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
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Email Noreen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you want a comprehensive, fun, and attentive tour!
What a wonderful experience!!! From pick up at the airport, Mr T made our drive welcoming and comfortable. The hotels and tented lodges were exceptional with very attentive service, delicious local food, and breathtaking views. Amiry our tour guide was funny and very accommodating. We didn't know what we wanted to see but he made sure we saw cheetahs, leopards, lions, elephants, genets, hippos, and even a rhino!!! He had a lot of knowledge about the history and nature of each park we visited and even answered my nosey questions about Tanzanian life. Lastly, Glory was in contact with us our entire time from booking until arrival. Asanti Sana!!!! Much love from Wes and Noreen
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Email Mizan Rahman | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
exceptional
Everything was briefed and organized very nicely. Boma lodge was exceptional. The tour guide, Ezekiel, was very knowledgeable and kind. We saw many amazing experiences like a cheetah and lion hunt as well as the Wildebeest and Zebra migration!
DE
Email Saskia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was perfect! 100% recommodation
We can recommend Suricata Safaris 100%!!! Everything was perfect. We did a 7 day camping safari and it was fantastic! Once in a lifetime experience! The booking and communication was straightforward and the tour was very well organized! Our guide was just great! Very friendly and very helpful. He told us many interesting things about the animals, nature and Tanzania and brought us safely to every place. Our chef was great and the food was delicious! The food was fresh and very varied every day! Thank you Suricata for this unique experience!
IT
Email Sofia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
Excellent experience thanks also to the excellent organization. All the staff at Suricata were extremely kind and helpful. Especially our guide Edigai who shared his great experience with us. Excellent food and well-equipped campsites although you have to be ready to adapt. The tour to Arusha together with the guide Nick was also very interesting.
(automatic translation from Italian)
Email Daniel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing! Definitely use suricata. So so amazing and helpful and importantly knowledgable.
Firstly let me just start by saying book with suricata, it was amazing, we did the 5 day safari, we saw the big 5 plus so much more. If you’re hesitant, don’t be, just book. Also ask for Mandela, he was UNREAL as a guide, such a nice guy!
A more detailed review is below.
Accommodation
We had a really strict budget so we went for camping. Overall it was fine, functional and for how cheap it was, you can’t ask for more. At each site the tent was already put up for you (on our last day we witness another company come in and the guests put up their own tent so in hindsight we were spoilt). The tent itself included a sleeping bag, a very thin mattress and a pillow. It was really sturdy and had enough space for two people easily. Regarding each site;
Twiga
Honestly this is absolutely fine and actually quite good. As we did 5 days we stayed here twice. It’s basically like a patch of grass off lodges itself and it’s like gated off. The bathroom in my opinion was really well kept, had lighting, no toilet tissue (this is common) and the showers were hot (maybe too hot haha) . This was probably not really camping, it’s actually well run and kept, it’s like the perfect very low cost way to sleep for a night. There was WiFi here too (though too slow to use like instagram or even read emails, you could WhatsApp easily with it)
Serengeti
Serengeti and Ngorongoro this is real camping. Serengeti itself, again as before patch of grass and tents already up but there’s literally 0 electricity. Bring your torches and head torches. You are sleeping in area that animals can get to so just be smart. It’s safe, it really is but we were advised if you had to go to the toilet at night, just don’t (or pee outside your tent). The toilets were a little worse but again fine and useable. No hot showers here. The pay off for all of this is that you get an incredible sunrise and sun set, plus we saw giraffes and elephants from our tent so it is incredible.
Ngorongoro
Again similar to Serengeti, but there’s hot water. Apparently you can walk to a nearby site and get WiFi but we didn’t try. There is electricity here and plenty of sockets to charge your devices. There was a distinct increase in bugs at this campsite but again fine.
Suricata themselves were brilliant and made camping as easy and enjoyable as possible.
Food
Honestly incredible. I really don’t know how chef did it. Every morning he would cook up the following; fresh crapes, toast, egg dish, sometimes fresh fruit and all the condiments you would desire. For lunch which we had during safari, there would normally be rice with 2 curries/stews and veg, maybe banana for desert. And in the evening it was more of the same but maybe a different carb of pasta or macaroni. The food was always really good, and plentiful, we were never left hungry after a meal and often did not finish the portion. If you’re a picky eater, grow up, for everyone else you’ll really enjoy it. The fact the team whipped up a meal in the middle of the Serengeti with no electricity is crazy.
Safari
Our guide Mandela is a TOP TOP man. He’s so nice, always smiling and so so informative. He will constantly stop and tell you about things you’ve never even thought about, the amount of facts he has and the range of facts was honestly incredible. My partner and I learnt so so much. I felt sorry for him as our group was quite international and therefore quite quiet and I know he wished we asked him more and more questions because hes just so passionate about what he does, he wants to talk about it all the time. Because of him we got the see the big 5, cheetahs, warthogs, hippos, the lot really. It was a magical experience. Mandela also made sure we had a fresh 1.5l cold bottle of water each every day, so you were always well hydrated. There is also stops to use the loo throughout and he warns of you long drives where there won’t be one so you can make sure you’re all good beforehand. The toilets in the actual park are actually so well kept, far better than any U.K. public toilet, not even close.
Logistics
We flew from London and arrived at KIA at 930am. We were picked up straight away with no wait by a very friends Mr T, who drove us to the hotel the other clients were staying. They very kindly waited for us and we started the safari that day. This is not what they recommend/ usually do as they usually recommend staying the night before so you are fresh and helps with logistics. Honestly if there’s a way you can maybe fly into Arusha airport (it’s closer) or get there at maybe 8am, I would 100% recommend the way we did it. Or just arrive super late. But it is possible.
There’s U.K. plug sockets everywhere so be wary of that. There’s plug sockets in the safari jeep itself but my partners fast charging plug wouldn’t work so I’d opt for like an older USB U.K. 3 pin plug
Make sure you take wet wipes
Would recommend bug spray and repellent.
Make sure you have torches
We took a sleeping bag liner and I would recommend this. We actually never used the sleeping bag itself, we just slept in the liner. The ngorongoro campsite was the ONLY time we felt cold at all and therefore I’d also recommend something warm for this day. Lots of people wore proper jackets but a good hoodie and joggers would suffice.
One day we finished a little early (2 members of the group did the 4 day so left), and because of this Mandela and team organised a little walking tour of the village we were staying at as we had the evening. Little touches like this show how great the company is.
Would I use suricata again?
1 million percent yes
Would I recommend them?
I will be telling everyone to use them forever!
Would I do a 5 day safari?
This is such a tricky question. We were incredible lucky (lucky and Mandela is just amazing at his job) so arguably we saw everything in 3 days (2 Serengeti days and ngorongoro). So maybe we could’ve done 4 or even 3 day safari but the more days of sari you do the more of a chance you get to see animals. So maybe if I hadn’t seen a certain animal and I’d only done 3 days, I’d 100% wish I did 4 or 5. I think I’d honestly do 4, I think Lake Manyara though absolutely beautiful is not on the same level as Serengeti and ngorongoro (though we were surrounded by elephants at the lake so there’s always going to be memories by doing more safari)
Would I camp again?
Again this is such a tricky question. Sleeping on the Serengeti is once in a life time and really cool. But it’s obviously not the most glamorous thing and not having a proper bed or shower for 5 days can be a little annoying, but for the budget it’s more than enough. If you had a little more maybe spring for the lodges (which were apparently really good - 2 of our group stayed in lodges) or maybe do less days and lodges. But I could fault the team for the camping. It is what it is, you get to do an unreal experience at an affordable price.
CH
Email Vanessa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best safari of my life
We really had the best time during our safari and enjoyed every second. Suricata organized everything SUPER and everything worked out without a hitch. We had stunning accommodations, great guides and very, very, very good food. Thank you Suricata for this experience! The next time we come to Tanzania, we will book with Suricata again immediately!
(automatic translation from German)
CH
Email Saskia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best tour operator you can choose!
This was the best experience ever. I would really recommend to do the trip with Suricati Safaris, because they offer you a perfect experience (top guide, nice lodges and very helpful and friendly staff). Nothing to complain about.
AR
Email Chantal boado | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience ever
We had an absolutely amazing time with Suricata Safaris! From start to finish, the experience was nothing short of exceptional. Our guide, Mandela, was phenomenal—knowledgeable, friendly, and incredibly attentive. His passion for the wildlife and the environment was evident and added so much to our safari experience.
Our group of six felt very well taken care of throughout the journey. The accommodations were comfortable and well-maintained, providing a perfect balance of luxury and immersion in nature. The staff at each location were consistently attentive and professional, always going above and beyond to ensure our comfort and satisfaction.
The safari itself was breathtaking, with unforgettable encounters with the diverse and majestic wildlife. Mandela's expertise and keen eye for spotting animals made every moment exciting and educational. We felt safe and well-informed at all times, allowing us to fully enjoy the beauty and wonder of the safari.
We cannot recommend Suricata Safaris enough. This experience exceeded all our expectations, and we are already dreaming of our next adventure with them. Thank you to Mandela and the entire team for making this a trip of a lifetime!
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Email Isabella | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dedicated to making us feel safe and made sure we had the best time!
We took this tour expecting to see a few animals from far away but were surprised with how many animals we saw and how close we were able to get to them! Our tour guide, Elias, knew so much about all the animals. We asked so many questions and he was able to answer all of them. He also knew the best routes and made sure we saw as many animals as we could. We felt very safe the entire time. Our chef, Silma, made the best food. Every time we ate there was something different. Fish, pizza, rice, pasta, beef, chicken, vegetables, pancakes, you name it. We slept in tents which were just that-tents. We were given comfy pads, a sleeping bag, and pillow. The car is so much fun to ride in because they raise the roof (literally) and you can stand and watch everything! I would highly recommend this tour to everyone. Thank you Suricata for making our trip so great
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Email Greg | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized, Friendly, Efficient.
A well organized, budget-friendly tour. We wanted to have a good safari adventure on a budget and Suricata delivered.
They were always on time and ready. The tours of the national parks were amazing! We were able to see so many different animals in their natural habitat and our driver always stopped at every interesting animal and gave us a lot of time to watch them. The Safari car was clean and well maintained.
Elias, our tour guide and driver, was knowledgeable and was able to answer every question we had.
The food and accommodations were good for the price.
Would recommend to anyone who wants a good safari experience at a good price.
