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
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari trip to Tanzania!
Our trip was unbelievable and much more than we expected. We saw so many animals and so close. Jamal was our guide and he did an amazing job. He found all of the animals that we hoped to see, was wonderful with our children and has a wealth of knowledge about the animals and the area. Selma arranged a wonderful trip including local flights and a stay at a villa in Zanzibar. Her attention to detail took the stress out of traveling in a foreign country, knowing that everything was taken care of. We highly recommend Makasa to anyone looking for a great safari experience in Tanzania.
We had a fantastic time.
There were 5 of us on our safari. Tom was our guide and driver and he was fantastic. We were able to see the big five plus much, much more. Selma was so good to work with and everything was as she had explained. I would highly recommend Makasa and Tom when you plan your safari.
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Email Paul Warkins | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Safari Experience
I won't be able to write a review that speaks strongly enough about what a great safari experience we had with Makasa and our guide, Humphrey.
The great experience started with some last minute planning on my end - I hadn't committed to a set plan until about 1-2 weeks before we would be in Moshi, but Selma was understanding the entire way and helped me plan out a complex itinerary that involved meeting my sister in her study abroad location (a small village named Rhotia), a week-long safari, and driving my girlfriend separately back to JRO to catch a flight back to the States for an internship that had to cut her experience short. Even during the safari, Selma was flexible and responsive - could completely count on and trust her and Ngomi to ensure we had a great experience.
Our itinerary consisted of trip from Moshi to Rhotia, a day in Ngorongoro, 3 days in Serengeti, and then a drive back to Karatu/Rhotia and an excursion to Lake Manyara before being dropped off in Mto Wa Mbu to meet some other friends of my sister for the remainder of our trip. Humphrey was our guide and I cannot speak more highly of the experience we had with him. My sister is a zoology major who studied in Tanzania for four months under the guidance of well-renowned zoologists that led her on multiple game drives and she couldn't stop saying how impressed she was with Humphrey. He was the perfect combination of encyclopedic knowledge (impressive to my sister), a great personality (friendliest guy), and an extremely competent guide/driver/guardian over our 7 days. Not only was he easy to get along with, he was simply phenomenal at his job, spotting everything we wanted to see (Big 5, Ugly 5, tree-climbing lions, cheetahs eating their caught prey, multiple leopards,etc. and a ton of these viewed all alone without lines of safari trucks beside us), consistently navigating his way around like the professional he is (particularly in Serengeti), and sharing his knowledge in an unassuming and unobtrusive way. Even more impressive was his respect for the parks and people - never speeding down the dirt roads, being wary of going off the road, respecting the animals, etc. Couldn't have lucked out more with having Humphrey as our guide.
Obviously cliche, but it really was a "trip of a lifetime" - the care and attention provided, the wonderful lodges we stayed at (K-Lodge, Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge, Sopa Serengeti, Karatu Simba Lodge), the great food we had, and of course, the experience of being in a breathtaking setting with wildlife you only dream about seeing.
I can rave about our experience with Makasa and Humphrey to no end, but suffice it to say - this is money well spent and an operator well-picked. If you want flexibility, reasonable pricing, extremely competent guides and owners, top-notch service, and the ability to give back to the country you're a tourist in (all lodges have some conservation/giving back to the community benefit), you cannot go wrong with Makasa Safaris.
Fantastic Safari Arraned By Makasa!
After a couple months of research by my husband, we decided to work with Makasa Tanzanian Safaris for our trip this summer. As many people say, a safari in Africa will probably only happen once, and there's a lot of pressure and questions about how to 'get it right'. We spoke at length via Skype with the owner Selma - told her our main goal was to see as many great animals as possible, and to stay in tent cabins. We didn't want to stay in luxury lodges, although all the tents, whether in the 'bush' or not were amazing! I will be reviewing them separately on Tripadvisor. Back to Selma. My husband was so impressed that we were speaking to the owner (along with her husband Ngomi), and that she took the time to really listen to us and help us craft a safari that would achieve our trip goals. They send you an itinerary that includes pick up at the airport (at 2 am!!!), and details about each day and each night's accommodations. In fact the first morning we had a delightful breakfast with the two of them as they greeted us before we took off on our adventure. We went to national park preserves: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, three nights in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. We were wonderfully and ably guided by David for the entire trip in a huge Toyota Landcruiser with a pop top for easy viewing and photography. The guide is key. David had worked for the company for several years and was amazing. He was a phenomenal driver (you have to be - he wound up helping several stuck drivers). At each park he told us he couldn't promise what we'd see, but he always had a 'nose' for finding all the great animals, and was able to identify and tell us all about the trees, birds and lifestyles of all the amazing creatures we saw. And boy did we see beautiful creatures. We were blessed with good cameras, but David is blessed with the ability to find them, get us in good position and often with no one else around. In fact, because we both had long zooms, one night he went into a town and had bean bags made for us to be able to better position and steady our cameras. Now that's above and beyond. If I could give Makasa 10 stars I would.
Helpful notes: Although Makasa will send you a very nice 'before you go' doc, here are my words to the wise:
Bring 1's, 5's and 10's in US dollars dated 2009 or later. Dollars are widely accepted and the TZ sterling notes are not needed. No need to get your visa in advance. When you arrive there's a window before you go through customs. $100 cash for US Citizens and $50 cash for all others. Bring cash for a tip at the end of the safari for your guide. Bring a good camera. You'll be happy you did. Each person should have their own binoculars. It makes spotting and observing extra fun. Don't dress like Steve Erwin - it looks silly. You probably won't be fighting thru the bush - you'll be sitting in a nice vehicle. Wear comfy clothes for warm weather - although it gets chilly at night. Embrace DEET. It's only for two weeks and its a necessity. Really. Get your Yellow Fever shot at Walgreens. Its expensive but the so-called 'travel doctors' are a rip off. Ask your doctor what other medicines to bring or shots to get. We also got tetanus and Hep A. We brought along prophylactic drugs (not rubbers).
And most important: Book your safari with Makasa!
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawless vacation
We're just back from a tailor-made safari and golf vacation in Tanzania.
Makasa organised a tour just as we wished, including a day of golf.
According to Murphy's law always something has to go wrong , but this time the law was not applicable.
Everything was perfect. Perfect organization, perfect guide (thank you Humphry), perfect weather (25 degrees and sunny), no mosquito's, no health troubles.
We saw everything we wanted to see (animals and yes, even the Oldupai gorge) and had a great last day of golf with Ngomi.
(For golf players: Safari and golf is a perfect combination. Who can say he/she played golf in Tanzania!).
US
Email Ruth | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Well Done & Memorable Trip
A safari trip has always been on my travel list (bucket list to some) and I must say that Makasa Tanzanian Safaris managed to wow me on my 9-day tour of Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. They not only booked my friends and I to see the best national parks but they had the most amazing Humphrey guide us on this adventure. I call it an adventure because we were never sure of what our surprise was going to be each day. From a herd of 20+ elephants crossing in front of vehicle to lions mating less than 30 meters away or a cheetah digging into his fresh caught kill, the sights just were breathtaking. Our trip was the smoothest from start to finish and the lodging selected in each of these areas were clean and comfortable. Maramboi tented camp was unique as it gave us the camp feel yet had all the amenities of a hotel. Both Sopa Lodges in Serengeti and Ngorongoro had unlimited views of the Serengeti Plains and the Ngorongoro Crater. Selma and her staff were very quick to respond to questions and handled bookings promptly. She and her family even took time to meet with us at breakfast in Moshi before sending us off on our journey.
All in all, they were very responsible and we felt well taken care of. I would recommend Makasa to anyone planning a safari in Tanzania.
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Email Myung | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Unforgettable Experience
Wow! Where should I begin to tell this incredible journey of my lifetime?
I am always cautious making online reservation for travel especially when it involves never visited countries thousands of miles away. I browsed so many Safari companies before selecting Makasa. I chose Makasa because the reviews were very positive and the photo of the Kamm family made me feel comfortable.
Thus, my husband, my son , my girlfriend and I began our journey to Africa for 9 days. When we arrived in Kilimanjaro airport the representative from Makasa was waiting with big smile, which made me feel relieved. We stayed one night at Kilimanjaro Lodge, which generates income for the girls school. The room was simple but clean and I was glad to know that by sleeping there, we were helping the school.
Next morning, we were on the way to adventures in Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
I could not express enough how fortunate we were to have Humphrey as our guide. I have travelled far and wide around the world but no one matched Humphrey. His extensive knowledge about animals and their habitat,, names of trees and flowers along the way amazed me. He regularly had us sit around the table after lunch giving us lectures about the ecosystems of national parks and Massai tribes and other important information about animals and their habits. After so many years of his same profession, he was still passionate about his work. I will never forget how excited he was when we saw a black rhino lumbering away on the plain. He was incredibly professional, courteous and humorous. He was never tired of answering our questions until the last minutes of our departure and actually he was happy that we wanted to know all about animals and trees. He also had an eagle vision and could spot animals from far away without a mistake. No animal escaped from his sight. My son challenged him that we would see 25 lions. We saw 57 lions.
Everyday was a surprise. We saw a cheetah feeding on its kill and 6 vultures and an eagle landing on the carcass.
We saw lions mating. We saw a leopard in a tree with its kill (a gazelle) dangling from the tree. We saw a pride of 11 female lions relaxing in a tree while the male lion and his mate rested nearby. We saw a black rhino. We saw hyena stealing a carcass from vultures while a black-backed jackal followed him.
In all, we saw the Big Five, the Ugly Five, and an ant lion, one of the Small Five.
The lodgings were superb. We stayed at Maramboi in Tarangire, and Sopa Lodges in Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
Every lodge had breathtaking views and the food was excellent.
Makasa made this all possible and I would not hesitate to recommend Makasa Tours to anyone planning a safari in Tanzania.
US
Email Debbie Wooldridge | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We just returned home after an outstanding safari experience with an extremely awesome tour guide!
My husband and I just returned from one of the best vacations we have ever experienced. Our safari adventure in Tanzania was outstanding from start to finish. The agenda for our trip was planned out based on outstanding recommendations and guidance from Selma Kamm. Her recommendations and help in booking this vacation was awesome! Each of the lodgings she helped me to select were unique, a perfect representation of the area and very enjoyable. The food was great at each place we stayed and the service was wonderful. Everything about the planning for this trip was well organized and well planned. I would highly recommend Makasa Tanzanian Safaris for anyone wanting an outstanding, professional and well organized safari experience.
What absolutely made our trip however; was our safari guide, Kaleby Macha. I cannot express how much he added to our experience. Being in the safari jeep with Kaleby was like bringing an entire crew from National Geographic along with us. His knowledge and the willingness to share with us about of the land, the tribes, the wildlife, and the vegetation is what truly made this experience so outstanding. He provided us so much information in such a meaningful way that I really feel like I truly have a deep understanding of Tanzania! Seeing the Big 5 was only part of what made this special - seeing the amazing birds, flowers, the people and all the other wild life and having a truly professional and fun guide to answer our questions is why I rate this entire experience so very highly!
Great tour company, great guide and amazing experience!! Thank you, Makasa!
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Email Jeff Mogab | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing adventure!
What an amazing trip. I cannot recommend Makasa enough. My wife and I went on a trip last summer, and we could not be happier.
First, the communication. I found that Selma was always helpful and informative. She responded quickly and helped us customize our trip to what we wanted. She made thoughtful recommendations and helped us figure out what was the best fit for us.
The accommodations were all memorable and wonderful. We stayed mostly in tented camps, and my wife was thrilled to be able to see zebras walking from the shower one evening. Truly a memorable experience.
But the best was the actual trip. The service from pick-up to drop off was top notch. We experienced the adventure we dreamed of. Our guide, Peter, was incredibly knowledgable about the wildlife and the plants, and really made the trip. He was kind, and interesting, and clearly well liked by the other guides and people in the industry. I cannot over emphasize how much of a difference he made to us enjoying our trip. We felt well taken care of, and he made an extra effort to find us animals that were not surrounded by safari vehicles already. His effort of searching rewarded us with watching two lionesses hunt, without any other vehicle in sight. Truly a wonderful man, and a terrific guide. Peter also worked hard to accommodate some of our requests for other things. He went and haggled for us at a market, and when we wanted to go on a hike, he found one for us to do.
One recommendation - Bring the biggest binoculars that you can. My wife and I brought small travel ones, but Peter let us use his large ones, and they made a huge difference.
Since coming home, I have recommended Makasa to friends and family who have seen our photos, and I sincerely hope that they go. If they have half the experience that we did, they will have an amazing trip.
Perhaps, the best I can say is, if my wife and I went back to Tanzania, we would go with Makasa again.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great 1st Time Safari
We went on a 6 day safari with Makasa to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Tarangire. Each park offered a great variety of animals, vegetation and it was great to experience the wildlife in their natural environment. From the first contact and planning to the final drop off after the safari, we can only praise Makasa. Selma was helpful in our planning, the price was reasonable, and our guide Kaleby, was very knowledgeable about all the animals, plant life and even birds. He also taught us about many cultural aspects of his native land. Given the time parameters for safaris and distances covered, we never felt rushed and approached each day with a sense of adventure as to what animals awaited!