Gondwana Travel Centre
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1993)
- Member Of:
- Namibia Tourism Board
- Tour Types:
- Self-drive mid-range & luxury tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $66 to $1,381 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Sean | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Broken head and eyeglasses, downgraded to poorer accommodation, standard scams with optionals etc...
We encountered:
- one broken head and eyeglasses
During the exit from the 4x4 vehicle at DINE 45, the driver opened all doors that could rotate 180 degrees and did not secure them. The back door curved and hit the head of my colleague who had already come out of the vehicle and then crash his glasses and he got hematoma on his head. This only happened due to negligence of drivers and guides. We have seen other drivers unloading passengers and holdin the doors in place so that a similar problem would not happen.
- downgraded to poorer accommodation
When we booked the trip, they confirmed our stay (2 days) at Namibia Desert Lodge and instead we were in a campsite with no internet in anything that looked like a tent.
- standard scams with optionals
During the trip we went to a lodge where we were told we could go and watch some wild animals in the cage. They did not let us know that we had to pay for it. Only later, they asked us to pay about $ 10 per person. Everybody in the group was surprised and the guide later said he warned us that we could watch animals "only if we want." But he did not say that if we want we have to pay for it and that this activity is not included.
- a minibus that was constantly drowned
They have been late for more than 1 hour when taking over the hotel for the first day. Explanation: Vehicle problem. I do not know what they did in those hours, but the vehicle we were on for 6 days and over 2000 km was a permanent breakdown and it was not pleasant to stay in the middle of the road with a broken vehicle and the first village 100 km away.
- we were stolen money from the minibus while there was no one around the minibus, only the driver
The last day, only a 2 hours before the end of the trip, we stopped at a lodge for lunch. Until then, the drivers (who is also the guide) was always sitting during the lunch and the dinner with us (group of 7) at the same table. This time not. We were alone in a restaurant inside the lodge, there were no people around. The driver moved away from the group. We left inside the minibus a bag with my colleague's wallet. The money was stolen from the wallet: not all the money was stolen, but only a few large banknotes. We realised this when arrived to the hotel.
I asked the agency to give me an explanation on these issues (and many other things I did not even mentioned here) but they mostly refuse responsibility. I demanded a refund and I told them that if they decided to make a refund, that would be to the account of the humanitarian organisation I will indicate to them. I do not want a refund, but someone who has accomplished this kind of service needs to bear responsibility for it. Apart from the agency I will write more reviews on the internet, it is even more a responsibility of the tour operator (SWA SAFARI).
Sorry for my bad english but I will write other reports on Italian and Spanish (my mother tongues).
SG
Email Joy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very slow in responding
Have to improve their speed of communication and responding. Been several occasions without response and they kept customer waiting. Have know idea what is going on. First, I didn’t want to write about this thinking it is just one time and they are a small company. But it has been so many times and it is very annoying when I don’t know what is going on with what I have requested and I have already put down the deposit. To be fair for them, the lady who has been helping me has been helpful in answering the question but it doesn’t help when my message was sent and no one attended to the question for one week. They might be all on holidays but I am not sure if this works for everyone especially when it comes to business and we need to get something rolling for the trip in advance.