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
CH
Email Maria | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
One amazing week of private safari
When you look for a company from Europe to do a safari it is difficult to choose given the huge existing offer .. following the advice of a friend we chose Suricata Safari without comparing too much. It has been a 100% success.
We have done a one week safari in Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. We chose a private safari (car only for us) and a French speaking guide. From the first moment everything was easy : the communication with Hilary (the local responsible), the arrival, the payment .. Everyone has been very kind to us, attentive and fun. Suricata is a fairly young company with a good atmosphere among its workers, and they manage to make you feel part of the family. Special mention for Hilda, the best cook you can have and a lovely person, and Rocky, our guide (English and French) always attentive and cheerful.
As for the price, it is more than fair. The safaris seem expensive, but what we do not know before coming is that the entrance fee to the natural parks is exorbitant compared to Europe and US, and what explains the final price. Companies do not have much profit margin.
We recommend Suricata without any doubt !
Email Casey | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience!
The 3 day Safari was incredible. We were able to see pretty much all the animals there besides the Rhinos.
We got very close encounters with an elephant that walked straight into our campsite and also zebras.
The first night while sleeping we were woken by lions just outside from our tent.
A leopard also came out from the rocks and crawled straight underneath our Jeep!
The food that our chef cooked was delicious and there was plenty to go around. Our driver was very friendly and took us to all the great spots to see all the animals.
I had the best time and I completely would recommend this company!
US
Email RJ | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable 3 day Safari
Stop here if you’re looking for an amazing 3 day safari. Did not disappoint and exceeded expectations. From start to finish Hilary and his staff catered to our needs including picking us up at the Kilimanjaro airport at 1am. Understand that this is a budget safari and you will be sleeping in standard size tents in public campgrounds. With that being said, the food was great and sleeping out in the Wild was an unforgettable experience no fancy lodge can ever duplicate. Our driver Mandela was knowledgeable and went out of his way to make sure we saw the big five.... highly recommend.
KR
Email Ikhwan Jung | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most amazing safari tour in my life
Everything on the 4 day safari tour was perfect. Our guide Mandela and chef Hilda have always done their best in their roles and even we have been very impressed. Originally, the Tarangire NP-Serengeti-Ngorongoro course was scheduled, but when we arrived on site, it was changed to Serengeti-Ngorongoro-TarangireNP to arrange each tour member schedule. I did not mind the order of travel so it was okay. But this order was better for us and more thankful to them. We had traveled to Namibia in advance and wanted to see the strong cats of Serengeti because we experienced many herbivores. But this safari tour made me feel that it was not all about taking pictures and seeing the animals inhabited. The animals are kind of similar, but depending on the location and environment of the national park, the behavior and habits of the animals and the moods in the vast nature have been combined to make each national park unique. When people were taking pictures of lions, we focused more on the movement of tens of thousands of zebras in the field,the vast nature that stretched out infinitely, and their feeling to each other. Now I started to see the entire national park without looking at every single animal. I would like to express my gratitude to guide Mandela for bringing this up to a humorous and humorous explanation. Hilda was the best chef and all the food was delicious and in her bright appearance we felt good all day long. I was able to email with the manager Hilary, but I was thankful for the quick and careful reply of the chatting level. He is a great manager. I highly recommend the safari with this Suricata. I am very grateful for making happy memories of my life.
HU
Email Marita Schneider | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari experience
We went with Suricata Safari for a 5 days trip. It was just amazing! Our guide Mandela shared a lot of information with us and drow very close to the animals. In the trip we could see all the BIG 5! Our chef Hilda was waiting for us with delicious food, every day 5-6 kinds of food. I cant wait anything better than thsi!! Absolutely recomended!!
US
Email Adarsh | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great safari experience
The Safari was awesome. The booking and payment process was easy and convenient with Hilary. We booked the Safari primarily by contacting Hillary thru WhatsApp and it is probably the most convenient way. They pick you up from the airport and drop you back on the last day. We were really lucky and saw a lot of animals in action. Frederick, our guide/driver, was very knowledgeable and kind and was always there if we needed anything. Salim, our chef, was great too; he made the best soups. They were both with us through the whole trip and made us feel comfortable. They set up the tents and pack them back up at each campsite and prepare all three meals.
We also did the day hike with Suricata to Machame hut after the Safari. Nixon, our guide for the hike, was great as well. The hike was hectic but the route is beautiful.
Overall, a great experience and I would recommend Suricata to anyone. :)
Email Tim | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, reliable and very experienced.
We booked a safri for our honeymoon for a 'once in a lifetime trip' and it was such an amazing experience which really was down to the professionalism and expertise of the Suricata Safari staff.
We were picked up the airport on time by Fredrick (our guide) who was very welcoming and wearing a Suricata shirt; making him easy to spot and reassuring. He dropped us off at the hotel and we were briefed by Hilary, who answered all our questions and spent some time going through what will happen on each day (even bought us a bottle of wine on the first night to celebrate our honeymoon - nice touch!).
On Safari itself, Fredrick encouraged us all to ask questions and was really knowledgeable! He got us so close to all the animals. I would certainly advise to do at least the four day safari so you can see enough of everything. The company provide, cool, bottled water through out the day, so don't worry about having to bring your own.
We decided to go with the lodges (just for the extra luxury) and although they are quite a bit more, they were well worth it.
When we got back, Hilary met us at the hotel just to make sure we all had a good time. All and all a great sarfri, and it is the little personal touches, that really made the trip.
ES
Email Lucas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Epic safari !
We loved our trip to Tanzania - and the safari was the best part!! Suricata Safaris was great all along and our guide Ezechiel and cook Chaz were absolutely perfect!
We spent two weeks in Tanzania in end May-early June. We were on a "budget" for the safari and so decided to book the 5-day tour in tents via Suricata Safaris, a fairly new company, but with very good reviews and good prices. Organisation, via Hilary, the owner of the company, was pretty smooth.
We had a pick-up from the airport to the hotel in Arusha, before the Safari the next day. We met three other people that were joining us for the tour. Although the massive jeep was fully packed, it was nice and entertaining to do the safari with a bigger group!
We visited Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara national parks. It's the pretty standard itinerary in the north of the country. All these parks are great - landscape are completely different from one to another and they are amazing when it comes to seeing wildlife.
We saw lions, hyenas, leopards and plenty of smaller cats - sometimes with a bit of action but it depends on luck! Our car went through a massive pack of thousands of gnus and zebras which was pretty amazing. We also saw elephants, giraffes, hyppopotamus, black rhinos, buffalos etc.
Ezechiel, our guide, was excellent! Very friendly and forthcoming. He knew his way inside out the parks and drove us to the right places! We were in no rush and stayed as much as we wanted at each spot, taking nice pictures and enjoying. He studied nature and wildlife and so was knowledgeable on the animals. He also taught us some Swahili... but it's a pretty tough language... ^^
Our cook, Chaz, made impressive dishes! We were expecting to eat the same thing during the whole safari, but not at all! Plenty of fruits and vegetables cooked in nice dishes. Even had home-made pizza in Serengeti :D
Some recommendations:
- going just before peak season was a good choice
- bring a good camera zoom if you want to take nice animal pictures (200mm is the minimum)
- bring some binoculars (we bought a pair for 25€ and they did the job perfectly)
- part of the safari needs to be paid in advance, Transferwise worked well for us to avoid banking fees
Email Nic | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Epic 5 day safari in Tanzania
Just back from a thoroughly exhausting but epic trip to Tanzania, a beautiful country that really has everything; stunning beaches, Africa's highest peak, lovely people and some of the world's most impressive wildlife.
I was travelling with a couple of friends in Tanzania and we chose to end our trip with a 5 day safari with Suricata Safaris covering the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire. The trip was impeccably organised from start to finish and we were incredibly well looked after by both our guide and driver, Lewis, and cook, Theophile, who stayed with us for the duration of our trip. And also by Hillary, whose attention to detail and customer service was superb, and so welcome.
Lewis's knowledge, instincts and good humour really contributed to a brilliant time and unforgettable safari experience had by all. Theophile's cooking was also excellent, we couldn't really have asked for better. Our only feedback would be more opportunity for daytime coffee/tea (we're British after all..) and maybe some more variation of vegetarian food options on the menu.
The animals were abundant and amazing, journeys on dirt roads surprisingly comfortable despite the African massage (and weirdly soporific) and camping mostly good apart from the crater which was freezing - advice to anyone travelling that it might be bikini weather on Zanzibar but make sure you pack a jacket, the CRATER GETS COLD. The added touches of hotel in Arusha and airport transfers really were the icing on the cake.
Thanks Suricata - Hillary, Lewis and Theophile - for a truly memorable time, we'll be recommending you to all.
Nic
Email Charles | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life changing experience
Our tour with Suricata was better than we could have ever imagined. We chose the three day (two nights) tour of the Serengeti and Ngorongo with camping and were not disappointed. Hilary sorted out the tour where our group of three were joined by another friendly group of two and all that was needed in advance was a 20% deposit. We were easily able to check in at Jevas hotel in Arusha who were expecting us, and Hilary met us in the evening to give us the full brief of the tour.
We were picked up in the morning by Frederick (guide) and Dionese (chef) and taken to the Serengeti where we stopped for lunch and camping and set off for our first Game drive. We had one night camping here and then went for an early morning Game drive where we saw the most incredible scenes of a pack of Lions and Hyenas disputing over a kill. We were spoilt with the abundance of animals and with how close they came to us, something that we will never forget. We then traveled to Ngorongo crater rim where the weather was vastly different and we were joined by an Elephant watching us at the edge of the campsite. Then next day we had a full tour of the crater where again we saw all species of animal, including the rare and shy Rhinos - again something we did not expect. We were then taken back to Arusha and Jevas hotel where our bags had been safely stored and had another night stay.
All in all the whole tour was organised brilliantly, payment was easy and we ate extremely well (special thanks to Dionese!). On top of this Frederick had unrivalled knowledge of all animals, birds and the area, and spent time with us at lunch and dinner to share more knowledge and past experiences he has had. All we had to do was arrive at the hotel the day before the tour and the rest was organised for us, and this meant that we could really take in the experience.
I couldn't recommend Suricata Safaris any more and for that I can only thank Hilary, Frederick and Dionese.