CN
We asked for refunds, but they ignored us
We are a family from China,In April 2017, I found Safarihub as an operator through safaribookings and helped me book my trip to Tanzania in August,but due to the change of itinerary, we had to inform Safarihub to cancel the itinerary in July 14th,Safarihub promised to actively deal with our refund problem, and we have been communicating smoothly,however, after September 16th, Safarihub never replied to my email again,I emailed them three times in October 16th, October 9th, and September, but nobody answered me,I think we were treated unfairly, even being cheated,We can't get in touch with Safarihub at the moment
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bait-and-switch on lodging, haggling and hassle once arrived
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this operator. We were sold a package promising accommodation at Azure Mara Haven or comparable. What we got was Jambo Mara Safari Lodge - no WiFi, no pool, no spa, currently under construction and it books at about half the price of Azure. When I voiced my dissatisfaction, I was told that no bookings were available at the former, which a quick Internet search proved to be false. Owner George Oketch reimbursed me less than half of the difference between the room prices, which recovered one star. The other star is for his driver, Martin, who did a great job navigating the Mara and showed himself a kind and generous man with the Maasai who live there.
I learned a lot in this process. I should have stuck to my guns in holding back 10% until the end of the tour (he insisted on full payment in advance...before notifying me of the change in lodging). I should have read more reviews and done a FakeSpot review (using the TripAdvisor reviews they received a "D", https://www.fakespot.com/trip-business/right-choice-tours-safaris). I'll be more careful next time.
NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Difficult driver changed the plan
The pre-tour booking was very efficient. The tour was simple to book, we were provided great options for accommodation and we were given clear level of detail. However, unfortunately our experience with the driver was far from positive. We had booked a full game drive, plus two game drives, but in reality, we were given a full day + 2 hours. The driver was then disagreeing with us on the second half day, and said that we had to get back to Nairobi. We are not usually confrontational people, but we felt that it was really unfair to not finish the agreed itinerary. This made us feel really uncomfortable as we didn't want to be disagreeing on the plan, however, we had flown such a long way for these three days and we really wanted to spend our agreed time in the park. The driver begrudgingly agreed to take us back into the park, but we only spent 2 hours there, rather than the half day. What really polished it off was on our way home, we stopped to fill up the tyres and one of our passengers got out to use the rest room. Before the passenger even got back into the car, the driver started driving out of the petrol station! He was very rude, didn't make an effort to learn our names and made it apparent that he didn't want to be hosting the trip. He was also making multiple personal phone calls throughout the trip. It was really very disappointing.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Got me to Gombe but didn't deliver all of what was promised
Gombe Stream NP is an amazing, magical place. The chimpanzee treks themselves are conducted by TANAPA (Tanzania's national park service) regardless of how you get to Gombe. The TANAPA guide assigned to me was superb.
Gombe Track provided a driver in Kigoma and a cook who accompanied me to Gombe. Both were great and individually deserve 5 stars. The driver stopped by on my night in Kigoma to point out the MV Liemba coming into port, and the cook took time in the evenings in Gombe to help me learn Swahili.
Unfortunately, my overall experience with Gombe Track as a tour operator was marred by two issues.
First, the itinerary I agreed to stated all meals and non-alcoholic refreshments were included. This turned out not to be the case. I was forced to pay for a number of waters and sodas, and on my last day in Kigoma, was told by the "hotel" (see below) that my meals were not included. As a result, I opted to skip two meals (dinner and breakfast) rather than pay for food that should have been covered.
Second, the itinerary I agreed to called for one night in Kigoma at a specific hotel (Coast View). I researched this property beforehand to ensure it was acceptable to me. Instead, without any notice or discussion, I was taken to another accommodation which seemed to be of much lower quality (Aqua Lodge).
Unlike Coast View, Aqua Lodge had no internet/WiFi, no restaurant/bar, etc. While the staff seemed friendly enough and there was a great lake view, my room had only a squeaky ceiling fan that didn't cool the room very well and the poor ventilation allowed outside cigarette smoke in. The bed had a thin bed sheet over over a mattress that wasn't even tucked in. There was a leak in the bathroom that left the base of the toilet in a puddle of water. Finally, I could hear just about everything in the one nearby room that was occupied by a couple who decided to get frisky at 3 am. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much and was counting down the hours until I left.
I should note that my trip to Gombe was initially arranged through another tour operator, who I had a great experience with on another safari. After I had agreed to terms and was in Tanzania, I was handed off to Gombe Track directly. The full payment for my trip was given to Gombe Track. As far as I am concerned, it was Gombe Track's responsibility to be aware of the itinerary/terms and ensure they were followed since it was the company actually conducting the tour.
I paid Gombe Track $900 for 4 days and the last ~22 hours were in Kigoma where I was basically on my own waiting to fly back to Dar es Salaam. This amount did not include the TANAPA fees (park entrance, guide, accommodations at the park, etc.) and airfare, which added more than $600 to the total cost.
$900 should have been way more than enough to profitably cover my (limited) ground transportation in Kigoma, the boat to and from Gombe, 4 days of meals and non-alcoholic beverages, admission to the Livingstone monument in Ujiji, and one night of accommodation in the Kigoma hotel specified in the itinerary I agreed to.
While Gombe Track got me to Gombe and back, and I appreciate that, I now know I paid a lot more than necessary and despite this, I still got less than what was agreed to.
I had been in contact with the owner of Gombe Track via WhatsApp prior to my trip and never heard from him after the trip to see how it went, which was disappointing, especially given the cost. I did two other safaris while on Tanzania, both of which were much less expensive on a per day basis, and both operators were eager to collect feedback afterwards.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The Wisconsin Dells of Safari operators - a bit of what was promised, but not much. Disappointed.
My wife and I completed the 5 day Kruger safari. We are seasoned safari tourists and have been blessed to go on safari in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. We have never been left dissatisfied until now. The accommodations were fine and the food was as well. But that’s not why most of us go on safari – it is the game drives after all.
Every game drive was shorter than advertised. Day one night drive was two hours instead of three. Day two four-hour Bush walk was just one hour of bush walking. When we got in the vehicle, we were told it was really just three hours including drive time there and back but overall it was about 2.5 hours. Worse, the 3 hour afternoon game drive started an hour late and was only two hours. Also, how many tourists who spend thousands to come all the way to South Africa really want to receive a pitch to allow elephant culling when they are viewing elephants? We've gone from 600,000 elephants to 450,0000 in seven years according to the 2015 Great Elephant census across the continent. We are in the midst of elephant genocide. We see our first elephant and the arrogant young guide starts talking about culling them and feeding the meat to local villages. Not exactly what we expected to hear. Day three - all day at Kruger National Park - no complaints. But geez, we thought this was a 5 day Kruger trip. Only one day was spent there – the rest in reserves, some of which allow hunting. Day 4 - a major disappointment. The Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre did not espouse conservation. In addition to culling and legal ivory sales, we were told that rhino horn should be legalized to discourage the black market. Really? Rhino horn? I still can't believe we heard that. Back to Mark's Camp by noon. Yummy lunch. But no afternoon game drive. Our itinerary showeda 3 PM drive. Nope due to reserve restrictions, it was a 5 pm drive. Actually 530 as driver had to wait for more customers coming in from Johannesberg. Big difference in night drives versus day drives – photos aren’t good at night, and many animals are stressed especially since it is a hunting reserve. This last drive was also just two hours. Driver didn’t speak to us, and drove incredibly irresponsibly into a thicket of acacia thorn trees in the dark. I was actually injured and had to get antibiotics for a needless eye injury. Last day we spent $400 to spend the entire afternoon at Mark’s Camp. Pathetic. We did our own bush walk that was longer than the ones Viva did. And we didn’t need guns.
My advice is focus on quality game drives. No bait and switch on what you advertise. There are far better safari companies in Africa. I highly recommend Kenya’s Gametrackers for a genuine safari experience or any Exodus trip. Very disappointed. Emailed owner of Viva safaris and no resolution. Don’t get suckered.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not professionnal or serious enough
I booked two different safari tours with this company. I had to pay cash for the 2 tours and the tour operator applies a strange conversion rate (440$ -> 48400 KES). I did'nt complain at the time.
The first tour was a 3 days in Masai Mara tour - safari joining group : it went quite well, especially thanks to our guide James who really did his best to help us find the Big Five.
However, we didn't get water as planned on the website. When I asked the company, they put responsability on the guide.
The second tour was a One Day solo in Amboseli: the guide was supposed to pick me up at 5am at the hotel. He arrived at 5:40 because of a technical problem with the car. This car was so old that it was already amazing that it could still drive. The first guide drove at a gas station and I had to wait for another 15 minutes for a second driver to come and pick me up. A lunch box was supposed to be included so we could have lunch in the park but it was'nt. So we headed to the park and had nothing to eat before 5 pm, at a gas station, when we came back to Nairobi.
When I wrote to the tour operator to complain and ask for compensation, they didn't even bother to answer and at least apologize.
I know I booked cheap tours, but even when it's cheap you can expect the basic professionalism from a tour operator.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
untrustworthy
I booked this 3 day tour, clearly stating that because I was alone I wanted to join a group. I received my itinerary in advance, 1 day: drive to the National park followed by a driving safari from afternoon to the evening. Day 2 driving all day, day 3 return.
2 days before the start of the safari, I got a message saying that the plan had changed, the people I was supposed to be with had changed their mind, and therefore I would go on a walking safari on the first day as "it would be great and I would be closer to the animals".
On arrival, the ranger laughed at me as I was in trainers. What I did not know was that due to the rain season the terrain was muddy and I would need boots, which I did not have. I managed to borrow a pair that were 2 sizes too small and we went off anyway. Again due to the rain season the grass was very high and almost impossible to walk, suffice to say I saw absolutely nothing.
Jimmy the organiser knew this and when I told him this was not ok, the reaction was that as I was alone I was costing him too much and what I had paid for did not cover his expenses. This should not have been my concern. Thankfully day 2 was very good but only due to a great guide Amir. Also any local will tell you that safari is either early morning or evening, not all day. Jimmy is not honest and you should chose another tour.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya Tanzania Travel
This trip was based on a friend's itinerary and chose Meijo Safaris. Sales representative Marcelina responded very promptly and actively resolved various issues, but there was one thing that was not very good. The night before departure, she was informed that a new guide had been replaced (any subsequent dissatisfaction was caused by the new guide). Kenya's guide Henry Gichura Very good, professional, enthusiastic, and proactive. After the replacement in Tanzania, the guide Pete was very unprofessional, not communicative, and not proactive (reasons: 1. He only opens the roof when we need to prompt him to do so; 2. He doesn't pull the handbrake every time he stops; 3. He doesn't even know where the restroom is on the way from the Tanzanian border to the northern part of Serengeti; 4. He didn't even tell us when he changed our hot meal to a cold meal. We asked him why our meal wasn't hot, but he said he didn't know. I asked the salesperson later, and the salesperson said it was the guide who changed it. They were worried that it would be inconvenient for us to eat hot meals when we saw the horses crossing the river, but the guide never told us about it; 5. Every day, the guide said it would start at 8 o'clock. Our friends also encountered the same problem, so we requested to move up the time. Of course, we also said to leave early and return to the hotel early, The guide disagreed, but only agreed after reporting to the sales team. However, they returned to the hotel very early; 6. Safaris often makes long phone calls during the process, which I feel is very unsafe. ）Based on the above situation, if the evaluation is 5 points, I can only give 3 points, of which 2 points are given to Henry Gichura, the Kenyan guide, and 1 point is given to Marcelina, the salesperson.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bad experience with Terminal Tours
My friend and I signed up for a 3-day Masai Mara tour with Terminal Tours (Kenya).
Terminal Tours arranged for us to stay in Rhino Camp for 2 nights, which turned out to be quite a bad experience. Firstly, the electricity was unavailable during some parts of the promised hours and hot showers (generated by wood fire) were mostly unavailable during the promised hours too.
Our driver (and guide) Sammy does not seem enthusiastic in leading the tour. He was often quiet during the game drive and only spoke when people in the tour group asked him questions. Furthermore, he seemed clueless to some of our questions, to the extent that two of the Canadians in our group sarcastically told him to "at least make up a reason to tell us when we ask you again".
Also, the apparent owner of Terminal Tours - Nelson, practices price differentiation to a huge extent. For example, people on the same tour were charged in varying amounts between USD$360 and USD400+. Hence, it might be wiser to book a tour with a tour operator that has a more transparent pricing structure. On a side note, it is intriguing that Nelson issued me with an invoice with a stated amount which is lower than the amount I had paid him and he told me that it is okay.
Lastly, do not rely on their promised free transfer service. Terminal Tours was supposed to pick my friend and I from our hotel to the bus terminal at 6:15am in the morning to catch a bus at 7am. We waited until 6:25am and no one turned up. I have explicitly mentioned to both Nelson and his assistant - Steven, the day before our departure, that the driver must before 6:15am as we needed time at the bus terminal to have our tickets confirmed. Eventually, we had to fork out money from our own pockets to pay for a taxi to the bus terminal. Nelson eventually arrived at the bus terminal himself, just before our bus departed. Ostensibly appearing apologetic, he started arguing that I have told him to send the driver to our hotel at 6:30am instead. I was totally disgusted by his actions and words.
In conclusion, I will not recommend anyone to sign up for a tour with Terminal Tours. As my friend says, it was "a ruined experience in Kenya".
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Disappointing i m afraid though maybe ok for first time visitors to Africa
We travelled Johannesburg to Victoria falls last November. The truck was full to capacity at 12 plus provisions and was far too cramped. We had two guides, only one of whom could drive the vehicle and he was by far the better at his job. The second guide had preferred clients and was often rude to those not among them; his knowledge was poor, demonstrated at the zimbabwean border crossing when we found his visa advice to be incorrect and more generally in terms of local traditions. Group integration was poor based on our worldwide experience. The farewell event was pointedly only open to those favoured few.
However, the local park-based guides were really good. We saw all the animals we hoped to see and more thanks to them. No complaints about the food either.