Masai Mara game viewing..
Ewamanns Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Tour Types:
- Budget & mid-range tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $130 to $290 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
FR
Email Angelique | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Careful, this guy is a thief ! Big scam
Careful, THIS GUY IS A THIEF ! We made a deposit of 1000 $ for a twelve days safari in Kenya and Tanzania, and the guy never paid the real safari companies we were supposed to take. We had to pay the kenyan company by ourselves, but we canceled the trip in Tanzania. Indeed, Erick, the owner of Ewammanns Safaris never showed up. HE STOLE US 1000 $ and ruined our holidays. We never had the chance to get what we paid for. Never trust him, he is a lyer and a thief ! The only times he turned his mobile on was to ask us the balance of the trip in order to steal even more money. If you want to enjoy your trip, run away !
HK
Email Matthew | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Erick Muli Ngala is a LIAR! Ewamanns Safaris is a SCAM!
I participated in a 12-day Tanzania and Kenya Safari with Ewamanns Safaris (US$1250) with the Tanzania part operated by its partner Sandland Tours & Safaris. The trip was extremely memorable not because it was greatly arranged but because we witnessed how the Director of Ewamanns Safaris, Erick Muli Ngala, could make so many lies, excuses, blackmail, threats and intimidation during the trip, which were even more exciting, hilarious and eye-opening than watching animal migration. If you scroll down, you would see that I previously gave Ewamanns Safaris a five-star review for the booking process because Erick seemed to try his very best to satisfy our budget and understand our preference. Everything, including his attitude changed after payment immediately. I am here to summarise how Erick has mistreated us during the 12 days. It is a very long list but I am trying my very best to provide as many details as possible.
(1) A few days before we depart for Nairobi we confirmed with Erick on our arrival details, including flight number and terminal. Erick said that he did not know his schedule yet as he might be in Arusha instead of Nairobi on our arrival date but he would notify me the pickup details one day before our arrival. We did not receive any updates from him so we emailed him again. He assured us that he would arrange the pickup accordingly. When we arrived Nairobi airport, no one picked us up. I had to buy a phone card to call but Erick’s phone was off. Finally we were picked up 3 hours later, that means we stood in the arrival area of Nairobi Airpot for 3 hours! Some drivers of other companies were kind enough to help us make calls or find someone who might know Erick but no one knew him. Even more hilarious, we have missed the shuttle from Nairobi to Arusha and they sent a car to drive us to chase the original shuttle. We were very scared, worried and frightened during the wait and the whole ride. Erick told us he could not answer our call because his phone had no battery due to power shortage. Even if this was true, he could have used other’s phone to contact us. This was his responsibility! I have also confirmed with other drivers that no such power shortage problem has occurred. Erick then said that he has indeed messaged my friend who was already in Nairobi that I should wait in the airport for 3 hours, thinking that my friend would have notified me about the wait. How could my friend notify me when I was already on the plane?
(2) When we arrived Arusha we finally saw Erick. We were forced to change from 2 days in Serengeti to 1 day in Lake Manyara and 1 day in Serengeti. Clearly this was for saving costs. We wanted to insist on doing 2 days in Serengeti but Erick said there were no other options. Why could Eruck suddenly change something that we have mutually agreed?
(3) Be careful that every itinerary Erick sends to you can be misrepresentation. Our itinerary clearly stated that there would be one evening plus one morning game drive in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and visit to Olduvai Gorge Museum. We did not do any of these and was already back to the campsite at 3pm, with nothing to do till 8pm for dinner. We complained to Sandland Tours and they said it was Erick’s problem in not updating the itinerary. We complained to Erick and Erick said it was Sandland’s fault as Tanzania’s people always lie. He said that he has changed operators in Tanzania for 3 times already and none was good. He said he would not cooperate with Sandland Tours anymore.
(4) On the day when we should depart from Arusha back to Kenya side, Erick told us that we would be picked up at 7:00-7:30am. We were finally picked up at 10:30am by a taxi to Sandland’s office, then were transferred by a taxi to a local bus station, then were sent onto an overloading cramped van heading for the border. Sandland said it was Erick’ fault and Erick said that Sandland has forgotten to pick us up. During the wait, we were very worried as we could not contact Erick. Fortunately, the staff at Zawadi House Lodge in Arusha were kind enough to make calls for us. After we passed through immigration on our own, we again did not see Erick and the driver. A driver from another safari company was kind enough to call Erick for us and Erick said he should arrive in 30 minutes. He again blamed the shuttle for not contacting him about our arrival time. We finally waited for another 2 hours. He stretched his arms, laughed and pretended he was innocent when we met. Later on, we heard from Paul the driver that he has indeed arrived at the office in the early morning ready to drive to the border to pick us up but it was Erick who delayed everything in the office. Moreover, Paul told us that when we called Erick it was impossible to arrive in 30 minutes and Erick lied.
(5) Erick told us that it would take at least 13 hours to drive from Namanga border to Amboseli National Park when it should indeed take only 2 hours at most. He lied to us that the roads there were bad. We asked the driver of another company and he told us that the road has always been good for that part and Erick was just trying to save a day of park entrance and game drive fee.
(6) This is the highlight: on the last day a dinner at Carnivore Restaurant should be included. Erick said, “We need to make new agreement. We cannot include Carnivore Restaurant and your airport transfer tomorrow because I have no money left. All my money is finished. So what do you want to do? You want to sell me? You can write me bad reviews but I have no money. It is time for you to help me as I have helped you guys enough.” Finally we bargained and got the Carnivore dinner as originally agreed, but we reluctantly had to pay our transportation to the airport.
(7) There are many other problems that I cannot even list them all here - we paid for 5 day park entrance fee but we only went into the parks for 4 days so he saved 1 day park fee (US$80) for himself; for the full-day game drive in Masai Mara, we finished at 3:30pm with nothing to do afterwards; Erick did not pay drivers for sufficient water and we had no water on the last day; etc.
Yes, it is clear that Ewamanns Safaris offers the cheapest price. For US$1250 only, I got exposed to not only animals, but the dark side of human nature. If you still want an adventure with Ewamanns Safaris, be prepared: (i) Nothing will be on time; (ii) Don’t care about contractual agreements; (iii) You would not understand Erick’s English in email; (iv) You don’t need a watch. Your concept of time and Erick’s concept of time should be very different.
Reply from Ewamanns Safaris
Posted on Aug 29, 2016Hello Matthew.,
I wonder what I lied you.!?First of all you were selfish and anytime i tried to explained to you,you didn't listen to me.Second nothing I failed to offer you as we agreed.
Please read all reviews clients have made for me,do you mean I lied them all and if so why only you with a problem after helping you doing a tight budget.!?
Read also below your first review and hope will proof your wrong.
Wish you all the best.
US
Email Bea | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Subcontracted safaris were great, transfers between them were not
We went on a 9-day safari that included Masai Mara, Lake Manyara, Seregeti, and Ngorogoro Crater. Each of the parks were very enjoyable and we saw a ton of animals, including all of the Big 5. However, all of our transfers between the parts of the safari were very stressful.
When we flew into Nairobi, there was apparently a driver waiting to take us to our hotel, but we were not told to expect a driver nor did we see anyone at the airport that seemed to be looking for us, so we took a cab to our hotel. When we got back from the Masai Mara leg of our trip we were staying at the same hotel for a night, but the hotel had to call Erick, the safari manager, to verify that we actually had a reservation because it didn't seem to be on the books. We then had no idea when we were going to be picked up in the morning to go on the next part of the safari. It turned out Erick was coming to the hotel to talk to us later that night, but we were not told to expect that. He told us he would be picking us up in the morning to take us to our bus to Arusha, but in the morning he did not show up, so we had to call him, and then eventually someone else showed up to take us where we needed to go. Once our bus got to Arusha, there was a crowd of safari bookers and cab drivers waiting to take the bus passengers where they needed to go. All the other passengers either knew where they were going, or a safari booker came on the bus and knew the passenger's name and where they were going. We were left on the bus with no idea where we were going and no idea if anyone was supposed to be picking us up, and then we were asked for our bus ticket, which we didn't have. We luckily had Erick's phone number from calling him that morning, but our phone's didn't work in Tanzania so we had to have someone else call him. Erick told them the safari company that was supposed to be picking us up, but they didn't answer their phone when called. We almost took a cab (that we would have had to pay for) to that safari company's office, but luckily the people who were supposed to pick us up arrived right as we were leaving and caught us. We had a similar experience when arriving back in Arusha at the end of our trip, and we had to have the hotel call the Tanzanian sub-contracted safari company (which we luckily remembered the name of) to verify that we had a pre-paid room, and then again in the morning to verify they were actually coming to pick us up. When we got back to the bus, we were again asked for a bus ticket we didn't have, and we again had to have them call someone to verify that we had a prepaid bus trip back to Nairobi.
A lot of this stress could have been avoided by giving us a detailed itinerary with all the information about the sub-contracted safaris, pick up times, and contact info for a person at each transfer.
To top it all off, before we even left our home country, Erick contacted us to inform us of some increased park entry fees, letting us know we should bring a little extra money to cover them. We did so, but when we settled our balance on arrival, the balance did not include these increased park fees. Then, on our second night in Nairobi (between the Masai Mara and Tanzania parts of the safari), Erick gave us a long explanation about how he sets the safari prices for the whole safari season even though Tanzania often increases their fees in the middle of the season. He told us that he does not force his clients to pay the increased fees since they agreed to a lower price, but that he tells his clients about the increased fees in the hope that, if they have a good time, they choose to pay the price increase. This made it sound as though he wanted us to think of a the increased fees as a tip that he should receive if he did a good job. Because of this long-winded explanation, I chose to see how the rest of the trip went before deciding whether to pay the fees, and since we had to convince people at every leg of the trip that we were pre-paid and have them call various people to make sure, the trip didn't seem like it deserved an extra tip. However, once we arrived back in our home country, we received numerous communications from Erick asking us for the money for the park fees. All of this felt pretty slimy to say the least. The ridiculous part is, if he had just included the park fees in the balance when we settled up at the beginning of our trip, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. Instead he had to make it seem like he was demanding a large tip for a very sub-par job.
BR
Email Bruno Silva | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
9 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania
Erick was a very attentive person, always ready to help and always answered the questions. We plan our trip almost 10 months in advance, it is difficult to build trust based only on online conversations, so we start early to negotiate and explore trips. When we closed our package, we decided several points, including day tour in Nairobi and shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Everything worked out, in spite of the fear on the first day, when Erick asked what we had agreed. That's when I learned Hakuna Matata, it's going to be all right. I explained to him everything we had arranged, I showed him emails and he explained that he had lost his cell phone, so far so good. In the rest of the trip, everything went smoothly except for the last shuttle, from the hotel to the kilimanjaro airport, which I did for myself in Tanzania, but the money was returned, that is, it was honest. Anyway, you can trust, it will be all right, and accept the guides' advice, even if it is to change the trip, there will be a mutual win-win relationship.
By the way, on this trip we met with Ewamanns Safari the locations of Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Maniara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tangerine Park, ie 2 countries, several parks, we did not lack food, decent accommodations, helpful guides and fantastic experiences.
Email Claude | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good company to work with
Communication was excellent
Van needs a bit of maintenance
Driver/guide Bonifacio was excellent always trying his best to please
Unfortunately April is not the best month for a safari as the grass is very long and difficult to see the animals but Bonifacio managed to find them
Email Sara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Affordable & Accommodating
Ewamanns Safaris is an affordable and accommodating company. My friend and I booked a safari within a week of our departure and about 36 hours in advance I was able to call and delay our departure as I had a last minute deadline come up at work. Our safari was also during off season, but I definitely appreciated the flexibility.
During off season you may not get see as many animals, but the perks include easy booking, cheaper rates, and an uncrowded campsite and reserve!
Accomodations
I believe the accommodations were commensurate with the rate. The campground was accessible to the Reserve and comfortable for a 2 night stay. Ewamanns did a great job setting up accommodation expectations as they sent me a picture of the tent/campgrounds while I was booking it, so there were no surprises here.
Food
Food was inclusive of the tour and they provided vegetarian options for those with some dietary restrictions. Note if you have more strict dietary restrictions like celiac it would be best to bring your food!
Safari
As far as the safari goes it was incredible!!! Everyone had a window seat to it was pretty easy to take pictures and take in the sights. Our driver didn't talk that much as was hard at first to know what was going on. However, in context our tour had 3 groups in one bongo speaking 3 different languages, within a day we were able to get in groove with communicating with one another. Overall it was a great trip.
ES
Email Laura | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good service provided by Ewamann Safari
We did a Kenya+Tanzania tour for 13 days (12 nights) and was very beautiful!
Erick has solved all of our questions since the beginning of our first communication. I had many because it was the first time that I contacted with a local agency and I wanted to be sure that everything was fine at our arrival and during the trip. During the itinerary, we had some problems to get our daily water and problems in some accommodations, also at our arrival in Tanzania because it wasn't any body waiting for us at the bus station but this is all. After request some help to the bus driver, we got the solution but when you are in a foreign country, you feel very strange and a little bit confused. These problems came also by the own country, it is not only agency fault because Erick is always glad to help you in any problem you need. From my point of view, if you are an European/American tourist, you cannot except to receive the same service as in your country. You have to go with open mind and understand that you are in Africa! I missed more information from drivers but for instance we had one in Kenya who is called Maxwell who was lovely! Very brilliant person and friendly! He helped us to love the natural parks and to enjoy during the game drives.
To sum up, please do not hesitate to contact this agency to buy your safari because everything you need, Erick will be there to help you and to do your stay comfortable between Africa can offer you :).
We saw the big five, also to hunt in Tanzania so was an amazing and beautiful experience. Each park is different. I would recommend you to visit both countries to feel the sensations of sleeping in the middle of Serengeti, in Tanzania and enjoy the marvelous views in Kenya parks as well. There were stay places very kind and nice as Panorama Campsite and the one in Amboseli where people was lovely.
You can trust 100% in Erick who will be worried for your interests!!!
Thank you Erick&team!! We will always remember this trip :) Contact me if you are planning to come to Spain!
Amazing trip - the guides ensured that we had many memorable experiences.
We booked an 11 day trip through Ewamanns Safaris. Our intinerary in Kenya included the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli in Kenya and in Tanzania - Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Our Kenyan driver Patrick, was excellent. He ensured that we saw the "Big 5" and went out of his way to allow us to experience some very unique animal encounters. He had a text book knowledge of the animals. Communication through Ewamanns Safaris was very good. As we were planning our trip, Erick was very prompt in replying to our emails. Paul met us at the airport and drove us to our hotel where Erick met us the first night. Paul also was a great tour guide as he spent two days touring us around Nairobi (this was not included in our trip price) but was something we had requested. Ken, a very knowledgeable tour guide did an excellent job of taking us on a three hour walking tour of Nairobi. That evening we met with Erick when we discussed expectations for the rest of the trip. Erick arranged our trip to Tanzania through 7 Wonders Safaris. We followed the itinerary closely except for the last few days in Tanzania when the itinerary was changed from 2 days in the Serengeti to 1 day in the Serengenti and Lake Manyara National Park was substituted for the second day. We were fine with this as we saw different ecosystems. Our driver, Victor (from 7 Wonders Safaris) took us to see some beautiful sites in Lake Manyara and while in the Ngorongoro we even saw lions mating! An interesting experience to say the least. The jeep we travelled in was not as comfortable as the van we had used in Kenya. Having our own cook in Tanzania was a nice added touch. Evelyne (7 Wonder Safaris) had a driver pick us up from the Hotel in Arusha and take us to the bus stop where we were to board a trip to Nairobi. The bus driver did not know that our bus trip had been pre-paid. When we gave Eric the receipt for our bus fare, he apologized and promised that he would reimburse this bus fare to us via paypal (I have faith that he will do that).
As we had booked a "low budget" safari we did not expect luxurious accommodations. The hotels were clean and safe. The tenting experience was very basic and often the showers were not hot. I would suggest if you want a little more luxury, then you book a higher level safari (we could have had more comfortable accommodations buy paying more but we could never have had better opportunities to experience the animal sightings we did).
Thank you Ewamanns Safaris for an experience of a lifetime!
We would definitely recommend Ewamanns Safaris and especially enjoyed getting to know our new friends - Erick, Paul, Ken, Robert and Victor and our cook in Tanzania.
CA
Email BruceF | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a Great Time
Me and my 2 travelling companions had a Great Trip/Adventure. Sure there was a minor change to our itinerary in Tanzania, but it turned out to be for the better. And we also had a bit of a mix up on the return trip transportation... but nothing to get all excited about. Saw the Big 5 and then some. Erick was good and helpful to us. And Erick's team of Ken, Paul and especially our Driver/Guide - Patrick were wonderful.
We did an 11-day trip in Kenya and Tanzania. Stayed in a couple of Hotels, plus large and small Tents. We roughed it a bit as not all the camps were up to par. But it's part of the experience. If you are expecting 3 to 5-star accommodations, you'll be disappointed. So just go with the flow. Food was good all around (especially in Tanzania where we had our own 'cook' with us).
Saw lots of Lions eating fresh kill, Elephants crossing the road right near us. Leopards and Cheetahs, Giraffes, Zebras, etc. Bring a good Zoom lens as you sometimes are a bit distant from the animals. Glad I went and not sure why I didn't do this trip before.
HU
Email Szilard Balassy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
good service, reliable organizers, good price
I am content with the service, the organizers communicated well, they were punctual, and helpful. The car was convenient accomodation was very good, I got what I expected for my money. I highly recommend them.