Safari.com
- Office In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2000)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $69 to $1,098 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
An expensive stressful drama-filled two day trip to Victoria Falls - not worth it, won't do again
The one good thing I can say about AfriTrip is they are responsive. But our 2-day trip to Victoria Falls was not relaxing or enjoyable due to the stress and drama that ensued and the total cost was way more than the value we received.
The night before we are to leave we receive urgent messages that our Air Zimbabwe flight from JNB had been canceled and they rebooked us on British Airways. At that point it was an annoyance but not too bad. We had to get up earlier the next morning and switch airlines but still looking forward to our trip.
We land in Victoria Falls airport and the driver was surprised to see us since he thought we were still on the canceled flight! He didn't get the updated info so we were lucky that he was there waiting for others or might have been stuck with no ride. Victoria Falls Hotel where we stayed was okay but not worth the price. It's not a first-rate experience, e.g. the front desk agent forgot to return our passports! That caused some unnecessary stress. The room itself was mediocre.
Now, Victoria Falls itself IS amazing and worth seeing and we quite enjoyed it, just not the rest of the experience. For example, we had a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River that was so touted on KrugerPark.com for seeing wildlife and all we saw was a croc and some birds. I understand nature is unpredictable but I find the sales pitch misleading. Also, the cruise served snacks and drinks yet didn't have proper bathroom facilities! More unnecessary stress.
Now the worst part of the trip is the day before we are to fly back to JNB we get messages that our return flight on Air Zimbabwe has been canceled again! The airline wants to move to us a flight that's 5 hours later. Knowing how unreliable the airline has been we were not going to take the last flight out of Victoria Falls (on any airline) and risk getting stuck in Zimbabwe. How could KrugerPark.com book us on such an unreliable airline! Even after this, they refuse to rebook us on British Airways so, after a ton of back and forth (instead of enjoying our trip), we paid $724 to do it ourselves. They did refund us $322 which they claim is the cost of the flight plus their commission so we are out over $400 additionally.
In total we paid over $2500 for this two-day trip and did not see the value. Both flights getting screwed up, a mediocre hotel, and some mediocre tours. Overall it was a 5-star price for a 2-star experience. The Falls ARE spectacular though!
P.S. If I quickly do the math it doesn't quite add up. We paid over $2100 to the tour company. Based on the refund, flights were $322 each way including commission. Hotel was almost $800 for two nights (yes, quite expensive). Falls tour was $40 retail. Sunset cruise was $106 retail. And we got 6 transfers total which were maybe $100? We even had to pay $60 entry fee for the Falls and $20 for the River ourselves! This adds up to not even $1700 which includes part of their commission so how much are they jacking up the prices to make a package deal?! Knowing what we know now, we would've been MUCH better off booking the trip ourselves.
US
Email Boyana B. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Call it the Tourist tax on pricing, especially when you see what you get for it
The safari's and guides themselves were great. Thank God I only did the 2 night, 3 day stay. The accommodations are terrible! I'd met a couple on the way down that did the cheaper "tented" version. There experience was much better- and cleaner. For the price you pay, you'd think it would be a stunning room. It is not. The locals I know in Cape Town informed me what it actually costs a local to do this for them. They tourist price us of course and
I'd be fine if I had a beautiful room with an amazing bed and stunning accommodations. This was 2 dirty not even the size of single bed beds, no frame to them, no skirt on the bottom box spring showing it for all it's dirtiness, a dirty shower, dirty walls, old dirty looking towels (they were clean but the vibe felt gross), everything felt dirty. I paid almost $800 for those two nights & not really 3 days. I thought that would mean a beautiful sleep in beauty. We all chatted over dinner on the condition of what we got and felt the same. My recommendation- book a stunning hotel separately. Book the safari's separately. it'll be the same or cheaper. And you can self drive as well but you'll miss out on the amazing information the guides give. You don't need to be suckered into this - some research and a tiny bit of effort and you can avoid all this bs.
Email Grant O'Brien | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Not great
No hot water in the Chalet and nobody answers the " after hours" numbers to fix the problem. Not a lot of game sighted at all. Actually nothing sighted but the impala at the Chalet.