IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stev was a very good we all preached him for every thing
Steve was an excellent guide, our lifesaver. We truly appreciate him and his work. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything we wanted, with lots of extras! Thanks, Levis.
Thank you, Hallmark Travel Planners – Levis- for a fabulous Safari Vacation. As you know, we were nervous to use an online travel agency, but your certifications, experience, emails, and phone calls helped us secure a safe transfer of funds, and confidence in using your African owned, African managed company. The itinerary you planned for us was everything we wanted it to be, with lots of extras.
Based upon what we wanted to see, you packaged several of your tours together for us. The two drivers you chose for us were Wonderful! Richard in Kenya, and Fred in Tanzania, rate as the Best Drivers Ever! Their passion for the park and animals was obvious every day. They obviously were alert constantly to our safety, while at the same time they knew how to find and identify animal, birds, plants, history, geography, and trivia. Truly, we could almost adopt them and make them part of our family.
One word applies to all the accommodations you chose for us: WoW!
Zebra Plains Royal Mara Camp at Masai Mara.
Luxury View Safari Camp in Serengeti.
Baobab Tarangire Camp.
Farm of Dreams Lodge near Lake Manyara.
Neptune Pwani Beach Resort in Zanzibar.
We are so glad you suggested we increase our budget in order to allow these accommodations. They were a fun, beautiful, unexpected luxury at the end of a dusty day. All of them served wonderful hot food, some buffet, some made-to-order. The beds were comfortable. The spacious rooms sparkled with clean linens, clever bathrooms, and beautiful décor. We really enjoyed each location, especially the tented camps.
For others that may read this review, we asked for a 3 week visit to Africa. We made it somewhat complicated by wanting to visit Victoria Falls before a Safari in the Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, and Lake Manyara. Those sites are 3,000 km apart, so we spent a total of 5 ½ days on transfers by either road trip or air. Even though each individual road trip was 4-6 hours, it was interesting because of the peek at Africa towns and culture. We spent a total of 7 full days on Safari in the several parks, and 3 full days at the beach resort in Zanzibar. We toured Victoria Falls by helicopter, floated in a balloon over the Serengeti, and ate dinner on a sunset cruise watching elephants play in the water. The only thing we would eliminate is the overnight at Lake Victoria. We thought there would be an opportunity for bird watching, but it wasn’t what we expected. The Serenity on the Lake Lodge, however, was fabulous with an amazing garden setting, so the detour still added value to our total trip. One thing that made our travels simple was that almost everything was reserved and prepaid through Hallmark Travel Planners. This arrangement eliminated stress about credit cards, reservations, overbooking, and details. We just trusted the process, and step by step, there was someone to direct us to the next step of our adventure. Levis gave us a heads up, and detailed list of the cash we would need for various cash-only expenditures like border crossings and fees. We also used online advice about other cash requirements such as tipping, although we wish we had planned for the high end of those budgets. Each hotel and driver exceeded every standard of service in every way.
Our vehicle was a custom built Safari Jeep. The roof was raised each day in the parks so we could stand up to view the animals and scenery. We traveled with all the windows open for maximum air and view, and contended with very little dust. Of course, we were there in late October 2025. The grass was short. The views were long. The animals were everywhere. The other tourists were few and far between. The jeep had six seats, but we were the only two passengers. Truly, this is the way to go. It may cost a bit more than a group tour, but the autonomy is worth every penny.
What did we see on Safari? Thousands upon thousands of animals: Lions. Cheetah. Leopard. Rhino. Elephants. Giraffe. Zebra. Wildebeest. Wart Hog. Baboons. Monkeys. Hippos. Crocodiles. Endless four footed “Bovidae”. Please note, in October, we had very few insects.
We added more than 40 different bird types to our Life Time Bird List, including a Schalow’s Turaco.
Did we have any gliches on our journey? Well, of course. That is part of Life and Travel.
Every gliche, however, has a solution. When our luggage failed to arrive at 2 am in Nairobi, Levis met us at the airport the next day, ready with several solutions. Also, when the hot water failed to heat at one of the tent camps, the staff was immediately attentive to the problem. When air travel was delayed, the hotel staff was ready to re-admit us for extra nights if necessary. Thank you to everyone for excellent service.
We highly recommend for other travelers to plan their Africa visit using Hallmark Travel Planners.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very professional safari tour company and guide - would 100 perecent recommend
A very big thank you to Naurey and the Lion King team for arranging our safari tour in Tanzania and our 4 days of relaxation on Zanzibar.
We had a fantastic holiday and appreciate all your efforts in making our trip so memorable.
Our safari guide Goody was such a lovely man and a super guide, he had fantastic knowledge of all the wildlife and was extremely respectful of the animals' welfare. Six days in the jeep were six incredibly special days, we saw all the animals we could hope to see, and Goody went above and beyond to ensure we had a super memorable holiday.
Naurey took care of all the bookings behind the scenes, every hotel we wanted and the room type we requested was delivered, all transfers were arranged and on time.
We were initially unsure about booking a tour directly with a company in Tanzania, rather than booking through a UK operator, but it was definitely the right choice and we would have no hesitation in recommending Lion King Adventures for a perfect safari - thank you very much.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a life time!
Flying into the Serengeti on a 10 seater plane and being greeted by some Zebra on the runway was the prefect start to our Safari! This tour is prefect for first timers (like us) we managed to see all of the big 5 over the 3 days.
We did the luxury accommodations and they were an absolute highlight of the package, staff couldn't do enough for us and the rooms were amazing. Food options were pretty good and they made some special cakes/arrangements for our honeymoon :)
We even heard lions roaring all night from our room!
As for the tour itself the guide was very knowledgable and easy going. He was happy to talk about all things Tanzania and didn't get annoyed by our 1000 questions everyday. (or at least didnt show it LOL)
It should be noted that there is a lot of driving between the parks up to 6 hours some of the days. If i were to go back I would do all 3 days at Serengeti and relax :)
Although the price is a lot of money I do think this once in a life time experience is worth it, the company takes care of booking all flights and hotels all you have to do is show up and enjoy.
Thank You Bwanana team
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A fantastic experience.
A fantastic experience. Great organisation. Very personal. All questions were answered and every issue was resolved. The only thing we underestimated was the driving time — in reality it took longer because of the many potholes. Tailor Made Safaris truly lives up to its name! Highly recommended!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Congenial, informative, pleasant, and helpful.
Amazing, very well coordinated, on time for everything but also flexible when we needed more time. Helpful in getting us taxis as well. They think of everything, you never have to worry.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beautiful experience
We had a fantastic experience at Selous Mapumziko Lodge. When we arrived we were greeted by a group of passing Elephants between the river and the lodge.Baboons and monkeys walk around and the sunsets are amazing. We arranged a jeep safari and a boat safari with the lodge and they were both great, we saw a lot of animals and were lucky, because the park is huge and there is a change you get disappointed and won't see the animals you would like to see, it is nature of course. The material used waa a bit older but managed.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent.
Our safari experience in the Amboseli National Park was absolutely phenomenal from start to finish! We were so pleased with the entire trip. The communication from the very beginning with Abigail, our tour manager, was clear, prompt, and incredibly helpful.
Our guide and driver, Chris, was exceptional. His knowledge was incredible; he could spot wildlife that we would have completely missed and explained animal behaviours in such an engaging way. Thanks to his expertise and dedication, we saw pretty much everything there was to see in the park, including massive elephant herds and even a couple of unexpected lions! More than that, he was a genuinely friendly and personable guide and his passion for the animals was contagious.
We highly recommend this company.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A once in a life time adventure that was made truly special. Brilliant from start to finish
From making the initial enquiry to being returned to the airport we were provided with an exceptional level of service. A 6 day safari adventure starting at the Tarengire National park followed by 3 days in the Serengetti before a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater and concluding at the Lake Manyara National park the abundance of wildlife will be in our memories for a very long time. Accommodation arranged for the full period was excellent with good food and really friendly staff. We were always greeted with a welcoming smile. Location of the Friends Camp in particular gave a true flavour of luxury camping in the Serengetti, the background noise of the lions, hyenas and buffalo in the evenings is something we will never forget. James our guide and companion for the 6 days deserves a special mention. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the job in hand was infectious. All in all, a fantastic holiday and lifetime experience
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Safari Experience
We just returned from an amazing unforgettable, 4 day safari part of a 10 day trip. Everything was really well organised from our pick up and return to the airport and trip to the parks. Our guide Damian was such a nice, fun guy who made the 4 days memorable for us. He was very knowledgeable about the animals too. The animals you see is just luck but we had tons of luck and saw nearly every animal, Including, lions, zebra, giraffes, elephants, cheetahs and many more. One of the biggest surprises was that we took along our own chef who prepared 3 hot meals a day. Samson's cooking was amazing. We can highly recommend these two amazing guys to make your safari in Tanzania a trip to remember.