Reviews

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 161-166 of 166 Reviews
Pamela S.   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jun 29, 2018

Email Pamela S.  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Use Mama Savana! very knowledgeable and responsive local tour operator with top notch guide.
5/5

We are a family of four, kids aged 16 and 22, and we spent 7 nights on the northern circuit in Tanzania. From our first communication to our farewell lunch with Alex, the tour operator, we received topnotch service. He was responsive to my many questions, sent us to excellent lodging choices, fixed things when they might have gone wrong, took care of reservations beyond the safari (e.g. in Zanzibar), and provided us with the best guide ever (Elias). In Tanzania, your guide is very important. We have been on safari in Kenya and South Africa, and in both places, the lodges at which we stayed provided the guide. In Tanzania, the guide meets you at the start of the safari and takes you from park to park and on the game drives in the parks. This means that you rely on them for knowledge of the flora and fauna, knowledge of the places themselves, and their ability to find wildlife and get you into a good position to see it. Elias was so knowledgeable about everything we saw and about the best ways to find wildlife in the parks, but also knew when we were tired from our long days. He adapted to what we needed at all times. And, we somehow always managed to be the truck closest to the animals. At one point, I actually feared that a leopard descending from a tree was going to drop right into the truck.

There is a big difference amongst the tented camps and lodges on the northern circuit. It’s important to do your research so that you can guide the tour operator as to your preferences. Alex offered us excellent choices and was responsive when we suggested alternatives. We particularly liked Kitela, near Ngorongoro Crater and Kubu Kubu in the Serengeti. The first was a lodge on a coffee plantation and the second, a tented camp/lodge with spectacular views.

I would highly recommend the local company Mama Savana. You save money by not paying a super-expensive UK or US operated company which, in any case, uses local operators to make their arrangements. I found no drawbacks whatsoever to using a local operator. Go with Mama Savana and ask for Elias as your guide—you will have a fabulous experience.

jams   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2018 Reviewed: Jun 27, 2018

Email jams  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Exceeded my expectations
5/5

The Mama Savana team was attentive and personal even before we got to TZ and that personal care and attention continued throughout the duration of our safari (2 couples). They booked excellent accommodations and were willing to personalize our experience as much as possible.

I must give a very special commendation to our guide, Allen. He went over and beyond his duty every single day and in no small way made this the most amazing travel experience we ever had. Allen had unbelievable intuition, and the fact that we saw all 5 of the big 5 was in no small part due to his abilities. He also communicated in English very well and taught us some Swahili words. He was fun to be around and in the end I think we all became friends.

I cannot say enough good things about this company and I would encourage everyone to book with this team. They exceeded my expectations.

Al Kharusi   –  
Oman OM
Visited: March 2018 Reviewed: Mar 17, 2018

Email Al Kharusi  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Patient, honest, prompt and informative
5/5

I am satisfied with mama Savana services, many thanks to Alex who was patient, kind, and informative in his communication all the way from the beginning, also many thanks to Allen who did his best in giving us (7 guys) the best safari possible in wet season. Mama savana is a reliable company with good 4wds, and kind staff.

Max S.   –  
Italy IT
Visited: February 2018 Reviewed: Mar 6, 2018

Email Max S.  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Excellent organization and beautiful places
5/5

I make the premise that this is the only safari I've done until now. We traveled on private tour for two people for 6 days / 5 nights visiting Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro crater, Serengeti and Tarangire; overnight stays were in lodges and tented camps (Serengeti). Everything went well and we were able to see all the big five and lots of animals and beautiful places. The guide spoke Italian was very good and able to spot the various animals from afar.

Richard   –  
United States US
Visited: February 2018 Reviewed: Feb 23, 2018

Email Richard  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Tremendous Safari Experience with an Amazing Guide
5/5

We had a wonderful experience with Mama Savana from start to finish of the trip. Allex was extremely helpful in designing our itinerary based on our needs and was more than willing to make adjustments to the itinerary to make sure the trip was exactly what we wanted. His communication was excellent as he quickly responded to any questions we had and any itinerary specifications we wanted. Throughout the entire planning process he was extremely accessible and understanding.

The trip experience itself was beyond amazing. It is hard to put into words how wonderful each and every part of the safari was and this was made even better with the absolutely amazing guide we had - Allen. Allen knew so much about all of the animals, helped make sure we had the best photos and even took some himself to make sure we not only captured the moments on camera but also truly experienced the moments. There was never a dull moment in the car between seeing hundreds if not thousands of animals as well as the laughter that was provided by Allen throughout the drive. Every place we stayed was extremely accommodating, had delicious food and the service was excellent.

We would highly recommend anyone looking to take a safari to go with Mama Savana as it truly felt like a family experience. This trip built memories that would last a lifetime with a group of people who ensured we had the best time possible.

Brianna   –  
Singapore SG
Visited: December 2017 Reviewed: Jan 7, 2018

Email Brianna  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Dream Vacation
5/5

We booked the 7-Day Tanzania Lodge and Tented Safari through the Safari Bookings website (Mama Savana does offer many more safari options on their website). We were pleased from start to finish. Alex responded to my inquiry promptly and answered all of my many follow up questions quickly and professionally! Upon arrival we were picked up by Harun, who was friendly and knowledgeable about the surrounding area, but was also understanding that we were very tired from a long flight. Allen was our guide for the rest of the trip and I truly couldn't suggest anyone better. He is extremely attentive and intuitively understands what clients need. He is knowledgeable about the animals, parks, photo taking, and life in general. He is very funny, and most important of all, kind. Many times he offered help or directions to other drivers, which gave us a good impression of him and the company. In addition to this, he has a great eye for the animals, of course, and we saw so many more wonderful landscapes and critters than we could have dreamed. All of our accommodation was wonderful, we especially loved Sangaiwe and the Kati Kati Camp (although we did wish the lodges and camps had some local Tanzanian food!) Allen and Mama Savana made our trip the vacation of a life time, and we couldn't be more happy!

Average User Rating
4.8/5
Rating Breakdown
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  • 2 star 1
  • 1 star 1
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