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
NL
Email Huib and Christina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream trip
It's been over three months since we have been on safari in Tanzania, we still think back almost every day with pleasure.
We started our trip with a visit to a coffee plantation. With much enthusiasm was explained to us the process from plant to coffee by a traditional coffee farmer. (We can start our own coffee plantation now!) Wonderful green area.
We visited Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
Serengeti National Park has made the biggest impression on us. The beautiful nature, many animals, the night at Kati Kati tented camp. Just imagine, waking up at night 3 o clock of the frolicking of gazelles around your tent. The moon was full so good view, unforgettable.
Our guide Tom has on a quiet way and with love for nature and animals, many of his knowledge shared with us. He has ensured that we have seen the "Big Five". We have experienced a lot of fun. Tom knows a number of Dutch words and he has done his best to learn us some Swahili words. Also his way of driving on bumpy roads was good, we have us no time felt unsafe.
Tip: do not forget your binoculars.
Selma from Makasa has mapped out for us a trip that perfectly fits our wishes. She responded quickly to the mail that we have sent and no question was too much for her. She also gives a good indication what to expect at the accommodation. In short, she knows where she's talking about and is genuinely interested in your wishes. During our trip we also have to contact her sought, even then she helped us very well.
Tip: Do not doubt the balloontrip, it is worth every penny.
We have also on Zanzibar very enjoyed and had a good time. Sandies Mapenzi Beachresort is beautiful, good food, good bed, friendly staff.
Makasa had arranged for our transfer from airport to resort. With the guide who took us to the resort, we made later two trips. Stone Town and the "Blue Safari". The "Blue Safari" was also a very nice excursion, for a reasonable price (similar to the beach boys there). This was all well organized.
Want to book a safari in Tanzania, Makasa is highly recommended.
Selma, Tom and all the others who made our trip memorable, thanks
Huib, Christina, Rinus en Addy
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experience!
The plan they made for us was excellent, we visited four national parks and saw lots of animals. In Ndutu we experienced the migration with the wildebeests and their calf's, as well as the zebra's with their fowls.
Communication with Makasa Tanzanian Safaris was very easy, fast replies and suggestions according to what we wanted.
The driver/guide was very professional, easy going, patient and informative.
Accommodations were what we expected. We had a great time!
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Email Charles A | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic photo safari with many outstanding photo opportunities
Makasa provided me with a memorable safari experience. Selma was always outstanding responding to my questions via e-mail and helping me develop the perfect safari based on what I wanted to see and the kind of accommodations I desired. She made many helpful suggestions, but she was always tuned in to my wishes.
The safari itself certainly was outstanding in every way. I was fortunate to have Ngomi as my guide, and I doubt there is a better, more knowledgeable guide in Tanzania. He and Kalebi, our driver, were outstanding in finding outstanding animal photo opportunities and made many helpful suggestions on when and how to get the "perfect" photo. I got many many photos of the "Big Five" in addition to many great photos of other animals and birds. Ngomi was always able to identify the animals and birds, including the scientific classification. And his eyesight is unreal -- he could spot a leopard tail in a tree or a black rhino 1000 meters away. I have nothing but great memories of my safari, and hopefully will be able to return for a follow-up; I know Makasa will help me plan the perfect second safari!
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!
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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.
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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 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.
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!).
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Email Kristin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best holiday ever, everything perfect organized
For many years I have been saving money for my dream of going to Africa. And this summer my dream came true! Thank you, Makasa, for making this the best holiday ever, a fantastic experience we will never forget. I don’t have enough words to describe how incredible an awesome our journey was.
We started in Olpopongi, very interesting to see how the Maasais are living and learn about their life and culture. When we arrived, they sang a welcome-song! I am so grateful for being introduced to these friendly people.
Our first safari-day was in beautiful Lake Manyara, and the first we met, were elephants! I love elephants, this was the moment of my life! The next days were in Serengeti, then Ngorongoro. We are very happy and pleased with all the accommodations. Endoro Lodge was especially luxurious, but all the lodges and tented camps were really nice. And the food! Excellent! Everywhere! And the lunch-boxes! So good! Dinner was especially nice in Kenzan tented camp, where they lit a fire, and placed the tables outside by the fire. Dinner under the star-lit African sky. So beautiful and magic.
The safari was amazing, seeing all these wild animals in close range, in their natural habitat. We have taken hundreds of photos, and I have written diary every day, so the memories will stay forever. Thanks to Makasa for the little gift; the note-books and pens! Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongora was all truly amazing! But if I knew how cold it would get, I would have brought warmer clothes. But we had a blanket, nice for early morning drives, so it was no problem.
Our driver, Kaleby (I called him Kaleb the whole time, sorry), was fantastic. He was so full of knowledge, knew everything! And kind, helpful and always in a good mood. I feel so lucky, we must have had the very best driver/guide.
Zanzibar was a paradise, a peaceful place to enjoy the sun and sea! Kilima Kidogo was really nice, good food and friendly staff. And a pool-table, the boys used that a lot! The teenagers were completely satisfied with everything, they have also had an experience of a life-time. Kilima Kidogo was resting, a life in slow-motion with no shoes or make-up for a week. Lovely.
We are very, very pleased with all of Makasa’s arrangements. Selma and Yohannes Ngomi met us at Kilimanjaro Lodge, and made sure that the lost suitcase was delivered along the route the next day. I like the concepts of Kilimanjaro Lodge (Mama Clementina Foundation) and Rhotia Valley, were tourist and tour-operators can help local projects by using the lodges.
Everything was just great. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful. Nothing could have been better. We are so damned lucky living in Norway, never have to worry about having enough food. Or water. We send our children to school without thinking about it, and never giving one thought to those who not are able to the same. I know we are privileged, but this was a good reminder about how lucky we are, and that we have a duty to help the ones that are less fortunate. It is useful for the whole family, especially the kids, to see with their own eyes the big difference between the Tanzanian life and the Norwegian.
Thank you so much! We are very pleased with Makasa, and will recommend you to everyone.
CH
Email Natalie Bold | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Super company! Super holiday!
We found Makasa via google amongst other tour operators. I contacted several of them (about ten) and Makasa was the fastest, most reliable and efficient in responding. Also, they were not only fast but to the point, they completely understood our needs and requests and wishes. We also skyped and Selma really took time to assure she understands us (family of four with two fairly young boys) in order to prepare our dream holiday. And what else can I say? She achieved it to the fullest!
We would also like to particularly thank our guide Victor who analyses very much how his customers are, what they want, what they like and (re-)acts accordingly. He was good fun too! I am sure there are many other good guides at Makasa but we were very happy with Victor.
I would also like to mention something "basic" which however is not always done by other companies: Makasa is one of the few that I have seen that never had any issue with the car. They service the cars like crazy!! Sounds norma, but it is not! We saw so many with punctures, shocks were gone or other things that can really ruin or at least delay your safari and you do not want that. It is as simple as that. So, we found that Makasa was slightly more expensive than others, we also found it was worth it to the last penny, because it meant safety, security, efficiency, reliability and above all a great holiday. Thank you Selma and Victor!