Ngekewa Tours and Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2021)
- Tour Types:
- Budget camping tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary (clients assist with camp chores)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $280 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email LC | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Either the reviews are fake or I was the one very unlucky customer.
The 7 days Serengeti/Wildebeest migration/Ngorongoro crater/Foot of Kilimanjaro trip that never was.
It turned out to be a 5 day safari with game drives only, so I am short of 2 days of activities. During that time no communication from the company.
No accommodation was booked for me while in the Serengeti so it was 3 days of genuine stress wondering where I would sleep. The driver tried many times to be in contact with the company to no avail. I couldn’t join another group that actually wanted to see the famous crossing as I could not have bore the cost and could not be in contact with Ngekewa safaris anyway.
After initially denying any wrong doing on their part and being told I would have to pay for accommodation myself in the park, I was finally contacted one day after being dumped at a hotel in Arusha as my final destination. I had to arrange and pay for an extra night as my trip ended abruptly and before planned.
By the last communication, compensation was going to be offered but apparently only if we met in person. Which I find strange and couldn’t happen since I was not around. Now which compensation? I will never know. A refund? I doubt that. A voucher? …will I ever use them again? Nope.
Since then, not a peep. And zero communication from the company’s director either.
I am not going on a campaign against them and you can decide for yourself but as far as I am concerned, I have wasted a month’s salary, never saw what I paid for and did a very expensive bunch of game drives I could have paid for a fraction of the price in the neighbouring countries. A once in a lifetime experience they have totally ruined for me.
So maybe I was super unlucky but I certainly cannot recommend them.
NO
Email Henriette K | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Didn't get what we payed for
Travelling with a friend we booked a 5N/4D safari, with the last day being a private day to Lake Natron. The guides was really good and knowledgable and we saw all the animals we hoped for and more!
So for the Lake Natron visit we spesifically booked a visit to a Masai Boma. Firstly, Lake Natron was a dissaponitment in itself and was nothing like the pictures (pink lake) and looked just like any other water. We saw a lot more flamingos in the other days on safari than here, where there was suppose to be so many. I know that you can't guarantee for wild life but it just felt like this was not a good time of year to go or maybe it was not the right spot? And finally we did not go the Masai Boma as the guide was not informed about this. We told him in the morning, but he later told us that he din't understand as he was not informed about this. We have complained to the office afterwards and they just blame the guide for this and have not responded to my follow up questions and comments. My brand new suitcase (USD0165 )was also broken during the safari and caused a lot of hassle for me for the rest of my trip. This is also ignored.
Email Atilyo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was really amazing
We starting researching safaris about a year before travel. Because of Covid, I'm so glad we chose Tanzania in the end.
We chose to work with Salim because he is a local Tanzanian with tons of experience. Be careful with the bigger outfitters, you won't get quite as personalized experience and it will cost more.
Salim had great communication from the beginning and answered all of my many questions patiently. We chose to do an 8 day safari, visiting Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorogoro Crater and the Serengeti. Our guide was a true expert with years of experience and spoke perfect English (which is helpful because they are explaining so much about the animals). Having a good guide is vital to a successful safari as you spend so much time with them.
If you're looking to save a bit of money, here are my tips.
The affordable lodging is the route we went (mid level) and it exceeded expectations. Don't fret about staying at a fancy lodge, you're barely there, and when you are, you are exhausted. Save your money. I would have been disappointed if we spent extra on a nicer lodge because often we were gone from the room from 7-6pm.
Also, 5-6 days is plenty. I have no regrets about doing 8 days, but if I was on a tighter budget, we would have been just as happy with shaving a few days off the trip. We figured it was a once in a lifetime experience, so why not, but we definitely could have saved one day, which would have been about a $750 savings.
Flying from the Serengeti, or to the Serengeti, depending on how your trip is planned, is worth the money, but you could do the drive and save quite a bit. Our flights were $800 and in hindsight, I would have suffered through the bumpy drive back to save the money. BUT if you get car sick or hate traveling for long periods, spring for the flights, it does save time.
Here are some things I wish we would have known that I felt the internet was misleading about.
The clothing.
Yes, wearing lightweight clothing is important as the weather does change rapidly. That being said, you are in a vehicle most of the time. I certainly wouldn't have dropped as much money as I did on "safari" clothes if I knew we were barely going to get out of the vehicle. Bring a variety of clothes but don't fret terribly about the color.
Game drive time.
Everyone told me we needed to be up and on the road at 5:30, 6 am. This isn't true. We didn't start any game drives before 7:30 and saw plenty.
Camera gear.
Yes, having a long telephoto lens definitely helps if you're a photography junkie like me, BUT, you do get fairly close to most animals. Unless you're an pro or semi pro photographer, a 70-200mm lens will do you just fine.
The ONLY con I really have is the food, which isn't necessarily a con, just something to prep for. Most places you'll go are fairly remote and the cooks have to do their best with what resources they've got. While all the food tasted great, it is a simple menu. The packed lunches are quite simple as well, so bring snacks if you're a picky eater. For the total cost of the trip, normally food would be more "gourmet" so just be prepared. Once you see the landscape and the villages, you'll understand the depths the camps go through to provide good, fresh meals.
We had a phenomenal time and if you're on the fence, BOOK it! Using a local guide with on the ground knowledge like Salimu is the way to go.
FR
Email Mouldi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very good quality/price ratio for a safari
The safari experience was globally good with Ngekewa. The guide/driver they have chosen was kind (his name is Kelvin), helpful and professional. We really enjoyed our safari with him and his assistant/cooker.
There are some missing things, like the tents' quality (we were excepting bigger and newer), and the first (public) camp site was poorly maintained (probably because it is public and free); the other camp sites we have been were very good though.
Globally the safari was awesome and at reasonable price.
Also, I want to give a special mention to the communication officer, Miss Lulu Christopher. Her communication service from A to Z was excellent. She has been efficient, helpful, patient and very attentive to our needs. That is priceless! (I personally shunned another tour because of their poor communication; a red flag to me).
I really recommend this agency. Besides, we noticed that Tanzanian people are really kind, helpful and respectful.
Email Mar | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lucas was a very good driver and guide
Over all it is a good company. The communication was not always that good. It made me frustrated sometimes.
Lucas our guide was very good, funny and likes joking. He made my trip absolute amazing!
DE
Email Frank the Bärliner | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good Safari!
The Safari all together was good, but I changed 3 times the group in 6 days, which is quite annoying in the end.
So I dont know, with which operator I was going exactly.
But in the end it worked out, saw what I like to see and the Game Drives, where good and successfull.
The god thing, different to Kenia, you do need to spot the animals, means like I'm used to it.
The comunicación was very good, you get allways a response If you ask something.
IT
Email Elena | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime!
A couple of months ago i was on a 7-day safari with Ngekewa Safari, and I can’t recommend them enough! As a solo traveler, I had some doubts before leaving, but Lulu from the office patiently answered all of my questions, putting me at ease from the start. Our guide, Mali, was amazing—knowledgeable, fun, and incredibly skilled at driving. We had so much fun camping, and thanks to Mali, I got to see all of the Big Five!
One thing to note is that Ngekewa Safari combines travelers with different itineraries, which is actually a great way to let everyone customize their trip. However, this approach requires a bit of flexibility. At times, it felt like we weren’t entirely sure if certain activities would happen as planned, but hakuna matata—everything turned out right in the end. Just be open to the experience, and you’ll have an unforgettable safari!
After the Safari my tour included one day in Moshi, in the rainforest, at the Chagga tribe coffee plantations. It was amazing to change scenery and i was guided by Sam, that was so nice and explained to me everything about his culture and plants.
If you’re looking for a safe, well-organized, budget friendly and thrilling safari experience, Ngekewa Safari is the way to go!
BE
Email Robendy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience
We had a wonderfull experience with Ngekewa Safari. Good communication, the program was excellent. Had e wonderfull experience. Would 100% recommand !!
KR
Email Jun | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and friendly operator
I initially chose this after seeing the course I wanted and the reasonable price. In spite of the fact that it may be troublesome, operator manager Lulu always replied about my detail questions by e-mail from few month ago friendly. So I was sure that I chose Ngekewa well.
The safari tour also perfect and I couldn't forget until the day I die. On the second day of the schedule, the guide changed from Barik to Mali, but everyone was professional and friendly. My couple was able to make so many memories by spending 5 nights 6 days with people of various countries. Not only we saw big 5 but we had unforgetable memories like a lot of night stars, the endless plane, sleeping with sounds of lions and hyenas, observing zebras around accommodation and fantastic beer with safari. All of this was really dreamy memories.
Thank you to my 'rafiki's for making fantastic memories. I miss you all!!
P.S. Thanks to Mali, I have a really rare experience, so Lulu seems to have to raise Mali's salary!😁😁
CA
Email Clementine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good communication - Nice lodges - Amazing guides
- Animals spotted (not a guarantee but it's always nice to know what you could see) : Rhino, monkeys (different species), wildebeest, buffalos, giraffes, cheetahs, lion (and a climbing one!), rhino (from far away), hyenas (from far away), flamingos, hippos, gazelles (different species), birds (different species), crocodile (very subtile), elephants, leopard, warthogs
- The guides : As I was travelling alone, I had 4 different guides. All of them were very nice and knowledgeable, it's kind of the russian roulette, I had a HUGE love for my last guide Mike (if you go with Ngeweka I really advice you to ask for him if he is available). He always chose the best spot for the pictures while respecting the animals, extended knowledge about the wildlife -animals and plants- and on our way to the game kept feeding me with info about the cities, the country, the culture etc... it was amazing and I would take him again without a doubt if I ever come back. Guides have good english, I met some that spoke very good french (i am french native).
- Joshua / The office : Always responding, great communication and answered all my questions. I had a little encounter with one of the group I was put with but after communicating with Joshua he found a perfect alternative for me. Very trustable.
- The lodges : The lodges in Serengeti were amazing, the hotels were nice too. I think it depends your budget ofc, I have seen better and worst lodges but for my budget I was very happy with it. In all of them, the service is AMAZING. People are really nice.
- The route : I did Tarangire twice, Ngorongo Crater (not like the pictures, it was cloudy but that's not something you can predict), Manyara Lake, Serengeti. For Serengeti, after talking to my last guide, I would advice to take more time there and go up north were apparently you do see amazing sceneries there. I did a game night as well as a air balloon one (highly recommend).
Overall it was my first time in Africa and first safari ever. Joshua answered all my concerns before coming, and was still reachable during the safari. I advice you to have your own data and not rely on wifi for emergencies (questions to Joshua for example during the day etc..). If you are travelling alone or by 2, I would highly suggest you to take a private guide for your safari. I didn't and ended up with a group in Serengeti (2 days) were there were some encounters. I switched to private for the last day and it was game changing - Joshua found the best guide ever and I couldn't have been more satisfied of that last day, best day of the entire trip. I would recommend Ngeweka with my eyes closed. I would however be more vocal about what I don't want before planning the safari now that I have experienced one so give in detail exactly what experience you are looking for and I am pretty sure Joshua will accommodate it.
