Serengeti Smile Team
Serengeti Smile
- Office In:
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 2020)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board & AMREF FLYING DOCTORS INSURANCE
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $160 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
KR
Email yu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
"It was a great experience to see various animals
The booking process was smooth, and the response from the person in charge was quick, which was great. Also, Serengeti Smile provided great cars and guides, and their quote was the most affordable among those I received. And the guide made a great effort to help us take good photos and showed us the Big Five along with many other animals
However, there are some disappointing points.
First of all, the person from the office initially mentioned that a tip of 2 to 5 USD per person per day for the guide would be sufficient,
but the guide asked for a tip of 15 USD per person per day.
Secondly, they promised to provide binoculars, but none were available.
Additionally the guide seemed very tired from the long drive, which made it difficult to fully enjoy the experience together.
Lastly, they didn't inform me in advance that the flight time had changed on the last day even though they were able to contact me by whatsapp.
Aside from these few situations, it was an enjoyable trip. Serengeti Smile made their best effort to provide a great experience, but our trip ultimately depended on the individual guide.
SI
Email Polona | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Value for money
We had some miscomunication about level of the hotel. The hotel was changed next day as we wrote a complaint. The guide Libe was super helpfull, good driver and reliable.
Email Tanika McKay | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Saw the big 5 despite it all
Serengeti smile is a organised safari company who took care of us. Our driver Puis took us to multiple parks including Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, maximizing our chances to see diverse wildlife in different habitats. Puis also went to great lengths to give us the opportunity to see all of the big 5 and
Many of the lodges and camps we were booked into catered well for food and comforts.
Going on EARLY (5.30 -6am) game drives was a highlight as you are able to see the animals first and enjoy the day. Avoid the 9am starts... its just way too busy then.
The vehicles used are subjected to hard terrain and must travel long distances. So it is to be expected we experienced some mechanical issues which did not delay us in anyway but was concerning.
Communication is an area that needs a great deal of improvement. Whether is be about accommodation bookings and or the daily schedules of events to ensure guests are enjoying more time at the park than sitting at the lodges or driving on tar.
The guide is great but the operator could have organized better.
The guide is very passionate and well informed about the land and the animals. This was the biggest positive of the tour, as we got to learn a lot about everything we saw. But the vehicle was quite old with no air conditioning and leaking water. Because there was no Ac, we had to leave the windows open, which made everything very dusty and difficult to breathe. Also the first stay leaves much to be desired in terms of safe food and service (the rooms and amenities can be given a pass since we were in the middle of the plains). I also feel like the distances between the two stays could have been coordinated better. Overall, the sights were great, the guide was super, but the logistics and vehicle needs a lot of work.
SE
Email Anders | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good value private tour for a family of five
We went on a 4-Day Tarangire, south Serengeti & Ngorongoro safari. We saw the big five and more. The amount of elephants in Tarangire was truly amazing.
We loved it. Maybe we should have added a day, to be able to cover central Serengeti, if we were to do anything differently.
Email Richard Lewis | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Serengeti Smile is attentive, well-organised, and makes your safari seamless — just request a guide
I had a clear idea of what I wanted my trip to be, and Serengeti Smile accommodated it perfectly. Patricia was always just a WhatsApp message away, making it easy to adjust plans and brainstorm ideas. Everything — flights, transfers, and accommodations — was flawlessly organised. We had three nights in the northern Serengeti for the migration, then moved on to Ngorongoro for two nights at the beautiful Naserian Camp. The lodges were excellent, safe, and friendly, and our driver ensured we had cold drinks and everything we needed on long days. His English, however, was limited, and for English-speaking guests I’d recommend requesting a guide with strong English for a more engaging experience. Overall, a fantastic and well-run trip that I’d highly recommend.
Top organized tour
We did a 2 nights/ 3 days safari in Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Lake manyana. It was a great experience, everything was very well organized. People were super friendly and accomondations were great. Especially the second one in the Ngorongoro crater. The third day we spent at Manyana which was, apart from a lot of monkeys, not as interesting as the days before.
CH
Email Valentin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Banabas was very friendly, reliable and talkative
We did a 3 day / 2 nights trip to Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. Tarangire and Ngorongoro were amazing. However, in comparison to the former two, Lake Manyara was less spectacular. Next time, we would rather opt for two days at Ngorongoro or a day at Serengeti instead. Otherwise, the accomodations were beautiful, food was good and the people were very friendly and accomodating. The trip was very well organized.
Email Beth | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Champion!
I loved our 5-day safari around Tanzania. It was even better than I imagined. Our tour guide was experienced, we even got to see the Big 5! Champion (our tour guide) was friendly, knowledgable, and went above and beyond to give us the best experience possible. He was reliable every morning and I felt safe with him during our trips.
The only reason I cannot give 5 stars is because the company did not pick us up from the airport and we could not contact them, we had to arrange our own taxi at midnight to the hotel. They did, however, refund us the amount for the taxi. On the first day, we were told we owed $2000 when we didn’t … this was quickly rectified when we showed them our bank statements.
In summary, we had a great experience and I would recommend Serengeti Smile and Champion to my friends at home.
CN
Email zhuiluodeyunxing | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
good
The entire trip was pretty good. The entire trip was pretty good.