CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond our expectations
We dreamed of it, we lived our dream. The guides in Kenya and Tanzania were perfect, knew the parks, the habits of the animals and allowed us to see them so close up. All the lodges were of an excellent standard, the meals were varied and delicious, and the rooms were comfortable. We return with our heads full of memories, images of animals and extraordinary landscapes. Initially, we had some concerns, but our safari revealed a welcoming and smiling Africa.
Five star treatment!
From the moment you are met to the moment u are dropped off you feel like royalty! Nothing is too much trouble for the staff. The little things are noticed and attended to without u having to ask. Food, drinks, tours are all five star. Rooms are fantastic! Cleanliness of main lodge, grounds, and rooms are exceptional.
I truly did not want to leave this place. If u do nothing else in Victoria Falls you have to do the 3 night, 4 day staycation at this wonderful lodge. All inclusive, food, drink, tours. Not buffet style but quality off the menu food. Local spirits, cocktails, wine, and beer. Had he best long Island ice teas, whiskey sour, and Irish coffee made for me.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
The best safari! a dream come true! Thank you serengetimufasa.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a Lifetime Experience Ruined by Suricata Safaris
I went on a 3 night/4 day Tanzanian Safari with my animal obsessed 14 year old son.
It was suppose to be a trip of a lifetime however it was spoiled by a disinterested guide (Shabani).
The safari started poorly as the guide wasted an hour by needing to stop at two different gas stations to put air in his tires. That should have been sorted before we started the safari.
We then attempted to enter the Tarangire National Park. However we ended up waiting for another large amount of time as the safari company had not properly filled out their paperwork to enter the park. We watched all the other safari companies enter without stall.
We had 5 other guest in our jeep and we were excited to finally see our first elephant.
We pointed it out and told the guide we wished to stop and take photos however he refused and said he was hungry and we needed to stop for lunch.
We ended up seeing many more elephants that day however if the guide had spent 5 minutes so that we could see our first elephant it would have helped create a better atmosphere in the jeep.
One thing that was established early on was that there was nothing scientific about the guide service.
Most of the time you just drive around in circles waiting for another company to radio where an animal is and then all the different companies converge on the area.
We ended up seeing 4/5 Big Five in the Tarangire that day without much effort.
I'm certain that all the other safari companies no matter the cost would have seen the same animals.
That evening we stayed in the Suricata Boma Lodge which was excellent. Although there was more staff than guest they ALL went out of the way to make the stay special. 5 stars !
Three of the guest in the jeep elected camping so we did end of spending a portion of our time each day driving to and from the different lodgings.
On the 2nd last day the distance between the mid-range and camping was over an hour in each direction which meant earlier wake up times and less time on the actual safaris.
The 2nd day we drove to the Serengeti and the guide again seemed disinterested.
Perhaps he has checked-out after a busy season or needs a vacation but he offered very little throughout the entire safari.
I understand he sees these animals every day but for most of us this is a once in a lifetime experience and could help with at least trying a little enthusiasm.
He was short at times with the other guest and would sigh or voice his displeasure if he was asked to wait a moment longer to take an extra photo.
Surprisingly as we stopped for lunch the 2nd day we realized that between the 7 of us in the jeep we didn't actually know each others names.
You would have thought our guide would have attempted to establish this in the first moments of the safari the day prior.
However it was evident he couldn't care less and made no effort to create a fun experience, he just wanted to get through it.
On each of the four lunches we asked the guide to sit and eat with us but he refused and took his plate elsewhere.
On the 2nd night we stayed at the Tanzania Bush Camps (Simba) which was an amazing experience.
We were dropped off at the Bush Camp by the other Suricata Safari guide (Felix) as Shabani had stayed at the other campsite.
While at the Bush Camp, Felix actually approached our table, sat with us and asked how the dinner/stay was, which was contrary to our experience with Shabani.
The next morning Felix drove us 20 minutes to the campsite to pickup our other members of our group.
On the quick 20 minute drive with Felix we saw a variety of animals which he was happy to stop for.
He genuinely seemed happy to see us happy.
The 3rd day we tactically had my son sit in the front seat beside Shabani with hopes he would actually provide some excitement or new information to my son who is a huge animal fan and its always been his dream to do a safari.
Over the course of the day Shabani made no effort to speak to my son, at one point my son actually fell asleep.
That evening we left the Serengeti and approached the Ngorongoro Crater lookout.
Shabani didn't leave the vehicle. As he sat with his cellphone watching more videos, it was up to us to try to figure out what we looking at.
He then dropped the other group off at the separate camp and then drove us 1 hour away from the group in the opposite direction.
We then had to wait almost another hour for another member of a different Suricata Safari group whose jeep had mechanical issues.
In the original agreement with Davis from Suricata Safaris it was established my 3 nights accommodations were as follows :
1.)Suricata Boma Lodge
2.)Tanzania Bush Camps
3.) either Marera Valley Lodge or Hhando Coffee Lodge
On the 2nd day we saw a sign for the Marera Valley Lodge and Shabani verbally told us we would be staying there on the 3rd night.
However as we were driving into the Karatu area that night he made a left turn into the Inoga Lodge.
Once in the valet area Shabani instructed everyone to get out (5 total guest) and told us this is where we'd be staying.
Although its obvious he knew Suricata Safaris changed the accomI went on a 3 night/4 day Tanzanian Safari with my animal obsessed 14 year old son.
It was suppose to be a trip of a lifetime however it was spoiled by a disinterested guide (Shabani).
The safari started poorly as the guide wasted an hour by needing to stop at two different gas stations to put air in his tires. That should have been sorted before we started the safari. We then attempted to enter the Tarangire National Park. However the we ended up waiting for another large amount of time as the safari company had not properly filled out their paperwork to enter the park. We watched all the other safari companies enter without stall.
We had 5 other guest in our jeep and we were excited to finally see our first elephant. We pointed it out and told the guide we wished to stop and take photos however he refused and said he was hungry and we needed to stop for lunch. We ended up seeing many more elephants that day however if the guide had spent 5 minutes so that we could see our first elephant it would have helped create a better atmosphere in the jeep.
One thing that was established early on was that there was nothing scientific about the guide service. Most of the time you just drive around in circles waiting for another company to radio where an animal is and then all the different companies converge on the area. We ended up seeing 4/5 Big Five in the Tarangire that day without much effort. Im certain that all the other safari companies no matter the cost would have seen the same animals.
That evening we stayed in the Suricata Boma Lodge which was excellent. Although there was more staff than guest they ALL went out of the way to make the stay special. 5 stars !
Three of the guest of the jeep elected camping so we did end of spending a portion of our time each day driving to and from the different lodgings. On the 2nd last day the distance between the mid-range and camping was over an hour in each direction which meant earlier wake up times and less time on the actual safaris.
The 2nd day we drove to the Serengeti and the guide again seemed disinterested. Perhaps he has checked-out after a busy season or needs a vacation but he offered very little throughout the entire safari.
I understand he sees these animals every day but for most of us this is a once in a lifetime experience and could help with at least trying a little enthusiasm.
He was short at times with the other guest and would sigh or voice his displeasure if he was asked to wait a moment longer to take an extra photo.
Surprisingly as we stopped for lunch the 2nd day we realized that between the 7 of us in the jeep we didn't actually know each others names.
You would have thought our guide would have attempted to establish this in the first moments of the safari the day prior.
However it was evident he couldn't care less and made no effort to create a fun experience, he just wanted to get through it.
On each of the four lunches we asked the guide to sit and eat with us but he refused and took his plate elsewhere.
On the 2nd night we stayed at the Tanzania Bush Camps (Simba) which was an amazing experience.
We were dropped off at the Bush Camp by the other Suricata Safari guide (Felix) as Shabani had stayed at the other campsite.
While at the Bush Camp, Felix actually approached our table, sat with us and asked how the dinner/stay was, which was contrary to our experience with Shabani.
The next morning Felix drove us 20 minutes to the campsite to pickup our other members of our group.
On the quick 20 minute drive with Felix we saw a variety of animals which he was happy to stop for.
He genuinely seemed happy to see us happy.
The 3rd day we tactically had my son sit in the front seat beside Shabani with hopes he would actually provide some excitement or new information to my son who is a huge animal fan and its always been his dream to do a safari.
Over the course of the day Shabani made no effort to speak to my son, at one point my son actually fell asleep.
That evening we left the Serengeti and approached the Ngorongoro Crater lookout. Shabani didn't leave the vehicle. As he sat with his cellphone watching more videos, it was up to us to try to figure out what we looking at through the faded signage.
He then dropped the other group off at the separate camp and then drove us 1 hour away from the group in the opposite direction. We then had to wait almost another hour for another member of a different Suricata Safari group whose jeep had mechanical issues.
In the original agreement with Davis from Suricata Safaris it was established my 3 nights accommodations were as follows :
1.)Suricata Boma Lodge
2.)Tanzania Bush Camps
3.) either Marera Valley Lodge or Hhando Coffee Lodge
On the 2nd day we saw a sign for the Marera Valley Lodge and Shabani verbally told us we would be staying there on the 3rd night.
However as we were driving into the Karatu area that night he made a left turn into the Inoga Lodge.
Once in the valet area Shabani instructed everyone to get out (5 total guest) and told us this is where we'd be staying.
Although it was obvious he knew Suricata Safaris changed the accomodations, he made no mention of this beforehand.
Confused and standing in the lobby all 5 of us voiced our displeasure of being in that hotel.
Shabani made absolutely no effort to help with the hotel issue and simply said complain to the company not me before quickly driving off and leaving us in disbelief.
The Inoga Lodge was a definite downgrade and we didn't see any other guest through the duration of the night.
This is obviously the Suricata Safaris attempting to cut corners and save a buck.
This is also a breach of the earlier agreement/contract we made.
As this is the off-season there is no possibility of overbooking.
One couple in our group had holes in their shower floor.
Our door to the room was mostly inoperable and my son had to use the window twice to gain access.
I could put my hand under the door and also on the one side. This was the only hotel where we encountered mosquitos at night (probably through the door openings)
The last day Shabani picked us up at 5:40 am because we had to drive an hour back in the same direction we were earlier to pickup the other group.
We were provided a boxed breakfast rather than a sit-down meal we were accustomed to and Shabani only gave us 10 minutes to eat.
On the drive back towards the Ngorongoro Crater we almost went off the road due to an unnecessary and reckless driving manoeuvre around a truck that was deemed too slow for Shabani.
As we descended into the Ngorongoro Crater Shabani again seemed disinterested/tired/bored.
My teenage son, as for most of the trip provided information about the animals to the other guest of the jeep while Shabani watched videos on his phone.
After 20 minutes we were ready to move on however Shabani would then go into information we had already established through my teenager.
This was happening the whole trip.
For the amount of breaks that he took - that would have been a more appropriate time to go on your cellphone not while your guest are looking for information about the animals.
We found we had to prompt our guide with questions that were already answered just to get him to engage.
It became a joke with the other safari group in Felix jeep who felt bad for us.
They stopped showing us photos and videos they had because our experience was nothing like theirs.
Most of the animals we saw were with binoculars or from a distance as Shabani couldn't care less.
He actually made efforts to drive away from the animals.
The final display was our last moments inside the Ngorongoro Crater, a large elephant walked into the lake, Shabani decided at the time that he needed a break so we sat and watched the other safari groups engage with the elephant.
Shabani said we would see it after his break however he drove away from the elephant and ascended back up the crater in the jeep.
It left our entire group astonished.
As Suricata Safaris provided all meals for the 4 days, to top it all off I developed food poisoning at some point which made two uncomfortable emergency stops on the way back to Arusha which also affected the next part of my holiday in Zanzibar.
I had reached out to Suricata Safaris about my concerns while still on the Safari on November 11.
My immediate response from Davis was "Hello, I am very sorry to hear this from you, allow immidiate to follow up on this and see what transpired for the last minute change"
As of November 27 I am still awaiting a response, which shows how much Suricata Safaris cares about its clients.
Don't make the same mistake I made by choosing Suricata Safaris.
I've included a photo of what most of my Suricata Safari looked like
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Memorable Experience with Excel Gateways – Kenya Wildlife Trip
I had an amazing and truly memorable trip with Excel Gateways earlier this month. From the very beginning, Nancy was incredibly helpful in curating our itinerary. Her valuable guidance and insights helped us make the most of our trip in a cost-effective and efficient way.
A special mention goes to Bedan, our guide for the 6-day Kenya wildlife tour. He was absolutely fantastic—highly experienced and deeply knowledgeable about all the national parks and Kenya's geography. His local contacts and helpful advice added a personal touch to our journey and made the experience even more special.
We were fortunate to spot nearly everything we had hoped to see, especially during our time in Masai Mara.
Thank you once again to the entire team for a well-organized and unforgettable adventure!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Thoughtful and kind
It was a great experience - excellent communication throughout and thoughtfulness at each step of the way. Our guide Joel was fantastic too - bringing great energy to the group every day making it an unforgettable experience. Thank you for the amazing trip!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was perfectly organized: our needs were always taken into consideration
We spent 9 wonderful days in Ethiopia. Daniel and his professional team guided us through some of the most iconic destinations in the area, from the historical and cultural treasures of Lalibela, the Abune Yemeta Guh and Abune Abreham churches, to the stunning landscapes of the Danakil Depression. Everything was perfectly organized: our needs were always taken into consideration, and Daniel stayed in touch with us, even during the days when we were guided by his colleagues. Although we spent only three days and two nights in Tigray, particularly in the Gheralta region, we highly recommend visiting it with Are, Daniel's local partner. Are's deep humanity is a valuable lens through which to understand the complexities of Ethiopian society. In summary, we highly recommend this entire trip!
IR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great operator with a warm, friendly, and committed staff
Unfortunately, my flight was delayed for eight hours and I arrived in Nairobi around 10 pm. I messaged the company at about 11 pm to book a safari tour for the next morning—very last minute—and the staff still replied promptly, making sure I didn’t miss my plans.
Our guide was Mohammad, a very kind, friendly, committed, and knowledgeable person with a comfortable and clean car. He created a lovely and exciting safari experience for us, together with our wonderful travel companions.
Everything about the tour was well-organized. The only issue was on the last day: since our schedule was different from the rest of the group and they had returned a day earlier, the company sent different cars to pick us up, which resulted in us switching vehicles three times. This part was a bit uncomfortable, but overall the tour was great and everything went according to plan.
They are a very reliable tour company, and everyone I interacted with from their team was genuinely kind and trustworthy.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
WONDERFULL VERY KIND!
We were 3 adults and one children for a Safari trip and we have booked with Josh Dreamland Safaris for 4 days safari and two days in Arusha. First day we arrive Arusha and Elizabeth and Josh went to pick Up us to the airport and bring us to the hotel,wich It was really a nice welcome for us they given us as a gift a t-shirts for allà of us. Second day in the morning we went to Manyara lake and sleept in a Budget camp that was really confortable with rooms and beds. Next day we went to Serengeti and do a evening safari,sleept in Serengeti in camping and the night was really amazing with búfalos,hienas and elefants around the camping place. Early the morning our guide take us to see the sunrise wich was a really great experience and the we do more game drive til' 14:00 and leave to Ngorongoro were we do sleept. In the morning we do Ngorongoro and went to sleep to Budget camp again. Next day we went to Tarangire and at the end they bring us again to our Hotel in Arusha . Last they pickup us to bring us back to the airport for our flight. All the time our guide Matthew was really great with us explaining everything and asking what we wanted to do or see. He was also so nice and make our safari a great trip! We have seen all the Big 5 wich was amazing too. Our chef Dennis do our food all the days for us and the first day he ask what kind o food and breakfast we do rather prefer. He is a really good chef everything was so good all days! The truth is that all the staff was really fantastic for us! Thank you to all of them specially, Elizabeth,Josh,Matthew and Denis,for such a great experience! Vanesa,Daniel,Ana and India
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience with excellent service — Tan View Safari made my trip unforgettable
I am a Tanzanian living in Mbeya. I was looking for a travel company to join for a trip, and I came across Tan View Safari. They responded quickly and offered excellent service. I truly enjoyed the entire journey! I highly recommend Tan View Safari to anyone planning a trip, because their services are outstanding and very professional. It was an amazing experience!