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Email Marcello Passaro And Stephanie Uhlenbrock | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing first-time experience!
The first thing to say to be as honest as possible is that this was our first Safari experience, so we have no comparison other that what we have heard from other people. The second thing to say is that, although our Safari was booked from "Suricata Safari", our trip was organised by a company called "Mount Meru Safari", who apparently works together with "Suricata".
Maybe it would have been nice to have some clarification about that, in the beginning. Anyway, we must say that the communication with the Suricata company was easy, they answer quickly to the emails and quite precise, compared to other companies we had been writing.
Driver/Guide: we had Frederick, a young and friendly guy. Frederick is a very good driver, he never goes too fast and he takes care that everything in the car is working. It is not easy at all to drive for so many days and so many hours and being a good guide at the same time. Freddie managed to keep the mood happy during most of the times. He has never denied an answer when we asked something. I have never seen him tired or sleepy while he was driving, which is quite amazing. I have got the impression that he knows what he is doing in terms of wildlife, but as I said I have no comparison for that. Sometimes I wished we had waited longer in a place, sometimes the opposite, but Freddie had to deal with 4 of us and he did very well. Surely we had an amazing experience, being our first time. One hears of course of people that have managed to see more or less, but this is probably also a matter of luck.
Food: our cook was Dionise. Not much to say: the food was good and we were never left hungry. The dinners in particular were always different, which is very nice, since breakfast and lunch are always very similar (of course, after all this was a camping safari, not a luxus trip). So a positive mark for Dionise as well.
Wildlife/Scenery: In a 6-day camping safari, one typically visits four national parks. That's really nice, because the sceneries are notably different. Many people are not so impressed by Tarangire, but we loved it, given that you don't get to see Baobab trees and a big river in the other days. Also we did not have problems with tsetse flies, but we saw other people struggling. Maybe also just a matter of luck. We were really surprised to see that it is relatively easy to spot the animals. But we saw some of them only at a distance (cheetah, rhinos).
Accommodation: we slept in tented lodges near Lake Manyara and in the public campings in Serengeti and Ngoro-Ngoro. Our tent was good, but essentially all the tents of any company we saw look the same. In Ngoro-ngoro it can rain, so my suggestion is that the tents should have also a waterproof cover (ours had not, some others had). Finally, it would have been nice to had better chairs to sit for dinner: ours were more like stools. It seems stupid, but it does make the difference after a long day.
Others: I do not recommend stopping to see a Masai village. The experience is very fake and it is all based on money and commerce. We had a quote per person and we were told that we would have been not more than 6 in the car. We were 4 at the end and we think this is really the best number to spare some money and still enjoy. A group of 6 might be a little bit too much, considering the space in the jeep.
Final word: we were really satisfied with our experience with Suricata Safari. We have the impression that the quote we got was ok, compared to what we have heard from other tourists. If you are a first-timer like us in a safari, you will be amazed and you will have no regrets by choosing them and by having Frederick and Dionis as guide/cook.
LV
Email Eva Narovska | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magnificent!!!!!!!
Our trip with kids was amazing - Safari was very interesting and Tanzania itself was amazing! Hope to go back one day!
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Email Gordon Magee | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Fantastic
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Email nicole_reigelman | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tanzania was beautiful with friendly people. The lodges were incredible, and driving though the countryside to get to them was a pleasant experience as well.
Email Catherine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
So much wild life, great accommodation, 4 star tour operator
The wild life viewing was excellent, saw the big five and and was blown away by the number of animals everywhere. Weather was great, warm still days and mild nights. Both mid-range tented camps were awesome, like glamping, the Rhino lodge was also great. The lunches that our tour operators organized were not great.
Our guide was knowledgeable and got us close to the animals however his communication with the daily plans weren’t good, there was some communication problems and we were not told about certain experiences that we could have had, and had to wait around a couple of hours for differences in tours between other people in our car. There was some awkwardness regarding the tip, the guide accepted ours but other people in our group who offered less were made to feel bad and the guide asked for more from them which I thought was distasteful. We weren’t advised of tipping amounts/expectations prior to trip. Overall, has a great time and would reccommend the safari to others!!
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Email Anastasiia Saranchina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip to wildlife
I was to safari in February. I took a tour at "Face of Africa" (Lake Manyara, Serengetti, Ngorongoro). Everything was excellent: amazing wildlife, tasty food, camp with toilet and shower (even hot water sometimes), tons of stars in the sky! Camping at Lake Manyara was with beds and private shower. Other camps were with tent and sleeping bags. Sleeping bags was new and comfy, but if there were pillows and sheets that was amazing. The weather is quite freezy in the nights and in the early morning, so it's better to take sweater. The guide named Zebra was so responsive. He made stops to see animals and answer you questions if you ask him. Everything is so organised! Hamadi took us from airport and get us back. Also he helped us to find a bank to change money, and to find a café to have dinner in Arusha.
CH
Email Ilinca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful wildlife, lovely people and impressive scenery
We had a great experience with our Safari. David was quick in responding and sending the offer as well as well accessible via Whats App. We were picked up at the Airport and brought to our Hotel and met our Driver, Issa, the next day. He knew a lot about People, animals and where to go and was Kind to inquire about what we wanted to see and made all the efforts to drive us. Issa was not shy to secure us great spots for taking Pictures. We were also lucky and got to see quite a lot of wildlife. The accommodation was great, the first night on Safari was spent in tents in the middle of the Serengeti with delicious dinners and very welcoming staff; the second night we spent in a Lodge at the Ngorongoro Crater. What a unique and great experience. Thank you Issa, for making it work for us so well and thank you David. We can highly recommend it and would book again with them.
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Email Emil | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Serengeti and Ngorongro are exceptionally beatiful places. Not only the animals, also to scenary in general
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Email Tadas Jarasunas | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing! A lot of animals. This was realy unforgettable.
Our guide and driver Patric was excellent. Very friendly and professional. Thanks a lot for him. Obviously Tanzania is calm and safe country. I definitely recommend to take at least 5 days safari and after relax in Zanzibar.
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Email Belle Chang | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing landscape and friendly people
The tour industry is very mature here and most people speak englush , making my trip easy and convenient ! I did hiking in Kilimanjaro and then 4-days safari. It’s a perfect itinerary that I can make my two dreams coming true in one country
