Tembea East Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $170 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Still out of pocket
We had a good, and bad experience with Tembea. Despite paying 50% of our fee more than 3 months prior to travel, we found we had no bookings for our intended itinerary when we arrived in Tanzania in July this year. They appear to have cash flow problems, and only booked when we arrived with the balance of our fee. Luckily it was not peak travel time, and we were able to get into all but one of our intended lodges. However, in Ruaha, we had to pay again for 2 nights as the money transfer had not arrived from Kenya to Tazania, and we are still USD1000 out of pocket, 4 months later.
The safari, and driver were excellent, but not knowing if accommodation was going to be available as promised was a big disappointment, as was the extra cost. I would be very wary using them again, particularly in peak season.
Liars and Thieves...Buyer Beware!
Having traveled to 49 countries including many developing countries, we try to book tours, excursions, drivers and accommodations with local business to help the local economy. Never have we been taken advantage of until now. Tembea personnel and staff are thieves and liars. They give the good people of Kenya a Very bad name and reputation. Calling them thieves and liars is an Insult to liars and thieves. I deposited with them for our Safari in October 2015 because of the owner's past employment with a world renown company A&K. As A&K is one of the highest rated suppliers of safaris. I assumed (wrong on my part) that having worked in their capacity, that professionalism and integrity would follow when operating their own company. Was I ever wrong. I always try to see the best in people but Tembea has left a very deep scar and they should be Ashamed of themselves. Using emails with Angelina, who initially appeared very professional and was quick to respond to my emails, she was always happy to make any changes I had. I felt comfortable with sending the required deposit for what was to be an awesome custom safari and understood the terms and conditions for cancellations and changes, I was a little apprehensive when they required the deposit by "wire transfer only". You have No recall as with a credit card should things go wrong. My fault. We decided to cancel for personal reasons, followed the Exact Tembea policy and was advised that we would receive a refund of $2,000.00 as outlined in their terms/conditions. I knew that there would be a penalty and was okay with that as I agreed when sending in the deposit. I was advised that a refund back to the wired account would be processed in 2 months. 2 months passed , no refund. I was then advised that I should pay the full amount of the safari so that the refund process would be expedited. What??? Never have I been asked to pay in full to receive a refund. At that point I Knew dealing with Tembea was a Scam. I held my frustration and continued my emails regarding my refund and then was told that it would be processed at the END of their season in October 2016. Again I kept my cool Knowing I was dealing with Scam artists. At the end of October 2016 I made one last ditch effort and still they continued to assure me that a refund was following. I know there is NO refund. So you have Been Advised and Buyer Beware. If you continue to deal with Tembea and your dream safari does not manifest correctly for you, you were warned! I am out $4,200.00. Shame on me for being trusting!
UA
Email Evgeniy Taran | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible organisation, many animals.
The good:
We have seen a lot of animals.
Chief has perfect cooking skills. All food were delicious. But not a lunch boxes. They need to do something with lunch boxes.
Parks are amazing.
No matter what you will see bellow, that was a great experience and we are happy.
The Bad:
To be honest, we confirmed our booking a day before safari had to start. And it could cause some issues along the way...
1. We spent half a day in the hotel because guys, as they said, had to go to bank and put money into account. So we lost half the first day. But ok, I understand if so. That is our bad. Also they changed plan without notice. Instead of Tarangire we drove to Lake Manyara.
2. When we came to lake ticketing, I had to pay with my card cuz as it appeared guys didn't put any money into account, so who knows where did they spend half a day. And I had to pay from my card all other park fees also. We tried to solve this small issue with the manager, but they refused to participate.
3. On the line to Ngorongoro entrance we spend 2 and a half hours, while all other drivers did it much faster. Even those who arrived after us. Not sure, driver may had some issues with ticketing. Not a big deal!
4. On the camping side. Tents were very old, no other camping equipment were provided. By saying no I mean we had only tent and dirty-old mattress to sleep on. No slipping bags, covers or anything that could worm us up in the nigh. While all other tents were fully equipped. For info I'm hiking like 15 years, and never ever had such a bad experience. The very next morning I got sick. Likely girls were fine.
5. Because we didn't have camping equipment we had to change our plan and spent less time in Serengeti and Ngorongoro. And get back to our first camping place near lake which were quite nice.
6. On the last day driver said that he doesn't have fuel and no money for park fees, refused to go anywhere no matter that we had paid for day #4. So I had to come up with idea what to do in the last day. I bought gas, paid for park fee in Tarangire for me, friends and driver with chief.
7. Some issues from the list above I have tried to discuss with manager of Tembia Safaris to find solution. No results, after I have been asked to stop complaining I gave up trying repeating my attempts and we did what we could.
After all that is amazing experience. But maybe with another company.
Yeah, that was sort of complicated 4 days :)
Reply from Tembea East Africa Safaris
Posted on Jan 22, 2016This is very interesting. This booking was send to us on the 11th of December 2015.This guys are very interesting as we advised them about the deposit for us to make early arrangements for them. They brought up excuses that they cannot wire money from Turkey due to sanctions applied by government of Turkey.
We thought that the booking was gone and they communicated to us a day before they started there safari from Zanzibar. Putting in mind it was Christmas period we advised them clearly about the situation of the banks and i briefed them about the delay on the day they will be beginning the safari. They were OK with that.
Our driver made all the efforts and made to the bank and while he was there he realized that they had given him US$ of the year 1999 which were unacceptable to our banks. In our policies its indicated clearly which year your US$ are supposed to be. As he lost time waiting for the ques for him to access the teller, that's when he knew he has to solve the situation in some other ways. He went back to the clients with their OLD DOLLARS and asked them to pay for the park fees using there cards and they agreed upon it, its a shame they are now complaining.
Tarangire National Park is a bit far compared to Lake Manyara National Park, Our driver used his knowledge and advised the clients they will have to go to Manyara to avoid losing time on the way for them to enjoy at least the majority of the day doing game drives, they were OK with that and now its an issue which has caused them to complain. Its logic, which is better loosing time driving or doing some game drives in a different park? difficult clients.
In our packages we normally have includes and excludes, and sleeping bags are not part of the includes as we normally ask clients doing camping to come with there own sleeping bags. This client argue that he has been doing hiking for 15 years, please, and you don't know about what you should have for your hiking and camping? as well you should know better about arranging your trips in good time to avoid any inconveniences, not within less than 24 hours and you expect miracles to happen when banks were operating for half day due to festive season as well as other services were hindered as most of employes were on Holidays.
Our camping gears are as good as new, so send photos for your proof don't just be sorry for your own mistakes and try to make us look bad and spoil our reputation for no good reasons.
Our 4 days Package should cover 3 National Parks, Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. We exchanged Tarangire for Manyara for reasons explained above. On the last day they want to access the Tarangire without Paying for extras and they are complaining, we are not doing charity we are in business. For that reason the driver asked for money for the gas, Park fess and other cost involving that extra day. He goes own and complain BOLDLY about not accessing the 4th NP.
We plead with Safaribookings to be doing thorough investigations about such complains as we come across difficult clients whom feels sorry for themselves after realizing they have contributed to there own bad experience during Safaris. In that note we ask safaribookings to disapprove this review as we feel this is not fare on our side and our reputation.
Regards,
Issa Zuberi,
Head of Sales.
TH
Email Samantha | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lot of Lies & bunch of frauds even the new management
I have booked the safari with another of my friends to go to Uganda through this tour agent & Damien asked us to pay fully to book the hotels & Gorilla permits as it is high season. We paid since December 2016. And when we ask for the Gorilla Permit he send only the booking. Without paying for the permit it is not valid. And the hotel reservations also didn't send. When we ask around April, the new management Patel Shah replied us after many follow ups that they are having difficulty in booking & if we can help him by paying $1950 he can confirm the booking. As we refused him he came back that he was able to get discount from the vehicle & now the amount is 1550. Evangelina the girl whom I have been WhatsApp from the beginning confirms that Patel is genuine & we decided to pay $1550. At the end they couldn't arrange our tour as the hotels now providing any credit facilities. So at the end our trip is cancelled & i couldn't get my air ticket refunded as well because till last minute Patel was saying that they will arrange it. And then we ask to refund our money he send e-mail that it will be refunded. But till now no refund or even no reply to our follow up e-mails or WhatsApp chats. They put the blame to Damien, but not only Damien, this new management Patel & also Evangelina are running a fraud business, misleading their customers & to steal money from the customers. Do not trust this company or the new management as well.
IT
Email cristina | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
they send to me every days lies and false permit for uganda trekking. I want my money
past year i booked a safari with safaribooking..all perfect...but tembea are dishonest.believe me.
I paid in november 2016 and now I have the surprise..and I must to book with another tour operator...i booked all the internationals flights.
terrible.I hope to have my money.
US
Email Larry | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Liars, cheaters, scammers
I booked with this company in December 2015 for a safari in March 2016. I was required to wire over $4,000USD to reserve my safari. After doing so, I noticed a few bad reviews so I contacted them about a partial refund if I changed my mind. The refund policy was provided at the time of deposit allowing for cancellations on a tiered level. I then booked with another well-known company and proceeded to request my deposit money from Tembea. They stalled for many months consistently telling me that they would send a refund April 2016. With lies and excuses it was then promised at the latest November 2016. I went on my other safari in March, as planned, and could see evidence of disreputable companies waiting at the reserve gates or being denied entry and realized I had made a better choice on my second try. I have to date received nothing from Tembea but excuses and promises never kept. At this point I have realized I have lost my deposit completely. Choose another company. Very unscrupulous vendor.
US
Email Astrid | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not use Tembea East Africa
Never use Tembea East Africa Safaris out if Nairobi. What should have been a once in a lifetime, carefree trip turned into a stress-filled experience as a result of the firm's poor cash management, incompetence and the deceitful customer service. In the end to continue with our trip I had to pay over $850 in additional costs to cover their admitted mistakes and they have not refunded me. From my perspective they have stolen cash. Full story below.
We recently returned from an 8 day safari tour in Kenya and Tanzania through Tembea East Africa Safaris. Throughout the planning process the owner operator Issa S was helpful and responsive. As required bY Issa we paid our deposit well in advance of our trip to secure our lodgings and park entrance reservations. Two weeks prior to our arrival we confirmed our trip and wired the final payment. Although we were met at the airport and taken to our first night's accommodations we had considerable issues with Issa as the trip progressed.
We did not have the luxury accommodation reservations in the Masai Mara park as contracted and only learned of a change while en route to an inferior substitute -AA Lodges- (our room had no hot water, the lock on door was broken, the toilet in the room didn't flush, and the pool was out of service). When I told him I was not happy with this change Issa said he would call and make reservations for us at the contracted Mara Sopa Lodge. He ultimately called and said there was nothing he could do since he called but they weren't answering their phone. Unlikely story? We ended staying two nights in the inferior lodge.
Things deteriorated further when we were at the entrance gate of Serengeti Park. Issa had failed to deposit the appropriate amount of cash required in advance and after more than 2 hours waiting at the gate for resolution, the only solution was for me to use my personal credit card and charge $400 for one days entrance. Both the guide and I reached out to Issa several times by phone but after our initial discussion where he blamed the problem on the "banks being closed on Sunday" and not that he failed to deposit the cash on time, he simply refused to pick up his phone. We missed our evening safari drive and arrived at our camp late, frazzled and $400 lighter. No money was available the next day in time to pay day two fees so we spent additional hours riding to various entry points (taking away from our safari time) and ultimately I had to pay an additional $400 in park fees. Issa sent an email apologizing and told me he would meet me at the Kenyan border upon our return with $800 in cash.
Things got worse upon leaving Serengeti to enter Ngorogoro Crater. He again delayed cash arrangements so we needed to wait at the entrance 2 hours until the transfer cleared. Unfortunately he didn't deposit the correct amount and because of the park payment system we could not use cash or credit card to make up the difference. As a result we waited another several hours at the entrance for the transfer. Because of this delay we were only able to spend 2 hours in the park (versus the 6 hours scheduled) and missed a good portion of our safari drive that day in the Crater. Everyone in our party was disappointed since this was a key part of our trip. Again, Issa refused to respond by email, text or phone in spite of the guide's and my attempt to reach him for some explanation. To add insult to injury we arrived at the Ngorogoro Farmhouse for our overnight and they couldn't find our reservations. They ultimately came back and said that reservations were only made that day so we were initially not on the list. Luckily they had accommodations.
We did make it to the Kenyan border the next day but Issa was not there with the money. He sent an email apologizing and said he would meet me in Nairobi at our hotel with the cash. Our last day at Amboselli went well but upon checkout there was a cash shortage and for us to leave at a reasonable time to return to Nairobi (5 hour drive) I once again had to personally charge $66. I was now owed $866.
I was obviously angry with Issa and his lack of professionalism in managing this safari trip. When we arrived at the hotel (6:30 pm) he was not there. He finally answered his phone and when I confronted him about these issues and his absence at the hotel as promised he said he would be there shortly with the cash refund and we could discuss. We waited until 8 pm and he never showed. His guide, the hotel clerk and I tried to reach him. He simply let the phone ring and then would not pick up. He eventually emailed me around 10 pm that he didn't show because I was too aggressive when I spoke to him. He guaranteed that I would be refunded the $866 by the time I returned home.
I have been home for more than a month and have received numerous emails from his finance person Damien assuring me that I will receive a refund. After reading comments on Trip Advisor (and Damien's recent silence) it is apparent that no refund is forthcoming.
I need to be fair and say that the trip was saved from total disaster because of the knowledge and professionalism of our guides, Abraham in Kenya and Dennis in Tanzania. When we were on safari rides they were excellent, answering all our questions and seemingly blessed with a sixth sense to ferret out the animals. We have no complaints on that end.
Issa is an obvious incompetent who lacks professionalism and unless I get refunded, an obvious crook as well. He never offered any sympathy, apologies and definitely compensation for the downgrade in hotel and for our time lost from our safaris because of his failure to transfer adequate funds for hotels and park fees. We planned a long time for this very costly trip and were very disappointed with our decision to go with Tembea. Do not make the same mistake.
I am glad to answer any further questions on my experience.
CL
Email Sebastian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horrible experience, they cheated on the service and stole money
Through safari booking we contacted Tembea East Africa Safaris, and at beginning everything worked perfect; Responded to our emails immediately and also we managed all the details to make our trip perfect. We were also quoted in another company that had been recommended by a friend from Chile, but we finally opted for this, as they looked like a serious company and was also "backed up" by Safari Booking.
The first problem we had was closing the payment method, because although on its page expressly shows that you can pay by Pay Pal, they told us that we could not pay that way, since for them it was very expensive the commission, So we had to pay with Western Union. We were scared with this response, so we told them that we could not take the Safari with them, but seeing that we were hesitant, Evangelina (Tambea East) immediately wrote to us saying that finally there was no problem and we could pay with pay pal If we wanted.
Thus, we agreed with them that we would pay the total of the tour with Pay Pal equivalent to 4,590 USD (50% before arriving and 50% when arriving there) and we were assured by mail that we would have no problems with that. Once this was closed, Evangelina started sending us several emails, noting that we had to pay 50% as soon as possible, because they had to buy airline tickets and book hotels with that money, otherwise if we delayed they could being full the hotels we had specially selected.
So in a few days we paid through Pay Pal 50% (2,295 USD) of the tour in advance (this was two months in advance). The tour included tickets from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar and from Zanzibar to Arusha, all hotels, all transfers, safari (guide and car) and almost all meals. That is to say, we would arrive in Tanzania, pay the remaining 50% with Pay Pal (2,295 USD) and we would just enjoy ourselves, without having to worry about anything, or to spend an extra coin.
But this was what actually happened:
1) Upon arriving in Tanzania, they told us that we can not pay the remaining 50% with Pay Pal, because they are out of their annual quota to receive payments there (clearly a lie since that does not exist) and tell us that we have to go paying in different places with the credit card as they tell us. This already annoyed us quite a bit, but we preferred not to complain to not ruin our holiday.
2) Upon arriving in Zanzibar, it was supposed to be arranged a transfer to pick us up and take us to our hotel which was 1.5 hours away. We were waiting for 40 minutes at the airport, it was night without anyone appearing, so we had to pay a taxi to take us to the hotel.
3) Once in Zanzibar, Evangenila sends us for whatsapp a list of places we have to pay ourselves upon arrival (some hotels and entrances to the parks, which were supposed to be reserved and had to be paid by them) and tell us That the rest (what is missing to complement the remaining 50%) we have to pay in cash, although they had expressly agreed that that would not happen because we were not going to carry cash on our trip.
Although we claimed and said that we were not going to pay in cash, as we took out a high commission in our country and we had agreed that we would pay with Pay Pal (there was already a claim on Safari Booking against this company For the same issue, so we were especially careful to confirm that we could pay with Pay Pal), we were told there was no other option, so we were afraid to miss the safari, ande we had to accept it.
4) Arriving in Arusha in Tanzania, as soon as we arrived we were taken to a bank, where we could not withdraw money, then in the afternoon they pick us up again at the hotel to go to another bank, in this place the exchange rate was Very high, so they wanted us to go to a third bank. At that moment I was enraged, seeing that I was using a whole day of my vacations to go to different banks instead of enjoying, so I told them that I would not go to any other bank. At that time talk directly to Issa (owner of Tembea East), who finally agreed to change the money there.
We gave them $ 899 in cash, supposedly with that money plus the payment of Planet Lodge hotels, Octagon Lodge, Tortilis Camps and tickets to the parks of Manyara Lake and Serengeti (1,396 USD), it was all paid for.
5) It was already quite annoying, to change all the same day we arrived, when we could not do anything else, and having to go paying in different places, when supposedly the grace to do this through an agency is that you pay and You forget those issues, which was what we had agreed upon. It was quite uncomfortable, since in some places the card did not work and in the parks we were the only ones doing the line, since all the other companies - as it has to be - the tourists only enjoyed and it was the company that was in charge of all the payments.
6) As for Safari itself, they hired a guide they did not even know and who had never worked with them, they hired him through a third party, so the guide did not even know the operators. That is, Tambea East had no idea who they were sending us to do the Safari (according to the guide told us), or in which car we were going to do. Luckily, within all of the poor organization, our guide was quite good and we quite enjoyed the walks with him. The problems always came in the afternoon, when tired after the Safari we had to go to the hotel.
7) The first hotel we had problems was at Tortillis Camp, as Issa (Owner of Tembea East) called us the same day we were going to Serengeti, to inform us that there was no available space at Tortilis Camp, lodge we had specially selected and for which we had even paid More (it was more expensive), so we had to go to another hotel. He only called us to communicate this, without explanation, to see if we agreed with the change, or to apologize for the incident.
This was advised on the same day that we had to go to the lodge, so we realized that they had never actually made any reservations and the 50% that we paid in advance at an early start had simply been left for them.
We realized that they were booking the hotels the day before or sometimes the same day that we were going to get to the hotel, even though we supposedly had paid 50% months in advance so they could make reservations.
In short, what happened was that they did absolutely nothing, simply received our money and stayed with it, without using it in making reservations or paying the plane tickets (also was bought the same day).
That is, the urgency of paying 50% was not to make the reservations, but because they needed the money.
8) But worst of all, it was not just what happened. In Ngorongoro when we arrived at the hotel which supposedly had already been paid directly with our money for Tembea East, we found out that Tembea had never actually paid and had just made the reservation that same day, by an email in which they told the hotel "That if they (Tembea) did not pay before we arrived at the hotel, they would charge us directly upon arrival." This was according to what the manager himself showed us. (Attach mail that Tembea East sent to Norongoto Farm House)
In the desperate place, we spent hours trying to contact someone at the agency, but they simply did not answer our calls, they didn´t respond to our messages, and the guide could not help us, since he had only been subcontracted and had no idea what was happening. Besides, he told us that he had not been paid from Tembea East either, which was due to him for the safari he was doing to us, so he was also very worried.
Finally, unable to do anything else, we had to pay again 266 USD for the hotel we had already paid to Tembea.
Then, from what happened to us in the first hotel, they sent us a message saying that we were not worried, that it was just a confusion (even though the mail they sent to the hotel was very clear) and they were going to give us back what we had paid . We were also assured that at the next hotel (Moromboi) everything was already paid, as well as the tickets to Tarangire National Park. Supposedly they had given the money to the guide, but this one told us that he had not received anything.
Upon arriving at the park, they obviously had not transferred anything to the guide, so we had to pay 119.18 USD for park fees again and the same thing happened at Maramboi Lodge, where the manager told us that they had only received half the payment ( That same day) and that they had been told that the other half would charge us when we arrived, so we had to pay 141 USD.
9) So finally with more than 535 USD we had to pay extra (although we had already paid Tembea for it), we arrived in Arusha on the last day, where we were supposed to meet with the representative of Tembea in Tanzania, who would give us back the money.
We asked all day waiting for it to arrive, instead of being able to enjoy the city, besides with the heart in the mouth, not knowing if they were going to pay us what they owed us or not. Evidently, after all the lies, we no longer trusted the agency at all. We were very scared, stressed, angry and tired of everything that happened.
Shortly before we left for the airport, they refunded us USD 350, remaining with the rest of the money which was USD 185 (which they supposedly could not transfer due to bank problems, even though they knew perfectly everything we had to pay extra since the previous day).
We have a whatsapp from Tembea East representative in Zimbabwe where he tells us that we owe 185 USD.
10) In short, they ruined our holidays, they cheated us because they never made reservations or provided any service (on the contrary, we only had different problems each day) and finally they stole more than 185 USD that we have not receive yet until today.
Everything we tell you, is backed up, with the payments, emails, messages by whatsapp and with the testimonies of all the people who witnessed this; The person they contacted in Tanzania as an intermediary, the guide they hired and the managers of the different hotels, who personally witnessed how we had been cheated.
We believe it is unlikely that such a company is part of the companies that appear on its website. Not only they did not do the work (they did not book, they did not plan, nothing!), They cheated and robbed us.
We trusted in your website (Safari Booking) and that's why we thought Tembea East was a serious company, because we thought your web site at least verified that the companies were reliable.
It is not enough in this case to put our comment about the operator on your page, but we ask you to take that company out of its publications, because we do not want anyone to happen again what happened to us.
We will not rest until this is made public so that the people who travel do not have to live such an experience. If you offer the service, you should at least check with which companies they work or which companies they publish.
BE
Email Marc Bonnevie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Please, do not go on safari with Tembea East Africa Safaris !
We ( a party of 4 ) went on a Tanzanian safari with them out of Arusha.
They seemed reliable, as they were also appearing on Safari Bookings. But what a mistake I made !
When requiring information and quotation, Evangelina, reservations staff, was extremely helpfull and replied by email always within the hour. I did some research, so I gave her the names of hotels / lodges I would stay in ( Arusha - Tarangire - Lake Manyara - Ngorongoro ). She also quoted me the price of this week safari in " all-in formula ". I specifically asked her if this would include all drinks in the lodges ( whether alcoholic or not ) and she replied me yes !
When making the reservation, I had to pay a 60 % deposit. I did this by bank transfer. Damian, the accounting staff, was very eager to get the money, as he wrote me already the next day where the money was. I told him to be patient, since it takes a while before a bank transfer is done between Belgium and Kenya. After 4 days he got the money. Suddenly, he asked Evangelina by email ( with a copy to me ! ) if she granted me the usual discount. Seemed, that by paying the balance 6 months before the trip ( instead of paying cash upon arrival ), I could get a 3 % discount. Of course, this was a trap !!
Upon arrival in Arusha, Mr Issa ( the manager of Tembea ) was there at the hotel in order to collect the balance. He tried to switch my first lodge at Tarangire into a campsite, but I refused.
First day ( a visit of Arusha National Park ) everything went well. Comfortable jeep, excellent driver who gave us a very good explanation with spectacular binoculars. At the end of that day, we made an appointment with him for the next day, when we would leave Arusha together for the one week safari.
Next day... nobody came at the agreed time. More than 2 hours later, a wreck of a jeep arrived, with another driver, who's english was very poor and difficult to understand. He also had binoculars ( when I specifically asked for ) but they did not work !!
With this wreck of a jeep we went on safari. From day one, a warning light was appearing on the dashboard, that the oil level of the brakes was too low. Twice we had a big mechanical problem and had to go to a local garage for a while. The worst mechanical issue was that on the last day, decending from the Ngorongoro Rim to Karatu, we had NO brakes at all for 30 km !! A horrific experience !!
Also, in the contract, they allowed us to go twice into Lake Manyara. But once there, this was refused and only one entry was paid for. The driver would have liked that we would be back in Arusha before lunch, instead of dinner, so to cut our safari by half a day. But this I refused of course.
Besides this, all lodges refused the all-in formula. When I contacted Mr Issa, he said to keep all the receipts and that he'd reimburse me at the end of the trip, back in Arusha. Guess who didn't show up ? He was stopped at the Kenyan border ( he said ) ?!?!
I later on emailed all the receipts to Damian, and he replied me every two weeks, that the refund will be done.
Guess what ? Nothing of all this happened of course !
When asking Mr Issa and Mrs Evangelina some explanations about this trip, no reply came.
They obviously are only after your money. They do not care about customer service at all. They only cheat, lie and mislead you !
Hopefully this will help you to have a wonderfull safari, as Tanzania is amazing !