CN
Good
My guide is Sadam. He is very responsible, warm and friendly throughout the whole process. He takes good care of my father. I am very happy with this safari. I will come again next year if I have a chance.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Once in a lifetime experience
Just returned from Safari in Masai Mara,Kenya and Serengeti, Tanzania. We traveled with our 2 sons and their families including 2 teenage children. We all had experience of a lifetime. The itinerary was very well planned giving us enough time to enjoy the sites. The lodges and luxury tent accommodations were excellent with all modern facilities and gourmet food options.
The drivers/ guides were very professional and knowledgeable and went out of their way to accommodate us. We were able to see plenty of big 5 including lions hunting Zebras and Cheetah chasing Gizells. However, the highlight was watching the Great Animal Migration, which left us in awe !
We would highly recommend this company to organize your private Safari experience.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
We had a perfect safari experience with Karibu. We went on a 5 day trip and it was amazing!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall great, and soon any kinks will be worked out for sure.
I was traveling with a party of 11, all age ranges from 10 to my parents in their 70s. The most important elements here were safety and consideration of this varied party and in both respects Serengeti Smile was exemplary. Walter and Zack were our drivers and while I saw other jeeps that were impatient at times and risky while navigating some really treacherously narrow roads, they never made us feel unsafe and were extremely capable. Walter was a font of knowledge and would supplement his lessons on the wildlife with books he kept in the front seat that could act as visual aids. I got along with Zack for his good nature and our shared football love. Both were always vigilant of my mother-in-law’s precarious gait and were kind to the kids (10, 11, 13).
Their knowledge of the terrain - the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater - was evident and they made sure we got to see all the big five while on safari. The leopard was a tricky find but they wouldn’t give up and eventually we saw one in a tree (camouflaged incredibly which may explain why they’re so elusive). We saw two rhinos and had the most amazing encounter with three male lions who were lounging in front of a herd of about 500 zebras. One lion came within a few yards of my window. Just mesmerizing.
The highlight of our accommodations was the Nyoto (sp?) resort where we stayed for two nights in the Serengeti. It was surreal to sip beers in the pool looking over an infinity edge at a herd of water buffalo migrating north. My wife was gazing at grazing giraffes as she dozed in the afternoon. When you have a high like Nyoto it’s really hard for the other accommodations to compete, and if there’s one way they could improve it’s to continue searching for other venues that meet that standard. But to be honest, all the accommodations were on lovely grounds, I just imagine some of this has to do with what’s available.
I’ve only been on one safari so take my opinion for what it’s worth, but I’ve traveled all across Europe and Asia, and I know how tough a trip like this through a rustic developing nation can be and I can’t imagine another company doing better.
High recommend and another nod to our guides Walter and Zack.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wisdom! he was such a great tour guide!
We got to see all but the cape bufalo, lions and black rhino. This was a great experience and lots of elephants!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wisdom
Excellent tour guide, provided lots of insight about the various animals we encountered, and made the whole day a lot of fun.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Really funny and gave lany information!
Moloko was the perfet tour guide, we saw many animals and really had fun. Thanks a lot for the experience I would recommend it 100%!
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dreams come true!
Makasa helps make your dreams come true. Zara, Anne, and Selma from Makasa provided so much information and showed great patience with our endless questions that we felt completely comfortable booking with them. They really know the country, the people who live there, and the right partners to work with. True professionals!
Amazing breathtaking adventurous holidays with my husband and 2 (adult) children. This all thanks to our guides during our trip. Our gentil guide Godwin in Moshi, who showed us for a couple of days the real life there, explained the culture of Tanzania, and showed the treasures of the region (waterfall, local market, coffee plantation…) before he brought us to the Amini Africa Masaai Lodge. The time spent at the Masaai Lodge is an experience we will never forget. The heart-warming welcome, their smiling and happy faces, their willingness to share their traditions, culture and answer all your questions are just a glance of how beautiful this experience really was. Myriam at the bar and shop was always there to help us. At said shop you can buy beautiful handmade jewelry, baskets, dreamcatchers, belts and all sorts of objects made from beads in all kinds of colors. We were incredibly lucky to have Sabore and Leyasek as guides during our days at the Masaai lodge. Bush breakfast, mini safari and a touching visit to the Africa Amini Life clinic, schools, sewing shop, Masaai garage…these two great warriors gave us fantastic days with their enthusiastic stories. We experienced such great and hilarious moments of laughing together. At those special moments you do not need anything more, this is pure happiness. We really thought that that was it, that the holidays could not get any better. But that was without counting on Augustino, our private Safari guide, who showed up at the Masaai Lodge to bring us to the different parcs for 9 days. He made us directly feel comfortable by starting to sing, “in the jungle the mighty jungle….”, setting us immediately in the mood to see some animals. Augustino made our already fantastic journey even more spectacular. He is a “google button” himself for all birds and animals’ names we saw during our Safari in Tarangire parc, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and more. We have been so incredibly lucky with what nature showed us and with his experience we were able to see so many animals that we even started a list to make sure this was not a dream. The days at Serengeti lodge Kimbilio lodge were an experience on its own. With Kotema as camp manager who made us feel so very welcome. All was very well organized. We had some great chats, and soccer games together. Jeremy, from the “entertainment, food and beverages department” (As he called it) made us laugh a lot. It was also very enjoyable that the guide was able to sit with us for all meals. We really felt like a family there. Our guide made sure that our breakfast or lunch was always served on a spectacular site with great view and we even danced all together in the middle of Serengeti! The lodges itself are very luxurious which I, to be honest, never expected, food was great (during our whole trip we loved the food). You could hear the zebra’s and wildebeest nearby our tent. We even heard a lion and hyena’s fighting for the kill during the evening and night, but we felt safe at Kimbilio. After visiting the spectacular and beautiful crater we asked Augustino on the way back to the airport if there was a possibility to eat local food instead of our lunchboxes (we did not pack them in the morning). He brought us to a very special place, not seeable from the outsight, within a banana plantation, where a local, delicious lunch was cooked for us. So very tasteful and a finishing touch on our trip. We are very grateful to have met such incredible, nice and amazing people and on top of that to be so lucky to see the Big 5 as well thanks to Augustino!
A sweater is very useful for the silly nights and a scarf is Andy when the roads are a bit dusty.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience, a memorable safari of a lifetime!!
The whole experience with the Safari Masai Mara was unparalleled. On the very first day, we got to see a huge rhino and a cheetah up close. The guide was very professional and experienced - he knew where to go when. The way they have paid attention to every need is really commendable. In a word, service, safety, and experience - everything is 5 stars.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour operator was extremely helpful, booking an amazing itinerary, and responding to our questions
The whole trip was amazing. The highlights of our trip were spending time with the gorillas and the ~5 hour mountain hike. We didn’t realize that we would be so close to the gorillas! The hike was incredible, but probably at the high end of intermediate. I would recommend training before taking on Mt Bisoke. We enjoyed a beautiful view of the mountain peak and a large caldera at the top. Would recommend spacing activities out as it does take 3+ hours to go from one destination to the next and taking a lot of snacks with you.