NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Don't book your Safari in Tanzania at this company, they failed completely!
We booked a safari by Vimics Group (part of Wellplanned Safaris) in Arusha, Tanzania. We found them on this website. We like to place a negative feedback about their company. Hopefully you will remove them from your website so other people won't have the same bad experience. The organasation failed completely. They put us together with two different groups, so the car was filled with 8 people, when they promised 5 instead. The hotels and accomodations where in 3 different places, so we spent each night driving to 3 different hotels. This took us about 3 hours each night because they where not close to each other. The same problem started in the morning when we had to pick up everybody. Because of this we started our safari at 9:30 each day instead of 6 am. like they promised us.
Also we booked a 6 day safari trip and the only planned 5, so they last day they had us wait for 2 hours, and finally a taxi picked us up to do a safari ( in a taxi !?) when we roads required a 4x4 car. We had to wait at least an hour for every gate because the paperwork was not in order. Other safari cars only waited about 2 minutes at the gate so this was not normal. Finally we made a complaint to Victor ( owner of Vimics Group). He promised us to refund $100 dollars. We still haven't received this money. Every promise they made didn't happen so I don't think they deserve to be on this website. I hope we can save others a bad experience.
ES
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The worst experience of my life in Africa !!
An authentic deception. I felt cheated by this company. It was my first safari in Africa and had a lot of illusion but the bad management and planning of this company did that our safari was turning into a nightmare. The manager of this company was called Mogakolodi Serumola. An authentic disaster. He never faced the consequences opposite to the quantity of problems that we had: it gave to us a torn land cruiser and left wire drawing us in the desert of the Kalahari for hours. It took us show restraint, breakfasts and dinners that were included in the trip. It gave to us camps that were not the approved ones (some without water). It took us games drives in spite of having paid them. It made pay the income to a companion to the park Chobe because he said to us that it forgot to do it and to never return the money to us. But the worse thing happened in Khwai where his driver left wire drawing us in the middle of the night in the sheet and we had to sleep in the hut of a few ladies since it was not capable of finding our camp.
An authentic shame the management of this person.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
THE WORST SAFARI IN MY LIFE !!!
Hi,
last october a group of friends were in Bostwana for 2 weeks. We selected this company, Bush Baby Calls, because the price was good (Ultimately the cheap thing works out expensive) but our problems started in the first day in vic Falls when the manager of Bush Baby Calls received to us in the airport. He wanted only the rest of the money and then...he disapear!!
In short, we lost many breakfasts, lunches and dinner in spite of we pay for full board. Futhermore, the manager, Mogakolodi Serumola cheated on us several times: the land cruiser that we used was broken, he promise to us repair it however I didn´t it; we losed several games drives and he promised to us to do night games drives and we didn´t it, we pay to take shower inside the tent but he didn´t it, we had to apy the park fees in some parks and he told us that then he did the transfer to us but he didn´t it... The manager was terribe, a completely liar. Our safari was a full nightmare. I have done safaris in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe and it had never suffered anything similar as with this company. His manager was a coward. He never help us. In spite of the fact that in Khwai his driver left wire drawing us in the middle of the bush in the middle of the night and one was because he was not finding the camp.
If you want to enjoy a safari do not contract with this company.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
VERY BADLY SERVICE!! MANAGED BY AN INCOMPETENT MANAGER!!
Our dream began on October 23 but soon it turned into nightmare. We were a group of 6 persons to a safari of 13 days with this company and felt deeply defrauded specially for his manager, Mogakolodi Serumola, an authentic liar and swindler. I am sorry to say it this way, but it took us show restraint, it changed his camps, deprived us of games drives and it never faced the consequences. Always it was hiding and evading responsibilities. It is not possible to treat the people who pays of the form that this person did. This company should not be promoted without a supervision thoroughly. I have done already many safaris in Africa and it had never lived not equal at all. In a evening game drive safari we could not sleep in our camp because the guide was not finding it and ended up by sleeping six members of the group in a floor of a small boma of the local women without food or water and the manager was never facing the consequences he nor returned to us the money paid for the not received services in spite of the fact that he said to us that it would do it. One defrauds total.
..Very poor services
....communication is pathetic, services are pathetic, you book a tour:you will get disappointed. You may not go...Don't book any trip with them.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Changed itinerary in the morning of the tour.
We booked a 4 day safari with two nights in Seronera, Serengeti. They changed the itinerary in the morning when the safari started. We ended up having 1 night in Seronera and therefore no full day in the Serengeti. This way it is cheaper for them as we spent the first night outside the parks, that is why they did it. Given this change we wanted a discount of around 100$. They said we can have 20$ discount and if we do not accept we can have all the money back and leave. That was in the morning when the safari should have started. They could well have informed us the evening before when we paid, but they did not. As the choice was between no safari and changed itinerary we decided to join. The car was the oldest moving thing you can imagine and broke down in the middle of the savanna. They did not have tools with them to repair it. They did not have walkie talkies to call somebody for help. They did not have a rope in the car to tow away the car by another bypassing car. Imagine you get stuck in a water hole? In the end they repaired the car with the leather-man of another tourist who was in a car which stopped to help us. We ended up missing the last hour of our late evening safari because we had to bring other passengers to their camp. As we were very lucky we ended up seeing all the animals the next morning, but that was really pure luck. The parks are great and the guide was very friendly and did his best given the means he was given by the company. Again this was pure luck, all the other guides of the same company seamed not very competent. Food was ok. The overall organization done by the company was horrible. We booked with Trip Advisor Africa Safari, but basically this internet companies are selling their costumers to a Tanzanian operator. Ours operator was Sandland tours of Abraham Shaidi. The itinerary change was apparently the fold of Trip Advisor Africa Safari and its owner Seth Vincent. The bad equipment of the car is the fold of Shaidi. So even if you book with other companies ask for the operator and check its reviews.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A DISASTER OF SAFARI COMPANY!!
A sorrow punishes our safari in Bostwana. It is a wonderful country but this company, Bush Baby Calls, is an authentic disaster. A total incompetence beginning for his manager, Mogakolodi Serumola, who far from helping ourselves did that our experience was an almost a hell. It took breakfasts from us, show restraint, you have dinner, it changed the housings, some of them were lacking even water to have a shower. It made us pay income to parks in spite of having them full. It tried to take us one day in Chobe and the worse thing is that always he was hiding and it was never facing the consequences. For not saying that one day in the Okavango his guide was not finding the camp and we had to sleep in a few huts of a few villagers. In end, an authentic disaster and the manager the incompetent person.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
THE WORST SAFARI COMPANY EVER!!
We pay to this company, Bush Baby Calls, for a safari of 13 days, 12 nights and it was the worst safari that we have never done (and already we have done several). We had many problems of logistics and his manager, Mogakolodi Serumola, never helped us. Only it worried about receiving the money. It took breakfasts from us, show restraint, you have dinner, housings in campsites foreseen, it made us pay income to park of our pocket, took us game drives... an authentic shame. Even one night his guide left wire drawing us in the middle of the bush because he was not finding the camp and we had to sleep in the huts of the local some. And the manager never faced the consequences. An authentic calamity of company. A misfortune could have happened for his pathetic management of the safari. An authentic swindle of company.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
This company stole our deposit, made zero bookings, and now will not respond to emails
We have been scammed by this company (It Started in Africa) and cheated out of USD 3,300.
We have been thinking about an African safari for a long time. In July 2017 we started looking into safari companies and selected It Started in Africa based on excellent previous reviews. We contacted then, they sent us an itinerary. After several exchange of emails, we decided to go ahead with them, and wired them a deposit of about USD 3,300.
After this, things started going south. They did not initially send us any confirmations of any bookings at the lodges which we had requested. After many emails, they sent us pictures of lodge invoices, which all showed that the amounts were still payable to the lodges. We contacted each individual lodge, and each one said that they did not have any bookings with this safari company. They had previous bookings, which got cancelled as this company did not send them the advance payment out of the deposit that we had paid.
We also read about several other reviews that indicated that this company had scammed many others out of their money recently, and they had gone bankrupt.
Now we are in a state of panic as we seem to have lost our money, and we do not have any safari reservations at any lodge. Our emails to them are now going un-answered.
If any one has been able to get their money back, please post on this review board on how they went about it.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
DANGER!! A genuine Swindle of touroperator in Bostwana.
The worst safari ever!!
Last October we went away to Bostwana a group of 6 persons in a safari of 13 days, 12 nights. We contract months before across the local agency Bush Baby Calls LTD since the price that offered us for the itinerary for that we look was not bad (The major mistake that we committed). His manager, such a Mogakolodi Serumola, was the one who was answering to our post office on our doubts. To reserve he asked us for an anticipation of 50 % of the price of the safari. Hitherto all good, but when we come there everything was from bad to worse and almost at all it was adjusting to what we contract. Our safari would begin in victory Falls and from there we would go to the Kalahari to be rising for the Delta of the Okavango. The manager, a scoundrel, only faced the consequences the day of beginning of the safari to appear and, overcoat, to take the rest of the money. Then it never faced the consequences in spite of living through situations of extreme gravity. Always he was throwing the fault to his workers. (In spite of being whom I receive and with whom we contract, the very inept one was exempting his responsibilities blaming his workers as if his workers were not of his responsibility).
To begin, the first day took from us the food that was included (also we had to pay to us of our pocket the breakfast in the hotel K1 in spite of being included in the price). It did us to lodge at Matswere Gate's very same entry and not at the approved camping. It made us encamp opposite a few destroyed and sickening baths riddled with scorpions and spiders (we have photos). In addition one of the clients was a major person and we ask him expressly that we wanted the shop of encamping with bath in his interior since this person was needing in the nights of going to the bath. It ignored and this 70-year-old person, I spend an authentic Calvary every night. His workers were excusing themselves of everything and were sending us to speaking with the manager, such a Mogakolodi Serumola that was never giving solutions and was escaping of everything. For limit, the land rover that gave to us (a land cruiser) defective wine with the ruadas in poor condition (even that of supply). In the first days the wheels failed in diverse occasions and we lost a lot of time changing them. In a safari you can puncture because it is normal; what is not normal is to come already of before hand with all the ruined ruadas, especially when the voyage for the country was going to be hard. But the worse thing was for coming, to the third day we were preparing to leave the desert to go to Moremi and they returned to trump the tyres. They left wire drawing us in the middle of the desert more than 4 hours.! Without water or coverage to call nobody!! He had to be a companion the fact that sim was giving his card to the driver in order that it could call the manager because none of the workers had balance. After a few hours ms late, the manager us tarjo a wheel to be able to go out of there (they were trumping 3 wheels and only it us brought one). We ask for explanations him for the condition of the car and of our safari of evening in Moremi that we it had lost since we do not come in time to the reservation and he said to us that we should not worry that we would do safari by night. Obviously it was a lie. We did not do safari not in the evening not by night in spite of having paid them. This it was the last time that we saw the manager. Nevermore it faced the consequences in spite of the multiple incidents that we would continue having and his vague promises of which it would be there or it is. A person's fraud.
We come to Moremi and, not only we did not do safari of evening by night since it us nor had promised, if not that the camp was a disaster. The showers had not even water. In spite of being almost 5 hours thrown in the desert of the Kalahari more the distance that we had to cross there was no water in the showers. The minimal thing that it is necessary to to do before sending a few clients to a place (independently of what they pay) is to make sure that expires with the minimal services. It did not even do it. It had clear that it was not going to face the consequences and his employees were not moving a finger invoking that they did not know anything. Everything was a disaster. We were thinking that already at all it could go to worse. And we are wrong.The car was continuing so bad. Stopping every little for the condition of the wheels. They promised us to change it when we were coming to Maun and, again, they us lied. They did not do it.
In Khwai it happened a little that I do not wish anybody. Already everything was a disaster. This man had ruined the vacations and it never faced the consequences. When we come to the area of Khwai proceeding Moremi's, we did safari in route until there came the hour of returning to the camp. The case is that for very incredible that it seems …! We never come!. The chauffeur put to look for the camp and … he did not find it. It started raining, key the night and the driver continued turning looking for the camp and …! Nothing!. The people started becoming very nervous until it made clear to us that he was not finding the campsite, which was not where it had to be. It was a closed night, was raining and was not giving us solutions. We demand to speak with the manager and it was not answering this one to the telephone. It gave an assault to a companion of stress. Finally it stopped in a position of rangers to explain the situation to them and for our surprise and without saying anything to us, a land rover was raised and left with them. It was totally surrealistic. It left wire drawing us in the middle of the sheet in the middle of the night. We had to sleep without supping on in a few miserable houses of a few women (surely women of rangers) that we find in the middle of the Bush. Two we sleep in the kitchen in the soil and other 4 in the exterior in a minishop because we were not fitting all in the miserable house.! This was already what fulfilled the glass!!. We demand to speak with the manager and it was not answering this one to the telephone. It gave an assault to a companion of stress. Finally it stopped in a position of rangers to explain the situation to them and for our surprise and without saying anything to us, a land rover was raised and left with them. It was totally surrealistic. It left wire drawing us in the middle of the sheet in the middle of the night. We had to sleep without supping on in a few miserable houses of a few women (surely women of rangers) that we find in the middle of the Bush. Two we sleep in the kitchen in the soil and other 4 in the exterior in a minishop because we were not fitting all in the miserable house.! This was already what fulfilled the glass!!. We demand to speak with the manager and it was not answering this one to the telephone. It gave an assault to a companion of stress. Finally it stopped in a position of rangers to explain the situation to them and for our surprise and without saying anything to us, a land rover was raised and left with them. It was totally surrealistic. It left wire drawing us in the middle of the sheet in the middle of the night. We had to sleep without supping on in a few miserable houses of a few women (surely women of rangers) that we find in the middle of the Bush. Two we sleep in the kitchen in the soil and other 4 in the exterior in a minishop because we were not fitting all in the miserable house.! This was already what fulfilled the glass!!. Everything was one it defrauds and they never gave to us solutions. When we come to Chobe, our last stop before returning Victoria Falls, it took from us one night that we had included and paid. Very scoundrel wanted to take us one day in Chobe in spite of having it quite full (invoices, contracts and itineraries in our hand) and it made us pay the income to the park invoking that then would pay it to us. Lie did not pay them (we have the income to the park) again, ever.
In end, a hell of trip with a disastrous company. The worse thing through that I have never lived in my trips. A manager who is a scoundrel and a compulsive liar. Flee of this company. Do not leave you to be deceptive either for his initial comity or for his prices. The cheap thing works out expensive (to us very expensive). Only I regret not having had time to denounce him in Kasane.
