Kilisa Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Tour Types:
- Mid-range & luxury tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $189 to $560 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Amy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kilisa Tours and Safaris should be avoided!
I had a horrible experience with Kilisa Tours and Safaris. Originally I had booked with them because they had received such positive reviews from Trip Advisor. They also offered cheap prices and I decided to go on a safari with them, but I am glad that I didn't book with them to do Kilimanjaro otherwise they would have definitely botched it up.
Twelve days before my trip, they informed me via email that my hotel was changed from Moshi to Arusha and that the tour group decided to start a day earlier. I had been doing Mt. Meru and Kilimanjaro so I had no email access, and went to the hotel that they booked me in Moshi. I was told that I was booked for Moshi by Kilisa tours, but there was not room for me and I had to go to another hotel.
After Naick was told, he tried to tell me I should have gotten the email and I explained that I had no Internet access since I came to Africa. I was tired after my 8 day Kilimanjaro trip, and he claimed that the Lemosho route that I had done should have finished at 5AM. That isn't true as I didn't finish until 2PM that day with another group as we went back to the gate, and then had lunch before I was dropped off to my hotel.
So instead of staying at the Key's Hotel, in Moshi (which I was originally told) and had a high standard, I was booked to stay in Arusha Centre Inn in Arusha which is a much lower caliber hotel. However, I was not told this, and the price that I paid for the safari did not change.
I was also asked if I brought $875 in cash to pay for the trip. I had not been informed via email to do this, and asked if I could pay by credit card. Instead, I was told that to avoid a surcharge, I would pay for the park admission which would total $875. I was not told that I would be paying for the park admission of the other people on the tour and my tour guide.
I was not told that the safari was going to be with other people and it was thru another company that wasn't associated with Kilisa. I thought all of these other tourists were from Kilisa tours. I was driven to Lake Manyara to catch the tour group on their second day of the safari since I had missed the first day.
They were staying at the Sunbright campsite which offered a cabin. I was given a cabin initially, but when two people in my group complained that they had a cabin before, but were then designated to stay in a tent, the manager asked me to move to the tent and to give the two people the cabin. I was sick and had a cough (after finishing my Kilimanjaro trip) and despite that these two people paid less than me, I had to move.
For the next 2 days I ended up sharing a tent with 2 other people on the trip that I didn't know.
When I went to pay at one of the park gates, I was told to pay $10 more than Kilisa had informed me. Although that shouldn't be a big deal, I did not like how the driver had forced me to just pay, and not question it. I was angry and said that at the next park gate, I would pay $10 less so that I would not be overcharged. The driver did not like that and insisted that I pay what I was told to pay.
On the last day, at 9:40AM at Ngorongoro Crater, our safari car had broken down. Our driver called his friend to pick us up and take us back for brunch at 11AM. The friend just drove us back to our campsite and we didn't do anymore sight-seeing. Then when the driver got back with the safari car repaired, we had to be driven back to Arusha and end the trip.
I asked for a refund as I paid for 4 days for the safari, and on the last day, since the safari car broke down, we could not explore Ngrongoro Crater much at all. I brought this up to Naick who tried to claim that the second safari car had taken us around Ngorongoro but I insisted that it only drove us back to the camp site. Then Naick said that the blame was actually for this man from another company who actually run the trip, and that man refused to refund me saying no one had ever complained about the trip.
At the end of the day, I wish that I hadn't booked with Kilisa as there were these screw ups with the hotel and also having a cheap safari car that broke down. Also, since the safari car was overloaded with 5-6 passengers (sometimes with the cook too) and luggage, I did not get to see the animals properly nor take as good pictures as I expected to.
Stay away from this company!
Reply from Kilisa Tours & Safaris
Posted on Dec 30, 2019Hello Amy
Thank you for your review,
We would like to extend to you our most sincere apologies regarding the issue with your safari and frustrating experience you had with us
We'll use the Feedback and strive to do better while ensure this doesn't happen again
If you would be willing to talk further, please contact me at [email protected]
Sincerely
Juliana
Email Jonathan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, locally based organisation with great experience
My friends and I used Kilisa Tours to successfully climb Mt Kilimanjaro. They were friendly and helpful from start to finish, using experienced local guides and giving work to the people of their community:
This trip was a long time in the making and Naick/Kilisa Tours helped us to achieve this every step of the way. Kilisa seemed to be the most reasonably priced when we searched around but when we finally got onto the trek, we realised just how good the value was for our money. We had a team of 15 locals from the Kilimanjaro Region with us, including two experienced guides, Nickson and Livingstone. With their help we, as inexperienced but reasonably fit hikers, were able to reach the summit.
The team could not have been more supportive. In the long buildup, Naick was very patient and helpful in emails and whatsapp messaging, allowing us the time and knowledge that we needed to organise our trip. We got a thorough briefing and help preparing our trekking gear/clothes, at the hotel, on the night before the trek. Each evening we had a briefing about the following day, before getting a wake up call in the morning from our attentive host, Zakayo - who accompanied us to the summit on the final day and will make for a great future guide. We were treated to fresh ginger tea daily, as well as other hot drinks and soup to keep warm and big portioned meals/snacks for energy.
The porters in the team have great strength and heart. After we had stocked our smaller bags with the day's essentials, they would pack up the camp, including our remaining larger bags and move the whole camp to our next location - overtaking us on the way! At this point, as others have mentioned, paying for a private toilet for your group/self, to have as part of your camps, is well worth the money from the start.
Our guides were more than mere pace setters, pointing the way forward, they were knowledgeable about the local region, flora and forna. They have vast experience of climbing Kilimanjaro from all the various routes. Also, importantly, they were very humble, friendly, supportive, just generally good humoured company, as well as making for decent photographers for our small group!
The trek itself is manageable, as the guides will tell you, it is more of a mental test and taking things "pole pole" - slow and steady will get you to the top, while allowing you to enjoy the journey and some breathtaking views along the way!
Finally to emphasise again, this is a locally based company with local employees. They provided our small group of three with a thoroughly enjoyable and unforgettable experience. I hope that spreading the word with this review, will go some way to repaying them for their hospitality and the fantastic memories which they have given to us.
Safe, successful & incredibly enjoyable summit thanks to Kilisa
For the quick readers: We had an incredible trip up to Mt Kilimanjaro with Kilisa, on the 8-day Lemosho route, resulting in a successful summit. Our guides (Goodluck and Abraham) and a phenomenal team of porters, cook & back office ensured our group (3 hikers, 64, 29 and 30 years) were safe at all times, but also learned a lot about Tanzania. Not booking with Kilisa would be a huge mistake - they are local, are embedded in the community, and will ensure you have the best journey with the highest chance of summiting.
For the detail-interested-ones :)
Why this route & Kilisa at first: We decided to take a trip to Mt Kilimanjaro in September 2023 - we included my mother, 64, my partner (30) and myself (29). The fact that we had my mother with us, and that we love more varied landscapes made us choose the 8-day-Lemosho Route with varied vegetation zones and highest chance of summiting.
We choose Kilisa due to their good reviews, but also, as they are from Kilimanjaro and ensure the money goes back into the community. This choice was verified to be the best we could have made!
Organisation: The backoffice (Naik & Julia) ensured that the organisation of the trip was smooth. We had received detailed packing lists and trip plans beforehand to prepare. From the moment we arrived in Tanzania, to the moment we left, we were constantly taken care of and felt very pampered. For example, our guides did not only brief us prior to leaving, but also checked every piece of our equipment before starting the trip. As a result, they provided us with warmer trousers - Thank god, as I saw people climbing in leggings at minus degrees.
The route itself: You will find lots of details on the route itself, distances, hiking time per day on here. We took the 8 Day Lemosho Route, as the duration makes it much easier to acclimatise resulting in a much higher chance of summiting (more on this below). The best part of that tour specifically, though, I think is the varied vegetation. Some people were dropped at higher altitudes and missed the rainforest, which I enjoyed almost the most. Right when we started the hike we saw several different monkeys, birds & exotic species’. Then you enter Heather & Moorland, as gorgeous as you can imagine. Finally you arrive at the alpine desert and the peak. This varied vegetation makes you appreciate nature from a different angle, and is truly special!
Success & Safety: Our guides made it clear from the start that it’s about the journey and NOT about reaching the top. By taking this to heart, we made sure to enjoy every day on the hike, learning lot’s from our guides, pushing our limits without compromising our health (“pole pole”). Our health was always first - from the equipment check before even starting, to continued check- ins during the hikes all the way to oxygen and pulse checks in the night. For many of you readers this might sound irrelevant - but you’d be surprised of how many do not summit, because of a bad guide-hiker-relationship where a slower “pole pole” approach could have helped, or even worse: die. We submitted successfully and happily - but even if we had not, we would have had an amazing trip!
Guides & Team: Our team (4 porters per person so 12, 1 cook, 2 guides) were a dream team! Starting with the guides (Goodluck and Abraham) who became our family. Highly competent - they know the mountain like the back of their hand, but also how to assess a hiker's health. Both throughout shared lot’s about Tanzania, were very friendly and helpful and took great care in particular of my mother. In fact - the entire team did: I remember how one of our porters carried my mothers backpack every now and then, or how others helped her clean the shoes whenever we arrived at camp. They all worked on a common goal: making our journey as memorable as possible. And all of them are kind and helpful!
Food & Accommodation: Of course, our camp was all already set by the time we arrived on site - bags in our rooms, warm water to wash our hands, tea ready in our dining tent. Our cook (Amos) ensured that we had plenty of food for every meal with a varied menu - from chicken with fries, to Fried Rice with Vegetables, daily fruit such as Watermelon and more - we were fed well! He even took notice of what we really liked on his menu - on day 3 when resupply arrived we suddenly had an abundance of tea choices on a camping trip.
You can tell, I could go on for hours on how amazing I thought this trip was. If you book with Kilisa, I know they will do their best so that you have a trip of a lifetime!
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Email Berny | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely thoughtful, dedicated, and caring tour operator
My friend and I just finished a 7-day Lemosho route trek with Kilisa Tours that ended in the successful summit of Kilimanjaro. I cannot praise our team from Kilisa enough and highly recommend them for any Kilimanjaro trek. From our pre-trek communications to our airport transfers and throughout our time on the trek, we were treated and cared for exceptionally well.
Kilisa seemed to us to be a smaller tour operator. While this meant they didn’t have a fancy bus to drive us around, it also meant we didn’t get a “big tour” experience and received more attention and heart than what we expected, truly living out their mantra “One Team, One Dream.” It starts with our guides, Goodluck and Nickson. As the primary leaders of the expedition and the ones most directly responsible for our wellbeing, they were both exceptionally professional throughout. They were both concerned about our experience, maintaining an open dialog about daily expectations and about any questions that came up. On the health front, they measured our blood oxygen levels and pulse nightly, and we openly discussed our feelings and concerns to ensure we were all on the same page. Importantly, I felt they did a great job picking the right hiking paths and maintaining the right hiking pace for us. We felt this was critical to successful acclimatization, minimizing exhaustion, and ultimately to our successful summit. Lastly, they really encouraged us to enjoy the journey and not just the destination. They were very knowledgeable about the geology, ecology, and history of Kilimanjaro and they freely shared their knowledge. Having the right guides is essential and I feel like we got the best in Goodluck and Nickson.
But our positive experience didn’t end with our guides. Incredibly we had 9 additional people (11 in total) supporting my friend and me on our adventure. And they were all wonderfully caring, too (“One Team, One Dream”). Our chef made wonderful, filling meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we had a waiter/water attendant, we had a person who attended our private toilet, and six additional porters who were incredibly hard working setting up, breaking down, and transporting our camp from site to site. To a man, they were exceptionally supportive, friendly, and fun-loving, and it was truly heartwarming to be surrounded by a wonderful group of people who all wanted to see us succeed. A great example: After we summited, my friend and I were struggling to come down the mountain due to exhaustion. Our guides messaged the base team, and six additional members met us 1/3 or 1/2 way up the mountain, carried our packs, and arm-in-arm helped us get back to base camp where they all congratulated us with hugs and high-fives.
The Kilimanjaro trip was the fulfillment of a decades long dream, and the exceptional experience with Kilisa Tours made it wonderful. I highly recommend them.
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Email Mina | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!!!!
What an amazing 7 days expedition we had with Kilisa!!!!!! Enjoyed every minute of it. The hike to Mandara hut was outstanding. Guidance of Bakari and Nixon helped us get to the top even though we started hiking a bit late. All along they were patient and kept pouring out all the knowledge they had and encouraged us to ask questions as well as climb “pole pole “( slowly, slowly).
On the Safari, Beatus kept us entertained. His eyes in locating the animals as well as his skill of taking pics thru binoculars was amazing. The accommodations for four nights during the safari was GREAT. It was like an Oasis in desert!!!!!! The meals were well thought of.
Naick, the big boss is perfect in his own place…… what fun memory we made on the very first day
Email Imran | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Qualified, professional and very personal service
Outstanding experience with a great team that was Personal , Friendly , Professional and qualified to make my dream come true . Helped me
To feel safe and comfortable at all times and Tammy the guide was so sincere that I can say I have a new brother for life . Thanks Kilisa for your great work you doing . Happy to recommend you to others and be available for any feedback
Unforgettable experience, amazing tour company
Kilisa Tours and our guides, FC and Matthew, as well as our porters, far exceeded any expectations I could have had for our climb. Before we even set foot in Tanzania, they were welcoming, informative, and helpful. Day 1 we were greeted by our driver Nixon and our guides, who walked us through the climb and checked our gear to ensure we had everything we needed. Any equipment we didn’t have, they provided high quality items to rent at a very reasonable rate. The Lemosho route was an incredible experience, with beautiful, sometimes alien landscapes, but was truly made unforgettable by our knowledgeable and encouraging guides, the porters, our cook Tom, and our waiter Musa. The food prepared on the mountain was probably the most unexpected, as it was different and delicious each day and was truly appreciated. Every aspect of the trip was well planned and executed by Kilisa. Thank you again for everything.
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Email Max | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
FANTASTIC FIVE STAR TOUR COMPANY!
THIS WAS FANTASTIC!!! I could not recommend this tour company any more highly. Every aspect of the trip was exceeded and we were surprised everyday with a new adventure. The mountain and the route were fantastic, but what really made this such a worthwhile investment were the guides. Everyone encouraged us, the entire time. The food was fantastic, the accommodations were superb and the equipment was top notch. I also really appreciated the organization of the tour company, which made us feel like we were in great hands. Book local and book with Kilisa!
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Email Max | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The greatest tour
I don’t think this trip would have been so memorable if it weren’t for kilisa. They made this trip an incredible experience and one that I’ll never forget! They were the reason we made to the top of Kilimanjaro and the reason we saw a cheetah hunt in the Serengeti! They are experienced and incredibly kind and accommodating! I highly recommend you choose kilisa!
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Email Bret | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experiences we will treasure forever!
We had an amazing safari and Kilimanjaro summit all thanks to Kilisa! Their service was top notch and value was fantastic. The service provided by our guides and supporting staff were top notch!
We started with a 6 day safari that was absolutely epic. Our Safari Guide, Chris, was incredible! You should definitely request him. He was super nice and very accommodating. He found us every animal we could ever have wanted to see! Despite some challenging off-road driving conditions, he never got stuck and always got us to see the best animals around. We saw lions and elephants that were so close, we would nearly reach out and touch them from the landcruiser. He found us two leopards, two cheetahs, tons of lions, two rhinos and more zebras, giraffes, cape buffalos, and wildabeasts than we could count, just to name a few. My favorite was seeing a male lion out in a rain storm who was seperated from his pride. He was calling out to them and you could see the worry in his eye as he walked right by our landcruiser in search of them.
We then did a Kilimanjaro hike to the summit via the Lemosho 7 day route. Our guides, Rama and Bakari, were fantastic and the chef, Kurwa, amazed us with the food he was able to make on the mountain. Our waiter, Arold was gracious and attentive in delivering all the food to our dining tent. I highly recommend requesting them. The team of porters (Salim, Frenk, Mohamed, Josephat, Mwingi, Sigi, David, Siriri, Msafiri, Idd, Abdina and Moyo) amazed us with their kindness, helpfulness and always positive attitudes. They were always smiling even when carrying a heavy load at high altitudes in chilling conditions. Their attitudes were truly inspiring.
Naick is the owner and the lead coordinator. He was very helpful over the course of more than a month of coordination via email to set up and schedule the trip. He was always responsive and able to answer all of our questions and take care of all of our needs. It was challenging to execute this trip during COVID because of our flights getting cancelled but Naick helped us adjust as necessary. Going during COVID turned out to be a huge bonus because the national parks are all virtually empty so you get the animals and Kilimanjaro virtually to yourself.
You can't go wrong with Kilisa! Their prices were the best we found and the experience we enjoyed was incredible. Their safari vehicle was a new Toyota landcruiser Safari conversion that I absolutely loved. It got us through mud and water crossings in style and comfort and never broke down despite many miles on some pretty tough roads. Their trek equipment was all in good shape. Our tents were nice and the gear we rented was also in good shape.
I highly recommend Kilisa!
