SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!
With this I am expressing my deepest disappointment regarding the 3-Day tour we received from Karibu Safaris in Kenya.
The communication with Robert and the tour planning was ok, I have no complaint about that.
The problem is the way the tour was guided and the attitude from the driver and tour guide HAMISI, it was a very strong disappointment and even humiliation towards us as visitors and customers.
- no drinking water for the guests. When I asked about the water, the tour guide HAMISI said "sorry, I forgot". But at the same time he had drinking water, even several bottles!!!, at the game drive and was drinking himself and keeping them in the cooler box. That was very very much humiliating. Very unprofessional conduct. Phaawww!
- on the 3rd day's morning we were supposed to have a game drive in Amboseli park till 10am in the morning (that was confirmed beforehand by Robert - the organiser), but we left the park at 8:40 already with no reason. So the driver cut us the pleasure of experiencing the park by one half (50%), as we spent there only about one and a half hours (90 minutes). Another hour and 20 minutes were stolen. It's a huge disappointment. Robbery!!!
- the choice of the roads. In order to maybe make a small fuel economy (6 to 10$), the driver chose rural roads that in parts were hardly passable and full of dust, all our clothes, bags, hair, bodies and electronic equipment was in dirt and dust. The driver, willing to save a few hundreds of shillings, was driving the roads that are no good for safari tours. We did not meet a single other Safari tour operator's vehicle while taking the rural roads, while there were many of them on paved roads. So the point is that the unprofessional driver/tour guide deliberately chose bad roads just to make some "shortcut" meanwhile breaking the company's vehicle and disappointing the customers that were on a private tour. That is soooo STUPID!!!! We made a remark on that before our return on which driver HAMISI only laughed at us - straight into our faces... Very very humiliating!!! Guys avoid this scam of an operator!!!
There are some more problems and negative remarks that I should point out like a lack of explanation about the parks, surroundings, eco-system, animals, history, etc.; - instead the driver is chatting by sending texts on his smartphone...
- the vehicle arrived to pick us up dusty and dirty inside (from outside was ok) - it's just a proof of to what extent this company is unprofessional and do not consider the comfort and needs of their customers. I have experienced over six different tours in Tanzania and Kenya and I can compare the services received by this incompetent company with others.
This operator should be AVOIDED!!!
I need to express that I deeply regret having chosen this company's services and I have to warn other visitors and possible clients to AVOID tours given by Karibu Safaris in Kenya.
AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional, Knowledgeable, Friendly
Because I live in Washington Dc, and this was my first time booking a safari. I had so many questions that needed answers asap. So when I reached out to unscripted Tours, and someone responded back in less then a day. Lewis was the one who responded back via whats app, and from then on he literally answered all my questions day or night. He helped us find accommodation that met our needs, and explaining each hotel, no matter how many different ones I showed him pictures of, he was very patient and helpful, and has exceptional knowledge, and customer service skills. Once we arrived in Kenya, Anthony picked us up from Unscripted Tours with our name printed on a board, letting us know who he was. We choose a private tour, with the option of having a land cruiser instead of a van. The land cruiser was very comfortable, spacious and clean, and they also provided us with gifts that were blankets that came in handy throughout the tour. We stopped off at the Office to finalize our payments then headed to Lake Nakuru. We stayed at the Nakuru – Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge. Which was a very nice hotel. The next day we headed to Masa Mara, and stayed at the Mara Serena Lodge. The drive there is very bumpy and is 7hrs away from lake Nakuru, hence thats why it's alot more comfortable to have the land cruiser instead of the van. While on the game day tours Anthony always made sure we were safe, and comfortable. He also made sure we saw every animal in the safari, and I mean everyone. He was always very punctual, informative, and very nice. Not to mention on our last day of the tour we wanted to go see Girffaes at the Sanctuary, where we could feed and touch them. He literally drove us 7hrs straight without stopping just so we could make it before they closed. He also took us to get souvenirs before dropping us back to our hotel. In all as a first experience Unscripted Tours was exceptional, and their staff is so friendly, professional, and they all go above and beyond in order to insure your happiness.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic & well-organised birding & wildlife tour of Namibia & Botswana
I heard about Nature Travel Namibia and Nature Travel Birding through a presentation at the African Bird Fair organised by Birdlife South Africa in August 2020 by Zoom. As I had some funds available from a cancelled international trip in 2020, and no likelihood of other international travel in 2021, I took the opportunity to use the money to indulge my recent passion for birding. Birding friends recommended Namibia as a great birding destination and, after sending an inquiring email to Nick Buys of Nature Travel Namibia, I got immediate information about all the options available and suggestions for the best itinerary. The trip was organised by Nick via multiple emails and one phone call. All my queries were answered fully & promptly, allowing me to make all the decisions necessary to plan a dream trip, despite the nightmare logistics of international travel in the Covid-19 era. Marc Cronje was my guide and he looked after me wonderfully, from meeting me at the airport in Windhoek and travelling onwards for 12 days. We drove to Rundu in the Caprivi Strip, then through Mahangu, across the border to the Okavango Panhandle in Botswana (including fabulous birding boat trip), back into Namibia for a further couple of days at wonderful Mahangu National Park (and yet another great boat trip), then 2-3 days in Etosha National Park, and then a day each at the Brandberg in Damaraland, the Erongo Mountains, Swakopmund & Walvis Bay and then back to Windhoek. Namibia is fabulous with great scenery, people, game and, most importantly for me, birds. Marc was an excellent guide: very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about all birds, wildlife and photography. He knew exactly which spots to go to find all the various bird species, allowing me to see almost all the targets we were looking for. I saw 270 different bird species over the trip (including many many “lifers”) and over 30 other animal species, with plenty of time to get good observations and photos. He was a careful driver and liaised very well with lodge staff, park staff and border officials. In addition, he was really great company and also very patient and helpful with a relative novice both as regards birding and photography. He even managed to fix my camera after I damaged it early on, and thus salvaged an important component of the trip for me. The lodges and food were good, particularly the Erongo Wild and the Mahangu Safari Lodge. I have recommended Nature Travel Namibia & Nature Travel Birding highly to many friends and hope to use them again myself for any future visits to Namibia or other parts of Africa. I have been well & truly bitten by the birding travel bug!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Liers
Made us pay for things that they never provided. Terrible service. Just do not use them.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari Experience
Deeply grateful to Raymond who helped me in charting the itinerary and selecting the lodges for the 9 _ days safari covering lake manyara, the Serengeti and great migration, the ngorongoro crater and tarangire as well as a visit to the bushmen and datoga tribes. Apart from one nasty lodge experience ( Lemala Nanyukie Luxury camp in Serengeti) each day was sheer magic, cannot thank our driver Yunus enough for his courtsey, caurtious driving, knowledge of the flora and fauna cheerful, positive altitude and keen desire to give us the best possible game viewing,
Yunus is fluent in both English and French friendly, the safari was magical experience because we were privileged to have them with us for nine days, They ensured that each moment would be unforgettable.
Thanks, once more, Raymond and Minah in france and Mosses live in Arusha. A very hands on team, with quick feedback to queries and genuine desire to smooth out problems.
Highly recommended
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Surreal experience
After researching a lot of other places, and being utterly confused. We landed on bonfire adventures through Eddie. Eddie was super responsive and was able to cater to our needs. He gave us exactly what we asked for, and didn’t disappoint.
Our tour guide, Abdallah, was amazing. He was super friendly, and so interactive. We felt like one big family the entire trip and he always made us feel comfortable. He went above and beyond to make sure that we had an amazing experience, and he was so knowledgeable about the culture and all the animals.
It was nice to see how all the tour guides interacted with each other, and kept each other informed on sights to see.
Definitely recommend :)
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding experience by far the best safari we have done.
We had an unforgetable experience with african accent adventures. Long story short, we contacted them as they were recommended by a friend of ours and all we can say is that without doubt we’ll recommend them to everybody.
David planned a great safari in just a few days and the park and hotel choices were great, we could see the big five and so many more animals while staying in great hotels. They are super flexible and can arrange anything you want from balloon safaris to light airplane transfers between the parks. Our guides Peter and Nicholas were super nice and friendly and always had an explanation and a smile for our continuos questions, they made us feel like at home right from the start. They don’t just work together, they are friends and it’s something you can feel from the beginning, a nice touch as we spent many hours together. Peter spoke super well in spanish. Nicholas is a great driver, something to have in serious consideration when you spend so much time searching for the animals and with the transfers from one park to another. They also recommended us the nice and safe places to go. Also in times of covid they took care of all the precautions and arranged all the tests that we needed when and where we needed them.
They even had a couple of nice details such as gifting us some masai blankets when we visited the masais, which was a sweet surprise for us.
In addition, I checked different options and the safari that David proposed had an excellent value for money, also everything was well explained with what was included and what not so we didn’t have to worry about anything and we didn’t had any surprise as it sometimes happens in this kind of trips . When someone recommends you a service the expectations rise and all I can say is that they exceeded our expectations! Thank you guys!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super
We had a great time with our guide francis at masai mara. We couldn't ask for more.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING
I really appreciated my travel agent - very specific Maureen Njuguini
She was very patient with me, gave me the appropriate information,
She organized everything at hemmingways watamu.
From requested early check in , because my flight was early, to checking up on me on how the vacation is
The transfers were on time and there was no hidden costs
Thank you Bonfire and especially Maureen for the baby girl experience
She understood the assignment
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Friendly and knowledgeable
Amazing experience while visiting Mara.Our tour guide/driver,Lenny was really friendly and made sure we had everything we needed.Maasai Mara is beautiful and the staff at the camp we're very hospitable.Would definitely recommend.
