US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing service with personable staff and first class accommodations!
It’s been a truly awe inspiring experience from the moment you exit Kilimanjaro airport! At every step of the way, our experienced and highly knowledgeable staff has guided us through each moment with tales of history and culture. We have learned so much…from identifying animals, understanding their behavior and even some Swahili! Hakuna Matata!!!!! At each camp we have been greeted with songs and exceptional service. The food is absolutely amazing (great for the experience but not so great for my figure
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most knowledgeable and experienced guides in the business!
Our Safari with Gosheni was the most amazing experience! The guides were communicative, knowledgeable, and knew exactly where the animals where. There were so many things we saw, but if I had to pick the most memorable, it would be: the Great Migration (twice!!), a pride of lions walking with 6 cubs alongside the vehicle, and a cheetah and her two cubs take down a gazelle in the early morning right by our camp!!
I also want to give a special shout-out to Albert, who was always quick to get to the animals if someone spotted them and taught us so much about the Serengeti, local tribes, and Swahili phrases!
If you are considering going on Safari, I would HIGHLY recommend Gosheni Safaris. You will truly have a life changing experience with this group!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Definitely recommend Gosheni Safaris to anyone who visits Tanzania!
Honestly a life changing experience! We saw things I never imagined to see in my life, all thanks to our amazing safari guides. They have taken us to see: an enormous wildebeest migration, a pride of lions walking and guiding 6 cubs right by the truck, 3 cheetahs taking down a thomson gazelle, and many more. I want to give a particular shoutout to our guide, Albert, as be was extremely knowledgable, friendly, and just an overall great human being. I 100% recommend Gosheni Safaris if you want to experience the Serengeti!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Organized, engaging and excellent service.
Ongeri Safaris gave us an exceptional experience, I had been to Amboseli twice before with other tours but never experienced it the way I did with Ongeri Safaris. From the comfort of the vehicle to the expertise of the driver and their engagement with us. The choice of our lunch venue was out of this world; dinning with nature yet conserving the very nature. The visit to Maasai community was very well arranged and photos taken very beautiful especially with the Kilimanjaro in our background....breath taking! Your choice of your safari tour company truly determines the kind of experience you get. I would choose Ongeri Safaris again and again! My guests from Netherlands Adrienn and Gijs had a breathtaking pleasant experience they will never forget!
RO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dedicated to fullfil the client's needs.
It was easy to keep in touch with Kikitu, our guide, who was always there for us, from providing us water, phone charging adapter to having the best angle for seeing and taking photo of the animals.
JP
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I had one day tour with my friends from Nigeria and we had a memorable time.
Our trip was pocket friendly, our guide was patient and understanding. My first contact at the office made us an irresistible offer. I look forward to another time out with them and this time for longer day
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great service for Chimp Tracking permits
Peter and his team were great working with us well in advance of our arrival. We wanted to arrange Chimpanzee tracking permits as we heard they sell out in high season and we couldn't find a way to do it online. Kibale Tours was able to secure the permits on the day we wanted and even escorted us to the park to make sure everything was in order. We also booked our accomodation with them directly and couldn't have been happier.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, knowledgable, friendly, accommodating company - our trip lived up to and above expectation
What an amazing holiday. Everything went smoothly, Meshack and Josef were very welcoming, we did loads in Nairobi I hadn’t expected to do which was a lovely surprise - Josef was very knowledgable throughout and flexible to take us wherever we wanted to go. The travel to the Masai Mara was excellent - our driver (Kirore - spelling?) there was very accommodating and also knowledgeable. We stayed at Governors & Little Governors - such helpful, polite, friendly staff, blown away (pun intended) by the balloon safari, the sites of both are perfect, everything very clean, all needs accommodated for. I travelled to Kenya 25 years ago and I do not remember there being such large groups of animals, we saw all the ‘Big 5’ bar the rhino which is very impressive for only 3 days in the Masai Mara! The animals all look healthy too - whatever the reserve are doing it is working! A fantastic time has by all - do I recommend Meshack and his company - absolutely yes!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Really recommend it. Great tour and excellent driver Colins
We spent three days and two nights in Masai Mara and everything was amazing.
Our driver Colins was really great. Good driver and he allowed us to see lots of animals (including Leopard and Cheetah) very close.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable, punctual, fulfilling promises
My husband and my two adult kids signed up for a nine day Serengeti budget trip with Lion King Adventures.
A few notable mentions before getting into the details:
- Lion King Adventures worked really hard to make this a good trip, and they were very trustworthy and well organized.
- Our guide, Mwita, really made this trip magical. Without him, this trip would not have been the same. Ask for him, because he is dependable, organized, keeps the car clean, knows the roads like the back of his hand (and is a mechanic), is safe, friendly, and is always in touch with other guides to find the rare animals on the radio. We saw all the Big 5 and much thanks to Mwita. He is SO knowledgeable and knew the information about every single animal we saw, which isn’t surprising since the Serengeti is his homeland.
Traveling to Tanzania
Nick was very accommodating--we changed our mind several times due to family issues, yet he was able to rebook our itinerary. We were initially very hesitant to sign up with any online agency, but Lion King was referred to us by a casual acquaintance and it worked out well.
We travelled via KLM and read the reports of lost luggages, so we travelled with just carry-ons. We paid online for the Tanzania visa and it took about 7 to 10 days. It took a lot of finagling to reduce their photo size and passport images to fit the requirements. We also had to download code vaccination QR code as that was a requirement. We found an online QR code conversion and used it as proof of vaccination in Tanzania accept all WHO approved vaccinations.
We still requested that the guide be vaccinated and he was. We were not well-versed in photography and after several searches we decided to rent a canon camera from the company for $100 and brought our own SD cards, which worked out very well.
KLM requires that you buy seeds from them but thankfully the flight was not full and we were able to sit together.
On landing, of course, there was a mad rush in the long line at the visa process—it took us about an hour and a half to get out of there and Nelson from Lion King was waiting for us with our names.
Day 1
Nelson brought us to our first day accommodation at night at the Pazuri inn in Arusha. It was an hour drive from the airport. This lodge was tucked in from the main road and was tough to find but was a beautiful place with a swimming pool and very spacious rooms. The staff were very pleasant and we had a beautiful breakfast in the morning with a charming group of staff. This was an amazing place and I wish we could have stayed longer.
Day 2
We met our guide/driver at the Pazaree in on day two. Our guide, Mwita, was the best thing that happened to us. His father was a park ranger in central Serengeti where he grew up and he knew everything. Mwita is an extremely pleasant man and he was not tired of answering all of our questions.
We travelled to Tarangire national Park. It was an amazing side to see elephants only a few feet away from you, giraffes staring right out you, and the whole assortment of animals and birds around the car. Mwita took us to a watering hole where there was an amazing group of elephants zebras and Wildebeests as well as antelopes.
We stayed at the Tarangire Simba Lodge with an awesome dinner, but this wasn’t the best part. Right behind the lodge is a watering hole, and all the way past sunset we watched elephants, zebras, wildebeests, waterbuck, giraffes, warthogs, and jackals drink 30 feet from us. Later in the evening, waterbuck and a large elephant even came right in front of us to the pool to have a drink of water. This was truly a thrilling experience.
Day 3
After a beautiful breakfast at the Tarangire Simba Lodge, we did another game drive where we saw a cheetah eating a gazelle, and a lioness with a fresh catch of wildebeest. We saw tons of baby elephants and got beautiful views overlooking the park. We then drove to the sister Simba Lodge based in Karatu, where we were treated with a nice dinner. The chef was amazing and there was a nice buffet with a variety of meat and fish. In the morning we got to see a beautiful view of the whole valley, and we fell asleep to the sounds of different animals like hyenas.
Day 4
Central Serengeti: we drove from Karatu to Central Serengeti National Park, which took pretty much the entire day. Now I know the meaning of a “Tanzanian massage.” We had to go around the Ngorongoro Crater and the great Rift Valley, which separates continental plates. This yielded beautiful sights. On the way down from the crater, we stopped by a Maasai village, and were greeted by a Maasai elder’s son. We had a great time with songs and dances. We then had a pit stop and lunch overlooking the Olduvai Gorge and saw the museum there. This is truly a special place if you are interested in anthropology and paleontology, and is the perfect environment to understand the evolution of humankind. Mwita then drove us through his home village in the heart of central Serengeti. We saw tons of lions—cubs, male lions with manes, and females hunting and stretching in trees. We stayed at a place called “Into Wild Africa,” where we were serenaded to the sounds of lions and other animals at night. The people were very warm and friendly, and accommodated us with great breakfasts and dinner.
Day 5:
Northern Serengeti: we briefly did a game drive in Central Serengeti while passing through where saw some more wildlife (hippos and buffalo) before continuing North. We briefly exited the park to take a shortcut, and saw beautiful Tanzanian villages and people. We then arrived at the Kenzan Mara tented camp, and watched a beautiful sunset over the valley. In August, this valley is covered with wildebeest and zebra for the Great Migration. The next morning, we woke up at 4:30 to take a balloon ride over the Serengeti. Although this was expensive at $550 pp, it was definitely worth the 1.5 hr ride. We got fantastic shots of the Serengeti and Mara river, and saw hippos, gazelle and huge herds of wildebeest and zebra. Our pilot, Pradeep, was so engaging and cheerful, and we were treated to champagne and a beautiful breakfast after landing. Mwita immediately picked us up and took us to see the Mara River crossing of the Great Migration. Mwita knew exactly where to go and when to go. We parked and waited at River marker number 4, and watched as the wildebeest accumulated. Seconds before the crossing started, Mwita moved our car to get a closer look, and we were blown away as the wildebeest crossed right by us. This was the most spectacular event in my life, that brought us to tears—to see the sheer number and determination of these animals to risk their lives in crossing this river was unparalleled. There were other groups that never saw any crossing for two days in a row, but Mwita knew the animals and the land like the back of his hand.
Day 6:
Northern Serengeti: we once again woke up at Kenzan and immediately went to see migrations. This time we saw three river crossings in one day, all of which were an amazing experience. We saw cheetahs hunting, a leopard’s catch of a gazelle hanging on a tree, and left to Central Serengeti to reach the Embalakai Camp. Here the staff welcomed us with open arms, greeted us with fresh hibiscus drinks, and celebrated my birthday with song and dance. We again had a comfortable stay and listened to lions, hyenas, and buffalo around us through the night.
Day 7: We drove from Central Serengeti to the Escarpment and did a game drive through the Ngorongoro Crater. It was a long, hard day with a rough ride, but Mwita knew exactly where to find the elusive and rare black rhino when no one else did. We Caracals, jackals, hyenas, flamingoes, as well as mating lions. We then arrived at the Escarpment luxury lodge where we are writing this review from. Our chef, Michael, treated us to probably the most amazing dinner we had ever had—spicy Indian food and perfectly cooked prime steak.
Day 8: Yet to come, but we are planning to do a game drive through Lake Manyara and leave Arusha tomorrow night back to Amsterdam and the US.
