World Safari Land Tours
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Mathis | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Booked and paid for safari with private camping, received overcrowded public camping & no refund
We booked and paid for a Safari at Serengeti National Park with a guide & private camping (larger tents with a bed & private bathroom).
We ended up staying in an overcrowded public campground, with a toilet shared between 50+ people and no protection against wild animals at night, which were fighting in front of the tents. If that was what we booked, fair enough, but we paid for private accommodation, which we didn't receive.
The tour guide was great and very knowledgeable, however, the owner of the company, Calvin, is unfortunately very dishonest. He claimed the government was responsible for putting us on the wrong campground and that he could only refund us once the government had refunded him.
We doubt this is true as the tour guide was paying all accommodation in cash and had even picked up equipment for the public camp site. It is very clear the plan was to let us stay in the public camp site from the time we left Arusha.
Calvin has promised a partial refund but has to this date (10 months after the tour) not made any efforts to refund us .
Avoid this company unless you want to put up with unreliable and dishonest business practice.
Reply from World Safari Land Tours
Posted on Oct 21, 2018So much touched unfortunately to hear your feed back as stated ! Sorry ! but we at first point explained to your leader
who confirmed to us that you were students and you demanded a budget camping trip ! this was after we tried to make you all understand that your budget was a bit low to have any Mid-range safari with us .
But after the request which came from one of your leader stated that we should consider you as students ,we were not to ignore your request so we tried our best to make your Serengeti trip done on Budget camps which you really went on.
This came up as we never heard from both of you to know what was the interests from each other but unfortunately you were just represented by your leader and here is where the inconvenience came up from because we did as per her request to the group !
Honestly we went a head and promised this wont happen a gain and as a company we requested your apology !
We gave explanations how your budget was spent even after the leader asked to be given a discount of 20% with his partner for choosing our company (which we gave to her )so we never gained in any ways to be able to consider any refund but we gave free transfer to Airport and pick up you on your arrival was also free including picking you from your hotel and taking you back .All this was never counted on your whole trip Sir
Kindly consider the mistake being taken on note and non of the upcoming clients will encounter it with us again,Recommend us friends and they will share you a life time experience when they get back from safari with us.
We will also welcome you back any soon to prove the mistake corrected !
Thank you so much & take care
Email H. K | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonesty and deception , Avoid!!!
Unfortunately we regrettably made the mistake of organising a Safari with this company run by Calvin Onkendi for a group of 4. We gave him our budget & he agreed to offer a midrange Safari for which he sent us pictures of what to expect and confirmed it would be private camp, he also promised we will have a private bathroom not shared and with hot water. He gave a $20 discount for the students amongst us. We paid him in cash full payment a day before the Safari and at every stage we confirmed what we were to expect. (He still has not given us a receipt)Calvin reassured us multiple times and we have this all documented in writing.
Unfortunately to our surprise we were put in a public camp site with a dirty public toilet to share with more than 50 people! I brought this up with our safari guide (who was wonderful and I will review him separately) who advised I speak to Calvin as he doesnt know anything about private camping. I contacted Calvin via message and he apologised and said he paid for private camping but somehow ‘the government’ did not fulfil its promise. He promised to give us a partial refund as soon as he gets it back from the government as he paid for private camping but they gave public camping instead. (We have this in writing)
To this day he has not honoured this despite multiple correspondence which we can provide as evidence. Instead he has changed the story and lied multiple times. In fact he even went on to make derogatory comments about me as an African woman . He also used our pictures without permission to advertise and to my friend’s horror stole her pictures from Facebook and used them without permission.
Calvin will not hesitate to lie and change the story despite all the documented evidence we have. Despite clearly documented agreement he did not honour instead went forth with excuses, insults and more unscrupulous behaviour. He is currently insisting our ‘budget was low’ as his excuse as if he was not the one who provided the price for the service and we agreed to it and despite clear correspondence that shows he acknowledged his mistake and promised to make ammends I am appalled that anyone thinks this is a good way to run a business.
Definitely would not recommend Calvin, please spare yourself the trouble and find a more honest and trustworthy broker
Reply from World Safari Land Tours
Posted on Oct 29, 2018So much touched unfortunately to hear your feed back as stated ! Sorry !
You were our client ! We give equal services to all our clients despite where they are from, You being an African never meant we give you a poor service but we all make mistakes .
We at first point explained to your leader
who confirmed to us that you were students and you demanded a budget camping trip ! this was after we tried to make you all understand that your budget was a bit low to have any Mid-range safari with us other than Camping.
Accepting our mistakes is the key, Then working on how to not repeat the same mistakes is now the crucial part .
Learning from mistakes and using the lesson for the better is all that needed
But after the request which came from you stated that we should consider you as students ,we were not to ignore your request so we tried our best to make your Serengeti trip done on Budget camps which you really went on.
This came up as we never heard from both of you to know what was the interests from each other but unfortunately you were just represented by your leader and here is where the inconvenience came up from because we did as per her request to the group !
Honestly we went a head and promised this wont happen a gain and as a company we requested your apology !
We gave explanations how your budget was spent even after the leader asked to be given a discount of 20% with his partner for choosing our company (which we gave to her )so we never gained in any ways to be able to consider any refund but we gave free transfer to Airport and pick up you on your arrival was also free including picking you from your hotel and taking you back .All this was never counted on your whole trip dear madam/Sir
Kindly consider the mistake being taken on note and non of the upcoming clients will encounter it with us again,Recommend us friends and they will share you a life time experience when they get back from safari with us.
We will also welcome you back any soon to prove the mistake corrected !
Thank you so much & take care
DE
Email Dorothea | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Untrustworthy operator, you will not get what you were promised; STOLE my private Facebook pictures
Out of a 3-day Serengeti Safari, we disappointingly spent nearly 2 full days in transit due to delays caused by the operator and ended up in humid tents on a public campsite that was not fenced or protected against wild animals at night and offered 5 toilets for 50+ people. In contrast what we booked and were thus promised even in written format by Calvin Onkendi, the owner of World Safari Land Tours, was a protected campsite with fixed tents equipped with a bed as well as a private bathroom. It is fair to state that our budget was not extremely extensive, but it is unfair and unethical having been lied to and not having received a refund that was promised to us, clearly in retrospective to appease us in the very situation.
Additionally, I was extremely shocked to find out (by coincidence) that the named owner had stolen my private Facebook pictures, not only the ones from the Safari, but even pictures of myself at home or in different locations, and had published and used them without my permission, in one occasion even depicting me as his girlfriend // affair. This is something that has never happened to me, which is why I would like to warn against this tour operator - the business practices I have experienced are highly untrustworthy and the behavior of the owner is intolerable!!!
Reply from World Safari Land Tours
Posted on Nov 9, 2018As stated on your other two friends reviews, We tried to explain where the mistake came from !
Your Nigerian friend booked with us on budget camps ! We felt sorry for not consulting the whole group(due to lack of contacts ) to know what you all wanted despite that we followed what your group African trip leader requested from us and booked for you all.
Non of your personal picture was stolen! !,' Only the picture which we were all taken with hotel stuff was shared when you arrived in reception office which the director of the company was included .
So much touched unfortunately to hear your feed back as stated ! We are Sorry !
You were our client ! We give equal services to all our clients despite where they are from & who they are.
We at first point explained to your leader
who confirmed to us that you were students and you demanded a budget camping trip ! this was after we tried to make you her understand that your budget was a bit low to have any Mid-range safari with us other than public Camping.
Accepting our mistakes is the key, Then working on how to not repeat the same mistakes is now the crucial part .
Learning from mistakes and using the lesson for the better is all that needed.
But after the request which came from you,' stated that we should consider you as students ,we were not to ignore your request so we tried our best to make your Serengeti trip done on Budget camps which you really went on.
This came up as we never heard from both of you to know what was the interests from each other but unfortunately you were just represented by your leader and here is where the inconvenience came up from because we did as per her request to the group !
Honestly we went a head and promised this wont happen a gain and as a company we requested your apology !
We gave explanations how your budget was spent even after the leader asked to be given a discount of 20% with his partner for choosing our company (which we gave to her )so we never gained in any ways to be able to consider any refund but we gave free transfer to Airport and pick up you on your arrival was also free including picking you from your hotel and taking you back .All this was never counted on your whole trip dear madam/Sir
Kindly consider the mistake being taken on note and non of the upcoming clients will encounter it with us again,Recommend us friends and they will share you a life time experience when they get back from safari with us.
We will also welcome you back any soon to prove the mistake corrected !
Thank you so much & take care