DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 day Safari
Communication: driver talk very little with us, didn't get information where we going, what we are doing, ...
Service: Which service???
living up to expectations: on the 3 day, moses (driver) told us we're going back by tomorrow. In my opinion he wanted to cheat us and steel one day from safari. We booked a 5 day safari and payed for it!
Safari tour itself: Very poor driving style on the road and the masai mara, driver didn't stop for other animals then the big five, didn' t respect the park rules (speed limits etc.) and sometimes didn't answer questions. Camp was in a very bad condition.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Still waiting to be reimbursed US$982
James and Costa were wonderful. Will withhold further details of our trip until our money is reimbursed, as my review will definitely change for the better at that time. eg. All will be forgiven.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
not what was advertised
Tanzania Safari Supremacy is a complete rip off. Simply put, what they advertise and what they set out in their itineraries are not what they will provide. I travelled with them in July 2015 and was utterly disappointed at the service they provided.
Firstly, when we were picked up from our hotel in the morning the operators demanded that we pay the balance in cash. This was never mentioned to us in any correspondence beforehand, which it clearly ought to have been given the size of our group and the amount of cash we would therefore need to have on hand. We had expected to be able to pay by card, but instead lost an hour that morning travelling to the airport to access an ATM – a terrible start to the trip, a waste of our time, and no apology from the company. Unfortunately this was only the beginning of our problems.
We had opted to use this tour operator as they claim in all their materials that the drive to the park is 4-4.5 hours from Dar es Salaam (there are other parks in the region but they are a longer drive so we chose Mikumi as we had limited time available to us and wanted to maximise our time in the park). The drive took 6 hours. This wasn’t due to traffic as there wasn’t any significant traffic and the journey time was the same on the way back to Dar from the park. This delayed not only our arrival on the first day but also meant we would not have time to make use of our final morning on safari as we had to ensure we would make it back to Dar in time to catch the ferry.
The itinerary for the first day was to arrive by midday and immediately start on a game drive. Instead, when we arrived the driver told us that the plan was not to go out on a drive until 4:30pm! This was a loss of over half a day of driving for absolutely no reason.
At this stage we were very annoyed by the situation. We asked the driver to take us out at 3pm so as not to lose so much time and, reluctantly, he agreed. We also asked at that stage for the driver to get the manager, Elvice, who we had corresponded with by email beforehand, on the phone so that we could discuss the issues that had arisen. The driver did not get him on the phone.
On the first evening the driver (allegedly) checked what time breakfast would be served at, told us it would be 6:30am and initially suggested picking us up at 7:30am to go on a drive. As anyone who has been on safari before will know, it is best to go out as early as possible as the animals move around most in the mornings before it gets too hot in the middle of the day. Thankfully, we knew this so insisted that the driver pick us up at 7am and he, again reluctantly, agreed.
Later that evening the catering staff (who are entirely separate to the safari company and did a fantastic job and were most helpful) told us that breakfast is not served until 7am (a fact I have no doubt the driver was fully aware of). They tried to contact the driver for us to tell him that we would instead go on a drive earlier and return for breakfast later in the morning but they were unable to get through to him.
The following morning the driver did not turn up until 7:25am. When we were eventually able to speak to Elvice much later that day he claimed that the driver was delayed as he had had a flat tire. The driver never mentioned this so I fully believe this was just a story concocted later on to try and cover himself. He didn’t apologise at all when he did arrive late and when we made it clear that we were very unhappy with how we were being treated he again offered no apology.
As an aside, the driver showed very little in the way of knowledge about the animals. If we had not asked him questions about the animals I don’t think he would have said a word the whole time and when he did answer questions it didn’t seem like he knew very much about the animals. When we did come across animals it seemed very much like just a matter of chance rather than any skill exercised by the driver. Even if all the other issues had not arisen, I think we would have left the tour feeling quite disappointed by the drives because of this apparent lack of knowledge.
Returning to the main issues. When the driver arrived late that morning I insisted that he call Elvice as the group was so appalled at the service. He instead got another middle man, Philbert, on the phone who refused to listen to our complaints (which were expressed in a calm fashion) and began to scream down the phone at me, called me crazy a number of times, and then hung up the phone on.
We asked the driver again to get Elvice on the phone as he was, as far as we knew, the person in charge. The driver claimed that he did not know who Elvice was, he only knew Philbert. We told him that we were not happy to speak to Philbert and insisted he get Elvice on the phone and the driver said he would.
We eventually went out on our morning drive and by the time we returned for lunch we still had not received a call from Elvice (although we are quite confident that the driver was speaking on his phone to someone from the main office, he denied it when asked about it). At that point we again insisted on him calling Elvice. Again he claimed he did not know who that was and that he only knew Philbert so he put Philbert on the phone again, who claimed that Elvice could not be contacted as he was ‘in the bush’. When I said that that wasn’t acceptable and that we must speak to someone in charge he again started to shout at me and ultimately hung up the phone.
We again explained to the driver that we had to speak to someone in charge and that we wanted that phone call to happen now. 10-20minutes later we eventually got a call from Elvice. Unfortunately, all Elvice offered us were excuses, such as the phantom flat tire. He refused to acknowledge that the itinerary he had sent us was very different to what was proposed when we arrived and ultimately could offer us no solution. I asked that he consider the situation and call me back within an hour to offer some solution to the problem but, unsurprisingly at this stage, the call never came.
That evening when the driver dropped us off, we asked him to call Elvice again. At first he tried again to claim that he didn’t know who that was or how to contact him, but, obviously, this didn’t stand up and he eventually got him back on the phone. This time Elvice was much more hostile. He tried to claim that we had caused very issues and that we had tried to not pay for the safari (absolutely baseless claims), he offered the same nonsense excuses, and ultimately, when I insisted that there was no excuse for providing a service so different to what was advertised, he became completely frustrated and (judging by the sounds) hurled his phone against the wall.
Do not use Tanzania Safari Supremacy. There are so many companies offering safaris in this region, try any of them other than this one. They don’t provide what they promise, their driver showed no expertise, and their customer service is despicable.
US
Doing Business With a Crook
While we did not use KianGo Adventure Safaris for touring we rented a vehicle from the company and the owner David. He is a thief. We paid the full amount in advance for our two week Land Cruiser rental. Upon arriving at Kilimanjaro there was no car, an apparent error on David's behalf. We had to pay the amount again after waiting 24 hours to even get our vehicle. I am still owed over $1,600 and all I get is excuses. Search the internet, I am not the only one. I have no patience for crooks like David
They shoot animals in front of you
They shoot elephants and rhinos in front of you and leave them to suffer. Horrific!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just Awful
We booked a 7-day Kenya+Tanzania safari with a Kenyan operator and the 3-day Serengeti-Ngorongro portion was subcontracted to Migada. Unlike the Kenya portion, Tanzania was terrible in every way and our vacation was half-ruined.
The car had multiple problems and was absolutely unsafe. Breaks were bad and locked the tires on gravel roads so downshifting was the way to slow down. Parking break didn't work so it was always exciting to see the car run away until driver used rocks to stop it. Engine didn't start if turned off when it's warm, so engine ran the whole day even when parked next to the animals. We had to ask other drivers for a bump when driver stalled the engine. The car didn't have radio so game viewing was random. A policeman warned us about the wheels being not fit to drive. But more on the car later.
The driver got lost multiple times, starting day 1 from Isebania to the lodge in Serengeti. When it was getting dark he panicked and started driving movie stunt style on horrible roads, doing a pretty high jump where tires detached from the ground for about 4 seconds that felt like hours. No empathy with passengers' comfort for restroom or lunch breaks, we had lunch inside the car in dust while driving. The company's card was out of money while exiting Serengeti so we had to wait about an hr just to exit a park. Nothing happened smoothly..
The car broke down a few minutes after our descent into Ngorongro, and we found out the radiator had a leak that the driver knew about. His calls to the office were unanswered but another safari driver was kind enough to stop and take us into his car, and tow the broken car until the nearest water hole. We helped fill the radiator with muddy water and plugged the hole with elephant dung and the car surprisingly made it to Arusha the next morning on mud, dung and prayers. They gave us a new car from Arusha to Kenya border and then came our best moment in Tanzania: getting exit stamps and seeing our Kenyan driver on the other side.
Thinking back about the whole thing, we should've rejected getting into that car after the first day.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It is one of the worst experiences I have lived so far in my life.
Very soft talk on internet before booking.
Usurps identity, says that his name is Isaac on internet while his name is Peter in the real life.
Late for the apoinments 20 minutes the first day, two Hours and 20 minutes the second time. I therefore missed the shuttle to Tanzania so we started chasing after it finally reaching it after a 120 km race.
Chose a driver that was urinating outside of the car instead of in the latrines. This one forgets that I have booked a different hotel, takes my box lunch without asking me, forgets to tell my hotel manager that I need early breakfast to join the tour.
Asked (Peter) for more money (160US$) the first day we met saying that he needed it for the park fees. I had paid everything at least 2 weeks earlier. I was said that he asks extra money to all his clients.
Entered into a fight with the brother of a former employee right in front of me.
Set a transfer downtown Nairobi knowing the traffic Jams while it could have been done outside of the city.
Did not send enough money to the mountain operator so that I had to wait 36 hours in Moschi Tanzania, before going to the mountain. I finally had to do the climbing in 5 days instead of 6.
Was saying that the money was coming in the minutes to come but it took a whole day.
Did not give enough money to my Kenyian guide so that he has to take his own money and I had to help him with mine.
He was supposed to reemburse that guide 150US$ but I have no confirmation it has been done.
To me he (Peter) suffers of a antisocial personality disorder.
I do not recommend this company and wonder why it is in NATO.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This company is a big U.S. company operates as Neo Destinations which is terrible.
We have booked 11 day safari with this company. Our contact person was Steve Boko. When we reached Nirobi there is no Steve anymore it was Naftale from Neo Destinations. Our biggest mistake was we paid the money before. This company do not have their own vehicles and they sub contract with others who has no relation with us. The driver/guide was Robinson who is a jackass. In the entire 11 days he used to scold kids and always says he will throw out of his van. The trouble started when we reached Tanzania, we were taken to a tented camp at night instead of a lodge which was booked for us before and next day we are told that they will drop us at
Tanzania border and need to talk to our operator(Naftale) who was absconding. We were forced to go to police station for help to keep the driver in check at Lake Navisha. Over all a terrible experience with this guy. Kenya is a beautiful country but cheats like Naftale/Robinson(Neo Destinations/ African safaris) spoiling the country name.
Note:- if you book with this company do not pay all the money till Safari is completed.
US
I would advise you not to book this company. Seriously, you'll thank me later.
We booked a 4 night budget safari to see the Serengeti, Ngorogoro Crater, and Lake Manyara. While the wildlife did not disappoint (thanks to our freelance drivers, who were excellent guides), the rest of the experience was pretty awful.
We got quotes from a bunch of different safari operators and Kiliholidays came in the cheapest. This should have been a red flag, but we are broke grad students so we decided to hire them. Unfortunately, we got what we paid for.
The vehicles were in a sorry state of disrepair and one of them lost a wheel - twice. The bolts were rusted and after hitting a big bump, the wheel would tear loose and bounce off into the bush. Instead of getting new bolts to fix the wheel, the drivers simply borrowed bolts from other wheels. We saw a couple vehicles from other tour operators get flat tires, but no one else on the road had a wheel come flying off.
We also had some customer service issues with the company owner, Mack. You may have noticed that he has written responses to the other bad reviews from our group (there were 8 of us total).
Feel free to read his responses, but as you do, remember that this is how he would talk to you if you had an issue on safari with his company. It's a lot of blathering and blame shifting, which is really not what you want to deal with when you're totally dependent on your tour operator and just trying to have an enjoyable vacation with friends.
In summary - we felt unsafe in the vans and we felt that Mack took advantage of the fact that we were (stupid American) tourists, dependent on Kiliholidays for food, shelter, and transportation. Don't make the same mistake we did - book with someone else!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not Value for Money
I honestly can't recommend this tour agency, or any of the other budget travel companies that do similar trips. A good budget operator is meant to cut the frills and provide cheap food and accommodation, but these guys (and all the others) are cutting the quality of the animal viewing experience in order to try and offer the cheapest trip. THIS ISN'T VALUE FOR MONEY
Firstly, the itinerary. All their budget itineraries only spend one or two nights at Seronera (Serengeti). This isn't enough time if you want to see the Wildebeest migration. The first full day in Seronera is always spent looking for cats, so you need a second day to drive out to visit the wildebeest herds, wherever they might be. They could be as far as the Grumeti River, which you can do as a long day. Don't bother asking the office about whether you will see the migration. I asked specifically if we would go to the grumeti river and Godfrey answered "You go to where the animals are". Well when I was on the trip, the animals were at the Grumeti River and it was never a part of the itinerary. I was lied to.
Also, Lake Manyara is entirely skippable. The itinerary only includes it because it's a super cheap day for the company. Save your money and skip this day, and pay for an extra day in Serengeti. Much better value.
Secondly, starting time. We left Arusha on our first day at 9am, arriving at Tarangire after 12pm. We started our second day to lake manyara at 8am and our thirday day to serengeti at 10am. On the fourth day there was a customer mutiny when our driver, Adam, suggested we start again at 8am. We demanded we start earlier and thankfully he agreed. This is the time we saw a large pride of lions. Many of the drivers are lazy and will try to start as late as they can get away with. The best viewing times are just after dawn, early in the morning.
Thirdly, communication. I noticed that many of the other drivers were constantly on their radios, getting tips from other drivers about the location of animals. I asked Adam why he never used the radio, he said it wasn't used much (a lie) and that he had a mobile phone for that purpose. Adam certainly made lots of phone calls but i doubt many (if any) of them were for finding game. He seemed to be on the phone a lot planning his next client trips.
Lastly, and most importantly, the agents and drivers will tell you all sorts of lies to try to convince you that you're getting the best possible experience even while they're doing the bare minimum. I asked Adam if we could spend our single full day in Serengeti driving out to the Grumeti River to see the Wildebeest. Adam could have told me the truth that this was a budget trip and that we didn't have the money for fuel, but instead he told me all sorts of lies. First that it was too far away, that you needed to go out there and spend the night, that you needed a plane to fly there, and lastly that there was no animals out there this time of year. These were all blatant lies. I spoke to other groups in the camp who had spent a day trip driving to Grumeti from Seronera and had seen the Wildebeest and river crossings. To rub salt in the wound, Adam tried to convince me that the resident herd of Wildebeest that we saw Ngorongoro Crater was "part of the migration". He clearly thinks his clients are stupid.
Adam really shouldn't be working with clients at all, not only does he lie about everything (he told us everyone had to leave Ngorongoro by 12pm, he just wanted to leave early), but he also gets very aggressive and argumentative with clients who try to question him about the itinerary. Once we realised we were getting a bad deal we all started to check and double check everything. He full on yelled at us bringing one lady to tears. It's never acceptable to speak to a client like this, even worse when everything you're telling them is a complete lie.
Adam should be avoided at all Costs, and this companies itineraries should be avoided to. My advice is to spend a bit of extra money and go with the mid range companies. Or if you really need to save money, form a group yourself and then go to a budget company with your own itinerary and be very clear with them about your expectations.