Reviews
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest and irresponsible boss
My husband and I did a 7 days Machame trek and 2D1N safari tour with this tour. The trek was a good experience because of the wonderful guide Bala and his team. However, we had a hard time with the boss David Michael Bungama/David Bungama Nyabirumo. First, he was dishonest with the accommodation arrangement. ALL the arranged accommodations were different and CHEAPER than what was promised over the email exchange. David attributed the change to bad reputation from the promised hotel, but why the vast difference in price and quality? A day before the safari trip, he said he did not have cash to pay the safari guide as the bank was closed that day (sunday). He said we either have to wait till 10am before we can leave for safari or lend him US$350 first and he repay us when we return. Blame us for wanting to resolve the problem quickly and get started on our trip, we agreed and even made him write an IOU. On the day of return, he refused to meet us and asked the safari operator to book us into a US$10 per room (with shared bathroom) backpacker in Moshi! We paid US$700 per person for a 2D1N safari and the lodge in the safari was not fantastic as well!!! Where did all our money go to? We were furious and he promised to meet us the next day which was our day of departure. Not too surprisingly, he only sent the driver to meet us WITHOUT THE US$350 that he owed us! He promised to meet us in the airport after a blasting over the phone with us, but he refused to pick up calls when we were in the airport. Up to the last minute before we need to board, he called back to say he'll fund transfer us. It is our misfortune to have trusted David and engage him. Although he did offer a slightly cheaper price than other operator, he probably made a neat profit through numerous hidden costs or downright cheating. I think dishonest business dealer is the last thing a tourist will want to encounter. Please be careful of this guy and stay clear. He is out to make money but not in the right way.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
David and Goliath Tours - Beware of the Thief !!!!
I have just returned from a Kilimanjaro Trek booked with David and Goliath Tours.
We booked with David's company after a local recommendation as we liked the idea of our money going straight into the local economy.
We asked David to arrange an 8 day trek (usually 7 days) to give us an extra day to acclimatise (an additional US$150 each for the extra day).
We agreed an itinerary and paid US$350 deposit each into David's Bank account.
4 days before the trek, David advised us that in addition to the cash balance, we also needed to bring just over US$400 each for tips for the mountain team.
I became suspicious and even more so when David wouldn't give us a receipt for the balance we paid to him in cash when we arrived.
However, the hotel was fine and we were picked up the next day for the start of our trip.
At the National Park entrance, David dropped us off and then disappeared completely.
There was also a shortfall of US$10 for the park fees which I had no option but to pay on my credit card.
And when we signed in, we had to sign in for 7 days which we were told was the standard trek duration.
I was even more suspicious.
The trek itself was fantastic.
The mountain team of 15 people were brilliant and we had a great time.
But we could never get an answer about the extra day.
We did however all reach the summit which we were really thrilled about.
On our descent, this is where our suspicions became reality.
We found out from the mountain team that the trek WAS for 7 days and when we complained, they said David would make everything right (would this explain why some of the team were on their mobile phones a lot ???).
We reached the exit gate where David met us.
We told him straight away that we were a day short.
He didn't explain.
Back at the hotel, we asked for a meeting with David and politely asked for a refund of the US$150 each for the extra day we didn't get.
This is where David changed.
He became very aggressive, told lie after lie (he said we had told the guides we wanted to come off the mountain a day early and he had only been notified the night before), and refused to give us our money back.
As he became more angry we realised we weren't going to get our refund.
We felt we had no option but to pay the mountain team their tips who had now been waiting almost 2 hours in the hotel reception.
David then came back and had the cheek to ask us for more money.
We sent him packing.
Although we had a great time on the Trek, I would not recommend David and Goliath tours to anyone thinking of using this company to book a holiday.
David is far from honest, he is not trustworthy and I believe that, if given the chance, would not hesitate to take money from tourists and not deliver what has been paid for.
In future, we will never use a local company for any type of holiday.
It has left us with a bad impression of Tanzania.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
warning - this company stole my money
After researching which safari to do in Tanzania that suited my time frame and budget I choose David and Goliath tours and safaris. David Michael Bungama (owner) was very helpful and quick to get back to me with my questions. Once we had agreed on my itinerary his said the deposit of 5% (all other companies charge 30-50%) could be paid to him via an international money transfer. (This is common for payment of safaris). I did my transfer of the deposit and five days later he confirmed that he saw it in his bank. I asked for a receipt for my deposit, this is when things changed. I asked a few times over the next week, with no response from David. When he finally did respond it would be one excuse after another why he hasn't sent it. Finally after about 2 weeks he sent me an email saying his manager had hacked his email account and was stealing all the customers money. He said he sacked him once finding out. He then said not to worry about any more payment until arrival where I could pay in cash. I said I wasn't happy carrying thousands of US dollars on me. Then he suggested do a transfer of the remaining 95% amount, two weeks before the start of the safari. In the meantime I had asked a few more times for a receipt for my deposit, with no answers. I felt very suspicious about this company now and the way they operate. After he said his manager had stolen customers money. I asked for a full refund of my deposit, as I no longer trust that they are a legitimate company (when he failed to provide a business registration certificate) and I have no faith in sending more money to them. This is where David stopped responding to me altogether. I have emailed him a number of times, but no response.
I think David and his company are thieves. Please don't send your money to him.
US
Email PB | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fraudulent company
We booked our trip with David and Goliath as well in late Aug early September 2014, and had a very similar experience to the other reviews here. I looked for reviews on this comany before booking and seemed like they had gotten decent reviews (atleast for Kili treks). We had to pay 300 dollars more after landing in Arusha otherwise the company boss David Bungama refused to start the safari. They sent us official looking itineraries with hotel information. But the actual hotels we were put up in were way cheaper and of inferior quality. He promised to pay us back but there was always an excuse to not do so. We had even booked a Zanzibar leg through him, but on checking into the hotel in Zanzibar, we found out he had not paid our hotel bill. We had to settle the matter by not just paying the hotel bill all over again, but having to endure a lot of unpleasantness from the local tour operator and hotel staff. We spent a lot of money in arranging this trip, and it turned out to be a disaster because of the tour company we chose.
The sotry I get from David Bungama is he had hired someone to set up his websites, who had then proceeded to hack into his safaribooking website and then sign up customers impersonating David, and then taken the money and absconded.
Even though I trouble believing his story completely, i gave him the benefit of the doubt, and entertained the possibility that he was merely incompetent and a little guillible in allowing another person to handle his website and use his bank acocunt for wire transfers. But I just read one of the recent reviews from another customers around the same time, and it appears he uses these kind of tactics regularly. Whatever the truth, there are plenty of other companies offering similar tours with much better service, so dont bother risking an expensive trip like this to such a company, they are either dishonest or incompetent. And if others have had a bad experience with him as well, please post your experiences as well, so future tourists do not get their trips ruined. If you wish you may also get in touch with me, as I m planning to report this matter to the authorities, and would make a much stronger case if there are multiple parties reporting such fraudulent behavior.