African Big Cats Safaris
- Offices In:
-
United States
Australia
Canada
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $380 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
NZ
Email Megan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best choice for your African safari
From the moment we first made contact with African Big Cats we knew we’d picked the right company. Communication was fast and helpful and prices competitive. On arrival we were met and given a briefing before our pickup the following day. Our guide Moses was fantastic - knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and a superb safe driver. He found us a huge range of animals and birds that we’d never have spotted on our own and was always ready with an interesting fact or the correct name. The lunchtime picnics were a real treat.
The accommodation options were fabulous - highly recommend Simba Lodge next to Tarangire Park. The proximity to the animals and especially the elephants was a once in a lifetime experience. Marera Valley Lodge also a good choice with excellent food.
Highly recommended and would love to visit again one day.
CN
Email Zhixiong | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect safari, professional guide and warm-hearted businese manager
Our Itinerary:
Sep 29~Oct 3, 4 days safari from Arusha to Ngorongoro and serengeti. Roads in and fly out.
Business:
Manager Emanuel is very polite, warm-hearted.
We contact 4 or 5 safari company to check the availability, itinerary and price before leaving China. Only Emanuel make the whole safari plan for us and modify it according to our situations. For example, we only have 4 days to safari and need to go Zanzibar after it, Emanuel recommend us 2 best park to visit and select flying out to save time. Actually, this selection do help us save a lot of time, reduce our tiredness and help us have more chances to see the all "Big five".
He also help us a lot when we in Arusha. When we arrive in Arusha hotel the first day, we need to withdraw some cash, he drive us to the closest bank without hesitation which take him more than 1h on roads and missed another meeting. He always try his best to provide us convenience when we in Tanzania.
Guide:
Guide Ernest is very professional. He‘s good at communicating and speak English very well. We saw the all “Big five” in his help which include a cute baby cheetah. Ernest is older than all of us, he take good care of us in both physical and mental in 4 days safari.
Accommodation & Foods:
We select Hotel Melia in Ngorongoro and Lahia tented logde in Serengeti.
Melia is new and have a great view to see all the creator. We take lots of great photos in there. The foods in Melia is fresh and delicious.
Lahia tented lodge is best hotel we lived in Tanzania, which has seperated wooden house for each guests, and also have a great view to see the plain & stars. The foods in there is also good.
Conclusion:
Perfect safari!
We see many species of animals, beautiful sightseeings which are beyond our imagination by Big Cats Safari's help.
Before we leave, Emanueal told us their company is not too big nor too small. But we all think ther're the best.
If one company is not too big, It definitely have a group of original, warm-hearted staffs who are keen to help all the guest they meet.
If one company is not too small, It definitly have skilled guide who can help you enjoy your safari a lot.
How lucky we are to select this company when we visit Tanzania for the first time. Hope we have chance to meet your guys again!
US
Email Diane | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First class operators that handled every detail and gave us the trip of a lifetime.
From start to finish African Big Cats could
not have been better! We started our planning being hesitant to use a tour group that was not based in the US and ended so thankful we did! African Big Cats designed a private 8 day safari and 4 days at Zanzibar. They handled everything from our arrival in Kilimanjaro to our departure from Kilimanjaro, including the flights and transport in Zanzibar. Our guide for the safari Lordlugard was fantastic. He greeted us at the airport. He was so knowledgable of the country and animals. We felt so well taken care of. Accommodations were wonderful. We were able to relax (hakuna matata) and let Lord and African Big Cats handle everything. What a wonderful experience! We recommend them 100%.
IT
Email Filippo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best adventure I have ever had!
As there are countless company organizing safaris in Arusha, I hope this review would be of help to my fellow travelers trying to figure out which company trust to organize such adventure. In my case African Big Cats Safari was recommended by a colleague, also an avid fellow traveler whom I trust utterly. So for me after realizing how many companies are out there this choice was really a no brainer. This safari was also my honeymoon and for me and my wife this wasn’t our first experience in Africa. Our expectations for this trip was very great, as we have always been passionate in nature and traveling, especially in wild isolated places around Africa, Europe and America. As a plus I’ve read endless articles and watched countless documentaries about Tanzania since I was a little kid, so really the bar was very high. I’m therefore incredibly happy to tell you that our experience with African Big Cats Safari abundantly passed all our expectations.
From our first interactions to figure out what we could do, for how long and for how much, to finalizing all details after booking, everything was smooth and dealt in a professional and detailed manner. We were given plenty of informations and asked about our interests and expectations in order to create the perfect tailor made experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. All the arrangements that were made, from the airport shuttle to the choice of accommodations and meals were absolutely flawless and well above our expectations.
One particular praise I really feel should address our guide Moses. He was so passionate doing his job that we really felt he put magic into an otherwise already perfect and wonderful experience. We had a seriously wonderful time with him, sharing our passion for nature and photography. He was able to answer any question that we had about animals and nature with encyclopedic knowledge. He was also so experienced and talented that every time there was something worth to see we were there first, before all other cars. Lions having breakfast in the morning: we were there with premium views; Mama cheetah with her baby relaxing under a tree: Moses spot her from miles away; Leopard ambushing a fresh meal near the river: got it; Rhino eating at sunrise: spotted. Based on previous experiences we couldn’t even dream of all the beauty we found ourself in during this safari, but there we were living the dream! Probably there’s no need to add that we were able to see all the big five, but better highlight this.
CN
Email Li | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I opened the cracks in the world and found that I have been living in a narrow space.
A group of four people came to Tanzania in October and really walked into the scenes of "Animal World" that they had loved since childhood. It was Naomi who contacted me in the early stage. During the communication, we finalized the final itinerary. Her patience and enthusiasm made me look forward to the safari trip even more. After arriving at the Arusha hotel, the manager came to explain some precautions and wished us good luck. The next day we entered the Serengeti grassland. Our guide was very experienced and could always judge the whereabouts of animals through the landforms and footprints. He also had eagle-like cases. It took us a long time to find animals with telescopes. He saw it at a glance. I have to say that it is very important to have a professional guide, including learning about animal habits during the safari. The only regret is that we did not see leopard in the big five, but this may also be one of the reasons for us to come to Tanzania next time. Big Cats is a professional, patient and warm guide group, looking forward to meeting next time.
(automatic translation from Chinese)
ES
Email Lance | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best tour agency I've worked with in my years of travel
Beyond impressed with African Big Cats Safari. From start to finish they did an exceptional job. They were extremely patient and responsive throughout the booking process and were amenable to the many changes and requests. I lost my bag for the first 4 days of the trip and they handled all of the logistics for a safe return of the bag prior to our Zanzibar departure. I greatly appreciated this and the unplanned shopping trip as it allowed me to relax and enjoy my holiday. The pre-safari meeting was a nice touch because it re-informed us about what to expect. The safari tours were informative, thrilling and a once-in-a-lifetime enjoyment – especially when we saw a cheetah leave her cubs to successfully stalk and catch a gazelle. Our guide went out of his way to explain everything about the flora and fauna in the various national parks. The accommodation included in the package blew us away, especially the night in the Serengeti when we heard lions, hyenas near our tents. Nothing but superlatives for this tour company. I highly recommend them and would love to give 6 stars.
VN
Email Sasha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended for an experience of a lifetime
African Big Cats exceeded all expectations. Couldn’t recommend them enough. They were very responsive and flexible with our requests and needs even though we booked last minute. Our guide Kareem was highly experienced, knowledgable and friendly and we feel so lucky to have had him as our guide and driver during our trip. Aside from this, food and lodging were exceptional. Everything went so smoothly and we would choose African Big Cats again in a heartbeat for our next Tanzanian safari.
US
Email Matthew | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome safari tour company, and amazing trip!
I highly recommend African Big Cats as your go-to company if going for a safari. It was my first time ever doing a safari, so didn't know what to expect, and took a chance on this company, and did not regret it! My partner and I did a luxury 6 day safari. It was one of the best weeks of my life. African Big Cats Safaris really took care of us and made us feel safe, welcome, and comfortable the entire time.
The owner Emmanuel was very kind and explained everything very well. He gave us a briefing before the safari of how everything would work and also a debriefing for feedback after it completed.
Our guide Karim was awesome. I would request him again. He has 15+ years of experience and really knows the behavior of the animals, better than many animal researchers know the animals! He would predict the animals behavior before it happened, and was always right. He was an animal genius. Not to mention, he was a very kind person and family man with a good heart who was always looking after people, whether he saw somebody on the side of the road who needed help with car problems, to other safari jeeps needing directions, to making sure we had everything we needed, he was always looking after people! He was also a good driver and had the perfect skillset for a safari guide. Highly recommend him.
The lodges we stayed in were top notch and all very beautiful. Luxury in nature. It doesn't get much better.
Overall, this was a great trip and I can't recommend African Big Cats Safaris enough. I hope to go back next year and use them again!
US
Email Alex F. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Experience - Above and Beyond!
My wife and I went to Tanzania for our honeymoon and chose to do our safari through African Big Cats Safaris. I have previously done a safari in Uganda so I had some idea of what to expect, but the trip honestly was better than I ever could have imagined.
We cannot stop talking about how impressed we were with Endeni, our guide for the trip. Endeni really went above and beyond every single day of the trip; we ended every day feeling like he had done everything that he possibly could have to make our safari that day as amazing as possible. In addition to his knowledge of wildlife (especially birds - wow!), he knew so much about photography and never failed to get us in a position for the best lighting possible.
Obviously a lot of what you will see is dependent on nature, but Endeni did everything he could to make sure we saw as much as possible. We saw all of the big five - we did not expect to see any rhinos, but ended up seeing six (three in Ngorongoro and three in Serengeti!). We also saw a leopard carrying a zebra in a tree in the Serengeti, which was a truly unforgettable experience.
While there were countless things that Endeni did to make our trip perfect, there are two examples that I want to share. The first was in the Ngorongoro Crater. We had been there all day, and the park was closing soon, but Endeni went out of his way to take us to a hippo pool. We were the only car there, and got to watch three hippos get out of the water and walk right in front of the car. It was such a special experience and made possible by Endeni choosing to stay as late in the park as was permitted. The second was in the Serengeti. I asked if there were cheetahs in the area that we were in, and Endeni deducted that I was hoping to see more cheetah. Somehow, he knew exactly where to go to find two cheetahs that had been hiding and let us spend an hour with them getting tons of great pictures.
For the entire trip, we never felt rushed or pressured. Endeni always made sure to give us enough time with the animals, but could sense when we were ready to move on.
Everything else was great as well. The company was great to work with during the planning phase and helped a lot with selecting our lodges. We stayed at Gran Melia Arusha, Maramboi Tented Lodge, Kitela Lodge, Ngorongoro Serena, Elewana Pioneer Camp Serengeti, and Z Hotel Zanzibar. I will write separate reviews for each of these, but they were all great. Pioneer Camp was by far our favorite (the coolest place we have ever stayed), but we also loved Gran Melia, Maramboi, and Kitela. Serena Ngorongoro was good, but it was definitely an older crowd (as honeymooners, we were in our late 20's and felt like we didn't see anyone at the hotel below the age of 40 while we were there). But the views were excellent from our room and we didn't really have any complaints. The transportation we received to our first hotel in Arusha and to and from our last hotel in Zanzibar was also excellent.
If I had to mention one bad part of the trip, it would probably be our flight from Seronera Airstrip in the Serengeti to Zanzibar (but this really wasn't African Big Cats Safaris' fault). The airport is just very chaotic and it wasn't even clear to us when our flight was leaving - we basically just got on a plane and hoped for the best. Our flight also had a longer layover in Arusha than we expected. However, I took a regional flight within Uganda when I was there and had a similar chaotic experience, so I think it is just something to be prepared for when taking flights from smaller airports in Africa. Again, nothing African Big Cats Safaris could have helped - Endeni got us to the airport in plenty of time and waited there until we were through security and situated.
Overall, it was the trip of a lifetime and we really couldn't have been happier. I would recommend using African Big Cats Safaris to everyone I know - the cost was fair and I can't imagine how we could have possibly had a better experience than we did with them. If you are on the fence, just book with them! You will not regret it!
CA
Email Rebecca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely Perfect!
We spent 4 days in the Serengeti with African Big Cats Safari and they were absolutely perfect! I would recommend them without any hesitation. We inquired with many different companies initially (there are so many to choose from) but we are so happy we ended up booking with Big Cats.
Big Cats was responsive, flexible, knowledgeable and extremely professional. William and Naomi responded to our many emails and WhatsApp messages promptly, making the planning process easy.
Our guide, Khalid, was fantastic - he was so knowledgeable about the land, the animals, and the history. It added so much to our trip. He tailored the trip to what we wanted to prioritize. He found endless wildlife (lions, cheetahs, leopards, and even 2 Black rhinos). Khalid was always patient and accommodating for letting us take photos-He would even try and find the best light/angles for capturing the animals on film! He was a great driver (in often challenging conditions), and we always felt safe.
The accommodation that Big Cats booked for us was also great - comfortable and great food.
I would highly recommend African Big Cats to anyone!
