Reviews

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Christina Hawkshaw   –  
Canada CA
Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 19, 2025

Email Christina Hawkshaw  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Champion was an exceptional tour guide—knowledgeable, passionate, and genuinely committed!
5/5

Our tour with Serengeti Smile was truly unforgettable, and I can’t recommend them highly enough. From the very beginning, communication was smooth and professional—Serengeti Smile was quick to respond to questions, provided clear details about the itinerary, and made us feel well-prepared and welcomed. Champions service (our guide) throughout the tour was outstanding; he was not only friendly and approachable but also incredibly knowledgeable, sharing fascinating insights that brought each stop to life in a way only a true local expert can.

The safari experience was beyond anything we imagined. Thanks to Champion’s incredible tracking skills and deep knowledge of animal behavior, we were able to spot the Big Five—plus countless other animals, including giraffes, zebras, hippos, and even a cheetah's on the hunt. He always positioned the vehicle perfectly for photos and knew just when to wait patiently for something special to happen.

Champion’s reliability gave us complete peace of mind. Every pickup was on time, every transition seamless, and he handled every detail with calm confidence, which made the experience completely stress-free. The tour itself was perfectly paced and thoughtfully organized, balancing iconic highlights with hidden gems we would never have discovered on our own. We also felt that the tour was great value for money—there was so much packed into the day, and the quality of the experience far exceeded our expectations.

If you're looking for a tour company that combines professionalism, enthusiasm, and genuine care for their guests, Serengeti Smile & Champion are the one!

John C   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 18, 2025

Email John C  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Excellent !!!!! Our guide John & Serengeti Smile safaris. 05.31-06.14.25
5/5

A+++++. John/ John Paul/ “Johnny” did an outstanding job as our guide on a 2-week family safari for 6. Three generations of grandparents, parents and pre-teen children. Customized itinerary from Serengeti Smile…from Kilimanjaro area, Arusha, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Lake Eyasi, Ngorongoro, Central Serengeti & Western Serengeti. Great accommodations and food. From luxury lodges to tented glamping, a wide range of overnight experiences. Excellent and varied activities itinerary.
John Paul knocked it ‘out of the park’, with new lifetime memories and new highlights every day. Lions, cheetahs, leopards, rhinos, elephants, hippos, Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra, cape buffalo, hyenas, jackals, monkeys, baboons, crocs, gazelle, antelope, giraffes, warthogs, mongoose, etc. etc. Nature hikes with rangers, bush hikes with tribes, village interaction with other tribes, hot air balloon safari, and so much more!
We are seasoned travelers and have had numerous private guide and custom itinerary travel experiences. John and Seregenti Smile are awesome! Thanks for creating wonderful family memories 😊

Justin   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 16, 2025

Email Justin  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Unforgettable 15-Day Safari! Fantastic Guide!
5/5

Our three-generation family of six had an unforgettable 15-day safari experience thanks to Jon Paul, our dedicated safari guide at Serengeti Smile. Jon Paul was knowledgeable, punctual and professional, with a friendly, welcoming demeanor and willingness to answer our endless line of curious questions during the trip. He was a wealth of knowledge concerning wildlife hotspots, animal behavior, local customs and Tanzanian culture. He was experienced (25 years) and well connected with the safari community; he always knew exactly where to be in order to ensure first-class wildlife sightings for our family on any given day. He put our needs above all else and customized our daily game drives to suit our preferences in the moment. Every day out was successful, with highlights including spotting 6 cheetahs within one hour in Central Serengeti, watching a lion feed on a wildebeest in the midst of the great migration in the Western Serengeti, spotting two black rhinos in the Ngorongoro Crater, finding seven leopards, including a captivating close-up encounter for our family alone in Tarangire, and locating several tree-climbing lions at Lake Manyara. Jon Paul was very familiar with the lodges and logistics during our travels, coordinated our boxed lunches and kept our crew comfortable (including 2 kids) throughout the journey. Serengeti Smile enabled us to experience a customized itinerary enriched with numerous cultural experiences and add-ons, including meeting and engaging with the Maasai, Hadzabe and Datoga people, going on several walking safaris with park rangers, handling ancient fossils in the Olduvai Gorge, and partaking in a hot air balloon ‘safari from the sky.’ The variety of excellent lodges on our trip kept the evenings exciting and offered great sunset views; the food and evening entertainment were great every step of the way. Thank you to Serengeti Smile and Jon Paul for making this trip truly extraordinary and unforgettable for three generations of our family!

Lauren Cummings   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 16, 2025

Email Lauren Cummings  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

John Paul is an experienced tour guide who led us on the trip of a lifetime!
5/5

We had an incredible two-week safari in Tanzania led by John Paul. His 20+ years of experience was evident in his knowledge of the areas we visited and the species we saw. John Paul always put us in the closest position for capturing the best pictures of the animals. His friendly demeanor was wonderful for our 3-generation family of six, including two children ages 9 and 13. One morning in Tarangire National Park, John Paul spotted a leopard lying on a tree. The leopard was camouflaged by the tree it was lying on and we were so impressed with our guide's keen eye. We watched the full-bellied feline for a long time, observing its behavior in its natural environment. It was an experience we will never forget. During our safari we were lucky enough to see the Big 5 animals in African safaris and experience the culture and people of Tanzania. We are so thankful to Serengeti Smile and John Paul for this lifetime memories trip.

Sarah   –  
Canada CA
Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 16, 2025

Email Sarah  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Very helpful and knowledgeable
5/5

From start to finish the experience was amazing! Booking from Canada, I wasn’t sure what to expect or how to plan a safari in Tanzania but working with Serengeti Smile it was so worth it! They took care of everything from accommodation, transfers, meals and even accommodated on the go with any changes by us during the trip- I would completely recommend to all my family and friends and really appreciate it! Special thank you to Barnaba and Lambert along with the team for such a memorable experience!

Teresa Covey   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 13, 2025

Email Teresa Covey  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Excellent! Azumi! 5 stars all the way!
5/5

We loved Serengeti Smile and what made is so special was our guide, Champion. He has an infectious smile, positive vibe and a eagle eye. He could spot animals so fast. His was a fantastic driver and we felt safe as he negotiated tight curves. This tour company has the magic to make a trip turn into a special lifetime memories. Thank you Serengeti Smile and especially, Champion!

Kelly   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 13, 2025

Email Kelly  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Amazing!
5/5

Serengeti Smile gave us an amazing safari experience. Champion, our tour guide, was so knowledgeable about the terrain, animals, and roads (such as they are). The staff at all the accommodations were so friendly and welcoming. We definitely did not go hungry! Champion made the long hours in the vehicle pass quickly. Especially as we saw all of the Big 5 animals…simply awe inspiring. Would highly recommend both Serengeti Smile and Champion for an amazing safari experience!

Tracy   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 13, 2025

Email Tracy  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Fun, engaging and accommodating
5/5

Everything about this trip was excellent, Champion was an amazing guide, very knowledgeable about the parks and animals. We felt very safe with him as our guide. The accommodations were wonderful and relaxing. I recommend anyone to book with Serengeti Smile and definitely ask for Champion as your guide, you won’t be disappointed. We saw everything we were looking forward to and more!

Ari S.   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2025 Reviewed: Jun 13, 2025

Email Ari S.  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Champion is a good Rafiki
5/5

Our guide, Champion went above and beyond to ensure we had a great time and made the trip amazing!

Vincent G.   –  
France FR
Visited: October 2023 Reviewed: Jun 11, 2025

Email Vincent G.  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Best in class for wildlife
5/5

I do wildlife photography as a hobby and Albert from Serengeti Smile was able to customize a trip for my family with all the hotspots for animal encounters. Our guide John, a pro-level spotter cared a lot for us and Albert did the extra mile to find room for us in our favorite lodges despite them being fully booked. We travelled with a 3 generation family and everything came out to be above expectations. Best deal in town.

Average User Rating
5.0/5
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