Serengeti Smile Team
Serengeti Smile
- Office In:
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 2020)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board & AMREY Flying Doctors Insurance
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $90 to $300 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
FI
Email Matti&Kaija | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A good young agency
There are many safaris available in Africa, and it is difficult to choose from. Finally our safari selection was Serengeti Smile's 8-Day Great Migration Tour - Mara River Crossing at the turn of September and October. We greatly enjoyed this interesting safari. Our guide Mussa showed us a lot of different animals.
We booked at the last minute, but despite this, the accommodations were of a high standard. Special thanks to Emmy from the agency who always answered my questions very quickly.
Apparently, the timing was not ideal. During the day, the temperature rose to 35 degrees and fell during nights to 15 degrees, but the first rains of the beginning of the rainy season had already drenched the road tracks into mud and filled the Mara River into a flowing stream.
If you are also looking for something negative about the week, long journeys on shaky roads in poor condition come to the fore. In any case, we can warmly recommend Serengeti Smile and this safari.
CN
Email Barbie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Serengeti Smile is awesome! John is awesome!!!
I recently had the pleasure of booking a safari trip with Serengeti Smile and I highly recommend them. From start to finish, everything was handled seamlessly. They responded to my emails in a timely manner and accurately booked my hotel rooms and safaris.
But what really made the trip was our driver and tour guide, John. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the local plants, animals, and birds, and was always happy to answer any questions we had. He even taught us some local songs! Thanks to his expertise, we were lucky enough to witness some amazing wildlife sightings, including wildebeests crossing mara river, lion hunting, and crocodile hunting. We were even at the best spot for lion hunting, the nearest among a dozen of cars, and were the first to find three male lions sleeping.
Overall, I had an incredible experience with Serengeti Smile and would strongly recommend them to anyone looking to book a safari trip in Tanzania. Thanks again to John and the team for making this trip so memorable.
Email Qi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good and reliable safari service
We have done a few safaris in Tanzania and did one more when our son and his girlfriend visited us in September. I have contacted several companies for quotes, including two we have used in the past. Finally, we have chosen Serengeti Smile because three reasons: (1) Albert, the owner and manager with whom I am in contact, is knowledgeable and responsive to all my inquiry; (2) The quote I got is reasonable; and (3) a friend we know who had a safari recently highly recommended this company. We had a short 3.5 days safari and had a schedule problem due to cancellation of my son's original flight and delay caused by changing of the flights. Albert and our tour guide/driver Gama handled the change of the schedule very well. The promptly rearranged our schedule to maximize our activities. They also returned the money for park tickets and guide fees for the activities that cannot be made. The camps and hotels Serengeti Smile chosen are very good and in the medium to high range. They are at excellent locations, have clean and adequate facility, and provided good food. Gama is a responsible tour guide and driver. He was very pleasant to work with and made the best effort to take us to see the wonderful wildlife in Tarangire NP. We had an excellent safari experience with Serengeti Smile and would recommend it to others who want to experience Tanzania but do not want to break his/her bank.
LU
Email Edin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very responsive, friendly and flexible.
The tour operator was always available to answer any questions prior and after the booking. The highlight of the tour was definitely the Serengeti, where we were lucky to see a lot of the wild cats such as lions, leopards & cheetahs. Our guide was knowledgeable and attentive to us. He made a great effort for us to see as much as possible. The accommodations were great, comfortable with friendly staff great food. Only the lunch boxes could have been more varied. Overall, we had an excellent experience on the tour and we can say that the tour was a good value for money.
US
Email Li from Nothern Virgina | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent trip
Serengeti Smile customized our trip to fit in the short time (three days) we have and adjusted the trip within constraints to accommodate the delayed flights of our group members from the U.S. due to the weather condition. It is very responsible and did everything they can to accommodate us. Our guide Gama Said did a great job to show us the wonderful wild animals in Tarangire. We liked very much the camp Tarangire Safari Lodge. Perched by a cliff, it provides a breathtaking panorama view of the valley and Tarangire river. It is also close to safari drive.
DE
Email Michael K. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional safari operator who organised a tour for us according to our wishes at a good price
The owner (Albert) communicates very quickly and obligingly on every request and at almost any time of the day or night.
We made a five-day safari (four nights) in the middle range with Serengeti North, Serengeti Central and Lake Manyara NP.
As time was short we opted for an early morning flight from Arusha to Serengeti North, so that the safari could start in the Serengeti just one hour after take-off from Arusha. Including the flight, the package was available for US$ 2,080 per person for three travellers. That was unrivalled value for money.
As mid-range accommodation was no longer available, there was an upgrade to the luxury segment for one night at the expense of the operator. Money transfers from Germany, which we still arranged from Tanzania (from Zanzibar), arrived at the organiser in two days.
The guide (Baraka) arranged by Serengeti-Smile was not only friendly and personable, but also had great knowledge and an excellent sense of tracking down the entire animal spectrum (including the Big Five). We were also lucky enough to witness the great migration from an impressively close distance.
Email Toni | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable and responsive.
We were a bit nervous about using a recently-established company, especially as pricing was competitive and some reviews weren't convincing. We got back from our holiday yesterday and I thoroughly recommend Serengeti Smile; it was the holiday of a lifetime.
Albert responded to our 59 questions promptly and politely! Requested changes to our itinerary were incorporated without fuss.
Our safari guide, Kisali, was knowledgeable, good-humoured, punctual and responsive. If he didn't know something, he would find out. Kisali was a great driver, not something I'd really thought about in advance but I was very glad of it as some guides from other companies did not seem to be so. Kisali knew the landscapes and roads like the back of his hand. Impressive since we covered hundreds of miles, from Arusha, through Tarangire, Central Serengeti, up to Northern Serengeti and the Mara River crossing and all the way back through Ngorongoro Crater to Dar Es Salaam.
Food was fantastic; we loved all the accommodation.
After our safari, we spent a few days in Zanzibar. Guides, drivers, hotels- everything happened on time and was great.
Well done, Serengeti Smile.
PL
Email Kasia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience with Serengeti Smile and our guide Champion!
We spent a wonderful time with our guide Champion, who is not only a super expert in tracking animals but also easily navigates the difficult, bumpy roads of Tanzania's National Parks. We felt taken care of by him all the time. We saw not only The Big Five but also many wonderful birds! Tanzania’s nature is amazing. An overnight stay in the Serengeti Park is a wonderful experience. The accommodations offered by Serengeti Smile exceeded our expectations. It was great and it's a pity it was only 5 days :)
CN
Email Roger | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing experience with John, who knows every animal and plant, and see everything we wished for
John from Serengeti Smile gave us an amazing 8-day safari experience in Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, we have seen everything we wished for, including a massive Mara river crossing, lion hunting on the front row, cheetah, rihino and so much more!
Email James Duggan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Authentic company that combines local expertise with a family welcome.
Our booking experience was simple and straightforward. Albert at Serengeti Smiles was very responsive and helped us tailor our safari experience. Payments were easy to make.
We opted for a five day safari covering Tarangire Safari Park, Ngoro ngoro crater, Northern Serengeti and Central Serengeti. It meant some longer connecting transfers but allowed us to see a wider variety of terrains. We also opted to include a hot air balloon ride.
Our safari guide was Max Ayo. We could not have asked for a better person to share our safari experience. We were collected promptly from our hotel by Max and we instantly felt at ease. Originally from Arusha, Max was able to share both local and safari knowledge.
Within the safari parks, Max was eagle-eyed and spotted things we would have missed. He was able to give us fascinating facts about the animals that we saw. He also seemed to know everyone and used his connections to stay on top of recent sightings.
While there are no guarantees about what you will see on safari, having Max played a huge part in us seeing the Big 5, a cheetah chase a buck, hyenas fighting over scraps and a crocodile take a wildebeast.
All of the accommodation provided was very comfortable, and provided a nice variety with a mix of lodges and camp sites. Dinners were filling and offered good variety. Packed lunches were provided by the previous night’s accommodation. They were simple but tasty.
Overall, we would whole-heartedly recommend Serengeti smiles. They provided excellent value for money and in Max, we made a new friend.
