MY
Our guide was very good and the price reasonable
Overall, we had a great experience in Amboseli and Tsavo West (although unfortunately did not get to see the rhinos). The hot air balloon experience was great.
The Masai village experience was so good in that we were charged 20USD per person ‘donation’ but in addition to that, we were pressured to buying many of their handicrafts.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
good
It would have been even better if you could have taken us to the airport.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Reliable & Ethical Local Tour Operator
We’ve been on safaris in about 6 other countries. We chose Lion King Adventures because we wanted to travel with a Tanzanian owned and run tour company with Tanzanian staff, not based in some other country with foreigners running the business. While the safari was not cheap, no ethical safari is, we wanted our money to go directly to people in the country—that was our first consideration. Second, was that our tour would be private with only our group of 3 and that our itinerary was fully customizable including what parks we visited, where we stayed, and all the daily activities. Communication with the office staff was thorough, prompt, and friendly, which made the process of planning our trip enjoyable and sending payment online less nerve-racking. The airlines lost our bags and once in country, LKA was super helpful in tracking and bringing our bags to us as soon as they made it to Arusha! Our guide was young and seemed a bit inexperienced when it came to discussing the day’s plan with us ahead of time, so parts of the trip felt rushed and like we didn’t have quite enough time or know what to expect (particularly visiting Olduvai Gorge). He also didn’t volunteer much information unless asked directly. However, he was a safe, ethical driver, friendly, knew a lot about the parks and animals when asked, and was great at showing us different areas of the parks and finding awesome wildlife encounters. If I’m being honest, I’d give LKA 5 stars as a tour company and our particular guide 3.5 stars, as I’ve had guides that were more engaging and more experienced managing our itinerary and preferences in the moment, which is why their overall rating is a 4. Overall, I’m very pleased with our trip and only wish it could’ve been longer—2 or 3 days at each location was simply not enough! Tanzania is an incredible country and having spent a lot of time in southern Africa I was so impressed with the country’s dedication managing the parks ethically from a conservation and tourism perspective and employing & empowering their own people to care for everything. I can only dream about coming back someday. Asante sana, Lion King Adventures! <3
BF
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized
The team was friendly and communication with them was made easy
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service offer by Dominic and by David, our fantastic guide, good prices.
Dominic was very helpful and always avalaible. He helped us with our e-visa for example. We loved the service offered by David, our second guide. He was so kind, calm, good listener. He took great care of us. We saw and learned so much with him during the games drive.
Good price for all that we got.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, good safari
We were on a 5-day safari (mother and teenage daughter).
The first impression of BaboonBudget was good, Jemimah replies to all questions very fast, which was very reassuring for me. Easy and fast communication signals trusworthiness to me.
I also think we got a lot of value for money, even though other guests in the same tour were less happy with the lunch options while travelling. But keep in mind that this is a budget safari in Africa, you will eat Kenyan-style. We liked it. Accomodation was also fine.
Our driver, Titus was really, really good. He knew a lot and shared it with us, and did his best to keep all people in the jeep happy. A really good guide.
A few things that could be improved - to a neurotic European, seatbelts are important, and they were usually not working in the middle seat in the back.
Sometimes people had to change cars, because some were continuing to other parks and some wanted more time where we were. This could be a bit confusing.
Lastly, when going back to Nairobi, we went with three different drivers, and didnt know until the day before. We also had to leave our luggage in the hotel on the last day, and another driver picked it up, but we were not informed until it had happened. Things were under control surely, but it would have been nice to know what the plan was. This may just be a cultural difference though. We did get back to the right place and time, and had a great safari!
ES
We had a really good time!
We loved to have a tour guide as Vianny. He helped us with everything checking in, checking out, explaining the animal, s behavour and so on. Vianny made ud feel safe and calm The driver also a good one, very experienced.
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extensive and informative
The museums were great and Tinyiko gave very good commentary throughout the drive. I learnt a lot from his sharing and experience. It would have been great to have a bit more time at the Apartheid Museum but overall, it was a good tour to experience the must-visits in Johannesburg.
GR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Must do if you only have one day in Joburg.
Great tour of you have limited time in Joburg. Gives you the opportunity to see the city’s highlights. Our guide Tiniko was really knowledgeable which was very much appreciated.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari Experience, But Some Organizational Issues
The tour was customized to our preferences, which we really appreciated. For the safari portion, our guide Richard was excellent — incredibly knowledgeable about the animals and wildlife, which made the experience even more special.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any rhinos. In hindsight, we would recommend spending an extra day in the Ngorongoro Crater and skipping Lake Manyara, where there wasn’t much to see.
During the booking process, a few accommodations were suddenly unavailable and had to be changed, which was unexpected and a bit disappointing. That said, the safari accommodations that were arranged were well selected overall — some felt slightly overpriced, but the staff was always very friendly and the food was great.
Since it was our honeymoon, we were told all rooms would be upgraded to honeymoon suites, but it seems there was some miscommunication between Akondo and the hotels, as a few properties were not aware of this.
Our stay in Zanzibar, unfortunately, had a few issues. The original hotel was not worth the price — the rooms were not well maintained or clean, and the food was below average. Thankfully, Boris helped us find an alternative hotel, which we appreciated, but it did involve some hassle, difficult conversations, and another 1.5-hour drive across the island.
Additionally, we had booked full board for all accommodations, but upon arrival in Zanzibar, we were told only half board was included. For the premium price we paid, we expected everything to align with our booking confirmation.
Overall, it was a unique and memorable experience, but the organizational aspects could use some fine-tuning — particularly around booking accuracy and communication.