IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
We chose to do the safari in Tanzania from 29 July to 1 August.
We visited 3 different parks, Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
We decided to sleep in a tent and it was wonderful.
Francisco organized everything perfectly.
Golden, our guide, respected all our requests.
It was the most beautiful experience of my life.
I recommend Lappet Faced Safaris to everyone.
Thanks Francisco and…. Thanks Golden!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not what we expected- close to Terrible
We had an absolutely terrible experience with this tour company. The issues we encountered were numerous and deeply impacted the quality of our trip:
Booking Issues and Payment Pressure
We booked our trip last year with several promises made about the quality and nature of the tour. The agreed payment terms were 10% down to secure the booking, with the remaining payment due when the tour began. However, we were constantly pressured to pay the full amount upfront, despite this agreement. We were also assured that all hotel bookings had been secured, which turned out to be false. This led to several complications and last-minute changes during our trip.
Last-Minute Price Increase
Just 1.5 weeks before our scheduled travel, the company unexpectedly increased the tour price by $400 per person, including for a child, citing a rise in park fees. After confirming with fellow travelers, our driver, and park authorities in Masai Mara, we found that the actual increase was only $120 per adult, with no increase for children. This resulted in an unjustifiable overcharge, which we found to be deceptive and unethical.
Accommodation Issues
We paid an additional $400-$500 per person for accommodation upgrades from budget to a higher category. Despite this, we were placed in budget or even lower budget hotels, with no upgrades provided due to late bookings made just 1.5 weeks before the tour started. This downgrade severely impacted our trip.
Balloon Ride Booking
We paid $430 per person for a balloon ride with Balloon Safari, a premium company. However, we were booked with a lower-tier company instead, which led to a landing accident and injuries. This discrepancy in service was completely unacceptable.
Delayed Hotel Bookings
Even though we paid for the trip 9 months in advance, hotel bookings were delayed, resulting in subpar accommodations. This was far below the quality we expected and paid for.
Missed Great Migration
The trip was planned specifically to witness the great migration in Masai Mara and Serengeti. Upon arrival, we were informed that this was not possible, despite the company's promises. This was a significant disappointment and a waste of our time and money.
Unreliable Itinerary
The itinerary provided at booking listed specific activities, accommodations, and schedules. However, upon starting the safari, changes were made on the fly, leading to skipped game drives and missed excursions. The initial morning game drive was never arranged, which seriously affected our overall experience.
Baggage Issues
We were told we could bring one bag per passenger, but upon arrival, we had to leave two bags behind, which were never returned as promised. This caused significant inconvenience and stress, including missed game drives and a disrupted itinerary.
Serengeti Safari Issues
We faced numerous issues during our Serengeti safari, including delays at the entry due to incomplete paperwork, an accommodation downgrade without prior notification, being grouped with campers, wasted time during game drives, and substandard hotel accommodations. The safari vehicle was in terrible condition, the driver was rude, and we missed planned excursions and the wildebeest migration.
Specific Issues with the Serengeti Safari Vehicle:
The safari vehicle was in deplorable condition, repeatedly breaking down and requiring assistance from other vehicles.
At one point, the gas tank was hanging down and was dangerously secured using seat belts cut from the passenger side. The driver continued to drive on bumpy roads, putting everyone’s lives at risk.
Despite the hazardous situation, the driver did not call for a backup vehicle, further endangering our safety.
The passenger door of the jeep was broken, creating a serious safety hazard.
The jeep's radio was broken, preventing the driver from communicating with others to locate animals, rendering the safari pointless.
The fuel tank in the Jeep was broken, which was very dangerous. Despite this, the driver continued to drive the same Jeep for three hours. It was late evening and dark, and we were in the deep jungle where wild animals roam. Anything could have happened to us, and the rescue Jeep arrived very late.
Additional Warnings:
This company declines any refund requests despite the numerous issues encountered. Their lack of accountability is alarming.
They are mere agents who sell your booking to cheap, poorly reviewed safari companies. This practice led to our terrible experience and is something potential customers should be aware of.
In conclusion, our experience with this company was a disaster on multiple fronts. The level of unprofessionalism, dishonesty, and disregard for customer safety was shocking. I strongly advise others to avoid this company and choose a more reliable and ethical operator for your safari experience.
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome stay and nice Sossusvlei tour!
Value for money and reliable! Annelie is friendly and provides lots of information that we need. She planned for us and everything went smooth, will recommend to our friends!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Communication was great, we could ask all our questions and they were coorperative!
We booked the 5-day sekekama tented camp stay with 2 full day kruger safaris, 1 sunset safari, the panorama tour and a bush walk.
The camp was great, lovely people and delicious food. It was really nice to become one with nature and sleep in the tents. It was clean, we got towels, they made our beds every night and provided enough water when we asked. The wifi wasn't working but for us this wasn't a problem at all, there was a cellphone connection so an esim would be able to connect if you like.
The activities were really nice as well! The sunset safari was amazing and we got to see many animals close to us. The kruger safaris were also amazing and you experience the animals in the wildest habitat. This does mean they can be more far away and you cannot guarantee that you see them all, but thats nature and that was great. This also meant that you would wake up very early every morning (around 5 o'clock) so you make the most of the day!
The panorama tour was a good change of scenery where you go on a tour to see some beautiful landscapes.
The people at the camp and tour guides were amazing, they were very friendly, open for all our questions, knew a lot about the animals and were very kind to us. Mister Lambs was the best tourguide we could possibly have and we love the South African food that San cooked every night! The camp manager was also really friendly and informed us every night about the next day.
We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend the stay to everyone!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best tour operator in terms of price and quality!!!
We had an AMAZING 11-day private safari tour with Super Eagles!!! From dozens of quotes we received, they offered the best one in terms of quality and price. From accommodations to parks and our beloved guide, George, everything was very smooth and communications was great! We were lucky enough to see all the animals we were longing to see and it is mainly due to George's skills in spotting them in the most hidden places. We saw a Leopard with her cubs, cheetahs with cubs, lions, multiple éléphants and we even had the chance to see the end of the buffalos crossing the Mara river. Thank you so much to the entire team who helped us organise this once-in-a-lifetime safari!! Special kudos to Brian WElly who's been fantastic from A to Z, advising us on the best parks to see and helping us get the best accommodations to fit our budget. And of course, George Jackson who took us across Kenya with great humour and engaged with us in deep, meaningful conversations. We learnt a lot from you and couldn't have wished for a better guide to accompany us! You're the best 🤩
SK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience in Africa
Our trip to Kenya was organized by ourself w/o an agency, hence booking a safari (which is not the cheapest thing to book) from abroad is difficult to do on a website you don't know. Our experience was better than our expectation. The whole safari with our amazing driver Peter Kapino, and with Jocky Tours was perfect, awesome and a mind-blowing experience that I recommend to everyone. Everything was as it is stated in the deacription and looked the same as on the pictures. They picked us up from the hotel, we went to the office to settle all the payment and then started our journey. Be prepared that the trip from Nairobi to Masai Mara is long, take some snacks with you. Once we arrived, we had a nice welcome and lunch with a check in. After that we went on a game ride which was really awesome. The next days we had a whole day game ride with a take away lunch. The game rides were just really mind-blowing and our driver / guide Peter Kapino was the nicest and he commented everything with full of useful information about the animals. He answered all our questions, based on his best knowledge. We saw a lot of animals in their natural habitat, nearly all of the big five. The last day we visited the Masai Mara village, which is optional (we paid directly to the village - which is in my opinion the best- so have cash or M-Pesa). As our vacation lasted for 2 weeks only and we did not had the option and time to visit a not touristy village of one of the tribes, so this visit was a perfect fit. Even if it's maintained for tourists, if you cannot go to a real village just go here. It's nice to see their traditional dances and go to their houses. I personally had a lot of questions, and they answered it all nicely. Be prepared that they will offer a lot of soveniers, but you are okay to say no. Overall, everything was perfect and everyone was really nice. I much recommend booking this safari.
Scammed
Trevaron tours started to “allegedly take people outside countries for greener pastures. I was recommended to them by a close relative, met with the founder and I counter mr and Mrs Kaniu. They guided and explained to us the process and payments. This was 2022 Feb . So they convinced us and even lied they had been taking people abroad… here we are 2024 no “abroad journey” just back and forth to get our refund. Their lines not going through and emails are unanswered . Please help me spread this .. it’s so wrong keeping in mind we explained to them we are taking a loan for this.
IT
Lambs is very nice and funny!!
Lambs is very nice and funny! He entertained us a lot!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience, would highly recommend!
We had an amazing Safari experience with Amshar! Our guide, Benedict, was very knowledgeable and accommodating. We had a great time on Safari with him. My communication with Amshar throughout the booking process was seamless. We chose a tour and asked if we could add a couple of days in Zanzibar, and they were happy to set this up without any issues. Overall, this was a great experience!
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very good
Game finders were were very good but would be the best if they chose better and understanding driver / guide for senior citizens