DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
100% Successful - “budget” was only the tents. The rest was 23 stars!
So, I researched a lot to find an affordable safari, but most started around $2,000 for a 4-night / 5-day safari that included the Serengeti savanna and the Ngorongoro Crater.
After several days, I stumbled—purely by luck—upon Meru Slopes’ fantastic offer at only $1,050 for such a trip, including lodging for one night in a private room/lodge and the other three nights in tented camping arrangements.
I must say, I was very skeptical. How could they offer basically the same package for 50% less?! And we’re talking about the hotel in Arusha upon arrival and on day 5, for free—breakfast and dinner included! All three meals during the safari were included, all drinks (beer and wine included!!!) during game drives and, of course, during meals. I mean… was this too good to be true? Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater paradise, and on top of it all, a 3–4 hour game drive in Tarangire National Park (which I didn’t even know existed!).
My contact person, Mr. Shadrack, turned out to be incredibly positive, service-oriented, and efficient. We corresponded at all hours via WhatsApp.
So I decided to go for it and paid only about 10% upfront.
The hotel in Arusha is basic—but the bed and bathroom were clean and cozy, and every single staff member was extremely friendly and willing to assist (get a room on the top floor with a view of Mount Meru). I can especially mention Mr. Geoffrey Nasari and the super-efficient receptionist, Mrs. Juliana.
And then finally came the day on which I was basically gambling my biggest travel experience—the safari with Meru Slopes.
I could go on… but let me (try to) be brief: the Toyota Land Cruiser safari jeep for six people was excellent—just like all the other jeeps offered in the $2,000–$4,000 package deals we crossed paths with every day! Tarangire National Park turned out to be a fantastic surprise, with lush green woodland and tons of animals—from zebras, monumental giraffes, warthogs, to lions on the hunt… and yes, even a whole family of elephants.
The car was packed with water, soft drinks, and even Kilimanjaro beers! My group was a mix of very entertaining and charming people from Greece, France, and Hong Kong—definitely not a bunch of rowdy backpackers on a budget trip.
Our game driver, Mr. Lobulo, and our “private chef”—yes, you read that correctly—our private chef, Mr. Rashim, were simply extraordinary. Mr. Lobulo, the guide and driver, had the perfect combination of deep knowledge of the animal kingdom mixed with personal stories and, more importantly, an extremely creative way of using his network of drivers and friends via the two-band radio he was constantly synced with. Why? Because the Big Five are never in the same place (of course). So very often we’d suddenly make a 180-degree turn and drive as if we were on a mission from God (!) toward a new location 3–5 km down the road or behind a rock formation… only to slowly approach a family of lions, or the very reclusive leopard resting high up on a tree branch.
I mean… we saw it all: 2 cheetahs, 3 leopards, 15+ hyenas, 30+ lions, 40+ hippos, 50+ elephants, 200+ buffaloes, 1,000+ zebras, and uncountable wildebeest. For bird-loving travelers, I should also mention that we saw pretty much every bird on the menu. And in the Ngorongoro caldera, we completed the full Big Five by spotting a black rhinoceros.
So there you have it! Oh—and did I mention that they also picked me up and dropped me back at Kilimanjaro International Airport? And yes… for free.
Man. What an incredibly successful safari experience. Thank you, Meru Slopes.
Special thanks to Mr. Shadrack for his top-professional, efficient, and productive communication.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safari of a lifetime
Our safari experience was truly exceptional thanks to our guide Israel. From the very first day, it was clear that he is not only an outstanding professional but also an incredibly kind and genuine person.
The safari itself was incredibly complete. We had the opportunity to see an incredible variety of animals in their natural habitat. Israel explained everything with great clarity and answered all our questions, his knowledge of wildlife is simply extraordinary. You could feel how deeply he loves nature and how much respect he has for the animals and the environment.
What makes Israel even more remarkable is that, despite dealing with personal difficulties during our time together, he never let it affect his work in the slightest. On the contrary, he remained attentive, positive, patient, and fully committed to making our safari unforgettable. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide, and we will always remember this experience thanks to Israel.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Safari
Overall we had a pleasant Safari with Josh Dreamland. Communication with Elizabeth was excellente, always fast replies and good organisation of the safari with recommendations for the season we traveled. Also the pick up from the airport was organised and we had a meeting with the company, the day before safari started, where they gave us informations and even welcome gifts, which was amazing.
The safari itself was a experience, I would recommend everyone, that loves animals in their natural habitat. We had Luka as our driver and we felt safe driving with him at all times, he is a fantastic driver and cared also for the safety for other drivers, always helping and checking on them, if they had any problems. He was amazingly great at spotting animals, so we saw a lot, even animals I never expected to see. Serengeti was my absolute highlight and also Ngorongoro Crater was out of this world. Thank you for everything, Josh Dreamland, my mother and I will never forget this time!
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Really nice organization and amazing price-benefit-ratio
If your searching for an affordable but really nice Safari, this is the right one! We did 3 days, Serengeti and Ngorongoro and it was amazing! Our Tour guide took the time, we saw so many animals, once we were the only jeep with around 30 Elephants, young and old all together, walking around our jeep, unforgettably, I‘ll never forget this! The camps we stayed overnight were simple but you had everything you needed. Tents were already there, washrooms were okay, views amazing! (Perhaps bring an own roll toiletpaper, it’s not available all the time) The timetable was really nice, breakfast at 6:30 everyday so we didn‘t loose time in the morning and saw many more animals. Incredible! Breakfast was also really nice, the only thing which could be better is the food. It‘s really good, please don‘t get me wrong, just lunch we had at two of three days at 3pm. But with some snacks manageable :)
All in all it was an unforgetable adventure. We really liked the three days, because there‘s a contrast between Serengeti and Ngorongoro, so you can see many different animals (although Serengeti depends on the time of the year, February was really nice because many animals were in the southern part!) and it‘s also not too short nor too long. We can definitely recommend it!!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Suricata Safaris made my safari dreams come true!
I cannot say enough good things about my experience with Suricats Safaris. My trip far exceeded my expectations. Right from when I started looking to plan this, Suricata answered all my questions, gave me all the info I needed and gave me the ability to customize everything to my preferences. They took care of everything for me so I didn't have to worry about transportation, accommodation or food. They communicated with me regularly and I never felt like I had unanswered questions. The safari itself was a five day experience and I was just blown away by all the animals we saw and how close we got. Our guide Adam was fantastic. He knew all the right places to go and got us into the best spots for viewing. We saw all the big five and so much more. Most of the time I felt like I was in the Lion King. I also did the balloon ride add on and it was breathtaking. When it was all over they even brought us back to the airport, and our driver was so sweet he texted to make sure our flight was OK and we got to our next destination safely. This was the trip of a lifetime and I highly recommend Suricata Safaris. It was well worth it.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Really cool
Awsome tour with our awsome guide Petrus.
Little bit sad because we don’t See lions but we See so many elephants and it was absolutly stunning !!
Thank you Petrus and stunning !!!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
FR
Amazing
Our guide Petrius was amazing. He was taking his time to explain everything to us: animals, wild and vegetables.
He is a very good person, he made our day with the animals incredible!
Merci!!🫶🏼
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect day trip all inclusive
PETROS!!! He was awesome.
We saw all animals except lions and cheetahs and a storm came through during the last part of our drive. Still overall incredible and really affordable tour.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing day out!
Petros was absolutely amazing as a tour guide, funny, made the whole day so enjoyable and we were so lucky to see so very much! Couldn’t recommend anything more!