Nomad Africa Adventure Tours
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 1997)
- Member Of:
- NTB, TASA & SATSA
- Destinations:
- Website:
- www.nomadtours.co.za
Reviews
ES
Email Enrique | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An In-Depth and Constructive Critique
We recently embarked on a 42-day trip through Africa in July and August 2024, booked via African Overland Tours and operated on the ground by Nomad. The total cost for two people was approximately EUR 14,000 (USD 450 per day), which we believed would guarantee a professional and enriching experience. Regrettably, it turned out to be our most disappointing travel venture to date. As two seasoned travelers who have lived in multiple countries and are generally quite flexible, our expectations were reasonable but were met with numerous shortcomings. We share our experience below so that future travelers are adequately informed, and in the hope that these companies will address these issues.
1. Excessive Idle Time and Limited Activities
• Only 3% of the trip dedicated to actual activities: During the first ten days (240 total hours), merely 8 hours were devoted to any form of organized activity (e.g., a 4-hour safari, two 1-hour village walks, a 2-hour coffee plantation visit, and 30 minutes at the Baobab Valley).
• The remaining 97% of our time was spent either in the truck (8–15 hours daily) or at budget lodges with nothing planned or suggested.
2. Uncomfortable and Inadequate Transportation
• Long, exhausting drives: While the first hour of scenery can be interesting, enduring 8–15 hours in a cramped truck becomes unbearable.
• Poorly maintained truck features: The microphone did not function, the seats were extremely tight for anyone taller than 175 cm (5’9”), and the filtered-water mechanism was outdated (offering no reliable source of mineral water).
• Meals in transit: Be prepared to have breakfast and lunch inside the moving truck. Given the rough roads riddled with bumps, it is almost inevitable that you will spill coffee, juice, or food on yourself.
• Unsuitable for a wide age range: In our particular group, travelers ranged from about 15 to 75 years old. The long hours and uncomfortable seating were especially challenging for older individuals and for younger travelers unaccustomed to such conditions.
3. Lack of Proper Guidance
• No professional guide provided: Despite the substantial tour cost, we only had a driver and a cook. While both individuals worked hard, they lacked the expertise or training to properly inform, organize, or address customer concerns.
• Minimal information about destinations: We received only the most basic daily details (“Tomorrow we drive to X, then stay at Y”) with no in-depth coverage of cultural, historical, logistical, or natural aspects. There was an absolute lack of information about the surrounding environment, local geology, fauna, or ecosystems—knowledge that would have greatly enriched our experience.
• Poor problem-solving: Complaints or suggestions were largely dismissed. Even when our concerns were constructive and proposed potential solutions, we were told that “complaints will disturb the peace of the crew, the clients, and the company.” There was little to no communication from Nomad’s management during the trip.
4. Substandard Accommodations and Extra Costs
• Budget lodges: Approximately 90% of the lodges were in the USD 30–60 range, often lacking hot water (and sometimes water entirely). Only about 3 out of 35 accommodations could be considered “good.”
• Additional fees: While visiting major attractions (e.g., National Parks or optional tours in Zanzibar), we were frequently charged extra (e.g., USD 350 for a game drive in Tanzania, and numerous other add-ons). Basic drinks, including water at lodges, were also billed separately.
• No meaningful stops en route: Travel breaks were typically confined to fuel stations or malls—no scenic or culturally significant stops were made without special request, and even then, requests were often ignored.
5. Overreliance on Guests’ Labor
• Expediting meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were rushed to about 30 minutes, leaving no opportunity for a relaxed, enjoyable break.
• Unpaid assistance: Guests were expected to handle tasks such as arranging tables, chairs, helping with cooking, and cleaning dishes, presumably to cut staffing costs.
6. Poor Communication and Organizational Gaps
• No document checks: There was no verification that all travelers had correct documentation, nor was there assistance or advice concerning border crossings.
• No room assignments: Upon arrival at accommodations, rooms were distributed randomly without prior arrangement. Travelers had to negotiate among themselves for room type.
• Erratic time management: Stop durations were inconsistent—if the driver/cook said “30 minutes,” it could easily turn into 40, 50, or 70 minutes, leaving everyone waiting without clear instructions or schedules.
7. Dismissive Customer Support
• Slow or no response: Both Nomad and African Overland Tours were unresponsive when issues were raised during the trip. Post-booking, African Overland Tours took over a week to reply to emails and generally offered no meaningful solutions.
• Lack of empathy and poor phone assistance: The telephone representative we spoke with interrupted us constantly, showed no empathy, and placed blame on us instead of assuming any responsibility. Their main suggestion was that if we were unhappy, we could leave the trip at any point. Ultimately, we did leave three days before the tour ended—and unsurprisingly, no refund was offered for the unused hotel nights.
• No compensation or accountability: Even in cases where promised accommodations were unavailable (forcing guests to camp instead of using rooms they paid for), there was neither an apology nor a financial adjustment.
8. African Overland Tours: Marketing Over Substance
• High-pressure sales tactics: The African Overland Tours team appears to be primarily focused on marketing and selling the product as quickly as possible. Clients are encouraged to make fast decisions under the pretense that spaces may run out otherwise.
• High commissions: They add a significant markup over the price charged by the actual operating company—Nomad in our case—yet contribute no additional value or support once the sale is finalized. Essentially, they operate as a middleman who could just as easily be selling a car as organizing a trip.
9. Final Observations
• National Parks and city visits: Africa’s wildlife and cultural experiences are undeniably astonishing. However, these highlights owe nothing to the tour operators, who merely facilitated transport to these locations.
• No guided urban explorations: For major cities like Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, we had to organize our own tours. Most participants, unaware of what these cities had to offer, stayed at the lodge and missed out on wonderful experiences.
10. Conclusion
Given the high cost, one would expect at least a professional guide, better accommodations, and a more efficient itinerary. Instead, we encountered disorganization, lack of communication, and a general sense that the primary goal was to reduce expenses rather than deliver a memorable journey.
Recommendation: We strongly advise looking into other agencies. In our view, it would be difficult to find a more poorly organized operation than what we experienced with African Overland Tours and Nomad. For the sake of future travelers, we hope this review prompts these companies to improve their standards and offer the quality of service that travelers deserve when exploring such a magnificent continent.
US
Email JSloa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Negligent - failed to disclose massive road time.
Ngorongoro Crater & Zanzibar - South Nov 2024
I do not recommend this route nor tour company. No one would sanely want to go on this tour route if they knew how much driving time there is in a truck/ jeep. nomad did not properly disclose the amount of road time on this trip.
why this route is even sold is a mystery. it is just awful. have been roughing it in dozens of 3rd world zones and this was by for the only one I regret. waste of you money, your vacation time, and flight. root of the problem, is that this amount of driving is not disclosed properly on the agenda.
EVERY single day is between 8 and 13 hours of driving (outside of Zanzibar). and we had little traffic and no problems with the dirty vehicle. I will say again EVERY SINGLE DAY is driving (outside of Zanzibar) and very very rough driving.
no tour stops on the journey (outside of game parks and Zanzibar). the only stops are truck stops and on the game drive one a.m. potty stop, one p.m. and one 1/2 hour lunch. all else in a sweltering in a jeep/van. you are with a driver and a cook. no tour guide. we learning only one single factoid from the pair of very nice men, the entire trip.
disappointed is putting it lightly. and we tried to get flights out to get off tour in the middle. not really possible. ashamed of nomad.
please really study and ask questions before booking. map it out.
First seven days' Travel Times Stuffed in a truck/jeep ferry
9 hours: DAY ONE Nairobi - Arusha 7:00am to 4:00 pm
11.5 hours: DAY TWO Arusha - Karatu - Sergetti 6:30am to 6:00pm
11.5 hours: DAY THREE Serengeti 6:30am to 6:00pm
10.5 hours: DAY FOUR Serengeti/crater to Karatu 6:30 to 5:00pm
8 hours: DAY FIVE Karatu to Arusha 7:00am to 3:00pm
13+ hours DAY SIX Arusha to bagamoyo
9 hours DAY SEVEN Bagamoyo to Dar es Salaam to Zaznibar (driving plus ferry)
Email Sarah | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing trip that makes you want more of Beautiful Africa
I took a tour from Cape Town to Victoria Falls AMAAAAZZZZZZIIIING. The driver JoJo and cook Nash were fantastic. Knowledgable and friendly. I’m now planning my next trip to Africa as I have fallen in love with this stunning continent. I thought I’d look at reviews for different tour operators and realised that I hadn’t left one..... better late than never.
An overland truck is a great social, safe way to travel and meet people.. we had travellers from Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, South Korea, Austria and of course Great Britain.... 5*****
CH
Email Lorant Suciaghi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ultimate African adventure
I did a camping tour with them from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, was an amazing experience.
I did some travelling already in my life, but Keith our driver from Zimbabwe was far the best guide I have met in my life. His knowledge was impressive about everything from geology, culture, wildlife.
GR
Email Stavroula | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Nomad company has destroyed for me a lifetimes dream of traveling to S. African countries .
I'm an older woman and I had a dream to travel to S. Africa ,Namimbia, Botswana etc , so I flew from Athens to Istanbul and from there 11 hours direct flight to Cape Town . I chose nomad tours to make my dream come true.
After ALL was set and DONE we started our journey with one of their trucks . 2 hours later and while on the road, Nomad called the coach of the tour to say that I had to go back because Namimbia required a visa and there was nothing they could do about it. Can anyone imagine the disappointment??? We were way out of Cape Town and I had to take a taxi to go back. I'm a very experienced traveler and had asked all kinds if questions while we were on the process of booking the tour. On the issue of visas, they had informed me that there was NO need.
Being in business they should have known. Then, I had to struggle to get my money back. They didn't even want to
pay for the taxis fare, plus a very rude attitude. They didn't even offer a solution on their behalf, something to "sweeten" the situation.So,for me there was no choice left. I didn't have another opportunity to take another tour because that would have mean for me to search and stay for another 10 days or so at Cape Town and I couldn't afford to do that as already I had spent so much money waiting for their tour.I had to leave the country very dissapointed. To do all this again , it's not easy at all, " thanks " to NOMAD TOURS.
IE
Email Pierce Fox | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A truly memorable experience in africa with nomad...The people who know africa.
Quite simply I have to congratulate NOMAD for delivering an experience that is unforgettable for me and also the people I travelled with. So much so that we plan as one big family to do Vic Falls together in 2018. Our driver and tour guide Justice , was absolutely BRILLIANT,and we will be requesting that he is our driver again in 2018. NOMAD, You delivered on every promise and More.