Lunch at Neema Craft on 4 days safari to Ruaha NP
Kitonga Tours and Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
Email Niall | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great 3 day safari at Ruaha
Recently back from an excellent 3 day trip with my daughter to Ruaha National Park. I selected Kitonga based on their quote and on reviews here and it matched my expectations. All very well organised. Paul and Habakuki did everything they could to get us to the very varied wildlife in the park. Paul's excellent knowledge of the animals was supplemented by Habakuki's expertise in the birdlife. Habakuki's driving was superb too.
In summary, I'd heartily recommend Kitonga for your safari!
FR
Email ZS | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Considerate and nice operator
My partner and I recently completed an unforgettable climb up Mount Kilimanjaro with Kitonga Tours, and I cannot recommend this company highly enough! Here are the reasons why our journey was so special:
Seamless Pick-Up and Thoughtful Hospitality
From the very beginning, Kitonga Tours stood out for their exceptional service. We were picked up at the border and, despite delays on our side, they waited patiently without any complaints. They took care of all the border formalities for us, making the process smooth and stress-free. As soon as we crossed over, we were warmly welcomed with an invitation to try some delicious local dishes—a great way to start our adventure!
Safe and Secure Throughout the Trek
The sense of safety we felt with Kitonga Tours was remarkable. The guides were professional, attentive, and constantly made us feel at ease during the entire climb. Their experience and knowledge of the mountain ensured that we were in good hands at all times, which made the challenging journey much more enjoyable.
Flawless Arrangements and Team Coordination
Every aspect of our trek was organized to perfection. The team was incredibly proactive and flexible, coordinating everything smoothly to align with our schedule and preferences. Whenever we needed adjustments, they were always ready to accommodate. It was clear that Kitonga Tours had an outstanding level of teamwork, which made the climb feel effortless on our end. The positivity and motivation from the team kept us going, especially during the more challenging stretches.
Personalized Care for the Completion Certificate
After successfully summiting Kilimanjaro, we were excited to receive our certificates. However, we noticed a small error with one of the printed names. To our surprise, the owner of Kitonga Tours took it upon himself to ensure we received a corrected certificate with the right details. This level of dedication to making sure our experience was perfect truly impressed us. It showed that they genuinely cared about their clients’ satisfaction down to the smallest detail.
In conclusion, our climb with Kitonga Tours was not just about reaching the summit, but also about the incredible journey along the way. From start to finish, we felt taken care of and appreciated. If you're considering climbing Kilimanjaro, Kitonga Tours is the team to trust—they’ll make your adventure one to remember!
CH
Email Maria | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you Kitonga Tours for a fantastic safari trip delivered without flaws!
I am writing a review as we found that organizing a safari in Tanzania without going through an agent has been very complex.
Costs are very high and how to know if the company you are hiring is any good for the price?
We are a French/Danish family with two children (11 and 15 years) that went to game drive in the beautiful, large and less crowded Ruaha national park with a total of 5 nights of which 3 nights were spent inside the park in August 2022 (we stayed the 2 other nights in transit in Iringa).
We chose to travel by jeep from Dar Es Salaam to the Ruaha park and even though it is a long journey of approx. 12 hours to Iringa, we were very happy to have done it as it gave us a great possibility to see and enjoy The Tanzanian countryside.
All the details of the 6 days (5 nights) trip package were coordinated via email/sms with Paul (our guide) and everything was delivered without flaw. We met Gerald the owner of the company in Iringa, a very simpatic and smiley man before driving further via a long and bumpy dirt road to the Ruaha park entrance.
Paul (guide) and Isa (our driver and guide) were both with us the entire trip and did everything they could to accommodate our wishes and always arrived on time when we were to be picked up in the morning.
Isa was an excellent driver on road (feeling very safe including when we drove from Dar Es Salaam to Ruaha) and off road before and in the park (agile and comfortable)
Their safari jeep was in excellent condition and very comfortable to sit in and with a small refrigerator to keep the water bottles cool. We felt safe at all times.
Isa and Paul were very helpful in spotting animals - we saw all the big five (among others) except the Rhino that does not live in the park.
We ended the tour having a great and relaxed relationship with them. Both are really nice and sympathetic people.
The Ruaha park is a gem offering a large variety of colourful landscape and vegetation ( rivers, flat and dry terrain, hills , rocky area, with many plant species including many Baobab trees in certain areas, and combining dry and green areas in August ). We really appreciated there were extremely few jeeps inside the Ruaha park, so we could get an authentic feeling of being on a safari, and it was possible to drive for long distances and many hours without meeting another jeep. Be aware however that in this park you will not see dense packs of animals like buffalos, zebras, antelopes like you can see in the Serengeti park. You will find more sparced and smaller groups of animals within a larger park.
We can highly recommend a tour organised with Kitonga Tours. Kitonga Tours will also be highly capable to organise safari tours to all other national parks in Tanzania.
MT
Email Chris Mercieca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Day Trip!
I had a fantastic safari in Ruaha National Park with Kitonga Tours! I saw so much in my one day trip leaving from Iringa – elephants, giraffes, zebras, crocodiles, ostriches and even several lions up close. Our guide and driver did a fantastic job in leading the trip and showing us the best spots, and Paul from the office was also very helpful in finding a group that I could join as a solo traveller. Highly recommended!
Email Stefania | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
FANTASTIC 3 day Ruaha Safari
We had an amazing experience and saw so many animals. Gerald was great at communicating with us and was willing to help problem solve when we had issues with payment. Please be aware the expectation is a downpayment that is done online but when you arrive in person the remaining is paid in cash unless you pay all online in advance.
The team on the safari was very relaxed and made us feel comfortable in every way. The driver shared so much interesting information with us and was so patient letting us sit and enjoy a view for as long as we wanted. The chef did a great job of cooking delicious meals. Of course I recommend bringing some snacks as well because if you are only traveling in Tanzania for a few days, your stomach will not be used to all of the new ingredients. We didn't have any issues but we also have been living in Tanzania for some time now.
The 3-day and two night tour felt like the perfect amount of time. We went in August (winter for Tanzania) and I was a bit surprised at how cool it can be during the sunrise game drives especially when the car windows are down. I recommend bringing layers, or a small coat.
Again, a lovely experience. Would use the same company again in a heartbeat. And from what we experienced and what the driver told us, Ruaha is a great park because it's not as touristy as others. Very true, we sometimes went 3-4 hours without seeing any other vehicle so it makes the experience so special and private.
CA
Email Mélanie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Human centered and caring about your dream come true!
I had 9 days camping safari in July with Kitonga. From the initial communication with the office and our guide for the organization, the interaction was super easy. The owner, Gerald, take the time to meet with us at our arrival to make sure that you are having the best time ever. Our guide, Issa, is exceptional, calm, reassuring, easy to talk to, very knowledgeable about wildlife and animals, and so respectful. I felt safe and well care of. He puts in place everything to make sure that my dream came true. He and Gerald organized a thoughtful surprise at the end of Mkomazie park visit to celebrate my birthday. I get heartache easily in a car when I don’t drive and the roads in Africa are very rough but I didn’t get any of that, thank you to the driving skills of Issa! The car is very well maintenance and comfortable, what is very important. I ate like a queen everyday with Victor, the chef who were accompanied us. They provide a lot of bottles of water and food, believe me you’ll never go hungry!! The planning of the trip is well done, no wasting time between park visits.
I find that company so human centered and caring about our needs. I had the time of my life! I will definitely return with Kitonga for my next trip and I recommend them all the way.
Hakuna Matata
US
Email Thomas + Whitney | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Dedicated to giving their clients the safari of their dreams
We contacted Kitonga Tours to set up a custom 5 day Ruaha safari dedicated to finding wild dogs. They were the only operator who really seemed to understand and align themselves to our mission. We communicated with Paul throughout booking and he was able to answer all of our detailed questions. We stayed in the very comfortable and excellent value tourist bandas, and Kitonga arranged a chef to come with us who prepared delicious meals.
In the weeks before we arrived the wild dogs had seemingly vanished, but Paul and driver/guide Habakuki put together a methodical plan based on their vast knowledge of Ruaha National Park. Paul's positive attitude helped us carry through long days of searching on some of the most infrequently visited areas, and Habakuki was a total professional who knew every track in the park. We spent 4 great days in the park and had sightings of lions, serval, hyena, foxes, and more all to ourselves - but the wild dogs eluded us. Finally on day 5 the planning was rewarded when we spent over 30 magical minutes watching a pack of 16 wild dogs that emerged across the river, right where Paul and Habakuki speculated they might be.
We would absolutely book with Kitonga Tours again and would recommend Kitonga (and Ruaha National Park) to all of our friends.
MY
Email K.Nagarajan | 50-65 years of age
Guide Mudy was a great guide .Take care me lot and experience guy and friendly too
Is the best company with reasonable pricing .good hotel provide for me.