Kenya & Tanzania team at Tarangire Sopa Lodge.
Travel For Change Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Member Of:
- ASTA & TRA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
BE
Email Alan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
NOT Financially stable company - I would advise you do NOT book with them !!
Had to cancel our safari due to a (severe) accident 2 months prior to departure. Despite dozens of mails and promisses, nothing ever got refunded.
IT
Email Karime Jadallah Prisco | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not trustworthy
We had planned a trip in December for our family. Unfortunately my husband got sick and passed away. We reached out to Patricia letting her know the situation and and then the pandemic hit. It has been a back and forth with them for the last 2 years trying to recoup my money. They have promised so many times that they would make small payments, but as of today I have not received anything. I have written requesting the money be used as a voucher for a future trip. I would like to take my kids and fulfill the trip their father wanted to take with them. It is a real shame that we have had a loss, a pandemic, and now we have lost our deposit. I guess it is easier to ignore the client and pretend nothing ever happened. If a company cannot be professional enough to take responsibility for its actions then it is not worth dealing with. A very sad customer.
Email Anne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Honest and trustworthy tour operator
After a lot of research on different safari operators I selected travel for change for our safari last year. Patricia was excellent at planning what would have been an amazing safari and beech holiday in Kenya. Sadly due to the pandemic we were unable to go which was a great disappointment to us. However, Patricia was very understanding and we set up a refund agreement to help the business keep going and to allow her to pay the refund at the end of July 2021. This came good yesterday so despite our sadness of a lost holiday we have not lost our money. I can highly recommend this company.
US
Email Terry Maxwell | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unable to fulfill their obligation
Very sad to say that due to the pandemic we had to cancel our safari to Kenya with Travel for Change Africa. Because we cancelled so far in advance we should have received a full refund. To date we have received nothing and they no longer return calls or emails. Initially they asked if we would accept payments which we agreed to but not a dime has been sent our way. Clearly our money was not escrowed for our safari but instead used to fund other projects. Don't send them funds for a safari.
Reply from Travel For Change Africa
Posted on Dec 29, 2020Hi Terry,
We appreciate your feedback and understand you are frustrations and also apologize for making you sad it's not our intention. We can confirm that you are among the clients who preferred a full refund instead of postponing your trip to a later date as your cancellation was because of the current ongoing pandemic.
We have tried our best to accommodate our clients' needs but 2020 has been a tough year for the travel industry making it impossible to accommodate everyones need on time. Since March most of our payments have been tied to credit notes from our suppliers, because there hasn't been any traveling it has been challenging converting credit notes to cash hence the delay in issuing your refund. The little cash flow we had was channeled to partial salaries of the office staff and the safari guides to ensure they don't fall on hard times.
We can assure you that your refund will be issued in the coming months all we request from you is patience and give us some time to get this sorted out.
NL
Email Remco | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Above all expectations
What an experience! We, a group of 4 people, did a safari of 7 days (Amboseli-Lake Naivaska-Maasai Marai) on Patricia's advise. We gave Patricia a budget and our minimal requirement and she managed to get the maximum out of everything. She was so kind to advise on every question we had and amended the trip time by time according to our needs.
The trip itself was amazing our guide collected us perfectly on time with a van. The van itself had plenty of space for 4 tall dutchies. However the 4x4 would have been more confontrable, but our budget didnt allow. Our guide was so eager to fullfill our animal whish list, and discussed every day the options we had. In this way, we were able to take it easy on some days and go for the maximum on the other day.
The accomodations&food where also above expectations. The only unexpected thing we had was a change in the last accomodation. This was required since the initial accomodation was fludded by the heavy rains. However, we could complain since it changed from outside the Maasai Mara, to inside the park!
We would definately recommend to book it through Travel for Change, especially with Patricia.
Ps, im normally not writing any reviews, but this organisation deserves it!
US
Email Liz | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Travel for Change Africa provided us with a personalized safari experience we will always remember.
Our eight-day safari for four people with Travel for Change Africa exceeded our expectations in so many ways. Patricia, the organizer, was easy to communicate with and attentive to our wishes for our safari experience as she planned the itinerary. Our guide was knowledgeable and personable, taking into consideration our particular interests and curiosity as he planned each day. We never tired of our explorations, with new sights, discoveries, and experiences every day. The types of accommodations varied, too, from tent camps to inviting lodges, and we enjoyed them all. Travel for Change Africa provided us with a wonderful personalized experience we will always remember.
US
Email Sophia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing guide showed us everything!
My husband and I booked a 6 day/5 night safari with Travel for Change Africa and had an amazing time. The owner/general manager Patricia was very responsive to all our inquiries and worked with us to create the itinerary we wanted. We did one day in Tarangire NP, three days in the Serengeti (one day in the north and two in central), and one day at Ngorongoro, with the final day a drive back to the airport (and on to Zanzibar). On the day we arrived in Tanzania, we met with Sylvia, the head of the local Travel for Change office, and our guide David to go over the itinerary. David was an amazing guide - his knowledge, kindness, humor, and skill were endless. We saw every animal I had hoped to see and more, and I couldn't believe how close we were to them. Travel for Change also helped us to arrange our hotel in Zanzibar as well as transfers between the airport. Would definitely book with them again!
CH
Email Sally | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most fantastic safari holiday -Thanks to Travel for change Africa
From our 1st email everything went totally smoothly with Travel for Change Africa. We arranged a 4 park safari and it was perfect in every way.
We were met at the airport by Eliud from the office and he explained every thing to us with a big smile.
Our driver/safari guide was Francis and he was fantastic, I could not have asked for a better person to look after us. He was really easy to get on with and was incredibly knowledgeable and a fantastic driver, especially in some of the conditions we encountered.
we visited Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakura, and Masai Mara.
if you are thinking of a safari in Kenya I would highly recommend, Travel for change Africa. It was also great value for money.
US
Email Steve | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond expectations.
From the very first email, the team at Travel for Change was flexible and responsive and really helped us sort out what kind of trip and accommodations would meet our needs. Their main contact even met up with us halfway through the trip to make sure all was going well. They seem to have solid relationships with the resorts and did their best to relay some of our specific dietary needs to each location.
The best part was the guide, Simon. Not only was he a great driver, but he was incredibly knowledgable about all the wildlife, culture, and more about what we saw. He was pretty amazing at anticipating where the animals might be headed when things got too crowded in some areas. We were able to spot lions, cheetahs, giraffes, and more (you'll see more zebras and wildebeests than you expect!)
Be prepared for some bumpy roads, but everything else was comfortable and the whole Travel for Change team helped make everything smooth! They sent a nice checklist to help with planning - everything from what shots to get and other key travel tips.
Tip: opt to spend just a little extra for the Land Cruiser vs. the van as it will be more comfortable on the rough roads inside the parks or off the main roads on the way to the lodges.
- Steve
US
Email Diane, Pat, Lynne, Ruth and Beth | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Travel for Change designed the trip of a lifetime for us
Our group of 5 ladies in their 70s was understandably nervous about getting everything arranged for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. But once we selected Travel for Change Africa, Patricia set about making us feel sure we were in the right hands. She selected options for us, answered many, many questions and designed a personalized 10-day itinerary that we loved. We were watching Kenyan news to learn more about our destination and asked Patricia if the big crack in the earth that was opening up and destroying roads would impact us. Patricia immediately got back to us to say that, no it was fine and she would be sure that Patrick, our guide, knew that we wanted to see that. Every question and request was handled promptly.
We chose the 10-day trip in early June, staying at mid-range properties. The safari included Samburu, Abadare (Treetops), Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara parks. They all were very different and the wildlife viewing, with Patrick spotting and teaching us about the animals was awesome. We did not miss any of the animals on our checklist. Each of the resorts was unique, the food was good and the staffs were friendly and helpful. We all felt the pricing was quite affordable, even the person who opted for single accommodations. Early June is still considered shoulder season rates.
The Travel for Change staff we met were outstanding. Patricia made a point of meeting up and touring with us in Amsterdam during our layover. It was great to get to know her in person after all the months of emails. And Patrick was the BEST. He may not have known what to expect with 5 young-at-heart oldsters but he soon found that mud, bumpy roads or any other travel discomforts didn’t faze us. It was pretty much smiles, fun and laughter the whole trip.
We would not hesitate to recommend this company to anyone, although we all did agree that you should be fairly fit for this kind of adventure. Just hanging on while traversing the bumpy game roads was a challenge.
