Our Luxury Safari Jeeps
Mama Savana Safaris
- Offices In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
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Email William | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania best Safari tour Company
We are a family of 3 and booked the Tanzania 7 day private tour with Mama Savanna (Arusha - Tarangire National Park - Lake Eyasi - Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Conservation Area - Arusha).
Alex was the tour organizer and manager, he was very informative, helpful and thoroughly answered all our doubts and questions prior to our departure to Tanzania.
From start to finish we felt safe and were well looked after by all the 'Mama Savanna' staff, from being greeted (with a bunch of flowers) and returned to the airport by Mustafa, welcomed by Alex who again explained the itinerary, detailed the adventure ahead and remained in regular contact throughout our tour. He even arranged a gift for us as we were there on our wedding anniversary. He also arranged and managed the necessary COVID-19 PCR tests for international travel.
We felt Alex (and his staff) were genuinely concerned that we should have a safe and trouble free experience from arrival to departure from Tanzania.
Allen was our tour guide cum driver. He is a great guy, safe driver (the vehicle was clean and well maintained) and very knowledgeable of the vast array of various wildlife we saw. He knew where to go to get the best experiences and had an amazing ability to spot wildlife we would otherwise have missed. He was flexible and accommodated all of our wishes. Nothing was too much trouble for him.
We had an experience of a lifetime, saw some amazing sights, the accommodation was clean and comfortable, the food was good quality and fresh (we got to select the food and sandwiches for our daily lunch boxes) and would of course recommend 'Mama Savanna' to anyone who wants a fantastic and safe Tanzania holiday tour.
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Email Lauren | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding Experience From Start to Finish
What's better than excellent? That's how I would rate Mama Savana. For starters, I did a safari by myself, which is a bit different. But I'm on an extended travel adventure and didn't want to miss the opportunity. So I reached out to a number of different operators and Mama Savana quickly rose to the top. Not only did Alex answer my 8 million questions beforehand (the most patient man on the planet), but I was with two tour guides who were AMAZING. Peter took me around Kenya and Joseph took me around Tanzania. By the end, I truly consider everyone who works here my friend. This was the experience of a lifetime and I really can't say enough wonderful things about this company. As a solo woman traveler, I was totally at ease and felt very well taken care of. Every hotel/camp we stayed at was excellent and I saw every animal on my checklist...and them some! Also, I paid via wire which was simple, there were zero problems and quite honestly, easier than imagined. This is the company you want to use, you will not regret it!
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Email Mikhail and Emily | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Saw all of the BIG 5; Animal encounters exceeded our expectations!
Alex the owner of Mama Savana Safaris was easy to communicate with via text and e-mail. He was prompt in answering any questions that we had. When we needed an additional drive arranged for the second leg of our trip, Alex was able to arrange for a driver to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. Further, Alex met with us on the first and last day of our safari to ensure that we had a clear plan for the safari and that we were satisfied with our experience.
Our safari was 7 days, 6 nights in duration and cost approximately 2,140.00 USD per person. We believe this was good value for money because of the lodging, food quality, service, and quantity and variety of animals seen.
With respect to reliability, our original itinerary was changed upon our arrival in Tanzania. Originally we were told that we would be staying at the Sangaiwe Tented Lodge on the second night of our safari. Instead we stated at the Lake Burunge Tented Lodge, which we believe was an upgrade compared to our original itinerary. Additional our lodges for the third and sixth night were switched; however, we do believe this impacted out safari experience in any way. That being said, on nights four and five of our original itinerary we were suppose to stay at the Serengeti Tortilis Tented Camp. We were informed that the Serengeti Tortilis Tented Camp was closed due to low tourist volumes due to Covid-19. Instead we spent nights four and five of our Safari at Osinon Tented Camp which interestingly was owned and operated by Alex - it also located in an area infested with Tsetse flies. Overall our experience at Osinon Tented Camp was positive, however, we do not believe that it was the same level of quality that we would have experienced at the Serengeti Tortilis Tented Camp based on our review and comparison of various online reviews of the accommodations. During our final night we stated at the Wellworth Lake Manyara Kilimamoja Lodge. The property itself was luxurious, the staff was extremely attentive, the food was excellent (one of our best meals the entire trip); however our room had some sort of extra guest (not sure if it was a rodent or a bat) as there were multiple fresh droppings throughout the room. That staff cleaned up the droppings, but there were fresh droppings the next morning. We should note that we were the only guests staying at the lodge which may have contributed the the presence of the extra guest. Our Toyota Land Cruiser was reliable and we only experienced two flat tires (only one of which affected out travels for less than 20 minutes).
The safari itself was AMAZING! We highly recommend it! Our guide Harun was one of the highlights of our trip. He was extremely friendly, knowledgable, and professional. He was able to answer all of our questions and did everything he could to ensure that we had a positive experience. With his help we were able to see all of the BIG 5, including 68 lions, 3 leopards, 2 rhinoceroses, as well as countless elephants and cape buffalo. We also saw countless zebra, wildebeest, gazelle, giraffes, warthogs, 7 cheetahs, and numerous other animals. We should state that our safari included visits to Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the Serengeti National Park (Central Serengeti). We were also lucky enough to be on safari during the end of the dry season - this viewing animals easier. On our second to last day on safari the rains began in the Central Serengeti; the rains brought with them giant herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle which was truly an incredible sight.
Overall we loved our safari experience with Mama Savana Safaris and would recommend them to family and friends. Further, we would use Mama Savana Safaris if we ever go on safari again.
Great Communication
We sadly had to cancel our trip with Mama Savana due to COVID border closures however we really appreciated Alex’s communication throughout the past few years. In booking the trip Alex was very responsive and accommodating to my requests. Finally when it became apparent we wouldn’t be allowed to travel over, we were able to come to an agreement which suited all parties. We understood that Mama Savana is a small operator who would see tough times in the year ahead, they understood that we were a family with a new baby who couldn’t travel any time soon and very much needed the funds to tide us over. As such, we ended up splitting the deposit. I appreciate Alex’s willingness to work with us to come to an arrangement which was fair and suited everyone. Great customer service!
Email India | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Mama Savanna were always quick to respond to queries, and provided an amazing trip through Tanzania.
Mama Savanna were the first operator to respond to my enquiry for a trip through Tanzania. My boyfriend and I were looking to experience the best possible wildlife viewing, staying at a range of mid-range camps and lodges, and Mama Savanna delivered. In the lead up to the trip, Alex was impressive with his communication, adapting the itinerary to suit multiple changes and always responding very quickly, no matter what time of night or day we were messaging him from the UK!
As this was our first trip to Tanzania, we wanted to experience a classic safari, and our itinerary including Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Tarangire definitely delivered on this. Our guide, Allen, was experienced and knowledgable for the most part, ensuring that we were well looked after in the camps, and working hard to give us the best wildlife viewing possible. He really came through when it came to the Mara River crossing which we thought we might be too late in the season to see, but he knew the right time of day to be there in case they crossed, and we ended up being in an excellent position to get great photos and watch the spectacle with only 2 other game viewers there! He was an excellent spotter, particularly when it came to leopards which he could see from a great distance.
The itinerary is flexible right up to the point of travel, so we were a little surprised not to be staying in some of the camps we had agreed on, but all of the camps and lodges were excellent and many were actually upgrades so this worked out really well.
Allen worked tirelessly to make sure we had a great experience, getting up before dawn to prep the vehicle and always with a great attitude. He was tactful in giving us a great balance of meals with him and time to ourselves too. The only area that was a little more challenging was the birding - I am a keen birder and this wasn't Allen's natural area of expertise, but he worked so hard to bone up on this and was always looking things up for us and consulting his birding book. Overall our trip to Tanzania was fantastic and we were really pleased with the quality of the experience, the wildlife viewing and the communication and organisation of Mama Savanna, as well as the reasonable pricing.
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Email Ms. Brun | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good contact upstream with this local agency and very correct price
Magical moments, unforgettable safari. We did not expect to see so many animals and especially so close. Fabulous !!! And what about our driver Arun and our French speaking guide Frank, ready to go out of their way to make everything perfect. So, above all do not hesitate, trust Mama Savana Safari, you will not regret it.
(automatic translation from French)
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Email Anya | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing tour.
We booked a 12 day tour for Kenya and Tanzania thru Perfect Wilderness Safari- Tanzania portion done by Mama Savana. Lodging was all nice with Osinon Camp the best. We saw such an amazing variety of animals. Our driver guide Harun knew the habits of the animals. We saw great interactions among the animals. A great tour.
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Email Franzi & Güven | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari ever! Competent, friendly and flexible operator.
My girlfriend and I booked a 5 Days Safari Tour. All questions we had before booking were quickly answered and a detailed Plan for the 5 Days was sent to us. Also a quick rebooking because of a cancelled flight was no problem. Alex and his whole Team are very kind and made us feel super confortable.
We were picked up by our tourguide Harun and the journey began. We had 5 beautiful and unforgettable days. We visited three different Parks, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater where we saw the whole variaty of wildlife of Tanzania. We let the pictures speak for themselfs. Harun our tourguide was just awesome. He is a really funny guy, kind and he really knew everything there is to know about the culture and the Wildlife of Tanzania. Thanks to him, his skills and a little bit of luck we saw lions eating their prey right next to us two times. A leopard was right next to our car and so much more. We really had a great time with our new rafiki Harun. Also the cultural day, our last day, was really cool. We learned about rice and banana farming, the different tribes and had a really great local lunch.
Also the accomondations were outstanding. The lodges were pure luxury with nice views beautiful rooms and very good food. The tented camp was really clean and confortable with delicious food. You sleep savly right next to wildlife of serengeti. It was a real higlight for us.
Overall the service was incredebly good. We enjoyed every minute.
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Email Ms. Bridget | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mama Savana provides excellent value and service for a safari that you will love!
Mama Savana provided excellent service and value from start to finish. They responded very quickly to questions, regardless of time of day. They helped me plan the perfect itinerary, including an ending on the beach in Zanzibar after safari. The accommodations were as good as promised and in many cases even better due to a surprise upgrade. The food was consistently good to fantastic. Our wonderful guide, Allen, knew where and when to find the animals and got us so close I still cannot get over it. He taught us so much about the animals, local culture, language and music. He was a safe driver, knew the parks, and had a reliable car (hugely important). He helped us get to the best vantage point for taking photos. Everything about The entire experience was so much better than I could have asked for our imagined. Everyone at Mama Savana was professional, solicitous and just plain fun. I recommend unequivocally.
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Email @lindseyhenry0711 | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE SAFARI IN KENYA AND TANZANIA
WOW! Can’t say enough how wonderful Mama Savana Safaris was to book with! My husband and I found the company on this website and the moment I began communication with Alex, the entire process was awesome. He told us everything we needed to do before hand and helped us along the way when we had inquiries. We had our guide Sammy take us around Kenya and Harun take us around Tanzania! The process of doing a covid19 rapid test across the border was quick and easy too. My favorite moments included seeing a large heard of giraffes at Lake Nakuru, seeing the two remaining northern white rhinos at Ol Pajeta, seeing the large property at Masai Mara, seeing the migration of wildebeest over the Mara River from the northern Serengeti side, seeing leopards hanging out in trees in the central Serengeti and just getting to know our guides in each country. They both were absolutely incredible and I HIGHLY HIGHLY SUGGEST booking with this company. We also had Mustafa drive us our last day and he was incredibly helpful and kind too. It truly was a trip of a lifetime and I will forever be grateful for everything we experienced! We saw all of the big five and then some. Get ready for cheetahs, leopards, lions, elephant herds, different types of giraffes, hyenas…everything! Oh and if you love birds too, this is the trip for you! I’ve posted tons of photos on my Instagram: @lindseyhenry0711
