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
DE
Email Christian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wow - Suricata did a great job to give us the experience of our lives
We chose Suricata Safaris through Safari Bookings and we were not disappointed. From the first moment on we were in good hands for a 5 day experience which was more than great. Our driver Freddy did a great job in terms of driving, showing us all the animals and giving us so much information about the animals and Tanzanian history. The camps were great and the food prepared by the chef (breakfast, dinner, lunch) was super delicious. There is not one thing that could have been better. Thank you Suricata!
Email Paul heaney | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional,friendly and overall confidence inspiring.
Suricata’s team proved to be both friendly professional and competent. Finding ourselves with the time go on a Safari at the last minute in country they reacted quickly.
Ally the tour manager met us at our convenience and immediately inspired confidence giving us time and the information needed to chose the right safari for us and a day trip too.
We chose a 4 day private trip to cover Taringere, Serengeti and Ngorogoro , 2 days camping and a first night at their lake Manyara lodge.
Ally kept in touch prior to the tour and we were picked up promptly from our hotel by our guide Baraka who proved to be a great companion.With 6 years experience behind hiim , this showed with his competent driving and knowledge of wildlife, spotting what we could never have found.
The hotel proved to be very luxurious but fun with amazing entertainment from a local acrobatic troupe and an energetic post dinner sing song from the staff - great !
The camping obviously more down to earth but an experience to sleep with the sounds of the wild night. Zebra wandering through the site and giraffe and buffalo on the margins. Tents were prepared and meals cooked for us on site including the preparation of a hot lunch every day ! Lucas cooked for us and I don’t know how he managed to get so much done behind the scenes. A lot of hard work goes on that you don’t see to keep things right.
We had not planned to be on Safari this year but events conspired to give us the chance so no real pre-conceptions. To be honest the magnificence and variety of the parks alone would be enough but the abundance and variety of wildlife takes it to another level.
We saw the big five but that didn’t really matter it was the variety and complexity of encounters and plain amazing how close you could be.
Highlights for me were watching the reaction of a cheetah as it spotted a lion in the vicinity of itself and cub. It decided to lay low as the pack remained intent on the warthog they were tracking and in the end failed to catch in the final chase. Later Barak somehow spotted a black rhino in the long distance and we were able to see it trot along meeting couple of big male elephants as if out for a jaunt,amazing.
So overall a trip we’ll never forget, we will come back for more and will recommend Suricata to friends and family.
Email Annelies | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
everything great
Everything went on time and correctly as agreed! Very good, friendly, competent and patient companion who drove us through the five days! We saw a lot and felt comfortable the whole time. Highly recommend and would do the same again. Ratios for price and services is top!
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!
Email Charlotte | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 3 day camping safari in Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater
Suricata Safaris was recommended to us by some friends who used them previously and had a great time. After checking the positive reviews, we decided to book a 2 night and 3 day camping Safari through Serengeti NP and Ngorongoro crater. We’re so glad we did! Hilary (the manager) was very prompt to reply to all our questions via email and WhatsApp.
The safari itself was incredible; our guide Edgar was very informative, the chef Chaz cooked us tasty food every day and we saw all of the Big Five (and many more smaller animals) in just 3 days. Seeing a cheetah and and her cub was the highlight for me!
The campsites (Nguricho and Simba A) were basic but clean - both had working showers, toilets and a dining room. Wild camping was a great experience and seeing/hearing a herd of buffalo outside our tent overnight was exciting! We The tents, mattresses, pillows and sleeping bags provided by Suricata made sleeping comfortable and Edgar helped us to set them up each night. Tips are not included in the overall price and are optional - we were very happy to pay them for the great service provided! (Hilary recommends $10/day as a tip which is then split between the chef and the guide.)
I would really recommend this company for a budget safari.
NL
Email Sam | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing safari experience organised by a great team
We went on a 5 day safari with Suricata starting in Arusha. Before we started the safari they picked us up from Arusha airport and brought us to our hotel where we were given a briefing by Dennis that explained everything we needed to know for the next days. As we had some time to kill in Arusha they also organised a small tour of the city for us with a great guide called Chuke.
The next day we started our safari for five days. The first day was spent with Rocky as our guide, the next four with Elias. Both were warm, informative and great to have as guides. The lodges we stayed in were beautiful, and the food was delicious, as were the lunches had on safari cooked by our chef from Suricata, Pius. We ended our safari with a debrief with Daniel in Arusha who also arranged a complimentary transfer to our next hotel. Overall nothing was lacking in the adventure. The communication was excellent and we felt fully cared for the entire time. I would really highly recommend this company to anyone looking at doing a safari in Tanzania.
FR
Email Clémence | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
100% recommend the 3-day safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro
The 3-day safari tour in Serengeti and Ngorongoro was amazing! Our local guide Max was very nice and professional, with great knowledge of the animals and how to find them (we saw the Big five!). We had two long game drives in Serengeti and one in the crater, which was beautiful and enough to enjoy all the wildlife. Suricata Safari took care of the accomodation (campsite) and all the meals (the chef Tito cooked the best local food we tried during our stay in Tanzania). We 100% recommend
US
Email Shiloh | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic!
Fantastic trip!! Elias was our guide and he was phenomenal, we saw about every animal you can see and more! Lunches were delicious and home cooked, accommodations were lovely and I felt safe the whole time. As a solo female traveler I was a little nervous before I joined the tour but felt safe the whole time and our group had a great vibe! Would definitely book again!
NO
Email Ronja N | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Really good 3 day tour, with great views
Such a great experience with Suricata Safaris! Everything went smooth and we saw a lot of animals! Went solo and joined a group which was really nice. Also the food was amazing!!
They were easy to contact and answered all questions prior to the tour! The whole process of booking etc was very easy. The staff were all very helpful and kind!
DE
Email Frederik | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful 5-day Camping Safari
We had a breathtaking Safari with our awesome guide Mandela, who answered all our questions and showed us all the beautiful animals including the big five! Very good organisation, delicious food from our chef Salim! So many outstanding memories, we totally recommend it!