Vimat Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $40 to $910 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Dimitar | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Safari Experience
My wife and I used Vimat Safaris and had an amazing time! From the booking stages the service provided by Vincent was impeccable. He had an answer to all of our questions and replied to all of my emails quickly. Silva – our tour guide was with us throughout the entire time (9 days). He came to pick us up from the airport, spent the entire time with us and dropped us off at the airport on our way back. Silva was by far the best guide we’ve had and we’ve been to quite a few safaris. Very knowledgeable, patient, funny, energetic, accommodating, I can go on and on… My wife joked that we’ve attended Silva University during our vacation. We learned a lot about the Massai, the animals, the flora and all fauna overall, the history of Tanzania, and many other topics. Everything was very well organized and it was a ‘worry free’ vacation for us. The timing of the tours and transfers were well planned too. We absolutely would recommend Vimat Safaris and a visit to Tanzania! We had a great time and many unforgettable moments because of the perfect animal spotting of Silva!
NL
Email Liqian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful experience with VIMAT
The communications with VIMAT is perfect! Vincent is very professional and responsible. He replied me quickly and gave me useful informations.Peter is a very experienced driver with good service mind and knowledge. I had a wonderful Sarai experience with VIMAT. Definitely I would recommend it to my friends.
US
Email Keiko & Michael | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, professional and reliable service, would definitely book with them again
It was a trip of a lifetime and if I came back, I would definitely come to Vimat again. We got to see all the animals (yes, the big 5 as well) and so much more that I never knew existed, and it was just absolutely incredible. You will be assigned a guide to drive you, to teach you about the amazing wildlife, and accompany you in a lot of things. I believe a guide can make or break an experience, but I highly recommend Edward Lema to be your guide. He has a wealth of knowledge and will deliver you the service and experience beyond your expectations. My partner and I have a hearing loss, and he has shown patience and is just comfortable and fun to be around with. He is very talented and interesting person you’d like to spend your driving time with. The owner, Vincent, has been extremely responsive and accommodating and will make sure all your requests are being met in a timely manner. I highly recommend Vimat to be your Safari guide!
HR
Email Matija | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Magnificent Kenya and Tanzania experience
WOW, what an experience! From initial ideas for the itinerary right till the 'Goodbye coffee' in Arusha Coffee House each detail was perfectly planned and executed by Vincent. This was our second trip to Africa so we contacted Vimat Safaris directly on a good recommendation from our guide Karato (who was with us on the first trip also) and the entire planning stage went perfectly. This time we decided to combine Kenya and Tanzania in a single 11-day trip with hope to see the crossings and some rarer animals which we didn't get enough the first time around.
Kenya side of the trip was handled by Vimats partner, Asili Adventures, who warmly welcomed us (Thanks Monica!) and introduced us to our Kenyan guide, Martin. From the beginning we started checking off our wish list items by visiting Lake Nakuru with intention to see rhinos and our first encounter happened straight away as we entered the park! We stayed at wonderful Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge whose staff was exceptionally warm and welcoming. Next day we had a short game drive in Nakuru with another sighting of rhino family with a calf and a special treat of a leopard resting in a misticaly lit forest. After Nakuru we departed for Masaai Mara where we stayed at Enkorok tented camp surrounded by beautiful nature and friendly staff. Even a short evening game drive produced some beautiful sightings combined with a stunning sunset. Following day we had the whole day scheduled for Mara game drives and hoping to see the crossings and it paid off. Along with sightings of lions, cheetahs, giraffes and countless birds (we recorded around 120 species in total on our trip) on who Martin was very well informed and helped us with determination, we witnessed our first crossing and it was stunning!
Following day was mostly spent on transition from Kenya to Tanzania where we said 'goodbye' to Martin and 'hello' to our friend Karato who was our guide for the rest of the trip. Our next destination was northern Serengeti and route took us through Isebania border crossing and over the northwestern part of Tanzania where Karato showed us many cultural sights while on route. Travelling in pandemic time had its uncertainties so our intended destination, KatiKati camp wasn't able to accommodate us, but Vincent took care of everything and we were treated with an upgrade to Mara Mara Tented Lodge with stunning views and fun and uplifting staff. Northern circuit of Serengeti brought us, among other animals and birds, another 2 crossings and witnessing a lioness hunt. Next day we started our way towards central Serengeti where northern bush was replaced by endless yellow grasslands where we took some iconic Africa pictures of lion cubs, elephants under umbrella trees and cheetah family on the hunt. Staying the second time in Serengeti Serena Lodge, we were treated with a 'welcome back' cake and a hearty song from the staff. Serengeti portion of the trip ended with a mandatory visit to Naabi Hill where we took some breathtaking images of the endless plains and continued onwards to Ngorongoro crater and Ngorongoro Serena with a second 'welcome back' cake that day! After a half day game drive in the crater we started for Tarangire national park and settled for the night in Tarangire Safari Lodge with #awesomeview of Tarangire river which offers non stop game sightings. Our last day we spent on game drive through Tarangire where the scenery was dominated by giant baobab trees which, in combination with abundant wildlife, provided us with magnificent photos.
In total we crossed 3000km, took 3000 photos and experienced uncountable sightings. Both Martin and Karato answered all of our questions, explained everything we wanted to know and were a perfect trip companions that helped us forge memories for life. Finishing this trip of a lifetime, Vincent met us in Arusha Coffee House for a final 'goodbye' where we shared our experiences with him with some nice Tanzanian coffee.
We cannot express enough our gratitude to Vincent, Karato and Martin for making this trip a possibility in these uncertain times!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Maja, Marjanca & Matija
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Email Sam | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Guide gave the best info of any tour!
Fantastic experience! Communicated via WhatsApp and operator kept us well-informed. Our driver was so knowledgeable and friendly, and always had some interest tidbit to share. I learned more from our first day with him than I did in five days with other tours. Definitely recommend!
CA
Email Stephanie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
From start to finish........amazing!
Wow, I can not say enough about Vimat Safaris. We had to book last minute (the day before) and Vincent was fantastic. He managed to secure all the accommodation and provide us with THE BEST guide.
The value for money can not be beat and the expience will last me a life time.
The whole experience was great; from my first communication with Vincent to being dropped off at the airport by our amazing guide. EVERYTHING ran smoothly.
Accommodation was mid range (as per our request) and awesome. The guide, Godlizen, knew exactly where to go to find all of the big 5 (and more!) I would highly recommend Vimat Safaris.
Stephanie (from Canada!)
Email Paul | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A perfect, professional tour that exceeded all expectations in all aspects.
Our tour was tailored perfectly to our specific requirements in terms of what we hoped to see and do. From our first enquiry and contact Vincent always replied very promptly to my many enquiries and even came to meet us at the start and end of our tour.
Peter, our driver and guide was simply exceptional. His knowledge is astounding and he took us the places other drivers would not visit so that we saw animals and scenes only we witnessed. It was clear other drivers looked up him, he rescued 3 of them stuck in mud! His driving was first class and safety conscious.
If there is a better company or tour guide out there they must be really something.
Thank you so much Vincent & Peter!
PS I don’t normally write reviews but these guys deserve the best I can write.
HK
Email Lulu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great choice that meet expectations
Vincent from Vimat is a great and responsive trip planner which was very reassuring to our first ever safari trip to Tanzania. We love the plan and the activities arranged for us for a 11-day luxury safari trip, from Tarangire- Lake Manyara - Lake Eyasi(visit 2 authentic tribes- Datooga & Hadzabe) - Serengeti - Ngorongoro Crater.
The trip plan is totally flexible according to the budget, days of visit, style or standard of accommodations needs, routes and activities.
Since it is our first time to Tanzania and safari, we needed more options and game plans on the journey. I recommend the first time goers could ask for more options from the guide/driver, for example- getting up early to see more animals or sleep-in for the morning to go for a longer game drive for the day. So to ultilze the trip plan, your energy/interests during the journey.
Strongly recommend Vincent and his team. They are very flexible and also very experienced. We have had a wonderful experience.
TR
Email Mustafa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
They picked us from the airport and they managed everything according to what we wanted. Lodges were absolutely amazing, foods were nice and our driver Boniface was very nice person. I didn't experience anything bad during our tour. Highly recommended.
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Email Joe T | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic family safari experience
This has been the best vacation we’ve ever had. Every aspect of our trip with Vimat exceeded our expectations! Throughout the entire planning process, Vincent was great at listening to our goals and creating a customized plan that met those exactly. He made sure we had the best chance of seeing the animals we wanted to see, got us to each of the places we were interested in, and even changed the lodging and accommodations to meet the kinds of places we wanted to be.
It can be nerve wracking sending several thousand dollars to a company you’ve never worked with before, especially when you can’t meet them in person first, but Vincent’s clear and consistent communication; guidance; and professionalism helped make it so much easier. I chose Vimat over all the other possibilities because of the quality of service and communication he offered.
The price of an 11 day custom private trip was very reasonable, and I actually think we probably should have paid more. We booked a “mid-range” package that had some accommodations that were nicer than any place we’ve stayed on 3 continents. The camps and lodges were all spectacular, but we were most impressed with the Karibu camps in the Serengeti. Every place was clean, welcoming, had great food, and fantastic rooms.
Our main guide, Alex, who worked with us throughout Tanzania was the most professional and skilled of the 6 guides we worked with in Africa. He knew the places very well, could teach us about the animals, saw things we never would have spotted, and always put us in the right place at the right time. He was very flexible, listening to us when we wanted to stop for something that isn’t “usually important,” and making sure we were ready before moving on. When our youngest fell ill, he accommodated a change of plans. He also showed real knowledge of the habits of animals, and because of his insight and patience, we saw amazing things. The other guests at the camps we saw were consistently jealous of all the cool things we saw, and Alex was a big part of that.
Parts of our safari took us into Kenya, where another firm that Vincent had worked with provided guides and transportation. The cooperation between Vimat and their Kenyan counterpart, Asili, made border crossings between Kenya and Tanzania a lot less complicated. This group also did an amazing job, and made sure that every part of our safari was wonderful.
We couldn’t have had a better experience, and we can’t recommend Vimat Safari highly enough. Thank you for Everything!