20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ensures customer satisfaction is met, best game drives
The agent Xavier is very social and clear in his communication. We had a really great experience in Masai Mara. We enjoyed the game drives, and Martin was an excellent driver and guide. Very knowledgeable and was able to answer all the questions that we had. The accommodation in jambo mara was very clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Must recommend to my friends to do the wonderful experience and book through safari update travels
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My childhood dream come true - for me and my family
We can and want to fully recommend the Tanzanian travel organization African Big Cats Safaris: We lacked nothing whatsoever, on the contrary, we had everything! Thank you to our great guide Khaled and African Big Cats Safari, Emanuel and Justine, for making this travel to our family of five a great once-in-a-lifetime experience!
German children in the 1960s and 1970s grew up with reports and unbelievable films shown on TV about the Serengeti by the Frankfurt zoo director Bernhard Grzimek. We then 'followed' the lives of wild animals such as cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, marabous, lions and many other here unnamed animals with great fascination and excitement. At that time the wish was implanted in our generation to be able to see the fascinating African wildlife with our own eyes. "African Big Cat Safaris" as a local Tanzanian operator with a perfect organization should now fulfill this wish in 2023. At very short notice after only TWO months of planning, as we only decided at the end of May 2023, we already came into Tanzania at the end of July. Our choice fell on African Big Cats Safari, who made an offer that was cheaper than another company's - which makes a difference traveling with a party of five. The 6-day safari led from Arusha in a jeep via the national parks Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater to Tarangire National Park and back to Arusha. The exact sequencing of the parks suited us perfectly: first, at Lake Manyara, we got to see fewer animals from a greater distance (except for the elephants, who ate their meal just off the road in the green thickets, so we could see in the elephants eye on eye level...). In the Serengeti in the dry season, the experience was heightened: after a long drive, you first found yourself in the arid landscape of the dry season, where you could see few giraffes and gazelles (this type of travel requires long driving and sitting). We were rewarded after hours on a very bumpy and dusty road and saw what we had imagined: An incredible number of wild animals! Incredible! Very impressive! So beautiful! It's so striking to see that they can actually live their wild life in the protected wildlife park! Sometimes the animals are surrounded by many jeeps as the guides inform each other where the animals are near the road so that they can be observed closely by us tourists. We were struck by how unimpressed the lions were by the crowd of jeeps and excited tourists. They have become accustomed to people and their vehicles, whose proximity - obviously due to their experience in the national park - poses no danger to them - they sometimes even lie down in the shadow of a jeep. We are very happy that with Khaled we had a likewise nice and very helpful guide who was equally well versed in wildlife and ornithology, who always brought us to our respective destinations safely, concentrated and with good driving skills. It just felt right to be with him for six days in a row. Khaled as a guide with a degree is as well versed in wildlife as in ornithology. He was a good skilled and concentrated driver as well having brought us to our respective destinations safely. He was always in good spirits, attentive, localized many animals for us to see and was able to tell us a lot about the behavior and peculiarities of the animals, as well as about Tanzania and its people.It's good to be with a local guide also to find out about a Tanzanian perspective(s).
Due to the short-term nature of our trip, the lodges originally offered had to be changed. Since we don't know what would had expected us, we can only say that we are very satisfied with the choice of lodges now made for us. The beds were very clean, there were warm showers and toilets in every lodge - to us that was great luxury considering a trip into the wilderness. And there was always something to eat for our vegetarian and even VEGAN members of our travel group. In the evaluation of the lodges, we found that each had its own special features: one lodge was beautifully furnished, whereas food in other lodge was more delicious. Sometimes the location was beautiful, sometimes the lodge was far away, but the view of the landscape was spectacular, sometimes you could hear the sounds of a passing herd of wildebeests at night, at another site three buffaloes were grazing barely 10 meters away in front of the lodge and a beautiful sunrise seen from bed through the screen, sometimes the hyena howled, sometimes the food was especially excellent. One lodge offered a show in the evening, which wasn't really needed, but which wasn't bad and too time-consuming. Important to know: Tipps have to be counted in and added to the basic costs of the safari, as locals offer their services at all times that one has not foreseen and have not been covered by the fee for the safari. Taking a bundle of Tanzanian shilling on the way is helpful. For us it was hard to find out and know which amount was really appropriate for the respective service.
The most exciting and thrilling highlight was the migration of the animals - and the dry season was just right time for seeing the crossing of the wildebeest of the Mara River into the North Serengeti. It is a very touching experience to witness. First you see the seemingly endless treks of the animals, which move one after the other through dry landscapes, towards the river - and then one first animal jumps into the floods and then there is no stopping. As reported in countless animal documentaries, this is an incredible event of nature. Our guide emphasized that with nature you never know whether you are really in the right place on time, to be able to witness this, as nature has its own laws. It was our good luck that we were in the right place at the right time on the second try.
The lodges of the previous night always provided lunch provisions, which were unpacked at noon in designated picnic areas (once on the hood of the jeep at the border with Kenya due to the lack of a picnic area). The picnic-setting was always: Animals walked 'through the picture'. Sometimes elephants, sometimes a marabou, sometimes a zebra. Great!
On day five we visited the fascinating Ngorngoro Crater, which impresses as a natural spectacle in respect to geology and wildlife. As fascinating as the Crater was (there from very, very, very, very, very far away we spotted the one and only rhino on our trip) having already seen so many animals in the Serengeti, the gazelles, elephants, hippos, zebras, lions, buffalos etc. and considering the fact that an incredible amount - probably to many - jeeps go through the crater every day, if there were a next time I would make room for other curious visitors, foremost locals, who have often not had the luxury of seeing the wildlife in their own country due to costs.Ngorongoro is good a perfect one-day- excursion from Arusha with limited time budget - if you do not have time to visit other national parks. For those who do have time: There is a great possibility from an excellent view-point to get an impressive view of the Crater from its rim without actually driving into it!
For us a must-see and a wonderful last day was the Tarangire National Park, which we finally visited. We thought it to be the perfect conclusion of our trip. We saw so many elephants - several wonderful large herds led by the female elephant to watch at close range near the river. And in a humid, fertile marshland area at the far end of the park, the animals gather as if it were a big, live picture book!
We had the chance to make an incredibly beautiful and moving journey! It's a lot of driving that paid off for us: The safari was a dream come true!
PS.: Don't miss to see the film "Serengeti shall never die" by Bernhard Grzimek and his son Michael, who sadly died in a plane crash while working on the film. Later on the film received an Oscar...
HK
Professional, reliable and friendly tour opearator
Thank you very much for arranging our trip to the KNP. It was such a memorable experience and far exceeded our expectations. A big thank of course to our guide Bhekifa. He was experienced, professional, friendly, enthusiastic, and with such an ability to spot animals far away that we still wonder how he did that :-)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional
Booking process was easy, multiple options provided as per the budget
Making payment was also without any hassle.
Itinerary was provided before hand so we knew what to expect
Vehicle was clean, water provided was enough
Guide was professional, kept time all the time, gave us information whever we asked, drove well, knew the park well
Hotel was as per our expectations, and the hotel staff knew what was expected, service was good.
Overall the safari was value for money
I would recommend Phine Safari strongly
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Enthusiastic down to earth good man
The operator was available round the clock via text or phone especially on WhatsApp. The tour was flawless and fabulous. Great drivers and guides with whom we as a large family including kids felt very safe. The accommodations were five star as we expected. Food was superb. Terengira park, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater were spectacular.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best Safari in the world
My boyfriend and me did 4 days of Safari trip with Suricata and it was amazing. We went to Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro National Parks and we were able to see all the Big 5 thanks to our amazing guide Godbless who knows where the animals are. He has been a super good guide who aknows everything about animals. Also our chef was super good, he cooked for us delicious meals. We had a lot of clean water, beer and coca cola. For the dinner also red and white wine. So everything was amazing and I am looking forward to come back again and plan another Safari with Suricata and our guide Godbless, they are the best!!!!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari
I loved this safari tour and the perfect organization.
We saw all the big 5 animals thanks to our guide Godbless that is a very leader and knows how to find them. We had some mechanical problem with the car for the engine start and a pipe but solved asap and with professionalism. We can communicate in english without problems. The lodge and tent camp were good and clean. We ate good and various food (chicken, pasta, pizza, rice, vegetables)
TH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
great services
Such a great experience in Namibia , we were in Namibia Aug , 8-21 ,2023 like private group with 7 pax , guide safari, the guide was Lucky , He well known , lot of experience about Namibia and funny guys. the hotel so nice, the food also good , we love this trips , wildlife , unique landscape even it took long drive some day . I would recommend you guys come and travel with Nature Travel Namibia and hope to see you next year
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect in every way
Our family of four (with two kids, ages 9 and 12) just finished a 8-day 7-night safari which included Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangire. This trip, arranged by Make My Safari, was exhilarating and exceeded our expectations in every way.
Make My Safari is a local company based in Arusha. Arranging the trip through them, instead of through a global company based outside of Tanzania, allowed us to skip the middle-man costs and work with people who really know the area. Talib helped us plan our itinerary (places to visit, number of nights at each place, fly versus drive), giving us useful information and suggestions customized to our needs. He was responsive (WhatsApp messaging and calls as needed), patient, and easy to talk to. He doesn’t drive a hard sell like some other operators and was even able to find availability for us at camps that were “sold out” according to other operators. In the end, what we got was far better than a standard mass market packaged tour, yet prices are comparable.
Through Make My Safari, we met our guide Remmy, who took care of us for the entire trip and really made it very special. Remmy had 16 years of experience as a safari guide and this abundance of experience was evident from the way he navigated the terrain, spotted animals (from the fleeting wings of a bird to the shadow of a cheetah in the distance), and predicted animal behavior. We could tell that he was one of the best guides out there because he always put us in the best spot for wildlife viewing. Remember that in the parks, guests must stay in their vehicle and so are completely dependent on the guide to find and park the vehicle at the best spots. This requires a guide who has both a good knowledge of animal behavior and a dedication to the job. I will give a few examples.
Once, we came across a lioness strolling by the side of the road, attracting a long line of jeeps to stop and gawk. While other jeeps were angling to get an unobstructed view of the moving lion, Remmy pointed to a tree down the road and said, the lion is going to climb that tree. With that, he drove our jeep past the line of jeeps and parked us directly under the tree to wait. So while other guides were still following the lion, we got a head-on shot of it strolling towards us and, indeed, prancing up the tree right next to us. The picture we took of this lion is posted along with this review (it was taken only with a cell phone. We wish we had a better lens!). But you see, this is what sets Remmy apart. We asked Remmy later, how do you know the lion will go up that tree? He said, the lion was scanning for her family, and her eyes were on that tree! She wants to get to a high position so that she can see far!
Here’s another example: After viewing a cheetah and a hippo pool, Remmy spotted a herd of elephants in the distance. Despite the herd being quite far, Remmy said, “you want to meet the elephants crossing the road?” With that, he hurtled our jeep down the bumpy road. When he parked the jeep at a chosen spot, the elephants were still far from the road, but I could see that they were indeed coming towards us. They ended up crossing the road directly in front of our jeep! At that time, other jeeps were lined up behind us, but we were able to come face-to-face with the elephants, and it was a magical experience to see them so close. We asked Remmy again, how did you know the elephants will cross the road here? As if stating the obvious, Remmy pointed to the creek directly across the road: they want to go *there* for water!
So these are just two among many examples of why our trip with Remmy went beyond our expectations. We were able to see most of the animals (excluding the snakes and birds) in our guidebook as well as several Mara River crossings (with a crocodile attacking two wildebeests) and a pride of lions hunting (and killing) two zebras. With just a cellphone, we could still get decent pictures during many of our animal sightings. Throughout the trip, we peppered Remmy with questions (what is that bird? what is that tree?) and he patiently answered every single one of them. He was wonderful with our kids and they quickly grew attached to him.
There are many camps/lodges scattered across the national parks, and the ones Make My Safari arranged for us to stay were all of very high quality, with clean rooms, good food, and attentive staff. Booking through Make My Safari allowed us to flexibly design our trip the way we wanted (for variety, we stayed in a mix of tent camps and lodges).
One thing to take note: safaris involve long bumpy drives and, for Mara River crossings, long waits. Kids need to be prepped to expect the drive and the wait. Make My Safari gave us safari animal coloring books which kept our kids busy while waiting for the crossings. They also gave us new Maasai blankets to shade the sun, block the dust, and keep us warm on chilly nights. When in the parks, the tops of the jeeps can be lifted, and you can stand and poke your head out during the drive. Doing so is not only fun but also avoids carsickness. It looked like our jeep was pretty standard, and the most common model on the road. It seats seven in the back, but for four people it was perfect and felt spacious. Every morning, we found the inside of the jeep to be organized (binoculars in place, fridge stocked with bottled water) and “reset” to a pristine condition, thanks to Remmy.
All-in-all, Make My Safari is a high-quality, professional company dedicated to their guests, and we will definitely recommend them to our friends.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
utterly breath taking
From start to finish the whole experience was great, easy to book, keep in touch before the trip. All the staff and pilots were very informative and super friendly. would totally recommend this an experience