CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very Corrupt
We were completely taken advantage of by Tony of Kapolondo Expeditions. We inquired through this website for a 5 day safari. We were responded to promptly and given a quote for a private tour for two persons. We paid ahead of time and thought everything was fine until Tony picked us up from where we were staying and took us to a supermarket to get in the jeep. There were 3 other people in the jeep. When I told Tony that he had booked us on a private tour, he said there must have been some confusion. I didn't have the emails printed with me then so I told him we would have to look at it and fix it. What I didn't know then either was that I was being sent with a different company 'Sandlot Tours' and we would never see Tony again. I thought we would be able to work it out with him along the way. I have all the proof that says I booked a private tour and was charged for one. I also have the proof of payment from the other people on the tour who paid half the price we did. I had our guide get a hold of Tony who said that he would sort it out when we got back. He was supposed to transport us back to our hotel at the end as per his agreement with Sandlot Tours (which we didn't know), but he didn't show up and we were stranded in Arusha and had to find our own way back. I believe he didn't want to come meet us because I would have help him to his mistake. He will not respond to any emails I send him now even though he was very prompt before the tour. I just want the difference in money back. At first I thought he had just made an honest mistake and would fix it when he had the chance, but now I realize that he is very corrupt. I had an good time on the safari, we saw lots of wildlife, but we were definitely on the most budget tour I saw and if I paid the same as the other people I would be very happy. As it stands, I feel completely taken advantage of and I can't believe that safari bookings works with such a corrupt company!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not use Bramwel Safaris, they owe me $1100!!!!!
Do not use Bramwel Safaris!!!!!! They owe me $1100!!!!!!
I Booked a 7 day Private tour safari through them in September, I paid $5000 for this. One, our driver was terrible, he did not give us any information or facts, like a tour guide should do. When we would ask to stop to see wildlife he would ignore us and keep driving, but he would stop and talk to every other tour guide we passed. It was like we were on HIS time. When we got to the serengeti park entrance the drivers card to pay the park fees & lodging declined. Now I have already paid for this in advance so where is that money?.....they asked me to use my card and William Amon promised he would pay me in cash when we returned from the park. We had paid $530 to stay at the Ngorogoro Crater hotel which we did not get to stay in. Again, something I had already paid for. I had one request throughout the entire safari (booking a private tour they advertise you can change the itinerary to your needs, apparently not true), William had promised he would make it happen, then it was excuse after excuse as to why he could not do what I asked & it was a simple request. Our driver got fined while in the park, and that somehow was my fault. I should not have to get into an argument with the driver and William while on vacation. That is not what you expect or pay for.
They advertise ice cold water to drink throughout the safari. The so called cooler in the vehicle does not work. Since Sept 16th I have been trying to get refunded the $1100 William Amon & Bramwell Safaris owe me and I have gotten nothing but excuses. Originally he said he wired the money & it would hit in 7 business days. 7 days later of course no money, I emailed him and he said something went wrong......Yeah, bank wires do not go through if you do not have any money!!!!! Then it was going to be wired Oct 15th, It has been nothing but a series of BS excuses since!!! I am extremely dissastisfied with the service of this company & the people working for it, & the amount of lies that have been told to me. They are very dishonest and do not provide what they advertise on their website I paid a lot of money for a safari that was terrible due to the company we used, the driver, and William who ripped me off!!!!
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dauda is more then just a tourguide
I spend 10 days with my sister to visit my son and his study compagnon during their intership in Kampala. Going into the organised chaos of Kampala on your own is almost impossible. What we did with Dauda in one day would take us a few days if we would have to do that on our own. He is an excellent driver and there wasnt a moment i didnt feel safe with him in the car. Something i did experience with the other ways of transportation in Kampala more then once. You can just call him, tell him what you wanna see and he will make it possible. And if you wanna stay a bit longer, make a stop somewhere, change the program a bit, just tell him and he will take care of it. We also went with him on a 3 day tour to the source of the Nile and the Sipi Falls. Some days away out of the crazyness of Kampala. Wauw that was a great experience. He listend to our wishes and translated it into a perfect tour. Specially the place he took us close to Ninja, with the beautifull view on the Nile was what impressed me the most and the yoga session with view on the Nile gave the 2 hard workers an huge boost of energy. I want to come back to Uganda to visit the wildparks and specially track the chimpansees. And i definit gonna give Dauda a call to take make a perfect fit tour for us.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Effective communication and exceptional service.
We booked a conference package with Sally & Andy from ATC and we were pleasantly surprised by their attention to details and great service. I would recommend ATC very highly to anyone looking for a professional company to handle the entire reservation process.
EG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very professional and extremely organized. The safari was nothing less than spectacular.
Everything went exactly as planned. We wanted to see a hunt and the great migration and we were able to do both thanks to the guidance of our guide.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ngorongoro and Serengeti
My family went for our first safari with Joe in January. He offered a nice price and good service. The lunch box made by his wife is the best among all the lunch boxes we have eaten. With him, we have seen lots of lions and all the big fives and even the wildebeest migration. He knows how to communicate with other guides which makes him know the location of every interesting spots. He not only showed us around the habitats of the animals but also explained their behaviors. Among all the activities, morning game drive is our favorite. Joe took us to a very good location to shoot the sunrise which enabled me to have the best sunrise photo of my life.
I have to say I would like to recommend Joe to others to have a special experince in Tanzania!
HR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 day tour (safari + kilimanjaro)
All guides were great, my group was perfect! The organisation was good and I'd definitely recommend them for a solo traveller.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Amazing Ten Day Kenya, Tanzania Safari with Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris
I cannot thank Mr. OT Otieno and Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris enough for the absolutely amazing 10 day safari that Mr. OT and his company arranged for us. My review is long overdue because after our safari, we continued on in Zambia, South Africa, and Qatar for 5 more weeks. So, in order to help people decide if what we chose to do is right for you, I will first give a short highlighted summary, and then will follow with a more detailed version.
We chose a driver/guide type safari and NOT a fly in,out safari because we wanted to see the land and meet more people. The roads are rough, very rough at times. So keep that in mind in what type of transportation you choose. Other roads are perfectly paved and smooth. But you have the whole safari van/ jeep to yourselves. I took some Dramamine because I get motion sick in a tub (seriously) used my jacket as a pillow, and enjoyed the ride because I was in the real world of the Great Masai Warriors, the Great Migration, the fabulous Serengeti and everyday people. We saw it all. We loved it all. We felt safe at all times, even when we heard the lions roaring at night from our tented lodge in the Masai Mara.
We chose the 10 day luxury upgrade Kenya/ Tanzania safari and paid a fraction of the cost that other big name safari companies were charging. (We originally chose the standard tented lodge safari, but we are closer to 70 than 60 years old and wanted a few more comforts. But the standard ensuite lodging probably would have been just fine) Also, only lodging changed when we upgraded, not itinerary or mode of transportation.
The upgraded version included 2 nights Masai Mara at Osero Tented Camp, 2 nights Lake Naivisha at Sopa Lodge, 1 night Amboseli at Kibo Tented Lodge, 1 night Lake Manyara at Serena Lodge, 2 nights Serengeti at Sopa Lodge Serengeti, 1 night Ngorongoro Crater at Bougainvillea Lodge. Several of the places included authentic evening entertainment. (Separate reviews for each lodge will be written under each lodge's name). In summary, each tented lodge/ lodge was beyond luxury, (Osero even had a bath tub) each lodging gave turn down service during which the mosquito netting was set up for extra protection. We never saw a single mosquito in our lodging. There were fans but no AC, but not needed. It really cools off at night as you are pretty highly elevated most of the trip. Hot water bottles were provided in our beds at a couple of places for heart. This was more than enough and we had plenty of blankets. Never slept so well.! (We went end of December/beginning January) They seem to go above and beyond for getting rid of mosquitoes at these camps, lodges. However we still did all the recommended precautions, malaria meds, vaccinations, and sprayed 30% deet morning and night. We were picked up by our first driver, Ken, at our Nairobi hotel(Fairmont Norfolk where we left our 2 big suitcases)got to meet Mr OT, went on our way for 10 glorious days and night, and we were safely returned 10 days later to our Nairobi Hotel, where we stayed for one night before flying onward in Africa.
1. We researched over 500 different safaris and over 100 safari planning companies and decided on Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris (KWSS) because of the high praise and reassuring reviews we read on TripAdvisor and other safari review sites.
2. We chose a locally owned company, (Mr OT, a Kenya native) because we wanted to use a company that gave back to the local community.
3. Mr OT returns emails and phone calls swiftly and thoroughly, even once final payment is made and even while on safari.
4. You must have an open mind to other cultures and be willing to see the real Africa or you may not enjoy yourself.
5. I requested of Mr OT safe, knowledgable drivers. Ken (Kennedy) was our driver/ guide in Kenya and Khalid in Tanzania. They were fantastic drivers, very knowledgable, and courteous beyond fault.
6. My husband did the hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara. He really enjoyed it. But I would not prepay. Too many weather conditions can prevail. You can book it at the Masai Mara lodge. However, if you go in high season, you may want to firm things up, but I still would not prepay. But that would be your call, of course.
7. At the border, you change cars and drivers. I requested that Ken stay with us until we cleared customs and met up with next driver and of course he did.
8. Because roads are very rough in spots you may be lucky enough to have a couple of flat tires along the way or need car repairs, another area we were lucky enough to experience. We met so many more locals and never felt unsafe. Never once felt unsafe. Mr OT 's driver have 2 way radios at all times, as well as phones. And there are other safari vans passing all the time. One flat tire is how we met a family from France. Another flat tire we met many locals who invited us to their local shops for 30 minutes. The drivers always have spares, but the passing drivers all know each other and want to help. I might add that we saw some very pricey safari companies having similar problems along the way. It is one of the chances you take driving with your own driver versus flying. But flats can happen anywhere and do can repairs.
9. I only point out the above #8 in order to help you decide what type of safari to choose. We had fun through it all. Always felt safe. We never once regretted what we chose. (Driving everywhere versus fly in,out safari) I just want to share our experiences and we enjoyed ever single experience. And I will hopefully help you in your decision making.
10. Mr. Ot's drivers knew how to find the animals sooooo well. We saw lions mating from 15 feet away, we saw the Great Migration where it is in January (Serengeti at that time) We saw all big 5 and many many more. Our road blocks were herds of wildebeests crossing or families of elephants, babies included. Our "selfies" were "photo-bombed" by giraffes and monkeys. All meals were included and we had some picnics in the most beautiful spots.
I hope I have given you the "feel" for what our safari experiences were. Please keep in mind that no one can guarantee duplicating any life experience. The safari is what you make it, with Mr OT's help, and your drivers' help, and all the wonderful people you meet. But I can add this, just in case one of your worries is safety: I am an adventurous scaredy-cat. That means I am cautiously adventurous, always, always putting safety first. And I can honestly state the Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris and Mr. OT and his wonderful drivers Ken(Kennedy) and Khalid delivered to us an enjoyable, amazing, safe safari. My husband and I hope that amazing and safe travels will always follow you. Salvador and Nola Lara
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Organization and Experience
Our trip with Congo Discovery Safaris to see the mountain Groillas in the DRC was definitely worth it. The organization of the logistics was very thought through and they were able to get our Visas for the Congo in a very short time. Unfortunately they forgot to tell us beforehand that we need our yellow fever vaccination beforehand, but Barack was very helpful with the process at the border. He is a great guide, very friendly and funny and we enjoyed the trip with him a lot. He always catered to our requests. I would definitely go on a trip with them again.
PK
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