure we were always well fed with great food. Highly recommended!
Email Lindsay Young | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Knowledgeable Guides
Booking the 4 day Tanzanian Safari to Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti was very easy and the having the representative waiting at the starting and ending hotel was very convenient and made the whole trip feel secure. My favorite place we stayed was the Suricata Boma Lodge. Absolutely gorgeous accommodations and the food was delicious. The staff were so friendly and willing to help. There was some confusion about other accommodations since the ones listed on the brochure were different but they were very pleasant and the staff were very accommodating, especially after long days of safari. Our guide Amiri was super knowledgeable and made sure we saw all the animals and got close enough to get pictures but not uncomfortable or unsafe for the animals.
CH
Email Michael L. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unique safari experience at 3 different NPs
We had a good guide (Elias) with excellent local experience and brilliant eyesight, always stayed on-road and communicated with other trucks, that's how we found nearly every animal incl. the Big Five. Lodges and served food were also amazing. Our guide could have provided a little bit more historical backgrounds though, we had to ask him everything in order to get infos. And unfortunately there were no night game drives.
DE
Email Nesty | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was an amazing tour with great food.
It was a beautiful tour through the landscapes of Tanzania. Baraka was a great guide and was able to answer all of our questions. I also have to praise Pius. He took care of the food, which was delicious. We felt completely at ease and were able to concentrate fully on the safari.