African Big Cats Safaris
- Located 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)
Reviews
Exceptional Team and Amazing Safari
We had an unforgettable safari and we’re so happy to have gone with African Big Cats!
Planning - The team sent us a clear itinerary, along with packing and prep tips. I appreciated all the information on their website as well, it was useful for general research and to compare options for our customization. Since it was our first safari, we had many questions, but Justice and Naomi were always timely and courteous with their responses, so I became comfortable asking about even the smallest concerns we had. When we were in Arusha, the managing director Emanuel came to meet us before and after the safari, for an overview and debrief. It was very professional and I felt that they truly cared about our experience.
Safari - We saw the Big 5, the “Ugly” 5 (though I found the warthogs pretty cute), and basically the entire cast of the Lion King and more. Most of all, I loved seeing all the baby animals! It was exciting to drive alongside herds of zebra and wildebeest, and it was amusing to see the big cats nap and play just like our house cats. The company can provide a pair of binoculars for the vehicle, but we found it nice to each bring our own (and we got an accessory to attach it to our phones for photos). The accommodations were all clean and enjoyable, and provided good food for every meal. For the add-on activities, the hot air balloon ride was a highlight for us, and the crater rim hike had beautiful views. At the end, we thought the itinerary was well planned, and the safari was really worth the value, considering everything that’s included.
Guide - I was very impressed with our guide, Venance! He’s exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced. He always seems to know exactly where the animals will move to, and how to move the vehicle to get the best views possible. He made every effort to find us what we wanted to see, and was considerate of our comfort and safety while driving. I also admired that he helped out other guides, like sharing details over the radio when he was the first to spot a rhino, and helping with repairs when we saw another safari group stuck in a broken down vehicle. We learned so much from him. I could even name all the different antelopes after the week :) Thank you Venance for making our trip so rewarding and fun!
Our experience was amazing from beginning to end. I highly recommend African Big Cats, and I’d definitely travel with them again if I’m ever back in Tanzania!
KR
Email Yoonyeol | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Careful consideration to find the right time and place
This is my first safari and I'm not experienced enough to make a comparison with other tour operators as I only have information from the internet. Therefore, I wrote my subjective experiences and opinions.
First of all, the vehicle, I thought that A/C would be necessary because it was rather hot during the day, but the feature of the traveling was such that we often traveled with the windows and roof open, so A/C did not seem to be a very important factor.
The vehicle gets dirty easily as almost travel on off-road and mud, water area, but the driver(guide) washed the vehicle daily, in and outside, so we always used a clean vehicle.
Secondly, the experience of the driver (guide) seems to be important. The ability to spot animals on game drives and drive on rough roads is very important. Most of the time they share information about the animals' spot, but sometimes on the road we were able to find and show us animals that other guides had passed by, or safely navigate muddy roads to save time, giving us more time to see the animals.
Thirdly, I felt that the driver(guide)'s sociability and speech was also important - too little or too much talk can make the traveling boring or exhausting, and my guide was very good at explaining things in context at right time and was very knowledgeable about the animals and terrain, answering questions quickly.
Fourth, the more expensive hotels(lodges) definitely offer better service and facilities. The distance to travel and the circumstance can also be factors to evaluate, but if you just look at the facilities and services, the more expensive the better.
Everything I mentioned above exceeded my expectations, especially Mr. Elias, who was my guide and driver.
Also, Mr. Joshua, the tour consultant of Africa Big Cat Safaris, made the trip even more memorable by welcoming and farewells on arrival and departure.
I highly recommend both of them if you are looking for a tour operator.
Email Emma | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour
We were so happy to have booked our safari through African Big Cat Safaris. Their communication was great throughout, as was their choice of accommodation. Our driver Venance was knowledgeable and informative. He was also a good driver practically speaking - we visited at the end of rainy season, and he made sure our vehicle was well maintained and never got stuck in the mud.
We had a 6 day tour, which was perfectly paced. We managed to see so much wildlife, as well as learning about the Tanzanian culture through our time with Venance. We would not hesitate to recommend booking a tour with African Big Cat Safaris.
Email Raju | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Marvelous
Good service,reliable and value for money,good communication and very
reliable tour operator.
Email John | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great Tanzanian safari which exceeded all expectations
We had good communication organising the tour, were able to have the itinerary modified to suit us. The mid range accommodation suited us perfectly. Our driver-guide Lavoi was a good driver, knew his animals and birds and a very good guide. The tour through the four national parks was great. A highlight was seeing the Great Migration in Serengeti National Park.
ES
Email Silvia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable trip
Incredible experience with them, from the beginning via email they were very kind and always responded quickly, they also allowed us to adapt the safari according to our needs.
Once in Tanzania the experience was unbeatable, especially thanks to Endeni our guide, who at all times was very attentive to us, he is very patient and made an effort to get to see all the animals we wanted (including the Big five) investing the time that was necessary. He also has a lot of knowledge about animals and national parks that he explained to us throughout the tour, it was a real pleasure to be with him.
The hotels included were excellent, highly recommended the experience of sleeping in Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
Thank you African Big Cats for exceeding our expectations and making such a special trip so easy for us. We would definitely recommend you 100%.
IE
Email Fíona | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant!
We have just finished a fantastic safari with African Big Cats Safaris.
We chose African Big Cats because the booking process was simple. They were so easy to contact and very responsive while we chopped and changed our plans.
From the moment we arrived at the airport, our guide, Elias, took such good care of us! He was so knowledgeable about all of the different places and animals that we saw. He went over and above to make sure that we saw as many animals as possible, and was good fun too!
We also loved the accommodation chosen for us by African Big Cats. We stayed in some lovely places, and ate great food!
We would definitely recommend African Big Cats Safaris!
AE
Email Elida | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best tour operator choice for their guides !
We've just returned from our first ever african safari and It was the experience of our lifetime. Going independently for the first time to Africa as a couple was hard , but picking the right tour operator in Tanzania for our safari trip was even harder. There are so many outhere to pick from and who to trust was the big question 🤔. Among the many operators I started discussing, we stopped with African Big Cats Safari...they were the most professional and logical throughout the communication and itinerary planning, considering that I changed my itinerary 3 or 4 times. I trusted them and I was definitely not by far disappointed. Their vehicles are sturdy and reliable, the guide was above and beyond with us (@Lordi, we can't thank you enough for your attitude, professionalism and vast knowledge of wildlife and for the BIG5 spotting), while the comfort accomodation they picked for us were as authentic as super comfortable for a good night rest. I truly have nothing to complain, just the thousands of pictures I have for a lifetime!
NL
Email Tim en Iris | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
We went to Tanzania without booking anything. There we ended up at the African big cats safaris head office. We received a very nice welcome and Justice immediately started working on putting together a safari for us. After our trip had been put together, we were taken to our hotel by the owner. The next day we could go on safari straight away. The safari exceeded all our expectations. The driver-guide Lavoi knew well where to find animals. The accommodation arrangements were budget class. It was an unforgettable trip. We had a five day trip to Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Tarangire. We stayed at campsites in the middle of the parks themselves. It was an incredibly cool experience and one that we will never forget. We had a private safari with our guide Lavoi and chef Vitalis. He prepared a delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. In short it was great. At the end of the trip we were met by the owner who enthusiastically listened to our stories. Later we were taken to our hotel where we enjoyed this wonderful experience.
(automatic translation from Dutch)
CA
Email Tania H | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Service & Safari!
My husband and I went on a 7 day/7night comfort safari with African Big Cats Safaris the last week of May, 2024. We had an absolutely amazing trip. Haruna was our awesome guide and driver. He was a wealth of information on animals, plants and birds, as well as the Masai people. He provided us with incredible wildlife viewing that exceeded our expectations. We saw 4 of the Big 5 on our first day in the Serengeti! We had numerous sitings of cheetahs, lions, leopards, all the other standards of baboons, wildebeest, zebras, giraffe, elephants, etc and even the elusive black rhino. Haruna was very kind and compassionate on the day I was not feeling well and stopped many times so we could take a break.
All of the accommodations and meals were excellent.
We met with Emmanuel from African Big Cats at the beginning and again at the end of our safari. He gave us an outline of what to expect on our trip and answered any questions we had. On our return he was kind and genuinely interested in our thoughts and comments on the safari. Such excellent customer service!
After much research, we chose African Big Cats Safaris based on reviews and cost and were not disappointed. We feel we received excellent value for the money and would not hesitate to recommend them. Hopefully we will be fortunate enough to travel with them again in the future. Thank you for providing a trip of a lifetime!