Lion King Safari Guides
Lion King Adventures
- Offices In:
-
Canada
United States
Switzerland
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,115 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
CA
Email Michael | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Responsive, customer focused and great value
From the time we first contacted Lion King they were responsive and customer focused, tailoring a tour to perfectly suit our needs. Ozzy our guide was personable, knowledgeable and make sure we had the best vacation ever. The accommodations selected were top notch with comfortable beds, good food and friendly staff. I would not hesitate to recommended both Lion King and Ozzy for your safari
LU
Email Adriano & Mireia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very well organised
Great experiences with an excellent guide “Goodlock Luca” which has a lot of experiences about how to handle a safari tour. He gives us a lot of explanations and took care about us. We could enjoy the 5 bigs of Safari and a lot more!!
CA
Email Barbara & David | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well-organized with knowledgeable guide
After 4 years of waiting, due to COVID, our trip of a lifetime began the morning of May 16th at the Ilburu Safari Lodge just outside of Arusha. Our guide, Gilbert was amazing. He picked the 6 of us up right on time and we began our journey to the Tarangire Park. We saw so many animals, we were amazed. The jeep was comfortable for the 7 of us (including the guide). Gilbert invited one of us to sit up front with him and a few of us took him up on that offer. The Serengeti was even more amazing and we were lucky enough to witness part of the Great Migration with the Wildebeest and Zebra. Wow! It did not cease to amaze all of us. We saw 20 lions in one day, as well as 5 cheetah and 2 different leopards. In Ngorogoro Crater, we managed to find 8 black rhino, along with all the incredible water birds, elephants, giraffe, etc. On the final day in the Lake Manyara region, we did not see a lot, but really appreciated the diversity of that area. Gilbert was fantastic with his knowledge of all the animals as well as the birdlife. He could spot a bird we had not seen from far away and was eager to show it to us. The lodges on this trip were all wonderful with comfortable beds and good food. Breakfast and dinners were always buffets with lots of choice of meat, vegetables, potatoes or rice. If I had one complaint about the trip, it would be the lunches. We always had a similar lunch with rice, a vegetable in sauce and chicken. There needs to be more variety and box lunches would be welcomed! Gilbert was great about getting our lunch ready and packing it up neatly, leaving no sign of it behind. The hotels when we got to Zanzibar were amazing as well. They were both luxury hotels. One right on the beach with a beach balcony for all of us, (Nwungi Dreams) and the other right in the heart of Stonetown. (Maru Maru) Both offered excellent meals with reasonable prices for the part of our stay not covered. We would be happy to recommend Lion King Adventures to anyone willing to experience a safari!
Email Simon & Alana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bucket List Safari
WE HAVE JUST COMPLETED OUR 6-DAY SAFARI. WRITE FROM THE BOOKING COMMUNICATION WAS SUPERB FROM PENDO AND NICKSON. WE HAD A SMALL GLITCH, WITH AN 8-HOUR DELAY ON THE INCOMING FLIGHT, MEANING ARRIVING AT 1.30 AM AT KILIMANJARO, BUT THAT WAS NOT A PROBLEM WITH PENDO, REGULAR MESSAGES STILL HAD OUR DRIVER, FOR THE TRANSFER, WAITING AT THE AIRPORT TO TRANSFER US TO ARUSHA CHECKING IN AT 2.45 AM, ALL WENT OFF WITHOUT A HITCH. THE SAME MORNING AT 8.30 AM WE MET BY GOODLUCK, OUR EXPERIENCED GUIDE AND DRIVER. HE WAS AMAZING, KNOWLEDGEABLE, FUNNY, A VERY SAFE DRIVER AND ALWAYS EXPLAINING WHAT WE WERE DOING, AND HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE ANIMALS WAS EXCELLENT. COURTEOUS AND PATIENT WHEN WE WERE TAKING PHOTOS, AND ALWAYS GETTING THE BEST POSITION. HE WAS EXCITED, AS MUCH AS WE WERE, WHEN WE SPOTTED THE ANIMALS, ESPECIALLY THE RHINOS, LIONS, CHEETAHS, AND THAT SPECIAL LEOPARD, AMONG OTHERS. WE STAYED AT KITELA LODGE (KARATU) FOR 2 NIGHTS, SAMETU CAMP (SERENGETI) AND THE REMAINING 2 NIGHTS AT MT MERU HOTEL (ARUSHA) AND AIRPORT PLANET LODGE (KILIMANJARO). ALL ACCOMMODATION WERE 5-STAR, AND WE WERE TREATED LIKE ROYALTY. THE SAFARI WAS PRIVATE, JUST THE 2 OF US AND GOODLUCK MEANING THE ABILITY TO MOVE AROUND THE JEEP WITH THE ROOF OPEN TO TAKE THOSE MEMORABLE SNAPS, IS FANTASTIC AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. IF YOU ARE DOING A SAFARI IN TANZANIA AND WISHING TO SEE THE JAW DROPPING NGORONGORO CRATER AND THE AMAZING SERENGETI, LOOK NO FURTHER! LION KING ADVENTURERS IS THE ONLY COMPANY IN OUR VIEW. THANK YOU GOODLUCK FOR SHARING YOUR TANZANIA WITH US, IT WAS A BUCKET LIST MOMENT FOR MANY YEARS FOR US AND YOU MADE IT SO MEMORABLE WITH MOMENTS THAT WILL LAST WITH US A LIFETIME. LOOK NO FURTHER, BOOK LION KING ADVENTURE TOMORROW. YOU WILL NOT REGRET THIS DECISION. HAPPY NEW YEAR GOODLUCK AND THE VERY BEST WISHES TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
The BEST
Our 11 day safari/beach trip was amazing. The Safari went beyond my expectations. Gilbert, our guide was truly fantastic. He was knowledgeable, attentive, and caring. We were thrilled to be among the wildebeest and zebra migrations and we were able to closely observe many many animals. Gilbert was quick to spot and identify animals and birds. Our accommodations we clean and very comfortable. The days after the safari were spent relaxing and enjoying Zanzibar.
Tip - have some bills ready for tipping as many hotels and vendors don’t have change.
CA
Email Judy, Laurie & Joseph | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wouldn’t do a Safari with anyone other than Lion King Adventures
Better than I ever could have imagined. Our tour guide was Good Luck Lucas. He was awesome. I know everybody says that but this is true. He delivered on us seeing all The Big Five. Ask for him!! Trust me. You will not be disappointed. I was sad to see our travel come to an end. There was 3 of us. It was a private tour so you don’t have to worry about anyone else spoiling your fun. The places we stayed were great. Unfortunately there was one place that we went to that wouldn’t let Good Luck eat with us. Why?? He is part of the family after all. We went end beginning of April and it was great. You got really up close to the animals. You can’t leave the truck but there is no need they are so close you can almost reach out and touch them. Just don’t though lol
US
Email Kara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Amazing!!!
Hard to put into words how absolutely unbelievable our safari experience was, but if I had to choose one, it would be: amazing. My husband and I had never been to Africa before, and I can safely say thanks to our wonderful experience with all the Lion King staff, including Kabwe from the tour office, who was incredibly detail-oriented, thorough and patient in answering my many questions leading up to the trip, as well as our incredible tour guide, Ozzie, we will definitely be planning a return trip. We could not have possibly asked for a better guide. Ozzie was caring, kind, funny and personable, in addition to being an awesome driver, incredibly talented at spotting all the wildlife and in addition just an all around great guy. He always took care to make sure we were comfortable each day, found the perfect spot in each of the parks to set up an awesome lunch for us, and took the time to get to know us, and understand what we were most excited about seeing in each of the parks, then made it his mission to find that particular animal so we could get an up close and personal look. We saw just about every animal possible: Lions, elephants, giraffes, cheetas, zebra, buffalo, hippos, monkeys and even a rhino! His dedication, experience and professionalism came through in all our dealings with him throughout, and his great respect for the animals as well as the kindness he showed to the other park workers, drivers, etc. put us immediately at ease. He was instrumental in helping to make our trip absolutely unforgettable, and we have already recommended him to friends of ours going on safari this summer. Truly a once in a lifetime trip, and so glad we trusted Lion King Adventures to help bring it to life!
NE
Email Emilie Tankora | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari with lion king
All was perfectly organized, reviewed to fit with our needs and wishes. Easy communication with Caroline when organizing. We asked for a French speaking guide and Sifan was amazing. He knows very well about animals and vegetation. He knows how to find animals even the most difficult to find! We spent 6 days together and become like a family. I highly recommend!!!
US
Email Saeed & Miad | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Better than I could have imagined
As a person who reads a million reviews before book anything, I can promise you this company is a great choice. My wife and I went Tanzania a few weeks ago (March 2023) and Lion King Adventures gave us an amazing tour and safari! We did a 7 Day Mid-Range safari which took us to Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Central Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Throughout these parks and the crater we got to see hundreds of elephants, baboons and hippos. Literally thousands of Zebras, Buffalo, Impalas and wildebeests. Several dozen lions, giraffe and hyenas which we got very close to. Two leopards runnings and at least four in trees. Two cheetah eating a zeebra. We also saw three rhinos in the Ngorongoro crater from about 40 meteres away. There are probably more animals that I am forgetting at the moment.
Our guide Macha was great. He was extremely knowledgable about so much regarding animals, vegetation, biodiversity, geographical history and all aspects of Tanzania and East Africa. He was a skillful game guide and never gave up on our search to spot animals.
All of our accommodations were amazing. I would speak on each camp we stayed at but I would just have to repeat myself because all of them had an amazing staff that were extremely friendly and helpful with anything needed. Each place had great food. I am a vegetarian and I had more than enough options to each everywhere. When we were out on the game tours most other companies would provide lunch boxes with a sandwich and snack for the guests, but Lion King provided us with a picnic style lunch with hot food and plates with plenty to eat.
I am really happy I picked Lion King over the other companies I looked into when planning this trip.
US
Email Jon | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unmatched
With so many safari companies to choose from, deciding who to spend a week with can be a daunting task, especially when you're doing it from 8000 miles away. Most operators have good reviews which makes the selection process even more challenging. The very first email that I received from Caroline spelled everything out. Information such as total cost, payment options, and ability to customize essentially every aspect of the trip, was provided. She presented me with a detailed itinerary for our private 6-day safari (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara) which included the parks we would be visiting, travel time to each location, what to expect at each park, and lodging information. I ultimately selected my own lodges to stay at but Caroline answered all my question, provided feedback on my choices, and made recommendations to maximize park and animal viewing time. I can't explain it but from my initial correspondence with her, I knew that I was going to book with Lion King Adventures.
To secure your trip, you have to make a deposit and then have until 6 weeks prior to your trip to pay in full. You can pay via credit card if you value security though that incurs a fee. The other option is bank transfer and there are a couple ways of doing that. I have never paid for a trip that way because of the absence of financial protection. However, I got over my anxiety and ultimately paid via bank transfer and it went without a hitch (Caroline provided very detailed instructions so it turned out to be easy). Once you pay the deposit, the reservation team (aka Rose) takes over. Rose made sure everything was set prior to us leaving. Due to one lodge closing its booking window, I had to book it on my own, which resulted in a reduction in my payment to Lion King Adventures. I miscalculated and ended up overpaying. However, Rose brought this to my attention and when we were picked up at the airport, the driver returned my overpayment in cash. I tell this story because it is a testament to the honesty and integrity of Lion King Adventures.
When we arrived, we were met by one of their drivers who drove us to our lodge in Arusha. The following morning, we were picked up by Gilbert. Gilbert has been doing this for some time and this was evident by the end of the safari. Not only did he turn out to be great at spotting animals but he understood their behavior and passed this knowledge on to us. He got us up close to cheetah (which are not exactly easy to find during rainy season) so that made both of our kids very happy. He was super nice (he is easily someone that you would become friends with), prompt, accommodating, and clearly enjoys what he does. He also takes his time. In the parks, we were frequently passed by other safari vehicles. The reason is that he was constantly on the lookout for animals and there's no way to do that well if you're in a rush. The only time he did drive "fast" in a park was when he knew he had to get somewhere fast in order for us to see something special, like a leopard eating an impala. How does he know this? He is frequently communicating with other guides to find out if anyone else has come across something interesting.
Lion King Adventures is a local family owned tour operator and it felt like it. Every person I communicated with prior to the safari (Caroline, Rose, Edward) and during the safari (Gilbert) went the extra step to take care of us. They said in their introductory email "The nature of safaris can be quite adventurous and Lion King’s number one priority at all times is your safety" and this was very obvious. I said that we were often passed by other safari vehicles in the park. We were also frequently passed by other vehicles when traveling on regular roads. While they were clearly trying to get to their next destination as quickly as possible, Gilbert as well as the driver who picked us up at the airport cared only about us getting there comfortably and safely. We appreciated this.
Thank you to everyone at Lion King Adventures for making this an epic trip that we will cherish forever.
