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
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!
Email Yifang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Experience!
We had a great experience with Africa Big Cats Safaris. Everything was well organized, clear, and smooth from start to finish. The team was friendly, professional, and very attentive.
A special thank you to our guide, Mr. Venance, who was excellent. He was knowledgeable, patient, and always respectful of our preferences. He worked very hard to find the animals we wanted to see, and we were lucky enough to see so many amazing animals during our safari.
We were very satisfied with the whole experience and would definitely recommend Africa Big Cats Safaris!
CA
Email Matt | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced guides, strong communication and planning!
We were very pleased with our experience with African Big Cats! We just completed our six day safari taking us from Arusha to the northern Serengeti and were blown away by every aspect. In particular, our guide Martin was patient, thoroughly knowledgeable, experienced, and a careful driver. Martin is the perfect ambassador for Tanzania - welcoming, kind and generous. Prior to our tour, the planning and communication from Salim and Naomi was prompt and extremely helpful. The lodges the team at African Big Cats recommended were exceptional as well! We would highly recommend African Big Cats to anyone considering a safari in beautiful Tanzania, you will not be disappointed.
PT
Email Eloi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream vacation!
The company initially piqued my curiosity, partly because of the price; I had no references, but after talking to Naomi, she quickly reassured me. It ended up being a great choice, and I have nothing but praise for it.
Email Frances | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommend Big Cats for your safari
Our safari was in early August. From start to finish it exceeded every expectation we had.
The wildlife sightings alone made this trip unforgettable — we lost count of the number of species we encountered, from big cats to herds of elephants, and the migration of the wildebeest in the northern Serengeti. Every day brought something new.
Our guide, Venance, made the entire experience. His patience, warmth, and deep knowledge of the animals turned every game drive into a learning experience.
The lodges were another highlight — comfortable, well-run, and staffed by extremely friendly people. Nothing ever felt rushed or impersonal.
If you're considering a safari, I can't recommend African Big Cats Safari highly enough. Between the seamless organization, the incredible animal encounters, and Venance's outstanding guiding, this was a trip to remember.