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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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.
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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.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing 3-week trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar!
We had three weeks to discover the beauty auf Tanzanian national parks and Zanzibar! From the beginning, we had a good feeling about Makasa which was confirmed in each step from the planning of the trip to the actual journey! The organisation of logistics was spotless. And we saw soooo many beautiful scenes, that it is difficult to say what we liked most! From a herd of elephants that we found ourselves surrounded by on day 1 of the safari, over cute little lions, cheetas, elephants and even a leopard baby, to observing a rhino mother with its - not so small - baby. We loved it! Our guide humphrey had a great feeling for what we wanted to see! And we were rewarded several times due to his skill of spotting animals without the help of walkie talkies that the big companies all use! We were so proud of him and it was great fun! :-)
Zanzibar was a relaxing last week and we truly loved the blue safari which allowed for relaxed swimming and dining far away from tourists. But the highlight of the trip was clearly the safari.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventure of a lifetime with Makasa!
Excellent communication and trustworthy travel agent in Tanzania! The benefit has been that we did not pay premium for the international travel agents, who use local Tanzanian companies anyway. We received value for money moving through Tanzanian Parks with a very nice, funny and knowledgeable Safari guide. What we have seen was truly unbelievable as we moved from Moshi with the views of Kilimanjaro to Tarangire through Manyara Lake and finally to Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Excited, we enjoyed vist of jackals and hyenas and elephant family in the camp, observing the full cycle of life in Serengeti and seeing the Big 5! That was a trip of the lifetime and we now plan to repeat Safari adventure with our children age 7 and 12.
We stayed in the mix of permanent lodges and tents and that combination gave as a fantastic mix of luxurious conditions and safari excitement of having wild animals as your neighbours! The two venues we will never forget were in Maramboi Tented Camp and Kati Kati Tented Camp, simply exceeded our expectations by bringing adventure to our life! Special thanks to the ladies in Kilimanjaro Lodge – service amazing, food even more amazing!
If we go to Tanzania again that will definitely be with Makasa! I have also recommend them to my friends and colleagues.
NL
Email Gerda en Paul | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fast and fabulous
Last minute is an understatement of our trip. Monday night we decided to travel to Tanzania, Wednesday night we arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Makasa managed to organize a fantastic trip within this short timeframe. Excellent service, very quick communication and a perfect itinerary. Because of our fast decision, the whole trip was a big surprise to us, but it met all our expectations. Accommodations were superb! One day we woke up close to Tarangire National Park with a fantastic view of zebras, warthogs and wildebeests roaming the landscape between our terrace and the hills at the horizon. The next day we slept in the middle of Serengeti, surrounded by hyenas and lions, roaring in the night. In Ngorongoro Conservation Area we spotted 2 rhinos, which completed our big 5 checklist. We have seen so many animals! Before and after the safari we took some time to relax and to visit some local villages. Despite their poverty, Tanzanian people are very friendly and we loved their hospitality. We hope to be back soon!
Email BrianR | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb safari, well planned and delivered. Extremely satisfied customers.
I thoroughly and unhesitatingly recommend Makasa. Selma listened to what we wanted, made some very good suggestions and tailored our trip to meet our needs. And then made changes in dates we wanted for us too. Communications were excellent - rapid replies to emails and even skype!. the service was faultless - everything worked perfectly. We had a variety of accommodation - tented lodge, mobile camp and hotels - all very differnt but all very good. it added to the charm and variety. Francis, our guide, was excellent. 'Eagle eyed' and brilliant at both spotting birds and wildlife - we are interested in birds as well as animals. He is extremely knowledgeable and informative, and has a good sense of humour. And he always got us a front row view of the everything. The highlight had to be our private viewing of the lions mating 10 meters from our car!!!!!
We thought this was probably the best holiday we have had. I cannot praise Selma, Francis and the staff at Makasa enough. I'm glad we chose them based on others reviews. (We did get quotes from 3 others too but they didn't come anywhere near Makasa in terms of personalisation or listening to what we asked for.) We've asked Selma for tips for a southern route safari - i wouldn't bother with anyone else after this experience. So in short, excellent people to deal and travel with, superb safari, good value for money. heartily recommended.
NL
Email Hein & Akkie Daams, the Netherlands | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professionals with a personal touch
The communication between the customer and Makasa is friendly and precise. Makasa manages the expectations with reality of mother Nature and have a very good choice of the accommodations.
We travelled for the third time with Makasa and again our guide David did a brilliant job. This time we did Tarangire NP, Ndutu, Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Our first goal was to experience the migration and calving season of the wildebeest. Lucky ones as we are, we did it on the border of Ndutu and Serengeti. Lucky ones. Overall again was this safari total different as the safaris before. Therefore our opinion is mother Nature has always her surprises.
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Email Carolyn H. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Experience!
Having experienced a tour to South Africa 2 years ago (safari, Victoria Falls, Cape Town), we knew we wanted to return for the "safari only" experience. We also wanted a private tour. From our first email to Selma, we knew we were in good hands. She responded quickly to every question and helped put our minds at rest when it came to wire transferring a fairly large amount of money to a bank in Africa that we knew nothing about! She helped us refine the trip to reflect our exact wants and needs. We chose to travel exclusively in Tanzania, visiting 5 parks. The entire trip went without a hitch, from being picked up at the airport, to being dropped off 14 days later. Our guide, David, was excellent; able to answer any question, great sense of humor, and a spectacular driver! He knows the parks so well, and tried to take to spots where everyone else was not, making for a much more private feeling. We saw every animal possible, including the requested python! He was always on time with a plan in mind for the day, stopping a thousand times for photo taking. The jeep was always clean at the start of the day (no small feat in a very dusty area). Our accommodations ranged from 3+ star to 5 and we were happy with all, with only a few minor issues. I would suggest looking online to see what you will be getting and change any you don't want. We decided on a combination of tents and lodges which was a wonderful experience. The staff at every one of them were incredible. To sum up, Makasa did an excellent job providing us with the safari trip we'd hoped for......quite the trip of a lifetime!