African Big Cats Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,100 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
Email Lisa and Tish | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding
Our whole experience with African Big Cats Safaris was outstanding from beginning to end. We started planning our safari about 2 years ago. Both William during the planning phase and Naomi in Operations were extremely professional, organised, patient, helpful and flexible while still providing a warm, personalised and individual service. They were quick to respond to emails and messages (of which there were many) and were also happy to speak over the phone. They arranged everything from the time we landed in Tanzania to the time we left Northern Serengeti, including our hot air balloon ride. It was great not having to worry about anything. Emanuel, the owner, met with us at the beginning to make sure that everything was in order with our itinerary, to ensure our expectations were understood and to reinforce that we were on a private safari, so we were able to choose how much or how little we did each day. He also checked in at the end to hear our feedback.
We added a 1 day hike of Kilimanjaro to the beginning of our itinerary and we are so glad we did. It was a great way to start. Our Mountain Guide Imran was fantastic. He was so encouraging, experienced and full of knowledge about the mountain which he shared with us throughout the hike.
After a day in Arusha, we then spent 7 days on safari visiting Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Central Serengeti and Northern Serengeti and what an incredible experience this was. We had high hopes, but everything exceeded our expectations.
Our Safari Guide Obedi was just amazing and he made our trip what it was. His love of Tanzania, nature and what he does was evident from the beginning. He was like an encyclopaedia of animals and could spot and name them from such a distance. We learnt so much from him. He was patient and calm and went out of his way to give us the best opportunity for every possible sighting and position our vehicle well, while still showing great respect for the animals and other vehicles. He knew and handled the roads so well and had so many contacts within the parks, so if there was a sighting in a different location, we could get there quickly. We will never forget having a pride of lions circle our vehicle and watching them position themselves for a kill. He looked after us like family and for that we are truly grateful. We trusted him and always felt safe and in good hands. He has the best smile and we had so much fun and so many laughs along the way too. We made a new friend.
The animals…WOW. We saw everything we hoped for and way more. The Great Migration and Mara River crossings, a kill, The Big 5, The Ugly 5, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, hippos, baboons, cheetahs, serval cats and so many beautiful birds to name a few. We didn’t just want to tick off a list but wanted the time to stop, observe and take everything in and that is exactly what we did.
Our mid-range lodges and camps were all unique in their own way, clean, comfortable and welcoming and the meals were great. There was so much food.
Our safari vehicle was comfortable and well maintained. We called it our office. We loved the space to move around, the ability to both be on the same side when viewing animals, the cold drinks from the fridge, the power for charging our phones and cameras, the storage pockets for sunnies, sunscreen, wipes etc and standing up with the wind blowing on our faces as we moved around the parks. We appreciated the fact that the inside of the car was cleaned each day and that there was a bottle of water waiting for us every morning.
There are so many safari companies to choose from and we wanted to book direct and support a local company. We read so many reviews, watched social media, checked credentials and in the end just had to go with our own gut feeling. African Big Cats Safaris provided us with and incredible experience, so many ‘pinch me’ moments and memories that we will treasure forever. As experienced travellers, we have no hesitation in recommending African Big Cats Safaris. We loved every minute.
Asante sana Obedi, Imran and African Big Cats Safaris!
Email Tim Zisoff | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
African Big Cats Safaris was outstanding, superb, remarkable and fantastic!! The Best!!!
About a year ago I began researching safari companies for Kenya and Tanzania. Afican Big Cats Safaris rose to the top. The initial itinerary was developed with Mr. Frank and the fine tuning, details and logistics were handled by Naomi Kavische. Naomi was responsive, professional, detailed and very efficient from start to finish. We are so impressed with African Big Cats that we strongly consider them before you decide. I simply cannot say enough about our safari experience. Do yourselves a favor and contact African Big Cats Safaris!!!
CA
Email Victoria | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible!
I would highly recommend African big cats safari’s! They helped us plan our wedding (surrounded by animals) and our honeymoon. Everything was super smooth. We had our absolute dream wedding and honeymoon on safari and in Zanzibar. We are sincerely grateful for their assistance. Super nice people! :)
CN
Email Diving | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable safari
This was an exciting, breathtaking and truly unforgettable safari.
The Serengeti was a place we had dreamed of visiting since childhood, and this trip finally made that dream come true.
A very special thanks to our guide,Mr. Clause. He was professional, experienced, an excellent driver, and always made us feel safe. With him, we were lucky enough to see the Big Seven and several wildebeest river crossings. One crossing was especially spectacular, with a huge number of wildebeest crossing continuously for more than ten minutes.
There were so many unforgettable moments: groups of giraffes standing quietly on the plains looked almost sacred; elephant herds were calm and majestic; a lioness brought her four cubs to eat a freshly caught warthog; we watched vultures and hyenas feeding on a dead elephant; and we were lucky enough to see black rhinos in Ngorongoro.
Mr. EMMANUEL introduced the details of the trip on our first morning and came back to check on us again before we left. Before the safari, Joshua and Naomi were very responsive by email and gave us helpful suggestions based on our needs.
The hotels and camps arranged by African Big Cats Safaris were all comfortable, with very good service. At night in the camp in Serengeti, we could even hear wildebeest chewing grass outside our tent.
This is a journey we will remember for a very long time. Highly recommended, and special thanks again to Mr. Clause for making our safari so memorable.
CN
Email Shuoshi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Tanzania safari with African Big Cats Safaris was absolutely incredible
Most of the lodges arranged for us were comfortable with breathtaking scenery. **Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge** stood out — we had such a lovely, relaxing stay there. We accidentally left our charger at the lodge, and their staff went above and beyond: they contacted our guide directly and helped us get our charger back without hassle. Huge thanks to their team for that.
Our final accommodation at Ngorongoro Mountain View Lodge came with some downsides. Our room was really far from the main lobby. A round‑trip walk took at least five minutes with lots of stairs to climb, which was tiring. That said, the views were spectacular and the unique lodge experience still left a strong impression on us.
Our guide **Martin** made this trip unforgettable. He is gentle, attentive, and always tried his best to accommodate every request we had. He has amazing eyesight for wildlife and could spot rare and beautiful animals we would have completely missed on our own. Thanks to his deep experience, great positioning and guidance, we managed to see the full Big Five and took so many wonderful photos.
Martin patiently explained animal behaviours and characteristics, and told many interesting stories about different animal social groups. It really deepened our understanding of local wildlife. On top of that, he gave us really comprehensive insights into Maasai daily life, nomadic traditions and their culture. We learned so much about the African continent from him.
The back‑office support was impressive too. Joshua and Naomi responded quickly to all our questions, concerns and special requests. They sorted out itinerary‑related issues efficiently, which made the whole trip feel secure and stress‑free.
If my friends or followers are planning a Tanzania safari, African Big Cats Safaris will be my top recommendation. A truly memorable adventure!
Email Anita | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely brilliant from start to finish. Samuel our guide was fantastic.
The whole experience was a dream come true, the itinerary, hotels absolutely superb. I would and have recommended this company to many friends and I believe already one has booked a safari. It was an unbelievable experience and our guide Samuel was just amazing, nothing was too much trouble. Wouldn’t hesitate to book a return visit.
Email Angelique | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best possible safari experience we could have imaginged!
We were a group of four. Our safari was 10 days in September. We visited Sinya and stayed at Kambi ya Tembo camp in Amboseli Nation al Park, Tarangire National Park and stayed at Lake Burunge Baobab Lodge. We visited lake Manyara National Park and Ngorongoro Crater and stayed at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. We visited The Serengeti and stayed in Dove Serengeti Camp and Maramara Tented Lodge.
Our personal tour guide was amazing. He was experienced, very knowledgeable about the animals and their habitats/behaviors. He was very patient and kind, not just with us but with the other tour providers/guides. He was always with us and he made sure all of our needs were met. We had water and other drinks available to us in our safari vehicle and the picnic lunches were plentiful and very tasty.
We saw enormous amount of animals and were able to see the wildebeest and zebras migrate across the Mara river.
The accommodations were wonderful. Clean, well equipped and appointed. My husband and I go camping, but these tented camps and lodges were glamping plus! The staff at all of the camps were very personable and we felt well cared for.
The food was delicious and plentiful, even in the most remote camps. Meals were prepared for us and most nights were four courses, soup, salad, main (meat, fish, chicken) vegetables ( usually four) and dessert.
Many of the camps had pools and fire pits we could enjoy.
We ended our safari trip with a three day stay in Zanzibar which was at the lovely Royal Zanzibar Beach Resort. This was also arranged for us by African Big Cats Safari.
Email Karen | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding tour company
Four of us have just returned from a 10 day safari in Tanzania and we could not have asked for a more thoughtful, experienced and professional company than African Big Cats. From our first day of enquiry to our last day on tour they were amazing to work with, tailoring our itinerary to our personal interests, responding immediately to any enquiries before and during our tour and providing the most excellent professional guide in Endeni. We felt safe and exceedingly well taken care of. Our lodgings along the way were 5 star in every way, thoughtfully located with amazing views and great service. We looked forward to our food and rest at the end of the day knowing it was going to be amazing.
We saw every creature imaginable including the Big 5. Our guide, with 15 years experience, loved his country, the people and the animals. We learnt a great deal from him. He was always thoughtful to our needs and levels of interest, taking care that we were comfortable and moving at the pace we desired.
The owner of Big Cats met with us personally at the start of the trip to go over our itinerary. This is a Tanzanian based local company who love what they do. They are superbly professional. The entire trip was excellent value for money and I would not hesitate to recommend this company for providing a once in a lifetime experience in Tanzania.
Thank you so much, African Big Cats, for making our dream Safari come true.
NZ
Email Mary-Anne | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simply Outstanding
We commenced planning our Safari nearly 2 years ago. We put out our brief to 3 top rated companies on Trip Advisor. African Big Cat Safaris (ABC) was the only company that listened to our brief AND made constructive recommendations.
From day 1, the communication with William from the Planning Departing, to Naomi from the Operations Department was nothing short of fantastic.
We had allowed 2 day’s rest prior to our 14 day safari, as we were travelling away from home for nearly 5 months. However, we were hampered by 3 x flight cancellations and delays right up to the 11th hour and Naomi was there all the way for us, making sure our pickup in the early hours of the morning was arranged. We arrived with 2 hours to spare before the start of our Safari Day, our rest days were eaten up with flight delays.
Well, we didn’t think it could get better, but it did!
Festo, our guide, picked us up at the Airport, a big smile greeted us. While we were tired and jet lagged from the delays, what a greeting.
Festo was simply outstanding. He could spot birds and wildlife from a great distance, and his knowledge was superb.
Day 2 or 3 in, we saw the Cheetah. Then 4 leopards in one day, and of course we saw the Big 5 during the course of our safari. We were guided by Festo’s timekeeping on what time to depart each morning, and within minutes of arriving at the River, we saw a major Wildebeest Crossing.
Then we moved from there and within another 10 minutes was another major crossing! His timing was always 100% perfect.
At all times, Festo was looking after us, explained everything, and we couldn’t have been better looked after. He didn’t rush us, when we just wanted to sit and enjoy the animals and the moment, plus taking photos etc.
One good thing about being on a 14 day Safari, we were able to actually visit some Villages, which many people wouldn’t see in a 7 day Safari. This helped us understand the culture. We visited the Bush people, and the Masai. This was incredible. My husband participated in some of their spear throwing and bow and arrow events. He loved it.
We would like to thank the entire team at ABC for an amazing life adventure, a real highlight of our 5 months of travelling.
It is a huge leap of faith and trust with booking direct online, and not via a Travel Agent, however, from day 1, ABC were incredible.
Festo is an absolutely top guide, and please ask for him! We absolutely trusted him, and over 2 weeks, he became our best friend and loved him for that.
Our memories of our trip, are just not of the wildlife, but also the wonderful time we enjoyed with him, and he made our outstanding trip was it was. Thank you Festo and the ABC Team, from Andrew, Mary-Anne & Helen.
Email Arlene | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
great attention to every detail
perfectly planned itinerary
very responsive for any request
great guides !!
highly recommend without hesitation