Kilipath African Safari
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2022)
- Member Of:
- TALA & AITA
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Kristi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Attentive
The booking process was very easy and Judith was helpful and flexible throughout. Our guide Hamza was knowledgeable and funny, and made sure we were well taken care of. Overall a great experience!
DE
Email Anna Zielinska | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I recommend you go for another agency!
We (my sister and myself) were discussing what score would be the most appropriate here.
We were hesitating between 1 and 2.
And eventually decided to evaluate our experience with Kilipath for one star.
Pity but we couldn’t have found any positive aspect of our most anticipated trip.
I started browsing safari options a bit more than 1 month before our journey to Tanzania. I sent out several inquiries and eventually decided for Kilipath that was able to accommodate my requests quite promptly.
My contact with Judith (coordinator) was efficient. She was very responsive. I was really amazed by how quickly she agreed to embrace my ideas and come up with a satisfactory itinerary.
But it turned out that this quick agreement has its own price…
Once she confirmed she can accommodate all my requests, I paid the required deposit (20% of the full price) and I was happy I finally got it sorted.
The day before the planned start of our North safari, we flew from Dar es Salaam and very late in the evening landed on the Kilimanjaro airport where we have been picked up by Judith and then we headed to Arusha.
We were extremely tired.
The very first thing Judith told us was that our itinerary has been changed and instead of visiting Tarangire Park first we’ll be traveling to Serengeti Park (that is much farther) and Tarangire was put at the end of the trip (not logical at all since Tarangire is the closest destination from Arusha). She said it has been requested by the rest of the group (it was a joining safari). I know the logistics is tough & tight and the accommodation bookings and also parks’ permits need to be managed in advance. However the fact she didn’t tell us that asking for our consent was outrageous. She changed the plan without our approval. She decided on our behalf that is in my opinion unacceptable.
The second info she provided us with was… a tipping guidance. She said it’s expected to tip everyone, including herself (!!!) 10$ per PERSON per day (sic!). That was too much for us.
We know what are recommended tips in Tanzania and 10$ are always appreciated as an amount per group and not per person, especially that there were only two of us (not a big group at all).
At this very moment I got speechless and stopped being chatty.
She also told us that we need to pay for breakfast in our hotel in Arusha (accommodation provided by the agency).
The next day we have been picked up by our “guide” (quotation mark on purpose; explained in another review) and realized there were two other people with us, so only the four of us were going to travel.
It turned out the agenda was changed on request of some other people who were supposed to participate in the safari, but they didn’t show up (either their flight has been cancelled or they missed their flight).
So the agenda was adjusted to people who eventually didn’t take part in the safari and all other people who were traveling were forced to go for it although no one was happy with that.
Another thing was that we were put into a safari group organized by another agency (not Kilipath) and we also haven’t been notified on this; needless to say: asked for our consent. Just shocking.
About the other agency we were on safari with (Serengeti African Tours) I posted a separate review.
This was our first joining safari experience in Tanzania and we didn’t realize that some definitions used by Kilipath in the quote we got (with the detailed plan of the safari) was very ‚tricky’ or better said: misleading.
Later (after another, private safari) when we realized how safari logistics looks like (or should look like, at least), we found some very weird terms in our Kilipath quote, e.g.: ‚transfer game drive’.
There is ‚a game drive’ (driving at a slow pace when you can find animals and observe them) and there is ‚a transfer’ where you are heading to another destination (a normal driving at a normal speed, so: no way you can contemplate animals, because you’re in hurry to reach next place).
There is ‚a game drive’ and there is ‚a transfer’. There is not such a thing like ‚a transfer game drive’! Be aware and cautious! Read your quotes very carefully before agreeing on anything!
Our safari (led by another company) was also a very unfortunate affair (I wrote another review that points out its reasons).
After second day in Serengeti we were so sour, disappointed, angry or even furious that we were considering dropping the safari and asking for a partially refund from Kilipath. Really. Eventually did Kilipath offer a 50$ refund which we declined.
To Kilipath: please do not take advantage of the fact you’re local (in a bad or even in a nasty way). Although we are outsiders, we see things and can easily and quickly realize if someone is trying to cheat on us.
I don’t recommend Kilipath at all. Very poor customer service.
I never gave that low score to anyone.
I tried to mention all the aspects of our experience and explain why we didn’t enjoy it, hence the length of the review
FR
Email Thomas et Aurélie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
listening and always ready to answer our questions with a lot of kindness thank you judith and Assou
excellent value for money. We were accompanied by Judith our organizer who did everything to make us feel good. She and our guide Assou were very kind and a perfect pair for us. Indeed we felt among friends and safe with Assou who was the best at finding all the animals for us and responding to all our requests. a dedication also to judith who prepared a birthday meal for us in the middle of the Ngonrogoro crater. thank you Kilipath who made our safari an extraordinary experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives. It would never have been possible without Judith and Assou, thank you too.
CZ
Email Martin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour operator!
Kilipath African Safari was great tour operator. Everything was great....communication, accommodation etc.
Our driver was friendly and helpful.
He was always trying to get us as close as possible to animals. I can recommend Kilipath African Safari to other travelers.
You will be in good hands.
DE
Email Melly | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
greatest experience
We booked the four-day tour and we really enjoyed it. Everyone was very friendly and we learned a lot. The food was very good and we are really happy with everything. Everything went smoothly and we had no problems. We would book again and again. Thank you for everything!
DE
Email Jason | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent
If you want to enjoy a great experience you can enjoy more pleasure. The organization was great, the guides were great and also the food. we saw so many animals. It was wonderful
US
Email Victor K | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable company and great service.
Even though I booked with Kilipath, they didn't collect enough people for the dates, and arranged me on arrival with another company, Meru Slopes. They had similar itinerary, and I joined their group. I realized that in a wildlife safari, the driver is the key to seeing the most interesting scenes. The driver, Mohammed, seemed to have a divine support, he knew exactly where and when to go to see the liveliest encounters. Thanks to the driver and his experience, we witnessed wilderbeest migration stretching as fas as the eye can see, a pride of lions with a kindergarten of cubs, a jaguar calling her baby out of the bushes and guiding it to a safe place, lionesses having an early breakfast after the hunt, and endless zebras and gazelles among other things, all in the enormous vastness of Serengeti. At the end, I felt greatly rewarded.
IT
Email Camilla | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent group Safari
We had a really good group Safari. We saw all the big fives. We stayed at budget camping, the places where we stayed were all very nice except for the second night in Serengeti (very bad bathrooms at the camping).
Thanks to our guide David that found all the animals and thanks a to our chief Mathew for the delicious food he made for us. I suggest Kilipath Safari!
NO
Email Magnus | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experience in every way
Truly amazing safari. We (Norwegian couple in our 30’s) booked a 4-day/3-night safari in central Serengeti, flying from Zanzibar via Arusha to Seronera Airstrip. We got offers from a couple of other companies as well, but settled on Kilipath because they made an itinerary that fit well with what we wanted for an acceptable price. They were also quick to reply to any questions.
Communication before the safari, through e-mail and WhatsApp, was without fault. Always quick and helpful replies. The lady from the office - Judith - followed up very well every step along the way, including a quick meet and greet on our way back from the safari. Impeccable service and very pleasant to deal with.
Our driver-guide Gelasius was present at the Seronera airstrip when we arrived. The car was clean and comfortable, and there was plenty of water and other drinks available. Our driver-guide seemed very knowledgeable, had a plan for every day and still adjusted quickly to whatever preferences we expressed. Genuinely nice guy.
Perhaps most importantly, we saw every animal we hoped to see and more. We got up close and got both good views and good pictures, but without scaring animals or ever feeling uncomfortable. We were likely somewhat lucky, but to me it's also obvious that we were in good and competent hands throughout.
The camp we stayed at was also very good. Excellent service, good food and a comfortable and well-equipped tent. We slept well and got the most out of our days in the Serengeti in every respect.
I would, without any reservations, recommend Kilipath safaris to a friend - or anyone else.
DE
Email Chris | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice Tour for Safari Starters
The Safari was our first and well organized. The contact from killpath was always available and very kind. We booked The 3 day basic camping Trip. I enjoyed The crater much more since in serengeti by that time in October it's lots of dry grasland and it's more difficult to find the animals and its a long and tiring drive. When they are found, almost all cars gather around them, kinda like in a zoo. Because of that, I would do it again but around January or Feburary and with one more day in Serengeti to get more North. But we still saw lots of animals with a really good view and our driver was reallly nice! The camping was in total okay. The food was good and we had enough water for all. I would recommend bringing a pillow and own toilet paper with you since that was missing.