US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Avoid this travel agency!
Our family was prepared for a Kenyan safari and 10 days before the trip, Denhum cancelled. 22 months later we received $1380 (of a total of $20,000). We believe Denhum's owner is a liar and scammer. Avoid this travel agency!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Dan and Ian are haven't been honest with us. We were scammed over $20,000 US dollars!
Our family of 6 members booked an 11 day safari in Kenya for $21,400 US dollars. 10 days before leaving they said they were bankrupt and cancelled our trip. We were promised a full refund if we were patient. Over 22 months we were refunded $1380, but now Dan is missing and no longer answering emails or making any pretense of refunding us. It was pump and dump right up to the time of leaving for the holiday. We have lost over $20,000 and want to warn any further potential clients to STAY AWAY!!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
True experience with Morning Star which kill our life time Safari Trip
Our experience with Morning Star was perfect at first which he (morning star boss) responded our message on time and provided us with clear and good design information on the trip plan and cost in details (See picture). We then booked a 9 days trip cover Kenya and Tanzania.
We are really attracted by their info and really looking forward about this trip. We have been asked to pay all the money ahead of trip so they could pay all the NP fees and hotel booking ahead so they will not waste any time in the national park front. Therefore, all six of us paid 40% half year ago and paid rest 60% 2-3 weeks ahead of our trip.
The first three days were good. We were really enjoying the trip in Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara NP. We saw a lot of animals and also great views.
However, after traveling into Tanzania Serengeti NP, Morning Star just killed our moods.
First, because Morning Star didn't run in Tanzania by its own, they asked another operators (Mama Savana) to arrange all the park and our guide and Morning Star should pay them at front but Morning Star had failed to do so. The worse thing was Morning Star didn't even notice us.
Mama Savana provided us services the first day with 0 payment made and refused to take us the second day because Morning Star failed to pay them. This gave us a really hard time because we had to spend hours to contact Morning Star to figure out the situation. And all his contact (Phone, WhatsApp, WeChat) suddenly failed and had really bad connection when we finally reached out to him.
The final solution was that we pay again to Mama Savana for all the trip fees in Tanzania to continue our trip and Morning Star agreed to refund us back after.
The results were followed:
1. We paid additional 4k USD which Morning Star should pay (Morning Star claimed that they have some bank issues that they couldn't pay which was a lame excuse to me).
2. We wasted hours to contact Morning Star to figure out situation and solution which Morning Star failed to notice us and failed to solve their problem.
3. We wasted 5 hours traveling between north entrance and middle entrance of Serengeti NP (Because we lived in Middle entrance and we planed to see crossing at North entrance.
4. We wasted 2 hours waiting at the entrance because we didn't pay for park fee ahead. Our guide had to wait for the park front desk to print and give the entrance license.
Serengeti NP should be very nice for a 2 day Safari trip and Morning Star just killed that and rest of our trip(We have 2 days more with Morning Star after) because we worried about the same situation would happen again on our hotel or the coming park fee in Amboseli NP.
The guide from Mama Savana was really nice and companied us all the time. I truly felt our life had been in risk if our guide didn't come to pick us at the second day and all six of us would be left in middle of Serengeti NP with bad phone connections.
And today, after 2 weeks from our trip, Morning Star didn't refund us the money yet. Even Dennis claimed that he would pay within 2 week time.
This is my true experience with Morning Star and we still try to contact Morning Star to ask for our money back.
The worst thing is, what can make us up for our trip lost for those time we could spend on Safaris to see crossing or other wild animals in Serengeti.
Up to now, I didn't see Morning Star feel sorry for our lost because their bad services and failures
Summary:
1. Asking us to pay full payment ahead but failed to provide us the right services
2. Lying on us about they paid all the park fees to save us time
3. Wasting our valuable time in Serengeti NP Safari
4. Claiming to refund our extra payment which Morning Star should pay naturally but fail to do so.
Overall, I don't think Morning Star is a responsible operator. It has no abilities to handle the uncertain during the trip and may risk your life and ruin your whole Safari experience.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horriable experience! Do not select it as the whole company is cheating you all the way !
Do not book with Qualified Tours Tanzania; it was a terrible experience. My friends and I traveled to East Africa in May 2024 through this agency. They defrauded me of $2000, which has not been returned to date. The $2000 was divided into two parts: one part was for a night's hotel in Zanzibar that the agency failed to book, and they asked me to cover the cost with the promise of reimbursing me later; the other part was for the entrance fees and overnight charges at the Serengeti and the crater, where the agency claimed a system error prevented them from making the reservation and asked me to pay with my card, again promising reimbursement. Since returning home, I have been urging them to return the fees, but after five months, I have not received any payment.
Do not book with this company; you will become as miserable as me !!!!!
I promise what i said is 100% percent ture!!!!!!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We believe this tour operator is bankrupt: do not book with this organization
We traveled to Kenya with Madukha, and while initially the trip started off great, suddenly our driver/guide started mentioning that he had not received any money for 2 days already from his boss to pay for fuel / park permits etc. Due to this we lost a full day of safari as we had to wait until he found a solution. At the end of the day, somehow the money did arrive and we where able to continue the trip as planned. I am now reading that many of the other guests here have not been so lucky and have lost either part or all of their money, which is absolutely terrible and unacceptable since the full amount had to be paid 2 weeks before the trip.
Either this company is bankrupt or has some serious liquidity issues but clearly you should no longer book with Madukha and stay away from this company. It is a shame because our driver was really nice, professional, knowledgeable and never even suggested that we pay for anything while he was 'trying to find money to continue the tour'. I hope the other 'victims' will somehow get refunded for their losses because this is truly unacceptable.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible experience, be aware of their tricky ways to get you involved
I was in Tanzania when I contacted the lady named Debra who entitled herself the CEO of Croy Marajourney for the first time at the end of July, 2024. After a few talks during which she confirmed to me that the tour would for sure to run, I then made the decision and deposit payment of 671 US dollars by bank transfer on Aug. 2nd to join her group joining tour to Samburu starting on Aug. 8th.
On Aug. 5th, before I left Tanzania I texted her again to make sure everything was going to go as scheduled and told her if the tour cannot make Samburu I would like to spend another week in Tanzania, but she confirmed nothing was going to change.
On Aug. 6th, Debra texted me saying “Let's meet tomorrow to finalize.”, which is very weird for a for-sure-to run-Samburu-tour operator to say.
On Aug. 7th I made my way back to Nairobi and met her at my hotel. The first thing she said to me when we met was the Samburu tour had to be cancelled because the other two clients decided to go to Mombasa and she was only informed four hours ago. Now she would like to arrange me something else instead with the same budget. I believe Debra knew right from the beginning that this tour was not going to run, but still pushed me to pay for the deposit in order to tie me to her company. At that stage, it was impossible to ask for a refund of the deposit because the money had not reached to her account yet according to what she said. In the end, I had to allow Debra to arrange me a private tour to Samburu and made full payment to her among which 200 dollars was again the bank transfer. On departure day Aug. 8th, she promised me a receipt of the total payment when she made her way back to her office, but this never happened. I went on a private safari with no payment receipt, contract, detailed itinerary at all.
On Aug. 9th. the second day of my six-day Safari, Debra started calling me and my driver saying the money I paid through bank transfer amounting to 871 dollars was reversed. She kept calling me in the following days, framing me up this way and ruined my whole tour. The fact is I never reversed the money I sent, which could be proved by police officer later on involved. The bank letter clearly showed that the reason the money got stuck was because of the running of audit of compliance on her account, it really had nothing to do with my side. The last day of my tour Debra tried to get me pay her again in cash by threatening me to leave me in Samburu. By the time I arrived at my hotel in Nairobi, the tourism police was waiting me there and took me right away back to the police station for questioning. In the end I made a duplicate payment of 871 dollars with Debra’s written agreement to reverse it back to me once the money hits her account under the supervision of tourism police. But by now it’s been over two months, this 871 dollars is still nowhere. I had a very awful experience with Kenya because of this lady and what she did to me. Be very aware of this company and never do bank transfers, the deposit you paid means nothing, but can only ties you to this company.
One of the tourisam police is following up my case and a formal complain letter has been sent to Please write to the Tourism Regulartory Authority of Kenya, hope my money will be returned soon.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not reliable and communicative
We believe we were scammed by Croy Mara.
We booked a sharing safari months ago in June for our trip in October. Since we got in contact she pushed us to pay fast even if we were busy at work. Once we payed... She didn't send more information until the week before to start our journey when I asked for more details about the pick up place and time... Then she said she is not running our safari for that price because no one join so she wanted me to pay extra for a private safari or to cancel and refund. I asked for refund... And never got it. We try to contact and she doesn't reply.
I would give 0 stars if possible.
Never send any money in advance!!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Scammed out of 1000 USD
If you do not like being scammed, avoid this company.
We were told upon booking that the park fees (over $1000) were included, but once we got to the gate of the Serengeti, there was an “issue with the company card” and we were asked to pay it ourselves, while being assured that the money would be returned to us soon.
Faced with losing precious time on our safari, we paid.
The same issue happened in the Ngorongoro, and naively we paid again.
The money has never been returned to us three months later, and the owner has blocked us on whatsapp. We really wanted to support a small locally-owned company, but now we understand why most people choose the well-established, larger Safari companies. If you are reading this, I suggest you do the same.
Jeep was old and uncomfortable.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Denhum Holidays took thousands of $$ in advance payment for a Safari and didn't show up.
We booked a 9 day 8 night safari with Denhum, and per the terms of their contract paid 50% in advance at booking and the remaining 50% two months prior to the trip. The week prior to travel, Denhum Owner, Dan Karikui, informed us that a Denhum representative would meet us at the Nairobi airport upon arrival to provide details of our safari, which was due to commence 2.5 days later. No one from Denhum met us as at the airport so we attempted to call Denhum's phone number with no success; so at 1:00 am we found ourselves to fend for ourselves in a foreign country. For the next 2 days we tried every means possible to reach a Denhum representative: phone calls, text messages, WhatsApp calls and messages, e-mail, and FB messenger. Their phone numbers seemed to be turned off and our e-mail and text messages were not responded to. We waited in the hotel lobby from 7:00 AM to Noon on the morning of the scheduled pickup by the safari driver at our hotel, and nobody from Denhum showed up. This confirmed our fear that we had been defrauded by Denhum Holidays. We have been scammed out of several thousand dollars for what was to be the trip of a lifetime for my husband and I to celebrate 20 years of marriage. I hope this review helps others from becoming their next victim.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It is a fraud
We had a 8-day Safari to Samburu, Aderbare, Lake Nakuru and mAsai Matra.
They did not pay for transport, we had to.
They did not pay for parkfees, we did.
They did not pay for Lodges,we did.
We went to the tourist police to file a report. They say we were not the first one.
So stay away from Madukha.