African Big Cats Safaris
- Offices In:
-
United States
Australia
Canada
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $250 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
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Email Alan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
African Big Cats Safaris provided an unforgetable and expertly guided 7-night safari!
We wanted to work directly with a locally based operator, avoiding any middlemen. African Big Cats Safaris' excellent reviews and extensive experience since 2013 further reassured us of their expertise. Before travel, Justice and Naomi answered all of our questions, addressed our concerns and worked closely with us to customize our safari. Upon arrival in Tanzania, we met the owner, Emanuel. He wanted to make sure that they would exceed our expectations. Our amazing guide, Lordi, more than exceeded our expectations. His extensive knowledge was like taking a graduate course in the wildlife and Tanzania. He always encouraged us to get an early start in the morning and stay out late in order to maximize our experiences. Under his guidance we always felt safe and cared for. This is a tour operator and guide that truly cares about their guest's experience.
Lordi picked us up at JRO and had lunch for us in the vehicle, for our long drive to Tarangire NP. Along the way, we saw many elephants. The following day, the park's breathtaking landscapes came alive with abundant wildlife sightings, including majestic elephants, lions, giraffes, buffalo, monkeys, baboons, zebras and more!
We made many stops on our way to Serengeti NP to appreciate Lordi's insights on wildlife, insects, and plants. Witnessing the ever-changing topography, from jungles to grassy plains and swamps, was a testament to Tanzania's natural diversity. Further along, we saw lions, zebras, leopards, cheetahs, impalas, ostriches, giraffes, hyenas, hippos, & crocodiles.
Driven by Lordi's dedication to providing exceptional wildlife experiences, we embarked on a quest to witness the legendary wildebeest migration, which we found adjacent to the Grumeti River.
Our final safari was at Ngorongoro NP. Following Lordi's suggestion, we set our alarms early for 5am, eager to witness the wonders of Ngorongoro Crater. Our early start allowed us to reach the entrance road before any potential crowds. We saw an amazing amount of wildlife, including lions, bulls, hyenas, elephants, zebras, hippos, flamingos, warthogs and a very rare black rhino. They even arranged for an amazing walking safari with two armed rangers!
On our last day, Lordi drove us back to JRO. It was sad to say goodbye. Lordi texted us 45 minutes later to make sure that we got checked in for our flight and we were okay.
I highly recommend African Big Cat Safaris and would not hesitate to work with them again when in Tanzania!
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Email Kelly | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
From communicating with the team before we arrived in Africa, all the way to the end of our safari trip, we received excellent customer service. The team responded quickly to emails and helped me plan our trip, as well made suggestions for accommodations before our safari trip. Venice was an incredible and knowledgeable guide. He shared so many animals facts and always made sure we had the best view of the animals. The lodges each night were great! I highly recommend African Big Cats Safari.
PT
Email Teresa Gradim | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCIES IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!
Big Cats Safari were just amazing. We booked directly with them and everything went 100%. Speed in responding to our queries was very important. From the JEEP vehicle, always clean and with fresh drinks. Possibility of loading equipment, very useful.
Our guide, Venance, always careful and tireless in the search for animals. We saw them all. Venance loves his job. He was tireless throughout the tour and very knowledgeable about all the Parks.
We visited Taranguire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara.
We did the comfort circuit. The proposed accommodations were excellent. We couldn't ask for more. Thank you Big Cats Safari and Venance.
We also did a tour of Arusha on the first day, very interesting, especially Massai Market. Thanks all team Big Safari Cats
Email Monir | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
One of the best travel experiences of my life, thank you to Big cat safaris!
I highly recommend Big Cat Safaris for your tour in Africa.
They took care of us right from the start, and we were well looked after throughout our whole trip.
Our guide was also brilliant and very knowledgeable
CO
Email Marc | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent organization for an amazing safari
We had a fantastic week with our guide Venance, exclusive for us, who speak a good spanish and who cheered with us is knowledge about his country, the parks and the animals.
I highly recommend African Big Cats Safaris.
All was really excellent: The hotels, the food, the guide, the organization.
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Email Dory | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
What a Wonderful Company!
My two friends and I had a wonderful experience with African Big Cats Safaris from the beginning of the planning process to after returning from safari!
William and Naomi were very responsive to all of my inquiries and very patient with the many changes in plans my friends and I made over the course of a couple of months. They were available by email and WhatsApp, which made communication simple.
Our driver/guide, Nathaniel, was quite amazing. He was an excellent driver and was able to find so many animals, and then position the Land Cruiser so we could get the best pictures. He had started his career as a ranger in the Serengeti and was a wealth of knowledge about the animals and their habitats. We learned so much! And if you are interested in a walking safari, he's your guy! In addition, Nathaniel was a great help in Arusha, taking us places we were interested in visiting and connecting us with services we needed. We feel lucky to have him for our guide.
The accommodations booked by ABC Safaris were all great! We weren't sure what to expect from a "comfort safari" but were so happy with each of the places we stayed. The highlight was Intimate Camps in the central Serengeti. It was an amazing "tent" camp and I can't recommend it, and the staff enough. In fact the staff at of each place we stayed was lovely and welcoming.
Finally, I'd like to give a shout out to Emanuel Kavishe, the founder and managing director of African Big Cats Safaris. Emanuel came and met with us the evening before the safari to provide us with detailed information about the safari, and answer any questions we may have had. He also met with us when we returned to Arusha. He took notes about what we thought about our guide and accommodations, and was very appreciative of any and all suggestions we offered. We were very impressed by his business model and sincerity.
Thank you to African Big Cats Safaris for providing us a trip of a lifetime to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater (Caldera!), the Serengeti, and Tarangire National Park!
IT
Email Marco | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The dream trip to Tanzania with African Big Cats Safaris
We stayed 2 days at Tarangire (boababs, birdwhatching and elephants: the most beautiful landscapes), 5 days at Serengeti (simply the most beautiful park of Africa, with sightings of all kinds of animals, especially dozens of felines, and viewing the savannas from a balloon), 1 day at Ngorongoro (black rhino: go there early in the morning 'cause it's not so crowded) and 1 day at Lake Manyara (monkeys, baboons and night safari) with African Big Cats Safaris and the legendary guide Karim.
Wonderful places, unforgettable animal sightings, unique colors! The organization with African Big Cats was impeccable: we had the possibility to customize the itinerary based on our taste: we were very interested in spotting animals and a 9-day safari (plus 2 days of travel) allowed us to spend a lot of time with them (from about 06:30 to 18:00, each day), with no hurry, being able to appreciate every single moment and having the necessary time to learn from the guide and observe the behavior of each adn every animal.
Karim was simply brilliant, indulged all our wishes, allowed us to see lots of animals (thanks to his experience and knowledge of nature) and taught us so many things (also about the life there in Tanzania). In addition, he allowed us to take the best photos possible, always positioning the jeep optimally. We are already planning another trip with African Big Cats next year.
Highly recommended!
Fantastic
Absolutely fantastic tour company. Immanuel (the founder) goes out of the way to meet the guest before and after the trip to make sure they are prepared and also, to capture valuable feedback for future customers. The trip is planned with a great level of detail and when flexibility is needed, African Big Cats is more than happy to accommodate. All of the hotels booked didn’t disappoint and even when we had a minor issue with one of the hotels, Immanuel himself got on the phone and resolved it immediately.
Our guide, Lordi, was incredible. He was so knowledgeable about all details — not just around the animals but more importantly, the culture of the Tanzanian people, that just make the trip so much more memorable and enjoyable. He was incredibly friendly, awesome with the kids, and more than patient with all of us (the kids in particular could get loud). These things are important — especially when you consider we are with each other for at least 12 hours a day in the car. Lordi said before the trip that we would become family and by the end of the trip, he was so right.
One example of Lordi’s knowledge. He saw a migration of Wildebeests coming. Instead of just stopping the keep, he know right where they were going. So he sped up and put us in position at a bank of a river — sure enough, 5 min later, we found ourselves face to face with the migration. It was an incredible experience that our fellow guests were incredibly jealous of when we shared our stories back at the hotel
You need to use African Big Cats. They have the knowledge, experience, and attention to detail that will make your trip to Tanzania a memorable one.
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Email Lake1735 | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Listener and friendly to talk to
Emmanuel listened to what we wanted to accomplish in our time in Tanzania and he put it together nicely by have a very polite and soft-spoken guide Obed to the fantastic accommodations he arranged for us.
MX
Email Arciniega family | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience, great guide.
Our family safari to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire was a lifetime experience! The charm personality and outstanding expertise of our guide Zablon, from African Big Cats Safaris, made a difference. He always had the right comment and the right moment to learn more about the behavior of each animal we were encountering during the safaris. Everything worked like a Swiss clock, from the pickup from our hotel in Moshi to the Dropoff at Arusha. Highly recommendable/reliable safari company.
