African Polecat Safaris team
African Polecat Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Member Of:
- TTB, TALA, TANAPA, BRELA & NCAA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $650 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CZ
Email Lucie Hlídková | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience with wonderful people
We planned the safari trip for a long time and our choice was 100% happy!!! James, Joseph, Nathan and Noel (great guide from Dar es Salaam) are the most amazing people we met. Everything went as promised and much better. The experience of the national parks was unforgettable thanks to our guide - Joseph, unforgettable. Joseph has an incredible knowledge of animals and nature. Thanks to him, we really saw a lot of animals in their natural environment - and they have a wonderful expression, you won't experience that in a zoo. Not even an elephant visiting the camp :-) Our chef Nathan deserves a Michelin star - we thought we would lose weight on holiday, but the opposite was true :-) The overnight stay in the NP campsites was great, everything was comfortable. A small change that James arranged for us - 1 day spent in Dar es Sallam was great and I recommend it to everyone! It's worth it!!!Everyone from African Polecat Safaris that we met was amazing and thank you all for the greatest experience of our lives so far.
Our route: Arusha - Tarangire NP - Serengeti NP - Ngoro Ngoro NP - Lake Manyara - Dar es Salaam - Gombe NP - 10 day safari
Email MATT W | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
SUPERB SERVICE! VERY SMOOTH OPERATION.
4 day luxury lodge safari - What can I say? I had the trip of a lifetime! I contacted Polecat through safari bookings. It's hard as you just don't know what you're getting until you arrive, especially as a lone traveller. I booked around 4 weeks in advance. James was my point of contact he sent me the brochure through WhatsApp, he was the first to respond to my enquiries out of all of the other providers which reassured me. He was not pushy and there is no hard sell! I was a very nice booking experience. I chose the luxury 4 day Safari. He arranged transfers from the airport to Arusha and met me at the first hotel. From then everything went so smoothly. I paid a 10% deposit when booking and paid the rest in cash $ when I arrived. James was kind enough to take me for lunch to a nice local restaurant so I had a nice meal on arrival. Simon my guide for the 4 days was just incredible.
A chef came for 2 of the days and the food was great. Simon was very knowledgeable and went over and above to ensure we saw the BIG 5! And we did! It truly was a trip of a lifetime and I can't thank Polecat enough for everything they did to make it special! I recommend the luxury package over the cheaper tents as it gets very cold at night and the luxury lodges are an amazing experience. Take some hoodies for the evenings. The trip is spectacular! Enjoy!
Nice day hike
Some wait at the gate in the morning because bank transfer is slow on Sundays but other than that all is good
Also bring your own bottle or flask. According to the tour guide, the park doesn’t allow the disposable plastic bottle so we had to rent from a shop in front of the gate at a price of $5. I mean, with that price you can almost buy a bottle….I would think 1L or 0.75L is enough for someone if it’s a cloudy day.
That shop has raincoat for renting as well, $10 each.
It was a nice hike. Really loved the view, excited to see the monkeys. The tour guide Oscar was very friendly, helped taking photos and carried most of the stuffs. It’s much appreciated.
Overall I recommend this experience.
CH
Email Marta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good adventure
Good adventure in 3 national parks (tangeri, Serengetti, Ngorongoro)
3 days full adventure, a lot of animals, good choice for the accommodation
1 night in a lodge in the Serengetti park between buffalos at night
Email Irene | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good experience in Tanzania on 7 days safari
Fantastic safari in the north of Tanzania! Seven days is really perfect for this country, because there is so much beauty. Although we had to get used to the 'African way', we have seen that James organizes his safaris well and you always have a contact person to coordinate your trip with (he is super accessible if there is anything). This trip is highly recommended if you want to see many different animals and go on an adventure.
Do: do the walking safari in Arusha, it's really cool and book a tent instead of a lodge if you like adventure ;-) We even had elephants walking through the camp. That is an experience you will never forget.
Don't: don't book the Arusha Tourist Inn hotel, but Forest Hill Carnival hotel in Arusha. The former hotel is by far the worst hotel we've ever stayed in (without atmosphere, dirty, very noisy). We didn't sleep a wink here, so that's not a nice start to your safari. Polecat will help you book another hotel!
Goodluck (our guide) and Isaac (cook) were a top team during our safari week. So we definitely want to mention them. Goodluck always managed to bring us to the right places with special animals and Isaac cooked for us fantastic and provided us with cool Maasai stories!
General tip for booking your safari: Almost all organizations book a driver and jeep that are filled with people from different groups. This allows your group to change per day and your program can change on the spot. That requires some flexibility and at those times it is extra important that the organization you have booked with has its affairs under control. That's certainly the case with Polecat, so you know you've seen and done it all by the end of the trip. Oh, and bring your own binoculars. Most cars have none or only 1 for the whole group.
All in all a special experience in Tanzania!
FR
Email Emi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
We all had an amazing moment. The safari is amazing. It isn’t that expensive for a safari which was incredible. The hotel was also very nice and the people as well. Thank you very much!
US
Email Carrie-Andrea K. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kind, caring, considerate, safety oriented, knowledgeable, wonderful with children
My sister and I took my children (ages 4 & 9) on a two week safari with African Polecat Safaris in northern Tanzania. It was the trip of a lifetime. Our hearts and minds were blown open by the people, culture, wildlife, history, art, and landscapes of Tanzania.
This safari team was outstanding. The logistics and quality of the tour were excellent. Our guide and chef were incredibly attentive, knowledgeable, thoughtful, and experienced. They were also wonderful with the kids. We all have so many special memories from our adventures.
We chose this safari company because we wanted our money to go directly to Tanzanians. This company is owned and operated by locals, as are their vendors and partners. We recommend them highly!
CH
Email Alberto | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Always at disposal, quick and effective
I was travelling alone but I wanted to make a group Safari to share the experiences.
James was great in finding a solution to fit my needs and desires, and at the same time allowing me to visit Lake Natron with a fantastic private journey.
The staff of the company and those who collaborates with him are nice and friendly people.
Thumbs up for African Polecat Safari!
Email H C Godbole | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I would highly recommend and will book myself again undoubtedly
we found this tour operator online. We were offered a good safari for a decent price and this was delivered accordingly. we had an amazing guide and driver named Ayubu who was very informative patient and enthusiastic. our cook was called Innocent and he provided delicious vegetarian meals. we saw such wonderful animals at very close range including a pride of lions hunting a Buffalo!!!(distressing yo watch though)
I would highly recommend African polecat safaris and will also come back via them again. hope they branch to uganda and Botswana too. very trustworthy pleasant professional and excellent in service
ES
Email Joan Miquel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professionalism, exquisite service and fabulous experience
I booked my weekend experience in Arusha online, without any previous contact in the Region. After reviewing the reviews I chose James and his organization. During the whole process of selection of activities and from the pick-up at the Kiimanjaro airport, the attention was exquisite and the experience was just as it was sold to me. Punctuality, quality, extreme kindness. I recommend African Polecat Safaris for the organization of ad- hoc tours. James and his magnificent team of collaborators will not let you down!