Elkan Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $56 to $890 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Zizou | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A somewhat nightmarish, yet remarkably astonishing safari experience through Elkan.
My last safari was a bittersweet experience in every sense of the word. What would start out as a suspected long-con ended up being a pretty incredible safari through the ranges of Manyara and Ngorongoro, to the plains of the Serengeti. I even ended up making friends with a couple of lovely people from Spain with whom I had a surreal amount of fun. I am a New Yorker, and I was travelling alone.
I picked Elkan as my operator, not after doing a properly extensive search for a reputable operator, but only because of the simple fact that the response from Victor, the sole owner/employee of Elkan Ltd., was a very welcoming and exciting one. I was offered an itinerary of exactly the sort of safari I had envisaged, and Victor also allowed me to negotiate the overall rate a bit. From the very beginning of our correspondance, I kept growing more and more excited as the safari dates approached.
What was initially meant to be a group of six people on a 7 day safari, ended up being reduced to only 3 people on the day our safari started. Apparently the group had been broken up in 2 to accomodate specific itineraries. There appeared to be a lot of misinformation for all the parties on our safari, including the driver/guides, who apparently had not a single idea of our itineraries, what they entailed, etc. It was at this point we began to suspect a hint of disorganisation and misinformation on Victor's end.
After a glorious first day in Tarangire, where we saw lions mating, a whole world of elephants and the most stunning, yet underrated landscape, we were brought to a semi-decent campsite around Manyara called Sunbright Campsite. It was at dinner that our group, which consisted of myself and the two ladies, and our over-exhuberant narrator/driver Osman, learnt about the completely misguided information from Victor we were all under. Our driver was only going to be with us for one more day-trip to Ngorongoro, before he was to hand us over to another guide, Adam, who was to take us around 3 different parts of the Serengeti over the course of 5 days and 4 nights. However, according to Osman, the Serengeti was only going to be 2 nights. I immediately shot an email to Victor demanding clarification to which he responded everything was status-quo, no changes of any kind whatsoever.
The next morning we received a call from Victor asking us to accept a 2 night safari in the Serengeti and a refund for the remaining 3 days. That was bollocks, and we made sure he understood what bollocks meant.
Needless to state, at this point we knew we were about to be caught in a Tanzanian local tour operators clumsy attempt at conning perfectly well-educated international people, all under the pretence of their sad mentality of "this is Africa", which seems to be the only place on Earth with a licence to be inadequate in everything consumer-related.
We carried on with our safari as we'd planned and had another magnificent day of animal-spotting on the Ngorongoro Crater floor. We saw a coalition of lionesses set out to hunt buffalo end in the most ruthlessly perfect execution, and then each of them returned to collect their cubs hiding in the bushes 5 meters from our car. Our entire engagement with this pride was an incredibly rewarding experience, one that only few people get to experience on that vast crater-floor. And when the other shoe came cascading down from the sky, we were told by our guide that we needed to rush back as he had other Victor-related engagements to adhere to. Our resistance to being swindled once again only earned us a speedy drive passing all variety of animals to the lunch-spot to wolf down our pathetic lunch boxes, and rush back to the rim so as to accomodate Victor's disorganisation. This was when we were handed over to a driver/guide named Adam, who would become our sole Tanzanian assistant in making sure we would not be robbed of our safari, as had apparently been planned by management. Turns out Adam worked for another company called Sunset Africa, who were in a deal with Victor to provide our safari. Turns out they too were having a devil of a time working with Victor, financially.
The 3rd day, according to the provided itinerary, promised to be quite exciting. We were all high spirits as we drove through the Ngorongoro ranges towards the Serengeti. Then we arrived at Nabi gate where you enter Serengeti from Ngorongoro, and shortly after were notified that our park entrance fee had not been paid by Victor and that we would have to bear the cost, until it could be refunded to us later. This is where the whole tide turned against Victor as it had become all too clear that this one-man bad operation was out to flat-out rob us. After an intensely excruciating 3 hours of demanding the services sold to us, the owner of Sunset Africa, man named Ally, stepped in and decided to handle the dealings with Victor, and letting us proceed with our safari. But, not before we were each asked to pay $70 in order to enter the Serengeti for our first day, which would act as a day's fee while the "management" got things sorted in Arusha for the remaining 4 days.
For the next 4 most incredible safari game drive days, very very sadly we also had to deal with going to the extension office every single day during lunch to extend our days as it was not sorted out appropriately since our very first day in the Serengeti, which meant we never got to leave the Central Serengeti/Seronera region at all. For 4 days, we hung out with the same pride of lions, same herds of elephants and even the same Leopard whom we spotted twice. While this was indeed THE most amazing 5 days of hanging out with the lionesses of Seronera and their cubs and boyfriends, and all the other beautiful wildlife in Central Serengeti, for the purpose of the company review it should be stated that we were initially offered a 5 days safari in the Serengeti to several different areas of the park, Center, North and West as it is simply massive. Nevertheless, our 5 days around the central area and nights at the Serengeti Wild Camp (operated by Zara Tours) were just fantastic.
We chose to abandon the toilet of a public campsite arranged by Elkan called Pimbi. Even the animals found it too disgusting to graze by.
Ultimately, this was, without a doubt, a safari of a lifetime for me considering all the wild animal interactions we had, and our stay at a semi-luxury lodge, with abundant wildlife through camp. Although, a lot of it was due to the diligence employeed by our smart, hilarious and jolly-spirited guide, Adam. He single-handedly saved all his co-workers faces by showing that some Tanzanian people do value a good work ethic and will do whatever they have to to deliver.
In the end, Victor was, as you'd expect, quite apologetic and I can honestly say that we were not robbed of anything, except several hours of our safari time. All else was sorted once we got back to Arusha, including our $70 and timely transfers back to the airport. I do genuinely hope that this was just one big logistical/planning error on Victor's part and that he'll do better to avoid such an instance next time, else I can't imagine Elkan Ltd. or any other local Tanzanian tour operators who don't learn from such experiences, would survive too long in this highly personalised and incredibly lucrative business.
All the best, Victor.
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Email J & J | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A disorganized, dishonest and dishonorable company. Run away as fast as you can!
I usually don’t write negative reviews as most of my traveling experiences have been positive up until now. I used this company as a recommendation from a friend who previously booked and had a marvelous climb with Kunda (mountain guide). Despite reading just mediocre reviews we booked with Elkan Safari. We booked both a 4 day safari/ Kilimanjaro climb w Kunda Kilimanjaro guide). The cost was all inclusive w gate prices but the end of tour the owner ripped us off an additional $460 usd. The original price was all inclusive, including entrance fees but as we went along with itinerary there were several “Surprise costs” along the way. Stranded at the gate w crew and other tour guest we were basically forced to pay beyond agreed amount. We confronted him several days prior to departure about error, he confirmed to meet us to refund money. He did not show up, was unreachable and did not fulfill the rest of the itinerary leaving us stranded for a place to stay. The kicker and deal breaker for me is not only did he not pay us our outstanding $460, but he not to pay the climb team or bus driver upon returning from climb leaving exhausted men stranded with no money after 7 grueling days of hard work. It is one thing to cheat and hustle tourists, but it is a whole another thing to cheat your own people and employees. These men practically killed themselves climbing up and down difficult Mt. Kilimanjaro w 23+ kg of supplies each on their heads. They left their families and home for 7 day and received no pay. That is the ultimate low. Victor Goodman, owner of Elkan Safari, Ltd, lied and stole from his clients and employees. Stay away from this company and his other listings Kilimanjaro Champion. As of today, he still hasn’t paid his employees or the money he owed to us. Truthfully there are literally hundreds of companies out there for safari and mountain climbs so why take a chance with one that clearly has a reputation for ripping people off!!!
On a positive note, porters and mountain guides contracted, Kunda & Omary were simply magnificent. They took care of us and helped us reach the top!!! They salvaged our ruined holiday by making our climbing experience once in a lifetime. Kunda and Omary (mountain guides), went upon and beyond and assisted us when Victor left us stranded and them salary-less. They even met us the following day to make sure we made it out of Arusha safely to our next destination. We are forever thankful to them.
Exceeded expectations in every way
We recently completed a six-day safari with Elkan Safaris and rank it as one of the top experiences among all our travels. Following an initial email inquiry, company CEO Victor Godwin called us in the United States at his own expense to help us plan the trip. When we arrived in Arusha months later, Victor met us the evening before our safari to go over fine details and to arrange payment. We were hesitant to wire thousands of dollars from New York City without ever having met anyone from Elkan, but we really needn't have been. Business was always conducted with complete transparency and honesty, and in the end, Victor was accommodating, both of our desire to meet first and pay in person, and of several unforeseen date changes.
But the true substance of Elkan's ability to show us good time began when our private Land Cruiser pulled out of the hotel parking lot and headed west toward Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Our affable and charming guide, Julias , demonstrated encyclopedic knowledge of all plants, birds, and game we saw. In fact, I can't remember a single instance in which Julias didn't know what we were looking at. He seemed to have names and facts at the tip of his tongue at all times, and backed up his verbal seminars with reference material from various field guides he carried in the car with him. We appreciated his infectious enthusiasm and how excited he got whenever he spotted birds or animals he must have seen hundreds and hundreds of times. The truth is, the Serengeti is never the same two days in a row, and it probably never gets boring. We also enjoyed the many meals we shared together, the cultural exchanges, and learning about Tanzania from an open and good-hearted native who was eager to share his limitless love of animals, nature, and his country.
The quality of the tented camps Elkan selected for us was very high: comfortable, clean, private and luxurious with attentive staff and good food, given the remote locations. I recommend Elkan Safaris without any hesitations or criticisms. They go to great lengths to provide an exceptional safari Safaris, and I know that if you choose them, you will have as wonderful a time as we did!
Very bad experience with Elkan Safaris
After paying upfront for a certain itinerary, the manager of the company (and I believe in fact sole employee as well) tried to change the itinerary and duration of the trip without any logic explanation
upon arrival at Serengeti Gate, we learnt that the funds to pay permits where not available. Of course, the operator lied to us saying that this was due to a system failure and ask if we could do the "favor" of paying for the entrance again and get a refund from him after finishing the safari. After 3 hours assessing options at the very gate (and subsequently wasting the time that was scheduled for safari that day), we have decided to pay only for one day, without any certainty that the day after the operator would not be coming up with the same request
thanks to the manager of the driver (a subcontractor), we could finish our safari without major incidents, apart from the inconvenience of having to turn up every single day (of a total of 5) to the offices to extend the permit as the moneys we had paid in advance were never deposited as they should have been
back to Arusha, the manager of Elkan Safaris tried even not to pay the money he owed us and we had to threaten him with reporting to the police to get our money back, which we finally did some 3 hours before going back to our homeland
I am not wasting my time trying to sort out whether all this behaviour was ill-intentioned or simply careless, all I can say is that I strongly recommend avoiding the services of this tour operator if you want to save yourselves some headaches
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Email Sal | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Elkan Safari Made Our Trip
Planning a trip to Tanzania for the first time I was extremely excited to take advantage of all that the country had to offer. Over three weeks I wanted to do it all... Safari, a chance to climb Kilimanjaro, and then relaxing on the beaches of Zanzibar. Planning this excursion was a daunting task though as there were so many different operators to choose from!
I sent numerous emails to different companies from budget to luxury operators, but only one stood out from the beginning, Elkan Safari. Victor was the first to reply to any email I had and always had an answer for any of my questions. He made me feel very comfortable throughout the process and I couldn't be happier with my decision to book his services.
Safari- Derrick, our guide, was amazing! He was very well versed about the areas we were traveling and always seemed to know right were to go to find the best animals away from the crowd. Our chef was fantastic and the food was great.
Kilimanjaro- Victor hooked it up! We had a full staff of guides, porters, food, and gear. Anything that we needed for the trek he was able to provide. Victor also set our tents and gear up at our hotel beforehand so that we could see what we would be traveling with and made sure that we would be comfortable.
Our guides Kunda and Omi were the best! Kunda was so reassuring throughout the entire climb. He also knew about all the vegetation in the area and the trek turned out to be much more insightful then I had imagined. I honestly can't say enough about the two of them... don't go up the mountain without those guys! There was sooo much food too. I couldn't believe it. So good!
*Dingy is also the man!*
I could go on and on. At the end of our safari and again when we finished our climb Victor was there to meet us with Champagne and a smile. I feel like family with the whole crew. I had such a great time and I'm sure it would not have been the same if I had booked with anyone else. They really made the service feel specialized and we weren't just another group to them. I can't say "Thank You" enough!
Victor Godwin. Thief. Liar. Conman. Avoid at all cost.
I can sadly see that we are not the only ones who have been conned by Victor Godwin. Here is the trick. Consider yourself warned if you book with him.
You will agree safari itinerary and you will pay in advance, all inclusive. When you go on the safari, Victor will call you and ask if you could please pay for park entry fees or for upgrade of accommodation. He will promise to reimburse you once you get back to Arusha. Now the problem is that the drivers do not have funds for the park entry fees so you have no other option that to pay or not enter the park. Clever right. And yes, of course he does not refund your additional expenses.
On our trip, we were six people whilst another car had thre people. On the first night, we stayed in a different hotel than agreed. We went along with that. On the second night, Victor called the other party and ask them to cover additional expenditure for upgrade of accommodation, not upgrade for them though but for my family. So he played the parties against each other. He did the very same thing the next day where he called me asking me to cover an upgrade for the other party. He asked for $600. The following day, he called me again asking us to cover the entry fees to Ngorongoro, again $600. I refused. He called the other party of course with the same request. We briefly discused between our two parties and agreed that one from the other party would cover the entry fees. This was to ensure that none of us would end up having thousands of dollars to be refunded, again it was $600.
It is now five months since our safari. As I live in Tanzania, Victor has not been able to simply disregard my calls, SMS, Whatsapps. He has again and again promised to pay. Each week, he will make that promise and then find an excuse. He is nothing but a frail little liar who should never ever be trusted.
Also note that Victor is not a member of Tanzania Tour Operators Association. This essentially means that they are not able to help any customers who might have problems with Victor. Another reason for staying completely clear of this guy.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful experience! Great guide!
As I was searching for a good company to organize my safari, a friend recommended me Elkan Safaris. Everything was smoothly arranged by email. They picked us up at the hotel in the beginning and took us to the airport the day after we finished the safari.
We did a 4 day/3 night camping safari and our schedule was all according to plan: one day in Lake Manyara, sunset and sunrise in Serengueti, one night and one day in Ngorongoro.
Everything went quite well. Our tents were good, the food was diverse and more than enough and, most of all, our guide Henri was absolutely ammazing!! He could spot an animal anywhere while driving and he got us really close to the wildlife whenever possible. Moreover, he told us a lot of usefull and interesting information about all kinds of animals.
I would definately recommend everybody to do a safari in Africa: it is a wonderful and unique experience. Elkan Safari was the perfect company to organize it and for a good price, comparing to other companies.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
“A wonderful trip with a wonderful tour company”
I highly recommend Elakn safaris to anyone who wants to do safari in Tanzania.
I emailed to many agents before the trip. Elkan was very responsive, patient and detailed. Elkan offered inexpensive price, lowest deposite percentage and most convenient way of payment. It did not ask for extra charge for deposit by credit card unlike the 6-7% extra charge requested by other tour companies. The main camp they recommended Serengeti wild Camp is excellent. It was the best accomodation we had in the trip. Elkan is also flexible with changing the accomendation. Before the trip, I told them I wanted to change the lodge in Arusha. They were very happy to make change.
During the trip, our guide Msemo was excellent, with good knowledge of all kinds of animals. He was also very responsive to our requests. He had been a tour guide for more than 7 years. He was also an experienced driver and once saved us from being stuck in mud.
We had a good time in the safari. Many thanks to Elkan!
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Email patrick Easterling | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Julius the guide was very good. But....
Julius our driver and guide was very good and could spot animals far far away. He was also careful as a driver and with us. But Victor the owner was not well organized and said we could pay with credit cards then we ended up paying mostly in cash. It did turn out well though at the beginning we were worried. The food was simple but good. Philip the cook worked hard.
IL
Email Emanuel and Michal | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Elkan Safaris are the best!!!
Hi,
Me and my wife had a 7 days Safari with Elkan Safari in Serengeti and the area around it.
Thanks to Victor and his team I can tell you that this was one of the best experiences I had in my life!
From the moment we contacted him, Victor was happy to help and answer all our questions in emails, explaining all the details about the trip, and offered everything we needed, asked for and more!
The Safari itself was great! we saw more animals then we could imagine, the best views and experiences!
Our guide Saadi was very much experienced and he knew all the right places to go to see the animals.
Saadi, Victor and our chef Amedi were so kind and friendly, and most off all very professional!
I recommand you, if you want to have the best from you safari, to talk to Victor and take Elkan as you safari company. With them you will have a great Safari!
Emanuel