BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They need to improve certain areas
I did a 7 day tour with Karumuna Safaris as solo traveller. The good points:
- The cost was much lower compared to other agencies... But be aware that you get what you pay for. They delivered, but the accommodation was quite basic most of the times, and the guide and driver quite young and unexperienced
- They managed to organize everything in a very short notice. Richard went the extra mile to make sure I did not miss a thing, even though a lot of the attractions were fully booked. I missed the chimps during the chimpanzee tracking, but it's not their fault
- Flexibility with payment methods
The bad points:
- Henry, the guide, was quite unexperienced and he lacks customer service skills. There was a constant lack of communication, he was late (90min late on one ocassion) and disaorganized quite often (not even aware of the plan for next day). I communicated with him to find a solution together and he simply did not care and became even more aloof. He even got quite arrogant, i.e. I asked him why we were stopping so often when actually we were late to reach our destination, and he said "all the stops are strictly necessary". Truth is, some of the stops were for them to buy food for their families... Should not be a problem if you communicate it in a different way.
- Driving issues: we were driving quite fast in many occasions, to the point that we run once into a bumper without braking off and I literally went flying towards the front. They were stopped by the police and got a fine (not sure why) and also the van had mechanical issues which forced us to stop to get it repaired
- Trying to save money on silly things: for example, refusing to use the A/C in the car when it was quite hot and opening windows instead (so you are breathing fumes be getting dust inside) saying that the airco consumes too much petrol, or stopping to get bananas as a snack and asking you to pay 1000 ugx out of total cost of 2000, when 7 out of the 10 bananas were eaten by the guide and the driver
I personally found the experience a bit unfortunate, because with little effort it could have been much better... But I got the impression that they did not care anymore at some point (I haven't heard again from anyone in the agency, even though I'm still around in Kampala). The trip was quite ok but those small things sometimes can make a big difference... You might think I may sound picky, but I have worked and travelled in many countries in Africa, so my standards are quite low compared to the classic Western tourist. To summarize, go for them if you are in a very low budget but if you can pay more, I recommend you look for other options
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bisar
We have a good holiday with KWSS, but at the last evening when we arrived at the hotel we have to pay our stay self (110 dollars), altough the stay was included in our trip. that was on august 3, and also our ride to the airport for 10 dollars.
So i think we have the luck to finish our trip with a minor problem when i look at all the other comments.
PS, Sorry for my poor english.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Overall nice experience but a little more bang for buck expected
The staff were friendly and accommodating, changing the itinerary as per requests without fuss. The only thing we were really unhappy about was the driver's level of experience. While very nice and professional, he was just that, a driver. He clearly did not have a lot of experience as a guide and could not properly answer a lot of our questions. In the end we found out he was a trainee. If that was the case, I wonder why he was sent to guide us on his own instead of in accompaniment of an experienced guide from whom he could learn. For the money spent on this trip, that is the least Wildebeest Safari could have done. We would consider going with them again, but would certainly ensure we have someone who is more knowledgeable.
US
Just OK.
Tanzania is gorgeous and the safari experience is truly “once in a lifetime”, plus the staff in the lodges especially porters, waiters, chefs etc are simply excellent. All of these factors make a Tanzania safari an amazing vacation.
As a tour operator there are 100s of options and most appear to be similar. I don’t think we got anything commendable from Asilia Africa (ground operator for Audley) but we don’t have anything to compare as this was a first time. We figure most operators have the standard packages and they just sell the same to every customer, so nothing exceptional or noteworthy about this company.
Two concerns -
1) the final day of our trip was a mess with no planned activities/meals or even the willingness to help us - while we were on our own to figure out our day until the 10pm flight. We purchased a package and expected they would pay attention to all the details or at least bother to help when we reached out to request some assistance (via the guide). Very frustrating to feel abandoned, hungry and stressed even if it’s just the “last day”.
2) perhaps our mistake in trusting them/the guide - but the guide took us to a store to buy tanzanite and we spent a considerable big amount. Shockingly he hung out right next to us as we shopped affording no privacy despite requesting that we will be out in an hour, and then he collected money as commission from the store as we left with our purchase! Are they (asilia,store, guide) all into a scam or did we make a genuine purchase. Left a very poor taste about trust and reliability for us at so many levels.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Worked out but stressful
I used Flash Mc Tours to do day trips in Nairobi and to provide driver service as we were flying in and out of Nairobi to Zambia and Tanzania. The first driver went to the wrong terminal. Fortunately, my son had a phone that could make international calls so the driver finally was contacted and provided the ride to hotel. The next day, a different driver picked us up on time and did a great job taking us to Amboseli NP. Our main contact Peter seemed disorganized and wanted us to provide flight information repeatedly. He also forgot to schedule a driver for one day until we reminded him.
The last day we had a city tour. Our driver was nearly an hour late with Peter and the driver pointing out that it was the other's fault. Our city tour driver told us that he specialized in city tours but really turned out to just be a very pleasant driver. He provided very little information.
If you are going to use Peter and Flash Mc Tours, I suggest that you constantly remind Peter about your needs. Perhaps our problems would have been less if we had a continual safari instead of needing services over 2 weeks as we flew in and out of Nairobi. However, I was upfront and contracted with Peter for the services before arriving in Nairobi.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
There's room for improvement (2.5 Stars would be more realistic)
June – July 2019 – 8 Days safari
PROS
- Unique experience
- Amazing people
- Beautiful sceneries/places
- Rich wildlife
- Awesome driver (Atif)
- Awesome cook (Rashidi). Always smiling and whiling to help us with loading the car and so on. Great guy!
- Ibrahim has offered competitive prices
CONS
- Poor communication with Ibrahim (the owner) especially after paying few thousands deposit, he wasn’t interested in answering my emails very fast.
- No one waiting for me at the airport at 5.00 AM on my arrival. After 10 minutes of waiting while thinking that I was scammed, Atif, the driver shoved up.
- Atif, (driver and guide) as I mentioned above, very good driver but not such a great guide. First of all, he was very quiet. Most of the time we had to spot the animals and ask him questions.
- I was promised by Ibrahim that his team goes the extra mile, but I didn’t feel that during my trip.
- I’ve politely asked Atif to stop as I can take some pictures and he rudely informed me that he is the driver and he knows where to stop, telling me to “calm down”. He supposed to tell me instead: Just wait 20 more seconds and we'll get to a nicer lookout.
- I’ve asked the driver if he has a map as I can better visualize our trip and he said “I don’t have a map. I don’t need a map.” I am 100% he doesn’t because he knows all those places in and out, but the tourists don’t.
- Ibrahim didn’t provide me with a clear itinerary and plan. I always had to ask the driver what’s next. Including my commute to Zanzibar, I expected to find an envelope with instructions about it, at my hotel front desk in Arusha. Surprise! Nothing was left for me there. More than that, he didn’t even get in touch with us at all during the trip to get feedback.
- We spent too much time at the park entrances. I got the logic behind it but spending 2.5 hours at the Serengeti park entrance I still think is a bit too much. I would rather spend that time in the wild spotting animals.
- Other small things that I am not going to mention anymore. I am sorry for the CONS, not trying to affect his business in a bad way but I am trying to help other people with my experience that I had with Afrishare. The main reason for choosing Afrishare was the good reviews, not the competitive price. It didn't work for me.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent driver and guide but the Agency changed 4 out 7 of our hotels, lots of extra driving time!
Our driver and guide was the best! He was very informative in all areas of Uganda’s history, wildlife, people, etc., and of Africa in general. He took into consideration all of our needs and wishes. His safari driving was excellent and he knowledge of the fauna and flora superb. Unfortunately, the Pinnicle agency changed 4 out of 7 hotel destinations and not all of them the same high standard we had paid for. They gave us NO explanation as to why. These changes caused us to spend AT LEAST 12 or MORE HOURS DRIVING ON PRIMARILY UNPAVED ROADS (NOT PLEASANT) AND MISSING OUT ON OUR FINAL NIGHT TIME GAME DRIVE! Needless to say we were disappointed
Uganda is a beautiful country, the people friendly, and the wildlife spectacular. A place to visit again! With the same driver but not organized by Pinnicle Africa Safaris
MM
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One thing I had never done in my life
It was pretty nice game reserve drive. I enjoyed most of the time. But the tant wasn’t what I expected. It was a bit cold at night, maybe cuz of the season. The ranger was very skillful one and he also explained everything he knew, make us to be comfortable. I liked everything overall.
Thanks for everything
FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Awesome tours but poor tour management !
I spent some awesome time when exploring Tanzania. I joined into 2 tours operated by Kili Slopes, Mt. Kilimanjaro tour and Serengeti NP tour.
Im giving only 3 stars because of poor tour management.
+ guides + other personnel were awesome
+ landscapes were memorable
+ tour programmes were cool
Kilimanjaro:
- As a tipping culture not being common in my country, i was totally surprised when i was asked to pay extra 350 USD after my tour as a tip for the guide and personnel. I wasn't given any information about this arrangement beforehand, which annoyed me a lot. Im not definitely denying the staff wouldn't deserve and need the tip usually given, but as me being the only tourist joining the tour and still asked to pay for the normal tipping sum made this situation absurd. Moreover, I imagined the staff being paid enough for a decent income, obviously not. As a compromise, i gave them 100 usd.
- Again, when discussing about the matter of tipping, I was given the feeling by the tour operator, that as a tourist (and a white person ??) I'm supposed to be rich and afford to give away random extra 350 USD ! Oh, I am surely a millionaire, but only in my dreams.
Serengeti:
- My Serengeti tour was awesome, but bit messy. Considering this tour too, i wasn't given enough information beforehand, again including the thing with tipping. Other customers were having some more information, like list of equipment needed, which i never had. What comes to both of my trips, i thought i was having all the information in needed. Well, I didn't (even though asking for every possible information needed couple of times).
- Overall 6 customers attending to this Serengeti tour, and every person was having a different tour program. It was obvious right from the beginning that it would be impossible to coordinate everything. This is why some ppl didn't get what they were looking for - but ill let them to write their reviews on their own behalf, if they wish to do so. ++Our awesome guide Jackson did his best trying to fix it all ! ++
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience, we saw loads of animals, but accommodation and food were very average and limited.
Overall I had a nice time and was able to see many of the animals which live in Uganda I thought that the range of activities were great and your guides were very knowledgeable. The campsites were very good and the fact that we did not have to carry tents made things much easier. However, there are a few points of issue which I would like to raise.
Firstly, we were only offered one small bottle of water throughout the entire trip which was not an issue when we were at the campsites, but was an issue during the long journeys. This became such an issue on the first day that after the walk up the waterfall - which was extremely hot and sweaty - one of my friends became ill with dehydration. One bottle of water was not enough to sustain us from 6am through to 7pm when we were served dinner and had access to a Jerry can.
Secondly, there was not enough food. The chefs made delicious food, but there was not enough - one girl in my group did not have lunch on the second day because there was not enough. On trips like this in a group of my size (which was 22), there should be more than enough food. Moreover, we were told on day one that we would not need any money for food as a packed breakfast and lunch would be provided. Instead, however, we stopped at a petrol station after 3 hours of driving and were told to pick up something from the shops. This would have been fine had we been told beforehand, but we were expecting a packed breakfast. Then, lunch was simply a wrap - delicious as it was, that and a banana was not enough to sustain us from midday to 7pm. I expected more in this packed lunch.
And finally, I have never been so frightened in a car before. Our driver drove ridiculously fast over potholes and puddles which was incredibly uncomfortable and nauseating. One of my friends was sick because of his driving. Furthermore, he would chase both animals and children to get them off the roads. This was unnecessary and frightening for us passengers. We would rather have gone slower and taken an hour longer to get to our destination than have to consider the prospect of our driver being imprisoned for manslaughter caused by reckless driving.
I hope that these comments will help you to improve your safari in future.