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Lappet Faced Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $750 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
CN
Email Poppy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly Recommended! Reliable Tanzania Safari with Amazing Guide Noel
We booked our Tanzania safari with Lappet Faced Safari and had an absolutely fantastic trip. This operator is fully licensed and qualified, so you can book with total peace of mind.
They provide Chinese-speaking customer service with fast and convenient communication. The quotation was clear and reasonable, with no hidden fees.
Special shout-out to our guide Noel. He has 12 years of safari experience and is incredibly professional. He excels at spotting well-hidden wildlife, always finds perfect photo angles for us, and shared a wealth of wildlife knowledge throughout the trip. He drove smoothly and safely the whole time.
The safari vehicle we used every day was new and spotlessly clean. We upgraded to hot lunch, and the food was great.
It was a wonderful safari experience overall. I highly recommend Lappet Faced Safari and will refer them to friends planning trips to Tanzania!
CN
Email Simba | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most transparent operator in Tanzania — and a host who never sleeps
We recently traveled to Tanzania with this team, and the experience exceeded every expectation. What really sets them apart is the host, Ding. He stayed online for most of the day, keeping an eye on every group, and was always the first to respond whenever we had a question or a problem — hotel arrangements, transport, even an accommodation issue that came up in the middle of the night. He didn't just forward messages; he worked through it with us until it was solved. That kind of hands-on attention is rare.
Our guide was equally impressive: deeply experienced, calm, and clearly someone who had been carefully selected. You can feel the standard they hold their people to. On top of that, their quote was the most transparent of every company we contacted, with no hidden extras — and genuinely the best value.
If you're planning a trip to Tanzania or anywhere in Africa, I can't recommend them enough. I'll be sending every friend who asks me about safari their way.
CN
Email Yu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable. The guide spoke good English and was very patient; most importantly, they responded to requests extremely quickly.
To begin with, the initial communication went very smoothly. We could contact the travel agency directly, and there was a group chat where everyone could interact; any concerns we had were patiently addressed.
Next, the reliability of the entire itinerary was impressive; I only paid the final balance after arriving. The rest of the trip went off without a hitch—the vehicle never broke down, and the arrangements for park tickets and hotel check-ins were seamless.
Since it was a private tour for just the two of us, we had the freedom to do whatever we wanted. We could sit however we liked in the vehicle, enjoying plenty of flexibility.
We also opted for a domestic flight for one leg of the journey, which kept our daily schedule from feeling too rushed.
As for the guide's professionalism, there wasn't a great deal of commentary—perhaps due to our English proficiency—so we tended to ask questions ourselves, which he would then answer. He was incredibly patient and knew the English names for various animals. He was never late; in fact, he would arrive early each day, and we would often have dinner together in the evenings. We were truly reluctant to part ways on the final day.
Regarding wildlife sightings, a lot comes down to luck. While guides communicate via radio, animal movements can be fleeting. We told our guide what we hoped to see—such as a hunt—and we managed to witness about four such instances. Although none resulted in a successful kill, he did his best to accommodate our wishes.
All in all, I highly recommend this experience. Even though I wasn't lucky enough to see a successful kill, I believe that with a bit more luck, it would have been the most unforgettable experience of a lifetime.
(automatic translation from Chinese)
CN
Email Joy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Warm hearted and considerate
We had a wonderful experience thanks to the thoughtful arrangements from lappet facet safaris. Our guide was incredibly patient and considerate, especially taking great care of the children throughout the trip. The hotels were also well-suited to our needs and budget. Overall, the entire Safari journey was truly memorable for our whole family.
CN
Email WEN | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
professional，reliable
Everyone says safari is like opening a blind box—you never know what you'll see next, it's all about luck. But I say that an African safari is more like a treasure hunt. Besides luck, we need a reliable guide whose eyes, experience, and patience help us discover Africa’s hidden treasures. Sometimes, even when the treasure is right in front of you, you might miss it—after all, we don’t have the same eyes as the locals. Our guide Lewis was patient and kind, leading us to many wonderful sights and helping us find perfect angles for photos. Lappet Faced Safari arranged a beautiful journey for us, leaving unforgettable memories. I can't wait to meet again—I’ll definitely be back!
CN
Email JIALI LUO | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond Wildlife: A Heartfelt Tanzania Safari with Lappet Faced Safaris
We spent an incredible 7 days on a private safari tour with Lappet Faced Safaris, and this trip has exceeded all our expectations in every possible way. It is absolutely the most genuine, touching, and unique travel experience we have ever had in Africa.
Our entire safari schedule was perfectly arranged, covering Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and the great wildebeest migration. We enjoyed well-organized game drives every day, watched stunning sunrises and sunsets over the African grasslands, and witnessed the most authentic wild nature. Living in safari camps for a week allowed us to embrace a simple, primitive lifestyle of rising with the sun and resting with the sunset. We slept peacefully every night accompanied by the natural sounds of lions, zebras, buffalos, and various birds, enjoying better sleep quality than at home. Every meal was well-prepared, including delicious packed picnic lunches for our outdoor game drives, and warm dinners by the campfire every evening.
What makes this trip truly extraordinary is not only the amazing wildlife, but also the pure and sincere human warmth we encountered. All the local staff were incredibly polite and attentive. They greeted us warmly with “Jambo” and “How are you” every time we met, took great care of our luggage, and ensured our absolute safety at all times. Due to the local wild environment, we could not walk outside our rooms alone after dark, and the staff always picked us up via walkie-talkie for meals, making us feel safe and well-protected throughout the trip. The local mantra “Hakuna Matata” was reflected in every relaxing and reassuring moment of our journey.
We were extremely lucky with our travel arrangement. Our flight reschedule gave us a full extra day on the last day of the trip, which is rarely available for regular tourists. Instead of a hasty departure, our guide thoughtfully arranged a full-day authentic cultural experience for us. He patiently showed us local shops, took us to visit his lovely family and his adorable little daughter, who has beautiful big eyes and long curly eyelashes. We shared snacks, nuts, and dried fruits with our guide throughout the trip, and gave him Chinese essential balms and essential oils as small gifts, exchanging kindness and warmth all the way.
Later, we visited a pure local Maasai village, far more original than the tourist-focused villages near Ngorongoro. We learned about the real local Maasai lifestyle, their family structure, livestock culture, and simple daily business. We met local Maasai women and lovely kids, and shared candies with them. We also visited the guide’s private land in the village, learned about his beautiful dream of building his own farmhouse, and witnessed his kindness of installing water taps for neighboring villagers. It was such a precious and eye-opening cultural experience that allowed us to see the real Tanzania beyond wildlife and landscapes.
To end this wonderful journey, we treated our guide and his daughter to a Chinese dinner. They tried chopsticks for the first time and shared their wish to visit China one day. On our way to the airport, our guide’s words deeply touched us — “You came as guests, but you leave as family”.
This safari journey is priceless and dreamlike. Beyond the spectacular African wildlife scenery, we gained sincere friendship, unique cultural insights, and endless warm memories. We highly recommend Lappet Faced Safaris to every traveler planning a Tanzania safari. Their professionalism, thoughtfulness, sincerity, and dedication make every trip special and exclusive. We will cherish this unforgettable African experience forever and keep in touch with our lovely guide and his family.
Amazing experience, professional team
I’d definitely recommend Lappet Faced if you’re planning a trip to Tanzania. From the very beginning, they were quick to respond to all my questions and made the planning process feel easy and stress-free. They also provided a detailed price breakdown, so I always knew exactly what I was paying for—everything was transparent, with no hidden costs or surprises. I’d also 100% recommend our guide, Ritchie. He is honestly the best guide we could have asked for. He knows the animals so well, explains their behavior and habitats in a really interesting way, and has an amazing eye for spotting wildlife. Thanks to him, we even found baby cheetahs!
CN
Email Zhang Zhen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Trip
The itinerary was planned very reasonably, with excellent accommodation, dining, and service. The tour guide, Paul, is a mature, stable, and attentive person who is very experienced in searching for animals and possesses extensive knowledge about them. I will definitely come back again and look forward to meeting you again next time.
CA
Email Sidney | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience from beginning to end thanks to Lappet Faced Safaris
We traveled to Tanzania this time with Lappet Faced Safari (Lappet Faced Forever) and specifically chose Frank Sabore, a guide with a glowing reputation in the travel social group.
Our Itinerary: He took us through Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, and both Central and Northern Serengeti.
Vehicle & Comfort: Lappet Faced Safaris' Toyota Land Cruisers feature extra-cushioned seats, which were a lifesaver on the bumpy, all-day drives in the Serengeti. They also provided bean bags in the vehicle for camera support.
Connectivity: Instead of in-car Wi-Fi, Lappet Faced provided physical SIM cards (5GB each). Make sure to bring a unlocked phone with a physical SIM tray. While cell coverage across the Serengeti is generally weak, the SIM card signal was actually slightly better than the eSIM data package I had purchased before the trip. Plus, hotels have Wi-Fi, so we didn't even use up the 5GB data by the end of the trip.
Overall, Frank is an extremely responsible guide—highly recommended! Here are the key highlights:
Flawless Communication: His English is exceptionally fluent and natural (so much so that my wife was jokingly worried he was silently judging her English, lol).
Great Anticipation & Spotting: He knows wildlife behavior inside out and can accurately predict their movements to position the vehicle perfectly ahead of time. Once, he drove us quite a distance away, set up his position, and told us to watch a specific gap where a leopard was likely to emerge. We had our cameras ready, and sure enough, the leopard walked right out! Thanks to him, we didn't end up with just photos of animals walking away.
"Eagle-Eye" Vision: He is a master at spotting animals from a distance. Even better than other top-tier guides, he could identify the sex of the animals right on the spot (we couldn't independently verify it, but it sounded super impressive!). He didn't need to take a photo and zoom in to guess like others do.
Photography-Savvy Positioning: Frank mentioned he has guided multiple photography tours, and it really shows. He understands lighting direction well and proactively repositions the vehicle accordingly. When he noticed I preferred low-angle compositions, he went out of his way to find parking spots that accommodated low-angle shots—a huge plus! (Although reviewing my shots on my R5 Mark II later revealed that tall grass still occasionally messed with the autofocus, his effort was 10/10).
CN
Email frank | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic, well-organized safari with great wildlife spotting and reliable service
We had an absolutely wonderful safari experience with Lappet Faced Safaris. Our guide Noel was incredibly knowledgeable and professional. He delivered fantastic commentary, helped us spot so many amazing wild animals, and kept the vehicle clean and comfortable every day. All arrangements were smooth and dependable. We highly recommend this operator for your Tanzania safari trip.