Gilmag Safaris' Fleet of Safari Land Cruisers
Gilmag Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $250 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Peter | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended! Great communication, safe, and trustworthy
Our safari with Gilmag was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I 100% recommend working with Mary and her team at Gilmag. My wife and I visited from California in mid-June for our honeymoon and we had an amazing experience (private safari for a couple with mid to high-end accommodations). Mary and Erick (our driver-guide) were hard-working, honest, and we felt safe and comfortable the whole time. Here's how it went:
*Booking*
Our goal was to have a safe, high-quality safari, with a great guide to see all the animals.
I emailed about 30 tour operators (after going through reddit, friend recs, trip advisor reviews, google, etc.) to inquire about their tours. I found with some operators they had nice website and a junior sales person in say the UK that was smooth but was only superficially knowledgeable around the actual on-the-ground safaris in Tanzania. Plus they charged a huge/unnecessary premium mainly for having a slick website and English-speaking sales reps.
Or I spoke to junior sales reps in Tanzania who's English was not as proficient and it felt like they were copy-pasting pre-written answers to me when I asked a simple question. Eventually, I had to pay thousands of dollars to one of these operators that I had never met in person, so I made sure to do my homework.
After emailing, whatsapping, and having calls with ~30 operators - Mary was BY FAR the best tour operator I spoke with. Her English is good and she was the most responsive (she would respond to my whatsapp messages quickly), knowledgeable (she has been running Gilmag locally from Tanzania for years and knows the ins-and-outs of every angle of a Safari tour), and flexible (she really listened and accommodated us when I asked for adjustments) travel agent I spoke to. We spoke about the various lodges at different levels and what she thought about them and I felt like I could trust her.
*Safari*
On the Safari - my wife and I had a once-in-a-lifetime trip. We saw lions (multiple times, cubs, lionesses, multiple male lions), hippos, giraffes, elephants, thousands of zebras, buffalo, and probably at least 100,000 wildebeests (the Great Migration is truly an epic natural wonder).
Erick was our Driver-Guide and we had a great experience with him. My wife and I always felt safe during the tour. As a driver, Erick was very safe and reliable - he always managed to get us to our lodges and flight on time (we typically liked to take a lot of photos and linger for a long time).
As a guide, Erick was great at finding all the animals. Once we saw about 15 lions about 5 to 20 feet away (lionesses, cubs, and TWO male lions at the same time). He was really knowledgeable about all the animals/plants/landscape in the Serengeti (he's been doing this for I think 10+ years). He taught us cool factoids like the hippos excrete in the pools, the fish eat the excrement, the crocodiles eat the fish - so if a crocodile eats a hippo they are ostracized from the group (I love this kind of stuff).
Mary also helped us arrange the flight from Central Seronera to Zanzibar and our airport transfer in Zanzibar. We felt very safe the whole time, knowing Mary had arranged a driver that she trusts to pick us up.
Overall, it was a 5 star safari experience. If you're looking to go on safari in the Serengeti, I would 100% recommend booking your safari with Mary and her team at Gilmag.
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Email Mary F | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Fabulous Safari Adventure with Gilmag
I highly recommend Gilmag if your planning a safari. When I agreed to take my Auntie (80) and her friend (75) on safari I knew that we needed a company that paid attention to details and allowed my older travel companions to set the pace and activities. When I found Gilmag and spoke with Mary, I know this was the right company for our safari. She took the time to explain the details of our trip and was very specific when answering questions. Mary was very easy to work with when making changes to our itinerary and worked to give us the best value in lodging and camps. She stayed within our budget.
Our guide Nickson was an absolute treasure and was very knowledgeable of the national parks we visited (4 in total). He was kind, patient, and knew where to find the Big Five... even the rhinos we saw in Ngorongoro NP. Nickson even went out of his way to find a step when he saw auntie was having difficulty getting out of the safari vehicle. This is the kind of detail that made traveling on safari a little easier and more enjoyable.
We saw a lot of wildlife up close and personal. My favorite was the elephants and I could watch them all day long. There were lions walking alongside our safari vehicle... so close you could reach out and touch them. We saw a pride with 12 cubs and 6 adult females. There were leopards up a tree and cheetahs under a tree. Hippos sunbathing!!! The list goes on and on.....
This was, by far, the best holiday I've had in my life!!! Thank you Mary, Gilbert, and Nickson for making it happen.
CA
Email Eva | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once-in-lifetime Experience, Recommend!
We had excellent time with Gilmag from before-trip communication to in-trip experience, Felix was easy to communicate in Chinese and fast to respond before the trip, he helped us to tailor the itinerary as best to fit our requirements. Nickson was our guide who has over 20years of Safari experience, very professional and great driving technique. We were about to see lion hunting, cheetah, leopard, rhino etc. due to Nickson’s awesome guide skills and more than happy about going this trip with him!!! Would definitely be back again and recommend go with Gilmag Safaris!
CN
Email TAN | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
CHOOSE GILMAG，WORTH IT（值得）
Chinese service was amazing! They were incredibly helpful. Before the trip, they patiently answered all my questions, gave great advice on hotels and attractions, and quickly resolved issues during the journey.
Our tour guide Eric was the highlight! Super knowledgeable about animals, his vivid explanations made every stop interesting. He arrived early each day, helped with luggage. It truly enhanced our travel experience.
The itinerary was well - planned, balancing popular sights and relaxing time. The transportation, accommodation, and dining arrangements were all excellent. Thanks to their professionalism, I had not only beautiful views but also heartwarming memories. Definitely choosing them again!
BE
Email Joyce Gerald | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Kenya/Tanzania Safari
This safari was on our bucket list along with a hot air balloon. I was apprehensive booking this tour but Mary planned our 15 Kenya-Tanzania day Safari in great detail so that we could experience the real African. We saw all the big five animals and every day was different. We stayed at six different accommodations. All were 5 star and offered different types of accommodation styles. We travelled in a land cruiser which was comfortable even on the most uneven dirt roads. Our drivers Peter and Frank from Kenya and Tanzania respectively made every attempt to get us up close to all the animals.
We enjoyed every minute of our safari. We highly recommend Gilmag Safaris.
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Email Mike | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simply the Best!
Evry thing about Gilmag exceded our expectations. There prices were in line with other comporable companies and our safari was just the three of us in our family. The lodges and tent camps were all wonderful and the food was great. Mary at Gilmag communicated with us as the trip approached and answered all our questions.
Once on the ground, our guide and driver, Nickson was friendly and kind and a good conversationalist. He also has 15 years of experience in the safari business and is a grea driver, guide, expert on all things locally and culturally and he really knows his animals and their habitat. He was just the best and I can't imagine we would have seen as many animals with a different guide.
Thank you Gilmag Safaris!
CN
Email Yuan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful trip, very professional company and guide
We just finished a 6-day safari with Gilmag. Everything was wonderful. We traveled from Kenya to Tanzania and arrived at the Serengeti smoothly. Our hotel every day was very beautiful. This is unforgettable. The owner of Gilmag greeted us very warmly outside the airport.
Our guide Prosper is very professional and has good driving skills. He has more than ten years of guiding experience. It often rains in Ndutu in January, and many cars are stuck. Prosper led us to drive smoothly with his professional driving skills.
Mr. Felix is also very professional. He is a very good person. After a month of communication, we decided to cooperate with him because the communication with him was very smooth and happy. Every day he asked us if we were satisfied and gave us very good care.
If you also want to come to Tanzania for safari, please choose Gilmag without hesitation. They will use their very professional ability to take you to understand Tanzania
CN
Email Lizzy Fan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome Safari experience! Thanks Gilmag for the excellent services
I had an incredible safari experience with Gilmag! From the moment I arrived, their attention to detail was impressive. They picked me up in Moshi at 9 AM on the first day, right on time, and provided a thorough introduction to the itinerary and planning for the upcoming days.
My contact person, Felix, was exceptionally warm-hearted. He checked in with me every day to ensure I was being well and to see if I needed any assistance. His care and attention to detail were truly commendable.
The hotel selection was unique and tailored to my needs, with meticulous filtering to ensure I was satisfied with each choice. I was delighted with every accommodation, which included a lodge, tent, and hotel, allowing me to rest comfortably after long days of adventure.
My guide, Prosper, was not only professional but also incredibly engaging. He had an extensive knowledge of the wildlife in each area and shared many fascinating stories about Tanzania, including insights into the Maasai way of life, the origins of various place names, and the habits of different animals. Every aspect of the service was meticulously planned, making the entire experience seamless and enjoyable.
I highly recommend Gilmag for anyone looking for an unforgettable safari adventure!
CN
Email Song pengchao | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was a truly unforgettable trip. Gilmag is very professional.
We joined Gilmag's trip in September this year through Felix, the stuff in China. He was always very quick to answer various questions and gave very friendly advice.
From the beginning consultation, to the signing of the contract, to the final payment, everything went very smoothly. We were provided with free Chinese consultation.
The guide Eric was very professional. He took us to see a lot of lions. All the accommodations in Serengeti were also very memorable. We saw wildebeest crossing the river in the north.
Tanzania is very beautiful. I am already considering coming back for the second time next year. Gilmag is a very trustworthy Safari expert
BE
Email Stéphanie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unique and fantastic experience
Extraordinary experience!
Everything was perfect. The selection of hotels, each unique and offering a new experience, the parks ( Tarangire, Lake Manayara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti), the super comfortable 4x4, and our amazing guide Erick, who shared his extensive knowledge of nature and life in these parks with us
We absolutely loved the Serengeti—the sights there are just breathtakingly beautiful.
Our teenagers, aged 15 and 18, loved the trip.
We ended our journey with a few days in Zanzibar at the BlueBay Resort, also organized by Gilmag Safaris. Everything was flawless. We were well taken care of from our arrival at the airport until our departure.
I highly recommend Gilmag Safari.