suricata safaris

THERE IS A WORLD WAITING FOR YOU IN TANZANIA, COME DISCOVER IT

Great Traveller's Choice Excellence In 2023

For the Tanzania Safari of a Lifetime

Suricata Safaris is a company dedicated to higher standards. We provide a unique dream travel experience in Tanzania. Magnificent images and most importantly, amazing nature and people. We stand for high quality at fair prices.

Our mission is to contribute to Tanzania by being able to provide more work for the people while operating in a sustainable way without harming the nature of Tanzania.

We offer you safari tours to the most emblematic parks in Tanzania. Some of them are Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro Crater. The hiking trips include climbing Mount Meru and the great Kilimanjaro. We also have excursions to several local tribes: Hadzabe (Bushmen), Gidangodigi (Blacksmith), Datoga, Maasai, and Chaga.

We’re excited by the opportunity to  handcraft a trip of a lifetime for you. Let’s get started .

You are already in Tanzania and we want to offer you an authentic deep travel experience.

From a local restaurant to a day at an unmissable place close by, we have chosen the best day trips for you!

STORIES FROM THE WILDLIFE

Explore tanzania, meet your guides, design a private safari.

It was 2017 when on a safari, Hilary, a young Tanzanian guide, and Martin, a German traveller residing in Barcelona, met. They didn’t know it yet, but that’s where Suricata Safaris began.

«Hilary has always tried to make us happy!» thought Martin.

A team daily committed to the happiness of each client, we are Suricata Safaris.

Our daily goals are to live incredible adventures with you in our home, Tanzania, and help make the world a little better through the well-being of every being connected to wildlife and nature.

We are waiting for you in Tanzania!

HILARY & MARTIN

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About suricata.

• +255 686 177 861 (messaging only)
• [email protected]
• +255 763 222 293 | +34 620 28 29 60
• Tanzania, Arusha, 16301 | Spain, Sant Cugat, 08198, Calle Can Llobet 3

© 2024 Suricata Safaris | All Rights Reserved. Designed By Tandem Projects

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Contact Information

904-976-0826  [email protected]

Opening Hours

Monday – Friday 9am-5pm  Weekend – Closed

• NATIONAL PARKS
• KILIMANJARO
• TRAVEL GUIDE

Suricata Safaris

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4-Day Tour to Tanzania's National Parks

3-Day Small-Group Tanzania Safari Tour from Arusha

5 Days Group Tour in Tanzania

Day Trip to Materuni Waterfalls & Chemka Hotsprings

2 days to Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Suricata Safaris - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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About Suricata Safaris

The Suricata Safari Team consists of experts in organizing safaris to all the attraction sites in Tanzania. Our company is based in Arusha, Tanzania. We are located only a few kilometers away from Ngorongoro crater, mount Kilimanjaro and lake Manyara.

Our team has many years of experience in Tourism and hospitality industry, we plan customized safaris to suit our clients needs be it a wildlife adventure, romantic getaway, mountain trekking as well as alternative Tours to meet local tribes or to explore interesting things off the beaten track.

Suricata Safaris was launched in 2016. Hilary started the activities from scratch. He studied Tourism and learned everything about the animals in the parks of Tanzania. He is from the Chaga tribe and is originally from the area around Kilimanjaro. In August of 2017, Martin, from German origin, visited Tanzania and had a safari Tour with Hillary.

Martin explains that he saw something in Hillary that was more than a Tour guide. He saw someone very focused and organized, yet with a very good sense of humor. Martin further explained ¨Hillary is a humble man and a very knowledgeable safari guide. He found all the animals and showed us things that no other safari Tours went to see.¨

That was the moment Martin knew that Hillary would be a great business partner and an even better friend. Hillary could not have been more happy to see their business grow and employ more local people of Tanzania.In the meantime the team has grown.

We work with drivers and cooks from Arusha and are working to give the people a stable basis for evolving their lives.Suricata Safaris is a proud growing company. We endeavor to make our customers happy and provide them with an adventure of a lifetime.We thank you for supporting our mission.

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5 Days Group Tour in Tanzania

• the guide will be infront of then aim mail
• Arusha Airport, Arusha Tanzania
• AIM Mall, Mbauda Arusha TZ, Arusha 3424, Tanzania
• Near public transportation
• Not wheelchair accessible
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Most travelers can participate
• This tour/activity will have a maximum of 7 travelers
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

• jochenk568 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great experience Great experience, I‘d recommend it to everyone, especially driver/gude Lewis and chef Tito were fantastic. Really good! Read more Written April 14, 2024
• christinazC394MC 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great safari experience The organization of the tour was excellent from the pick up at the airport to the drop off at the hotel. The night before the tour was included and the hotel was fine as were the campsites we stayed at. Our driver / guide Lewis did a great job! He drove us safely, answered all our questions and really took his time when watching the animals. Our chef Tito prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner and honestly every meal was delicious, we loved it. And even more importantly both, Lewis and Tito were really, really kind. Thanks for the great experience guys - I would love to do it again with you Read more Written April 14, 2024
• Dreamer673285 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles A true world-class wonder! Suricata is highly rated for good reason, they run a superb guiding business in one of the most stunning places on earth. Theguide is professional, patient and friendly . He has done this many years, and you tell he still enjoys his work, and sharing his beautiful country with guests. Our groups personal chef was up well before dawn, preparing gourmet meals for the day- on propane portable gas stove, and even baked breads and pizza from scratch in a Serengeti-styled Dutch oven using charcoal embers. The Serengeti and Ngorongoro game drives were amazing, and the first day at Tarangire was great great way to kick off the tour. You will see more animals than you can imagine, and experience not only animals, but mind-blowing hands-on travels through a variety of ecosystems from rain forest, to a volcanic caldera teaming with wildlife, to short grass prairies that go in as far as you can see, being catered to by the most friendly Tanzanian team you could ask for. Not a bad word can be said, a glorious experience from beginning to end. Read more Written April 11, 2024
• 382ronano 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Amazing 4 day camping safari We did the 4 day camping safari to Serengeti national park, ngorongoro crater and tarangire national park. It was a brilliant 4 days where we saw a lot of animals. Our tour guide rocky was amazing, he was very knowledgeable about the animals and knew where to look in order to find the animals. I would highly recommend rocky if you are booking a safari with this company. The food that we were given on the trip was also to a really high standard and the chef did a great job to make sure everybody was fed well. Read more Written April 11, 2024
• TravellerChappy 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Trip of a lifetime The Suricata team is fantastic! Damian the guide is professional, friendly and is one of the greatest guides I have ever had. Jamie the chef treated us to surprisingly fine cuisine- the guy is up at 3 AM preparing gourmet meals for the day! On a gas cookstove and charcoal embers no less. The Serengeti is more than a game drive. You will see more animals than you can count, but experience ones of the grandest ecosystems I have experienced in my travels, with the most friendly Tanzanian team you could ask for. All good, no bad, and a wonderful experience from beginning to end. I could on and on, not enough space here to share the magic. You will be camping, but they do all setup for you. Buckle up and enjoy the ride! Read more Written April 10, 2024
• Callumw7 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Honeymoon with Suricata My wife and I went out honeymoon to Tanzania with Suricata. We had an incredible Safari. We did the 4 day safari and we went to Tarangerie, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. We had Rocky as our guide and he was amazing. He was a lovely guy and made sure the Safari was incredible. We saw the bug 5 and so much more. I would absolutely use Suricata again, I can’t recommend them enough. Read more Written April 7, 2024
• YUJIN K 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles They will give more than you expected Lovely experience with kind guide Ezekiel and nice chef Tito! They will give you more than you expected. Ezekiel was very patient and kind, tried to do his best to make everyone in the group comfortable and satisfied. Tito cooked amazing food for every single meal we had, you never can imagine what he cooked in the middle of no where. We could meet a lot of animals, witnessing migration was one of the best moments. As a group tour, you better prepared to meet any kind of people, which I wasn’t. I was very annoyed rude one in the group who never stopped shouting at animals and behaving like a child. I felt animals could attack us. But thanks that everyone else was amazing and they helped my trip wouldn’t be ruined. I reckon it is good idea you already make 5-6group to travel together to safari, or do private tour. Anyway, thanks for the amazing memories, I will never forget the safari and definitely will travel again one day! Asante sana Read more Written April 6, 2024
• 213richya 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Memorable Safari with Rocky! The tour with Rocky was awesome. He was very memorable as far as keeping us entertained throughout the journey. He also knew the right places to go and is very well connected with the other guides. Very lucky to have been paired up with Rocky, and would highly recommend him to anyone. He is professional the whole time, yet a lot of fun. Thank you Rocky! Read more Written April 4, 2024
• J8186BMmichaelk 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Once in a lifetime! We had a great time, saw all big 5. Out guide Freddy demonstrated gute knowledge as he could answer all our questions. Thx Suricata! Read more Written April 3, 2024
• S5706HXtom_k 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great safari A great safari where we saw all the animals we dreamed of, most of them up close. Elephants, lions and zebras walked around our car, a giraffe walked through our camp in the morning - beautiful! :) Excellent service including food. And they were very helpful in dealing with the subsequent inconvenience. Great safari, great people! Asante sana! Read more Written April 2, 2024
• patrickoQ1367BT 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great experience on 3 day safari with Suricata We had a great safari experience with Suricata. On the first day we were picked up from our previous accommodation in the morning and taken to a comfortable hotel booked by Suricata. We were able to spend the rest of the day on a half day trip to the Kikuletwa Hotsprings, for which our Suricata agent organized a driver for us within minutes. The safari itself started the next morning at around 7:30 am. We picked up two other guests and our cook. On the way to Serengeti we drove through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where we stopped at a viewpoint on the crater rand and were able to take photos of the entire crater. At the gateway to the Serengeti, we were served our first meal, which was a particularly positive experience. Our cook provided us with hot lunches and dinners and very tasty breakfasts throughout the trip and even baked a cake - it is still a mystery to us how he managed to do this on campsites with the simplest of utensils. The food was definitely one of our highlights on the safari. Other safari groups often only received packed lunch boxes, as we were able to observe from time to time. In the Serengeti and later in the Ngorongoro Crater we had enough time on the game drives to observe several groups of lions, a cheetah, two rhinos, dozens of elephants and giraffes as well as countless wildebeests, antelopes and gazelles. The entire tour was done in a Toyota Landcruiser with an openable roof and was well organized all-around. After the tour, we were booked into a hotel by Suricata for another night, where a Suricata agent was already waiting for us for a feedback talk. The only thing left for the next morning was our transfer to the next accommodation (or alternatively to the airport), which, like the first transfer, was included in the tour price. Read more Written April 1, 2024
• Q9411CLrobertn 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Hill's & Springs This is a great trip if you like nature and hiking. You Will need a pair of good hicking shoes. That's all. The Materuni waterfall is the prize ín the end. The Hot Spring at the end is like enterimg Paradise. Read more Written April 1, 2024
• akosd103 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Back to nature This is a very nice day trip from Arusha, especially after a 4day safari trip. The Materuni waterfall trip was very nice as we were alking through the banana plantation. We tried local food. All very good. Read more Written April 1, 2024
• Q9411CLrobertn 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Experience of a lifetime Everything was perfectly organized. Fred was a lovely guy, so helpful. He could answer all the questions we had. The accomodation was perfect as well as the food. Highly recommended. Read more Written March 31, 2024
• akosd103 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Experience of a lifetime The whole tour was amazing! The guide was a very friendly guy, very knowledgable! The accomodations were very good, food amazing! Read more Written March 31, 2024

More to explore in Arusha

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

5 Days Group Tour in Tanzania provided by Suricata Safaris

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Suricata Safaris

5-Day Group Tour Manyara Serengeti Ngorongoro Tarangire

5.0 /5 – 1,937 Reviews

$1,045 pp (USD)

Your request will be sent directly to the operator

If preferred, you can contact the operator directly

On this safari, you will visit the best places in Tanzania including Lake Manyara and the amazing plains of the Serengeti. You will have choice spottings of the amazing tree-climbing lions! The safari includes a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater, known as the “Garden of Eden”, in Serengeti National Park. Come explore Africa with us!

Tour Features

Budget camping.

This is a budget camping tour.

Shared tour

On this shared tour, you will join a group of other travelers. Max 6 people per vehicle.

Can start any day

If availability permits, this tour can start on any day.

Cannot be customized

The contents of this tour cannot be changed.

Suitable for single travelers

Single travelers can join this group tour, but it requires a minimum of 4 people to run.

Minimum age of 1 year

The minimum age for this tour is 1 year.

Activities & Transportation

Accommodation & meals.

• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for an extra cost
• Day Accommodation Meals
• 1 Budget camping In or near Tarangire NP – All Meals Included All Meals Included
• 2-3 Budget camping In or near Serengeti NP – All Meals Included All Meals Included
• 4 Budget camping In or near Ngorongoro Crater – All Meals Included All Meals Included
• 5 End of tour (No accommodation) – All Meals Included All Meals Included

Interested in This Tour?

Request a Quote

• We advise requesting quotes from 3 operators ( Learn why )
• Requests are sent directly to the tour operator
• If preferred, you can contact the tour operator directly

Best price guarantee

• This tour is offered by Suricata Safaris , not SafariBookings.
• This operator reserves the right to change rates advertised on SafariBookings.
• This group tour requires a minimum of 4 people to run.
• The exact order, contents and rates of this tour are subject to availability.
• This tour is subject to the terms & conditions of Suricata Safaris.
• What is included in this tour

Get a Free Quote

• More About This Operator

Customer Reviews

An incredible 5 Day Safari in Tanzania

We found Suricata Safari through a friend, contacted them easily through WhatsApp and they organized everything for us. Mister T picked us up from the airport with the biggest smile and the warmest welcome to Tanzania. He dropped us at our...

Full Review

Suricata Safaris

• See all photos

4-Day Tour to Tanzania's National Parks

3-Day Small-Group Tanzania Safari Tour from Arusha

5 Days Group Tour in Tanzania

Day Trip to Materuni Waterfalls & Chemka Hotsprings

2 days to Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Suricata Safaris - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

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Elderly Iranians Feel At Home At Noor Active Living in Santa Clara

By Julie Ershadi

Mahin Afkhami worked for an affiliate of Iran’s information and tourism ministry in the 1970s when the Revolution broke out. She and her husband, who had four children studying at universities in the U.S., found themselves unable to send them money to apply for green cards. The couple traveled west to sort out the status of their children’s visas, in what they believed would be a brief trip. They ended up leaving behind everything they had in Iran: their belongings, their wealth, and life as they knew it.

That was 38 years ago. Today, like the hundreds of thousands of Iranians who lived through the revolution and moved abroad, Afkhami speaks proudly of the efforts she made to rebuild her life and ensure her children’s success. Yet as she has advanced in years, she has made the decision to move to an assisted living facility rather than rely on her offspring.

Unlike many elders in the Iranian expatriate community who live with their adult children, Afkhami – who shies away from disclosing her age – is a resident of Noor Active Living , an assisted living facility located in Santa Clara , California. The idea behind Noor is to provide an environment that would be familiar to an Iranian population of patients, who often feel isolated receiving care outside of their home country and away from their families.

“My children want me to go and live with them, but I refuse,” she says in a recent afternoon. “I would be interrupting their lives. They come to visit me and I go over there, but I’d rather have my privacy and live here.”

Noor Active Living was founded with the purchase by a group of philanthropists of an existing assisted living center in need of major renovations in 2009. The idea was to create a place for elderly Iranians in the United States, based on the Kahrizak Charity Foundation , a nonprofit that provides care and a living environment for the elderly and handicapped in Iran.

The driving force at Noor is its executive director, Nazila Safari, a medical doctor in the U.S.  and Iran. Like virtually all of the residents and staff at Noor, Safari is an Iranian immigrant who had to start over in the United States.

Inside the Noor facility, the walls are decorated with calligraphy and traditional paintings. A small study contains a library of books in Persian , including War and Peace in translation, a book on Afghan cuisine , history books, and poetry. On all the floors are authentic Persian rugs , donated by one of the center’s patrons.

In the dining hall, the Iranian-born chef prepares a lunch of ghormeh sabzi (a herb-based stew) for the 12 residents and staff members. Even ta’arof , the Iranian form of etiquette, is present, as when the site manager invites a visiting reporter to stay for lunch.

Outside is a patio lined with persimmon trees and palm fronds. There, accompanied by three caretakers and another resident, Afkhami tells her story of leaving Iran and coming to the United States. She produces an issue of Kayhan International , dated June 3, 1976. Page 3 features her promotion to deputy director for technical and planning affairs at the Tourism Facilities Compan  of Iran.

The group is seated at a patio table spread with Iranian tea, a box of gaz nougat  (candy) fresh from Esfahan , and other traditional snacks. Everyone exchanges knowing glances and nods somberly as Afkhami describes how hard it was to rebuild her and her family’s lives from the ground up.

“I came here with just one small suitcase of things for myself because I didn’t have plans to stay,” she says. “But things got worse. Me and my husband were both in good positions over there, so we would’ve been killed. We never went back.”

“The children were working, going to school, and had a lot of expenses,” she recalled. “It was just the six of us working. Hard.”

Noor’s executive director Safari qualified as a doctor in Iran. But when she came to the United States 22 years ago, her degree was not recognized, and she had to attend U.S. medical school to continue her practice. While in school, she took a job as a live-in nurse with an elderly couple.

“At that time, I didn’t have anybody here,” she says. “So they became my parents, my grandparents, my whole family.”

Alone in a foreign country, she developed a close bond with the family that would change the course of her life.

“Their kids moved out,” she recalls. “I got married and took the elderly woman with me until I could find a place to put her. I noticed all of these assisted living places. I was looking for which one would give her as much love and support as I was giving her.”

It was during her search for a care facility that Safari discovered a pressing situation: here and there, solitary elderly Iranians living in facilities where they related to no one. “There would be one or two Iranians. When they would see me, they would say, ‘Oh my God, you speak Farsi ! Nobody understands me here, I don’t like the food – this is not good!’ It was bothering me,” she says.

Safari started going to assisted living homes in the little free time she had between work and medical school. She wanted to spend time with these elderly Iranians who had been alone up until then. She would sit with them at the care facilities where they lived, translate their words when necessary for the nurses, and spend time with them when their children weren’t available.

As she became more deeply involved in the field of elderly care, Safari helped to open a Sunrise Senior Living branch in Sunnyvale , California, a town adjacent to Santa Clara. According to the company’s website, Sunrise operates internationally with 315 facilities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom .

Opening the Sunnyvale branch got Safari noticed by a group of directors hoping to start their own assisted living community, a not-for-profit facility created with the needs of elderly Iranians in mind. They asked her to help open Noor in 2009, and she agreed. She supervised renovations on the building that the group had acquired, but declined to run the facility, asking them instead to find someone else as she pursued her own professional activities.

After the completion of renovations in 2011, the facility sat unused for two years while the board searched for a substitute for Safari. They approached her again, this time with success. Safari has been director of Noor Active Living since 2013.

As a not-for-profit organization, Noor relies on donations from board members and community groups, as well as the fees charged to its residents. These funds cover expenses, and do not earn a profit for Safari and her staff, which is composed almost entirely of recent Iranian immigrants. The overarching aim, they say, is the respect, comfort and longevity of their patients, who have traveled so far and, in many cases, given up a great deal in the face of political turmoil in Iran.

“They had their independence, their house, their job, their respect in Iran,” Safari says. “They were looking forward to retiring there, going to the supermarket and speaking their own language, negotiating all of that. All of a sudden, they’re an immigrant, they’re brought to a new place where they can’t go anywhere or even speak the language.”

Chewing on gaz and sipping Iranian tea, Noor’s staff members echo the same sentiment that Safari described: what they do is more than a job – it is the love and care of the elderly members of their community, who are living thousands of miles away from the place they all call home. Afkhami, for her part, speaks warmly of the life she lives at Noor.

“We had everything over there,” she says, remembering her life in Iran before the revolution. “Now, this is the best place I could be. It is home.”

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