GR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice safari, tricky prices, not so good accomodation.
The safari itself was good, living up to our expectations. The drivers were excellent. I have nothing to complain about the communication either, which was always immediate. However:
The lodges and hotels were kinda bad. Alright, we expect nothing of luxury when going for a safari in the savannah, but to think there was no water in the showers or toilets most of the time... also, the tents' build was rather poor and the buffet was nothing special. It's not like I cannot stand it as a young and adventurous man, but since the price was quite high, I doubt the overall accomodation provided was worthy at all.
Furthermore, there remains on me the bitter taste of having to pay some 100 euros higher than the price formerly agreed upon, without any official documents about it, under the excuse of "the currency value changes". Also, keep in mind the general phenomenon that, in Kenya, everybody demand a tip for the services they provide, from the tour guides and drivers to even the people approaching you on the road, offering to help you with directions.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Change in itinerary, no communication maintained, overall a bad time
Communicated that pick up will be 07:45 am but the driver appeared at 6:30 and was insisting to join immediately as some other people are waiting. On the way after asking the driver I came to know the itinerary is completely changed and Jimmy didn't inform anything. Picked up from my hotel dropped at another hotel. Picked up by another driver and dropped to a camp in Manyara where I had no itinerary to go. After waiting for 2 hours picked up by the actual safari vehicle at 11 am and drove to Serengeti while the original itinerary was Tarangire for the first day and next day early morning start for Serengeti. The whole day gone driving to Serengeti and reached at 7 pm. No game drive on the first day and lost the whole day in travelling.
They didn't inform that the tents to be pitched by ourselves. Had to do that in the rain at night!
After Serengeti & Ngorongoro, no information received who will pick up and which camp as this group had the last day on Safari.
Finally was dropped to a camp near Manyara. The camp was fantastic, the first time in 3 days was feeling well in Tanzania.
Last day the driver was supposed to pick up at 7:30 am and the driver arrived at 9:30. As I had the flight scheduled at 19:40 from Kilimanjaro airport, one driver was supposed to pick up at the park gate so that others in the group can continue with the safari. No driver arrived. The safari had to end early for others also and drove on the way to Arusha. On the way petrol ran out and the driver was complaining that the safari company didn't pay full amount to fill petrol. Somehow he arranged petrol on a highway garage.
After a drive I meet the driver who is supposed to drop me to Arusha. The driver was driving the car as if its a bullock cart and he was so scared of driving in traffic.
I insisted that I am dropped in the taxi stand for taking a taxi negotiated with good rate for Kilimanjaro airport. I was informed one driver is waiting at Arusha to drop me to the airport and I was in an impression that the drop off could be complementary for making my life so bad for last 4 days! :) The driver dropped me and asked the full amount 40 USD. I could have easily take a taxi from the taxi stand with less fare if I was dropped there and in time!
Overall what is experienced is they are very bad at communication and tour management and do not care about client satisfaction. Although most of the people are good at heart and very simple. They need to improve communication & management.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A budget tour and you get what you pay for
Definitely a budget option, and you get what you pay for. Accomodations were a little run down, but functional. Food was good East African fare. I had two drivers/guides during my trip. The first was not very social and his van was very rickety. We almost broke down and got stuck multiple times. He got us to the animals, but also tried to talk us out of a morning game drive. The second driver was much more personable and I really enjoyed riding with him.
Overall, I would consider booking with them again, but will probably pay a little more and go for a smoother experience.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
negligent, slovenly and non-professional
It was the fourth time that we had booked with Impala, but there will be no fifth time. Pick-up was arranged at the airport, but unfortunately there was none when we arrived in the lobby of the airport. I had to call Impala to find out what's going on. I was told by phone that the taxi driver was on the way. As an excuse for the delay, Derselbige argued that South African Airways (SAA) had released unclear strike information. A look at the SAA homepage would have been enough to find out that our flight was not on strike because it was operated by a SAA partner company. As a rental car we, a couple, were given an old VW bus with over 300,000 kilometers driven, eight seats and minor technical defects (rear side doors only opened with trick 17); completely unsuitable for two people, who even in the national parks clunked nervously even at low speed, i.e. it was not a pleasure to go on the stalk with this vehicle myself. Contrary to a full tank, it was only a quarter full, so that our first course (drive) led to the next gas station after receiving the rental car. I honestly have to add, but if I only return the car with a full tank. Two of the lodges rented through Impala informed us on arrival that our reservation had been canceled due to a lack of payment. The result was my hectic phone calls with Impala, whose assurance that payment would still be made during our stay, which was the case. Unfortunately, Impala made no apology or a word of regret in either case. Conclusion: Business dealings were careless, sloppy and unprofessional. This is not how you deal with regular customers.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Too many problems -- but the best guide
We booked our safari with Giltedge through Mangata Travel based on a recommendation from a friend. Things started off well and we built a terrific itinerary. Shortly after we made our deposit (which pretty much locked us in), Mangata became less responsive. As we poured over the itinerary in detail, we found several holes and contradictions. Some of our questions were answered but some were ignored. We started communicating directly with Giltedge in order to get answers.
When we landed in Africa and met with the local Giltedge representative, he was working with an outdated itinerary. The next morning, we met our guide/driver and discovered that his itinerary did not fully match ours. For example, at our first stop - Lake Manyara National Park - we had purchased four game drives, but he was only given passes for two. Not a good start.
From our first contact with Mangata, our #1 priority for our trip was to experience the great migration of wildebeest and other animals. Having never been to Africa, we relied on the experience claimed by Mangata and their partner, Giltedge Africa. Mangata placed us at a lodge in central Serengeti. When we met our guide/driver at the beginning of the trip at Kilimanjaro airport and reviewed the itinerary, he told us that regardless of how much or little rain there was, the migration is NEVER in central Serengeti in August. He offered to take us to the Masai Mara, but that would entail an 11-hour round trip on terrible roads just to fight the crowds to spend a brief time to see just a small part of the migration. I didn't think it was worth it. But thanks to our great guide, we had a wonderful week in Tanzania where we saw everything there is to see, except for the migration -- for which I will always resent Mangata and Giltedge.
After our safari, our plan was to go from the Serengeti to Uganda for gorilla trekking. It seemed the most direct way was to fly from Seronera to Entebbe. But Mangata told us that such flights don't exist. So Mangata routed us from Seronera to Kilimanjaro, then to Nairobi, and then to Entebbe - all in one day. About 2 weeks before our trip I noticed we were not yet given our tickets for the first leg to Kilimanjaro. (Note: this is something I believe the travel agent should have caught.) I asked for the tickets. When they finally came, it showed an additional stop in Arusha. This didn't seem to bother our travel agent. But four flights in one day seems excessive to us. One slip-up and we could miss a connection. Since we had expensive gorilla trekking permits for a specific day, we could not afford any problems. After we complained, miraculously we were booked on a flight from Seronera to Entebbe. Mangata and Giltedge said they were"calling in a favor" to get this flight. But once in Africa we learned that this is a regularly scheduled daily flight! This entire run-around was totally avoidable and caused a lot of unnecessary angst for us.
Apparently, Mangata does not have the experience claimed and adequate attention to detail needed to arrange a trip like this. We will not be booking through them again.
The biggest positive by far, though -- and for which we are thankful to Giltedge -- was our guide/driver, Meshack Godson from Arusha. He must be the best guide in all of Tanzania! His knowledge and instincts were top notch. And I learned quite a bit of Swahili from him. What we realized is that no matter how much you plan your safari, your guide is truly the key to it all. And we lucked out big time with Meshack!!!
CA
Poor response from trip coordinator
The safari team and onsite crew were perfect and extremely friendly. All 3 Tanzania safari experiences were 5 star in service, sites, food etc.
In Zanzibar I had an issue with room. The staff were unresponsive. But to make matters worse the trip coordinator did not respond to three of my emails. I would recommend Asilia but probably use a different coordinator in case of emergencies or issues during trip. Feel free to contact me with detail.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not again in this way !
1.Vehicle:
"The vehicle was more suitable for a short-term off-road tour. Definitely not for a longer tour! Seats as in a 3rd class rail wagon – plastic cover (very suitable for sweating at outdoor temperatures at 40 °C and without air conditioning (defective from the beginning/–no armrests/-no adjustable backrests! With up to 10 hours in the vehicle you can already get problems with the intervertebral discs. We have seen the same design equipped in a different way! Furthermore, the vehicle was very under-motorized, which was very noticeable on mountainous routes! Temporarily defective freezer box! Cleanliness left a lot to be desired. I personally took the brooms in my hand! Discs were not cleaned throughout. "So there can be no question of comfortable travel here.
2.Supply
"We are proud to offer our travelers high quality, tasty and healthy meals three times a day." –Statement from Sunway Safaris in the travel text!
One of the most disappointing experiences of the trip was the supply. Unfortunately, only finished products packaged in the supermarket were purchased on a low-cost basis. (e.g. canned vegetables and canned fruit) Lots of pork products! I tried to shop with myself. It worked out sometimes. If there were fresh bread rolls instead of pre-packaged toast bread, the baker bought them and then what was not eaten was also given away. But then in the same breath bought in the supermarket cardboard packaged toast bread. Fresh fish was supposedly bought from the boat in front of our nose for us, but we haven't seen it! Repackaged marinated fish from the supermarket was served! Fresh fruit from the village farmer was basically not bought! Why always? Better supermarket products again! We did so ourselves in part. We then tried to buy some decent beef steaks/kudu or impala in private shops of the reserves. Then we realized what we wanted. It didn't help much. It is important to think more healthily and, above all, to buy higher-quality products as described above all. We have experienced and seen directly that it is possible and there is everything. It may not have been due to the costs either, since the prices were quite reasonable. Maybe everything has to go fast. "Furthermore, the great loss of time due to constant shopping in the supermarkets was not comprehensible to us! 1-1.5 hours, sometimes almost daily. If I know that long distances have to be driven, then I get my things in time and leave accordingly earlier! Conclusion: The care was like a camping holiday corresponding to a youth trip. But it shouldn't be like that. They were all adult people!
The country has so much good and, above all, tasty things to offer. We could not understand and accept this approach on the part of Sunways.
3.Itin' itinerary - Sunway Safari hasn't been able to get the organization of the Soweto tour for us! Started in Johannesburg, where the start was to take place at 6:30 a.m. We were especially rather there to accept the desired briefing in time. After more than 1, 5 hours later, the departure took place. We should feel the loss of time. • Very long journey to the 1st accommodation Zululand. Unfortunately we couldn't do anything there anymore, because we arrived very late! (The loss of time from the morning) Actually very bad, because this accommodation and surroundings was very nice. Why we had to drive around the next day again in order to get to a supermarket remains a mystery. About 1.5 hours stay at a gas station to shop in the supermarket. Again a loss of time and unusable time of our holiday. This went on almost every day! Very late breakfast and late departure to the next station. • Arriving in the direction of Kosi Bay, there was no way to do anything, as the darkness had already arrived. What a pity! E.g. kayaking was not possible. Also in the direction of Swaziland we left very late in Kosi Bay and arrived late in the accommodation despite fast border clearance. Again, no time to do anything else. Beautiful accommodation, but no use! Very nice environment. Highly recommended for follow-up tours. Again a very late departure (8:30 a.m.) the next day. •
In Maputo again late arrival! There was not much time left to see something of the city. Quick sightseeing tour with the tour bus! Then to the Hotel Cardoso which should be kept in any case! Very good level and above all a very good breakfast. We organized a taxi and drove to a restaurant on the beach! Highly recommended! We also had no concerns about any problems with locals or criminals! Even during the night tour in the area, we did not have a negative experience. (certainly it always depends on the area) We felt everything very safe and got to know very friendly people. "Take back, relax and enjoy the warm sea water and the wide white beaches. Boat tour in the Dhau, a traditional wooden sailboat of Arabic design, fishing, snorkeling, surfing or diving between paradisiacal coral reefs are also possible (own cost)". This is such a real advertising slogan! There can be no talk of relaxation and enjoyment! Boat tour with Dhau? Not a chance! Good accommodation- Yes. But nothing more. Going far too far - benefit - effort-ratio was just not right. • Again the whole route back towards Bilene. Attention! Bilene with lagoons description was not approached -First in the tour bus we were told that we would stay somewhere else! Sand dune landscape very nice! Accommodation good! Restaurant very good! But there was nothing to do with swimming! Not a calm lagoon, but very high waves in the sea! Again nothing as it was actually described! That's it with the beach tour-without swimming! Because this stretch of coast is something for surfers and anglers! You could have used the mini pool for a short time! But take on these hardships? So the disappointment took its course. In addition, my wife
because of your injury had been looking forward to the lagoon to go into the water. Joy there!
Then continue towards the South Africa border to Kruger NP. Unfortunately, without looking to the right or left, it was really snapped to reach the next destination (border) as quickly as possible. There was something to photograph on the left and right (LandscapeNative bush hut dwellers and so on. But both (driver and guide) lacked the sensitivity that could be interesting or you just didn't want to stop in some places. (Safety concerns ?– we can't imagine) " In the Kruger itself we arrived again very late in the Letaba camp (by the way the worst and smallest accommodation). It was again just a quick quick – process until the night safari! Making food (I helped yourself otherwise it would have become very tight) in the dark! Showers and go! Rest and relaxation - out of place! The next morning on to the nearest accommodation Makuwa Lodge. Driving and driving! Surely we have also seen animals! Luckily! • Arrival also late! No more activities possible! Makuwa Lodge is highly recommended and also has a decent level and very friendly operators. Last day – without the planned activities - just didn't happen-Just go back to Johannesburg!
4. Driver and Guide
Driver -JoJo: - very good attentive, safe and friendly driver-very helpful
Guide – Ferell:-- a lot of knowledge is available - not always easy to understand - should work on its exterior - partly very dirty clothing - should deal with time management. When shopping, take a more thoughtful approach and shop more health-consciously! Especially not at the time of the travelers, who then only sit around at parking spaces and petrol stations! Maybe camping is closer to him. He had already made this known in person.
Overall conclusion:
The journey wasn't the hit. For the fact that you are sitting almost only in an uncomfortable vehicle and actually have very little of the destinations reached, we would not want to do this tour again in this form. The price-performance ratio just wasn't right. Neither from the course of the tour nor from the supply. In hindsight and the current findings, a self-driving tour (even with a driver) would have been possible without hesitation. (Have hit some on the way) You would also have coped very well in terms of price! The road conditions definitely gave that away. For us, it was like a Paris-Dakar rally. Reach intermediate destinations as quickly as possible and then continue. Just to say I was there once? That was not our idea and it was not really intended and, above all, not described.
In addition, my daily help, with breakfast, packing and tidying up, didn't really help anything. The Routine has been retained! Very annoying!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ronald from Kajie was great but not a good experience with our guide
Ronald at Kajie Safaris was so wonderful in preparing a great itinerary for myself and my mid twenties daughter. He was quick to respond to questions (and there were many) and he was really flexible even when we had to make a late change to our dates and perhaps if he had been our guide our safari would have been better. Our guide (more a driver than a guide) was Wycliffe and he was awful. He was rude, unhelpful and didn't tell us information we needed for different game parks. We would arrive and then he would tell us we needed certain things which we had back at the camp, he deliberately didn't tell us things until it was too late. We had to ask him for information about what we were doing the next day he would just tell us to be ready at a certain time without any reason such as we need to get a 7am ferry! He seemed to have a set against us from the beginning he didn't even step forward at the airport or hold the sign up (that he had in his hand ),we had to ask if any of the drivers there was Wycliffe. We had to write to Ronald and tell him half way through it was that bad and after a phone call to Wycliffe his behaviour did improve but that shows how deliberate his actions were. When we were on game drives with the roof off, he would leave the motor running (which is not normal as you want to get rid of the vibration when taking photos) and then roll forward and hit the brakes so you would fall forward. He took off when he was ready, never asking if we were ready again something I have never experienced with our previously expert guides, they would always ask right to go? I have been on 4 safaris and about 10 game drives so I think I can compare and we have never had anything but wonderful treatment from our guides. I don't blame Ronald or Kajie Safaris so don't punish them just make sure your guide is not Wycliffe before you book.
SA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not good transportation (4x4 land cruiser) very old and not safe for children
The tour operator advertised the service as VIP. We had a unpleasant experience with the transportation service. We had selected the VIP service because of the transport as we have young children. The car provided was 4x4 land cruiser but had mechanical issues. At many instances the driver had issue with the gearbox.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
21day tour 15 days very good last 7days not so much??
We started off so well in Kenya with SED Adventures contracting Gofan safaris for this portion of our tour. We were promptly met at the airport and transferred to Boma Inn Hotel. The grounds of the hotel are very nice and the adjoining hotel has a pool and several restaurants. Hotel staff advised not to leave the gated property without first removing all our jewlery. Our driver/guide Evans picked us up early for the 8 hr drive to Masai Mara. The roads are very rough- a dirt/muddy track for a good part of the way. We enjoyed our tented stay at Losokwan Camp and several game drives through their private reserve. We spent 2 days here and saw most of the big 5. Evans made sure we saw wildabeest crossing the Mara river- lost one to a crocodile, 2 cheetah chasing a zebra and a lion with a kill. Our next stop was Lake Nakuru to see the flamingos. While the itinerary says full day to view wildlife it takes half day to get there.
Lake Nakuru lodge was ok, not too memorable. Lake Naivasha had more flamingos. Hotel was Sweet Resort- not very nice. While I am sure we were safe the hotel offers temporary housing for those working the area. Our room was equipped with a kitchenette. Restaurant had very little to offer.
Next day was another 8 hour drive to Amboseli National Park- for 2 days of more game drives with Evans. Kibo Safari camp was very nice. Not sure why but we moved to the Amboseli Serena lodge for our second night.
Tsavo west national park- Here we finally saw the elusive leopard. That was the only highlight of this area.
Evans was with us for 7 days, just him, us and the amazing wildlife he spotted for us.
We now had Afran as our driver guide in Mombasa. Here is where things started to go downhill. We did not follow the program as described- there was no cruise on a dhow, no seafood tasting. Alfran dropped us off at the old Mombasa fort with a guide for a tour of the spice market area.
We had 2 nice stay at the Indian Ocean Beach club. Again not following the program nothing was arranged for us for another dhow sail, snorking and Swahili lunch. After a few phone calls by the hotel consierge to Walter, our contact at SED, a driver picked us up and we were taken to a pier and just told to get in line. We no tickets no idea which boat to take. After some hesitation we boarded a large boat and were take snorkling and to a restaurant for a Swahili smoked fish lunch.
Alfran got us to Tanzania border crossing where we were turned over to another driver guide. Calling Pepon Beach Resort a resort is a bit of a stretch. We were stranded here for 3 days!! Continuous rain made the roads impassable. The "resort" does have a pool and a beach. Dirt and in our case mud paths get you there and to the "dining room" . This was the only place for WIFI and you had to ask to have it turned on. Leaking roof made a large portion of the area unusable. We had no hot water for showers the entire 3 days, even after asking the staff. We were told it was available from 5pm to 8pm daily. Due to the rain and road conditions we never made it to Saadani National Park.
John was our next driver/ guide and he was a God send. Our stay in Bagamoyo was noneventful. We did not feel safe to leave the hotel premise. The Millennium Sea Breeze is very run down, food was minimal, liquor watered down, loud music till 3am. The reception staff spoke very little English. A late check out was a $25us charge. We were glad to see John the next morning.
After a fairly long drive we arrived in Dar es Salaam. Our hotel looked ok on the website- location was very undesirable. After a horrible previous 4 days experience with hotels and locations we refused to stay 2 nights at the Tanzanite Hotel. Walter refused to try to get a refund or book us else ware and basically we were on our own to find suitable lodging- thankfully John stayed with us and helped get us to the Four Points by Sheraton where we spent (at our own expense) 2 relaxing days and had great food and drinks. The front desk staff arranged a day outing for us.
Sooo.. 15 days very good last 7 days not so much. We were disappointed that Walter with SED was not able or willing to help us at the end of very long trip (at this point we had been on the African continent for 32 days). Be advised to check out hotels and resorts online, trip advisor, websites and etc. I did and still was disappointed and surprised at the condition of some place, others were a pleasant surprise.