Selous Kinga Lodge

Terribly organized safari tour (2-day fly-in/out Safari from Dar)

Terribly organized and chaotic tour, contact persons gave out contradictory information, horrible game-drive, many useless phone calls, dirty sleeping room full of millipedes, lodge staff friendly and food OK, taxi driver dropped me off at the wrong terminal to get the flight and later at the wrong hotel after the tour. I made very good experiences with other tour operators in Tanzania, so that I need to recommend: Do NOT book at Selous Kinga Lodge. Further details below:

I requested an offer for the “2-day fly-in/out Safari from Dar” via Safaribookings.com and was directly linked to Edward and Martin from the lodge who helped me to clarify first questions regarding the tour and send me the offer for the tour.

As soon as I had placed the down payment the trouble began. Martin called me several times. I did not have the feeling, that there was a language problem during the calls, however, almost no useful information was exchanged.

Taxi Pickup to and from the hotels, where I stayed before and after the safari tour were organized by Martin. I sent him the names and addresses of the hotels via Whatsapp. The taxi driver to bring me to the airport dropped me off at the wrong terminal, so that I almost missed my flight to start the safari. The flight was booked by Martin, so that he should have communicated to the driver were to bring me.

The taxi diver to bring me back to the hotel dropped me off at the wrong hotel. When I gave him the right address, he did not know, where it was, although I shared hotel names and addresses with Martin already weeks in advance.

I made the down payment for the tour already three months before tour start. In January Martin explained me, that he could only give me the flight tickets 4 days before departure, because it would be last minute tickets and there were not enough booked passengers on the plane, yet. At the end, the plane was full of tourists and the other tourists told me, that they have received the confirmation for the tour and the flight several months in advance.

The flight with Auric air itself was a great experience: New planes, friendly staff, great views out off the plane.

Edward explained me via email, that it was fine to pay the rest payment directly at the lodge. However, Martin called me only a few days before tour start, that I need to pay everything upfront. Because of that, I needed to give the money in cash to the taxi driver, who brought me to the airport. He could not give me any receipt or payment confirmation.

The game drive in Nyerere Park was horrible. The driver drove at full speed in direction of the animals so that in most of the time we were only able to see the backs of frightened creatures. Bushes and small trees were destroyed when they were run over by the car. Out of the driving car it was generally difficult to take pictures and good positioned stops were very rare.

When I entered the sleeping room, there were around 10 millipedes with a length more than 100 mm inside. I pushed them out, but when I came in the next time the were new ones inside. I understand, that the Lodge is in the middle of the nature. But I slept in comparable locations, where the sleeping rooms, tents or cabins were very clean from the inside.

Do not book at Selous Kinga Lodge. Choose one of the good alternatives.