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Tours by Locals (aka Kiliholidays)
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB, KINAPA, MNRT & TPO
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
-
TZ
- Price Range:
- $50 to $400 ppper person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email alla1510 | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our guide Thomas was great.
My husband and I booked a 3 day private tour into Selous game reserve from 02 to 04 February with Kiliholidays. We reserved by paying 1/2 down and paid the remainder upon commencing the safari. We too had trepidation about paying more than 6 months in advance, but the
company is honest. We kept in touch with Mack Kornelio by WhatsApp and arranged the pickup in Dar es Salaam thru this means as well. Mack is responsive.
Thomas met us at our hotel in Dar es Salaam on the dot at the prearranged hour. He was super throughout the whole trip explaining fauna and flora as we went along. He is a great driver and professional guide and I can recommend him hands down.
The negative portion of our trip was the nightly camp. Here USD 500 and 50,000 shillings were stolen from us by the staff at the Selous Jimbiza Camp from our locked lodge. We were the only guests, thus later the police ruled the theft as an inside job. Everything about this camp was negative - slow to react, simple breakfast not on time, food barely palatable. Simple hot water for coffee in the morning took too long despite stating the night before we’d leave at 0630h for the game drive. They would not even power on their generator because the camp had “its” schedule. I asked the ceiling fan at the restaurant to be turned on during lunch because it was very hot but got the response it would be at extra charge being outside generator hours! Jimbiza is not customer focused and contains thieves.
Kiliholidays subcontracted to Jimbiza and Mack promised to sever relations with them upon hearing of the theft. I hope relations will be terminated not only by Kiliholidays but all other tour operators for the sake of future safari participants. However with this incident, Mack showed support for clients. He and Thomas talked and agreed to involve the police. Thomas took the initiative to take the room attendant to the police station in our vehicle with ourselves. He knows how to deal with local procedure. Thus we had an unexpected adventure to see Mloka police in action.
All in all I can recommend Kiliholidays for safari tours.
Email Helene | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
We had a professional guide and they custom made our trip after our wishes.
Be careful of long and bumpy drives, but it’s worth it for the animals.
Good communication and good price.
I am very happy with the trip, I give 4 stars because one can always get better.
Thank you!
Email Thorsten Schultz | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari experience
We booked the 3 day Safari package in Selous. On Friday we were picked up at 9 am at our hotel. There we had to pay the rest of the Safari in cash (1000$). This is quite inconvinient, as it is hard to get so much money in Tansania (ATM charge fees and only gives out TSh, bank only gives out 800$ per day). So if you can I would recommend to get the cash in your country in advance.
The trip to Selous takes about 5-6h. Our driver ("Fun") was really nice and helpful. During the whole trip water was provided, however, for other softdrinks one would have to pay. On Friday evening we had a 2h boat safari.
Saturday was really intense. Early in the morning (6am) we had a walking safari with a native guide, which was a unique experience. Afterwards we had a Jeep safari from 9am to 5pm, which was the highlight of the whole trip. It is amazing to see all these animals in their natural habitat.
The accomodation was nice and comfortable. All food was included and comparably good.
On Sunday we were driven back to Dar es Sallam and taken directly to the ferry to Sansibar.
All in all it was a very enjoyable experience.
Email Vee | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari with good guide and we saw lots of animals
We did a 4 days 3 nights safari in Selous Game Reserve. We had really good experience with our guide Paul. We saw pretty much all the animals that could be seen in Selous and our guide told us many things about the wildlife. The only animal we did not see was leopard but they are really hard to see in Selous. Selous is a beautiful park with diverse scenery. Our accommodation in African Safari Camp was also good. The huts were clean and staff was very nice. We would definitely recommend this safari and the accommodation.
The walking safari was not what we expected since we thought that we would be walking inside the Game Reserve but the walk ended up to be outside the park in a bush. The food in the safari was not the best so maybe there could be some improvements regarding the food. It would have been nice to eat local food. But other than that all excellent!
Thanks for a great experience!
Email Monica Tagliabue | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
First time in Tanzania with Kiliholidays
We were very happy about our experience with Kiliholidays. The communication with Mack went smoothly from the very beginning and we managed to customize our safari based on our needs and budget.
The safari itserf (northern Safari parks, 6 nights) was perfect also thanks to a great driver/guide Thomas and cook Daniel, both extremely professionals and pleasant.
We totally recommend Kiliholidays!
Email Dani | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari professionals. Amazing experience. Fully recommended!
Very good service and attention. The drivers are very experienced and will be able to provide you the tupe of experience you seek for. Full flexibility on demand if needed. Our driver thomas managed to spot a rhino while many failed to even find one. The food and service was great. Good food and all obtained from local markets to contribute local economy. The guide to kilimanjaro hike was also very nice and welcoming. Overall I fully recommend this safari and kilimanjaro tour operator for all types of adventures. Just send them an email and ask. Hakuna matata.
Email Paul Robinson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable, well organised and thoroughly enjoyable adventure.
Communications prior to our arrival were good, with clear instructions.Our driver was punctual, spoke good English and really looked after our needs for our 5 days around Lake Manyaro, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. He did his absolute best to make sure we saw as many of the animals and the big 5 as possible. We only missed out on the rhino, which is pretty rare, but lots of people fail to see that one. The other animals we saw were up close and plentiful, it was unbelievable. The hotels were all good and the camp on the Serengeti is something we will never forget, for all the right reasons. The jeep was a little old and had seen better days, but it was unstoppable and reliable and it's age kind of added to the adventure. I would confidently recommend Kiliholidays as well organised and very good value for money.
Email Eunkyoung | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was very impressed tour for me
Good price
Good guide
This tour is honeymoon. We book private tour so i feel free and good
Email Maja | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
We went private safari 4-days Serengeti and Ngorogoro. If i could do it one more time, i’d go only Serengeti, because you actually see everything you need to see there. Ngorogoro is beautiful by the nature but the animals you see are so far away.. Serengeti is huge park, so expect a long drive with no animals , but after you arrive to the right spot you realise it was worth the wait. We slept in camps that weren’t protected from the animals so during the night you stay in the tent making no noise because it’s dangerous! An amazing experience for me were the buffalos around our tents which filled me up with adrenaline. Thomas was amazing guide, he knows a lot of things but you gotta ask him and he’ll tell you everything! But you could do this 4 days program actually in 3 days.
Email Florina Udristoiu | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well prepared
We had a good experience, the safari guide, Thomas was very good: safe driving, good English, well adapted to client's needs and most important, has excelent knowledges about the National Parks and spots animals where no one else could!
Disclaimer
- All corporate and/or tour info is provided by Tours by Locals (aka Kiliholidays), not SafariBookings