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
Email Melissa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
More than we could have expected
Our safari was truly incredible! Our guide was amazing and his knowledge and expertise of African wildlife and the animals was incredible. The lodges were truly stunning and better than we can imagined. Overall it was a life changing trip
A very professional and fun climb
Weare a group of 3 that climbed Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho route Sept 4-11, 2023.
First of all, the reason that we chose African Big Cats is that they had very mature answers to all of our questions, especially those related to safety. The team seemed very capable and like they had dealt with emergency situations before. Second, they included sleeping bags, hiking poles, and a toilet tent. They also lent us bufs and some extra hiking socks for some of the dustier days.
I can't say enough kind words about our lead guide, Imran, and his team. Imran is a great leader and you can tell that his team trust him - they call him "commander" in an affectionate way. He made us feel comfortable the entire time. His team was extremely professional, but seem very fun-loving and like they enjoy themselves. Everything was always ready on time for us, and sometimes the porters, waiter and chef waited for us when we were way behind to have meals prepared for us.
Oh, and the food was UNBELIEVABLE. It doesn't make sense how our chef was able to produce some of these meals on a mountain with simple tools. Fried chicken and chips. Crepes, omelettes, African stews, a new soup from scratch every lunch and dinner. Amazing. I believe his name was Efersto if I'm remembering correctly!
Nelson was a highlight: always cheerful and helped us get through long days. He was our "waiter" but basically helped us with everything from providing water to wash up with, to serving food, to waking us up in the mornings. He will do well in any sort of customer service role, has a lot of charm.
My wife wasn't feeling well from altitude sickness on summit day and Imran was very compassionate and decisive in determining when and whether she should head back down. Two of our summit crew (Elias and Lucas) escorted her down quickly from the summit to reduce the symptoms. Mbongo helped me get down quickly to catch up with them while Imran and Yasiin stayed back with our third to get us all down safely.
The only criticism I could offer is that for long days (our pace was pretty slow), maybe having some snacks on hand or telling clients to bring extra snacks on those days would have been a nice touch. Not a big deal, but would have given us the extra energy we needed to finish long days sooner.
One recommendation for people climbing: a fleece sleeping bag liner makes a huge difference. Sleeping conditions are cold from day 2 to 7, and the liner made all the difference in keeping us warm. Also, consider summiting during the day (ask your lead guide) if you don't care about sunrises: it's 20C warmer and you'll have the summit all to yourself when you get there.
End to end, African Big Cats and Imran (our lead guide) made us very confident we would make it to the top, which we did successfully. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a capable team to climb Kili.
Email Sagar and Mridula | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best luxury safari experience ever!
This was the best holiday we have ever been on and my only fear is that no future holidays can ever live up to it. We had the most fabulous time in Tanzania - from the pick up at Arusha, all the way to the drop off at Seronera Airstrip for our flight to Zanzibar.
Itinerary - The itinerary was so meticulously planned, ensuring we got the most out of our 5 day safari experience. Every time we told ourselves 'it can't get better than this', it did. We were lucky enough to see all the big 5 and so many more. Plenty of awesome photo opportunities... though I have to admit the photos really don't do it justice. It was so beautiful. Neither of us were particularly into bird watching but have somehow now turned into ornithologists. The experience has been truly life changing. We truly felt like we were in a David Attenborough documentary!
Accommodation -
The Melia Hotel in Arusha was amazing as were the incredible lodges that African Big Cats picked for us. Some of the lodges were better than 5* hotels we have stayed at on previous holidays. We were SO comfortable and yet so close to nature - so many wildebeests, impala and zebras... even lions, hippos and hyenas! The Masai warriors escorting us also had wonderful stories to share. The hotel staff were excellent.
Food - The food was fresh, nutritious and SO tasty. We were impressed by the variety that was available. The picnics were excellent... we even got to eat lunch with the black rhino (while sitting in our safari vehicle of course). One of the unexpected highlights was the garden tour at Kitela Lodge which sources the fresh fruit and veg used in its kitchen as well as the kitchens at the other Tanganyika Wilderness Camps sites.
Moses - Saved the best to the last. We honestly cannot praise Moses enough. He's professional, friendly and has SO MUCH knowledge, it is actually astonishing. How he spots birds (some of them flying high in the sky or hidden in bushes) and animals whilst driving expertly and dodging potholes is genuinely a marvel. We felt entirely safe with him at the helm. Like many surrounding cars from other providers, our high spec and well equipped safari vehicle suffered a small hiccup due to the dusty and bumpy roads, but Moses handled the situation like a pro. He was calm under pressure and made sure we were in safe hands at all times. His timekeeping and organisation skills were on point. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Moses!
Everything from start to finish was excellent. It is clear that African Big Cats work hard to keep their standards high. Emanuel (owner of ABCS) made sure he came to see us on Day 1 and scheduled a telephone conversation with us on the final day to gather feedback on our trip. We felt this was very professional and would not hesitate to recommend this fabulous company to our friends and family. Indeed when we return to Tanzania in the future, we would love to go on another adventure with them!
CA
Email David | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A young and dynamic Tanzanian company who offers personalized tours.
From my first email sent to our last debriefing a few hours before leaving, communication was always great with African Big Cats. Lovoy our guide was nothing short of amazing. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in travelling to Tanzania. Their capacity to adapt was really helpful during pur 13 days trip!
Thank you guys,
Sincerely
David & Mama
FR
Email Thibaut | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience With African Big Cat Safari
The experience was amazing. We took a 4 days Safari with African Big Cats Safari. We first did a full day at Tarangire National Park, then a full day at Ngorongoro Carter, a full day in the Serengeti and the last day at the Lake Manyara. We should have done an other day in Serengeti though.
People from African Big Cat Safari were delightful from our first e-mail asking for an estimate.
The day before our safari, Emmanuel took the time to explain the details of our safari and the must known to have the best experience possible.
Special thanks also to our Guide (@Lodi) which took the necessary time we needed and could also speak French helping us understand better when English was complicated. Hotels or Lodges selected were perfect for us. People are nice and very welcoming.
To finish, Emmanuel took also the time at the end of our Safari to have a feedback from our experience. It is a company that is growing strong taking the time to have all the comments in order to improve their offer.
Thanks a lot to African Big Cat Safari to their professionalism and to have make the experience unforgettable
DE
Email Kornelia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our expectations were exceeded
our tour was planned specifically according to our wishes. At first we were a little unsure whether booking and payment processing with a company from Tanzania was trustworthy. But our concerns were completely unfounded. Everything went smoothly.
Our safari went through Tarangire National Park, the South, Central and North Serengeti and finally the Ngorongoro Crater. The tour planner, Justice Justin, accommodated our every special request. We wanted a certain luxury in the wilderness and were not disappointed. The lodges selected were excellent. At the Maramboi Lodge the direct proximity to the lake and the animals. In the Kubu Kubu and the Mara Mara Logde the locations are in the middle of the Serengeti and the wilderness. At night we heard lions, hyenas and other animals near our tent.
Our guide Karim has excellent knowledge of German and was able to give us lots of details about the country's wildlife, nature and culture. Despite the rather difficult road conditions, we always felt safe in the Jeep. We had great encounters with all the big cats (lions, leopards and cheetahs), large groups of elephants and of course giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, hippos, gazelles, impalas, hyenas, warthogs etc. We also saw a rhinoceros in the distance. It is impossible to list them all. The birdlife is also impressive.
The highlight of our trip was the great migration. We saw several thousand wildebeest crossing the Mara River in the northern Serengeti. The earth shook under the animals' hooves. Young animals lost their mothers and ran back across the river, as did mothers in search of the lost young. A breathtaking event.
Luckily, the journey back from the Northern Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater wasn't quite as strenuous as expected. The view from the crater rim of Melia Ngorongoro Logde is incredible. The game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater was a worthy end to this extraordinary safari.
Many thanks to the African Big Cats team.
CN
Email Heather | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience, very professional operator and guide
Me and my family went on a customized 8-day safari tour with African Big Cats on September. This was our first time in Africa and honestly everything went beyond our expectation. From the very start, the staff of Africa Big Cats Safaris was very quick to respond to every email I sent and the itinerary and price they offered are all very specific and reasonable. The manager was very kind and considerate and gave us a very helpful and detailed briefing after we arrived. Our guide Earnest is very professional, he's a good driver and he knows exactly what he's doing. We saw the big five, baby cheetahs feeding, a lot of big cats, we also saw the crossing, twice! Earnest is also a walking encyclopedia of animals and we learnt a lot from him. The accommodations and food were all very comfortable and satisfying. Overall I'd say this was an unforgettable experience and if I were to visit Tanzania again, I'd definitely choose to go with African Big Cats Safaris again:)
US
Email Wayne | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
They provided exactly what we asked for in a special trip that we worked out with them.
This was a family trip including my wife and myself, four adult daughters and three husbands. We required two jeeps for the 12-day safari using a route that we worked out with the company. This was my 10th time to Africa and my 9th safari, but my first to Tanzania and the Serengeti. I (and my family, four of whom had never been to Africa) were extremely pleased with Africa Big Cats Safari and with our driver/guides who were very knowledgeable about the animals and birds and helped us locate those on our extensive list we had put together. We were treated to a very rare sighting of the black rhino in the Serengeti, with good photos and videos. Our family took at least 3000 photos and videos, including two massive wildebeest crossings on the northern Mara River. We took in the Lake Manyara Park, Ngorongoro Crater, the central Serengeti, the north Serengeti, and Tarangire National Park. We preferred and liked the smaller tent camps
US
Email Ben | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the most amazing experiences!
I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life in Tanzania with African Big Cats Safaris. Their website is comprehensive and Justice and Naomi customized the perfect itinerary for me. This included a variety of different types of parks, as well as organizing all pickups/drop-offs from airports. The company also went above and beyond by helping me with a flight issue in-country. The hotel choices were wonderful, including an on-the-beach spot in Zanzibar and comfortable tent lodges while on safari. One in Tarangire had a watering hole with elephants right next to the lodge! The best experiences were the Serengeti balloon safari and my driver/guide, Khalid. He was unbelievably knowledgable about every animal, including knowing their Latin names and habits. It was amazing to get to experience the big 5, cheetahs, giraffes, birds, and many more in their natural environment. It was also very nice to meet the Managing Director, Emanuel; I thought that was a nice touch that showed the company valued my experience. I HIGHLY recommend African Big Cats Safaris and Khalid to everyone looking for the perfect safari adventure!
NL
Email Manu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
African Big Cats Safaris is our go to always for Safaris
I had an incredible safari experience! The people were friendly from the start and provided detailed information to all our questions, our guide Peter was amazing, and the owner went above and beyond by personally meeting us before and after the safari to inquire about our expectations and gather feedback. This level of personalised service truly made our adventure unforgettable. Highly recommended! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐