Our Team
Zohar African Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $400 to $2,000 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
NL
Email Marjolein | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Zohar African Safaris gave us more then AMAZING expedition through Tanzania.
Everything was more than perfect organized! Lily from Zohar African Safaris is so wonderful and owns perfect listening and organizational skills, nothing was too much for her to do. The tour guide was very nice, funny and polite, always on time, and told us everything and more about the land, culture, animals and had eyes like an eagle. One day we even saw 4 leopards..amazing!! The vehicle and all the other equipment were perfectly maintained. The accomodations they offered us were more then wonderful! We have been travelling a lot through Africa and Tanzania (and the rest of the world) but Zohar African Safaris really gave us a lifetime experience! Asante sana Lilly and the rest of the team. Bye from Holland Marjolein en Kim
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Northern Tanzania Experience
We had a five day safari in Northern Tanzania with Zohar African Safaris end of december and it was very, very nice.
Luckily a friend of ours, who has been to Tanzania a couple of months before us, had given us the recommendation to contact Zohar. The planning of the trip was great, because Lilian tailored the trip to what we were interested in and picked cosy places to stay overnight. The price for everything seemed very reasonable to us. From the moment of our arrival we felt really well-cared about and our experienced driver/guide Matthew was very friendly, informative and helpful and after a couple of days we felt like good buddies. The days in the National parks have been marvellous, we couldn't even imagine to see so many animals, from lions, big herds of elephants, giraffes, hippos, wildebeests, zebras, impalas, hyenas, jackals, leopards, cheetahs and many more to the cute little gazelles and the funny pumbas. Besides the animals we also really enjoyed the landscape which changes a lot from park to park and one morning we even made a bicycle excursion to a village with great views and interesting information about the local life. When we had questions during the trip, Matthew and Lilian were responsive at all times and helped us a lot, especially to spontaneously organize our further trip to Zanzibar.
In total we can highly recommend to go on safari with Zohar. They are very professional, kind, helpful and take good care of their customers. To us it was a unique positive experience.
Niels and Claudia from Germany
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari and Cultural Experience
I had an amazing safari with Zohar African Safaris this spring. Lilly put together a tailor made itinerary on short notice and was so knowledgeable and helpful. Ken in the United States facilitated and gave incredible input to Lilly and my guide which helped make the trip so memorable. My itinerary was a combination of wildlife viewing and cultural excursions. We visited the Maasai, Datoga and Hadzabe (Bushmen) tribes - all different and all fascinating. We went to three different markets that cater to locals rather than tourists and I learned so much about everday life in Tanzania. My guide had a gift for being able to make conversation with anyone so there were also numerous impromptu cultural times including fishermen at Lake Eyasi and a local woman preserving the fish and others from her village.
And the wildlife - I don't know where to start. I expected to see the usual safari animals like zebras, elephants, lions and wildebeests but I had no idea that I would see so many species large and small. My guide’s spotting ability was amazing and allowed me to see hundreds of birds, small animals, footprints, plants, and more. His experience in animal behavior allowed me to capture photos I would have never gotten on my own. He sensed when we should wait a few more minutes because the animal was getting ready to make a move and he was always right. As a solo female traveler I felt completely safe and taken care of by my guide and the rest of the Zohar staff. My guide and I spent a lot of time together over 12 days and he was professional, knowledgeable, helpful, patient and funny.
I hope to return to Tanzania soon and would choose to travel with Zohar African Safaris again.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
We recently returned from a 16 day safari though Zohar African Safaris. From our first contact with Zohar, we felt our needs and questions were responded to clearly and quickly. Lily, the owner, asked many questions about our interests. I had not realized at the time how well she could translate this information into a 16 day itinerary that completely reflected what I had shared with her, making the safari feel like a personal experience throughout our East African adventure.
Our itinerary was designed so that we did different kinds of activities each day. This was great, as it kept us alert the entire time, balancing animal viewing with recreation and cultural events. This also gave us the opportunity to stretch and exercise after long game viewing days. Every accommodation and the foods we had surpassed all our expectations.
We thought Africa would be spectacular on its own, but had not realized how having a fabulous safari guide would enhance our experience. Our safari guide, Sammy Sikombe, was one of the most likable, informative, talented (and humorous) person I ever met. He was flexible and seemed to care about every aspect of our safari.
To give an example how the itinerary worked, after our first day viewing the wildlife (Tarangire National Park) we had a bike ride in Mte wa Mbu and then did more wild life viewing at Lake Manyara. The next day we had the amazing experience of spending time with the Hadzabe bushmen hunting game and getting to know their way of life and why they live as they do. Our cultural safari guide and translator, Musa, was great. When I asked the Hadzabe chief why they still rub sticks together each time they wanted to make a fire, given they could just use a match or lighter, he said you never know when you will have a lighter or match available, so they keep the skill of rubbing sticks together by doing it for each fire. This practical response made a lot of sense to me. I just could not believe I was having this kind of conversation(translated by Musa) with a caveman in the 21st century !
The next day we did a walking safari in the Ngorongoro Highlands with its big and wide panoramic views and then visited a Maasai community that rarely had tourists visit them. We let Lily know we did not want our cultural visits to be in places that were over-touristed and canned performances and she said all the Zohar cultural visits were with groups that received few visitors , which made them personal, unique and spontaneous. All our cultural visits had the high quality we were looking for. This was how our safari continued for our entire time.
Our trip ended with 4 incredible days in Zanzibar, staying in one of the old palaces of the last ruling Sultan. It was located ideally and the hotel was magnificent with the most welcoming, helpful staff.
The combination of Lily’s efficiency, Sammy’s warmth and knowledge and a well designed itinerary taking us to high quality and unique settings made our safari perfect.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was an AMAZING experience!
First and foremost, Zohar set us up w/ a truly excellent safari guide. Sammy made sure that we saw everything there was to see in the parks, including a black rhino! His font of knowledge and enthusiasm for the natural world seemed limitless. This along w/ his easy going nature, good sense of humor, and sensitivity to our needs made for an exceptional experience.
In addition to the game parks, Zohar arranged for us to experience multiple cultural visits to a number of tribes in the area. The nature of these visits included authentic interaction that was truly unique and defy description. We'll never forget them!
As for some of the details, communications w/ the tour operator both before and during the trip were always easy and responses prompt. Traveling to Africa might be anxiety producing for the less traveled (like ourselves). However, Zohar seamlessly arranged for every aspect of our vacation from beginning to end. Our entire voyage unquestionably exceeded all expectations.
TR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good and reliable
Lily is a very responsible and reliable person to work with. Even if there is a minor problem she just comes in and solves it without hesitation. She offers safaris for need as well as for planned programs. She is just great.
GR
Email VB (Greece) | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Service, Good Planning, Responsive Attitude
After many emails to different companies we finally chose to organise our safari in Tanzania with Zohar.
Our decision was primarily based on the responsiveness of Lilian (the main coordinator at Zohar) who provided us with clear answers to all our questions and good advise, showing flexibility and willingness to cover our needs.
We wanted to fully utilise our time around the safari attractions, and LIlian was able to craft what proved to be a very good schedule for our needs - meaning the right mix of travelling times, lodgings, variety of scenery, maximising animal encounters, blended with experiencing the local culture.
From te moment we stepped out of the airport until our departure we felt we were well taken care of. Lilian met with us upon our arrival at Arusha on our first evening and gave us a short briefing, and was monitoring our every step through communication with our guide.
Here are some words about our safari...
First of all, our guide Tom was wonderful: all our family loved him! He was always polite, warm and approachable but at the same time respectful to our personal family time. He was punctual and proper, the car always clean, his driving safe but not slow. His english was excellent (we had no probelms in communicating), always explaining things and answering all our questions, with many interesting stories to share. Tom tried his best to please us, looking for the best opportunities to see the animals around, fitting the daily timetable after discussions and according to our needs. Tom was a cornerstone of our enjoyable safari.
Lilian's planning was very good. Firstly, the descriptions that she shared with us were a useful basis for planning and proved accurate in practise. We enjoyed the variety in the itinerary that allowed us to see rather alot in the time we had available.
All accommodation was very good (according to the descriptions and prices) and it was the right decision to change accommodation every night as this allowed us to have different scenery every day (and night).
Our stay at the tented camps (Kati Kati camps in two locations) was a unique experience for us (although especially my wife missed some comforts like a hair-dryer!). We really enjoyed the scenery and hearing the night-life of animals around us. I think that the two nights was just right (long enough to experience, but not too long to get tired).
We ended our safari with a higher quality lodge that Lilian proposed - a good ending to a great trip!
We very much enjoyed our visits to the villages and our interactions with the local communities. Our visit to Mto wa Mbu village was very interesting and well worth the time there. The visit was well organised, the time we spent there was informational and entertaining, it gave us the chance to experience parts of the local life and atmosphere. So a very nice highlight to our trip. (TIP: bring some small gifts for the children - e.g. pens, candy, simple toys - we had deflated balls and a pump... very well received with big smiles and hugs by the children).
We had a stop at a Masai village on the way back from Ndutu to Karatu. As you see many of the Masai around the main roads, we were excited to visit them at their home. The Masai were extremely friendly, opened up their village for us, and explained all the details of their culture and way of life. We were greeted by the son of the village chief who spoke decent english. Well worth the stop, and another type of experience compared to Mto wa Mbu. (TIP: save some of the gifts for the Masai !). The choice of Masai village was made on the spot as many of these villages offer an open door policy for tourists (US$ 50 for our family and an expectation to purchase some of their handicraft).
Our visits to the parks was the main highlight. Lilian's suggestion to see the different parks was right.
Starting with Lake Manyara was a good warm-up, very conveniently located on the way to Karatu, and with different life compared to what followed.
Then the Serengeti was as magical as we expected.
The environment around Ndutu was different to Serengeti and interesting to see this difference - but animal life there was less dense compared to the main Serengeti (say around Serengeti's Seronera river).
Finally Ngorongoro was another magical and unique place...
In all the areas we enjoyed the variety of scenery and animal life.
To wrap up - this was a fantastic trip for our family.
After the safari we spent another week in Zanzibar, but the main images and experinces that are spinning around our heads are from the north part of Tanzania: the scenery, animals and people around Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
Thank you Zohar!
US
Email Gerald McCormack | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Zohar African Safaris is an excellent provider of private and package tours.
Our third safari, this was with Zohar African Safaris. We specified game reserves and duration at each. Lilian Maximillian, Proprietor, provided knowledgeable suggestions to blend in cultural activities with our itenary on the Tanzania Northern Circuit. A special benefit was her familiarity with current game activity and routing for best sightings. She personally greeted us at beginning and end of tour, while maintaining contact throughout for any additional needs. Total cost outlay was very competitive and at low cost for a private tour.
Lilian assigned a seasoned guide, Sammy Sikombe, who would become a special friend beyond his leadership. His years of elephant field research were combined with superb knowledge of wildlife activity, habits and locales. He consistently positioned us for best viewing for wildlife imagery.
I have a wonderful set of images and say with sincerity this tour simply exceeded all expectations. I've recommended Zohar to my daughter, son-in-law and anyone interested in Tanzania safaris. Gerald McCormack
US
Email Kevin | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extraordinary Safari with Zohar
I just returned from Safari organized by Zohar African Safaris, and they exceeded what were my already high expectations for them. Initially, we had numerous pre-trip conversations with Lili Maximillian and Ken Firestone to customize our journey. In addition to wildlife, we wanted to visit with local people and meet with NGOs. Lili arranged our itinerary to accomplish these objectives. Our guide for 9 days was Sammy Sikumbe, a man of many talents -- eight years of elephant research, expert ornithologist, consultant to US zoos and lecturer in US schools, friendly, funny, knowledgeable, speaker of seven languages and player of four musical instruments. A conversationalist who could respond to our many questions on wildlife and conservation, but also the wider context of Tanzania people and politics and culture. Zohar also arranged for local guides - residents in areas where we visited tribal villages -- to introduce us to their people (in Mto Wa Mbu, Lake Eyasi [Hadzabe and Datoga] and Ngorongoro highlands [Maasai]). Finally, Zohar set up encounters with local NGOs working in areas of public health, land rights and conflict mediation - where we gained deeper insights into challenges and solutions to improve local lives, sustain livelihoods and protect traditional cultures and threatened wildlife and habitat. Every night, we enjoyed comfortable accommodations and great food. Elephants rumbled outside our tent one night, we woke and took our cups of coffee to greet them in the morning - a gentle and memorable meeting. I whole-heartedly recommend Zohar to anyone who wants to go beyond the beaten track of other Land Cruisers and engage with the broader context beyond the game parks, as well as experience Serengetiti, Ngorongoro crater, Manyara, Tarangire and other places where extraordinary wildlife gather.
US
Email Terry M | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
I cannot imagine a better approach nor better people with whom to do a safari--absolutely wonderful
The safari, if anything, exceeded my expectations. From the beginning I felt like we were a team-- me, my traveling companion, Lillian and Ken in planning the journey, and me and my friend and Sammy the chief guide and Baraka the driver, as we visited all of the people and animals we had wanted to see. I deeply appreciate the understanding of all of Zohar staff about the cultures and ecology of the region, their commitment to cultural tourism that gives back and contributes to the economic well-being of tribal people. Sammy the chief guide is superb as a companion and as a teacher/guide--he knows so much about the animals, their environment and behavior. It was like taking a course--only a lot more fun! Every day a field trip! And the cultural visits were moving, personal and natural, and I felt as though I were contributing as well as learning about how those we visited live. I also appreciated Zohar staff interest in and enthusiasm for helping us identify effective NGO's working on land rights and health with some of these communities. In short--I feel as though I did more than touch the surface of this fascinating, beautiful region of Tanzania. I felt really connected. This isn't even to mention the lions, the elephants. . .