African Chitah
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- IATA & TALA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
TH
Email Nongyao | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unprofessional and thoughtless safari operator.
For anyone thinking about using African Chitah for their Tanzanian dream Safari I would think twice. Below are some of the highlights, or I should say "lowlights" from our recent safari in Tanzania.
1) When we arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport there was no one there to meet us. After a half day of flying, to emerge from the airport with luggage in hand and no one there to meet us was most disconcerting. The driver did finally arrive 20 minutes later, but this was 20 minutes of un-necessary anxiety. The driver apologized with the excuse that there was "traffic." While that may have been true, there were literally hundreds of other tour operators at the airport holding placards with their guest's names. Why did these hundreds of other operators manage to arrive on time but not our driver?
2) On the first day or our tour, the driver arrived at our hotel very early. He asked us to finish our breakfast quickly as there were three other groups to pick up. When we arrived at the first pickup the driver asked us to sit in the car while he retrieved the guests. After 20 minutes no one returned. I found the driver waiting in the lobby and asked him what was going on. He told me that these other guests were still eating breakfast. I explained to him that this was not a private tour and we were sitting in a hot car waiting while someone else was casually eating their breakfast. He told us he would go and get the other guests and I returned to the car. Another 10 minutes passed and still no one had returned. I returned to the lobby and found the driver still sitting in the lobby. I then insisted that he come with me and get the other guests which he finally did. If I hadn't been so insistent, who knows how long I would have been sitting in the hot car while the other members of the group tour casually enjoyed breakfast and coffee. And he didn't even apologize for this at all.
3) Twice we were given hotels of noticeably lower quality than what we were promised on our itinerary. If we had been equivalent quality hotels it would not have been an issue. However, when we complained to the company about this they utterly dismissed our complaints. They did not offer to change the hotel to one of similar quality nor did they offer us a refund. While it may not have been the operator's intention, the outcome left us with the feeling that we had been hoodwinked in a "bait and switch" scheme.
4) The vehicle appeared to be noticeably older than those of other companies. We spent 20 minutes having to repair the door as it would not open properly.
Given the above I would normally give "1" star. I have generously given "2" stars due to the quality of our driver Steven. He was knowledgeable and helpful and went above and beyond to make sure that all the guests had an enjoyable safari experience. And perhaps most importantly, he was a skillful driver which cannot be discounted given the challenging and punishing terrain and roads.
SE
Email Kevin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari Experience!
We had the greatest experience on the safari with African Chitah! Our guide, Amani, was amzing at finding the wildlife, putting the jeep in great position to take photos and anticipating the actions of the wildlife.
The accomadation and meals were also great and exceeded our expectations.
The safari was the highlight of our trip and while we were aprehensive of the cost, at the end we were very happy with the value! I would recommend African Chitah to anyone!
PT
Email Lau | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing
The safari was really amazing and cannot describe how special how it was the experience.
Midian helped us a lot all the days.
Email Luke | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ticked off the big 5 and the Ugly 5!!
Median made it super easy to book online and was always available for any questions we had. Macha our guide and driver was phenomenal in terms of experience and knowledge. Got to see all the big 5 and the ugly 5 with him so couldn't recommend him enough! The 4 day safari experience itself was amazing and getting to see the natural side of Tanzania was a dream come true.
NL
Email Wim | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very accommodating, just beware of potential downsides to group safaris
African Chitah came out as the best option for joining a two day group safari to Tarangire and Ngorongoro: they were the cheapest option and willing to accommodate a request for a specific lodge at the edge of Ngorongoro. They were very helpful and communicative in arranging a rented camera and dealing with issues that came up (e.g. the road to my lodge was so muddy that our car got stuck). The “group safari” setup (or join safari as they call it) is quite intriguing: clients from different companies seem to be put together in an intricate logistical puzzle that involves separate drivers for transfers from town (in normal cars) and safari guides. I liked that it makes efficient use of resources, but it also has its downsides. The focus on efficiency gave me the impression that the guides chose routes through the parks that were more fuel-economic, like when we spotted an elephant in Ngorongoro and the driver didn’t want to make the detour despite everyone in the car asking for it. The safari cars were also clearly older and for some reason didn’t have the radio to hear from other drivers where wildlife was spotted. On my way from Arusha I was taken by two different drivers and then handed over to the guides at the central gathering point (Panorama), who were not informed about the specifics of my itinerary and initially wanted to change my specifically requested hotel - which had been the primary reason I booked with Chitah. When I protested they quickly accepted this and accommodated the schedule as planned - but it does mean you need to stand up for yourself and be a bit vigilant that things go as planned and everybody knows where you’re supposed to go. Another downside is that there’s more waiting time involved. In the morning there’s a breakfast as clients gather (even though I had breakfast already), and after tarangire I had to wait at a gas station for over an hour for some other clients who also needed to go to Arusha, because their safari - in the same park! - was still ongoing, which felt a bit like I had drawn the short straw in terms of how much safari time I got.
All in all the experience was pretty good, we got to see some great animals, but it is good to be mindful of how the group safaris are organized.
DE
Email Claudia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour operator with quick response and answers all questions
This 4 day safari was an amazing experience for us. All our answers were answered with quick response and we have been well taken care of. The accommodations were very nice and luxury as well as clean and the food was very delicious.
The driver went beyond his way to make this an amazing experience for us and succeeded.
We definitely can recommend this and want to do another safari with you guys.
US
Email Catory | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome experience and Very knowledgeable
My family and I (3 adults and 3 kids) selected African Chitah Safaris based on previous reviews online. Midian and his team did not disappoint!!! Our adventure was only 5 days on mainland Tanzania, but our guide Lucas and driver James made the best of it during our tour to Materuni Waters, coffee making tour, Masai Village Tour, and the amazing Arusha Heritage Cultural Museum. They picked us up everyday from the lovely Melia Gran Arusha Hotel. The most amazing adventure was the 2-day / 1-night Safari to Tarengire National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Park where we saw 4 of the big 5 and many other animals. As for as prices, African Chitah offered lower prices, but the service was superior. Would highly recommend your choose Midian and his team. You will not be disappointed!!
He was well informed, reliable, trustworthy and sincerely committed to make the trip remarkable.
African Chitah is an extraordinary company with people who are trustworthy, well informed, experienced and great hosts. They organized our trip ( 5 day Safari to Serengeti, Tarangire Parc, lake Manyara Parc and Ngorongoro Crater) excellently with outstanding accomodation and were very helpful with fulfilling extra wishes, e.g. sight seeing Arusha, a birthday cake...We were very well looked after every day of our visit even before and after our booked trip.
IT
Email Elena | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic!
My boyfriend and I went on a 4-day midrange group safari organised by the company African Citah. The tour was amazing, we visited the Tarangire park, Serengeti and Ngorongoro (my favourite!). The lodges and tents where we stayed were amazing, food was very good and all the people were extremely friendly and helpful. Midian, the organiser of our tour, was very responsive and nice. A special mention should go to Omar, our driver for the game drives. He has been the perk of our tour! So engaging, funny and such an experienced driver! We saw all the animals we wanted to see (including hyaenas banqueting on a zebra), the very rare leopard and quite a few lions! He was always willing to go the extra mile to make us see more animals and meet our expectations. On top of that, he's got such a contagious laugh, we had so much fun together. We loved every day on our safari and highly recommended African Citah to anyone!
DE
Email Glenn | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flexibel and customizable
Was an awesome and wonderful experience and adventure. Highly recommend to invest more in the accommodation because the way and where you sleep makes a huge difference to you overall experience. Better sleep good.
