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
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
Email Nicole | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari experience!
We had the most wonderful honeymoon with African Big Cats! From our initial email communications, Joshua was really helpful and patient with us getting started and confirming our dates and setting the itinerary. Naomi was so helpful in organising the trip, answered all our questions and made sure everything was sorted for us. The company is so professional and takes so much pride in what they do. Emmanuel, the owner, took a close and personal interest in the trip to discuss feedback and check we were happy with everything. The entire trip was so well taken care of and we didn’t have to worry about anything.
Our game drives were absolutely incredible and the whole trip far exceeded our expectations!! Our guide, Claus, was excellent! He was so patient with us taking so many photos and made every effort for us to see so many animals including the big 7! He drove so well and whilst we saw some animals really close up, he is really respectful of the animals. We enjoyed our time so much with him, we learned Swahili and just had such a good time that it felt difficult to leave! We loved Tanzania and the people are wonderful – if you are thinking about going on Safari, this company is excellent and I would highly recommend them!!
Email Guy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Honeymoon Safari experience
To the team at African Big Cats, my wife and I are truly grateful for the amazing honeymoon that you arranged for us. Every step of the way from planning through to delivery has been smooth and stress free. You made us feel safe and welcome and the entire experience was truly amazing and surpassed our expectations. Your attention to detail and professionalism meant that we could focus on the honeymoon and enjoy every moment without worrying about anything. We felt incredibly safe on Safari with Claus, his driving along the bumpy roads was incredible and his ability to spot wild animals while doing so is extraordinary!!
Thank you for an unforgettable experience Asante Sana!
CA
Fantastic company for Kilimanjaro trek
e chose African Big Cats Safaris and Treks for our 8-day climb of Mount Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho Route, and we could not have asked for a better experience.
The company was founded more than 10 years ago by Emmanuel, who started as a porter and later became a guide. His experience is clearly reflected in the way the entire trek is organized and managed.
From the very beginning, everything was handled professionally and smoothly. Salim managed the reservation process, Naomi coordinated the detailed logistics and planning, and once we started the trek, we were in the excellent hands of our guides, Imran and Iddi. Imran has climbed Kilimanjaro more than 200 times, while Iddi has done it more than 50 times — and their experience was invaluable.
We are both 60 years old and successfully reached the summit without suffering, thanks in large part to the careful pace, encouragement and support of our guides. Imran quickly understood that we were physically fit enough to summit, but that I needed some extra mental support along the way. His positive and reassuring approach made a tremendous difference and completely removed any anxiety I had about reaching the top.
The whole team deserves recognition. Teushi, our cook, prepared three delicious, hot meals every day, as well as excellent snacks. He is a professional cook and also an educator at a college in Arusha, and his meals were a real highlight after each day of hiking. Samsun was our caring “waiter,” attended to any of our requests and making sure we had warm bottles for our sleeping bags every night. We also had 10 porters, including Marcosios, who was responsible for our private toilet.
A private toilet is definitely something we recommend. The public toilets along the trek are, to put it mildly, not particularly appealing! The good news is that the private toilet was automatically included in our reservation, so we didn’t have to arrange anything separately.
We also needed warm mountain clothing, as Kilimanjaro can be extremely cold, even in September. Imran provided everything we needed, again making the experience completely hassle-free.
Beyond the personal achievement of reaching the summit, these eight days gave us a much deeper understanding of the Arusha community and how dependent many local families are on tourism. Choosing a reliable, experienced and genuinely local tour operator makes a real difference — not only to the quality of the trek, but also to the livelihoods of the many people and families involved.
A huge thank you to Imran, Iddi, Teushi, Samsun, Marcosios, Emmanuel, Salim, Naomi and the entire team for an unforgettable Kilimanjaro experience. We strongly recommend African Big Cats Safaris and Treks to organize your private trek to Kilimanjaro.
CA
Email Connie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
African Big Cat Safari could not have been better. The staff and service are outstanding!!!
From the planning to the trip execution, this tour company was wonderful! the accommodations and food, outstanding. However, what made the trip unforgettable for us was our driver Endeni. We were there for photos and he knew exactly the right spots, the right lighting and found every single animal on our list. We got the big five, and much much more. I highly recommend this company. If you're on the fence about taking this trip, go ahead and jump off and book it!!!! I have been around the world and back again, this trip has been the highlight for me, even better then Everest!
