US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall I enjoyed my safari, however, I probably wouldn't book this particular tour again.
This safari package is more budget-friendly than other options, so please keep that in mind as you read about my experience. The lodge was supposed to have WiFi, but the WiFi was broken or there were WiFi issues during my the entire stay. So no WiFi for 5 days, despite it being promised which was a huge disappointment and very inconvenient. The food at the lodge was mediocre at best, with several menu options being unavailable for the entirety of my 5-day stay which was another bummer. I also had issues with hot water in my room, and I really didn't have a decent hot shower (with consistent hot water) for my entire stay, despite talking with the staff there and claiming to have addressed the problem; even when I did have hot water, the water temperature was extremely inconsistent, and the water would go from scalding, burning hot to freezing cold. Again, this safari package was reasonably priced for the excursions included, so I didn't go into my experience expecting luxury. However, the issues mentioned above did have a negative impact overall on my view of the lodge itself. The safari itself was extremely memorable and mostly wonderful, full of memories I'll cherish for a lifetime!
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
budget price tour
they were good in communications, service was good but the accommodation was different then as stated which was below par
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
No customer relationship
As usual, I was extremely busy prior to my travel so did not have the time to check what the requirements were for entering Botswana. The tour operator should have had the foresight to inform me of the requirements. We are fully vaccinated but did not realize that we had to print or produce our vaccination certificate at the airport. We had to pay R2000 to get our PCR tests done prior to travel. This added expense could have been avoided had the tour operator taken the time to inform us of this.
CA
Mixed experience with Soul of Tanzania, likely would not use them again.
We booked a lengthy safari through Soul of Tanzania that included gorilla trekking in Rwanda and a 12 day safari through Kenya, Tanzania and back through Kenya. This review will focus on the role of Soul of Tanzania - i.e. planning, communication and execution of the actual logistics of the safari. Accommodations will be reviewed separately (with 1 exception) on their own merits. Every segment had a different operator, which in and of itself was an issue, but ultimately I worked with, and paid, SoT, so feel there is a role of overall accountability with them.
The Good:
Communication, responsiveness and professionalism with Luis throughout the planning process was excellent. Looking back, I think this is the "hook" that people look for. Our assumption was that the execution on the ground would have that same level of professionalism and this was simply not the case, for reasons mentioned below.
All our guides were there upon our arrival point - pick up at the Kigali airport, Nairobi hotel, border transfers between Kenya/Tanzania/Kenya, which was a welcome relief.
The guides were mostly good, with one horrible exception. Our itinerary meant we had 4 different guides. 3 were generally good but 1 in Kenya was very poor. As mentioned on SoT website (and it's true) that guides make the experience. So to have a very poor guide is not acceptable to me. All were good drivers and we always felt safe when in the vehicles. Mugabe in Rwanda was very personable and Shafino in Tanzania was excellent.
When I shared my concern/frustration with guide/vehicle in Kenya, Luis did offer a Land Cruiser and different guide for the second Kenya portion.
The Not So Good:
One of the first transfers arranged through SoT was from our hotel in Nairobi to the airport to fly to Kigali. They no-showed. It meant us hastily having to connect to wifi to WhatsApp SoT on a Saturday morning. The woman who answered sounded half asleep and rather annoyed and I had to coordinate with her and the hotel to have the hotel drive us and be paid by SoT. I was not happy. When I emailed Luis his eventual response was "sounds like it worked out". Yes but it was ME doing the legwork, otherwise I would have been waiting forever, as the driver had not communicated that he was not there.
The hotel for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park - Mountain Gorilla View Lodge - was awful and should not be offered. We had no hot water for 3 days, it was dated and run down. Not the responsibility of SoT, but just should not be an option. In Rwanda the day of the gorilla trek there was no lunch provided on the trek. It was absolutely required, we were hiking in difficult for conditions for most of the day. All 6 others in our group had been provided a packed lunch. Thankfully I sourced some of my own snacks. The Ibyiwacu Cultural Village was listed as optional on our itinerary and we expressed our desire to go. The guide said we'd have to be pay $20/each entry. I questioned this given it was listed in our itinerary. It should have been included. Again Luis was responsive and suggested an alternative, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place.
The guide and vehicle in Kenya for the Lake Nakuru/Masai Mara portion were not good. When he picked us up at the hotel in Nairobi to start the safari there was no welcome, no overview, no introduction - just get in the vehicle and go. Within 3 minutes of leaving, the guide asked for $20, which was an apparent shortfall in the amount paid but had been resolved prior to even leaving with Luis. Very poor first impression. We were surprised that the vehicle was a minivan. I guess this was in the fine print somewhere when we were booking, but it is a very poor vehicle for a safari. I could not see out the side window without slouching down. Imagine being on safari and not being able to look out the window properly... This guide was actually just a driver. He provided almost no information on flora or fauna and did not spot one single animal on his own. We just followed the masses of vehicles or would go to a location based on the radio chatter. At picnic lunch, we mostly set up and packed up ourselves. He was eating before we were and at one point was burping in front of us. It was entirely vulgar. At the end of the first Kenya portion on they way to the Tanzania border, he started asking for the $20 again! I was so frustrated by this point, it resulted in raised voices. For the amount we paid AND that the issue was resolved and documented via email, this was entirely tone deaf. When I provided my feedback to Luis on the guide his response was that the guide would be immediately suspended, but guess who we saw on the first night at second time in Kenya. Just saying what they think the customer wants to hear.
The food. The SoT website really markets their food as a differentiator. It was not. At all. Of the 12 days, we had "hot" lunches twice. And they were cold by the time they were eaten. Trust me, there was absolutely no food envy by any other safari goers. And not ONCE was a table and chairs set up. It was either on a blanket on the ground or at park site concrete picnic tables. Most days were cold lunch boxes like every other person had. In fact when we enquired about hot lunches at some of the accommodations (including the Four Seasons), they said they will not provide them due to food safety issues.
There was too little information provided on the details. With a trip of this magnitude, I would have expected more details than a 1 page summary of the itinerary. There should have been much more information provided prior to departure on what to expect, how to prepare, etc. We had to source all of this entirely on our own. As previously mentioned, when we started the safari in Nairobi, there was ZERO information provided, just get in and go. I had to ask if he was going to be our guide or is he a driver, etc. The accommodations provide varying inclusions in terms of beverages with meals. Some offer full open bar, some offer beer and wine, some you even have to pay for water. There should have been a short summary provided on each place and what to expect, inclusions/exclusions, etc. We learned we had to ask about this at each check in. Other travelers had professional looking folders full of information provided by their tour operators, luggage tags, etc. We were not provided with one single item.
Soul of Tanzania appears to be a marketing name only. The providers (even in Tanzania) were not SoT. They seem to just be an organizer who then contracts to guides, vehicles, etc. In Tanzania alone, the guide and vehicle was actually branded Exclusive Africa Safaris and another vehicle was branded Gosheni Safaris. This seems to result in an overall lack of cohesion and accountability.
Drive times were understated by up to 50%. This became a running joke, and not in a good way. 4 hour drives as stated in the itinerary would become 6 or 7 hour ordeals. There needs to be transparency and honesty in drive times based on the (very poor at times) road conditions.
For us the animals and some the accommodations we chose made the trip. Would I do a safari again? Absolutely! Would I choose Soul of Tanzania again? The answer is, unfortunately no.
IL
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
NIce people but really poor equipment
We took a 3 day Central Kalahari Game Reserve trip with Shipungo. The three people that came with us, Kem the guide, Kem the chef and slo, were very nice and helpful. The food was excellent, and the tent/camping was fine.
However, the vehicle was old and bad un condition. The roof rattled horribly the whole time. It was not suited to pull the trailer, so we got stuck in the sand, and then the trailer kept falling off. On the way back the main tank ran out of petrol and the driver could not switch to the second one, so we waited 2 hours for them to bring petrol.
Since the team was really nice, if you are considering them, ask about the vehicle. They may/should have replaced it.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Traditional Grassroots Safari Experience
If you’re looking to rough it out on a Safari, Shipungo Safari and Tours is the company for you. Tough to beat from a cost benefit perspective, but there are still opportunities to improve the overall service. They provided a great support team for photo Safari, with experienced guide. The vehicle is fine, although demonstrating some age. The food prepared met expectations. The purpose of the trip was wildlife photography, the mission was accomplished. Strongly recommend that they install radio in the vehicle to communicate within the local guide network, this would go a long way to finding animals, but above for safety concerns, in the event of an emergency situation in an isolated or remote location
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good service
The service provided was very satisfying via emails - I always had good answers and replies and on time
But I was disappointed at the hotel as I was reassured the room was comfortable with a queen bed : I got a family bedroom with poor sanitary conditions as it was very dirty hotel and the pool was disgusting
The agency service was good
Thanks
LU
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unstructured, unorganized and not carefully listing to the clients demand.
Overall it has been a nice trip and our guide and driver made a good job so that we improved the rating from 2 to 3 stars. The reasons why we don't rate this 4 to 5 stars are the following:
- We booked the safari in a different order and after we completed the trip, I have to recommend everyone to start with Amboseli first, second Lake Naivasha (or even better Lake Nakuru) and finish with Masai Mara as the Masai Mara is mind blowing and the other 2 are "only" good. So finally it felt from starting at the top, in the middle it was kind of useless and the end it was a bit better than expected but again, nothing to compare with Masai Mara.
- Our main goal of the trip was to see the GNUs crossing at the Mara River, but we have there only been for 15 minutes because it was raining. So this was really bad organised.
- We had to pay another fee which taken from the Bank of the operator even though I could evidence that I have paid the full amount Inch the local fees of my Bank.
So overall, I can't recommend Mwema.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
there were three days of safari in the program, we got one :(
Unfortunately, there is a lack of safari. Out of the promised three days - this was the program - we had one. The first day, instead of the morning, we left Nairobi in the afternoon and arrived at camp in the dark in the late evening, the group we were joined with was late. The second was a great safari in Amboseli Park, very fun. The third is a crazy rush to the Tanzanian border from 6⁰⁰ Am, with virtually no stops and a return to the capital, I felt treated like a shipment, We were arranging something else. I hope not all groups have this discomfort. Still, I recommend it. Patrick driver, a very nice guy.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Average
Fair services
but bad with time keeping both drivers and tour guide