US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
4-day safari was wonderful, 6-day safari not so much
Foot Slopes was wonderful about communication right from when I first submitted a request for a quote. They were very responsive and answered all of my questions fully. The first four days of the tour were wonderful--I was with a great group of people, and our guide Freddy was amazing and passionate about showing us Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorogoro Crater, and all the places in between. He was personable, knowledgeable, and seemed to really enjoy what he was doing. After the fourth day, the group I had been with finished their safari and I continued on for two more days to Lake Manyara and to hike in Kilimanjaro National Park. I was matched up with two different groups and communication between the tour guides and Foot Slopes seemed to be lacking. On the fifth day, we waited for the guide to arrive for many hours, and when we finally got started, the car broke down, the guide reeked of alcohol, and it took over an hour to fix the situation. The new guide was not friendly, barely commented on the animals and natural scenery, and rushed us through the park. On the final day of the tour, I was matched up with another group and we hiked in Kilimanjaro National Park. The hike was beautiful, but a lot more difficult than it had been marketed. I hadn't realized that I'd need hiking apparel and wasn't prepared for the terrain, so the hike wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been. If you're thinking about taking Foot Slopes four-day safari, you'll probably have a great experience as it seems like this is what the majority of travelers choose. However, if you're taking a longer safari, the experience might be more hit or miss.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good
Would like to thank Betty at the booking office. Our Driver Philip was one of a kind conversant with the Nairobi National Park, friendly and knows most of the animals characteristics as id working with the Park. Pick up w as on point. Thanks Philip and Betty. Thanks Bonfire adventures
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good, but could be better
First of all, I enjoyed the tour a lot and I had so much fun with the other people attending the tour. I got to see the different animals and got some good stories to tell when I go back home.
However, I have a feeling that the tour could be much better because:
- Pick-up the first day arrived more than 1 hour late and I didn't get any notice. I called their office, but they weren't helpful at all.
- The engagement of the staff seemed to vary a lot. Some were very engaging and were able to tell about the animals and plants, while others didn't really seem to care too much and just drove/walked us around to earn their money.
- Most of the staff at the Tresmina lodge didn't seem happy. There was a weird atmosphere at the lodge and there seemed to be some tension among the staff.
- The atmosphere at Marc's Tree House was more happy, but the staff didn't seem to care too much for their customers. I got electric shock in the shower the last morning (probably due to a short circuit). I told the staff and they didn't apologize or anything. I just got the answer "Ok, we will take a look at it".
- The quality of the food could be improved a lot without much effort.
Just to summarize: I had a lot of fun and got to see all the animals even though they we had to drive for quite a while to find them. It was a great experience, but I believe that it could be so much better if the staff where better trained and more engaging.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
this tour operator take's care of your wishes and makes it a time to remember.
The communication is good together whit the service. The tour is organist en well taken care off. So you have time for relaxing and beautiful places.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
9 day trip - 5 days in Kenya, 4 in Tanzania
We travelled from Ireland in December 2017.
We would be keen to stress that this is a review of the booking company - African Adventure Safari, not of the safari itself.
The safari was, for the most part, brilliant. It would be hard to travel to the Masai Mara and Serengeti and not be impressed.
It appeared to us (and several others we met) that essentially, for the budget trips you paid a tour company who booked your place on a safari trip. Safari guides/drivers seemed to receive their assigned tourists each trip or each day. So, whilst the drivers (who seemed to work for several various companies) were very good, we couldn't credit this to the tour companies as there seemed to be little relationship between the two.
So, onto reviewing the booking company;
It was arranged and confirmed that they would collect us from the airport in Nairobi around 7pm. Upon arrival, there was no sign of anyone. We waited and eventually opted to use the mobile phone of a taxi driver. We rang Mike, who we had been dealing with us over email. He advised us that he was parking the car and would be with us in five minutes. After ten minutes, the random taxi driver came over and told us that Mike had called back and had asked us to wait by the road. Another twenty minutes passed, with the taxi driver waving to us every so often to indicate that it would be another five minutes.
Nairobi has a reputation and we were growing increasingly uneasy.
Eventually the taxi driver came back with the phone and handed it to me. It was Mike advising us that his driver had gotten stuck in traffic (odd, given that Mike said he was parking the car) and told us the taxi driver would take us. Given that I had just been handed the phone, I made sure to make him confirm a few of our details before we hung up. We were very clear with the taxi driver that we wouldn't be paying him for the journey as the transfer was already paid for. He wasn't very happy about this and made another call to make sure he would get paid.
The taxi driver asked us to wait while he got his car. Two cars pulled up (neither particularly looked like a taxi), he sent the first car away and the driver of the second one got out and our "taxi driver" got in. The route we took (presumably to avoid traffic) went through some very rough areas, with several fires burning by the roadside, through the outskirts of the city. We have travelled a lot (including countries like Venezuela, Colombia and Indonesia) but this was the most uneasy we have ever felt whilst travelling. The combination of being unsure about the taxi driver and the route we had taken had made us feel very apprehensive. This wasn't the start to our trip we had hoped for. As it was our honeymoon, we had booked through a tour company in order to avoid these specific issues.
After 40 minutes we pulled up at our hotel. Mike was there to meet us, with one of the safari guides. He wasn't very apologetic, but seemed friendly enough and gave us his mobile number to contact him through Whatsapp. We had booked the hotel through Mike and he asked for cash to pay for the room. We handed over the cash and it was only when we went up to our room and was able to check my emails that I realised that it was double the price we were expecting to pay. We checked the price on booking.com (which was also cheaper than the price we had been quoted). We texted Mike and he told us that the price he had quoted was per night, so was double what we were expecting and double the cost on booking.com. We were unhappy but there was little we could do.
After our trip to the Masai Mara and Hells Gate, which were both brilliant, we were taken back to Nairobi for a transfer to Arusha (Tanzania). We missed our bus, but that wasn't a problem because we just caught another one. We were met in Arusha by a taxi driver and taken to our hotel, which all went well.
The next morning we were starting a trip to Tarangire, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. We met the 'boss' and who asked us what our itinerary was (he didn't seem to know what we had planned). He asked about water, we told him it was included in our trip, he asked about our transfer to the airport at the end of our trip, we told him that was also included. We found out later that the 'boss' is the boss of all of the drivers/guides in Arusha, so manages all of the trips that leave from there.
There was clearly very little coordination between the tour companies in Kenya and Tanzania.
The first night of our trip we stayed in a really nice lodge, but one of the other groups (all of the vehicles will stop to eat and sleep in the same places, so you will see a lot of each other) had to stay somewhere else because there had been a mix up and the lodge was overbooked. The next morning, everyone was moved to different vehicles because there had been a mix up with the bookings. This wasn't really a problem for us, but did take a while to be sorted out and a couple of groups had to wait longer than us because people from Arusha were joining them.
Once on the trip, again it was amazing and the driver/guide in Tanzania (Estome) was brilliant. Estome had a couple of different books on the animals and answered every single question we had. He stopped when we wanted to take photos, spotted more animals and birds than you could imagine, and was a really nice guy. Overall we enjoyed the experience in Tanzania more than Kenya, although we saw more animals in Kenya.
Some people from the other groups had problems with their itineraries not being followed and accommodation not being what was expected (this seemed to be people who has asked for an additional stopover or to not be in a tent or a shared tent). When they were booking, they were told it was ok, but once they were on the trip, they were sent along with the rest of us. A vegetarian in our group had to remind them a few times. We hadn't made any special requests, so we didn't have any of these issues.
In Arusha, we had been booked in to the Cloud View Hotel for our last night. Our diver had asked us where we were staying and had been speaking to the 'boss' through the day. When we arrived at the hotel there was no booking for us. Apparently the 'boss' hadn't received the information or money from Mike so no booking was made (this hadn't been mentioned until we were at the hotel's check in desk though). We were taken back to Arusha Tourist Inn and stayed there for the night (this hotel seems to owned by the 'boss' so a booking wasn't needed).
We text Mike about this straight away, but didn't get a response until the following afternoon, by which time we were in Zanzibar. Again, there was no apology and Mike's response was that they are looking for a new partner in Tanzania.
Overall, the trip was amazing and the guides, particularly in Tanzania, were brilliant. The issues we had were with the organisation and, with the exception of the pick up from the airport, were annoying but had no lasting effect on us.
Whichever company you book with, our advice would be to reconfirm everything before you travel (dietary requirements, transfers etc), take printed copies of your itinerary, be prepared to stand your ground on what is already paid for and included as part of your trip, and unless you are booking a bespoke trip, stick to the basic itineraries because people who had special requests didn't seem to get them. And have a great trip.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great value for money but poor organisation and communication
First of al we both had a great time in Zambia and its an amazing country with lovely friendly people and amazing wildlife and stunning landscapes. We organised a 18 day trip with Den of Den's Safaris. He was great at replying to all our queries prior to booking the trip but once we had paid everything communication totally dried up. We had a lot of questions just before we flew to Zambia and despite emailing on several occasions there was no reply from him. At one point we thought the company no longer existed and our money was down the drain!! Luckily my boyfriend was out in Zambia beforehand on a private visit and he was finally able to contact him by telephone. It was very inconvenient for us not being able to find out the name of the lodge we would be using while staying in Lusaka as we wished to leave part of our luggage there. However, many times during the trip neither our local guide / driver knew where we were going to be staying!! Nor did one guide know whether he was flying with us to Livingstone or not as his ticket was booked 10 min. before flight departure!! In fact Den really believes in doing things at the last minute and if you book him you must realise that he has very competitive prices based on the fact that lodges / campsites, etc. are booked totally at the last minute. We travelled in November which is the rainy season and we were incredibly lucky with the weather until we went to the Zambezi River National Park. The road to our lodge was susceptible to flooding and thus when it rained hard part of the road washed away. Den being a safari operator should have known to have that component of the trip at the beginning of November when the weather is more likely to be dry than at the end when the rains come. Unfortunately, we had to leave our lodge a day earlier as otherwise we would have been stranded there. Unfortunately, Den's staff didn't really know what to do and all decisions have to come from Den who as you have probably realised is quite difficult to get hold off All in all everything worked out for us and we had a really great trip, however, it was much more stressful than expected due to the lack of communication and organisation from the operator. On a more positive note it was an amazing trip and ended on a really high note with a houseboat trip on Lake Kariba.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful wildlife viewing; logistics could use some work.
I took a 6-day tour of Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli. Leading up to the tour, Allan's communication was excellent, and he answered all of my questions, sometimes within minutes. The two guides I had were very adequate, especially Obama, who was exceptionally knowledgeable and pleasant. The wildlife viewing went beyond my expectations, which made the safari highly worthwhile. When we arrived at the Maasai Mara camp, there was a problem with my accommodation reservation, so Allan helpfully arranged for me to stay at another camp. The vans we traveled in were functional for a budget tour. However, on the way back from Amboseli to Nairobi, we had to stop twice for flat tyres, and at one point I had to wait for an hour alone in the van beside the highway while my guide went to purchase a new tyre. It ended up taking nearly 12 hours to get back to my lodging in Nairobi! However, Obama handled the adversity well, and it was not nearly as unpleasant an experience as it might have been. Allan was very apologetic about the mishaps. In sum, the time in the game parks was wonderful, but if you book with Back of Africa Adventure, you should probably be prepared for an "adventure."
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mixed feelings
I had a great time in Tanzania, but I am somewhat disappointed that I cannot "rave" about the services offered by Kili Serengeti guides. Perhaps it is because I had just come from Kenya with an outstanding guide, so it was natural to make comparisons (and that may be unfair).
The Good:
KS Guides met my group at the Kilimanjaro airport upon arrival, arranged all transfers, hotel accommodations, and activities. The price was extremely reasonable and we did everything we set out to do! Most meals were included, so once we had paid the guides (cash upon arrival), there was very little need for any cash on hand throughout our stay, other than for souvenirs, tips, and incidentals. The safari vehicle we took to Ngorongoro Crater was great - large enough to accommodate the group, comfortable, the top popped up (like most safari vehicles), which made the experience more enjoyable. By the way, the crater itself was AMAZING! Definitely go there if it's on your list; you WILL see a ton of animals. KS guides brought in some local guides when we visited Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Chagga village/caves/coffee plantation. Those local guides were wonderful - friendly and informative, easy to talk to, accommodating, etc.
The Bad:
With the exception of our day trip to Ngorongoro Crater, we were driven around in a small mini-van (actually, it was smaller than a mini-van, but I don't know how else to describe it) that was not very comfortable for my group. There was just enough space for our luggage in the back, but we felt like we had to cram ourselves into the vehicle, climbing over seats at times because the mechanism for the front seat to fold forward got stuck. A couple of the seat belts were non-functional as well, which was a huge concern for one member of my group since they work in a safety-related field. In general, the van was not comfortable, the AC did not work so we were hot (I could overlook this - it IS Africa, after all, I expected to be hot - however, it could be a problem for some). The windows on all except the front of the vehicle were also tinted with an incredibly dark tint, which made it nearly impossible to enjoy any of the sights we were passing and made it seem dark much earlier than when it actually was. Additionally, we took this vehicle down dirt roads with pot holes that it was simply not intended for. There were times when we weren't sure the vehicle was going to make it, and we wondered why KS guides had opted for this van vs. the safari SUV that we had taken previously, which was more capable of handling this type of terrain. We were given no explanation for the change in vehicles, and I can only imagine it was a cost-saving effort for them, since the van likely consumed less fuel.
Okay, enough about the uncomfortable ride... I also was not pleased with the first hotel we stayed at in Arusha. The accommodations were just so-so and there was a loud generator outside my window, making it difficult to sleep. Breakfast was supposed to be included but did not start until after we needed to leave in the morning, so they packed a "boxed breakfast" for us to go, which was nice; however, it was essentially nothing but bread. We also didn't get any coffee as they did not have "to go" cups available.
Finally, I need to speak about the guides themselves. There were 2 people with us most of the time. I am not sure why, as they did not seem to actually DO anything special, since they also picked up local guides for some of the places we went (making us all less comfortable in the already too-small vehicle because the new local guide joined us in the van!) I initially thought there were 2 to share in the driving when we went to Ngorongoro since that is quite a long drive/day. However, that was the one time that we did NOT have two people with us, which didn't make sense at all. The driver who took us to the crater did give some "tour guide" type information about the animals, but generally only when we asked. Perhaps this speaks to a lack of experience, but I have had much more involved guides in the past. These guys were more like escorts, which is fine, if that's what you want. It just wasn't what I was expecting. On the days when we had local guides, there were still 2 KS guides with us. At one point when we stopped to visit a waterfall, we had 4 (or 5) different people with us. This was awkward since most of them didn't say anything and yet tipping your guide is part of the local culture, so it felt like a ploy to get more tips out of us. We opted to tip the one local guide who rode with us in the van because he was friendly, informative and just generally great at what he did! We did not tip the extra people who were milling about that day.
All in all, I wouldn't say I had a bad experience. KS guides did take us to some amazing places and they arranged everything for us ahead of time. They were very responsive via email. However, the actual guides themselves were a little less personable than I was expecting for someone who does this for a living, and they did not communicate well with us in person, which led me to feeling frustrated at times.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great planning, mediocre execution
We booked a 4 day Serengeti honeymoon through Walter with a 5-day Zanzibar add-on. We chose to book with him because he was easy to communicate with and seemed extremely knowledgeable. The detailed trip descriptions customized for the season gave me confidence that he would arrange a great trip for us.
Altogether, Walter's recommendations for lodging were all spot on. All the accommodation he recommended were truly outstanding.
Reasons for the 3-star review:
1) My most serious complaint was our guide named Anderson. While he was a safe driver, always punctual, and seemed very competent at finding game we had an unbelievably hard time communicating with him and that really put a damper on the trip for us. To give you some background, I have lived in the Middle East and Africa for extended periods of time so I would consider myself adept at speaking with non-native English speakers. However, both me and my wife found ourselves constantly frustrated. Anderson could not teach us much about the nature that we came to see nor could he answer our questions. To be honest, we would ask a question and usually get a completely off-the-wall answer as he didn't understand what we had asked. Eventually driving around gets boring if you don't know what you're really looking at with any depth! Other travelers and their guides we met along the way did not seem to have this issue.
2) There were some permit issues entering two of the parks, each one causing a 1-2 hour delay when we would have preferred to have been relaxing in the lodge. The driver tried to tell me it was the network, the park employees clarified it was poor preparations although didn't further elaborate. I ended up having to pay entrance fees to one park which I did get reimbursed for.
3) Our guide decided to go off the road in Serengeti to get closer to some lions. It was our first day and we had no idea that this wasn't allowed. Sure enough, the rangers came and we had to follow them back towards the airport (nearly an hour away in the wrong direction) for our driver to get a 'ticket.' About 5 minutes into this drive they stopped and motioned our driver out of the car. Next thing we knew our driver was asking us for money to bribe the rangers. I said I would not give him money. A few minutes later we were on our way without paying a fine. I have no idea what exactly was going on... I have no idea if this is a setup or common occurrence but it certainly left a bad taste in our mouth.
4) The airport transfer that Walter arranged for us in Zanzibar consisted of an hour of entrapped salesmanship. The transfer company he contracted was also a 'tour company' and spent the hour pushing countless tour options which we were not at all interested in. We both arrived with headaches.
Bottom line: I would trust Walter's planning again but I'd be weary of your guide. I honestly would go so far as to talk with your guide on the phone ahead to be sure you can communicate. Don't trust other's TripAdvisor notes mentioning guides because ours actually had a few decent comments!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Communication difficult, great tour
It took me a while to decide on which gorilla tour from which tour operator to choose. I was looking around for one day tours starting from Kabale or Kisoro. I booked a tour with Gatatu, which had both a good price and good reviews (on safaribookings.com).
Contact with Gatatu was by e-mail with the owner. In his first e-mail to me he said that I would pay at the start of the safari either in Gatatu’s office or to my guide. But because Gatatu had to buy my gorilla permit for the trekking date I asked if I shouldn’t pay for at least the permit before. Then I received a reply that money did have to be transferred to Gatatu’s account.
I had to transfer the full amount which I did, but Gatatu did not buy the permit before the money was received. One week later they had received the money, but it took 3 more days until I received a message from the owner saying he bought the permit the day before. The waiting for Gatatu buying the permit (in total 9 days after payment) and telling me about it made me pretty nervous as I had read that permits could be sold out. Also the payment information I first received turned out to be incorrect and after finding out they had received the money it still took 2 days for Gatatu to buy the permit.
The gorilla tour itself was great. First I could enjoy the landscape during the early morning drive from Kabale to Bwindi Park. Mist was hanging over the valleys, a beautiful sight. Then during the gorilla tour we had found the gorillas very quickly and they came very close, especially 2 babies.