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 $1,200 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
AE
Email Amogh | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience
We had a truly wonderful experience with Serengeti Smiles. Our contact Baraka helped plan our itinerary, accommodated multiple dietary restrictions and special requests and had detailed responses to all our queries. At Arusha, one of us left our passport late night at the airport, but this was very effectively handled by Baraka and our driver Joel. Our safari guide Charles handled all aspects of the experience with expertise and patience, answering our queries with detailed answers, picking great spots to drive to and showing us a lovely time at Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, where we were fortunate to see the big 5, among many others. He also calmly handled several obstacles including flat tires in the middle of the safari. Overall we are highly satisfied and would recommend this experience to everyone, especially at this price point
Serengeti Smile: Excellent guide Domician Panga and an unforgettable Great Migration crossing
We explored the Northern Circuit including Ngorongoro and Serengeti on this safari booked through Serengeti Smile, and were lucky enough to witness the Great Migration crossing. It was a powerful, authentic wilderness experience, and overall highly recommended. Breakdown below:
Guide: Domician Panga (the highlight of our whole trip)
Our guide Domician Panga is extremely professional. He knows the terrain and animal patterns across Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater very well, with an incredible eye for spotting hidden leopards, lions and cheetahs from far away. He helped us check off the Big Five and capture amazing moments of the Great Migration crossing.
He has solid knowledge of animal behaviour, birds, local Maasai culture and conservation rules. His explanations were thorough, and he always gave us plenty of time for observation and photography. He drives smoothly and respects wildlife; he never off-roads or gets too close to disturb the animals.
Minor downsides: his knowledge on specialised bird species is somewhat limited. He focuses heavily on his work rather than constant casual chatting during drives, so he is not the type to keep the mood lively nonstop.
Itinerary
The route planned by Serengeti Smile was well thought out. It prioritised morning and late afternoon golden game-drive hours, avoiding the midday heat. Transfers between conservation areas were optimised with no unnecessary detours. The schedule was flexible — we could extend our stay whenever we encountered remarkable wildlife sightings, instead of rigidly sticking to a checklist.
The trade-off: some stretches involve long drives on bumpy dirt roads, which can be tiring. On travel days between camps, game-drive time gets reduced. Still, this is the price to pay for venturing deep into untouched wilderness and getting the chance to see the crossing, bringing us much closer to nature.
Lodges & Camp Service
All camps arranged by Serengeti Smile were beautifully located inside or on the edge of protected areas, with stunning sunset views right at our doorstep. The tented rooms were clean, with reliable hot water, electricity and comfortable bedding. Camp staff were friendly and responsive to requests. Meals were varied, mixing Western and local Tanzanian flavours.
Small caveat: safari camps are wilderness accommodation and cannot match city 5-star hotels. A few camps had more mosquitoes at night and some older shared facilities. That said, this rustic setting is exactly what lets us immerse ourselves in the natural world.
Price & Value for Money
We compared proposals from four different tour operators before booking with Serengeti Smile. Tanzanian safaris carry high fixed costs, including steep park entry fees, fuel, camp lodging and guide services. Our quotation was fully transparent with no hidden charges, everything listed upfront.
Considering Domician Panga’s expertise, vehicle condition, camp locations, plus our successful sightings of the Big Five and the Great Migration crossing, Serengeti Smile offered the best value among the four we evaluated. Budget travellers can opt for basic camping, but if you prioritise a reliable guide and stable logistics, this package delivers great value.
Summary
Domician Panga deserves a strong recommendation — he single-handedly elevated our safari experience with Serengeti Smile. The itinerary is well structured and the camps are pleasant. Bumpy roads and rustic camp facilities are inherent compromises, yet they grant the true immersion into African wilderness, culminating in the breathtaking river crossing. This is a high-quality wildlife trip, recommended for travellers who want to see the Big Five and crave genuine raw nature.
CN
Email CHENYINAN | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Guide，helping us to find bi/ugly/beautiful five!
We had an absolutely incredible Safari with [GOODLUCK]. From the very first day, his professionalism, knowledge, and enthusiasm made this trip unforgettable.
He has an amazing ability to spot animals from far away — lions, leopards, elephants, you name it. He explained animal behaviors in a way that was both informative and entertaining, and his driving on the rough Serengeti roads was smooth and safe. He also went out of his way to accommodate our requests and made sure we got the best photo opportunities.
If you are planning a Safari in Tanzania, we highly recommend [GOODLUCK]. You won't regret it!
CN
Email yikang zhou | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
very good acommandation and professional guide from badger adventure tours
we saw big five and ugly five，cheetah hunting which is very rare to see，and wildebeest migration and so on. our guide names Goodluck，very experienced guide. strong recommend
CN
Email Shuaiyu Zhou | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
very nice
Our guide（GOODLUCK） is very reliable. The accommodation is comfortable, and he spots animals with great accuracy. It’s been an amazing experience.
CN
Email Chloe | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Champion is everything you'd want in a guide: experienced, passionate, funny and friendly
After reading the reviews on SafariBookings, I was fully expecting Champion to be some seasoned older guy. Turns out the person waiting for us at the airport was a young man!
Champion may be young, but he is seriously experienced. He'd just casually go "uhh, animal there... animal here," and sure enough, we'd look over and there it was. So we ticked off 4 of the Big 5 on day one, and had all five by day two ;)
Once we got up north, he seemed a little worried and told us he wasn't an expert on the wildebeest river crossing. And then, just as casually, we saw it over and over again. The first time, he got a tip from other guides and we raced all the way there. The second time, Champion just had a hunch, picked a spot and waited, and before long wildebeest and zebras were crossing together right in front of us. Front-row seats, all to ourselves ✅. After that we also caught elephants crossing and a herd of wildebeest pulling a U-turn.
P.S. He even knows the Chinese names of the animals! Thanks to the Chinese guests before us who left him an animal guidebook. If each of us teaches Champion just a little, he'll be a Chinese expert in no time!
He truly loves this job. Since I'm a corporate drone with barely any time off, our itinerary was tight and included two long-haul days of around 11-12 hours each. And Champion, with his endless energy, still found time to wash and clean the car at night, then showed up at 6:30am sharp to take us out on safari from early morning until sunset. Only on the last day did he mention that he actually prefers leaving at 6am: "There are very few jeeps then, and more animals are out hunting or eating." Too bad every hotel only started serving breakfast at 6am...
He never runs out of stories. Every animal we came across came with a handful of fun facts, and whenever the long drives got a bit dull, chatting with Champion was always the answer.
Best of all, by the afternoon game drive I was usually wiped out, and Champion, who can apparently do everything, would offer to take the animal shots for me with my telephoto lens. He says he'll buy one of his own once he's saved up enough... he's seriously learning photography at the moment...
Champion is the most helpful guide I've ever met (not that I've met any others, lol). He knows pretty much every guide we ran into, and a lot of our sightings were thanks to them all sharing tips with each other. I asked how he knows everyone. According to him, if you don't know someone the first time, by the second time you've all been listening to music and singing together in the drivers' room, so of course you do!
When we came across people whose car had broken down, Champion stopped to help fix it. He said if we just drive past today, someone will drive past us next time. And then, casually as ever, he got their car running again 🤯!
Also, whatever you do, don't miss Champion's dad jokes hahaha! They were my favorite part.
Our time together was far too short, but he was everything you'd want in a guide: experienced, passionate, funny and friendly. I hope he gets that telephoto lens, and a new jeep, very soon!
CN
Email Jenny | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari, very unforgettable
Our driver Sanare is exceptional. His driving made us feel completely safe, and his incredible ability to spot hidden animals took our experience to the next level. He was also super flexible and took great care of us when we adjusted our schedule for an early start.
Also Francisca support us a lot before and during our safari! She was warm, super responsive on messaging apps, and answered all our questions instantly, keeping us completely at ease.
Highly recommend them for a worry-free safari!
CN
Email Jing | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
they responded really fast and helped us sort out any issues immediately.
We had an absolutely amazing safari trip! A huge shout-out to Francisca—she was super professional, responded really fast, and helped us sort out any issues immediately. Our guide was also incredibly knowledgeable. He worked so hard and made sure we saw so many animals. Overall, an unforgettable experience. Highly recommend! Thank you!
CN
Email Bob | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, thoughtful, and well-organized—making our Tanzania safari truly unforgettable.
We had a wonderful safari experience with Serengeti Smile in Tanzania. Everything was very well organized from start to finish, and the whole trip was smooth, comfortable, and stress-free.
A special thanks to our guide, Sam. He was very experienced, professional, friendly, and patient. He had an excellent eye for spotting animals and always seemed to know where to look. Thanks to his knowledge and experience, we were able to see a wide variety of wildlife and enjoy many unforgettable moments during the safari. He also shared lots of interesting information about the animals and the national parks, which made the journey even more enjoyable.
CN
Email MJ23 | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Serengeti Smile offers reliable, thoughtful safari service with a very knowledgeable guide who helpe
We were a group of four and had an absolutely wonderful safari experience with Serengeti Smile. The pre-trip communication was clear and prompt, and everything was well-organized as promised. Our driver-guide was extremely professional, experienced and passionate about wildlife. He knew exactly where to find animals, and we successfully saw the Big Five during our trip. The vehicle was comfortable and well maintained. Great value for money, we highly recommend this tour operator for your Tanzania safari!