Melvin and Ann from our office during a game drive
Africa Marvel Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $130 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
Email Gemma | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not Recommended
Unfortunately I have to write this to warn other people as we had a bad experience with Africa Marvel Tours.
We went in August but it took several months to recoup some money from them and have only just got around to writing this report.
I had high hopes for this trip and spent almost a year planning the trip of a lifetime for my 40th birthday with my family. I had decided years earlier that I wanted to do an African safari in style for this milestone.
When I contacted Perminus, I was very specific with what I wanted and we went back and forth a lot fine tuning our itinerary (10 nights Kenya and Tanzania) and I spent a lot of time researching and selecting specific accommodation based on the effect each would have on the total cost of the trip. I wanted to stay in some more luxury lodges but mix it with some mid range lodges so that it wasn't as expensive in total.
Perminus was very helpful in the planning process and I felt confident that this was going to be the trip of the lifetime I'd dreamed of. We were able to secure all but 2 (out of 6) of the lodges I'd selected but we booked into good alternatives for those 2 that we couldn't get.
Between paying the deposit and the final balance our group had gone from 6 people in 3 rooms to 4 people in 3 rooms. We paid extra to have 2 people in their own rooms.
Fast forward to 3 days before the tour began. I contacted Perminus on arrival in Nairobi (our tour started from a hotel we had booked ourselves in Nairobi) to ask what time we would be collected on Day 1. At this point, he informed me that 3 of the lodges that we have confirmed had been changed. All 3 were the best, most luxurious properties that we had paid a hefty premium for. I was furious. The alternatives were significant downgrades from what we had been told was confirmed prior to paying our final balance.
On arrival at the first alternative property, the reception staff handed us 2 keys instead of 3. They informed us that the booking requested was only for 2 rooms. In fact, they had more rooms available but had just sold them to a family who just arrived and were still there in the reception at the same time as us. So this first lodge was not only quite a lot cheaper than the one we paid for, but we only got 2 rooms instead of 3. We were there for 2 nights.
The same thing happened at our third stop. Exact same story except a bigger downgrade. The poor hotel staff having to be the one to break the news to us because despite our driver confirming with Perminus that we had 3 rooms for the rest of the trip, he lied and said we did, when we didn't.
The 4th stop (the third changed lodge), we had our 3 rooms but this was the biggest downgrade of all. We'd booked a really nice luxury property in Serengeti with a pool and sweeping views over the plains. We were put into a perfectly fine tented camp with no view or pool and it was baking hot there when we were trying to rest in the afternoon. It was worth significantly less than what we'd paid for.
There was no effort to warn us about these things or provide an explanation. I had to call Perminus to demand an explanation during the trip. The explanation given was that his colleague had accidentally cancelled all our bookings instead of amending the number of people from 6 to 4 (this would have been several months earlier and still we weren't told). They were able to get back all the accommodations except the best ones.
Unfortunately I don't believe that is what happened. I believe that this was intentional to make a bigger profit or perhaps, to survive another few months if the company is in trouble. The reason I think this is because I have read reviews of other companies in Kenya doing this, so it seems to be common practice. In addition, a family who went the week after us with Africa Marvel had an even worse time. You can read their review on SafariBookings (Li, Sep 12 2024).
I had to chase and chase them to organise some kind of refund. It was incredibly frustrating. I did my own research and based on published rates, the DIFFERENCE in what we paid and what we got in terms of accommodation was about USD5600. But these safari companies access agent rates which can be 20-30% cheaper. Even so, that would mean that we overpaid by about USD4000. After 3 months of chasing, I finally received USD1600 back. Better than nothing, but we were totally and utterly ripped off and I would hate the same to happen to anyone else.
The places we visited and the lodges were all good and the wildlife was truly amazing. But this experience made what was meant to be the trip of a lifetime, an unpleasant experience where I was having to ignore this stuff in the moment in order to try an enjoy myself. I would be wary of any Kenyan tour company after this and would rather book my own accommodation and fly to each place than risk being ripped off again.
That said, both our drivers in Kenya (Joe) and Tanzania (Medy) were great and I feel sorry for them that they have to be the face of this unprofessional and dodgy company.
Book at your own risk. If you do, go for the cheaper accommodation as you will probably end up there anyway!
Email Kristi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Experience
My partner and I did a four day, three night tour. Our guide Sammy did an exceptional job, keeping clear communication, always prompt, cautious and skilled driver/ navigator and informative host. He was always considerate of our particular interests and allowed us to have some beautiful and possibly somewhat rare experiences in the national parks. If you’re looking for an incredible experience, please book with Marvel and ask for Sammy.
PT
Email Paulo Maia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good
Despite the mishap with the car breaking down when leaving the airport and needing to be replaced with another one, the trip went very well.
Driver/guide Samuel (Samy) was very pleasant and professional.
Without a doubt an excellent experience
(automatic translation from Portuguese)
Email Suzanne Holtz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Right on time every as promised, very professional and nice.
Africa Marvel tours is a very adequate Safari Tours Company. They help swiftly, and can easily adapt if necessary. We were to be picked from two locations and joined in Tsavo East. The drivers, Lydia and Keith were really nice and cheerful. We enjoyed the stories of Keith during the safari, explaining the animals and birds, he has a lot of knowledge and is good company. Lydia brought us from Tsavo to Mombasa, a very joyful nature and safe driver. We were in excellent hands!
DE
Email Guillermo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awsome!
I am very pleased with Marvel Tours. They did an excellent job and gave us the opportunity to have one of my best experiences in Kenya. I highly recommend them. They are professional and very good at communicating. Especially Mercy who helped us and was always available.
Ronny, our safari guide was extremely open minded and made sure we had fun during our safari. He also showed us the best parts and I was also impressed by his in depth knowledge of the animals in Kenya. I would recommend him and would book with him again.
BE
Email Birgit | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience in Tsavo east & taita hills
We booked a 3 day tour going to Taita hills and Tsavo east. We chose this specific because we wanted to stay in the salt lick lodge for 1 night. This was a really good experience and we had the chance to spot a lot of elephants and other animals at the water pool. Our second night we spent in Tsavo east and also this was a very nice accomodations with a swimming pool and views on the national park. Rooms and food were great at both places.
The game drives itself were also really nice. We were able to spot lions, cheetahs, elephants, antilopes, gazelles, giraffes, zebra's, etc. Our guide Mike really tried his best to show us as many animals as possible. He also shared a lot of information with us about the animals, the parks and Kenya in general. It was a very good experience.
Be aware that Tsavo east is a very big park and there are a lot of areas that are not reachable by car so you need to be more lucky to be able to spot the animals from up close than in other places. But it's better for the animals this way and the nature and views in this park are really beautiful.
I would definitely recommend this trip.
Email Nigel Brown | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Made our dreams come true
3 day 2 night safari, staying at satao camp and salt lick. Could not of imagined seeing so many animals. Francis our guide was extremely knowledgeable and treated us like family Every thing about our trip was truly amazing and well organised.
US
Email Andy Coulson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing 3 Day Safari
We just want to say what an Amazing guide Mike is, he made sure we saw so many incredible animals and felt nothing was ever too much during the game viewing drives. Mike has an incredible knowledge of the animals and the parks and always made sure we were comfortable. I highly recommend Africa Marvel and always request for Mike as your guide.
CN
Email Fanfan Liu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very nice group, tour guys is very professional
Communication is fast , and tour guys Ron , he is very nice person, easygoing, on the way ask any questions, he will answer directly, and will help tracking the animals.
CA
Email Li | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Complete lack of professionalism and unethical practices
My family and I had high hopes for our 12-Day Best of Tanzania and Kenya Safari (Mid-Range) tour, booked with Africa Marvel Tours from August 16 to August 27, 2024. After extensive research and saving up for this dream trip, we were excited to explore these incredible landscapes. Unfortunately, our experience was nothing short of a nightmare, largely due to the agency's complete lack of professionalism and failure to deliver on their promises.
We paid the full amount to the agency per their requirement, 30% at booking in January and 70% in July, three weeks prior to the trip, expecting everything to go smoothly. Instead, the agency repeatedly failed to pay park fees, accommodation costs, and even our driver’s wages on time. This led to multiple delays, forcing us to sit idle for hours, miss game drives, and even skip two parks altogether. In total, we wasted over 16 hours waiting on payments to be processed.
Here are the major issues we faced:
1. Border Delay: On Day 4, we were stuck at the Kenya-Tanzania border for 1.5 hours because the agency hadn’t paid for park tickets, gas, and driver fees. This caused us to miss the Lake Manyara game drive.
2. Ngorongoro Crater Issues: On Days 5 and 6, our schedule was delayed, and we were stranded for 5 hours waiting for the agency to cover Ngorongoro park fees. Due to these delays, we had to cancel our Serengeti stay and move to a camp near Ngorongoro, which was arranged at the very last minute after we had to argue with the agency.
3. Masai Mara Payment Problems: While our driver provided outstanding service during our Masai Mara visit, he later told us that Africa Marvel Tours hadn’t paid him. He had to cover the expenses from his own pocket. He is a freelance tour driver, hired by this company for our trip. The agency continuously promised him reimbursement, which never happened.
4. Accommodation Issues: On Days 10 and 11, we were held in the lobby for hours at different lodges due to unpaid balances by the agency.
5. Final Day Misery: On our last day, we spent a total of 7 hours waiting in a restaurant parking lot for the agency to deliver a meager $135 refund to me and to pay my driver. The agency representative claimed they have no money to pay the driver because they are experiencing some cash flow issue. He eventually signed an agreement to pay our driver 98800 Kenya Shillings =1, 035 Canadian Dollars by September 5, but to this day, no payment has been made. We missed our Nairobi Park visit as a result. We also missed Elephant Orphanage visit because the agency failed to book it in advance.
Our driver went above and beyond, often covering expenses himself to ensure our trip wasn’t completely ruined. He truly tried to salvage our experience, and it’s devastating to see him suffer such financial loss and disrespect from the agency.
I have reported Africa Marvel Tours to the following organizations. These organizations have the right to investigate them and make corrections. Despite all my frustration and stress during my trip, my biggest concern is whether our Driver can get his money back.
• Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO)
https://katokenya.org/consumer-protection/
• Kenya Tourism Board
https://ktb.go.ke/
• Kenya Tourism Regulatory Authority
https://tra.go.ke/
Please carefully select your safari tour agency. No one should go through what we experienced.