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
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.