IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible experience with no accountability - Never pay in advance
This is a perfect example of an operator who will not care about you, once the money is in his pocket. I booked a 3 day plan for Ngorongoro, manyara and Tarangire.
As part of the safari, my requirement was to take night shots and early morning shots at the crater rim of Ngorongoro crater. For which I was carrying a tripod and other equipment. I booked through Mercury and specifically asked them over email, whether there is night stay at the crater rim, to which he responded YES.
When I actually reached Arusha, I was told about some other contact person (apparently from a 'sister' company). The jeep i got in was a shared jeep & they told me there is no crater night stay and it is only for people who go INTO Serengeti. The contact person Mr Loy in Arusha just forced me to go saying that he will make sure he talks to the agency and gets this sorted. (i didn't really have a choice, given that i had already made half the payment in advance)
When i was in Tarangire on the first day, and trying to call / message, all i heard was Mr Loy in Arusha blaming Mr Ndamungu in Mercury and vice versa.
It was such a depressing situation for me as a tourist, that i finally gave up.
In case you decide to book with them, please be advised that even if they commit to something, it might not happen. And they will ask you to be "flexible"
Experience level: first safari
Disappointing. Avoid traveling with Kapolondo Expeditions.
I booked and paid well in advance for a 6 day mid range lodge safari. I ended up on a budget group safari.
On arrival late at night at Kilimanjaro airport I was met (thankfully - after reading a few reviews I had been nervous that nobody would be there!) and we begun our drive to Arusha, only for the safari vehicle to break down almost immediately. 21/2 hours later we crawled in to Arusha. The vehicle continued to have problems throughout the safari.
On Safari none of the accomodation had been booked in advance. I only stayed at 1 hotel that was on my itinerary (and it was empty of guests). Tony seemed to find the cheapest accomodation going on the day.
At one point Tony told me that the lodge I had booked was full so given that the owners of this lodge owned another accomodation in the local area I would go there. In turn I went to the lodge to ask them about their hotel being full. Turns out both were lies. The lodge was by no means full and the lodge did not own another hotel nearby.
We had to wait for several hours at Serengeti National Park and also Tarangire National Park as the company credit card did not have enough funds to cover the entry fees. Tony finally added funds but with a lengthy and irritating delay. Time spent hanging around at the entrance, watching all the other safari vehicles heading in to the parks was not particularly fun!
The only positive for which I am very thankful is that our driver Bruno (freelance driver) took great care to make sure we saw some amazing sights. He was a fabulous driver, knows the parks very well, taught us about the animals and made sure our journey was as magical as possible.
I have since written to Tony asking for a refund for the sub standard accomodation and the time wasting. He's not particularly repsponsive and when he does he makes up things.
I think the bottom line is, the guy doesn't seem to care. The company has such potential to be a very successful business but the way it is currently being managed, I don't believe it will last much longer.
Do yourself a favour and choose one of the many reputable safari companies, to avoid the stress and worry we had to deal with on the journey.
Happy Safari.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely fantastic!
After considering various other providers, we chose Asili Explorer as they were a local tour operator and they provided a friendly service, fast response and comprehensive information about various options. Joe (the owner) was very accommodative to our requirements and interests, allowing us to design a perfect schedule for our 4-day safari in Ngorongoro and Serengeti national parks.
The safari exceeded our highest expectations - it proved to be the most memorable, authentic and fantastic travel experience ever! There is no better guide-driver than Enock Fabiani, who relentlessly worked on making it the best safari for us - with his 'hawk-eyes' he was able to detect all wild animals we wished to see, and many more - in addition to the 'Big 5', we also saw the great wildebeest migration, a cheetah attacking a wildebeest, 4 lion brothers feeding and leopard eating his meal in a tree. Enock was always patient with us, and made sure we were comfortable and happy, providing various timetable options with pros and cons for us to choose from. He has a rare, authentic passion for his job and pure love for animals and nature, which showed in his ability to tell us everything about the animals/safari and even connect with the animals so as to tell if we met them again or when they were hungry/hunting/aggressive vs. meek.
We were so pleased with our 4-day safari that we decided to do another 2-day safari after that – with Enock taking us to Manyara and Tarangire this time. Again, fantastic time!
Although the accommodation Asili offered (from lux bush camps to bungalows) were impressive & comfortable, they were still able to provide a competitive and fair offering for us.
Thank you so much Enock and Joe for our fabulous safaris! Hope to see you again soon!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You Cannot Do Better than Asili Explorers
Our safari to the Serengeti was amazing. Asili Explorers is a locally managed tour operator, not one of the larger outfits out of Nairobi. Joe Kessey offered personal service as we planned the trip. He found us wonderful accommodations throughout our safari and planned the side trip to Oldupai Gorge. Our guide, Epatha, is simply the best. A 20 year veteran of safaris to the Serengeti, he has an uncanny ability to spot camouflaged animals. He is extremely knowledgeable about all of that we saw and is an excellent teacher.
We could not have done better than our selection of Asili Explorers.
FR
Awful Customer Experience
While the tour to the Masai Mara and the lodge where we stayed was very nice, my experience with Bonfire Adventures as a customer has been quite a disaster from the beginning till the end.
Here is why:
- First the company forced us to pay the entire amount of the safari upfront while no other safari company has ever asked for that and leaving us with absolutely no guarantee and no leverage
- Secondly our driver was unresponsive at the time of the meeting and ended up showing more than hour late without even apologising. This led us to be stuck in traffic for hours when our drive could have been much shorter if we had departed on time.
- Thirdly when we showed up for the first time at the gate of the Masai Mara park the network did not work and we could not pay by credit card. Our driver almost blamed us not to have cash for the entrance fees while the company had told us we would have to pay the entrance fees by card and we had to negotiate to be able to get in.
- Fourthly, we were charged for our lunch on our way back to Nairobi on the third day while the safari package indicates a Full Board for the three days (the itinerary even mention that you will only go back at 4pm to Nairobi - way after lunch time) and never mentions any extra cost for this last lunch.
- Lastly and the most annoying, my luggage was lost on the way back to Nairobi and the company did not provide with any type of compensation while the luggage was under their responsibility. The only excuse they could come up with was "this has never happened before" which of course does not help solving the issue at all.
Therefore I would strongly advise against using them for any type of safari of excursion.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Warning - Do not send money!
Company is bankrupt! Two weeks after we transferred the desposit the sales people told us that the company is not responding to any calls or emails.
We lost 2.000 USD, we are really angry. It seems like there is no way of getting the money back. What a horrible start of our vacation. I hope not too many customers are affected.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This company is fraudulent! I lost $2900! SCAM. Do not book!
I, like so many others on these reviews, paid thousands of dollars to It Started In Africa. We have lost all of the money. The owners claim the company who they subcontract for advertising took the money. It is absolutely untrue. We wired the money directly to ownership. Clients were stranded, and in our case, we lost $2,900.
Per our contract, I attempted to get out of our safari, as the contract clearly states that I may do so and take a 20% loss. I chose this option over taking a chance on this horrific company after clients began posting that they were being left stranded on their trips. I have now submitted two requests and the owner is no longer responding.
I am now seeking legal counsel in Tanzania and working with government agencies that oversee tour companies in the hopes of legally prosecuting this fraudulent company. Please read the reviews so many of us have posted. We have lost so much money.
US
Serengeti at its best
Every day was different in the Serengeti, from being part of the migration, to sipping cocktails over the magnificent sunsets. Watching nature at its best, being immersed in one of the wonders of the world, was largely due to the expert assistance of our guide, driver, and now, friend, Herman. His knowledge and passion of his country and it's geographic marvels, the animals, birds, culture and customs, is outstanding. All made very easy to us travelers, with his easygoing and patient manner.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An extremely enlightening and accomodating experience from someone who uses a wheelchair daily.
I require the full time use of a manual wheelchair so I knew my safari experience was going to need some special considerations. The staff at EASTCO were extremely helpful in mapping out a safari where i could experience all the wonders that a safari should include. I was able to partake in both the gorilla and chimpanzee treks as well as the daily game drives and general camp life.
I can highly recommend this safari company to anyone with mobility issues, just talk with the staff about your needs and they do anything possible to accommodate them.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The Trip of a Lifetime!
Absolutely amazing safari from Entebbe, Uganda through to Arusha in Tanzania. In 20 days we visited 9 National Parks, with the absolute highlights being the Chimpanzees in Kibale, the tree climbing lions in Ishasha (Queen Elizabeth II N.P), the famous gorillas in Bwindi, 5 days in the Serengeti (lions, leopards, cheetahs!), the wildebeest migration, the beauty of Ngorongoro Crater and the elephants in Tarangire N.P. 18 of these nights were camping in tents with the last 2 being lodge accommodation. With such a big safari to organise and cater for I was amazed at how smooth and easy everything was for us all. Absolutely everything was taken care from setting-up/taking-down camps, cooked meals, transport, park entries, safety and of course once in a lifetime experiences.
Personally, this was something I've been wanting to do for many years now and I couldn't be happier with how everything went. Cannot recommend the East African Safari & Touring Company highly enough for anyone looking to do a proper safari anywhere in East Africa. They are your best contact, hands down. Anything you want they can sort it for you. Thanks again guys :)
