Mr. Leopard Ngowi, Director and Marketing Manager
Safari Moja Matata
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $2,422 to $17,301 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Valerio Ruscito | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
They ruined my safari
Attention! do not go to any of these safari agencies (Kilimanjaro Adventure Safari Club, Kima, Safari Moja Matata) especially not to Mister Thomas. I think they are scammers.
We paid Mr. Thomas 3800 USD to have a 8 days safari, at the end of July 2023: Serengeti, Lake Natron, Olduvai Gorge, lake Maniara. Starting from Arusha. He promised us the new car which pics he sent us by whatsapp when we contacted him, but a very old Toyota was used for our safari. The car was very very old and dangerous and Mr Thomas put us in a very serious DANGER and RISK for our LIVES! AND HE KNEW IT. That was a criminal way to work with people.
First of all, we paid Kilimanjaro Adventure Safari Club; the safari program was by KIMA company, and to enter the parks the name of the company was Safari Moja Matata. We don't know what happened.
The Toyota Prado sx 30 turbo (plate T457 ANR) had very worn tyres, left windows and doors didn't work (we can't get out of the car, we can't close the windows when the road was dusty), brakes didn't work and produced smoke and bud smell, brake fluid came out from the left front wheel, rear shock absorbers didn't work so the car skided dangerously and the engine made strange noises. The car was very very dirty and rusted. The driver (Juma) had to drive very slowly because the car swerving when improved the speed, so we lost a lot of time for visiting the parks. We were very afraid for our safety.
After a day driving, we wrote and phoned to Thomas to ask him for changing the car for a better one as those in the picture he sent, but he said it was the only avaible car. He said the car was ok, but it wasn't at all.
In fact, on 25th July one of the bald tyres broke. They mount the spare wheel but he broke after 20 meters! The spare tyre was very bald too.
We stand on the road for hours to wait for new wheels. I called Thomas to protest, he said we was right and he would refund us for that day, but he didn't it. That was the last time he answered at calling or sending messages.
Finally Thomas sent a private car that carried us to Lake Natron but we arrived in late and we had only 2 hours to visit the side in a great hurry.
By night, the driver Juma arrived to Natron with the same old car again and 2 new tyres and we continued the safari on the same old car.
The safari continued driving always very very slowly and we always must wait 2/3 ours for the payment for entering the parks because Thoms were always in late in that. We lost a lot of time every time.
On 27th July in Serengeti the brake fluid came out from a wheel that made bad noises. So we couldn't arrive to Serengeti Central and we had to pass the first night in another camping near the border of the park. Because of the slow driving and the in late payments we arrived on 28th July to Olduvai Gorge only 1 our before the closing! INCREDIBLE! We have no enought time to visit all we wanted.
On 29th July, during descending Ngorongoro slope, brakes caught fire! The company put us in a great danger! We could have a serious accident during the deep descent. A lot of other drivers stopped to advise us about the dangerous situation.
On the way back, climbing the Ngorongoro slope, the car stopped because the engine produced smoke. We all pushed the car trying to restart the car unsuccessfully. Another car gave a ride to the top of the slope. The old and dangerous car broke definitely and our driver left it in Ngorongoro.
We remained with no safari car, and we continued our safari changing different private cars for the remaining 2 days with great discomforts and delays, while you disappeared at all!
On the way back to Arusha we went to the Arusha Tourist & Diplomatic Police station to make a report to the police.
The police said that surely one of the three safari companies was a fake.
Our safari and our holiday are ruined, and we risked our lives!
After the report at the police, Mr Thomas promised to refund us 1500 USD, but he disappeared without doing it.
Reply from Safari Moja Matata
Posted on Nov 30, 2023Thanks and Sorry....
I do not agree with the document you attached does not show Customer Name.
My few questions for the client
1; Why don't you have proof of the receipt showing his payment of 3800 dollars made to Safari Moja Matata. Please submit this as evidence
2. Any customer has an email conversation or WhatsApp conversation between SAFARI MOJA and the customer. Please submit this as evidence
3; why did you sue Thomas of KIMA police?? As you complained here SAFARI MOJA MATATA to ruin your trip
the one you sent is the entry to visit the Ngorongoro Crater and it does not show the Payment or itinerary against SAFARI MOJA MATATA
I ask immediately delete your information from our pages. I will take strict legal action against you.
Look forward to hear from you.
Leopard Ngowi
CA
Email Gord Campbell | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding lifetime experience provided by Leopard and his team at Safari Moja Matata.
Four Canadians shared the experience of a lifetime on a Tanzanian Safari provided through the outstanding Dar-es-salaam company - Safari Moja Matata. Leopard the owner of the company kindly and thoroughly provided continuous correspondence with me from August 2025 until February 2026. Suggestions with honest appraisals were provided by Moja Matata. "We walk together" - a phrase coined by the company, aptly describes the experience of planning our 14 day safari through 5 national wildlife parks in the south, central and western regions of Tanzania.
We decided to arrive in Tanzania several days prior to our Safari. We discovered that Ethiopian Airlines provides outstanding service from Toronto to Addis Ababa and then to Dar-es-Salaam. We highly recommend Ethiopian Airlines. They are the largest airline in Africa, and the fourth largest airline in the world. Service is second to none.
Our driver - Richard and our guide - Elle picked us up at our Dar-es-Salaam hotel on the morning of our first safari day. We were excited and also nervous. This was the groups first experience travelling in central Africa.
Throughout our experience, the company addressed our accommodation and dietary preferences. Many of the roads that we travelled required a highly skilled and self sufficient driver. Richard handled every potential difficulty on the rugged, rutted and the occasional washed out dirt/stone roadways with ease.We experienced several mechanical issues in our comfortable Toyota Land Cruiser due to some road conditions that had deteriorated to do heavy rainfalls. All such mechanical issues were addressed promptly and thus maintained our confidence in our collective safety as we journeyed past Tanzanian rural villages. Four wheel drive is definitely required when travelling to and through the national wildlife parks.
Elle our guide throughout the trip provided our group of four senior citizens with information about the locations we would explore. She ensured that each destination was contacted and prepared for our arrivals. On occasion the hotels we used prepared meals for us in advance, recognizing that due to road conditions we might arrive later than anticipated. In addition Elle coordinated meals prepared by our on site chefs at the five national park Bandas in which we stayed. Having both a male and female as guides was most helpful, as they were able to address individual requests professionally. The experience of eating locally prepared fresh meals was great. Meals included meats such as eggs, chicken, beef and fish; vegetables such as peppers, onions, cucumber, beans, peas, squash; fruits such as mango, strawberry, banana and of course staples such as bread, potato, rice and spaghetti. The chefs prepared wonderful tomato, cucumber and potato soups for lunches. While travelling, we were provided with individually prepared lunch packages. Coffee, tea and various fruit juices accompanied meals. Chilled bottled water was available in our Land Cruiser at all times. Throughout the trip all meals were covered by our tour package price.
The purpose of any Safari, is to see wild-life. By visiting 5 national parks over a 14 day period, we saw a multitude of animals close up: elephants, giraffes, lions, water buffalo, zebras, wart hogs, impalas, baboons, monkeys, hippos, hyenas, crocodiles, chimpanzees, cattle, goals, sheep, wild dogs, birds etc. We experienced the opportunity to watch a family of chimpanzees in the rainforest for over 45 minutes, as they groomed one another. We stood within 4 feet of these animals, who lived in an isolated national park on Lake Tanganika. Our journey included trips via our Toyota Land Cruiser, boat trips on lakes and rivers, and concluded with a Tanzanian airline flight from our last site to Dar-es-Salaam. We returned to our initial hotel for several more days, prior to heading back to Canada. Leopard and Sebastian met us at the airport, and then Moja Matata arranged for a terrific Dar-es-Salaam tour by a local guide Sylvester and our driver Sebastian . We highly recommend the cultural park that illustrates types of housing used in the villages at the end of our excursion. In total our trip was 3 weeks in length.
In my opinion, Safari Moja Matata deserves your consideration, if you are looking for a quality and safe experience. I did a thorough check of eight companies prior to booking with Moja Matata. Their overall package was definitely the best. We were all glad that we were able to support a local Tanzanian company, based in Dar-es-Salaam. We would highly recommend a Safari tour. Thank you to all involved.
LV
Email Dace&friends | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent, attentive and with a good heart.
Five tourists from Latvia went on a two-day safari to Mikumi National Park with Safari Moja Matata. The adventure was surreal. We saw elephants, antelopes, water buffalo, zebras, giraffes up close. So that we could see lions up close, Matata did everything to make our dream come true. Matata is very tolerant and has a good heart. We highly recommend Safari Moja Matata.
SK
Email Kevin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
Richard our driver provided excellent services to us, spanning from being a skilled tour guide and so explaining the contextual background of everything we saw on the safari, to being considerate with the travellers and planning out everything meticulously. I would rate this trip 5/5, and recommend Richard to accompany and guide your trip.
VN
Email Martin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Two Week Safari
We had a wonderful time with our guide/driver, Richard, and Safari Moja Matata. We booked a personalised two-week trip in Tanzania that incorporated the northern safari circuit alongside some more unusual destinations, including Rubondo Island and the Mahale Mountains, to see chimpanzees.
We couldn't have asked for better wildlife experiences. We had some incredible sightings, including serval, cheetah, plenty of leopards, and even an aardwolf.
A guide/driver, Richard, really added to our trip. He was a lovely, happy, accommodating man, and we thoroughly enjoyed his company. He was as enthusiastic and interested in all the wildlife as we were and did a great job driving the safari vehicle and ensuring good views both by eye and for photography. He was ethical and easy-going, a perfect combination.
Thank you to Safari Moja Matata and to Richard for a great trip.
All the best from Martin and Will.
Email Cristian Parv | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
We had 2 extraordinary days with them in Mikumi and Masai village. The road from Dar es Salaam to there was a bit long, but once we arrived we enjoyed every moment. Thank you very much for those 2 unforgettable days.
FR
Email Sabine et Christian | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable experience
This is the third time we have gone on safari with Matata (in 15 years) and everything is always perfect.
Matata does everything to satisfy its customers and adapts to everyone.
We returned delighted from 8 days of Safari (Mikumi - Ruaha - Saadani): we had the price of a mixed lodge and bandas formula in autonomy with an outstanding cook.
Matata is a former ranger and therefore knows the wildlife and the terrain perfectly. Kindness, flexibility, availability and very good value for money.
RO
Email Bogdan Stanila | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well worth the trip and very impressed
The first contact with the company started from România. We felt safe the whole time. Matata is the point of contact and he answers to all the questions and he is very polite. Our trip was for 2 days. We were picked from the hotel in Zanzibar and taken to the airport ( sometimes the flight times change from one day to another so you have to understand that because you are on a different continent). We arrived at the Nyerere National Park, where we were picked by Bugusa.
I want to thank Bugusa for answering to all our questions and to offering us the best time possible in the Safari. He is a very polite man who has a lot of knowledge of the surroundings. My advice to you is to ask him whatever comes into mind because in this way you will really understand the nature. He made our trip one to remember for life.
The kingdom of animals is so much different from the zoo. Sometimes you are filled with adrenaline when you are searching through the park.
I truly recommend this company and wish you a great Safari with them!
FR
Email Tracy V. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible safari
I went on a safari between September and October 2025 with my sister.
The safari went very well and we were able to get close to the animals thanks to Leopard's experience.
He is a very attentive and caring guide.
Our trip lasted 10 days and we were able to visit Nyerere, Mikumi and Ruaha parks.
I highly recommend the services of Safari Moja Matata.
CH
Email Damien Colliard | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
unique experience
Matata has been replaced by Masaka who was an excellent guide. We did a 12-days-safari trip through 4 different parks in South of Tanzania. Just amazing.
Masaka was perfect : serious, open-minded, flexible, efficient and very professional.
We had a great time.
The parks of South Tanzania are less touristic than Serengheti; you seem to get an exclusive experience.
The only bemol was the 2 days trip from Ruaha park to Katavi park : too much drive, too much traffic and trucks, and hotels were low-rated.