Kanyezi Africa Safari
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 1983)
- Tour Types:
- Mid-range & luxury tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
Reviews
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Email Ricky | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unhelpful to the max
We booked our trip for 2020. They were very happy to help us select them and arrange the entire trip with them. They highlighted (over and over and over again) that they were a five-star resort, which to me means five-star assistance and service. Then COVID happened and they ignored our requests for help. We did have travel insurance (as they recommended) but they were not interested in helping us with the process. We will NOT be booking our next safari with Kenyazi.
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Email Rich Robinson | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Perfect African Safari
I have traveled with Kanyezi on two different occasions in May and November. This is a first class operation, with a very experienced father and son team who know Africa, and particularly South Africa, very well. Their lodge accomodations are superior (6 stars), with staff, meals and setting nothing short of fabulous. Their lodge is centered in areas where animal and bird sightings are unsurpassed. It is not uncommon to see the "big 5", (lion, leopard, rhino, cape buffalo and elephant) in a matter of hours. You travel in comfortable open air vehicles in areas that allow everyone great photo and viewing opportunities. Afternoon game drives are
memorable for their "sundowners" ...a happy hour out in the bush. I simply cannot say enough good things about Kanyezi African Safaris....I sounds like I must work for them, but I don't. I am just a fortunate beneficiary
of an amazing African experince.
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Email Cindy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Communication leaves a lot to be desired
I feel like the Kanyezi staff did an adequate job but could have returned communications in a more timely manner and I never really felt confident in where I was in the process. It was a fabulous trip which was mainly due to the Sabi Sabi Reserve people.
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Email Kathy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Left stranded in Capetown when Owner Chris No-Showed-Terrifying Experience
I will get straight to the important points.
1) I booked this tour as a single, middle aged women traveling alone. I booked and paid nine months ahead. Twenty one days prior to depature I called about my flight and tour arrangements. Chris stated "I am sorry but your tour has been cancelled. You will have to leave five days earlier or you can't go with us. We can still make it happen, but not with us." I made arrangements, at great inconvenience, to leave 5 days earlier.
2) Hotel for Capetown is TWENTY FIVE MILES FROM CAPETOWN.
3) Chris dropped me off at V&A for a shopping trip, at my request. I confirmed, three times, that he would pick me
up at the designated stop at 5 p.m. HE NO SHOWED. PERIOD. LEFT ME TOTALLY ALONE AFTER DARK. TOOK A TAXI BACK TO HOTEL WITH THE HELP OF V&A security. I was terrified, but made it back to the hotel.
4) I was dumped so Chris could assist a dentist who had booked his family of ten. There were numerous adults supervising all children at this time, on that night. There were no children left alone. I was left alone.
5) Chris called me the morning we were to depart for Sabi Sabi, and asked me to meet him alone in a hotel conference room, prior to our group departure that morning. I WAS MET WITH THIS THREAT:
"If you say anything negative about our company, I will take legal action against you."
Great trip otherwise.
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Email Wayne | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
South Africa Safari a $20K DISASTER
My review is based on the Facts concerning our disaster October 2019 Safari: 1. Provided flight times 4X to company, arrived in Cape Town after almost two days traveling and NO ONE from this company was there to meet us, would think that a company had been in business for so many years would have figured out how to meet guests at the airport, we finally found their rep after ONE Hour of searching the airport. We had paid an extra $220 because we were told that the company had to pay a driver to come pick us as we were a separate transfer because of our late arrival. We were very surprised that when we joined our large group that we were packed into a small van with passengers to our knowledge did NOT have to pay an extra transfer fee. We did NOT have a separate transfer as charged. Next, we choose this very expensive company because they advertise in writing that there will be a 10 guests per expedition. Another surprise for us was that we had 28 guests on our expedition which was 4 TIMES the advertised limit!! Because there were SO MANY guests, we were packed into small crowded vans for the entire Cape Town portion of this tour with guides who also served as drivers and their explanations could only be heard in the seat next to the driver, a real disaster, very poorly organized. Also we needed assistance in purchasing SA Rand and were UNABLE to get any assistance from Chris or his employees, we eventually solved the problem ourselves, Cape Town tour was totally disorganized as we had NO idea what to see or what to do with the large amount of FREE time we were given on this tour. This review is just the tip of the iceberg as I could almost write a book on how much we were disappointed on paying over $20K for a safari that we experienced so many problems. We should have spent this large amount of money on a different tour operator who was focused on providing more value for the dollar:(
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Email Anne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lack of Integrity and Unethical Business
We were supposed to travel to South Africa in the summer of 2020 with Kanyezi Africa Safari. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, our trip was canceled. We contacted Chris and Michael Kanyezi to get a refund. Kanyezi said that they had given our total payment (approximately $24,000) to subcontractors that book flights, lodge reservations, safaris, etc. and could not get the money back. Side note, we also had a cruise, VRBO, and concerts planned in 2020, all of which were reimbursed to us with no problem. Airline flights hadn't been booked when they canceled, and they wouldn't even reimburse us for the flight. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Kanyezi starts sending emails to rebook. Kanyezi said we had 2 weeks to rebook without being charged an increase of $2600 per person. Payments needed to be wired by December 29, 2020. Note: all payments had to be wired. I spoke with the owners and agreed to pay approximately $3900 per person to rebook. This money was to cover the flights from small airlines within Africa that went bankrupt. When a new contract was emailed to me, they had us paying $4628 per person PLUS $980 per person to cover taxes and fees. At this point, I was not willing to dump another $11,216 into this trip. That is what I would have to pay on top of the $23,990 I already paid, and I still had to buy insurance?!? I find it unethical and a lack of integrity to not reimburse us anything. I'm very disappointed with this company. A trip of a lifetime has turned into a $23,990 LOSS. I've saved for years for this trip. It's just incomprehensible.
Unethical company during pandemic
We booked this company as a trip of a lifetime. Due to the pandemic Kanyezi cancelled our trip and refused to return our deposit. Chris the owner claimed that he had distributed our deposits to various tour subcontractors and that they were all teetering on bankruptcy without showing us any proof. They all seem to be still in business and are still taking deposits for future bookings. He claimed he had no second party insurance with the various hotels, lodges, guides etc. and that we should make a claim to our own insurance company. He then refused to provide a simple standardized invoice noting the trip cancellation making the insurance claim much more difficult. He also said if we booked a future trip we would have to give another deposit instead of using our funds he already had in his hands. Why would anyone do this? Avoid Kanyezi like the plague. They are not honest business people.
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Email Minnie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge and Safari was amazing; Kanyezi not so much.
The Sabi Sabi staff and accommodations were absolutely amazing and first class. The ranger and tracker made our trip! We saw so much more than we expected - up close and personal! The food, service, and villas were 5 star. However, I would book direct rather than use Kanyezi in the future. Chris and Michael were with us only in Capetown. In Sabi Sabi, they had their "friend" act as our guide. We really didn't need a guide in Sabi Sabi because the lodge takes care of everything. In Victoria Falls, we were all basically on our own with a local guide who we had difficulty understanding. The accommodations in Vic Falls were far less than the 4 Star advertised.
Air travel was arranged very late despite emailing and calling on several occasions. We only received our international flight arrangements/tickets 2 weeks prior to our departure day! Given we were required to wire transfer the full payment months before the actual trip, this made us very nervous. Most all guests in our group had similar issues. Some did not get airline tickets until days before departure.
Lastly, Kanyezi threatened with legal action a guest in our group who posted a question online about their lack of responsiveness. They upset one couple on our trip and told them they should have booked the trip themselves! While generally nice people, they are highly unprofessional at times. This is marketed as a luxury trip of a lifetime ....