Tanzanian owned · Established 2021
“Gabriel has laser eyes and picked out things no-one else has seen and on the first day, the find of the cheetah and her 5 cubs at a kopje was a real joy. No other safari trucks to be seen, so we had that experience to ourselves.”
Jim F · TripAdvisor
Receive a personal reply within two hours
We are Tecomate Tours & Safaris - an indigenous, Tanzanian-owned company based in Arusha. We offer tailor-made safaris that immerse you in the most breathtaking nature the country has to offer - private vehicles, private guides, locally-owned, direct and reliable.
Send your enquiry - our co-founder Godfrey will personally reply within two hours.
We are a real team of people in Tanzania, so if you send it late at night, your reply will be waiting for when you wake up.
Every trip we run
You'll sit with the lion as long as you want to. Every Tecomate trip is a private vehicle and guide, meaning only you decide when the morning ends.
You'll see things most drive past. Over ten passionate and experienced guides, every one licenced, most with more than ten years of experience - guests name them more than the company itself.
You're never just a booking reference, but part of a close-knit family. Our co-founder Godfrey reads every enquiry and writes itinerary himself. Our limited volume allows us to pay utmost attention to detail to your experience.
Your safari makes Tanzania a better place. We're a local, indigenous-owned company registered in Tanzania, focused on community impact and sustainability at heart. The money stays in the country, not a head office overseas.
Your quote is the price of the safari, not the safari plus someone else's commission. We are the operator, not the agent. We arrange everything personally, ourselves, specifically for you.
Your deposit keeps its protection. Payments to a registered company through Visa, Mastercard and Amex, and your own bank's chargeback cover travels with it - or just bank transfer if you prefer.
Tecomate Tours & Safaris Co. Limited. Registered company 153223580 (verifiable online), Tour Operator Licence 033097, Arusha, Tanzania.
Who are we?
The morning in the headline is real - someone wrote it themselves, and put their name to it. But getting there is the hard part. Every safari brochure promises the same pristine vision: unrivaled, immersed, sustainable, locally owned. Yet after weeks of reviewing identical itineraries, waiting on three enquiries sent on a Sunday afternoon with one automated reply that evening, your unique journey feels surprisingly recycled.
Why is that? Because many of the prestigious names in your inbox are brokers, not operators. They reply from cities thousands of miles away, filtering your expectations through third-party channels and off-the-shelf templates.
True luxury is not curated from an office in Europe or the US - it is created on the ground by the people who live and breathe the experience every single day. Put every operator to the test - including us.
When the first light hits the plains of the Serengeti and a mother cheetah moves her cubs through the dew, you deserve to be standing in awe with the same people that got you there, alongside the master guide who has read those grounds for a lifetime. So, why not book the operator that brings you there?
Our story
We're owned and founded by Tanzanians, employing all local staff. We're personal enough that our founder will be there to fix your trip if the herds move early, and your week needs rebuilding around it.
We offer tailor-made itineraries to the parks you want to visit, with an opportunity to be truly ingrained in Tanzanian culture, directly supporting local communities and nature. We know the best spots, the places hidden from the rest. Our passionate and experienced multi-lingual guides are here to cater to anyone who wishes to see our beautiful country. After all, we're the ones on the ground, doing this directly.
Registrations and licences
This exists so that by the time you are packing, the only thing you are still undecided about is which camp, and not whether the company you sent money to is real. You can verify it yourself.
You are about to send a large deposit to a company on another continent. Here is everything you need to check us first:
Visa, Mastercard or Amex, as well as bank transfer. A card payment carries chargeback protection through your own bank (3.5% surcharge applies) - a wire transfer to Tanzania does not. If it is the thing giving you pause, use the card.
Payments go to Tecomate Tours & Safaris Co. Limited, the same name on the BRELA certificate above. If anyone in this industry ever asks you to send money to a personal account, that is your answer about them.
We require a 30% deposit on booking, with the remainder due 40 days before travel. Written itinerary and invoice before anything is paid.
You can see our payment page before you enquire: tecomatetours.co.tz/payment-methods-and-terms/.
What your day looks like
If there is a leopard in a tree and you want another forty minutes, you get another forty minutes, because it is your vehicle and your guide and there is nobody in the back row with a flight to catch.
You go where you want to go. Each itinerary is custom built around the dates and places you want to see. You're one of just a few groups a month, and you get our personal attention - not just a template with your name changed at the top.
Your lunch is not a cardboard box. Hermann and Apollo get named in the reviews by guests who came back and wrote about the food, which is not something people usually do about lunch on a game drive. Lars & Janine wrote that Hermann's cooking was "always fresh and absolutely delicious" and that "He always made sure we were okay!"
You travel in a 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, a cool box, charging points, a radio and a first aid kit. Six seats, every one of them a window seat.
Your accommodation isn't chosen from a spreadsheet - your camps are picked for your dates and where the migration actually is that week, not from a fixed list we book in bulk. Oliver wrote that the camps were "strategically located to offer stunning views of the surrounding landscapes", and Livia, whose six days ran from Mwanza through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro to Tarangire, described hers as "where you could hear lions, hyenas and elephants from the safety of your tent at night."
If you're coming for a reason
Honeymoon, anniversary, a birthday, or you've been before and you're coming back.
Godfrey emails every camp on your route in advance and asks them to decorate the room and put something on, usually a cake and quite often singing. He brings cake or wine himself, and something to take home - and you'll have a wheel cover printed for the vehicle with your occasion on it, so every photograph you take that week has it in the background.
We're small enough that the whole team knows it's your special occasion, and we'll make sure that every day of your trip reflects that.
The guides
Now of course, no one goes home and tells their friends about the booking process. They talk about the person in the driver's seat. Gabriel was one of our first. There are more than ten now, and most of our reviews are about them rather than us.
On seeing what you would not have seen
One of the most memorable moments was witnessing a caracal taking down its prey. It was a raw and powerful display of nature at its finest.
Oliver, Hong Kong · SafariGo
At Sergenti in particular, we had the perfect safari day: Gabriel led us through hundreds of buffaloes and zebras to leopards, lions and even cheetahs.
Livia, Switzerland · SafariBookings
On the expertise of our guides
With a background in zoology, he has an incredible understanding of animal behavior... he could predict the presence of predators by analyzing the movement patterns of wildebeests or anticipate a lion hunt based on the dynamics within a pride.
Julia, Hong Kong · SafariGo
On the experiences we deliver to guests
While other vehicles were rushing around aimlessly, Peter remained calm and patient. He told us, 'Just wait, patience is key.' And he was right. He positioned our vehicle perfectly... The wildebeests crossed and came ashore just five meters away from us.
Xu, Shanghai · SafariGo
On the quality of our service
George kept quiet when we didn't want to talk, and he was cheerful when we wanted to chat, we chatted about the conflict between the Maasai and the lions, his travelling experiences to the USA and so on.
Yiqing, Shanghai · SafariGo
Foolishly I forgot to bring my camera batteries and George lent me his camera completely for five days!
Yiqing, Shanghai · SafariGo
Not just that, but our guides span six languages - English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Chinese.
Every guide here holds the operating licence the law requires and has been trained through a tour guiding association in first aid, customer care and how to run a trip. We do not hire anyone with less than five years in the field, and most of the guides you would go out with have more than ten.
Whilst we can't promise you a specific guide, because we don't know who will be free in your week and we'd rather say now than disappoint you in 8 months, what we can say is this - the reviews speak for themselves, and they were written for a reason. Every one of our guides is passionate, an expert in their craft, and loves every day of what they do.
Safety, health and what happens if
Hearing lions from your tent is an incredible experience - but also, for many of you an alarming one, especially when you're going far from hospitals with people you don't know, most often in a brand new country. We understand.
If it puts you at ease - our co-founder Godfrey is available to contact for your whole trip, not just office hours. One group had an electrical fault in the car in the middle of a national park:
During our tour in the rough roads in and outside the parks we had small problems with the electricity of the car. Godfrey answered within minutes and organized a mechanic at our next lodge. The car was repaired during we had dinner.
Markus & Anna, Germany · SafariBookings
Malaria in northern Tanzania is real, seasonal and manageable, and we can tell you exactly what to expect and what your GP is going to ask about. Every vehicle carries a first aid kit and every guide has first aid training. You'll also be put automatically on the Flying Doctors service, which covers evacuation from the nearest airstrip to a hospital. You will want your own travel insurance covering medical treatment and evacuation either way.
What our guests have said
I can't tell these companies apart…
We contacted about 20+ agencies and eventually choose Tecomate for our tour for their 1) speedy response and attentiveness (during 3 months of planning I have never waited for over 8+ hours for any reply!), 2) very reasonable and clear pricing... 3) the length they are willing to go to customise our tour for max joy.
Keira, United Kingdom · SafariGo
He was able to pay attention to every little question I asked... He replied to the emails with the utmost care and clarity, and it was for this reason that we chose him, and it felt like emails with a touch of warmth.
Yiqing, Shanghai · SafariGo
He answered every question with patience and enthusiasm and always included our children.
Marc S, Germany · TripAdvisor
Even during the planning stages, we realized that this wasn't just a standard, off-the-shelf program. Our wishes were addressed individually, and communication was always prompt, friendly, and reliable, giving us a great feeling even before the trip began.
Marc S, Germany · TripAdvisor
Godfrey was instrumental in planning and organizing our trip. His attention to detail and thoroughness in arranging the itinerary ensured that every aspect of our journey was seamless and well-organized.
Link, Shanghai · SafariGo
Again, you're not just a checkbox on a template. Our safaris are bespoke, tailor-made and chosen to your desires, to make sure that the trip you have been imagining for two years is the one you actually get - our guests will back that up.
Is the sustainability story even real?:
First, it was important for us to work with a locally owned indigenous tour company that utilizes eco-friendly practices when possible.
Terry Wildschut · Google
Tecomate prioritises community and conservation impact and strongly believes that ecotourism should benefit the places it takes people to instead of take away from them. Therefore, we route you to local communities, not tourist villages - with activities like cooking classes to get you ingrained in the culture and feel like family. You can even choose to plant a tree on your trip to leave a lasting footprint.
"The cultural part will be staged and I will feel like an idiot."
To get in contact with local communities and learn about their daily live and get even integrated in, It was a really nice experience and absolutely not like the normal tourist experience!
Elitumaini Rindano · Google
There's a lot of 'cultural experiences' that just take you to the same tourist village, like all the cars before you. Tecomate makes sure that your experience is a genuine, real representation of the amazing cultures and tribes that make our country what it is.
And the one that says it better than any of the above:
what you get is beyond the animals!!
Keira, United Kingdom · SafariGo
Our reviews speak for themselves. Our guests write about the week they still think about months, and years later, the moment that they'll remember for the rest of their life.
119 reviews across four platforms. 118 of them are five-star and one is a four-star. SafariBookings 17, SafariGo 49, TripAdvisor 40, Google 13 at a 4.9 average. Verifiable online.
Where the money goes
On the last day of one trip, a couple were taken to a village near Moshi to learn about Chagga culture. What they wrote about afterwards was the lunch:
followed by local lunch (one of the best meals we had while traveling in east Africa for nearly 4 weeks).
Livia, Switzerland · SafariBookings
This is but a small representation of what Tecomate is all about. Real experiences, real stories, and real impact.
Tecomate is a Tanzanian-owned and indigenous-founded operator based in Arusha.
We were founded to make ecotourism a better place.
That mission funds 100% Tanzanian hiring, cooking classes and agritourism guests take part in rather than watch, opportunities to give back to the nature and ecosystems of Tanzania, and real time spent in Tanzanian communities with real people rather than another staged village stop.
On trips where there is time for it, we take guests to plant a tree themselves. Some plant more than one. It is something you are invited to do, not something included in the price, and not every trip does it. We would rather tell you that than imply every guest plants a tree.
We take guests out to walk the forests near Moshi and fill sacks with the bottles other people left behind. You get to be a part of our sustainability mission.
Guests can stay with a local family instead of a lodge, take part in the ordinary run of the day, and the income goes to that household directly rather than through anybody else.
We route some guests to Ruaha and Nyerere rather than concentrating everybody on the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, so tourism money reaches villages the Northern Circuit never reaches.
We don't have a tree count or a household number to give you, and we're not going to invent one to sound better. What you can be sure of is where your money is actually going: to a company owned and run in Tanzania, employing Tanzanians, keeping it in the country instead of routing it abroad through a foreign head office.
Who it's not for
Some people want fixed departure dates with a group for strangers, four-day highlights through as many parks as possible, with budgets that undercut quality.
Some people want to rush around, tick a checkbox and disappear, without seeing anything deeper that our beautiful country has to offer. They just see a lot of roads.
If this is you, we strongly recommend looking elsewhere.
However, we suspect if you've got this far, you are the person who wants to be sitting still at six in the morning while the light comes up and your guide says nothing and points.
If so - you're at the right place.
Budget
Our itineraries are built to order, so there's no template price to quote you. However, mid to high end Tecomate trips often run between $6,500 to $8,000 per person for a 7-day Northern Circuit experience for two people, depending on the camps and the season. If you want to know what yours would cost, send an enquiry and Godfrey will price it properly.
Whatever the number turns out to be, it buys the same thing every time: a vehicle with nobody else in it, a guide who has spent his life here, and a week you will be describing to people for the next ten years.
What happens after I enquire?
Godfrey reads it personally and replies with a built itinerary and a clear price within 2 hours. If it's not right, tell him and he'll rebuild it. No deposit until you're ready.
How do deposits work?
30% upfront - paid by bank transfer or credit card. 3.5% card surcharge. Remaining balance due 40 days before arrival.
What is included in the price?
Every itinerary is different, but on almost all of ours the price you are quoted covers all accommodation and all meals, park entry fees and concession fees, your 4x4 Land Cruiser with its driver guide, unlimited drinking water and soft drinks on safari, airport transfers at both ends, and Flying Doctors cover. If you book a local flight or an extra activity through us, that goes inside the quoted price too rather than arriving as a surprise later.
What is not included?
International flights, travel insurance, tips for your guide and the lodge staff, laundry, and drinks at your accommodation unless that lodge is all inclusive. We would rather list those here than have you find them at the end.
When to come, and when to book
The calving season on the southern Serengeti plains. It peaks from late January through February, when several thousand calves are born in a day, the grass is still green from the short rains, and every predator out there is awake to it. Quieter than the July to October crossings, though the Ndutu area itself fills up in February, which is why the camp we put you in is chosen for where the herds actually are that week.
The river crossings - a million wildebeest and everything that follows them. This is the one you have seen on television - one of the world's greatest wildlife spectacles.
Whatever you decide, the earlier you book, the better. The lodges and camps you want to visit in the right part of the Serengeti for your dates are booked months in advance, and there are not many of them - the sooner we can get you in, the more likely we can bring you to exactly where you want to stay.
Plenty of couples add a few days in Zanzibar at the end. Ask and we'll price both.
Send your enquiry
With all that said, if you're wanting to book a once-in-a-lifetime, immersive safari with a founder-led, Tanzanian-owned operator who genuinely gives back to local communities and nature after reading this -
You'll receive an itinerary around your dates, with a clear price. No deposit, no obligation, and if it's not right, we'll rebuild it until it is. If what you're describing isn't something Tecomate does well, he'll tell you that instead of selling you something else.
No request is too odd, by the way. Somebody once asked for three surprise birthday parties in one trip. Half of what makes a trip yours is the specific thing you asked for and assumed was too much trouble, so put it in the last box.
If it's a honeymoon, an anniversary or a birthday, say so, because we'll do something about it.
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Godfrey usually replies on WhatsApp, because it is faster than email, but we'll let you know we received your enquiry either way.
P.S.
P.S. The trip in the first line of this page is real. It's what a guest described to us, in their own words, after they've been - and we receive comments like this time and time again.
Somewhere in the southern Serengeti in February, a cheetah will be sitting on a kopje with five cubs and there will be nobody watching her.
Two Sundays from now you will either have a written itinerary with a real price on it, or the same eleven tabs and one more auto-reply.
Send yours. Godfrey reads them himself, with a personal reply in two hours.