HU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Luxury price, budget experience with plenty of lies and excuses (AVOID!)
I want to share my disappointing experience with the 5-day Kenyan safari my wife and I went on. To put it bluntly, it was far from the “luxury” experience we were promised. I’m sharing this to hopefully save others from the frustration we went through.
0. Lies and Excuses: I first shared my review back in September, and we eventually reached an agreement with the agency for compensation. They claimed to have transferred the funds, but guess what? It never arrived. For nearly a month, we were strung along with endless excuses. Safe to say, our trust in them evaporated.
1. Guide (or rather, driver): We had a “driver-guide” who seemed to only focus on the “driver” part. We expected a knowledgeable guide for the price we paid, but instead, we got someone who could barely tell us the names of animals. We learned more from Google and ChatGPT than from him. His English was poor, and he couldn’t answer basic questions. To top it off, on the first day, he was 20 minutes late, and the vehicle’s fuel tank was empty, so we had to stop for gas. Water for the trip? Had to pick that up, too. Not the best start to a “luxury” safari.
The worst part? The guide didn’t even know the way around. He managed to get us lost in the Maasai Mara on Day 1, and we arrived at our hotel over two hours late. He wasn’t particularly attentive either—no door-opening, lots of time on his phone (without a headset, mind you), and some reckless moves, like speeding through a busy market.
2. Dietary Disregard: Both my wife and I are vegan, and I also need to avoid gluten. I made this clear to Silas multiple times on WhatsApp. He assured us everything was in order. But of course, neither the guide nor the hotel staff had a clue. We had to re-explain at every meal. For three days, we ended up searching shopping malls for vegan food to eat on the go. The “picnic” lunch we got on the last day? A random assortment from a supermarket that cost them maybe $3 per person. Luxury, indeed.
3. Ignored Anniversary Request: I’d told Silas several times that our wedding anniversary would be during the trip, and we’d like a special dinner. He promised to set it up, but the lodge staff had no idea when we arrived. We eventually arranged a bush dinner ourselves, costing us an extra $180.
4. Payment Surprises: Initially, we planned to pay the balance with a card, only to be told there would be an extra 4% fee—something that wasn’t mentioned when we paid the deposit. We ended up doing a bank transfer instead, but the lack of transparency was frustrating.
5. Lack of Pre-Trip Info: There was no pre-trip info about the country, packing tips, or what to expect. While it might seem minor on its own, given the other issues, it was just another sign of how little they cared.
There were other smaller annoyances, but these were the main issues. Right from Day 1, it was clear things were going downhill. I messaged Silas immediately, requesting a different guide. His response? The guide “knew the park” and “breakfast wasn’t typically provided on Day 1” (so why was it on the itinerary?).
All in all, this was a complete letdown. The agency is responsible for hiring competent guides and ensuring dietary requests are communicated, especially when they’ve been assured in advance. My advice? Avoid this agency. Find a reputable company that delivers on its promises.
The cherry on top? We’re still waiting on that “compensation” that never arrived.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fraud
I would recommend you don’t choose this company.
We paid the trip in advance but the company did not arrange our accommodation fee and national park permission fees. AND very bad communication from the owner who promised everything and never get it done. We had to waste a lot of time waiting the company to pay the bill so the hotels would let us leave to our next destination. We wasted 4 hours waiting at the gate of Serengeti and we missed a safari. Most of the time we have to pay by ourselves or it would take forever. The owner never solve the problem just take the money and be emotional….
We bumped into a few other groups who encountered the same situation with this company. Ridiculously, the owner was complaining about we give honest reviews online, and he used this as an excuse for late refund. He even did not pay our tour guide. The end of the story is our driver and our guide called the police for us.
Well, we haven’t received our refund yet, it’s been a long time. I am just so confused where did all these positive reviews came from? I still remember the staff who picked us up his name is good luck. If you decide to go a safari with good luck then your luck is gone, and your money will soon…
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very poor service – money (USD 3,500) is wrongly withheld
Attention – I would advise you be careful with booking with Southern Dynasty Safaris! In March 2024, we booked and paid for a safari worth over USD 8,500. Without any further communication, we were rebooked to their significantly cheaper camp and only found out about it from the pilot himself at the airport. Collins Kollonga, our ‘point of contact’, had completely stopped communicating, even though we repeatedly tried to get in touch and even looked for the office in Zambia (which doesn't even exist). Due to the rebooking to the significantly cheaper camp ‘Khwai Expeditions’, we incurred a financial loss of USD 3,500, which we paid for the luxurious camp ‘Xakanaxa’. Southern Dynasty Safaris simply cashed the money, neither communicated nor discussed alternatives (travel period or destinations) nor offered any other service to us - the trip was more than 6 weeks ago. We advise every guest to be very careful when booking with Southern Dynasty Safaris. We are deeply disappointed.
AT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
fraudulent safari tour
I have never experienced such a fraud safari. At the request of Solomon (head of SCB), we paid for the trip 4 months before the start of the trip (because he supposedly could reserve the best rooms in the lodges this way). For the first four days we were accommodated in construction site hotels (low-quality hotels) instead of the lodges explicitly offered in the offer. Furthermore, the guide was not provided with any money for the tour, but had to contact Solomon before each transaction. Since he "supposedly" had problems with the bank, we had to wait up to 4 hours for gas several times. Then just 10 liters were filled up. For around 70% of the tour we were on reserve fuel and always had to worry about whether we would stop because of a lack of petrol. This happened during a game drive in Queen Elizabeth Park. Solomon supposedly sent the guide on foot to a meeting point with a man who was bringing gas. We (my wife and I) had to spend over an hour alone, in the middle of the national park, without gas (in the middle of wild animals) wait until petrol is available to continue the journey. Then 10 liters were brought. The further refueling was usually between 5 and 12 liters so that you could possibly (if the conditions were good) go to the next lodge or Gas station is coming.
The second time we were in the middle of Bwindi NP on the route to Lake Bunyonyi, when once again the petrol was so low that the guide stopped the vehicle and begged Solomon for petrol. However, he only said that he had no money and sent 20,000 UGS (the equivalent of 5 euros). We would NEVER have made it through the remaining 2 1/2 hours of driving time. In order to prevent us from having to spend the night in the vehicle in the middle of the rainforest during the storm, I paid for gas from my travel fund. Due to the constant delays at the gas stations and lodges (waiting for money to be released), several activities were canceled or could not take place. Among other things, on the way from the lodge to a game drive in Lake Mburo NP, the game drive was canceled because the guide found out via telephone that Solomon had not paid the national park entry fee. When I asked why the entrance to the NP was not paid, he told me that the NP only offers zebras, antelopes and other common animals anyway. This statement alone is not worthy of a travel provider. With numerous contacts via WhatsApp, Solomon only had excuses as to why he wasn't sending money. To date, no compensation has been provided for the substandard hotels and missed activities. A police report was filed. I can prove everything
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Honeymoon ruined by Sercar Serengeti Wildlife Safaris
We contacted John for our honeymoon trip. Among other companies we chose John because his company was the cheapest one. Unfortunately, we found out that this was not true as he provides different services from the ones he offers at first.
We contracted a pack including 1-day Tarangire Park, 3 days in Serengeti Park, 1 day in Ngorongoro Park and 1 day in Lake Manyara Park. We paid for 6 game-drive days. The confusion started once we arrived to our second day in Serengeti. Our driver informed us that we were leaving Serengeti Park next-day morning because our permit in the park was expiring by 11am. We said that this was not possible at all as we paid to John for the whole day game-drive in Serengeti (as specified in the contract). The problem was that John paid for two days instead of three as agreed. In order to solve the confusion John promised to us to extend the stay in Ngorongoro Park. Next day we were waiting for the extension of the permit at the exit of the park but he did not answer our calls or messages. We lost time, patience and energies waiting for him to comply with his promises or to answer our calls but nothing happen we finally went to our hotel and we wasted the whole safari day.
As a summary, we paid for 6 safari days and in order to save money John only paid for 4 days park tickets saving the prices of the tickets for another two days (one in Serengeti and one in Ngorongoro).
In addition, our driver Richard was not provided a quality service for a private safari. We contracted a private safari for us to make the most of our days in the safari. We are early birds and we wanted to see as many animals as possible during the early morning (when savanna is livelier). Note that sunrise is at 6:00 am. Richard was not flexible at all and he wanted to rest (even if the afternoon before we were arriving at hotel at 15:00pm every day) he was not willing to start the safari till 9:00 am and he wanted to come back to the hotel/campsite again at 15:00 pm. We asked to Richard several times to start the game-drive a little bit earlier 8:00 am but he refused every single day.
It is important to highlight as well that we contracted a high-quality jeep but the jeep they have is very poor-quality. The air-conditioning is not working, the seat covers where not fixed, the fridge did not work so we could not have cold water and last but not least the radio was not working either so it was very difficult to reach animals as there was not communication at all with the other drivers when someone found an animal which is crucial for being able to see them
RO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Don't ruin your vacation
1. They told me that I would be staying at a guesthouse and when I arrived I was staying in a tent. 2. the safari was very short, everything was at speed. we left in the morning at 8 and at 2 pm we were already at the accommodation. 3. our guide (KARIM) didn't speak English, he was driving fast, I had to tell him to stop so I could see the animals. unfortunately my safari was a disaster
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Stole our money :-(
In December 2023, my friends and I requested a quote and itinerary from Mataro. He was very responsive then and immediately gave us a custom itinerary for a safari to Tanzania and Kenya. He answered all our questions quickly and told us that if we wanted to go in August to see the Great Migration, we should book quickly and make a deposit. So we paid our 20% deposit for 6 of us early in December (more than $6K)... but then things turned south. As soon as we paid, he completely turned on us. First, I received no receipt of my deposit (only a WhatsApp text saying he received it). When I asked him about it, he scolded me and told me he had a medical accident. I felt bad so I left him alone for 6 weeks, even though I was worried about wiring so much money and never getting a receipt. He finally reappeared in March, and then said "everything with our trip was fine and he was working on it". But when I asked him if the 4 rooms at all our accommodations were booked, he lied and said that I had asked for only 3 rooms even though I had emails and texts saying I requested 4 rooms. He kept saying "he was working on it" and told us to basically to not worry, and to "let him do his job". Meaning he didn't want us asking questions. By the time, May came around, we found out he had not booked any of the hotel reservations and he didn't do his job at all. Pretty much all of the accommodations we selected by then were all full and could not accommodate us. It was such a stressful experience and Mataro was completely unprofessional about it - lying to us saying that everything was okay and booked. We only found out after calling the accommodations that he in fact did not book any of the accommodations and instead just took our $$$. After months of back and forth, my friends and I decided he was untrustworthy, unprofessional, and a scammer. So we cancelled our trip and booked a different operator at the last minute.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Alarming this company has been around for so long.
I booked a safari vacation through Image Travel Limited, and unfortunately, the experience has been terrible.
Please note this review is a reflection of my experience with the travel agency Image Travel Ltd, it does not have any regard for my interactions with the amazing guides and staff at both Mara Serena and Amboseli Serena lodges. I have nothing but praise and gratitude for them, but they are NOT employees of Image Travel.
After receiving my deposit, communication with the owner, Mwanje Athuman, significantly slowed, and after full payment, some of my important inquiries went completely unaddressed.
Be aware that the itinerary you sign off on can change without notice. Unless you specifically ask for confirmation (which may take time to receive a response in any form), you won’t be informed in advance. The day before my return to Nairobi, I reached out to confirm my flight, only to find out I had been moved to a later one.
Your contract states that extra fees may apply, so I wasn’t surprised when I, as a solo traveler, was asked to pay an additional $200 for a plane seat. However, instead of charging my credit card for the additional seat, Mwanje took it upon himself to just not purchase the two-day park pass for the Maasai Mara game reserve that was included in my package.
I was unexpectedly informed about all this upon landing at Maasai Mara and told I had no park tickets and could not enter without purchasing the two-day park fees right there and then ($200 per day, a total of $400).
After spending much of my first afternoon going back and forth emailing Mwanje about the situation he assured me I would be refunded the additional $200 charge.
Over a month later, despite numerous attempts to resolve the issue, I have not seen a cent of that refund. I’ve received insincere assurances from Mwanje, Madline, and Martha, repeatedly claiming the refund has been processed, even going so far as to provide reference and case numbers that my credit card company says are invalid and do not make any sense to them. Despite my card company’s efforts to reach anyone at Image Travel on the phone no one answers and they cannot leave a voicemail, also any WhatsApp messages I have sent have gone unread and my emails ignored. Unfortunately, it’s gotten to the point the CC Co. has resorted to opening an inquiry within their fraud dept.
If anyone is questioning whether I may be exaggerating, I can provide email exchanges detailing these repeated assurances and fake concerns (they’re quite funny in hindsight).
If you read ITL’s reviews on other sites you’ll notice I’m not the only person this has happened to.
I initially dismissed the negative reviews as disgruntled customers, but after experiencing the same scenario regarding refunds promised and never issued, it seems to be a pattern.
While using a travel agent to book your Kenyan safari is smart and IMO the best way to go, I would never recommend Image Travel Ltd. Their dishonesty and fraudulent behavior is deeply concerning.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Not truthful about the length of time from one camp to another. No sanitary hand washing facilities
The description of the length of time from one camp to another was totally inaccurate. Instead of the 3-31/2 hours it advertised, it was more like 8-10 because we were hauling a trailer with all our camping gear. We got stuck and no adequate rescue equipment had been packed. Not had any sanitary handwashing facilities been packed, resulting in 2 of us contracting norovirus and being very sick for half of the safari. Stay away from this company.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not a pleasant experience - unpaid park fee and unfulfilled refund as promised
We recently booked an 8-day trip to Kenya and Tanzania through Morningstar, hoping for an unforgettable adventure. Unfortunately, our experience was far from pleasant.
While we were excited to see a variety of wild animals, our trip was marred by significant issues. We were forced to pay for everything twice in Tanzania, which was incredibly frustrating. Moreover, we lost a full day of safari time due to problems with our bookings.
Despite assurances from Dennis, the owner, we did not receive the promised refund for these expenses.
Additionally, we were disappointed to discover that Morningstar does not have staff in Tanzania. Instead, they work with a partner agency, which led to a lack of coordination and support on the ground.
We made our full payment two weeks before our departure, believing Dennis's claim that it was necessary to ensure everything was booked and our trip would run smoothly.
However, upon arriving in Tanzania, we quickly learned that fees-such as park entry and transportation-had not been paid. This left us in a difficult situation; we either had to pay again ourselves or risk being stranded in the Serengeti.
Dennis cited a hacked bank account as the reason for the missing payments and promised that we would receive a refund once we returned to Kenya. Unfortunately, this promise went unfulfilled as well.
In conclusion, our experience with Morningstar was disappointing, primarily due to poor management and lack of support during our trip. I cannot recommend them based on our experience, as the dream safari we anticipated turned into a series of frustrating challenges. Though our first guide Caleb in Kenya is great. He has 20 years experience and always wants to show the best to us.
Moreover, till today, we still have not received the refund. It's been 15 days since he promised to refund.