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
AR
Email Verónica Parache | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful experience, have wonderful moments, the atmosphere, the place and the service were excelen
Seeing giraffes and elephants was an unforgerttable experience.
Email Ellie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing 3 day safari
An absolutely incredible 3 day safari! We went to the stunning Serengeti and Ngorongoro, and saw so many amazing animals in such a short time, including all of the Big Five. Our guide Lewis was knowledgable and friendly, and our chef Hilda was an excellent cook and excellent company. Loved it!
TR
Email Nihal | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
so happy to be a part of an environment where wild life is still respected
When you are choosing a safari company, in fact you are choosing a service to build up probably the most unforgetable trip of your life. I am happy that ours was a smart decision.
I should start with our guide Fredy: A very professional, knowledgable, cool and kind person! He spoke English very well, always gave lots of information about the animals, even showed their close-up pictures from his book, answered all our questions patiently, made sure to locate the car at the best angle for taking photos (and showing respect to people at the other cars and animals - which is so important to us), waited patiently while we took tons of pictures. Most importantly, he was more than a guide, a friend with nice character that we would like to have with us on a long holiday.
Our talented chef Chaz was a master. He always cooked very delicious food and made sure we had enough. He surprised us by serving tasty and special things very quickly even early in the morning. We will miss the excellent food we had during the safari. Also we will miss his joyful chats with Fredy.
We had a difficult time in choosing the safari company as there are about 1000 alternatives. When I decided on one and was about to pay, there had been a couple of things I did not like. I checked for an alternative and met Suricata. I thought it was a young company but experienced enough. Hilary answered my e-mails very promptly. He was flexible and did his best to tailor the programme according to our wishes. I noticed he is one of the founders and that made me feel more comfortable knowing that he will be there to solve any possible problem. I was right; there had been a small misunderstanding during the trip and was solved through a phone call between Fredy and Hilary. Paying the deposit was easy and safe and we did the rest of payment on arrival.
We were a family of 3 people and had an 8 days private safari including Arusha National Park, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Lake Eyasi (tribe visits), Serengeti and Ngorongoro. These 8 days were full of magic. Surprisingly, visiting the tribes was the highlight of our trip. We met Maasai, Datoga, Hadzabe, Makonde and Gidangodic people and had a wonderful time with them. We learned the way they live. We went to hunting with Hadzabe, jumped with Maasai, sang with Datogas who asked many questions about ourselves and our country and we were warmly welcome by all tribes. We keep the souvenirs mostly done and sold by women for ourselves as they are so precious to us and all are a great memory.
During those visits local guides Deo and Yusuf (sorry if I mispronounce) accompanied and helped us to communicate as the tribes' languages are different. Also there was an armed ranger (Ali) and his intern who accompanied us in Arusha National Park for a walking safari.
While deciding about how to use our budget before the safari, we preferred budget camping. Doing so, we could take a longer trip rather than paying more for lodge-stays. We are happy we did. But you might prefer lodges if you do not feel cool and adventurous enough. In Serengeti and Ngorongoro you hear voices of wild animals just around your tent. In our case, something rare occurred and lions tried to hunt two buffalos very close to our tents and one animal hit the tent. We were lucky as nobody was hurt (buffalos also survived) and now we have a story to tell all through our life. Also we heard steps of many zebras feeding around our tents in Ngorongoro Simba Campsite.
Choosing November for safari also has been a wise decision. Although it is short-rains season, luckily there was no rain. Also the parks and public camp-sites were not over-crowded. The herds had already arrived Seronera region so we were lucky to experience the great migration.
And yes, we saw all of the "big 5" but a safari should be regarded not as an experience of seeing; but as feeling. It is hard to describe how happy we felt during all these 8 days. In most of the world, people have built up plazas and cities full of unhappiness. With a human-centric point of view, they left no space for wild life. We are lucky people who experienced to spend 8 days at a place on earth where things are different. We were able to be a part of an environment where wild life is still respected and preserved. And we would like to thank Fredy, Chaz, Hilary and the rest of the Suricata team who helped this dream to come true. Asante sana!
ES
Email Pablo M | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing days with Suricata Safaris
There are many safari companies and Suricata Safaris was one of our finalist among other 3-4 companies. Finally, after reading a lot and solve our doubts, we chose Suricata for our Tanzanian adventure! Communication before the safari was good and once we arrived everything was smooth and as planned. We were pick up at airport and drop off at a hotel to rest after the flight. Next day, we started the safari and it was a unique experience! Our driver, Frederic, was really good at driving and he answered all our questions and explained many things about the National Parks, the animals and the landscapes. Benjamin, our cooker, took care of us and prepared delicious meals, always kidding and with a smile! Both were very kind and proffessional. The car was clean and in excellent condition (I don't know if it was new, but probably 1-2 years). Resuming, we had an amazing safari with Suricata and of course we saw the big five!! I strongly recommend a safari with them, if I go back to Tanzania again I'll repeat with Suricata :)
Email Matt Richards | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experience
We had an amazing safari experience with Suricata Safari. they arranged everything for us, transfers to and from the airport to the hotel, pickups at the beginning and end of the trip and of course all of the camping and trips through Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Everything went as smooth as it possibly could, and in just our 3 day trip we managed to find all of the big five, along with so many others. The food we were provided with for breakfast, lunch and dinner during our time was delicious and kept us going on the long days. Experienced driver stopped at all the best views and we saw so many incredible things its hard to believe it happened all in such a short space of time. They checked in with us at the end of our Safari to make sure everything had run smoothly and that everything was as we expected, which it was and more. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a Safari adventure.
DE
Email Marietta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great 5-day safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro
I booked a 5-day safari for two people with Suricata to Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Hilary was very responsive during the process of refining the itinerary, choosing the accommodations, etc. I never had to wait long for an answer. Our guide, Ezekiel, was awesome. Firstly, he has a lot of energy when looking for animals and doesn't give up easily. He was also nice to enough to bring us to a lot of water holes as I'm a big hippo fan. Secondly, Ezekiel is a great driver. It was raining quite a lot while we were there but we didn't get stuck even once, which in my opinion is almost a miracle considering the state of the roads in Serengeti after a rain. Finally, Ezekiel is very fun and at the same time knows so much about animals - names, facts, habits, anything. Overall, we had an awesome trip and I can only recommend it to everyone else!
ES
Email Guillem | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the best experiences of my life. Period.
I was very impressed with Hilary the person who replied to my initial email. He spent a lot of time working on a suitable itinerary that would work for a very mixed group . our driver/guide was Mandela and he was perfectly for us. Not only knowledgeable about the animals, plants birds etc, his general knowledge of his own country, Africa and the rest of the world was impressive. He was courteous, neat , punctual and went out of his way to make this the most memorable experience ever. The follow up by Suricata Safaris and airport transfers were exellent. Although this is a small company the attention to detail is phenomenal and we felt that they treat every person as if they are of the highest importance. It was good that they had a Spanish guide on call so they could further explain things to the rest of the group. These few days by far exceeded our expectations and we have done many many safaris in southern and east Africa. I would go so far as to say that if anyone is considering a safari, Suricata Safaris is the only option.
RU
Email ILia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great climb
Did a Kilimanjaro Lemosho route with Suricata Safaris. Professional guide, super helpful and responsible team, great communication.
Didn't have any problem and the manager spent quite a lot of time helping me with the gear.
Surely it's the best offer on the market in terms of price/value relationship and the professionalism of the team. I've had to stay in Arusha for few days after the climb and they offered me a great hotel deal too !:)
Overall - highly recommend them.
US
Email Melissa B | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Easy experience to seeing some of the most incredible animals in the wild.
Hilary was very communicative. The driver was safe and full of information. The cool made some of the beat food you’ll ever eat camping. And wow, the experience surpassed my expectations. I was able to see the “big 5” and witness the great migration. Just incredible.
Email Jennifer | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Safari experience
I honestly do not know where to begin on describing the incredible, magical experience I had with Suricata Safaris.
From the moment I booked, every single tiny detail was taken care of. I was made to feel comfortable and knew instantly that I was in capable hands. No question or request was too big nor too small.
Hilary who dealt with my booking, met us at our hotel and briefed us on what to expect. He really put myself and my boyfriend at ease and explained the trip to us in more detail.
On the day of our trip Hilary was in reception waiting to see us off and to show us the truck we would be riding in for the next 3 days.
This truck was HUGE! Very comfortable, spacious, clean and safe. He also introduced us to our guide and driver.
Our guide was a wonderful man called Frederick and I cannot stress enough how lucky you will be to have him as your guide, he has the vision of an eagle!
Not only has Frederick got exceptional sight, he is easy to get along with and such a laugh. He knows EVERYTHING there is to know about The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and has the highest respect for the parks and ALL the creatures big and small that reside there.
He assured us that we would see the Big 5 and boy, did we see the Big 5!
We saw everything we were hoping to see and much much more.
My dream has always been to see the Big 5, but mostly to see elephants and I must of seen around 50 of them.
The accommodation was also fantastic. We had the budget package, which meant camping for 2 nights. I'm not much of a camper and wanted to experience at least 1 night of luxury.
So on our first night we upgraded to Ang'ata Lodge. Your personal lodge consists of a 4 poster bed and ensuite bathroom. The bed was so comfortable and we both had a great nights sleep. There is also a restaurant where you have breakfast and dinner. When the sun sets it is extremely dark so you have a member of staff from Ang'ata Lodge chaperone you from your lodge to the restaurant. We felt that this was a little over the top, but they obviously know the animals and setting better than we do and they certainly don't want 2 drunk Brits wandering off in the wrong direction.
We actually preferred the 2nd night, which was proper camping. The tents were spacious inside, clean and to my relief very comfy. As we were part of a group tour it was nice sitting round with everyone at dinner and then seeing each others sleepy faces in the morning over breakfast.
Suricata Safaris cater for all types, so if like me you need a little bit of luxury they are willing to go above and beyond.
Suricata Safaris made our dreams come true on that trip and I highly recommend them to anyone thinking/wanting to do Safari. It was an absolute pleasure meeting and dealing with them and will definitely use them again if ever I am back in beautiful Tanzania.
