Hilary and Martin - owners of Suricata Safaris
Suricata Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 50-100 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
FI
Email Emma | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good tour overall
Steve was a knowledgeable guide and very punctual! We saw many amazing sightings :)
BR
Email Victor | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Guide, Mixed Experience with the Agency
Our safari experience was truly memorable, and the absolute highlight of the trip was our guide, Charles.
Charles deserves every one of his 5 stars. He went above and beyond to help us experience the very best of the Serengeti. Thanks to his dedication, we saw every one of the Big Five multiple times, including mothers with cubs, animals hunting and feeding, and many incredibly close wildlife encounters. He always drove safely, had outstanding knowledge about the animals, their behavior and habitats, explained the geography of the region, and shared fascinating facts about Tanzania throughout the journey. More than just a guide, he became a true friend during our safari. We are deeply grateful for everything he did for us.
Regarding Suricata Safaris, we would rate the company 3 stars.
First, we want to recognize what they did well. Everything was organized professionally: they were punctual with every transfer, booked excellent accommodations, and provided a new, comfortable, safe safari vehicle equipped with a refrigerator. We have absolutely no complaints about the logistics or the overall organization of the trip.
However, there are two important issues that we believe the company should address.
The first concerns the way guides are treated during the tour. We found it very disappointing that there were repeatedly not enough plates, cutlery, or meals for our guide, despite our safari being sold as a full-board experience. Throughout the trip, it often felt as though there was not enough food reserved for him. A guide is not simply a driver—he is the person responsible for our safety, our experience, and the success of the safari. He deserves to receive the same meals as the guests, not to wait until everyone else has eaten or rely on leftovers. We were genuinely happy to share our meals with Charles whenever necessary because he had become a great friend. However, this should never be the responsibility of the guests. Suricata should value and care for its guides with the respect and dignity they deserve.
The second point is about the planning and customer service for private safaris. We felt that Suricata is still not fully accustomed to managing customized private tours at the level expected by international travelers.
The Great Migration is what makes the Serengeti world-famous. We traveled in August, precisely when the herds are in the northern Serengeti preparing to cross into the Maasai Mara. For reasons we still do not understand, the company assumed that we were not interested in seeing the migration and planned our entire itinerary only in Central Serengeti.
When someone books a private safari, they expect more than transportation and accommodation. They expect guidance about the best seasonal experiences, explanations of the available options, and questions about how they would like to personalize their itinerary. We naturally assumed that visiting the Great Migration in August was an obvious part of the experience. The company assumed the opposite and never discussed it with us.
To make matters even more confusing, the offer we received included photographs of wildebeest crossing the river, which naturally led us to believe that this experience was part of our itinerary. At no point did the itinerary state that the Great Migration was not included, nor were we ever asked whether we wished to visit it. We believe it is only natural that someone traveling to the Serengeti in August would want to see the event that has made the park famous around the world.
Overall, we had a wonderful safari and created unforgettable memories. We sincerely appreciate the professionalism in organizing the trip and, above all, the exceptional work of Charles.
We share these comments because we believe they represent valuable opportunities for improvement. By taking better care of their guides and providing more proactive, personalized planning for private safaris, Suricata could become an even stronger competitor in the international luxury travel market.
Serenguetti Safari and Ngorongo crater
Amazing trip with a guide (Charles) who really knows the places that we’ve visited.
IT
Email Gabriele | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly and puntual
Fantastic experience, my first safari, they think about all
TR
Email Onat | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Gerard was an excellent guide and driver who made our Suricata Safari an unforgettable experience.
Our safari with Suricata Safari was made truly exceptional by our guide and driver, Gerard. He was knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and had an incredible ability to spot wildlife that we would never have seen on our own. He always made us feel safe, answered every question with enthusiasm, and ensured we had the best possible experience throughout the trip. Gerard is a real asset to the company, and I would highly recommend requesting him if you book a safari.
That said, there were two aspects of the overall experience that were disappointing. First, the company applies a 5% surcharge for card payments, which was not clearly communicated upfront and felt like an unnecessary hidden cost. Greater transparency about payment fees would improve the customer experience.
Second, the pre-safari stay at SG Hotels in Arusha did not meet the standard we expected. The hotel felt dated, and the rooms and overall hospitality environment were old and uncomfortable. Given the otherwise premium safari experience, choosing a better partner hotel would make a significant difference.
Another drawback was that the company mixed mid-range and camping guests in the same safari vehicle, resulting in unnecessary delays and logistical inefficiencies at nearly every stop as different accommodation drop-offs and pick-ups had to be coordinated. This seemed like an issue with other company vehicles and needs to be corrected!
Overall, the safari itself was fantastic thanks to Gerard, but improving payment transparency and upgrading the accommodation in Arusha would make the experience even better.
Email Amelia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Safari with Pascal
We had the most amazing time with Suircata Safari especially with our guide Pascal.
His knowledge not only on all the different animals but about his country and the people were brilliant.
Pascal was very informative, welcoming, funny and overall had a great character. Pascal made us feel welcome and really made the experience of our first Safari that much better. We were only with him for 2 of our game drives as the company changed the schedule which is such a shame but we are very grateful for the experience with him.
Every game drive we did there was no rush, he made sure we got the best photo shots and made the most out of our family Safari experience.
I would highly recommend Suricata Safari, if you are getting Pascal as your guide you are in for an amazing experience.
Suricata boma lodge was also brilliant, the staff were so friendly. All the food included was high quality and delicious, even for my fussy teenage brother he enjoyed it! The lodges are beautiful and really heightened our safari expierence but with a touch of luxury.
There is a couple of things that lets the safari down. The communication was poor prior to arriving, I had no one ask for airport pick up details and I had to chase this myself. The airport hotel was also horrendous. The electrics were hanging off the wall which gave me an electric shock when I tried to turn the light on and cockroaches in the room, it smelt of damp with not even amenities provided, one towel between 2 of us. Also the person who came to meet us at the airport hotel prior to the safari gave us the wrong information.
I feel this is minor and would not effect booking with Suricata Safari again! I can only hope one day I can return and do this once in a lift time experience again.
Email Paula | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Our safari was amazing! Our guide Ecky made sure we were well taken care of and provided the adventure of a lifetime! Ecky knew the Serengetti well and used his network of guides to bring us to see lions, elephants, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, hippos (my favorite) and many more animals. Ecky was very knowledgeable of the animals, the ecosystems, and the culture. The safari experience of seeing these magnificent animals in their natural habitat was unforgettable!
IE
Email Maureen Murphy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gerald was an amazing, knowledgeable, pleasant man.
I enjoyed my 3 day safari very much. The professionalism from start to finish was excellent. Accommodation, food, etc was lovely.
IT
Email S. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Smart, flexible and caring.
I did a three days Safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro, the experience was amazing.
As a lonely traveler I really appreciated how Suricata organized a group safari for me, even if I booked just a month before the departure.
Our guides Jerald, Geremia, and also Rasta where really amazing.
Email Amy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Reliable
We had good good communication with the company and were efficiently picked.up from the airport & transferred. James our cook fed us extremely well and Luther was informative and pointed out wildlife. The only bonus would have been if the company arranged for an earlier start time to enter the parks.