IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Tour Operator in Kenya
Hi,
Thanks for your wonderful trip organised . Would definitely recommend for any one who travels to kenya.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari experience!
Our safari with Asili Explorer was very good fun. Our guide Joseph was very knowledgeable, an excellent driver and always ready to seek out the best animal viewing experience for us. We saw it all - lions feeding on buffalo, hyenas circling, a sleepy leopard in a tree, hippos frolicking in the mud, and so much more! The safari was reasonably priced, the parks we visited (Tarangire, Ngorogoro Crater and Serengeti) were spectacular and the food was great too...thank you Asili for such a great safari experience!
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very professional people with excellent suggestions on places to visit
I had an excellent time, easy planning and excecution by the kiboko team
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Safari
From the initial enquiry and booking to the time of de briefing at the Coffee Lodge in Arusha everything worked like clockwork. We visited all the major national parks outside Arusha and spent a week in Zanzibar, we appreciated the free spice tour. The accommodation was just as described and our guide Peter was exceptional.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
August 2015 Safari with Eastco – Issues and Warnings
My wife, Robin, and I recently returned from a 22 day (Aug. 6 – Aug. 27) northern circuit safari arranged through Eastco. Being our first time in Africa I would like to thank all of the contributors here for the information they provided while I trolled around the forums researching and planning our trip. I’ve been waiting to post this review while negotiating a refund with Simon King, owner of Eastco.
First let me say that the Tanzanian people are wonderful to be around and the parks and animals are truly amazing. We never once felt unsafe or threatened in our travels. I believe our guide James was outstanding, not only did he find a ton of animals for us but he also imparted a tremendous amount of knowledge to us. He is also just a great person to be around.
While we did have a “Trip of a Lifetime” we both feel that it was in spite of Eastco and not because of them. The only good thing we can say about them is James. He was put in some tough situations by Simon and worked hard to get us the best experience possible. We booked with Eastco because Simon said he could provide everything we wanted in our itinerary and get us into the accommodations we requested while the other providers we talked to were hesitant on some things. Back in 2014 when we started the booking process there weren’t as many negative reviews of Eastco as there seem to be now. After going with them for our safari my advice would be to find another company to book your trip through. The people, parks and animals of Tanzania are a given while the tour operator should enhance your experiences; however the failures by Eastco added stress into our trip. I only wish I could recommend James as a guide separate from Eastco.
Here was our final itinerary as negotiated and agreed upon with Simon.
day 1 - Evening arrival Arusha (jro) w/ overnight African Tulip Hotel
day 2 - Explore Arusha with EastCo Guide w/ overnight African Tulip Hotel
day 3 - Morning drive to Tarangire, afternoon game drive w/ overnight Tarangire Safari Lodge
day 4 - Morning, afternoon game drive, Tarangire w/ overnight Boundary Hill Lodge
day 5 - Morning Maasai visit Tarangire Conservation Area, afternoon game drive Tarangire
Night game drive Tarangire Conservation Area w/ overnight Boundary Hill Lodge
day 6 - Morning walking safari, Tarangire Conservation Area
Afternoon drive to Babati for canoe ride on Lake w/ overnight White Rose Guest House
day 7 - Day Trip to Kolo rock art w/ overnight White Rose Guest House
day 8 - Morning, afternoon cultural visits Babati (TBD) w/ overnight White Rose Guest House
day 9 - Morning drive to Mto Wa Mbu, cultural walk around town w/ lunch
Afternoon drive to Lake Eyasi w/ overnight Tindiga Camp
day 10 - Morning Hadzabe visit, afternoon Datoga visit w/ overnight Gibbs Farm
day 11 - Late morning drive to Ngorongoro, hike in Conservation area w/overnight Sopa Lodge
day 12 - Early morning Ngorongoro Crater Game Drive
Afternoon drive to Serengeti Seronera valley w/ overnight Kati Kati Camp
day 13 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Central w/ overnight Kati Kati Camp
day 14 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Central w/ overnight Kati Kati Camp
day 15 - Drive to Serengeti Mara w/ overnight Serengeti North Wilderness Camp
day 16 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Mara w/ overnight Serengeti North Wilderness Camp
day 17 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Mara w/ overnight Serengeti North Wilderness Camp
day 18 - Morning, afternoon game drive Serengeti Mara w/ overnight Serengeti North Wilderness Camp
day 19 - Drive to Lake Natron through Klein's Gate w/ overnight Lake Natron Camp
day 20 - Morning Fossil footprints, flamingos on Lake Natron
Afternoon drive to Tarangire Conservation Area w/ overnight Naitolia Camp
day 21 - Morning walking safari along Sand River, w/ overnight Boundary Hill Lodge
day 22 - Morning transfer to Arusha, dayroom at Arusha Hotel, afternoon transfer to jro
Here is a short list of what failed to meet our expectations or didn’t happen according to our itinerary.
day2 - Simon showed up late at the hotel for final payment, after which he called to let James know to
stop by and pick us up. We didn’t get started exploring Arusha until almost noon.
day4 - Charged for additional (Un-purchased) Tarangire entrance permit.
day6 - Accommodations changed without notice from the White Rose Guest House to The Winners Hotel.
day7 - Accommodations changed without notice from the White Rose Guest House to The Winners Hotel.
day7 - Accommodations changed without notice from the White Rose Guest House to The Winners Hotel.
Cultural visit in Babati consisted of a walk around town.
day9 - Eastco made no reservation for us to stay at Tindiga Camp.
day10 - We had to pay Tindiga Camp fee ourselves even though we had already paid Eastco in advance.
Range Rover broke down and we were delayed for a few hours.
day11 - Accommodations changed without notice from Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge to Wildlife Lodge.
We had requested the Sopa Lodge specifically to allow an early morning start into the Crater.
Eastco booked us into the worst room at Wildlife Lodge, directly under the dining area so we
could hear all the chairs, tables and people moving about right over our heads.
day12 - No early morning start into the Crater as Eastco didn’t pay for the permit until after 10:00.
We didn’t enter the Crater until 11:30 and were leaving by 1:30 including a lunch break. We
only had 1 ½ hours in the crater an then because of the late start it was a mad dash to get out
of Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the one 24 hour permit.
Charged for additional (Un-purchased) Ngorongoro Conservation Area entrance permit.
Acquired Serengeti permit good for only one 24 hour period instead of all seven planed days.
We specifically requested at the tented camps to be at the far end of the row away from the
main gathering areas. We were put in tent number one right next to the dinning tent.
day13 - Returned to airport twice to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period
because the first time there was not enough money on card.
day14 - At lunch we were told that we would have to go back to camp, pack up and change camps
because KatiKati was full and Eastco had only booked us for two nights not the three that we
paid for. Only the efforts of the camp manager allowed us to stay, Eastco would have made us
move. We both felt that the camp manager was working harder for us than Eastco.
Returned to airport to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period.
day15 - On the drive to the Mara area we were told that we didn’t have a place to stay yet but they
were working on booking two nights each at two different camp, not the four nights at
Serengeti North Wilderness Camp like we had paid for. This meant an extra move in between
camps. We stayed at Savanna Mara Camp.
Stopped at the airport to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period.
day16 – Accommodations changed from Serengeti North Wilderness Camp to Savanna Mara Camp.
Returned to airport to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period.
day17 - Had to pack up in the morning because of the change in camps.
Accommodations changed from Serengeti North Wilderness Camp to Kenzan Mara Camp.
Put into tent that smelled like it had a sewer leak.
Returned to airport to extend Serengeti permit for one extra 24 hour period.
day18 - Accommodations changed from Serengeti North Wilderness Camp to Kenzan Mara Camp.
day20 - Range Rover broke down and was not fixable. We were stranded beside the road for several
hours until a friend of James showed up to drive us onto our next destination while he
stayed with the vehicle in order to get it repaired.
day22 – When James arrived to take us into Arusha the Range Rover had a broken motor mount so
we had to drive very carefully back to town.
Eastco did not book a dayroom for us at the Arusha Hotel that we paid them for in advance.
Simon was “out of town” and unavailable for a review of how our trip went or to reimburse us .
We feel one of the biggest failures was not being booked into the accommodations we requested and paid for in advance. This was one of the very reasons we chose Eastco because Simon said he would put us into the places we wanted to stay. By the end of the trip I got the feeling that they were waiting until the last minute to book our camps and trying to get the cheapest place they could find. It would explain why we almost got kicked out of KatiKati Camp, didn’t get into Wilderness Camp, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, the White Rose and in general got such bad rooms and tent locations. We paid deposits more than a year in advance to reserve these locations and specific dates with payment in full being made before leaving Arusha so there is no excuse for our accommodations being changed without warning. Of course, worst of all was having to pay twice at Tindiga Camp. We paid Eastco in advance and then we had to pay again at the camp because of Eastco’s nonpayment. Not only that, but we paid Eastco a markup for the privilege of paying twice. The uncertainty of where we would be staying each night definitely added stress into our trip.
Another big failure, there was never enough money to pay for entrance permits. Again it seemed to be a day to day thing even though we paid the total amount to Simon in cash. This meant that we only got to spend 1 ½ hours in Ngorongoro Crater and while in the Serengeti our days were arranged around daily trips back to the airports to renew our permit. The constant permit renewal situation, never knowing if we were going to get into or be able to stay in a particular park just added a little more stress. Eventually we began questioning what experiences we were missing because of the frequent airport stops.
Now a few words about the general condition of the Range Rover we were in. But first let me say that I grew up in rural Oregon in a small logging town so I know what beat up trucks are like and what rough roads can do to them. I have ridden in and driven them my whole life. That being said, this vehicle was in terrible shape and ill equipped to send paying clients out in the bush for an extended trip. It only had one spare tire, no radio, no air conditioner and no shovel or any other recovery equipment. While the tires did have decent tread on them they were street tires not traction tires. Two of the four doors didn’t open properly and neither did the tail gate. The weather seals around the doors, windows and tail gate were all in bad shape. This allowed dust to flow into the interior and coat everything inside including us, not to mention the constant rattling. The motor was so worn out that it had no power when pulling up even the smallest hill and the shocks were so weak that they could not control the wheel bounce on the wash boarded roads making for some long and rough travel days. I know this might sound like a lot of nit picking, but you spend the majority of your time in the vehicle so its condition is important.
We first started noticing that every time there was a small hill the Range Rover would lose power, slow way down and a huge amount of black diesel smoke would pour out of the tail pipe. This became acute climbing up Ngorongoro from Karatu and then out of the crater the next day and it only seemed to get worse as the trip went along. I really didn’t think it would last the entire trip.
We had two break downs, the first occurred on the way back from Lake Eyasi to Karatu on Day10, one of the water hoses sprung a leak and the motor began to overheat. After some time James was able to make a bush repair and we were able to limp into Karatu where he fixed it properly the next day.
The second was on Day20 when we drove from Lake Natron back to Boundary Hill Lodge. Just after passing through Mto Wa Mbu the front pinion gear ate itself and locked up the differential. We were stranded along the road side until one of James’s friends came to take Robin and myself on to Boundary Hill. We didn’t see James again until the morning of Day22 when he showed up to take us to the airport. However as we loaded up James informed us that the Range Rover now had a broken motor mount so we would have to take it nice and slow on the way back to Arusha. We feel very lucky the breakdowns didn’t happen far out in the bush because that would have left us stranded for much longer periods of time than we were.
Our biggest disappointment was that Simon didn’t feel it was necessary to contact us once while we were on the trip to explain what was going on, nor did he feel compelled to meet with us afterwards. The uncertainty of Eastco’s multiple failures added so much stress to our trip that it made it difficult at times to enjoy the incredible places we were traveling through.
Upon returning home I’ve been in email contact with Simon and negotiated a refund payment of $800 for all the things we were charged for but Eastco didn’t deliver. It’s been over a month now and all I get from him is one excuse after another. At this point in time I feel that I will not receive compensation for the over charges and forced double payments. Simon will tell you want you want to hear when you are planning a trip but he doesn’t feel obligated in any way to deliver what he charges for. After considering everything that happened to us on our trip we feel that he is dishonest and someone we would never do business with again. If you have booked a trip through him good luck, if you are considering using him, don’t.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jobovic Safaris was absolutely wonderful - best safari ever!
From start to finish, my experience with Jobovic Safaris was excellent. The booking process was easy and simple and all the information I needed to prepare for the safari was provided. Before arriving for the safari, Jobovic Safaris touched base regarding the pickup details and they were waiting for us when we exited the airport. The safari was a blast - we saw a ton of wildlife, camped in stellar campsites, ate amazing food, and had a blast with our safari hosts and fellow travel members. I cannot say enough how much I loved the safari and would highly recommend Jobovic to anyone. Africa is an amazing place and Jobovic went above and beyond to ensure we experienced Africa. Thank you, Jobovic for a trip of a lifetime. I cannot wait to go back to Africa again someday soon!
NG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome Experience...Great Value...
Awesome...Awesome...Awesome, was hosting friends in Kenya who had attended my wedding, and we decided to do a safari. Had 'googled' and contacted quite a number of safari tour companies. From the 1st call to BBS there was a clear distinction..
- They were professionals, had a clear itinerary for the safari that fitted into the number of days we wanted and the budget...spot on..great value
- The tour drivers/guides were courteous & very knowledgeable, the camp was decent
I look forward to visiting again, hoping I catch the wildebeest migration in 2016
I've recommended 2 friends to BBS and they've all had positive reviews and comment.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely fantastic experience
We did the 5-Day Experience Tanzania in Luxury Lodges with World Tours and it was truly amazing. Our guide Felix was great - really friendly and super knowledgable. The standard of accommodation we stayed in was superb and the food there was really good - even the packed lunches they provided were of a high standard. The real stars of the show though were of course the animals and the spectacular landscapes in which they live. We loved every minute of this trip and would like to thank World Tours for taking care of us. First class!
CA
Reliable and Excellent
We heard of Baboon Budget Safaris by bumping into Bill in the Central Business District of Nairobi on a quiet Saturday. We had not planned any safari tour and Bill talked us into walking to their offices nearby. There, we met the rest of the staff who were very cordial. We ended up booking our tour and Michael scheduled for an early pick-up at our hotel. The tour was awesome!!! We loved every minute of it. The driver was an expert tour guide and we also loved the fact that it was extremely affordable! We appreciate their service, and Bill for stopping us in the middle of the street, even though it seemed a bit sketchy at that time. Thank you Bill for stopping us, you made our stay in Nairobi unforgettable!
Asante sana!
FR
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was unforgetable experience, very rich, would love to do it again.
Four years back, I went on a similar Safari with another company, but somehow my Safari with Asili Explorer was really a wonderful one. My friends who were visiting for the first time loved it. They would love to come back. The personnel were very friendly. we had no problem with the car, the guide went so far as to show us places beyond the price we paid for. I recommend strongly Asili Explorer to any one who would wish to have a wonderful time.