ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A professional, empathetic, fun, and experienced guide
This year we wanted to enjoy a different kind of Christmas and, honestly, besides being different, it was an incredible experience. From the very beginning, the booking process was super easy; Hapiness made everything very simple for us, which we truly appreciated.
When we arrived at Seronera Airport, Junior, our guide for the 5-day safari, was already waiting for us. And that’s where it all began. Junior was a key part of the trip and made a huge difference: always attentive, friendly, and highly professional. He shared stories and anecdotes, took us to the best spots, and adapted at all times to our needs.
We wanted to try the region’s pink banana, and he took us to a local market to buy one. He gave us great advice on how to move around in a region so different from our own, introduced us to the Maasai culture, and even created an amazing photo and video report that we will treasure forever.
Without a doubt, we would repeat both the destination and the experience, but above all, we would repeat it with Junior as our guide. His dedication, knowledge, and human touch made the trip truly unforgettable.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Thank you for the incredible memories
Agnes and Benson were excellent at responding to all our queries from initial contact, exploring safari options through to the final reservations. They communicated expectations clearly and exceeded if not met them. Accommodations, transfers between destinations and of course - the raison d’etre of the journey - game viewing and guiding were excellent. From Day 1 in a well-equipped vehicle, including refrigerated drinks and WiFi (so much for our deliberate effort to disconnect…LOL).
James M. our superhuman, eagle-eye ambassador-guide exceeded all worldly expectations, navigating Kenyan traffic conditions, punctual, and ever-cheerful. James is proud to be Kenyan, sharing his knowledge about its regions and cultures. He is a model leader for all guides bringing us as close as reasonably possible to rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, lions, cheetahs and a leopard with a mind to preservation for future generations of both game and tourists. He worked hard to seek the best possible game-viewing and photograph opportunities possible. His philosophy of “Take nothing and leave only your footsteps” remains true for all natural wonders on this planet. Where the ground turned soft, James displayed awesome judgement and mad technical 4WD skills keeping us safe. Where road conditions proved challenging James worked with other guides and us to ensure safety for all. The sundowners under a Balanite tree in the Mara was a spirit-lifting experience and the views of animals, Uhuru and Mawenzi from Noomotio were breathtaking.
Overall we are glad for opting for road travel between destinations as it offered an opportunity to experience the country and people, granted in a very filtered fashion – but certainly better than air travel. We could not have hoped for a better Safari Company and guide than Classic Explorers and James, respectively.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience ever!
We had unforgettable moments with our family!
The Suricata team gave us all the support.
Our guide Louis was amazing: he’s kind, polite, explain everything and he took us to the best places for animal watching, and we saw all of the Big Five, plus many others.
Our Safari stays were wonderful, as were the meals and service. I highly recommend it!
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable human adventure!
An exceptional and unforgettable experience!
Our safari in Tanzania was simply incredible, beyond anything we could have imagined. The organization was perfect, the professionalism impeccable, and above all, the kindness was exceptional from beginning to end.
Thank you to SADDAT for everything!
We especially want to highlight our driver and guide, who were so much more than just companions. Thanks to their kindness, patience, knowledge, and good humor, they became like family to us throughout our stay. Every day was a shared pleasure, filled with emotion and laughter.
A huge thank you for these unforgettable moments, for sharing them with us, and for showing us the wildlife parks and the incredible beauty of Tanzania with such passion and respect.
We leave with memories that will last a lifetime.
We wholeheartedly recommend this experience!
(automatic translation from French)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing safari company
An amazing safari company! Migsam Safaris exceeded our expectations in every way. Erick was our guide and he went above and beyond to ensure we saw incredible wildlife and enjoyed every moment. His passion and experience truly made the journey special and memorable.
CH
Experience level: first safari
A truly unforgettable Safari - with an exceptional Tour Guide!
My teenage daughter & I experienced our first safari in Tanzania, and it truly exceeded all expectations. From start to finish, this journey was nothing short of extraordinary – a once-in-a-lifetime adventure made unforgettable by an exceptional guide.
The 7-day safari tour through the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, and Lake Manyara was outstanding, offering breathtaking landscapes and an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. Each day brought new highlights, and magical, cinematic moments. The lodges, accommodation, and food were carefully selected and of very high quality – including a surprise visit from a hippo right outside our tent at night.
Our guide, Godfrey, was simply exceptional. His deep knowledge of wildlife, animal behavior, ecosystems, and Tanzania’s natural heritage transformed each game drive into a rich and engaging learning experience. Beyond his professionalism, calm presence and expertise, what truly sets him apart is his cultural sensitivity and deep connection to local communities. He is highly respected, well connected, and genuinely committed to opening doors and supporting local people.
A personal highlight was our visit to a local school in Arusha, where we were invited to join a reading class and share lunch with the children – an enriching experience that added a powerful dimension to our trip. This was far more than a safari; it was an authentic, inspiring journey that we will treasure forever. Thanks so much, Godfrey, for making this possible 🙏🏾
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well knowledged and always responsive
I think the service provided was well organized but by researching the cost of the actual itinerary it was definitely over priced and doing on own would cost about 3k less but only I'm to blame cause I didn't do my research due to time constraints Basically paying for transportation which once you are there is cheap and hotels which even in supposedly high season were plenty. If this package came with 3-4 excursions prepayed then it would be easier to justify the cost. Safari.com did an excellent job getting it organized quick and professionally and were very receptive to any questions
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari
I would recommend this safari to everybody, booking was smooth thanks to Jeremiah assistance and the guide Simon was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information about parks and animals. We had a great time, slept in great lodges, felt safe all the time and saw many animals, including big five. Thanks a lot !
NZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Able was very friendly, informative and always eager to please
We considered several operators and value for money with Ibanga was very competitive.
All in all we had a great 12-day trip, with a couple of minor irritations on advised times to travel between places compared with the actual.
Our mid range option lodges were all comfortable, to the point we would have liked to have more time to enjoy the facilities and just relax occasionally. (Note: my wife and I are at retirement age).
We did not expect the extra cost for the safari guides that apperaed at each park who expected a fee.
Summary - excellent and a lifelong dream to sit with gorillas achieved.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Recommend the Gorilla trekking but don't go to another country other than Uganda and Rwanda
My girlfriend and I booked with Santaviva respectively Ivan a 14 days tour in the upper price segment for Uganda/Rwanda (Gorilla trekking) as well as Safari in Tanzania and 4 beach days in Zanzibar (no activities apart from a stone town visit the day we are leaving). It was our most expensive vacation so far (we paid together USD 14'000) and think it was for Santaviva as well.
For the Gorilla trekking, Ivan was very attentive and everything was well organized. He even helped us out and lent me his boots as my luggage did not arrive. If our trip ended there, it would have been 5 stars! But it didnt.
We do not recommend booking anything with Santaviva in another country other than Rwanda/Uganda. In Tanzania we needed another guide/driver (who did a very good job!) to do the Safari but Ivan joined the tour as well. However, this was absolutely not necessary and we did not see such a set-up of 2 guides with any other tourists (and there were a lot of other tourists...). As newbies and not knowing how things/safaris work in Tanzania we would have expected that we were at least asked about this but we were not. Throughout most of our Tanzania trip it felt like we were 3 tourists and Ivan was just there to take videos and pictures to promote his Santaviva business on social media and have a good time/vacation. He even joined for example the balloon safari and got a (free) premium breakfast with the balloon guests as the only guide/driver of around 80 guest, which made us feel uncomfortable as the staff enabling him that clearly expected a tip for that (we were not asked nor did we want him to join). Further, he was not honest with us about the nice accommodation he stayed in. Confronted with this set-up, Ivan mentioned that this is the way Santaviva ensures quality and provides service to guests.
Ivan even flew with us to Zanzibar, in his words to say goodbye at the end of his journey (or if we want any additional activities, which was clear it was not our intent for those relaxing beach days). And as the only activity (a tour in Stone Town) was organized by an intermediary anyway, it did not make sense to us at all. On the way from the airport to the hotel he mentioned that his flight is 2 days after ours, only to mention a few minutes later that it was changed and now is even before we left (before any activities would have happened). However, we heard him mentioning this "suddenly changed" flight date and time already a week ago to another guy, so this was clearly a lie. Overall, we were left with a feeling that our trust was violated and that we overpaid and financed his business promotion and vacation trip, which is obviously not what we had intended. Finally to mention - everything else on the trip has worked out and was well organized.