Makasa is owned & managed by Selma and Ngomi Kamm
Makasa Tanzania Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Faith Green | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Safari Experience
From my first contact with Makasa, Selma worked to answer my questions and provide me with quality information about safari options in Tanzania. She went above and beyond to help us put together a safari experience that would be fantastic, and yet stay within our budget. Makasa allows a family to have a safari experience that meets their needs. It was great to be able to travel with just our family of five - and see so much of Northern Tanzania. We absolutely loved the safari and have lots of great memories. Timsifu "Tom" Ayo was an amazing guide! He was knowledgeable, funny, kind and always concerned about our safety and enjoyment. We felt very blessed to have him, and we know that he worked hard to make sure we were able to see lots of animals and experience the amazing national parks to the fullest. The accommodations were great - always clean, with comfortable beds, showers, and in great locations. The meals that were included in the package were delicious and there was always plenty of yummy food in the boxed lunches. Selma also arranged for in country flights, so we could experience the island of Zanzibar. I highly recommend Makasa Safaris.
DE
Email Sarah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A dream come true trip exceeding our expectations
All in all, I can say that our whole experience with Makasa Safaris was excellent. It started out with a brilliant service by Selma Kamm in the preparation of our trip - great and fast communication as well as fitting everything to our needs. In addition, they showed great knowledge of what they do. Not only recommending us lodges that fitted to what we needed but exceeding our expectations and on top of it we had an amazing tour guide, Humphrey. He has been able to answer every possible question we had and didn't follow the crowd of other Safari cars but instead knew the national parks and the animals behavior so well that we got to see everything within a few days - the big five, 2 cheetah hunting, the great migration, a leopard going on and off a tree, a lion hunting and bringing home the food to its babies and many more. Our guide really knew where to go and foresaw what will happen and how the animals would react while respecting them a lot. We have often also been the only ones to spot this or at least the first ones.
So, if you want to see a lot, have an excellent service with a tour guide who cares about nature and knows it's way around, Makasa will have to be your first address.
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Email David | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you want to do it right, do it Makasa.
From the very beginning of the planning stage which was close to a year before our actual trip , Selma Kamm answered every question in great detail even before I decided to book Makasa Safaris. Her suggestions were helpful in the planning and then decision-making. Our group of six was given many choices of camps in price and comfort level at the various places we planned on visiting. Mostly we were able to tailor the trip to meet our desires. Selma only made suggestions that would make our experience all the better. Price was also a consideration and we found that Makasa's charges were a good deal better than every other company for equal options.
We landed in Kilimanjaro but we did not start our safari right away. We first took a vehicle with a driver to a small village of Goma in the Pare Mountains where Thomas, our son, has been living as a volunteer for Peace Corps. That in itself was worth the trip- all planned with the help of Selma. After that we went back to Moshi to start on a seven day safari to Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro. On the night before we began, we had a visit from Yohannes,, Selma's husband, who stopped by our lodge to thank us for choosing Makasa and to wish us a good trip. A small touch, but it shows their level of caring.
We decided we did not need the tour of a Masai Village which is offered. Through it all our guide, David, demonstrated his in depth knowledge of animal, plant and bird life. Besides, he is an excellent driver (it is a must). We saw four of the five BIG FIVE, and possibly saw a Rhino walking through the grass in the crater , but we could not verify. We were within a few feet of lions, elephants, wildebeests, and many others including a mother cheetah with two young cubs. We were close to a leopard up in a tree staring us down.
We then flew from Arusha to Zanzibar for a four day stay at Z Hotel, and absolutely fabulous place with a wonderful staff, clean and modern accommodations, and delicious food. Selma's recommendations worked perfectly throughout our stay. Not unimportant were the transfers from place to place that were perfect and on time-every one! Could not have been a smoother trouble free experience.
I think our biggest problem was deciding how much to tip not including our guide which was spelled out for us. Most places had a "Tip Box" in which a tip was placed at the end of the stay to be shared by the entire staff. For instance, at the Kenzan Tented Camp where we were the only guests, we were treated like royalty (in June it is not yet high season). The meals were fabulous and our Masai guard pointed out to us that a lion had been wandering around at night while we slept, and we did see the giraffe that walked right past us in the middle of our camp.
I think the weather and climate were perfect. Our son suggested June as the best time overall to go. Money was no issue since every place accepted U.S. dollars or Tanzanian currency.
A big three cheers to Makasa.
CA
Email René and Nathalie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible safari experience on the northern circuit with Makasa
Just back in Dar from our safari with Makasa. What a great experience it was.
From the pick-up to drop-off at the airport after nine days, every thing was great and we felt in good hands.
We cannot say enough good words about our driver, Safari guide and cultural guide ( the same guy!)
Of course we cannot compare because we know no others, but we can't imagine a more professional, engaging, dedicated and knowledgeable guide for a tour of the northern circuit. A safe driver, respectful, friendly , funny and above all a superstar in the knowledge and love of the nature in the parks we visited.
We felt lucky being with him and the Makasa group compared to the other groups we saw. Dedicated to making our experience great, he always ensured we were at the right time at the right place to maximize our sightings...and although we tried hard, we couldn't find even a bird for which he didn't have a name and some details on its behaviours. He could spot animals while driving that we couldn't scanning with binos...No doubt, the great experience of discovering these parks for the first time was made simply incredible by the quality of the guide leading us through these parks. The lodges selected were great for food, confort and friendly personnel and again our guide would always ensure everything was right. I should also mention that the planning of the safari by email with Selma showed how responsive and flexible they were in recommending options with various lodge levels and with or without domestic flights. I highly recommend Makasa for your Tanzanian safari
NL
Email Femke and Victor | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tailor-made safari and holiday!
Very family-like treatment by the Makasa staff! Enjoyed the special accommodations and had a very professional driver/guide. Many animals and great views. Also had a nice time before and after the safari in Moshi amd on Zanzibar.
NL
Email Sofie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Safaritrip with our kids!
Makasa arranged a beautiful holiday for us. It was our first time to Tanzania and they did a great job arranging everything for us. The accommodations were very nice, the guide who accompanied us was more than great, the programme day by day were just perfect. We enjoyed the travelling so much because we knew there was nothing we had to think about, everything was arranged in detail. The safaritrips were so nice with our lovely guide and all the animals we were able to see. Makasa knows what people want when they come to Tanzania!
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Email Jennifer | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant!
From "Hello" to "Goodbye" Makasa Safaris provided excellent and professional service in planning and facilitating our safari. We worked with Selma to plan a 3 day trip on rather short notice. Communication was easy and thorough. Selma gave several options at various price points, never rushed us, and was always willing to answer our questions. This was our first trip to Tanzania so it was especially nice to have someone at the other end who fully understood our concerns and interests. Our guide, Tom, was the best - super fun, accommodating and knowledgeable. He was committed to our boys who wanted to see the Big 5 and take pictures of every bird. You will be within feet of lions, elephants, zebras. Your camera will capture amazing memories of giraffes, rhinos, and birds! We learned so much about the animals and habitat from Tom. He also helped us understand the culture, geography, economy and government of this beautiful country. Our accommodations were lovely - perfect for relaxing and replenishing at the end of the day. There are so many safari operators to choose from (I know, I researched them), but you need look no further. Watching how we were treated and how Tom managed the safari compared to others we saw, we know we found the jewel and give our highest recommendation for Makasa. Competitive price, above and beyond service, and an experience we will enjoy forever.
NL
Email Ad van der Nat | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream came true
We, Sonja, Ad and Wibens, had a dream making a safari trip in Tanzania. We visited 4 National Parks (Serengeti, Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater) together with our Guide and Driver David. Who was excellent in finding the animals and above all a very friendly person to travel with. He made our dream came true. The lodges we stayed in were excellent, personnel was very friendly and the food was very good and tasteful. Makasa Tanzania Safaris thank you in making it possible! Ad, Sonja and Wibens
FR
Email Rachael | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic from beginning to end
Makasa were fantastic, we had the most amazing holiday! We were given all the information, guidance and help we needed from day one. Selma was so reassuring and helpful. Everything that was chosen and booked for us was perfect, all the accommodation was brilliant and the safari and the drivers we had (big shout out and thanks Ali and Fredrick!) were brilliant at their job - so knowledgeable, helpful and very safe drivers too ;-) They had eagle eyes to spot everything and were full of information about the flora, fauna and country. It's been a holiday of a lifetime and it was made by Makasa - we can't thank them enough!
NL
Email Nico Gielen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
well organized, excellent knowledge and very friendly
Our whole safari was beyond expectations. Makasa was very helpful during the booking process to create a tailor made program. Our guide was very friendly, punctual with a deep knowledge of Tanzanian wildlife and culture. The programme was very balanced. And the lodges suggested by the organization were amazing. We had a great week.