About us
About Lemala Safaris
An East African safari brand built the honey badger's way: fearless, resilient and always on the ground.
Our story
Why we exist
Lemala Safaris exists to make Tanzania's wild places feel personal rather than packaged.
We plan each journey around the people travelling, work with guides who live and breathe the bush, and keep the details honest from the first message to the last transfer.
Erasmus Gervas Matowo
Founder and CEO
A word from our founder
Bold on the ground, careful in the planning.
Tanzania does not need to be tamed to be enjoyed. We show it as it is: wild, generous and never quite predictable, and we stand beside our guests when it matters.
Lemala Safaris began with a simple belief: the wild places of Tanzania deserve to be met with courage, and the people who travel to them deserve to be looked after with care.
The honey badger is our emblem because it never backs down. I want Lemala to work the same way. We face the long road, the changed plan and the hard question head on, and we get on with the job.
When you travel with us you are never a booking number. You deal with people who answer for every detail, who tell you the truth, and who care about your trip as much as you do. Come ready to be amazed. Leave the courage to us.
Erasmus Gervas Matowo
Founder and CEO, Lemala Safaris
Why a honey badger
Why the honey badger
The honey badger is small, fearless and famously stubborn. It walks the same savanna as lions and does not flinch. We carry that spirit into how we work: calm under pressure, unbothered when a plan changes, and always getting on with the job in front of us.
Grit on the ground
Safaris rarely run exactly to script. We prepare thoroughly and adapt calmly when weather, wildlife or roads change the day.
Respect for people and place
We travel lightly, support the communities and conservation areas we pass through, and ask our guests to do the same.
Straight talk
Clear advice, clear prices and honest answers, including when a different month or route would suit you better.
Where you stay
Camps and lodges we trust
We partner with independent camps and lodges across Tanzania, including the Lemala camps, and match each trip to the stay that suits it.
- Summit
Tarangire National Park · Tarangire escarpment
Mpingo Ridge Lodge
Escarpment lodge
- 15 suites with private decks
- Outdoor bathtubs
- Spa and swimming pool
- Ridge
Ngorongoro Crater · Ngorongoro crater rim, east side
Ngorongoro Tented Camp
Forest tented camp
- 10 en-suite tents
- Quiet eastern crater access road
- Campfire and mess tent
- Summit
Ngorongoro Crater · Ngorongoro Conservation Area, eastern rim
Lemala Osonjoi
Crater-rim lodge
- 20 suites with wood stoves
- Heated indoor pool
- Spa suite
Good to know
Questions about working with us
We are happy to share our licence and registration details before you book. Just ask when you get in touch and we will send them over.
Once you accept a quote, we ask for a deposit to hold vehicles and accommodation, with the balance due closer to travel. We walk you through the exact amounts and dates for your trip before you pay anything, and our payments page explains the steps.
Often, yes, depending on how close you are to travel and what has already been reserved for you. Tell us as early as you can, because camps and lodges fill faster than most people expect, especially from July to October.
Most visitors need a visa, and a yellow fever certificate can be required depending on where you travel from. Requirements change, so we send the specifics for your passport once we know where you are travelling from. Our travel information page has the basics.
A real person replies, with questions to sharpen the route and a first idea of what the trip could look like. There is no automated quote and no obligation to book. It starts as a conversation.
Free guide
The Tanzania Safari Planning Guide
Where to go, when, and what each park is best for: a clear primer before you choose a safari.
12
Destinations covered
12
Months mapped, park by park
6
Ways to travel
What is inside
- The best months for every park, park by park, on one page
- A profile of each destination: the landscape, the wildlife to expect and the size of the park
- The ways to travel, from classic game drives to walking, beach and combination trips
- How the seasons change what you see and how busy it is
- How to reach us when you are ready to plan
Who it is for. First-time and returning visitors choosing between Tanzania's parks and deciding what kind of trip to take.
- Free PDF, sent to your inbox
Hero photo: Sumeet Moghe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Kruger National Park, South Africa. Resized and cropped for the web.
Let's plan something worth the journey
Tell us what you are picturing and we will shape a route around it.