Avoid this company!!
Avoid Sandlands!
Do not book with Sandlands Tour Company in Tanzania. Mr Abraham Shaidi and his colleague Simon will take your money and not deliver what you actually booked. During our trip this happened to us, another lady we met and we were informed that it was not the first time Mr Shaidi had done this.
My friend and I paid $1680 for a 4 night/ 5 day safari and did not receive everything in our itinerary. We should have had 2 nights in the Serengeti, but we only got one. We should have had an evening and full day game drive in the Serengeti but we only got two half days - one of these 'half days' was only from 3:30-6pm. We should have had two game drives in Ngoronogoro but we only got one.
We were paired with three men who had booked a budget 3 night safari costing around $600 and our itinerary was changed to suit theirs. Meaning we essentially got the same experience as a budget safari (with the exception of accommodation) but paid over $1000 more.
Further to this, we spent almost 2 hours daily waiting around for the men to pack up their camping equipment despite the fact we deliberately didn't book camping to avoid this delay.
On two occasions, Mr Shaidi also instructed our driver to take us to different accommodation than what we had actually booked - accommodation that was significantly lesser than what we paid for. It was only because our driver was kind and honest that we realised this and were able to call Mr Shaidi to demand we were taken to where we paid for.
When we spoke with Mr Shaidi to resolve this, him and his colleague Simon refused to take blame for the fact that they falsely advertised the itinerary and didn't give us what we paid for. Mr Shaidi did compare the itinerary we booked, to what we actually received and agreed it was vastly different. However, he blamed Simon for this and Simon blamed him. Mr Shaidi was the one who instructed our driver of the itinerary to follow. Mr Shaidi assured us that he would ensure we each received $200 in compensation the next day. However, predictably this was also a lie and we received no money back.
Do not waste your time and money booking with this company. They are complete con-artists and will try to cut corners wherever they can. We are extremely angry and disappointed that we spent so much money and did not receive what we booked and hope that this review ensures nobody else is ripped off like we were.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
August 2015 Safari with Eastco – Issues and Warnings
My wife, Robin, and I recently returned from a 22 day (Aug. 6 – Aug. 27) northern circuit safari arranged through Eastco. Being our first time in Africa I would like to thank all of the contributors here for the information they provided while I trolled around the forums researching and planning our trip. I’ve been waiting to post this review while negotiating a refund with Simon King, owner of Eastco.
First let me say that the Tanzanian people are wonderful to be around and the parks and animals are truly amazing. We never once felt unsafe or threatened in our travels. I believe our guide James was outstanding, not only did he find a ton of animals for us but he also imparted a tremendous amount of knowledge to us. He is also just a great person to be around.
While we did have a “Trip of a Lifetime” we both feel that it was in spite of Eastco and not because of them. The only good thing we can say about them is James. He was put in some tough situations by Simon and worked hard to get us the best experience possible. We booked with Eastco because Simon said he could provide everything we wanted in our itinerary and get us into the accommodations we requested while the other providers we talked to were hesitant on some things. Back in 2014 when we started the booking process there weren’t as many negative reviews of Eastco as there seem to be now. After going with them for our safari my advice would be to find another company to book your trip through. The people, parks and animals of Tanzania are a given while the tour operator should enhance your experiences; however the failures by Eastco added stress into our trip. I only wish I could recommend James as a guide separate from Eastco.
Here was our final itinerary as negotiated and agreed upon with Simon.
day 1 - Evening arrival Arusha (jro) w/ overnight African Tulip Hotel
day 2 - Explore Arusha with EastCo Guide w/ overnight African Tulip Hotel
day 3 - Morning drive to Tarangire, afternoon game drive w/ overnight Tarangire Safari Lodge
day 4 - Morning, afternoon game drive, Tarangire w/ overnight Boundary Hill Lodge
day 5 - Morning Maasai visit Tarangire Conservation Area, afternoon game drive Tarangire
Night game drive Tarangire Conservation Area w/ overnight Boundary Hill Lodge
day 6 - Morning walking safari, Tarangire Conservation Area
Afternoon drive to Babati for canoe ride on Lake w/ overnight White Rose Guest House
day 7 - Day Trip to Kolo rock art w/ overnight White Rose Guest House
day 8 - Morning, afternoon cultural visits Babati (TBD) w/ overnight White Rose Guest House
day 9 - Morning drive to Mto Wa Mbu, cultural walk around town w/ lunch
Afternoon drive to Lake Eyasi w/ overnight Tindiga Camp
day 10 - Morning Hadzabe visit, afternoon Datoga visit w/ overnight Gibbs Farm
day 11 - Late morning drive to Ngorongoro, hike in Conservation area w/overnight Sopa Lodge
day 12 - Early morning Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive
Afternoon drive to Serengeti Seronera valley w/ overnight Kati Kati Camp
day 13 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Central w/ overnight Kati Kati Camp
day 14 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Central w/ overnight Kati Kati Camp
day 15 - Drive to Serengeti Mara w/ overnight Serengeti North Wilderness Camp
day 16 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Mara w/ overnight Serengeti North Wilderness Camp
day 17 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Mara w/ overnight Serengeti North Wilderness Camp
day 18 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Mara w/ overnight Serengeti North Wilderness Camp
day 19 - Drive to Lake Natron through Klein's Gate w/ overnight Lake Natron Camp
day 20 - Morning Fossil footprints, flamingos on Lake Natron
Afternoon drive to Tarangire Conservation Area w/ overnight Naitolia Camp
day 21 - Morning walking safari along Sand River, w/ overnight Boundary Hill Lodge
day 22 - Morning transfer to Arusha, dayroom at Arusha Hotel, afternoon transfer to jro
Here is a short list of what failed to meet our expectations or didn’t happen according to our itinerary.
day2 - Simon showed up late at the hotel for final payment, after which he called to let James know to
stop by and pick us up. We didn’t get started exploring Arusha until almost noon.
day4 - Charged for additional (Un-purchased) Tarangire entrance permit.
day6 - Accommodations changed without notice from the White Rose Guest House to The Winners Hotel.
day7 - Accommodations changed without notice from the White Rose Guest House to The Winners Hotel.
day7 - Accommodations changed without notice from the White Rose Guest House to The Winners Hotel.
Cultural visit in Babati consisted of a walk around town.
day9 - Eastco made no reservation for us to stay at Tindiga Camp.
day10 - We had to pay Tindiga Camp fee ourselves even though we had already paid Eastco in advance.
Range Rover broke down and we were delayed for a few hours.
day11 - Accommodations changed without notice from Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge to Wildlife Lodge.
We had requested the Sopa Lodge specifically to allow an early morning start into the Crater.
Eastco booked us into the worst room at Wildlife Lodge, directly under the dining area so we
could hear all the chairs, tables and people moving about right over our heads.
day12 - No early morning start into the Crater as Eastco didn’t pay for the permit until after 10:00.
We didn’t enter the Crater until 11:30 and were leaving by 1:30 including a lunch break. We
only had 1 ½ hours in the crater an then because of the late start it was a mad dash to get out
of Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the one 24 hour permit.
Charged for additional (Un-purchased) Ngorongoro Conservation Area entrance permit.
Acquired Serengeti permit good for only one 24 hour period instead of all seven planed days.
We specifically requested at the tented camps to be at the far end of the row away from the
main gathering areas. We were put in tent number one right next to the dinning tent.
day13 - Returned to airport twice to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period
because the first time there was not enough money on card.
day14 - At lunch we were told that we would have to go back to camp, pack up and change camps
because KatiKati was full and Eastco had only booked us for two nights not the three that we
paid for. Only the efforts of the camp manager allowed us to stay, Eastco would have made us
move. We both felt that the camp manager was working harder for us than Eastco.
Returned to airport to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period.
day15 - On the drive to the Mara area we were told that we didn’t have a place to stay yet but they
were working on booking two nights each at two different camp, not the four nights at
Serengeti North Wilderness Camp like we had paid for. This meant an extra move in between
camps. We stayed at Savanna Mara Camp.
Stopped at the airport to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period.
day16 – Accommodations changed from Serengeti North Wilderness Camp to Savanna Mara Camp.
Returned to airport to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period.
day17 - Had to pack up in the morning because of the change in camps.
Accommodations changed from Serengeti North Wilderness Camp to Kenzan Mara Camp.
Put into tent that smelled like it had a sewer leak.
Returned to airport to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period.
day18 - Accommodations changed from Serengeti North Wilderness Camp to Kenzan Mara Camp.
day20 - Range Rover broke down and was not fixable. We were stranded beside the road for several
hours until a friend of James showed up to drive us onto our next destination while he
stayed with the vehicle in order to get it repaired.
day22 – When James arrived to take us into Arusha the Range Rover had a broken motor mount so
we had to drive very carefully back to town.
Eastco did not book a dayroom for us at the Arusha Hotel that we paid them for in advance.
Simon was “out of town” and unavailable for a review of how our trip went or to reimburse us .
We feel one of the biggest failures was not being booked into the accommodations we requested and paid for in advance. This was one of the very reasons we chose Eastco because Simon said he would put us into the places we wanted to stay. By the end of the trip I got the feeling that they were waiting until the last minute to book our camps and trying to get the cheapest place they could find. It would explain why we almost got kicked out of KatiKati Camp, didn’t get into Wilderness Camp, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, the White Rose and in general got such bad rooms and tent locations. We paid deposits more than a year in advance to reserve these locations and specific dates with payment in full being made before leaving Arusha so there is no excuse for our accommodations being changed without warning. Of course, worst of all was having to pay twice at Tindiga Camp. We paid Eastco in advance and then we had to pay again at the camp because of Eastco’s nonpayment. Not only that, but we paid Eastco a markup for the privilege of paying twice. The uncertainty of where we would be staying each night definitely added stress into our trip.
Another big failure, there was never enough money to pay for entrance permits. Again it seemed to be a day to day thing even though we paid the total amount to Simon in cash. This meant that we only got to spend 1 ½ hours in Ngorongoro Crater and while in the Serengeti our days were arranged around daily trips back to the airports to renew our permit. The constant permit renewal situation, never knowing if we were going to get into or be able to stay in a particular park just added a little more stress. Eventually we began questioning what experiences we were missing because of the frequent airport stops.
Now a few words about the general condition of the Range Rover we were in. But first let me say that I grew up in rural Oregon in a small logging town so I know what beat up trucks are like and what rough roads can do to them. I have ridden in and driven them my whole life. That being said, this vehicle was in terrible shape and ill equipped to send paying clients out in the bush for an extended trip. It only had one spare tire, no radio, no air conditioner and no shovel or any other recovery equipment. While the tires did have decent tread on them they were street tires not traction tires. Two of the four doors didn’t open properly and neither did the tail gate. The weather seals around the doors, windows and tail gate were all in bad shape. This allowed dust to flow into the interior and coat everything inside including us, not to mention the constant rattling. The motor was so worn out that it had no power when pulling up even the smallest hill and the shocks were so weak that they could not control the wheel bounce on the wash boarded roads making for some long and rough travel days. I know this might sound like a lot of nit picking, but you spend the majority of your time in the vehicle so its condition is important.
We first started noticing that every time there was a small hill the Range Rover would lose power, slow way down and a huge amount of black diesel smoke would pour out of the tail pipe. This became acute climbing up Ngorongoro from Karatu and then out of the crater the next day and it only seemed to get worse as the trip went along. I really didn’t think it would last the entire trip.
We had two break downs, the first occurred on the way back from Lake Eyasi to Karatu on Day10, one of the water hoses sprung a leak and the motor began to overheat. After some time James was able to make a bush repair and we were able to limp into Karatu where he fixed it properly the next day.
The second was on Day20 when we drove from Lake Natron back to Boundary Hill Lodge. Just after passing through Mto Wa Mbu the front pinion gear ate itself and locked up the differential. We were stranded along the road side until one of James’s friends came to take Robin and myself on to Boundary Hill. We didn’t see James again until the morning of Day22 when he showed up to take us to the airport. However as we loaded up James informed us that the Range Rover now had a broken motor mount so we would have to take it nice and slow on the way back to Arusha. We feel very lucky the breakdowns didn’t happen far out in the bush because that would have left us stranded for much longer periods of time than we were.
Our biggest disappointment was that Simon didn’t feel it was necessary to contact us once while we were on the trip to explain what was going on, nor did he feel compelled to meet with us afterwards. The uncertainty of Eastco’s multiple failures added so much stress to our trip that it made it difficult at times to enjoy the incredible places we were traveling through.
Upon returning home I’ve been in email contact with Simon and negotiated a refund payment of $800 for all the things we were charged for but Eastco didn’t deliver. It’s been over a month now and all I get from him is one excuse after another. At this point in time I feel that I will not receive compensation for the over charges and forced double payments. Simon will tell you want you want to hear when you are planning a trip but he doesn’t feel obligated in any way to deliver what he charges for. After considering everything that happened to us on our trip we feel that he is dishonest and someone we would never do business with again. If you have booked a trip through him good luck, if you are considering using him, don’t.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This company is a big U.S. company operates as Neo Destinations which is terrible.
We have booked 11 day safari with this company. Our contact person was Steve Boko. When we reached Nirobi there is no Steve anymore it was Naftale from Neo Destinations. Our biggest mistake was we paid the money before. This company do not have their own vehicles and they sub contract with others who has no relation with us. The driver/guide was Robinson who is a jackass. In the entire 11 days he used to scold kids and always says he will throw out of his van. The trouble started when we reached Tanzania, we were taken to a tented camp at night instead of a lodge which was booked for us before and next day we are told that they will drop us at
Tanzania border and need to talk to our operator(Naftale) who was absconding. We were forced to go to police station for help to keep the driver in check at Lake Navisha. Over all a terrible experience with this guy. Kenya is a beautiful country but cheats like Naftale/Robinson(Neo Destinations/ African safaris) spoiling the country name.
Note:- if you book with this company do not pay all the money till Safari is completed.
IS
20-35 years of age
Please be aware. This "tour operator" is running a scam. Do not give them a cent!
** UPDATE MARCH 2015
After six months of hassle, I have received a full refund of the safari trip I booked and pre-paid with Africa Flash Mc Tours last year. I cannot recommend their services, as this has caused me trouble ever since I was in Nairobi in September 2014 waiting for a safari guide that never showed up and couldn´t contact anyone from Africa Flash MC Tours (including emergency phone numbers posted on the company's website).
** UPDATE FEBRUARY 2015
I want to reiterate my review submitted in October 2014. No money has been refunded to me from Peter Njenga. I have been communicating with him for many months. He has repeatedly promised to send a refund but has not been a man of his word. Please avoid doing business with him and his company.
** ORIGINAL REVIEW
I booked a tour with Africa Flash Mc Tours for September 2014 and paid it 100% up front, $1150.
Nobody showed up to pick me up at my hotel as arranged with Peter Njenga, the phone numbers of the company and Peter were turned off and no one answered my email. I never got to go on the tour I had paid for.
I complained to the Kenyan police which is now looking into Africa Flash MC Tours and Peter Njenga. I have not received a refund from the company, I hope the police will stop him from scamming tourists coming to Kenya. Please be careful and do not deal with this company.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
this tourist agent is not to be trusted
i booked a 14days tour with Dosasha, this cost me nearly 5000USD, and the tour start very badly, as i and other 2 family can not have our land cruiser to kick off the tour from the first day, just because of Dosasha fail to pay the driver. they indeed manage to find car to take us to Masai Mara, but we have been told by the hotel that Dosasha have not paid them also. when we transport from Masai Mara to Nakuru, Dosasha send us a driver who is not qualified to drive us with a car which has a damaged car brake. and the driver can not drive safely with damage windscreen wiper. he also has not been paid by Dosasha, so he can not have enough diesel, we have to pay the fuel for him. he also do not know the road to Nakuru, and nearly have accident on the road because of the terrible road condition. when we finally finish the terrify journey to Nakuru, Dosasha also fail to pay the national park fee, so we can not enter and go to our hotel, we have been stranded in front of the national park gate for 3hours. when we finally have the agreement with the entrance staff we will pay the national park fee tomorrow when the POS machine can be used, and go to check in the hotel, we have been told Dosasha fail to pay them, and we have to pay by ourself to check out. after all of these drama, we give up with Dosasha, and ask for refund. they also promise to refund. but again, they fail to follow the promise to refund for 4times up to now, and no refund recieved.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They’re just a three-person operation and can’t even pay the driver’s fees. It's infuriating!
The travel agency demanded full payment two weeks before our departure, despite the fact that we had already paid a deposit months earlier. Out of caution and naïve trust, we communicated and retained a small portion of the final payment. However, after arriving in Kenya, the owner, William, came to collect the remaining balance and then disappeared. We later discovered that the subsequent six nights of hotels and park entrance fees had not been paid. They repeatedly deceived us, exploiting our trust and isolating us in a foreign country, forcing us to continuously cover expensive costs. As a result, we have not only lost time but are also facing potential losses exceeding $20,000.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Never choose this travel agency. They took our money and disappeared！！！
Issues with the travel agency:
1. For a total of 6 nights of hotel stays and entrance tickets, there was no prepaid reservation. We only found out when we arrived at the hotel. The travel agency said that we should pay the expenses first and they would refund us later, but now we have lost contact with them.
2. The travel agency unilaterally changed the agreed hotel in the travel contract without prior notice. They changed the hotel in Nakuru to an alternative hotel that is more than half cheaper in price but did not refund the price difference.
3. The travel agency has deceived us in multiple ways and delayed for a long time, causing a great waste of our itinerary. We have already lost one day of the Masai Mara itinerary.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
DON’T BOOK WITH THEM
Purity was the operator that I was talking to by email. At the beginning she was answering quickly to my questions so I decided to book and pay the amount she told me. Once I paid I had to wait since 31st May to 29th June to have my confirmation. I had to send several emails (without answer) and that was feeling like a scam. After that, I had to write her a few days before to make sure everything was fine and that was when she told me the planning had changed “because the government increased the price of the entrance fee”, so we had 1 day of 5 without visit to any park. Even that happened and I was informed two days before arrival, the price stayed the same. When we arrived there hopefully we met the best driver ever, Ken, who was working for another company and took care of us with all his love. The last day he informed us that we were going to change into another car to arrive at Namanga border where we were supposed to take a bus that would bring us to our hotel in Arusha (final destination). We met that second driver at Amboseli’a date. He came driving his van very fast and shouting at us and at Ken. We couldn’t understand anything but finally he left us there without explanation and left driving unsafe. That was a nightmare for us, that were about to lose our shuttle bus and were scared. We had to change into a third van and arrived at Namanga border where we met Abbas, the man that was going to “help” us within there. He asked us the name of the hotel in Arusha and said Arusha wasn’t safe so they will going to bring us our hotel. Finally we took the bus but our destination changed again without explanation as he left us somewhere in Arusha. We had to take a taxi after being in the middle of 20-30 men trying to force us to go with them on their “taxis”, in a very unsafe area. When I reached Purity on WhatsApp she seemed surprised and worried but when I asked for the amount of the taxi she turned the same: no answer, no help, so I had to talk to my lawyer to start a process against the company. Sometimes you go for the cheapest and that turns into the most expensive experience. Think twice before booking…
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I got scammed out of my deposit by this company.
DO NOT BOOK. "Silas" scammed me. I communicated via the email initiated on safaribookings.com . He told me his credit card machine was down and to wire the money (not uncommon for African safaris to wire money). I double checked other people were satisfied with his safaris, everything seemed extremely legit (they also wired money)
When I wired it he said he never received it then said I should have sent it via credit card on his website. When I showed him the email thread, he confirmed that was indeed his email, but said the invoice never came from him. Yet he denied his email has been hacked.
I'm not sure what's going on with this company and I'm hoping my bank can stop the wire. I'm happy to share the screenshots of my conversation back and forth so you can protect yourself.
When I asked what had happened he immediately shut me down and told me he doesn't want my business. It seems odd to me that a legitimate business isn't concerned that their email has been hacked.
I will update this review once I have reached conclusion on this event. But I wanted this warning published ASAP so other people don't get scammed.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Money makers only profit oriented
These guys are just money makers. Did the one night safari trip and it was ridiculous. Arrived way too late at the park so we had only 2h game drive. Slept in a tent which doesn’t even has a light switch. You had to screw the bulb to switch on/off the light. Then morning game drive was also just 2h saying the driver needs to be on the road back to Nairobi by 9am. Maybe for unexperienced Tourists fun but I have lived in EA for more than 4 years and did many safari before. This was mos def the worst of all. They just make a lot of profit saving every shilling they can regarding service. Food was cheap local food (rice, beans, posho, goats meat) and all other services also ridiculous. The game drive was also only very semi professional. Anyway if you want local African experience, go for it but the price is definitely way to high for what you get.