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
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Email Bjorn | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent
African Big Cats Safaris made our Safari trip 8-13/2-23 to a once in a life time trip
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Email Justin Ford | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari Tour in Africa - Hands Down!
I contacted ABCS (African Big Cats Safaris) in October of 2022 to plan my wife's 50th birthday 'bucket list' trip for late January 2023. From the beginning, Justice & Naomi were amazing to help us plan it. The hardest part was trusting that we could send money by wire to a company in Africa, from the USA. I was definitely terrified I would never see the money again. I looked up other reviews of ABCS and only saw 5-stars - it seemed to good to be true. How amazing it was that it was even better! I’m so happy we trusted ABCS to do this trip. It went off without a hitch!
Our guide, Vanance Malisa was there to greet us on time, when we arrived and everything went excellent from the beginning. Initially, our flight into Killamanjaro on KLM was cancelled, so last minute, we switched to an Edelweiss flight and got the last seats. That change had us arrive 12 hours earlier than expected, but Emmanuel responded quickly on WhatsApp and arranged for Vanance to get us earlier. That was amazing!
We had purchased our Visas online ahead of time through Atlys, so that made getting through Customs upon arrival in Tanzania easier. Vanance drove us to the first night’s stay in Arusha. Along the way, he was very patient answering all our questions about what we saw as we drove along the road. He always was patient and always had an answer. He stopped at the Cultural Heritage Centre for us and we shopped for African crafts for a bit. Then we went to the Under the Shade Safari Lodge. Everyone there was great and our accommodations were great. We enjoyed time at the pool and caught up on jet lag, before a nice dinner. Emmanuel came and met with us to go over the trip ahead and ensure we were prepared. He also set expectations for safety on our trip. Great guy!
The next morning, we set off for Tarangire National Park. Vanance ensured we had plenty of wine, beer and water to drink on the drive. So much to see! After arrival at the park, Vanance was keen to get us in a spot where two female lions came out and he knew they were hungry. We can’t say enough about Vanance. It was clear he was the most experienced Guide in the park, and on all of our safaris. Other guides routinely came to him to ask for advise and information. He was the ‘king of all guides’ and we were so proud he was ours! Vanance ensured we stuck around to see the lion kill a Warthog. It was something rarely seen and so powerful and amazing!
The 2nd night was our best night - at Burunge Tented Lodge. The infinite pool and elephants out front made this experience amazing. The tents were comfortable. We could have stayed in this location for weeks.
The 3rd day was exploring along Lake Manyara through the National Park there. This was an enjoyable day which gave us a chance to see lions mating. Vanance took us to the African Galleria afterwards where we had the best cocktails of our entire trip while shopping around for t-shirts and more African crafts. That night, we stayed at Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge.
Ngorongoro Marera Mountain View Lodge was our least favorite of the trip. There was a hedgehog or other animal our chimney that kept us awake all night. The ‘massage therapists’ there turned out to also be our waitress and the gift shop clerk. They did a horrible job at their massage, with the waitress touching me inappropriately during the massage. The food was not good here either. We wouldn’t want to ever go back to stay at this location and recommend to others to not have this on their itinerary. Most expensive drinks too!
The 4th day was the best yet, exploring the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We had no idea how incredible the crater would be and Vanance, as usual, was amazing at showing us around and ensuring we saw everything we could.
At our request, Vanance took us to visit a Maasai village on the way to the Serengeti. This was one of the highlights of our trip.
Our stay in the Serengeti was at Embalakai Camps, which we liked, but probably wouldn’t go back to. The first night, our tent flooded with water. The 2nd night, we had no water at all. The food was not great. We wished we had payed to stay up one level more. None of this was the fault of ABCS.
We did the Serengeti Hot Air Balloon Safari that Vanance set up for us. That was amazing. He got us to see every animal we wanted to see on our safari - and more. My wife was teary eyed when he dropped us at the Seronera Airstrip to fly to Zanzibar at the end of the safari. Vanance felt like a member of our family. We had trust and care for him.
Continuing on to Zanzibar, ABCS did a great job setting up our flights and when we landed in Zanzibar, they had everything in place for a guide and driver to pick us up and take us on a tour of Stone Town and to our hotel in a nice modern van. It was really incredible. They also arranged for our stay at Hotel Z, which is the best hotel we have ever stayed at. EVER!
We can’t recommend African Big Cats Safaris enough. They exceeded all our expectations and we have already heard from friends that want to book through them now too, seeing how great our trip was with them.
CA
Email Patrick | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mind blowing incredible!
I loved, loved, loved this safari! Absolutely incredible, surpassing all expectations.
From finding ourselves in the middle of a group of over 30 Elephants, lions prowling around our jeep, watching cheetahs feasting on some poor gazelle, to being surrounded by 1000s of zebra and wildebeests - and the list goes on; a stream of baboons crossing the road in front of our car, giraffes everywhere, ostriches, warthogs, 2 python, several rhinos, hippos, Impala, water buffalo, etc.
Our guide was amazing, Ernest was personable, friendly, always on the lookout to get us amazing views of the animals, and knowledgeable about everything we saw.
The food and lodgings were great and the views spectacular (the lookout at Ngorongoro Crater was especially stunning).
African Big Cats went out of their way from the moment I contacted them, right up to dropping us off at the airport on our departure; they were helpful, communicative, patient, and eager for feedback on suggestions for how to improve. They really cared about providing us the best value for our vacation.
The whole trip was an amazing experience that will likely never be topped! Huge thanks to African Big Cats!!
Patrick & Michelle
Amazing!
Justice created tailor made safari for us and we enjoyed every minute of it. We went on a 7 days safari and visited Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Lake Manyara and beautiful Serengeti. We had a very skilled guide who showed and explained everything we needed to know. Definitely recommended!
Email Anna & kyle | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely amazing!
We booked a 6 night/ 7 day safari for
Our honeymoon. We had the best time
From start to finish. The booking process was easy and we had great communication from the office. Any questions or changes were answered straight away.
During our safari, from the moment we were collected from the airport, we were looked after. Our guide Lodi was definitely the highlight his level knowledge was truly amazing. He was also very kind and looked
After us very well.
I can’t explain how good this holiday was and
I believe mainly due to all the kind staff
At big cat safari!
Email Mide Ololade | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Attentive, passionate, genuine people
African big cats safari were very communicative from the outside, sending a lot of correspondence to find out our preferences for the safari. We met our tour guide Obed who was a fountain of knowledge throughout, stopped wherever we wanted to during the excursion and ensured we were well fed and watered while teaching us Swahili and keeping us in good spirits with songs. Thank you to African Big Cats for a great excursion we saw 4/5 of the big 5 unfortunately the leopard stayed hidden but we’re sure we’ll get them next time! Emmanuel and Justice behind the scenes also did their utmost best to ensure we had a good time.
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Email John Wall | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Awesome awesome awesome
African Big Cats Safaris is awesome. Great office staff to help you customize the perfect safari. Comfortable safari vehicles designed for easy wildlife viewing equipped with USB charging ports, fridge and water/beverages. Venance Malisa was our driver/guide. Awesome awesome awesome! There are several safari companies with the name “Big Cats.” Make sure to book with Africa Big Cats Safaris. The only awkward part was America and Africa are in opposite time zones. Day and night is flip flopped which is a built in communication delay while planning. That being said, Justice and Naomi were quick to reply during office hours. If this is your first safari ask lots of questions, weather, migration, and each park, reserve and conservation area has its own unique list of animals.
This was my 6th time to Africa, my 4th East Africa safari. And my second time with Venance Malisa driver/guide. This was perhaps my best safari ever. We saw the best and largest migration herd early one morning I’d ever seen, like the documentaries on TV. Spectacular!! We saw everything we wanted to see and more. After four East African safaris we still have a perfect record for seeing leopards every time. We saw at least 10 individual cheetahs most individuals multiple times.
Venance, as always, listens and then gives suggestions. Which is extremely helpful. He was also very flexible to our wishes. But best of all his knowledge, keen eye and savvy seemed to put us in the right spot to see Mother Nature at its best. After six trips to Africa I pride myself on having a fairly good eye for spotting wildlife but Venance is amazing.
Over the years I’ve stayed at most of the parks, reserves and conservation areas in the Tanzania norther loop. They all have great qualities. The Africa Big Cat Safaris team is great at helping to determine which location would be best for you.
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Email Caitlin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
African Big Cats Safari – Beyond Extraordinary!
My dad and I decided to book a safari to Tanzania in February to celebrate our 80th and 40th birthdays. After reading so many reviews on a number of different companies we chose African Big Cats Safaris and are so glad that we did! We chose the 8-day, 7-night Comfort Ndutu Migration Safari.
The communications with Justice and Naomi were timely and thorough. They were so kind in answering all of our questions and the booking process was very easy. Although we didn’t customize the itinerary, they offered that we could change any of the accommodations, if desired. Even the company founder, Emanuel, briefed us the day we landed and met with us the day we left which we really appreciated.
The accommodations were a mixture of beautiful lodges and tented camps and we enjoyed the experiences at all of them. The meals were bountiful and delicious and the staff working at each location were gracious and interested in meeting our every need. They ensured our safety out in the bush by providing Maasai warrior escorts to and from our tent when dark (we could hear animals at night so this was comforting)!
The highlight of the trip was discovering the beauty of Tanzania’s wildlife, landscapes, and people with our exceptional guide, Lordlugard (Lordi). I recall seeing numerous glowing reviews about him pre-trip and we felt blessed to have him as well. He blew us away with his knowledge of the animals and their behaviors, the plants, the ecosystem, the history of the country, the life of the Maasai peoples and other tribes, and the list goes on. Not only was he so thorough in his explanations (we learned SO much!), but he was so kind, upbeat, and personable. You could tell he was passionate about his work and wanted to ensure that we got the most out of the trip. When approaching the animals in the vehicle he was careful to maneuver as close as possible, while remaining safe, but also was very cognizant of the sun and best camera angles. We saw the big 5 numerous times (counted 50+ lions in all) and so many other species, and are reminiscing about our trip as we flip through our many amazing pics. We would repeat a tour with Lordi and African Big Cats in a heartbeat and will highly recommend the company to our family and friends.
Thank you for making it a trip of a lifetime! Asante Sana!
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Email Diana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience
We booked African Big Cats based on a recommendation online, and we are so happy we did! They were very responsive to emails and were helpful through multiple changes to our booking (we added people to the tour after our initial booking). They’re obviously happy to customize anything, although we went with the recommended package and were very happy. The guides were kind and informative, and the vehicles were in good shape and comfortable. I would absolutely recommend this company.
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Email Martin Alswang | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I have been on many safaris; you cannot find a better tour operator, experience, value than ABC S
I live in Denver, CO, USA but am from South Africa originally. I am a physician. I have been on numerous (over 30) safaris, including Kruger, luxury safaris near Kruger, Chobe, Okavango, but have always wanted to do the "big one" - Tanzania.
As you know, there are many different tour operators, so it was difficult to choose one. My son is a medical student (at Harvard), doing research in Dar Es Salaam. We wanted to do a Tanzanian owned and based safari, in order to try support their economy in our small way. He asked around and the consensus was ABC Safaris (African Big Cats).
I then looked at reviews and saw only 5 star reviews. I was a bit suspicious at first as it seemed too good to be true, but the reviews and their websites seemed genuine, so we went with them.
Best safari decision I have made.
Communication: excellent.
Justice, the organizer, Emmanuel, the owner, and our guide (Endeni) always answered promptly, politely, professionally, in a welcoming, reassuring and friendly manner. Their correspondence was informative and they addressed and answered all our (numerous) questions. We were never left guessing.
Flexibility: excellent.
We changed our itinerary a few times, making it 2 days longer, and included two hikes. This was never an issue with ABC - they gladly made all the changes we requested in a seamless and accommodating way, never making us feel we were being demanding or difficult.
Itinerary: excellent.
We went on the Ndutu Calving Luxury safari, to Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Lake Manyara.
Numerous baby animals seen - so adorable.
Saw teeming game, more than I've ever seen, including their calves, of numerous different antelope, elephant, rhino, buffalo, hyena, eagles, vultures, numerous other birds, hippo, jackals etc etc. We saw "kills". We saw carcasses being eaten. We saw the big 5. We were part of the migration (not the crossing of the Mara River though - wrong season).
Accommodation: excellent.
Luxury glamping, lodges had awesome views, great abundant food, immaculately clean and comfortable, safe, and the staff are the friendliest nicest people you can imagine.
Vehicle: excellent.
There were three of us, my wife, son and myself, in an 8 seater. Comfortable Land Rover, with a roof that pops up so we could stand and look for and view game even while driving. Also has a fridge and chargers.
Guide: Unbelievable excellent!!!!
Endeni was the best guide and spotter I have ever met!! He knew the roads, how to find game, was so knowledgeable, patient, friendly, funny, kind, caring. Never tired of our questions. He honestly was BRILLIANT, the best, and I've met many guides in the past. Spoke excellent English.
Value: excellent.
For what we did, saw, got, the price was more than reasonable, fair, appropriate, affordable. Excellent value for the money.
Reliability: excellent.
We received everything we expected and asked for. Seriously, nothing went wrong, and it could not have gone better...
Side note: on the way to the airport, my son's flight was cancelled by Tanzania Air (not the most reliable airline...). He had to be in Dar the next morning. ABC had nothing to do with our transport/airline. Nonetheless, Endeni phoned Emmanuel, who then drove to Precision Air, booked my son a flight, paid for it, and "saved the day" - an example of how ABC went above and beyond...