CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized, friendly guide and beautiful way to see Kenya
My sister and I booked a personalized 4 night 5 day tour with To Go Kenya. The booking process was easy with all of our questions being answered promptly, allowing us to plan the tour exactly the way we wanted to see it. The only complain was the payment process, as it would have been nice to be able to pay via pay pal or another free service instead of paying extra for a wire transfer.
The tour itself was exactly as we expected. The guide, Mutemi, was incredibly attentive and knowledgeable about Kenya(history, animals, vegetation). On the safaris he was very respectful to the time we wanted to spend watching all of the animals and taking pictures of them. His driving on the-less-than-ideal Kenyan roads always felt safe and he clearly tried to make the ride as smooth and fast as possible. The accommodations we stayed in were beautiful and well chosen and the meals were always delicious (with lots of vegetarian options). A great option for your Kenya tour needs! Would definitely book with them again.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Disappointing ! Even more after It Started in Africa offered to pay me to remove my reviews.
My husband and I selected It Started in Africa as our tour organizer for a 6 day Mount Kilimanjaro hike mainly because of their outstanding reviews and classification on Safaribookings and TripAdvisor. We also chose them because they were very reactive and had a nice website. But our main selection criteria was their ranking on Safaribookings (number 1) and on Trip Advisor (number 10).
The hike itself was satisfying: the guides, cooks and porters were friendly and helpful, BUT our overall experience turned out not to be as good as expected, and there were a lot of “small” details that added together gave us the overall unpleasant feeling that we had somehow been “cheated” by It Started in Africa.
The main issues were:
1. No one was there to meet us when we arrived at Kilimanjaro airport. Sylvia, our tour manager, arrived approximately one hour after our flight had landed and explained that she thought we were arriving on the KLM flight and that she had not been made aware that we were on the Kenya Airways flight. My husband had send Joao all of our flight details, which he had acknowledged receipt of. And even if what Sylvia was telling us was true, she was still 30 minutes late for the KLM flight.
2. The hotel in Arusha (Raha Leo) which was sold to us as part of the package, and included in our contract, was changed at the last minute without us being informed or forewarned. When I checked the rating on Trip Advisor, I realized that the hotel that It Started in Africa put us in (The Torch) had a much lower rating than the hotel that had been sold to us. When reading other traveler reviews posted after our trip (and since then disappeared from Trip Advisor), I realized that we were not the only customers surprised in this way…..
3. As part of the contract, It Started in Africa was supposed to supply us with duvet liners and pillows – we never saw them. The mess tent was tiny and could barely hold our party of 7.
4. My husband was victim of food poisoning and he was so sick that he had to turn back and be evacuated from the mountain. The doctor that we saw when we returned to Joburg confirmed that his disease had nothing to do with altitude sickness but was solely due to food poisoning (most likely the chicken we were served during 3 consecutive days by the It Started in Africa cook). The evacuation until the park gate was organized diligently and professionally by Tanzanian Parks. But once at the gate, the car that It Started in Africa car had sent from Arusha was not there. It was actually our piece of luck, because the It Started in Africa representative in Moshi came to pick us up in order not to keep us waiting and he agreed with us that my husband was in no condition to withstand the 3 hour drive to Arusha. The guides and I had told Sylvia, our tour manager, a number of times over the phone that it made no sense to drive back to Arusha that day, and had requested to stop in Moshi for the night, but she had refused to listen, saying that “she had already booked a room at The Torch in Arusha”. The hotel in Moshi was much nicer than the Torch and we were able to get a good night’s rest.
5. From the beginning of the trip, until the very last day, we were under constant pressure from the chief guides (and from the tour manager on the first day), to leave generous tips to the guides and porters. This gave us the unpleasant feeling that the porters, guides, cooks, etc are so poorly paid by It Started in Africa, that they rely on customers’ tips to keep their staff happy. The documents sent to us before the trip gave clear guidelines about the tipping amounts to be given out and we all know how to read – so why be so insistent during the entire trip? It really made us feel as if we were a bunch of dishonest people who would walk away from our responsibilities, and impacted our relationship with the guides and porters.
6. The number of porters/guides/cooks, etc accompanying us during the trip was never clearly stated to us before the trip. We found out on the first day of the hike that 31 people would be accompanying our group of 7 people. I’m not against employing a large number of people, but I believe that It Started in Africa should have been transparent about this before we signed the contract – as this has an impact on the total amount of the trip (tips are substantial).
7. When we were done with the trip, we were put under a lot of pressure by Sylvia, our tour manager to write good reviews on the spot for them, with them looking over our shoulders. I refused to do it and said I would do it later, as I don’t like being pressured in such a way.
8. Our last night in Arusha was part of the package, and had been paid for and booked through It Started in Africa. When Sylvia told us we would be staying at the Torch again, we refused. Not the rat hole again! Especially considering how weak my husband was. She then suggested Kia Lodge by the airport and warned us that it would be more expensive. We were prepared to pay whatever additional cost there was to pay, as long as the hotel was decent, with water and air conditioning in the rooms. And we also asked if it would be possible for the three guys in our party who were flying out later that day to use our rooms to take a shower. Sylvia promised it all, dropped us off at the hotel reception, and then vanished (very quietly for once). Once she was gone, the hotel manager told us that it would not be possible for our 3 friends to shower (but they were welcome to drink at the bar and eat at the restaurant), and we found that there was no water pressure in our room, making it impossible to shower. And at bedtime, when we turned the air-con on, we found out that it did not work either….. The next morning, there was literally no water at all in the shower! 183 USD for a room with no water and no air-con (supposedly the It Started In Africa special rate, but when I double checked on Trip Advisor, I found the rooms to be sold at 177 USD)….quite pricy, don’t you think?
But here comes the worst part!
When we returned home, I posted a review on Trip Advisor and rated It Started in Africa as "average", considering the problems that we had and the un-kept promises. The next day, Joao, the Happiness Manager, sent me an email with explanations about what happened and offered to pay me 700 USD if I removed my post or upgraded it to Very Good. When I refused, he offered me 1000 USD. After he had my review forcibly removed from Trip Advisor, I posted another review explaining how he tried to bribe me, and I received a 3rd email offering me 2500 USD if I removed my second review. I also noticed that the other average reviews which had been posted on Trip Advisor at around the same time as mine had disappeared. I managed to contact another reviewer who confirmed that he was offered money to remove or upgrade his review.
I then realized why It Started in Africa only had very good and excellent reviews on the internet. It seems that they bribe unhappy customers to remove or change their reviews if they are not 4 or 5 stars. And I cannot help but wonder....how many people were paid in the past? And how many people, like me, selected It Started In Africa mainly because of their track record of excellent and very good reviews and were hugely disappointed? How much money is Joao going to offer me this time, to remove my review from Safaribookings.com? I systematically read travelers' internet reviews before I choose a hotel or a tour organizer. I also believe that it is of utmost importance that travelers who post reviews on these websites do it honestly, as others rely on them to make decisions and chose their tour operator, hotels, restaurants, etc. I could have accepted Joao’s 1000 USD and left it at that, letting other travelers believe that It Started in Africa provides top class service and that they are the best. Maybe they are great for a large number of travelers. But not for me, and I believe that it is unfair to other travelers to keep quiet about what is going on. It Started in Africa’s business practices are unfair and detrimental to all of the tourism industry professionals who work hard and with integrity to please their customers. It Started in Africa need to understand that you cannot hide your flaws forever by bribing customers, and that there are still some people out there who cannot be bought, no matter how much money you offer them. It Started in Africa's cheating attempts turned out to be the most disturbing part of this trip for me. Knowing after hand that others before me may have had a disappointing experience with It Started in Africa, but were paid to remove their reviews, gives me the very unpleasant impression that we were cheated voluntarily by It Started in Africa from the very start.
For this very reason, I would definitely not recommend this Tour operator!
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We wanted a Tanzanian trip that we can remember fondly - we got it.
World Air Travel has been helpful all along and made us felt at home.
This was a trip special to my wife and I, and also our first time setting foot on Africa so I had numerous email communications with Elias before the trip to tailor the itinerary and to clarify concerns, and Elias was always understanding and helpful, as well as being extremely responsive and accommodating with the requests.
Our tour guide John was also a gem. To say the least, he took care of us - carried our bags, kept us fed with snacks, opened our doors, brought us fresh drinking water etc. He also somehow, yet always managed to get us into the best position for photographs of the wildlife animals while also being extremely knowledgeable about them. However what's more was his company more than being a professional tour guide - he was a friend on the road and we exchanged many stories, which in hindsight, is as important and memorable as seeing the Big Five.
The food and accommodation were all as planned and we were pleasantly surprised by the general quality of the arrangement and the service we received. We wished for a pleasant adventure to see something we've never seen before at a place we've never been to - Tanzania and World Air Travel certainly delivered.
Asante rafiki!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a life time expierence with Nagi Tours!
It was January 2015 when we decided to go to Tanzania in June 2015, to visit my aunt who was temporally living in Mto wa Mbu, located in the north of Tanzania. She brought us in contact with Bobbie, the founder of Nagi Tours. Bobbie is a great guy, genuine in his intensions and who has a lot of knowledge about the nature, animals and broad knowledge about the history of the country. Above all, he is fun to be around and has a great sence of humor which we found important as we're going to travel together for 1,5 week. We've visited;
* Kilasiya Waterfalls - Marangu
* Savanne - near Mto wa Mbu
* Lake Natron --> meet the Masai villages and so, so kind Masai people
* Serengeti National Park
* Ngorongoro Crater
We've found privelleged to see the big five in the national parks, to meet the most kind people and to enjoy the great nature Tanzania has to offer. Bobbie brought Patrick a long as well, a cook who made delicious meals during the day: breakfast, lunch and diner.
We would recommended Nagi Tours to everybody who is planning an expierence of a lifetime: an experience wherein you combine nature, Masai culture, beautiful wild animals and great company along this journey.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience
We have taken 3 day tours from Arusha with SED Adventures in January 2016: To Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro National Park and Lake Manyara National Park. SED Adventures was the only tour hosting service that took weather-depending reservations from Germany without prepayment or any deposit for all 3 tours. They even granted us our wish for a German-speaking guide. We stayed in contact up until shortly before our departure to Arusha, so that we were able to adjust our tour planning with SED Adventures depending on the weather forecast. We had scheduled a pick-up date for the day after our arrival, to go over all tours again in person. Everything went perfect. We paid the tours at the end of each tour day. As we were given a lot of trust from the start, the trust we put in SED Adventures was also well-placed.
Our gratitude extends especially to Anthon, who was able to make out animals in a faraway distance while driving, while we were only able to see them through binoculars or telephoto lens when the car stopped. His German-speaking colleague Harrison was then able to give us all the details in our language, which was very interesting and a learning experience.
We took the luxury of taking the safari tour only with my wife and myself and it was well worth it. Whenever there were interesting things to see, we were able to stop the car and take our time observing and taking pictures, even if it took a little longer.
Thank you again, SED Adventures for a wonderful experience!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing adventure that fulfilled all expectations and more with incredible guide and cook.
Communications were excellent. Kikwetu provide all the information we needed. Service was above expectations. Nothing left to chance. Our safari guide, Peter, was so knowledgeable about the wildlife and you could not ask for a more cautious and courteous driver. He actually helped, on 2 occasions, to assist other drivers who had gotten stuck in mud. Jacob, our cook, provided excellent meals for us. Simply but tasty. This Masai Mara tour was a dream come true thanks to the caring staff of Kikwetu whom I will definitely be referring my friends and inquirers.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great service, flawless trip, good guide, lots of fun!
Kay Adventure Tours is a professional business, answering quickly to emails, with adequate information and advice, and a good quote for our 6 day safari. Also provided a guide (Moses) who knows about birds, as requested, and who also proved a very safe driver. Great trip!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great personalized experience to see the gorillas
My mom and I booked a 4-day Gorilla/Golden Monkeys/Dian Fossey tour in March 2016. Our booking was completed over email with Herbert who was very responsive to initial inquiries and sent us a very detailed itinerary. He also customized our tour based on our flight schedules.
Our driver Didier was very friendly and helpful. He managed to get some extra gear for us that we did not have, and offered to take us to other tourist destinations in the afternoons on the days with shorter hikes in the morning. He also managed to get us an easier hike to see the gorillas because we had a tough hike up Bisoke the day before.
We also enjoyed our stay at Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge. The beds were very comfortable and food and service was excellent (by Rwandan standards).
Our only complaint is that the difficulty level of Dian Fossey/Mt Bisoke hike was a bit misleading. In the itinerary, it is described as 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on fitness level. In reality, it is more like 90 minutes to 5 hours (one way), and the slopes are steep and get very slippery even after a drizzle (expect to fall).
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect time in Tanzania with David!
We went, for our honey moon, 6 days on Safari with David from 25 to 31 of december, before going to Zanzibar.
Everything was perfect, David is a really nice guide, he explains all what you want and we never stop asking him questions about animals and culture. We warmly recommend Kilele Safari, and David, if you want to avoid big big company as les voyageurs du monde or others...