Tanzania Safari Specialists
Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 1976)
- Member Of:
- TATO & TTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Tina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Worst Management, broken cars!!!
We booked the 4 Day Lodge Safari (Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater).
Our dream became a nightmare!
The Management is the worst I have ever had. On our first day we arrived at the office and the Manager Kassim already yelled at me because I didn’t pay cash and asked to pay by credit card. Then the tour started with an old car (dirty seats, no air condition, broken seatbelts and only 2 windows which could be opened). On our first day the driver had to fix the car twice. On our only day in the Serengeti the car broke down completely. The driver tried to manage everything. We’ve been standing around 4 hours in the middle of the Serengeti. Then the driver arranged a ride to the visitor center for us. There we’ve been waiting another 5 hours. The whole time we didn’t hear anything from Kassim. After calling him and asking what is going to happen because it’s been already 5pm and it normally took us around 2h to get to our accommodation. He apologized for the delay. I told him that this is not a delay! Because of the bad road conditions it took us 4h instead of 2h. So we had to drive 2h in the dark. This was not responsible. Animals had been on the road and we jumped and hurt ourselves because it was not possible to see the humps ahead. So the trip turned into a nightmare.
But it’s not the fault of the driver. They do their best and they have all the work. It’s simple the responsibility of the management to organize a good and safe! trip. But as the others already said he doesn’t care about anything (Customer, car, driver) once he got his money.
If you wanna have a once in a lifetime experience don’t go with this company!!!
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023We genuinely apologize for the challenges you encountered during your safari, Tina. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we deeply regret any inconvenience caused. Since your incident, we have diligently worked to address and improve various aspects of our services. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Dirty tent. Vehicle breakdowns. Terrible ending.
I went on a 5-day safari with Bobby Tours. Price was comparable. It's run by Bobby's son Kassim who appeared nice at first but turned out to be an arrogant pr*ck. The tent isn't the canvas ones like the other outfitters. It's a big "Costco" one with holes and has that bad old tent smell. Their main campsite is run down and only one shower works and it's pretty bug infested (though I find that interesting). The vehicle broke down several times too. Anyway, we finished the 5 day safari early because Lake Manyara is an easy 2 hours on the way back. I asked Kassim if we could do a day trip to see Kilimanjaro in a car on the 5th day instead, paying for the extra fuel costs. Instead of politely declining or offering an arrangement at an extra price, he just YELLED (RAGED) at my girlfriend and I on the phone. I asked him if there was a bus to Moshi, only an hour away. He then told me he didn't know - ironic since he's a tour agent that advertises Kilimanjaro treks - and that getting there would cost $100 in a taxi of van one way. Fortunately, my Airbnb host saved the day and took us to Moshi for free, and I hopped on a bus back for $2. In short, Kassim ruined our trip of a lifetime. Once he gets your money, you're useless to him. Don't give business to this entitled brat and avoid Bobby Tours.
I went on a 5-day safari with Bobby Tours. Price was comparable to others. It's run by Bobby's son Kassim who appeared nice at first but turned out to be an arrogant pr*ck. The tent isn't the canvas ones like the other outfitters. It's a big "Costco" one with holes and has that bad old tent smell. Their main campsite is run down and only one shower works and it's pretty bug infested (though I find that interesting).
The vehicle broke down several times too. Anyway, we finished the 5 day safari early because Lake Manyara was an easy 2 hours on the way back (probably worth skipping if you're going to Serengeti). I asked Kassim if we could do a day trip to see Kilimanjaro in a car on the 5th day instead, paying for the extra fuel costs. Instead of politely declining or offering an arrangement at an extra price, he just YELLED (RAGED) at my girlfriend and I on the phone.
I then asked Kassim if there was a bus to Moshi, only an hour away. He then told me he didn't know - ironic since he's a tour agent that advertises Kilimanjaro treks - and that getting there would cost $100 in a taxi of van one way. Fortunately, my Airbnb host saved the day and took us to Moshi for free, and I hopped on a bus back for only $2.
In short, Kassim ruined our trip of a lifetime. Once he gets your money, you're useless to him. Don't give business to this entitled brat and avoid Bobby Tours.
FR
Email Sonia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you can avoid this company, do it - it will be better for your Tanzanian experience
We booked a safari for 3 nights and 4 days in October 2018. The tent they provided had holes all over and water came inside when it rained. Poor equipement for everything. Food was great though.
To sum up our experience (with the management, not the drivers), if everything is ok then alright, if a problem occurs then it's your loss.
We had a faboulous driver, he showed us many wonderful things, and always went the extra mile to show us what we wanted and caring for us when one of us was sick.
But the management of the company and mainly from the manager : Kassim Abdallah, was one of the worst management I ever seen. The company gave our driven a broken car, that stopped several times during our trip. Every time, our driver tried to fix it (and sometimes paying with his own money!). But what was supposed to happen, happened eventually. On our evening in the Serengeti, the car broke completely. We had to push the car to make it start again, which worked at first, but then it stopped again and for good. So we waited in the car for half a day, in the middle of the wildlife, while our driver was left alone by the company to find a solution for us. Our driver finally found a fellow driver that was able to bring us to our camp for the last night but we never saw our driver again.
We requested the same driver for our last day but they sent another one anyway. What was worse is that the manager, Kassim, did not event try to get in touch with us to keep us updated and to ask us if the arrangments made were ok for us. We were left waiting, not knowing what would happen since our cook did not have any news, and did not speak english enough to explain even if he knew. On our last day, we asked the new driver to take us to the office to speak with the manager but when the new driver called him, we overheard him ordering not to bring us to the office and "offer" our ride back to the airport.
Client service = 0. If I could go back, I would have paid more instead of saving money and be treated as badly as Bobby Tours treated us.
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023We sincerely apologize for the difficulties you faced during your safari with us, Sonia. Your feedback is important, and we deeply regret any inconvenience caused. We are addressing the issues raised to enhance our services and customer communication. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Email N/A | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They are cheap for a reason
We book a budget 4 day safari with Bobby Tours, mainly based on the price. At the time I couldn't find much about them in the way of reviews on the internet but what I could find was ok. Anyway we turn up at the office ready for departure only to be told that we hadn't transferred enough money when we did our bank transfer. I had taken a copy of the paperwork showing we had transferred the exact amount they quoted but they wouldn't budge, so in the end we ended up pay about 100 dollars extra. Not a good start.
The car was old, had no working seatbelts, no windscreen wipers (not ideal when speeding down a motorway in torrential rain to the airport) broke down twice, the poor driver had to fix it both times. The tents were old, musty, but adequate I suppose.
The first night we stayed at a 'Bobby Tours' camp site. we were driven well away from the main strip where everyone else seemed to be staying to this deserted field, we were the only ones staying at this site, ran by a family sat there playing with machetes and looking like they wanted to kill us, not a relaxing night at all. Thankfully the next night was at a campsite where many others were staying too so we felt a lot more comfortable.
The driver was fine, as was the chef. Management and equipment not fine.
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023We genuinely apologize for the challenges you experienced during your safari with us. Your feedback is invaluable, and we have taken proactive measures to address all the issues, significantly enhancing our services. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Email Stelios | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Appalling service
4 Day budget camping safari. Ok I must say our desire to visit Ngorongoro has been fulfilled, We have seen the big 5. But not thanks to Bobby tours, Its a magical place and getting there is all you need.
We are hardcore backpackers and not fuzzy at all. We have traveled around Africa quite extensively using some really bad and uncomfortable buses.
Our safari trip was actually kind of treat as we were not relying on Public transport.
The car came to pick us up from our lodge in Arusha, First impression is that the car was quite old which again it was ok with us as It was a treat compare to what we had before. But so we thought!
First game drive and everything was fine, lots of Elephants at Lake Manyara NP.
We were told that we will visit a Masai Village inside Ngorongoro Area and will cost us 20USD when we booked the tour. Our driver claiming that we were short on time suggested we should visit a Masai Village near lake Manyara NP which was also near our first camp site. We agreed to do that but we were asked to pay 50USD instead which seemed that it was including a commission to whoever was taking us there and we were not impressed by the village at all as it seemed like a tourist trap. By that time we gave all of our cash we had on us as who needs cash in the bush anyway.
The camping site was in a nice forest area. However the tent we were given had a broken zip and lots of holes. It could not close properly but again as naive were we did not mind much. The camping site was fenced and other than few harmless monkeys they were no big animals around.
The second day we proceeded to Serengeti National park. A long dirt track driving! Here I realise how bad idea was to ride an old worn car. Dust was unbearable. There was no escape from it as it was simply coming inside the car because the roof could not seal properly. I discovered that the plastic that seals the roof was worn and almost totally gone. There was simply no way to keep the dust out. We had to endure hours of driving with hazardous dust which basically went everywhere on our clothes, cameras, phones you name it.
When we arrived at our Serengeti Camp we found out from other people on similar tours with us from other companies that they simply closed the windows and had no dust at all.
The night was really scary. Our faulty tent could easily let a Hyena to get inside our tent as the Camp was not fenced and wild animals where actually freely roaming around our tent.
After we finished with Serengeti and on our final night after a filthy dusty day again the tent was useless against cold weather as our last camp was high up on the Crater Rim of Ngorongoro.
ThereThereThe last day just before were dropped back to our lodge we had to drop our Chef first who was making our meals through the tour. We were asked to give some tips and we kindly gave him around 3-4USD as much as we had on us as were in the bush for few days. Our driver went furious saying that the guy was crying because he went home with out making any money as he was relying on tips and we should give him a minimum of 10USD which was what you must give to the Chef. The same story followed when were dropped back tour our lodge, the same story for the stupid tourists and that we must give 20USD of tips to the driver. We had paid our tour in full well in Advance and a Price tag on tips made us to feel really stupid.
We found out later from some other local guides there that they are actually getting a decent salary for African Standards and they should never asked us that question.
After we came back home I send an email explaining the situation to their office but they never got back to us
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023We deeply apologize for the challenges you faced during your safari with us, Stelios. Your feedback is crucial, and we take it seriously. We are actively addressing the issues you've raised to enhance our services. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Slow service on the trip
We booked a 2 night/3 day walking tour to Mount Meru. The communication before the trip was very good. The two porters/chefs/guides we met originally seemed good fun and very helpful. We were told we would have 4 porters for our trip. When we arrived at the National Park, we were told to sit and eat our lunch, then told, we needed to hurry as the ranger ( who we had never met) was leaving. We then realised we were in a group with 20 other people(I had originally inquired whether we could join another group and have a discount and was told no). The 2 men we had arrived with, did not walk with us on that first day. We had nobody from Bobby tours with us. When we arrived at the camp, the other people were given tea, but our representatives were not there. They arrived an hour after us and we had tea approx 2 hours after everyone else. The next day started the same way, we walked with a group of 20 people with no representatives from Bobby Tours. That afternoon we climbed Mount Meru with one representative from Bobby tours and a local porter. Mount Meru is an amazing climb. The next day we walked down off the mountain with our Bobby tour representative. They then asked us for tips for 5 people ( we had already had to tip the ranger) I explained that we had not seen these 5 people. We agreed to give tips for 4 people when we got to our hotel. The Bobby tour representatives' attitude towards their tips was simply not good enough. They were pushy and questioning constantly and when we gave them their tips, they became quite unfriendly, greedy and close to abusive. Afterwards we rang Kassim in the office to explain our problems with his workers, he said the greediness is to be expected and is fairly normal and he apologised for their behaviour.
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023Thank you Ruth for sharing your safari experience. We're thrilled you enjoyed the trip and valued our team's efforts. We apologize for any glitches and appreciate your feedback. We look forward to welcoming you for another unforgettable adventure.
QA
Email Glen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
If something goes wrong, you lose.
Our family just completed a 5 day camping safari. Tanzania is awesome, but not to be confused with the tour company. Driver was clean, polite and helpful but lacked good wildlife knowledge. Didn'y always stop when we wanted to take pictures or observe. Also, 3 days before our departure the company contacted us (after we had negotiated the price and paid a deposit) and said the government had raised the tax by 18% and we had to pay 18% extra. We tried to get a refund or a sufficient email respose, but no joy, so rather than lose the deposit we went with the increase. For our budget it was a hit. Next time I would chose a more ethical company.
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023Thank you Glen for sharing your feedback, and we appreciate your acknowledgment of our driver's demeanor. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the unexpected increase in taxes and will use this experience to improve our communication and transparency. We value your insights and hope to have the opportunity to provide a more seamless experience in the future.
TR
Email Deniz | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I wish I had the chance to go back and change my choice of tour company.
Very poor guide, very old car. We did not feel welcome at all. Unsatisfaction from the beginning to the end. Tanzania is a heavenly country and deserves to be explored with a better company in professional hands.
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023We sincerely apologize for your unsatisfactory experience with us, Denis . Your feedback is crucial, and we deeply regret any disappointment. We appreciate your insights and will use them to enhance our services. If given the chance, we'd love the opportunity to make amends and provide a more positive safari experience.
IN
Email arif | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
nice experience .. but not without glitches
we went 3 nights 4 days trip .. tarangire serengetti and ngorongoro..
first the company was very quick to respond to the queries .. owner was very polite
the glitch .. we had booked luxury tented camps but by mistake they booked lodges and the owner said in confirmation email he had mentioned lodges .. when they changed luxury tents into lodges in their email i never knew and hence had no option but to go forward with them ( though it turned into a blessing as lodges were very nice and with 2 small kids tented camps would be too wild an experience)
we had booked lake manyara also but as i tweaked itinery as per my convenience they dropped lake manyara entrance fees and when i reached my lodge near lake manyara and we had enough time to go inside the park driver said the fees hasnt been paid so we cant go inside so we just saw lake manyara from our lodge which had a great view
all the lodges were great .. service was superb .. food great .. rooms clean and spacious with a bath tub.. and with great views over lake manyara and ngorongoro crater .. the lodge in serengetti (lobo) was very far inside the park but it was a great game drive deep into serengetti while reaching the lodge
the chefs and managers were very welcoming and polite .. food was awesome
driver abu salim was fantastic in spotting animals .. we spotted around 40 lions ( a pride of 15 lions together) in serengetti and ngorongoro .. we saw a cheetah hunt .. leopards on trees .. all big 5 were spotted ( though rhino was seen from a distance in ngorongoro).. only issue with driver was he looked to cut short the game drive hours and reach lodges early though he was unbeatable on spotting animals..
the vehicle provided was 1st class .. a long vehicle 8 seater land cruiser was provided for us 2 adults 2 kids and as kids had their space the journey was very comfortable
over all the experience was great .. the safari was one of the most undorgettable experience of my life ..
i am taking 2 stars away from bobby tours for 2 reasons .. 1 for booking lodges without informing me and 2 for not paying entry fees of lake manyara otherwise their service was alright.
so you can book with them but reconfirm what you are getting before doing any payments
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023Thank you Arif for sharing your safari experience with us. We're delighted you enjoyed the trip and appreciated our team's efforts. We apologize for the glitches and appreciate your feedback, which helps us improve. We hope to welcome you again for another unforgettable adventure.
US
Email Claudia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable and Accomodating
My itinerary: Mt Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam!
Bobby Tours made my experience a wonderful one and I will definitely use them again. They were very understanding and accomodating from booking till the end of my trip! Ali made booking very seamless, Eric the driver was very nice and was kind enough to go the extra mile by helping me with little errands and recommending places I could see and visit. Khalid & the team (Francis, Kevin etc) my Kilimanjaro guides were very helpful. I felt safe and well taken care off as they asked me about dietary preferences and made sure I had all i needed for the climb. Even though I never made it to the top due to Mountain Sickness, I had such a wonderful time and will use them again.
The only issue I had was after booking it would have been nice to know what the baggage policies were for the domestic flight/ferry and give the client the option to pay for extra luggage especially considering most people flying in internationally are used to carry 2 free pieces of luggages. It was an expense that was not scheduled for and I would have rather charged that to my card or taken out cash in anticipation.
All in all I was well taken care of and had no complaints as the value for money and the service of what I got was perfect!
Reply from Bobby Tours Tanzania Safaris
Posted on Nov 27, 2023Thank you Claudia for choosing Bobby Tours for your Mt Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and Dar es Salaam adventure! We appreciate your kind words and are thrilled to hear your experience was wonderful. We value your feedback on baggage policies and will strive to enhance our communication in the future. We look forward to welcoming you again for another memorable journey.