BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Guide, Mixed Experience with the Agency
Our safari experience was truly memorable, and the absolute highlight of the trip was our guide, Charles.
Charles deserves every one of his 5 stars. He went above and beyond to help us experience the very best of the Serengeti. Thanks to his dedication, we saw every one of the Big Five multiple times, including mothers with cubs, animals hunting and feeding, and many incredibly close wildlife encounters. He always drove safely, had outstanding knowledge about the animals, their behavior and habitats, explained the geography of the region, and shared fascinating facts about Tanzania throughout the journey. More than just a guide, he became a true friend during our safari. We are deeply grateful for everything he did for us.
Regarding Suricata Safaris, we would rate the company 3 stars.
First, we want to recognize what they did well. Everything was organized professionally: they were punctual with every transfer, booked excellent accommodations, and provided a new, comfortable, safe safari vehicle equipped with a refrigerator. We have absolutely no complaints about the logistics or the overall organization of the trip.
However, there are two important issues that we believe the company should address.
The first concerns the way guides are treated during the tour. We found it very disappointing that there were repeatedly not enough plates, cutlery, or meals for our guide, despite our safari being sold as a full-board experience. Throughout the trip, it often felt as though there was not enough food reserved for him. A guide is not simply a driver—he is the person responsible for our safety, our experience, and the success of the safari. He deserves to receive the same meals as the guests, not to wait until everyone else has eaten or rely on leftovers. We were genuinely happy to share our meals with Charles whenever necessary because he had become a great friend. However, this should never be the responsibility of the guests. Suricata should value and care for its guides with the respect and dignity they deserve.
The second point is about the planning and customer service for private safaris. We felt that Suricata is still not fully accustomed to managing customized private tours at the level expected by international travelers.
The Great Migration is what makes the Serengeti world-famous. We traveled in August, precisely when the herds are in the northern Serengeti preparing to cross into the Maasai Mara. For reasons we still do not understand, the company assumed that we were not interested in seeing the migration and planned our entire itinerary only in Central Serengeti.
When someone books a private safari, they expect more than transportation and accommodation. They expect guidance about the best seasonal experiences, explanations of the available options, and questions about how they would like to personalize their itinerary. We naturally assumed that visiting the Great Migration in August was an obvious part of the experience. The company assumed the opposite and never discussed it with us.
To make matters even more confusing, the offer we received included photographs of wildebeest crossing the river, which naturally led us to believe that this experience was part of our itinerary. At no point did the itinerary state that the Great Migration was not included, nor were we ever asked whether we wished to visit it. We believe it is only natural that someone traveling to the Serengeti in August would want to see the event that has made the park famous around the world.
Overall, we had a wonderful safari and created unforgettable memories. We sincerely appreciate the professionalism in organizing the trip and, above all, the exceptional work of Charles.
We share these comments because we believe they represent valuable opportunities for improvement. By taking better care of their guides and providing more proactive, personalized planning for private safaris, Suricata could become an even stronger competitor in the international luxury travel market.
IL
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
We had a really wonderful safari tour in Pilanesberg. Peter took us around the park and did a great job. He was very nice, professional, and helped us spot some amazing wildlife. It was a beautiful experience from start to finish. We highly recommend taking a tour with him.
BR
Serenguetti Safari and Ngorongo crater
Amazing trip with a guide (Charles) who really knows the places that we’ve visited.
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Explorer
Very good organized tour
Good accommodation provider
Good experienced well behaved cooperative driver cum guide
Our driver in this trip David was excellent and skilled driver
Good time management
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience overall
We had a very good experience with Karibu Tena. The safari met our expectations and we enjoyed our time. I would recommend them to other travelers
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour operator has WeChat, and deposit can be paid in RMB.
I took an 8‑day group safari tour with Eta Adventure Safaris. I am a solo female traveller from China. Eta Adventure Safaris operates together with Super Eagles.
Pros:
1. They have WeChat support. The deposit can be paid in RMB via WeChat, only 10 % of the full payment. It makes communication much easier whenever any issues come up during the trip.
2. Airport pick‑up and drop‑off services are free of charge.
3. I selected my own hotels and asked them to make advance bookings for me. All check‑ins went smoothly.
Cons:
1. Fixed group tours cannot be customised. I really wanted to see the wildebeest river crossing, which requires long waiting by the Mara River — some groups wait from 6:30 until 14:00. On shared group safaris you have to accommodate every passenger, so sightings depend purely on luck.
2. Tour guides are assigned randomly, so experience varies greatly. My first guide John was excellent and gave me a wonderful start to the trip. However, my second guide was consistently one to two hours late. We filed a complaint and got him replaced.
Summary:
Group tours bring together travellers from all over the world to share travel stories, which suits outgoing people. I would say this operator is worth considering if you book their shared group safari. It is a relatively large local agency. I met another Chinese tourist whose agency was terrible: that provider downgraded her accommodation without consent, charged for airport transfers and ignored her formal complaints.
Professional. I hope they stopped us for a good lunch place.
Cab driver Tiyani was both friendly and professional. The drive was good except that I wished they stopped for a good lunch place on the way to the lodge. I am
A vegetarian and didn’t find much to pick up at the brief stopping point.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They are so friendly and great
I had a wonderful day. The only sad thing was that we didn't see any lions despite the driver's best efforts. I'm so happy I did this safari tour. It was so exciting and wonderful to be so close to the animals.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent for arranging last-minute safari to one of the big five, the rhino.
Great safari organiser who is flexible, solution-oriented and organised a last-minute safari in Zambia.
We had to pleasure to work with Matthias who we contacted on the day before a safari. He perfectly organised a tour to see rhinos in Zambia.
From the moment we were picked up to the moment we dropped off everything worked smoothly.
Good guides, good border crossing. And fantastic meeting with rhinos.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Dream Safari Thanks to John and Emanuel
My partner and I booked an 11-day safari with Top Selected Tours, and overall we had an unforgettable experience that we are happy to recommend.
Once we met our guides, the safari became exactly the trip we had been dreaming of. Emanuel, our safari chef, went above and beyond to prepare delicious meals every day and always made sure they suited our needs. We really appreciated the care and effort he put into every meal.
Our guide, John, was exceptional. He listened carefully to what we hoped to see, searched specifically for our favorite animals, and somehow managed to find them every time. His extensive knowledge of the wildlife, animal behavior, and the different landscapes made every game drive both exciting and educational. We always felt safe, well looked after, and benefited greatly from his experience.
While the safari itself exceeded our expectations, there were unfortunately several organizational issues at the beginning of the trip.
After arriving, we were asked to pay unexpected transportation charges that had not been communicated or agreed on in previous emails.
According to our itinerary, the first day was supposed to include a visit to Moshi and an introduction to the safari. Neither of these things happened.
In addition, at the first few lodges we had to contact the company several times because our booked meals had not been included in the bookings and had to be corrected afterwards.
Despite these organizational shortcomings, the safari itself was outstanding thanks to John and Emanuel and all the other guides we met along the journey. With clearer communication and better attention to the arrangements made before the trip, the overall experience would have been perfect.
