Asseri the founder with clients at Ngorongoro
Orongai Africa Safari
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Member Of:
- Tanzania Tourist Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $145 to $750 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Michele | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
16 Day Kenya-Tanzania Solo Safari - Exciting to Say the Least
16 days with 8 different accommodation spots and a border crossing, there are bound to be a few things that might go off the rails. I would suggest anyone undertaking such a challenge have an open mind and be able to roll with the punches. I did a lot of research prior to booking my Safari with Orongai and in the end, they offered the best value for what I was looking for; a mix of luxury and tented accommodation with a full itinerary. First what needs to be noted is Orongai is relatively new to the Safari tour industry, but the Founder, Asseri is not. As such, they are continuing to learn and grow. If you are looking for that PERFECT nothing better go WRONG experience, then I recommend you pay the $10 to $15k US per person and book with a company that has been around for 30 years. If you are looking for value and won't get absolutely rattled if things don't go 100% according to plan, then you will have the trip of a lifetime like many others have indicated in their reviews.
Like a few others, I had changes presented to me upon arrival in Nairobi that had not been communicated prior to leaving Canada. I addressed the lack of communication with them in this regard and we came to a mutual agreement. Like some others, I too had accommodation changes that I was not expecting. Again, I stressed the importance in communicating changes to their clients prior to them arriving for their Safari - no one likes surprises, especially if they are going to be perceived as negative.
So here's my adventure:
- I arrived in Nairobi to learn my luggage did not. Martha and Asseri delayed departure for my Safari while they tried to figure out how they could retrieve my luggage once it arrived and get it to me while I was on the road. They helped make arrangements with the hotel, etc. They didn't have to - they didn't lose my luggage, the airline did. I was 5 days without my luggage!
- As a single female, they were concerned with pairing me with a young, male guide. They hired a new guide/driver that was supposed to be more experienced. James turned out to be friendly enough and very aggressive when it came to maneuvering the safari vehicle into position for the best wildlife shot. I got the best photos and did not have a professional camera with a 2 foot long lense. The downside was James' english was not very strong and he was not as outgoing and personable and I would have liked. An outgoing, personable driver with a good sense of humour was part of the criteria I requested for my Safari. As I was travelling solo, I needed to have a driver that was willing to engage. He also ended up taking more risks then he should have with the vehicle; taking short cuts that were not authorized by Orongai.
- Due to 'confusion' with regards to my itinerary my driver chose to skip taking me to the Nakuru Rhino reserve/drive and I missed out on seeing any Rhino's on this trip; a big disappointment for me. To make up for this, Asseri had my driver take me to Naivasha where I was treated to a private boat tour on the lake at Orongai's cost.
- Asseri met me at the Kenya/Tanzania border to take me to the Serengeti for 2 days. Crossing the border, and getting another Visa is quite an undertaking and to have the assistance and support to be guided through that process by him was very helpful and appreciated. I was hosted by Steve at the Kati Kati Tented Camp right in the park - it was amazing.
- Most of the lodges and tents that I stayed at, although there were some changes were quite nice.
- The biggest concern with accommodation was in Nakuru where I was placed at The Legacy Hotel; a hotel, not a lodge or a tented camp. In the middle of the night a man entered my room with a key. I suspect with the intention of stealing from me; as he had a key, he must have been an employee, but I will never know as he took off before anything could be done. I addressed this with Martha who addressed it with the hotel. The result is Orongai will not be placing any clients in that hotel in future.
- My driver made another unauthorized deviation near the end of my trip on the way to Mombasa. Because of this, Asseri again paid to have me taken on a private 5 hour tour through Mombasa to make up for it.
- The end result is 'James' will not be hired for any future safari work with Orongai
Communication, communication, communication. It is key, especially with a trip that was as complicated as mine was. And remember, you aren't always going to have internet or wifi access when you are out on Safari - be prepared for that.
Orongai is new, they are continuing to learn as they continue to grow; this is to be expected. They did their best to make right the things that went wrong; that is all you can ask of any company. Even with the few bumps in the road along the way, I had a fantastic experience - something I will never forget, and I now have friends in Arusha; Martha and Asseri.
If you are planning a 5-7 day Safari, you will not be disappointed like the many others that have posted reviews. If you are planning a Safari that is longer and has you moving every day or two to another location, be prepared for some hiccups along the way.
I definitely recommend them. Just confirm your itinerary prior to leaving your country of residence.
CH
Email Alex | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
DON'T TRUST THEM
In January I enquired Orongai AS for a 5 days safari for late July. Since the beginning, I required to book ONLY lodges from the Serena Hotel Chain with an HB meal plan and to buy the flight from Arusha to Zanzibar for which I already had a reservation. The proposed program for the safari was meeting all my expectations and therefore I paid 50% of the total bill to confirm the trip (with 6 months advance).
FIRST SURPRISE: in June, after my request of details about the baloon trip that was listed into the proposed plan, we discovered that this was actually not included in the price I agreed (and already paid) but was an extra, costing "only" 510 US$ per person!!! After many e-mails back and forth with Martha, where I also proposed to pay 50/50 their mistake, I finally end up talking with the owner of the company (Mr Asseri) and I accepted, to pay the extra 510 US$. After we arrived in Tanzania, we were transfered to the first hotel where the Orongai rapresentatives showed up with more than 2 hours delay to the agreed breefing.
SECOND SURPRISE: checking out from this hotel, I discoverd that the meal plan was not HB as per the plan accepted by me and I had to pay 25 US$ per person for the dinner.
THIRD SURPRISE: the off-road car for the safari was a 30 years old Toyota Land Cruiser (much older than any other car we meet during the safari) with (probably) a few MILLIONS miles story: fortunately we had no mechanical problems (and this is a real miracle, considering the treatment this veicles receive) but the level of confort of that car was really poor.
FOURTH SURPRISE: we started the tour and we discovered that the plan was shuffled and instead of the agreed Tarangire-Ngorongoro-Serengeti sequence we would follow a Ngorongoro-Serengeti-Tarangire schedule.
FIFTH SURPRISE: despite my cash paiment for the ballon trip, they didn't succeed in boking that experience.
SIXT SURPRISE: when we were in Serengeti, we discovered that our hotel for the next 2 nights would have been a tented camp (and not a lodge as agreed).
SEVENTH SURPRISE: on the last day we discovered that the flight we were booked on was not the 5:10 pm one I originally requested but a earlier one (3:15 pm).
Based on this, would anyone trust them??
PS1: looking at other feedbacks in this site, looks like I'm not the only one having had this kind of disturbing experience with Orongai AS: probably the blame is not to be put on me
PS2: the only good thing of this safari were the guide (Gabriel) and the driver (Francis). They exceeded all our expectations under every aspect: nice and polite, skilled and commited
GH
Email mi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari tour in safri
As for total safari tour, it is very nice. Tour schedule is good and the driver is very good.I appriciate his hospitality.He acted according to the circumstances and our expectation. As for hotel,lodge and tent, they are great! It was beyond our expectation. But I want to say only one thing to the tour company. The accomodation was changed from Web booking.We saw the accomodation on the Web site and we booked.If you change the accomodation, in this case you changed lodge to the luxually tent, please let me know before we leave our country.We have to prepare against cold.It turned out to be a nice day.We could see so many stars at the luxually tent. But I ask you tell your customers any changes in advance.Finally Thank you for good arrangement.
NL
Email Kristi T | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent customer service and focused on my personal wish list!
I traveled with Orongai Africa Safari for 2 weeks in June/July 2018. They helped arrange everything on my wish list which included tours and diving in Zanzibar followed by safari on mainland, Tanzania. Martha is fast and thorough in her responses and always worked for my interests versus a set agenda/plan. Her warm personality sets the tone for the company and makes you feel like you are a friend and not just a customer. The logistics of the trip were all organized and at an excellent pace. The vehicles were reliable and perfect for the terrain and a special shout out to drivers Azizi (Zanzibar) and Noel (Mainland) who were friendly, professional and highly knowledgable! I learned so much about local culture and the animals. Accommodations were excellent throughout the entire trip. I could rave on about the trip and everything I was able to do and see! It was a trip of a lifetime and I thank Orongai Africa Safari for arranging all of it. It was everything I wanted and even more. They even surprised me with cake, champagne and beautiful flowers on my birthday! It is the thoughtful approach and personal touches that set Orongai Africa Safari above the rest! I highly recommend you contact Martha and her team at Orongai if you want to experience Africa your way! :)
OM
Email Gillian | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
No booking, harassed for 2 days, and ended up paying 3,500 US$ for camps we belive not as good!
We booked our family safari in April for 9-16 July a 6 night safari and it was confirmed by Martha and a deposit sent. We chose Atua Enkop Africa Luxury Camps which Martha confirmed.
Two days before we left we thought we would check that the bookings in the camps were all OK as I read an article that said there were some operators in Tanzania that were not reliable. We contacted Atua Enkop Africa Luxury Camps owner of our 3 camps and were advised there was no booking. We immediately contacted Martha at Orongai and then started a catastrophe where she blamed Atua Enkop Africa Luxury Camps and that the booking was there. Martha said she would sort it so we flew to Kenya.
On arrival we went to the hotel we booked initially on our own and met Martha and found indeed we had no camp bookings and it ended after two stressful days of Orongai telling us nonsense and upping the price all the time and time running out and no option that we had to stay in totally different camps and had to pay Orongai another 3,500 dollars. At this late stage booking on our own was not possible and we were there so we had no choice.
On our return home I contacted Atua Enkop Africa Luxury Camps and they reconfirmed no booking was ever made and they had never heard of Orongai Africa Safari. At the best Orongai Africa Safari are incompetent and at worst and what we believe they are absolute crooks and a disgrace to the Kenya Tourism industry.
Reply from Orongai Africa Safari
Posted on Sep 2, 2018Dear David, as always we do appreciate our clients feedback after Safari. Please explain to our readers how we tried to fleece money out of you. We are really ashamed after all the negotiations we did with the hotel in order for them to extend good rates to you. We also went ahead and upgraded your transportation from Minivan to Land Cruiser at no additional charges. We had done bookings with the hotel please do not mislead our readers again. As earlier explained to you on email, You call the hotels from home and their extended to you rack rates and that what you wanted us to pay . No company accepts those terms. As per the additional charges this is due to the upgraded accommodation and this was the charges ,you wanted to be in extra luxury camps and as always comes with a coast
And if you have looked very well no profit was insured by orongai for your trip it was all expenses for your trip
Kindly correct your review since you know very well this was a mutual agreement since you broke the agreement by booking online and causing price increase and yet you were not even able to pay
We apologise for any inconveniences caused on our part
Regards
Joshua
AT
Email Andreas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Orongai Africa Safari gave us an awesome experience
I booked our 5 day Safari via Internet with Orongai Africa Safari. From the first time I was corresponding with Martha I had a good feeling that I can trust the company. Everything with the payment worked. On the airport we were warmly welcomed. Then we had a meeting were she told us what will happen the next days. Our guide Frank was very very nice and friendly. We could ask him everything and he had to nearly all questions an answer. Frank has a very good knowledge from Serengeti. So we were lucky to see a lot of animals without other cars around. And we saw the big five!
From Orongai Africa Safari everything was organized very well and we have nothing to complain about! We can recommend this company to everyone who is interested in a Safari in Tansania.
Email Cesar G | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari with Orongai!
Everything was perfect, Martha answered very quickly to all our questions before the Safari. Once there everyone very helpful and nice. Our guide Frank was one of the best points, he knows a lot about animals and bush in general, so it was great. When we come back we will repeat the experience with Orongai.
AR
Email Emily | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
Everything was wonderful. We had a really delightful time, highly recommended.
FI
Email Esteban Soto | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 amazing safari days camping in the bush
I really can't recommend Orongai Africa Safari enough. We booked a private safari for me and my wife leaving from Arusha and finishing at Lake Natron. We wanted to see Tarangire, Ngorongoro and stay 2 nights in the Serengeti NP. Not only Orongai with Martha (our main contact), their driver/guide Charles and chef Dvd met our expectations but totally surpassed them. We had an amazing experience, Charles was extremely professional, amazing driving skills and his knowledge of wildlife and the whole area was incredible. Dvd's food was also super delicious and you will hardly get something better than that if you want to taste real Tanzanian food. We had a tight budget so camping was our only option, the tents, sleeping bags and mattresses were very comfortable and we slept always well. Martha was always helpful and helped us arrange our safari with the requests we had for a very competitive price. We not only saw the big 5 but hundreds of animals including about 100 lions (not kidding!), we saw hunting and stampedes, crocodile and cheetas, a trip of a lifetime. Charles had great communication with all the surrounding guides and we were on the right spot all the time. We made great friends in Tanzania and as I said before, I can't recommend Orongai enough. Definitely book with them.
NL
Email Hans Marck | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour operator and great service during our trip.
Thanks to our excelent tour operator the safari was living up to our expectations. Even more than that because of the great tour guide Noel who guided us to the most beautifull places and scenes. Could tell us a lot about the wildlife. Our overnight stays in the different lodges where very well chosen. Great accomodations with great hospitality.
