The Bencia Africa dedicated Team
Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Member Of:
- KWS, KTB, ECO -Tourism, TRA & KATO-member
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $55 to $325 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
EG
Email Darragh | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad experience with Bencia Africa Adventure and Safaris.
My wife and I booked a 5 day safari and paid $1700 before tips. They lied about the cost of the park entrance fees which we discovered later. The accomodation was substandard and not what we were promised. The car broke down on our last day and we were delayed for several hours. As a result we had to stay an extra night in an awful hotel provided by the travel agent. On our return to Nairobi Bencia demanded an extra $150 per person. They didn't apologise for the delay or the disruption to our schedule. They refused to bring us to the airport on our return. Despite our insistence they forced us to return to outside their office building. We had requested to be dropped at the airport or at other points along the way even though we were late for our flight. We refused to enter the building as they were demanding extra money from us. Within two minutes eight of their staff blocked the entrance to a nearby restaurant as we had sought refuge there. They aggressively harrassed and intimidated us and were trying to extort money from us. One of their employees picked up a rock and an altercation ensued between him and a customer of the restaurant. We are very grateful to the customers and staff of Sizzler restaurant on the same street. They protected us and helped us to get into our taxi unharmed. We needed to be protected on the way to the car as they were continuing to follow us, as indeed did the employee holding a rock. I would strongly advise anybody not to use this company.
We would greatly appreciate your help in resolving this matter.
Regards,
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Jul 30, 2024I’m truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience with Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris. This is definitely not the kind of service we aim to provide, and your feedback is concerning.
The issues you’ve described, including the discrepancies in fees, substandard accommodation, and the car breakdown, are unacceptable. It's especially troubling to hear about the situation with the additional charges and the aggressive behavior from staff. This is certainly not reflective of the professionalism and customer care we strive for.
Please accept our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience and distress you experienced. We take such matters very seriously and will be investigating this thoroughly. Your feedback is crucial in helping us improve our services.
In the meantime, I’d like to offer you a direct way to address your concerns with our management team. If you could provide us with your contact details or reach out to us directly at [contact email/phone number], we would like to discuss this further and work towards a resolution.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and once again, we apologize for the negative experience. We hope to have the opportunity to make things right and regain your trust.
HK
Email Melany | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Memorable 8 days 7 nights Kenya Adventure
Memorable 8 days 7 nights Kenya Adventure
This was my first time to go to Kenya and alone. I just randomly searched online and booked the 8 days safari tour (Nairobi, Sweetwaters, Aberdare, Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara & Lake Naivasha) in 5 months ago with Alfred, the tour operator. We contact via email and he is good in responding! Benson, also the tour operator welcome me at airport and he helped me to arrange everything. Even he was not on the way to the tour but he knew very well about my route and schedule every day. In the first four days of the tour, only Peter the tour guide (also driver) and me. On the fifth days onward, other people joined together to Maasai Mara. Peter is really funny, friendly and he is very professional about wildlife!! His driving skill is so good too… My camera has not really very long shot lens but we are always so close to the animals and always in good angle! (Even the animals were surrounded by a lot of safari cars!) Thanks Alfred, Benson and Peter!! They are definitely a great team! Thanks for taking care me a lot, let me gained lots of knowledge about Kenya and met good friends in the tour. Hope to see you guys one day again!
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Jul 30, 2024Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We're thrilled to hear that your 8-day adventure in Kenya was memorable and enjoyable. It’s wonderful to know that Alfred, Benson, and Peter made your trip special with their excellent service and knowledge.
Peter's driving skills and wildlife expertise, along with the close animal encounters, sound like they made your safari truly exceptional. We’re glad you had the opportunity to learn so much about Kenya and make new friends along the way.
Thank you for your kind words and for choosing Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris. We look forward to the chance to welcome you back for another adventure in the future!
US
Email Lukelu Gloriah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
4 days/3 nights Masai Mara and Nakuru National park
My safari with Bencia Africa Adventure and Safari was a fascinating one:) I really enjoyed the company's staff who ensured my safari was memorable. The driver guide was Peter,quite friendly, loving, knowledgeable and competent. He really made the Trip exciting. The food from our nicknamed Chef Jonte was really super, oh my! the veges' were really nice :) Bencia is the ultimate choice for all leisure travelers.
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Jul 30, 2024Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that your 4-day safari to Masai Mara and Nakuru National Park was so memorable. It’s great to know that Peter made your trip exciting with his knowledge and friendliness, and that Chef Jonte's meals were a highlight of your journey.
We appreciate your kind words and recommendation. We look forward to the opportunity of hosting you on another adventure soon!
US
Email Lauren | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Budget safari to Masai Mara
While our safari was on a budget, the experience was invaluable! The wildlife and the migration during this time of year were truly breathtaking and the customer service of both the driver and the cook (George and George!) were outstanding. We were so fortunate to have a private van and our driver George was knowledgeable, provided us with great views, and even helped other tour groups that were stuck in the mud (we never got stuck - George was clearly an experienced pro).
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Jul 30, 2024Thank you for sharing your experience! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your budget safari to Masai Mara and that the wildlife and migration lived up to your expectations. It’s wonderful to know that George and George provided outstanding service and that their expertise contributed to a smooth and memorable trip. We’re proud of our team for their dedication and knowledge.
We hope to welcome you back for another adventure in the future. Safe travels!
FR
Email Samuel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Avoid !
Did a Masai Mara Safari with Bencia end of July. It was supposed to be 3 days and we only spent 24 hours in the park, our guide pretending that the car broke down to force us to go to the Masai Village to force us to go to the Masai Village and to avoid paying the entry fee for another 24 hours.
We've had to complain and got 80$ back, so that we wouldn't put a bad review online. They pretended it was the guide's fault, and told us they gave him all the cash to pay the park fees. Although the park fees can't be payed by cash.
I met later a couple who told me the same thing happened to them, so it must be a regular thing.
Later on I met two Italian guys stuck in Serengeti campsite for two days without getting on any safari because they booked with Bencia and their driver never showed up!
Avoid!
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Jul 30, 2024I'm really sorry to hear about your experience. This is definitely not the standard of service we strive to provide, and it's concerning to hear about the issues you faced.
We take such feedback seriously and will investigate this matter thoroughly. It's unacceptable that you felt misled and that the issues with the guide and park fees affected your safari experience. We aim to ensure all our guests have a memorable and enjoyable trip, and it's clear we fell short in your case.
We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Please reach out to us directly with any additional details so we can address these concerns and work on improving our services. Thank you for sharing your experience.
IT
Email Luigi Chiacchio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not reliable and fraudsters
I booked a tour with the agency Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris based in Nairobi, starting from Kenya - Nairobi and that was to end in Tanzania - Arusha and then continue to Zanzibar. The tour involved crossing the large parks to follow the migrations, more than visits to sites of interest along the way. Obviously we knew that being in Africa and in a country where accuracy is not there we would have to adapt and not ask too many questions even if the price we had paid for two was very high. In any case, as we expected, throughout the trip we were not adequately informed about the program, giving us vague information and changing it continuously program, in fact three times we have changed the structures where to sleep, previously communicated, changing them with others not always of the same level proposed and the discovery of the change occurred only on the spot, without giving us the opportunity to accept or change. The first excursion was to Mount Kenya where we were told a generic "let's visit a cave", but we were not told that there were four hours of trekking and that we had to be equipped for a very rough path. The moral of the fairy tale, after half an hour of march a storm broke out and not being equipped we had to go back. And so it was throughout the trip. The most serious episode that happened and that ruined us all the rest of the holiday happened after 5 days of travel, when we arrived at the northern border between Kenya and Tanzania. They told us that they had to wait for their next guide before continuing their journey. They left us at a taxi saying that the driver would wait for us in the next city because he couldn't come there, we didn't have many problems because we were used to that way of doing and we went to the meeting in the next city. The guide we met, after a long wait, on the trip told us that he was a replacement for our driver who had the car broken and that would wait for us in the Serengeti Park. The trip was tremendous because he ran like a damned because we understood he didn't pay much and he wanted to get rid of us soon. We made the whole trip without water and lunch that were included. Arrived at the entrance of the park told us that we had to pay the entrance, which was already included in the price, but told us that not being he our guide, once arrived we would refund, we trusted and we paid. Once we arrived we immediately realized that the place was not the one we had booked. We had booked a tent with beds and instead brought us to a public field with a tent where we slept on the ground. The guide was not there and we tried to get him called by the person who had brought us them, telling us that he would arrive after an hour and a half. We waited for the guide and in the meantime we called the agency asking for explanations on the spot that was not the one booked, also because we did not know it, we were not equipped to camp, after my continuous insistence answered me that it was too expensive the tent with beds and changed structure and attached me to the phone not answering me anymore. We waited for the guide who had never arrived and stayed in the camp for two days without water or food, providing our own needs. We stayed two days in the camp sleeping in this public tent with sleeping bags recovered who knows where, because we didn't have the chance to leave, we were stuck and every now and then some characters told us that someone would arrive who never arrived. We were wandering in this camp that was not sure, so much so that one night a hyena chased us and we had to escape.
By day the camp was empty and we were left only two close to the tent and a small structure where they ate. We were really desperate, until we managed to bargain with a guy a passage to Arusha, interrupting the journey that was ruined. But not having the entry tickets to the park that the driver had brought with him, we would have had to pay the 400 dollars of the passage, the fine for tickets that we did not have, the two days of stay in the camp and the entry and exit in the park of Ngorongoro that necessarily had to pay to get out of the parks. At that point we decided to call the rangers who brought us to the police where we made the complaint and where magically occurred the driver who had disappeared. He was very surprised by the complaint and he justified himself by saying that the car had broken down and that he was finding a solution, he offered to let us continue the journey with him but we did not accept, the police forced him to give us the money of the entrance to the park, he paid us the car until Arusha and crossing the other parks. We also had to pay one night in the hotel, but once we got there the driver told us that he didn't have the money but we were relieved to have come out of that nightmare and we were very happy to be able to choose us a structure and get rid of them. The agency came alive when it heard about the complaint, apologizing and justifying that it had relied on this partner in Tanzania and that would have made us pay ... to date has never arrived anything. But the fact that I explained that it was his responsibility, because I had made a contract with him and that in the moment of need he had disappeared was a concept difficult to understand. We are now trying to find a solution to get compensation even though we know that it is impossible to get it.
Maybe we were a bit unfortunate but nothing justifies their way of behaving and the absolute lack of professionalism, exposing ourselves to risks and leaving us in a foreign land at the mercy of ourselves. Even just because of the stress their behaviour causes you, absolutely avoid them.
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Jul 30, 2024I'm genuinely sorry to hear about your experience. It’s disheartening to know that your safari did not meet expectations and that there were issues with communication, logistics, and accommodation. Your feedback is crucial, and we take such concerns seriously.
We'll investigate these issues thoroughly to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. I understand that this experience was stressful and disappointing, and we regret that it affected your trip so negatively. If you’re open to further discussion, please reach out to us directly so we can address your concerns and work towards a resolution. Your feedback helps us improve, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
US
Email Walker | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
.::Best tour company to choose for your holiday::..
I booked a 3days safari with Bencia Africa adventure and safaris to witness wildebeest migration in Masai Mara , this was my first time in Kenya, The company is so organized and punctual to ensure their client fell at home when they arrive, the time i was arriving at the Airport 6am, the safari tour van was waiting for me and i received a warm welcome. more so i cant forget to recommend about the safari from Nairobi to Masai Mara, peter was our well professional guide and he could explain everything we asked him, had a lot of background information about the animals, birds good interaction with people in addition he made us smile every moment. Food which was prepared by chef John was delicious. The accommodation was of full comfortability and i truly thank Alfred for ensuring our safety. I would like to Thank the Bencia company for offering us good tour service, thank you
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Jul 30, 2024Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re thrilled to hear that your first trip to Kenya was memorable and that you enjoyed the wildebeest migration in Masai Mara. It’s great to know that Peter’s expertise and John’s delicious meals contributed to your experience. Alfred and the entire Bencia team are grateful for your kind words and for choosing us for your safari adventure. We look forward to welcoming you back for more incredible journeys in the future!
US
Email Cindy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great three day trip to Amboseli!
Just returned from a great trip with Maurice at Bencia. Everything went as planned and enjoyed to accommodations. Wonderful first safari!
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Jul 30, 2024We're so glad to hear you had a fantastic time on your three-day trip to Amboseli! Maurice and the team are delighted to know that everything went smoothly and that you enjoyed the accommodations. Thank you for choosing Bencia for your first safari—here’s to many more wonderful adventures ahead!
FR
Email Marion | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just book a trip with them !
I booked a 7 days safari with Bencia Africa adventure with my brother to go to Naivasha, Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli. This was our first time in Kenya and it was just amazing. Our guide/driver, Maurice, was just the best one we could have get, really friendly and safe driver. Same for our cook John, we loved our meals ! Everything was done to our expectations and I definitely recommend you to travel with them !
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Oct 10, 2019Thank you Marion for booking the safari with us and sharing your experience.
We appreciate for the positive recommendation for our good service whilst in your safari.
We welcome you and your friends in Kenya for more adventure in the wild.
Thank you for your feedback.
FR
Email Louis | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip, thanks to their kindness and their deep love !
Amazing trip, thanks to their kindness and their deep love !
Reply from Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
Posted on Jul 30, 2024Thank you for your lovely feedback! We’re thrilled to hear that our team’s kindness and passion made your trip amazing. It was our pleasure to create a memorable experience for you. We look forward to welcoming you back for more adventures in the future!