On Safari in the Mara
The Safari Partners
- Located In:
-
Canada
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- IATA, ACTA & TOPAC
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Joy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
No follow up
A few mistakes in our flight itinerary, one of the hotels dropped the ball regarding transfers, had to be stressed out and contacted Chris he got back to us and said he would look into it. He said he would get back to us but never heard from him again. Chris never followed up after the trip either as we expected he might do to get our feedback or explain what happened. One of the hotels we stayed at was under construction. Things happen on holidays that are out of peoples control I get it but we feel with how things happened there would have been some follow up. We are well travelled and have done many private tours with follow up afterwards.
Reply from The Safari Partners
Posted on Oct 26, 2023Hello Joy, thank you for your review. We are very sorry we did not full meet your expectations for your safari. We pride ourselves on the itineraries we design to run smoothly and to keep you focused on enjoying your trip, not the logistics. We want you to come back with fond memories, not feeling like things could have gone better.
In this case, our local operator in Victoria Falls dropped the ball on getting transfer times correct and communicated to you. Please accept our sincerest apologies as this should not happen. We have since worked to address this with the appropriate teams so that it does not happen in the future. When I became aware of this situation, I immediately responded to clarify and rectify the situation and was in contact with you continuously on this matter. I am always there for my clients (as you will see from other reviews) as I know they trust us to make their logistics effortless and holiday memorable.
It is not always apparent, but I am continuously checking on clients with the hotels, guides and teams on the ground in the background to ensure that things run well. This is even more important when a client has experienced a hiccup along the way. I had been constant contact with our partners for you, and received reports that you were enjoying your time throughout following on from your stay in Vic Falls. I actually emailed with your husband while you were in Botswana with a followup on the transfers in Vic Falls and to check on your stay so far. I wanted you to know that I had spoken to everyone and reconfirmed all arrangements were in place and correct from there onward. Your husband responded positively that you were enjoying your experience so far and thanked me for following up.
As you transitioned to the Cape region, I checked in with your guide Thomas on your time in Cape Town and Winelands and how things were going. He remarked on how fun you were as clients, and that you were really enjoying your experience there.
South Africa is experiencing a boom in tourism and post-pandemic there has been a fair amount of building taking place. There was some construction happening on the backside of One Marine Drive in Hermanus and I have confirmed that this only took place between 9 AM - 4 PM when you would have been on day tours. Your room was on the other side of the property facing the sea and should have not impacted your stay. Hermanus in particular is extremely busy in September and given you would be out during these times on tours, we did not want to rebook you in a property of a much lesser standard. Our sincerest apologies for any disruption to your enjoyment this caused.
Despite all this I do hope you enjoyed your trip as a whole. Thank you again for all your feedback and I hope that we can take you to Africa again one day. We would like to show you that this was the exception and not the rule. We take great pride in our attention to detail and planning.
Warm Regards,
Chris.