Hilary and Martin - owners of Suricata Safaris
Suricata Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $190 to $600 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
SG
Email Jonathan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Quality experience from start to finish
Everything was taken care from the moment i landed at Kilimanjaro Airport. Upon arriving at the hotel, a staff member went through the safari itinerary and answered every question i had. The safari started on the next day and the next 3 days was just an unforgettable experience. Our guide managed to spot for us all the big 5 and many more wildlife. Upon arriving back in Arusha, they took care of us for one more night before dropping us at the airport the next day. Would highly recommend Suricata.
Email Ross | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 stars all round
Myself and my brother under took the 5 day mid-range accommodation safari in the middle of June 2023. We chose this tour company after getting quotes from several different companies because of the price and the excellent reviews we could see on trip advisor. The tour did not let us down, it was excellent in all departments and if any friends or family were to consider a safari trip in the future I would certainly recommend this company to them. I have written a detailed review below but I’m summary there is very little which could be improved here.
Before Safari
Booking was a simple process with a few emails quickly answered prior to deposit being paid and then speedy responses via WhatsApp to any further questions on the run up to the trip. On arrival into Tanzania we were picked up from the airport in a comfortable car and driven to the hotel we were staying at before starting the safari. From there we were picked up in the jeep for safari and enjoyed the trip, at the end being driven back to Arusha and then on to Moshi (our next destination) via private car for no extra charge.
Our Safari
Our safari took us on Day 1 to Tarangire National Park, Day 2 Lake Manyara National Park, Day 3 the long drive to the Serengeti with sights along the way and a game drive in the evening, Day 4 Serengeti, Day 5 Ngorogoro and travel back to Arusha
Accommodation
The first night ‘Day 0’ is spent in a basic but comfortable hotel in Arusha, mainly used as a starting point for the trip. The next two nights were spent in a Suricata Lodge near lake Manyara which I would describe as a 5 star resort - it was an incredible new building (private to this company) with clean air rooms, fresh ground coffee in the rooms, pool side dining, an excellent dinner and breakfast menu and stunning views of the stairs at night and hippos in the lake (from a distance) in the evenings. Staff were extremely helpful, taught us some Swahili and greeted us with a glass of juice and fresh warm towel to wipe the dust from our faces at the end of a long day of safari. I can’t overstate how nice this accommodation was, I was blown away.
The next two nights were spent in the Serengeti and Ngorogoro parks. This accommodation was understandably less extravagant but still extremely comfortable, with comfortable beds, hot showers, privates rooms and decking to relax after a long day wildlife spotting, excellent dinners and extremely welcoming staff.
The other guests in our car were camping and also had a great time - staying in tents with sleeping bags and mats, communal showers and dining areas. I think both are excellent options with this tour company, the difference being the private toilets/hot showers (vs communal toilets and showers with cold water), having a private room with sofa etc to chill out in the evening and ala carte menu for dinner and breakfast vs a buffet style serving of food.
Guide
Our guide was Rocky - he picked us up from Arusha and was with us until the end of our tour. For us he was one of the highlights of our entire trip to Tanzania. Clearly extremely knowledgeable and able to answer any and all questions about the wildlife - no matter how obscure (we managed to ask one question he didn’t know the answer to over 5 days but by the next morning he had a detailed answer for us), but the most striking feature was how energetic he was, and clearly loves what he does, with that love for animal spotting radiating from him. At one point we saw a bird he hadn’t seen before and and he was excited beyond belief, it was a joy to be around him and he made our five days hugely enjoyable.
Food
As noted above each evening was an impressive menu of well cooked food, evening in the heart of the parks. Lunch was equally enjoyable, with a chef preparing chicken/beef stew with rice/potatoes/pasta and fresh vegetables each day - enjoyed at a picnic area in the parks. None of us had dietary requirements but we were asked before the tour in a way which would suggest these could be catered for.
Wildlife
The wildlife I think is one thing that must vary by chance quite a lot from tour to tour, but Rocky seemed to have an incredibly ability to identify where the animals were likely to be, often arriving as the first car to particular areas of interest. We saw every animal you could wish to see, up close and mostly on multiple occasions, with excellent information provided about all of them
BE
Email Bert | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was just incredible! So cool!
Such a great experiance! Everything was so good. Fast communication, always on time, good food, luxury lodges, interesting information about the country and animals, etc. Just perfect!
US
Email David, Barbara, Mike and Ben. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
2 Week Family Private Safari with Ezekiel
We are a family with extensive East Africa safari experience. We chose Suricata to design and deliver a private custom 2 week safari. Focussed on game viewing in the Serengeti. Suricata Exceeded our high expectations through Ezekiel, out guide and driver. He has great knowledge of all things Tanzanian. And continuously varied the experience to explore all corners of the Serengeti. They organized stays in Elewana camps, which we highly recommend. Compared to the bigger luxury operators, we think Suricata delivers better value and customized experiences.
DE
Email Ludwig | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Guide and the Chef are family now :)
We had the best 4 days doing the safari with suricata!
The communication and the organization before the safari was super easy and hilary helped us everywhere she could.
BUT: The safari itself was from a different planet!!
The guide Damian knows everything about animals and learned us a lot about his country and wildlife. It‘s crazy!
Thanks to him we were lucky to see the Big from near. What crazy experiences these situations were! Above from being an expert about Wildlife and the different national parks, damian is super charming and one of the funniest persons we ever met. he felt like a brother to us. THIS GUY IS INSANE!
We were happy to have a great team on board and everybody clicked from the first moment. It felt like family, where it didn‘t matter, where you come from, which religion you believe in or which skin colour you have. That‘s what life is about!
The next big thing was Salum the Chef. We never met a person who was so extraordinary motivated that we have the best food, the prettiest decorated tables and that we feel good all the time. He introduced us to local dishes and served us everyday the best food ever! THIS GUY IS ALSO INSANE! And one of the most humble guys we ever met!
We can highly reccommend doing this safari with suricata. If you book early in advance, ask for damian as the chief guide and for Salum as the chef and we promise you, you have the best time and an experience you‘ll never forget!!!
Hakuna Matata!
CH
Email Ardiana and Artan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Most Incredible Safari Experience
We just came back from the best 5-day safari in Tanzania with Suricata!
As the title already suggests: it was indeed picture-perfect (attached are some of our favorite photos we took ourselves).
This was our first time in sub-Saharan Africa and also our first safari experience. We couldn't have asked for more. Not only were the trips to the different national parks incredible, but it really was the people we were with that made this trip incredible.
First and foremost our guide, Damian, whose expertise made wildlife accessible to us. Indeed, he was significantly more than a guide - the rapport we and the whole group had with him was incredibly close. We laughed, joked and had the best time together. It's amazing to see, that Damian truly lives and breathes being a guide - we're sure that this is also why we were so lucky as to see the Big Five.
Our five days were framed by the incredible and most exquisite and local food made by the chef, Salum. He would go the extra mile for all courses: be it through cooking up one or two extra dishes or beautifully decorating the table. One could really see the passion he has for cooking, which translates time and time again onto the dishes. Now in Zanzibar we cannot but miss the exquisite combinations of Salum's cuisine.
We seldomly write reviews but were so extremly happy with our experience that we wholeheartedly recommend Suricata Safari. If you're able to book quite a bit in advance, make sure that you communicate you'd like to be accompanied by Damian and Salum. It really makes a difference!
Asante sana - and may we meet again!
Ardiana and Artan
Email Jen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great for low budget backpackers!
The experience is amazing and Suricata Safaris has options which makes it more affordable for the low budget travellers! Everyone in the company was lovely and the guide tried to help us see as many animals as possible
BN
Email Jett | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service
It was a wonderful experience. The staffs were really friendly and always strived to provide us with the best possible service whenever they could. The food cooked by the staff was quite the highlight as it was genuinely really good and being able to try out a different style of cuisine was interesting. Best part of this trip was being able to see 4 out of 5 of the big 5’s just sadly the leopard was missing.
Overall the provided service was excellent.
FR
Email Fahed | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was amazing
It was an amazing safari with suricata safari i recomend this staff for do your safari the staff and all was amazing
CH
Email Blai | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari
The tour was really well planned, All the accomodation where great, Freddy the driver and guide was amazing, driving safe and very prepared to answer to everything we asked, The car was Perfect and safe, thanks to All those facts our stay was amazing, also The safari was amazing and we could see All The animal we where hoping to meet, and he give us The time to appreciate every Second, thanks to Suricata for this amazing organization. Tanzania is a special place and All The People we Met where great and we felt safe in every place we went to.