Team Hyrax Safaris
Hyrax Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2018)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $250 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
_3310_5f23f25aeb49b.gif "Hyrax Safaris")
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
CH
Email Simona | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good relationship with price and service
It went really well as both the guide and cook were nice. However, the only complaint is that for our stay in Nakuru we ended up staying at another hotel which was not planned. The hotel where we stayed was old, dirty and not what we expected. I would recommend that the safari tour informs people before about this change because it came as a surprise . I think paying 100 usd per person for one night in this hotel was too expensive.
Email Jason | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outsourced to another operator that provided poor service; bad client service after paying money.
The review is a bit lengthy but please read in full. I booked a 3-day shared tour in Masai Mara from 10-12Aug with 7 other travellers. Tour is operated by Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris (I wasn't informed of this whatsoever until boarding the van).
Pre-tour: agreed on 2-person tent on SMS with Roselyne who had a friendly tone.
Day 1: Was picked up at 8:30am as scheduled and arrived at office at 9am to get into an uncleaned safari van. Other travellers were told to arrive at the office at 8am, meaning they had to wait for 1 hour pointlessly due to tour operator's poor arrangement.
Arrived at Miti Mingi Eco Camp, waited for 10 minutes, no reception at all and of course no room plans. Had the evening drive and returned to the camp at 630pm. Had a 30-minute wait for dinner, during which the tour guide did not give information on room and meal arrangements until we searched for him around the Camp. After dinner, waited for 1 hour to ask for information ourselves by searching for Camp manager / tour guide / etc. At 9pm, Camp manager said the camp is overbooked and asked me and another male traveller to stay in a 4-person tent (with 2 other people), and said "will talk about other things the next days". The other 6 travellers (1 man 5 women) were driven for >15min to another lower-quality campsite.
Day 2: Tour guide gave minimal explanation of animals (total talking time <15min). Definitely not the best guide as Roselyne described, despite his ability to follow other vans to spot the big 5. Visit to Keekorok Lodge was great.
At the Camp, we found the Camp manager for refund arrangements given the inconvenience and no 2-person tent as agreed due to overbooking. He argued he delivered his services because we spent a night at his tent. He refused to provide refunds because he claimed only the tour operator (Bencia), not the travellers, are their customers. His attitude was poor despite we the customers kept calm.
That night, my roommate and I stayed in the same 4-person tent (with no other people). Note that 4-person tents has worse facility and sanity levels compared to 2-person tents that other travellers stayed in.
Day 3: Had an early morning drive. We weren't informed by the driver of when and where the van will stop for lunch during the drive back to Nairobi.
Went to Bencia's office to complain the above issues and asked for some refunds. Bencia said they need to discuss internally for 2 days and will inform me of the decision. No follow-up since then.
Messaged Roselyne to complain politely. She said "There is no refund! You never slept outside. You ate and used water in the camp." "We don't refund clients after they have done a safari and feel like they need their money back. This is fraud!". No reply on messages sent over various days afterwards.
Fraud or not, my fellow travellers, it's your decision.
ttdr: didn't understand the overwhelmingly good reviews of Hyrax Safari and Roselyne.
US
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Look Elsewhere
My husband and I just completed a 6 day safari through Kenya from Nairobi to Mombasa with drives through Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli and a sanctuary bordering Tsavo West. We advise you stay away. When we booked the tour, our itinerary listed two game drives through Tsavo West, Tsavo was a bucket list park for both of us, so we were really excited to explore this historical place. Unfortunately on the days of Tsavo, our guide gave us the plan and we were only going to be doing game drives through a resort sanctuary, not through the national park. We felt the company completely misled us about the itinerary and what we thought paid for. Once we expressed our frustration, they told us we were now too far from the actual national park entrance to have any game drives there. This was all after being deceived a couple of days prior about the entrance fee and cost of visiting Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island. Hyrax tried to charge my husband and I $150 USD for this short, optional excursion. We told Hyrax they were overcharging and the entrance to the island wasn’t that much - we checked Crescent Island’s official website which openly lists the price, but we were told by Hyrax that they were being honest with the prices. Once we got to the lake, we took matters into our own hands with what the boat ride and entrance fee actually costs and of course - Hyrax was grossly overcharging us along with the boat company. When we brought this to their attention, they feigned ignorance to the prices or knowledge about the island’s website and listed prices. On our way out of Voi to Mombasa, we discovered they overcharged again for the train ride. They told us they charged us $5 per ticket but the tickets only costs 290KSh (About $2). We were ultimately quite disappointed and frustrated but tried our best to enjoy the animals anyways. Tourists anticipate being overcharged but not disrespected so thoroughly with an apparent professional safari. Look elsewhere.
Reply from Hyrax Safaris
Posted on Jul 31, 2023Dear Alex,
Thank you for booking your safari with us.
1. Normally we don’t offer train booking services. We only assist clients upon request and include a service charge which is communicated prior to booking the tickets. We no longer offer this service for free. There is absolutely no way you would be overcharged for a train ticket since the prices are clearly indicated on the ticket and online.
We encourage our clients to book their own flights, train tickets and visas.
Remember that you were refunded $10 for the train booking.
2. Lake Naivasha boat ride and Crescent Island tour are optional activities. Charges vary from company to company. We are not in control of the market prices. We only recommend trustworthy companies. Sometimes, our recommendations may be more expensive than others, but this does not mean you have to book through us. Since a boat ride is a risky activity, we only recommend service providers that are keen on safety. We do not coerce clients to purchase any service; It is voluntary. If you find a cheaper deal elsewhere, we encourage you to take it.
We are glad you have stated that you paid for yourselves to avoid being 'ripped off'.
3. As per our conversation, you chose going to Salt Lick instead of Tsavo West. Had you changed the itinerary last minute, you would have missed your train to Mombasa. Our guide advised you based on the timings and itinerary provided by the office.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
We are committed to ensuring our clients get value for money.
We promise to continue offering practical, sound and professional advice for the safety, wellbeing and satisfaction of all our clients.
Best regards,
Roselyne
US
Email Max | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hyrax Safari functions as a middle man in Tanzania
Hyrax is not a real tour operator for Tanzania.
Roselyne, who runs Hyrax, was recommended to me by a safari guide my friend used. I booked a 4 day safari and a Kilimanjaro trek with her.
She quoted me $1000 for a safari. I paid her a deposit of $300 and, upon arrival to Arusha, I paid another $700 in person to a tour operator of a different name (strange right?).
During my safari of the past 4 days, I learned that everyone else on the trip paid $650 to a different company (instead of the $1000 I paid to Hyrax). I pointed this out to Hyrax and explained that I wished to be paid the $350 I was up charged. Roselyne said that we should no longer conduct business if I feel I was cheated and cancelled my Kilimanjaro trek that was supposed to start tomorrow.
The Kilimanjaro trek was quoted at $1700 ($200 as a deposit and $1500 once I arrived here in Tanzania). She kept my $200 Kilimanjaro deposit and would have kept the $1500 I had en route (had I not deactivated my visa).
Moral of the story:
-Hyrax is not a real tour operator in Tanzania (they are in Nairobi I believe). They place you on trips with existing operators out of Arusha and then charge you hundreds of dollars more than local companies you could have just booked directly with.
-If you notify Hyrax of the upcharge and complain about them secretly acting as a middle man, then you could get the rest of your trip cancelled and your security deposit stolen like I did.
-Tanzania is a wonderful place to visit and my safari over the past 4 days was incredible; just book with a real company in the area for a cheaper rate.
Disclaimer: Roselyne did un-cancel my trip hours after doing so (and likely after realizing I cancelled that $1500 bank transfer she could have stolen). By that time I had already found another company to go with.
Reply from Hyrax Safaris
Posted on Aug 17, 2022Hi Max,
Thank you for your feedback.
It is important to note that prices vary from company to company.
We are glad that you mentioned you had a wonderful safari. Asking for a refund after doing a safari successfully as outlined in the itinerary is contrary to our terms and conditions; it is also malicious.
With regards to the Kilimanjaro trek, you canceled the tour 24 hours prior to the day of the departure hence attracting 100% cancellation fees. This is stipulated in our terms and conditions which align with universal cancellation policies in the hospitality industry.
We would wish to state that we are a reputable company that has no intentions of stealing from clients.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Regards,
Roselyne.
AE
Email Rohit | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Pathetic..Waste of Money and Time
Unorganised and unprofeasional. Dont use the service else you will end up wasting your time and money. We experienced of disappointment
1. Driver didnt paid for the lunch om the way to Masai mara from Nairobi.
2. Driver didnt paid for the park entrt fees and was caught by ranger and we wasted our first day of safari
3. We were transferred to a different tent with no attached shower at midnight and also they were fighting with us when we said we will not go to a different tent. It was not safe to be at there at that time
4. I ordered cake for my wife but they forgot to make it and are yet to refund me the money
5. We are vegetarian an we confirmed that since beginning and yet we were given Nin-veg food.
6. Our Vehicle did not had radio , so following the rest was out of question.
Overall it was a terrible experience wherein nobody was there to take our call and listen our problem. The agency did not bother to take our call.
There was another girl from Mexico who joined us on third day and she experienced the same.