Reviews of Kiliholidays Tours and Safaris

Mnt Meru & 5 day safari

My girlfriend and I had a great experience with kiliholidays. We arranged the safari and Mnt meru trekking with touroperator Mack. He was very clear and detailed about the costs and answered quickly all our answers. The only disadvantage was that we had to pay a great amount in cash. After a conversation with Mack we came to a solution. Futhermore both the safari guide and mount meru guide suited our expectations. Kiliholidays arranged also a two night stay at the Venice hotel, a 2 two star hotel in the middle of the center which actually exceded our exptations.

Jelmer Van Dijk

One Day Walking and Driving Safari Arusha National Park

Communication with the company was excellent. They confirmed and the guide picked us up at the hotel on time. The Walking Safari with the ranger was terrific. We walked for a couple of hours through the bush to see the giraffes, buffalo, monkeys. The ranger explained the different trees and shrubs and took us to a beautiful waterfall. When we got back to the guide we went to see the lake and have a lovely lunch on a hill overlooking the lake. Food was very good. The rest of the afternoon was a drive. unfortunately there was not a lot of wide life to see. on the way bacj to our hotel the guide took us for a tour through the town of Arusha to see the markets and the building. It was a very enjoyable day.

Rosalie

We had an awsome time at our Safari.

We went on a 8 day safari and had a really good time. Everything was perfectly pre- arranged. The only obstacles were with the payment because the online payment didn´´ t really work at this time so we had to bring some of the money in cash. But also this was no big deal when we arrived, it all turned out very easily. Our driver Steve was really awsome. He had a really good knowledge about the country, the animals and everything you would ask him. The lodges we stayes in were all really good. We liked the tented camp inside the Serengeti best. All in all highly recommended company!

Klara

Great experience with Kiliholydays

Great experience. We had a 7 days safari program (camping in tent) including Tarangire, Serengheti, Ngorongoro, Hazahabe tribe and Manyara lake. The proposed program fully met our expectations. In particular, we appreciated the two nights in Serengheti which gave us the opportunity of extensive game drives during sunrise and sunset times. Our driver (Thomas) was excellent: accurate and well-prepared driver with a lot of experience. He made us see many animals (all the big five plus many others), giving us interesting information (we learnt a lot) and being a funny mate during our breaks. Our chef (Innocent) was very professional and accurate with a lot of experience too. He cooked many delicious dishes, including African cuisine (something that we really appreciated) and he always kept an eye on our preferences. The head of the company (Mack) organized everything very well. The camping in tent requires a little bit of spirit of adaptation but it is very rewarding in terms of nature experience, especially in such a beautiful country like Tanzania.

Andrea M.

It could have been better

We didn't have the best experience with Kiliholidays Tours & Safari. We booked a three-day-safari at Mikumi Park. The first day we couldn't access to the park. They told us "drive to Mikumi National Park which is approximately 5 hours from Dar es Salaam". It's totally false. It was 8 hours and a half. The driver drove at 45 km/hour and the arrival to the park was almost sunset. They saved the access to the park of the first day (which is included in the safari price). So we paid for something that we didn't enjoy. Additionally, the car broke down several times. The first time it had refrigerator problems. It was solved and we continued. The second day, the car stop and it ran out the battery , we push the car in the middle of the safari :) . The third day we spent 8 hours and a half to Dar Es Salaam. There was a huge jam and the car spent all the battery. So, we had to take OTHER CAR with a non-known driver, and 3 minutes later ALSO the new car ran out of gas. Really? The driver (who didn't speak english) left the car in the middle of the darkness and 30 minutes later he appeared again with a bottle with gas. We stay alone waiting for him without knowing what to do. The only positive point was the safari driver, he was nice.

Manu

Amazing first safari experience

4 friends and I did a 8 days tours safari around Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Natron... Beyond the magical landscapes and wildlife, Mack, the owner, showed real flexibility during the organization of the safari and was very helpful at the end when we had problems with our return flight to Dar Es Salaam. Tumsifu, the driver, and Innocente, the stomach engineer, were so friendly and competent, everything was perfect. Do not hesitate, go for Kiliholidays Tours (and ask for Tumsifu and Innocente if possible...)

Nicolas

Amazing Safari experience

We booked the 3 day Safari package in Selous. On Friday we were picked up at 9 am at our hotel. There we had to pay the rest of the Safari in cash (1000$). This is quite inconvinient, as it is hard to get so much money in Tansania (ATM charge fees and only gives out TSh, bank only gives out 800$ per day). So if you can I would recommend to get the cash in your country in advance. The trip to Selous takes about 5-6h. Our driver ("Fun") was really nice and helpful. During the whole trip water was provided, however, for other softdrinks one would have to pay. On Friday evening we had a 2h boat safari. Saturday was really intense. Early in the morning (6am) we had a walking safari with a native guide, which was a unique experience. Afterwards we had a Jeep safari from 9am to 5pm, which was the highlight of the whole trip. It is amazing to see all these animals in their natural habitat. The accomodation was nice and comfortable. All food was included and comparably good. On Sunday we were driven back to Dar es Sallam and taken directly to the ferry to Sansibar. All in all it was a very enjoyable experience.

Thorsten Schultz

Very professional driver, excellent accomodation, wonderful places

Safari has been amazing. The place where we stayed, the Farms of Dreams lodge, was stunning. We got picked up on time at Arusha airport, first day at Tarangire park, we could spot Antilopes, Elephants, Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes, Velvet Monkeys and from far away also a Cheetah. There are facilities at the entrace of the park. Tumsifu, our guide, has always been very professional, friendly and ready to answer all our questions. Packed lunch food was good. Second day, Ngorongoro crater was very nice. The place itself is gorgeous, and full of animals. A lot of wildebeests and zebras, but we could also spot lions, hippos and a rhino from far away. Third day, lake Manyara, very nice, more rainforest environment. Close encounter with elephants and baboons. Farms of Dreams lodge was fantastic. People are very friendly and make you feel always good. I'd really like to be back there. Only 1 little trouble in the beginning, dealing with payments. We would have liked to pay by card or bank transfer, but system was not properly working and they told us that the safari was supposed to be paid in cash only few days before leaving. But that got fixed easily.

Andrea

Amazing experience with very knowledgeable guides and a chief who made delicious meals.

An amazing experience I will never forget. Great staff, excellent facilities.

Julia Harrington

Excellent 7 day Machame route with kiliholidays.

We completed the 7 day machame route with Kiliholidays Tours. Well organized and professional services. Our guides and porters were knowledgeable, helpful, and wonderful to hike with for 7 days. The food was delicious and the tent camps were very comfortable. We were led by guide, Barnabas and assistant guide Fred. The whole team was great to work with from booking and answering questions and last minute requests. All of the wonderful porters who were part of Barnabas team. They did their absolute best to make it wonderful and unforgettable experience. A couple of things in particular that I would like to highlight. The cook for our trip (frank) was amazing. He made meals that kept us going and were as good as almost anything I had in the one prior week I had been in Africa- Tanzania. His soups in particular were great and kept us warm. I really appreciated the approach to tipping employed by Kiliholidays as well. We were told up front that at the end of our trek we would be able to give our tips directly via sealed envelopes given to each member of the team, which we did. It was nice to be able to hand each man their tip directly as I had heard that sometimes the porters don't receive all of their tips when they are given to the company directly. These guys worked incredibly hard and deserve every penny. Finally, Barnabas and Fred did a great job getting us to Uhuru peak. The night of our summit attempt it was snowing, quite cold, and there was already enough snow in places for me to sink up nearly to my waist. The group of 17 behind us only had 7 make the peak. But by carefully picking our departure time, route, and giving us clear instructions we made it just at sunrise and it was spectacular. Thanks to Mack for his great advice on route selection. I would not only recommend Kiliholidays for the professionalism of the office staff and operations manager but also by the clearly passionate, caring, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful guides, cook and porters. We could tell they enjoyed working together and they were singing to keep up our spirits.

Julitha

Flexible and fun!

The communication with Mack before the tour was excellent. They were able to add 2 people to the tour at the last minute. Thomas our driver and your guide was professional, flexible and informative. Highly recommend this tour!

Bethany

perfect safari trip, perfect guide, best price

We had a wonderful time in 4 days safari trip in game reserve Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti, all organised by Kiliholidays. We receive also airport transfer and accommodation before flying back home, that a perfect service also. Kili is a small company in Arusha, and this is one on the reason that I choose them. They pay attention for every client, because is very important for them to survive in a high competitive market of tanzanian safari. The communication with the manager, the knowledge and ability of the driver was very important and made for us a great trip and lifetime memories...Mack, Thomas, Daniel, thank you and good luck

George

Everything we hoped it would be

Communications with Mack via email were swift and comprehensible. We were picked up at the airport on arrival by our guide, Thomas, who would be with us for the whole week. We signed up for a budget camping safari, and we had a great time! The campsites were nicer than I thought they would be, and the Kiliholidays team did a great job of taking care of us the whole trip. Thomas was very accommodating, and our 'stomach engineer' did a fantastic job the whole trip. My partner and I were very impressed by the quality of the food. Thomas was an incredible driver; a few times we had to stop and help other drivers who were stuck! This was my second visit to East Africa, and I will definitely book with Kiliholidays for my third trip :) A few tips for other travelers: The sleeping mattress was a bit thin for me (my partner had no trouble!), but I found that sleeping on my back instead of my side helped. If you have sensitive hips, I'd recommend bringing something to use as a cushion, or possibly arranging for an extra mattress. The tent was high-quality and the sleeping bags were warm. We stayed in Mto wa Mbu a few nights and it was quite hot there. We brought sleeping sacks (very thin) and used those instead. Bring LOTS of insect repellent and use it often (biting flies in the daytime, mosquitoes at night). Same with hand sanitizer (public campsite toilets don't usually have soap). Granola bars are a good idea, too, if you like to snack between meals. There's not a lot of access to ice, so if you like an evening adult-beverage, just ask your guide to stop before you leave Arusha to pick up some wine. We picked up a 5-liter box of South African wine for about 25euros and it was very convenient (bring your own cups!).

Anetta

It was excellent tour.

We were in mikumi park. We saw all animals even lions and gepard. Our guide was English speaking and he know everything about mikumi park and animals who lives there. We had good open safari car and very comfortable loudge - Bastian. It was clean and beautiful and colorful chilling area. Transfers were all in time. Strongly recommend

Leyla

Best value for money and very accomodating!!!

Kiliholidays Tours & Safaris were always responsive to all my emails and questions, and got back to me very quickly. They provided a detailed itinerary of our safari and they come as advertised, as well as being flexible to meet our needs. I reached out to 10 different safari operators and Kiliholidays gave us a price in a 5-star luxury accommodation (the best hotel we've ever stayed at!!!) at a price that was cheaper than others in budget camping accommodation. I would highly recommend Kiliholidays and I will only use them when booking a Tanzanian safari in the future!

Michael

Amazing

We had a professional guide and they custom made our trip after our wishes. Be careful of long and bumpy drives, but it’s worth it for the animals. Good communication and good price. I am very happy with the trip, I give 4 stars because one can always get better. Thank you!

Helene

Great cultural experience in KIlimanjaro National Park and around

Good alternative to know Kilimanjaro NP, in case that you decide not to climb it. History about National Park and trekking n the slope of the mountain, in a cultural trip inside local people villages.

Mario

Intesting safari tour in the south of Tanzania during the rainy season

The itinerary of the tour is very good; well filled with a lot of variation. The driver / guide only joined us during day time (not at breakfast, not at diner) and did not talk too much. This way, our privacy was respected and we highly appreciated this behavior. Price / quality ratio of the offered tour is ok. Organization and driver both appeared flexible. Selected lodges were nice. The jeep was good and comfortable but was not sufficiently equipped with tools needed to repair the car (inappropriate jack, no towline, torch etc.), this can be improved. The traffic in Tanzania is very slow; commuting from one location to the other takes a lot of time. It would be appreciated if the amount of commuting can be minimized / optimized. The driver could drive faster were permitted.

Gerard

Amazing!

We booked 4days safari tour via Kiliholidays Tour. The manager of travel agency was trying to satisfy all we wanted and we were satisfied, too. He came to us, when we had just arrived at our hotel after finishing safari tour, to hear review from us. These kinds of efforts can be upgraded quaility of tours from Kiliholiday Tour. We were also happy with our guide(driver) and cook because they were enthusiastic about their duty. Guide had a lot of knowledge about animals, plants, etc. and foods made by cook were really delicious. I already miss my days in Tanzania. Hope to visit again :)

Seunghee Oh