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
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!
US
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.
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.
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.
US
Email Brandyn | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An absolutely perfect safari and trip through Makasa!!!!
Thank you Makasa for an amazing experience we will never forget! Selma, Ngomi, and the Makasa team did an absolutely wonderful job making this an absolutely perfect vacation! From our first contact planning and throughout the trip Makasa did a wonderful job. We greatly appreciated how helpful Selma was in customizing our trip to the locations and lodges we wanted to stay while also making recommendations she knew we would love. Tom was the perfect guide for our trip and he truly delivered in his very first statement, "you start out as our clients, and we end as friends!" We had such a fun vacation laughing together as we traveled, learning more about the animals, land, and culture, while being surrounded by the amazing beauty of Tanzania. Tom truly help make this the perfect trip of a lifetime and we look forward to another safari with Makasa in the future. While on Safari we met two other Makasa guides and they also were fun, friendly gentleman who represented the Makasa team well. Thank you Tom, Selma, and the Makasa team for the unbelievable experience my mom, daughters, nephew and I will never forget!!!
DE
Email Pieter&Aike | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfectly structured trip with an excellent skilled guide organized by a family business with heart
The safari trip was amazing. Everything was perfectly organized. The Lodges and Tented Camps were great and the service as well as the food exceeded all expectations. We saw allot of animals and different landscapes and stayed overnight in a Maasai hut. Our tour guide, who stayed with us for one week, was great and had an excellent knowledge of the animals, geographic and culture. The car was well equipped and we got lunch during all our trips. The people from Makasa were really nice and we were glad to meet them in person. We highly recommend MAKASA Tanzanian Safaris.
BE
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderfull safari with Makasa
We asked for a detailled ,personel safari for 4 adults and one child where the highlight should be "the migration" around Serengeti.
We got more than we asked.
Good lodges,driver,communication,services (airport),and value for money.
Thank you Selma.
ES
Email Daniel Lopes | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great time with Makasa
safari was amazing! The weather was great and game viewing was really nice
Makasa did a very professinal job! Strongly recomend them
NO
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.
Makasa
Perfectly arranged and organised by Makasa.
We (family of 4) enjoyed game drive through 3 parks and Serengeti plains, 7 days, great!
Not one glitch in the organisation by Makasa, from arriving at Kilmanjaro till our flight out of Dar Es Sallaam.