HK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incompetent and deceitful staff ruined our honeymoon
We decided to book our 9-day luxury safari with It Started in Africa (ISIA) after several emails back and forth. Although the price ($10,100 USD for two people) was more expensive than other companies we had spoken to, we booked with ISIA, as we were impressed by the responsiveness of sales staff. We did have some concerns about the quality of their vehicles (after reading some reviews on TripAdvisor), but Joao Oliveira (who we later found out is the co-owner), Luis, Iris and Joanna assured us that we would be provided with one of their newer vehicles and a great guide. We were really looking forward to the trip of a lifetime however it turned out be a nightmare.
When we arrived in Kilimanjaro airport, there was no one to pick us up so we had to make several international calls to find out what had happened. They told us that the driver had broken down on route (this turned out to be a lie) and that they were sending a replacement car to pick us up. We waited for 30 minutes outside the airport until the driver finally arrived to pick us up but as soon as we were on the road to Arusha, the police stopped the car for speeding. We then had to wait outside the police station inside the car in blazing temperatures and call ISIA internationally for them to send another driver to pick us up.
We finally arrived at our hotel and I sent an email to Joao to tell him what had happened. He replied that there had been a mix-up with our dates and that the office manager, Bernard Kang’oma would meet us in person to apologise and confirm our itinerary before we left for our Safari. We met with someone the next day who spent 30 minutes claiming to be Bernard Kang’oma despite the fact that I had seen his picture on the company website and knew he was not. When I asked him why he had lied to us, he told us that Bernard Kang’oma had asked him to impersonate him. We wrote to Joao again expressing how unhappy we were with the level of service. He replied that we could cancel the trip but would have to forfeit 50% (over $5000!). Of course he knew that we had no other choice but to continue with the Safari. We could not book anything at such short notice so reluctantly we told him that we would continue with the trip. What followed was a litany of deceit and incompetence:
We started our Safari with two days in Tarangire and had an issue at the gate with the permit, which meant we had to return to the gate the next day early morning to get an extension for the next day.
The vehicle was old and the fridge cooler was broken so we could not drink cold water. It also had not been cleaned before the trip and stank of rotten food.
The Nikon binoculars they say they provide all clients is in fact a marketing lie. We had one Russian branded binoculars, which were glued together and belonged to the driver and another pair, which were broken.
We were kept waiting for 30 minutes outside one of our lodges, while they sorted out our booking. When I spoke to the manager that evening he said that he had a booking for us the following day (not the correct day). Another lodge told us they weren't expecting us for lunch despite this being on the itinerary.
While heading to South Serengetti, we were kept waiting 3.5 hours at the gate as there was another problem with the permit. Another mess up by the staff in Arusha meant we missed out on most of the afternoon game drive in the ndutu region.
Unfortunately, our balloon ride was cancelled due to poor weather, however we were told that we could book for the next day. Immediately upon returning to the camp, I asked the driver to confirm our booking for the next day. We repeatedly asked him to do this throughout the day but it was only when we absolutely insisted that he did so, but by then it was too late as it was already fully booked. We were the only people to miss out on the balloon ride as everyone else had confirmed early and had not left it so late.
When we arrived at our camp in Ngorongoro, we were informed that the camp didn't have a booking for the crater walk that we had paid for. The weather was poor so the walk may not have taken place but again ISIA staff messed up the booking.
Bernard Kang’oma informed us, that we could collect the refund for the cancelled balloon ride and crater walk at the office in Arusha. Our driver/guide spoke to him several times before we left Ngorongoro and Kang’oma confirmed that he would be waiting in the office with the full refund of $1200. When we arrived at the office, Kangoma wasn't there. We tried to reach him several times and when he eventually answered his phone, he said that he had given the money to someone called Daniel who was waiting at Kilimanjaro airport. We called Daniel and he told us that he didn't actually have the money! We then tried to reach Kang’oma but he would just hang up. We had no option but to go to the police station to report this. They called him and told him to come to the police station but we gave up waiting for him and were told by the police to give them our contact details and they would follow up.
We tried to catch our flight to Zanzibar but missed it because of this incident and had to stay at the airport hotel and catch a flight the next day, losing our hotel booking in Stone town in the process.
When we asked Joao for a refund of the $1200 for the cancelled balloon ride and crater walk, he at first tried to make us sign a letter saying that we would not write negative reviews on any site. He told us that this was his bank’s policy (a lie) but we refused to do this and he reluctantly agreed to pay us the refund by PayPal. We are still waiting to agree compensation but Joao and ISIA staff are not replying to our emails.
ISIA ruined our honeymoon and we would absolutely not recommend booking a Safari with this company!!! There were several issues everyday which we would spend most of of the day resolving. Terrible organisation and service by ISIA especially considering the price we paid. There are plenty of other good safari companies, so we would suggest using any of them.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beware these guys. We were cheated for 400$
Avoid this company and people. We had safari with them for 5 people group, 3 days. If you love adventures and surprises be ready to pay double price for this. First of all They took downpayment from us for all (tickets, lodges, transport, fee, etc.), than the driver ask us for the money to pay for entrance Serengeti, we were promised to have the money back right the same day ,(it was 2 weeks ago, still waiting). We had to take care about water, food by ourselves. Our guides English was poor, so he didn't say about animals more than few words. We had problems with acomodation and last but not least the owner (Victor) didn't pick up phone.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Avoid Tropical vacations Inc
Avoid Tropical vacations Inc, his manager Mathew Adams is a lier and a thief, and avoid as well his Tanzanian partner, World Tour Tanzania. Here is the story in brief:
We booked a 4d/3n safari in Serengeti/Ngorongoro with this Kenyan based company. The detailed program has been comunicated to us, we have received photos of the cars we were supposed to use, the price and terms of payment has been agreed, everything seemed perfect.
The day of departure the pick up time was planned at 8h30 by people from the "Tropical vacations "ground office" Mathew wrote to us. At 9h30, no news from anybody, we started calling Mathew Adams, that we could not reach, and later our Landlord in Arusha ( we gave her phone number for more convenience) told us that she received a call from a guy in Arusha, saying that the safary was cancelled (....). After again many sms and attempts to speak with Mathew adams, he sent us an sms saying that things has been solved(...). We indeed were picked up and ended up at 11h30 am in a far away offices of a company called World Tour Tanzania, from which we have not heard about before. They told us that we were going with them in Safari, but they asked us to pay more than what has been agreed and under different payment terms than the ones agreed in written with Tropical vacations.
We refused and asked the Tanzanian guy to call Tropical vacations to solve this problem. The guy said he does not want to spend money calling Kenya from Tanzania, and told us that we have to call ( !!!).
We went back to downtown and again tried to call/sms ( at our expenses of course) Tropical Vacations. At 5 pm, World Tour tanzanian called us back , the price he asked was finally the one agreed with Tropical vacations, but still not the tems of payment. So after loosing one full day of our holidays trying to reach Tropical Vacations and solve the problem, as we coudl not get the terms which has been agreed in written with Tropical Inc and as we had now little confidence in this company, we decided not to go with this company. So Tropical vacations Inc did not respect the terms of its written commitments + was hiding to us the fact that it was just a simple intermediary company + lying to us on the service rendered : we have indeed not seen in the office of this World Tour Tanzania any of the nice cars that we have seen on the fotos sent to us by Mathew Adams. Later Mathew told us that the kenyan cars he showed us were not allowed to go to tanzania ( !!!). And regarding the non respect of the agreed terms he told us that a new regulation has been enacted in Tanzania 6 months earlier, that he was not aware of... while he is claiming to have, I quote " +14 years experience in Safari Tour Operations".
Last lie, back in Europe we proposed to Tropical Inc to reimburse us the paid money and we would forget about this sad story, Mathew Adams proposed to reimburse us 75% of the money we paid, we agreed on that. He was supposed to reimburse us before the end of last year, then he said he would pay us after the 26th of January... we are at the end of February and we still did not get our money back, and now he is no longer answering the mails. Maybe this comment will make him respect at least this last commitment ?
As a conclusion, avoid Tropical vacations Inc, and generallly speaking, I would advise you to use local companies, ie for Kenya kenyan based companies, and for Northern Tanzania, Arusha based companies.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ripped off by driver!!! Avoid this company!!!
My wife and I went on a safari with Safari Care Ltd several years ago. We had a good experience. The safari was enjoyable and I would definitely recommend that everyone visit this part of the world at some point. However, we had a terrible experience with our driver (a man named Mollel Martin Nguma) and the company after we returned returned home. A couple months after got back, the driver reached out via email to ask if we could extend him a small loan so that he could purchase a truck and start his own safari business. We obliged since he seemed like a hard working individual who did not have a lot of opportunities in Tanzania. But when the loan came due, the driver claimed that he had been the victim of identity fraud. We were initially open to the possibility. But it soon became apparent that his story was all a thinly veiled ruse designed to cover his tracks. In the end, we didn't lose a lot of money. But we were very disappointed with the way that Safari Care handled the matter. It wasn't their problem, they didn't care and this individual is still driving for them. A real company would make sure these sort of things don't happen. Go elsewhere and avoid the headache.
Avoid this company!!
Avoid Sandlands!
Do not book with Sandlands Tour Company in Tanzania. Mr Abraham Shaidi and his colleague Simon will take your money and not deliver what you actually booked. During our trip this happened to us, another lady we met and we were informed that it was not the first time Mr Shaidi had done this.
My friend and I paid $1680 for a 4 night/ 5 day safari and did not receive everything in our itinerary. We should have had 2 nights in the Serengeti, but we only got one. We should have had an evening and full day game drive in the Serengeti but we only got two half days - one of these 'half days' was only from 3:30-6pm. We should have had two game drives in Ngoronogoro but we only got one.
We were paired with three men who had booked a budget 3 night safari costing around $600 and our itinerary was changed to suit theirs. Meaning we essentially got the same experience as a budget safari (with the exception of accommodation) but paid over $1000 more.
Further to this, we spent almost 2 hours daily waiting around for the men to pack up their camping equipment despite the fact we deliberately didn't book camping to avoid this delay.
On two occasions, Mr Shaidi also instructed our driver to take us to different accommodation than what we had actually booked - accommodation that was significantly lesser than what we paid for. It was only because our driver was kind and honest that we realised this and were able to call Mr Shaidi to demand we were taken to where we paid for.
When we spoke with Mr Shaidi to resolve this, him and his colleague Simon refused to take blame for the fact that they falsely advertised the itinerary and didn't give us what we paid for. Mr Shaidi did compare the itinerary we booked, to what we actually received and agreed it was vastly different. However, he blamed Simon for this and Simon blamed him. Mr Shaidi was the one who instructed our driver of the itinerary to follow. Mr Shaidi assured us that he would ensure we each received $200 in compensation the next day. However, predictably this was also a lie and we received no money back.
Do not waste your time and money booking with this company. They are complete con-artists and will try to cut corners wherever they can. We are extremely angry and disappointed that we spent so much money and did not receive what we booked and hope that this review ensures nobody else is ripped off like we were.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Avoid these guys!
I have never written an online review but feel I should.
As soon as I paid my deposit communication suddenly went very quiet and I had to send several chaser emails to find out what was going on.
Finally a day before we were due to start I received an email 'Pick-up at 6.30am'. 6.30am came and went and at 7.30am I finally received an email response saying 'Call driver 07xxxxxxx'. Not even an apology. You can imagine how stressful this was morning was! When I spoke to the driver on the phone he explained that one of the guests on our safari had a delayed flight and was waiting at the airport. When I met the others they said they all arrived the previous day! Other than that, they hadn't prepared the vegetarian option for lunch which I had requested.
The second day brought more dramas. After being told to wake up at 7am for an 8am start we were all extremely frustrated to find the driver had disappeared. He eventually came back at 10am and explained that his boss hadn't put the funds on his company card. We missed out on 2 hours in the Ngorongoro crater because of this.
We were promised extra time in Serengeti to compensate for this but on the 3rd day exactly the same thing happened! The driver even asked if anyone could pay the balance on their card and that his boss would refund through the web!
I know they offer extremely cheap packages but no saving is worth the stress of waiting around to get into a park on a once in a life time trip. Pay a little bit more and avoid MJ Safaris."
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not sure what happened here
5 of us booked a 3 day tour through this company for a quick safari. I am not sure what happened but it was absolutely ridiculous from the start. We were scheduled to be picked up at 8 am from our Nairobi hotel, no one showed up after calling they first said that the driver had been there and left with no explanation as to why, then immediately turned around and said that the driver could not find the hotel. We were picked up in another vehicle at 9:30 and taken to meet our driver. As per our itinerary we were told there would be no more than 7 people in the van, there was 8 which was not a huge deal just another inconsistency. After the late start we then ran in to an accident on the way there was no water supplied in the van we sat for quite some time in the heat before starting off again, at that point we were to late to get lunch at our lodge and had to stop at a buffet on the side of the road. We ended up getting to the lodge at 4:30 which is past the time when our game drive was supposed to start. We sat there as our driver and the lodge staff argued for an hour because come to find out despite the fact that we had paid months in advance Jocky tours had never actually booked our rooms. Once we were finally checked in it was almost 6 oclock. We ended up getting about 30 min worth of a game drive that night. The next morning we did not get into the park until after 9 oclock due to the constant delays of the driver. Once in the park he failed to point out any wildlife and drove around like a crazy man only stopping if we made him at which point he would then take off as we were trying to get photos. We talked to him about it multiple times yet he persisted. He continually almost hit animals as they crossed paths and even sped up at them several times. It appeared the only time he was interested in stopping was to speak to his friends which were other drivers. While looking at a pride of sleeping lions him and his buddy driving the other van went within 10 ft of the lions and began revving their engines to make them get up. When we protested he laughed. After our complaints he became sullen and began not bothering to respond to requests at all. He supplied no water for the entire day that we were in the park and blamed it on the hotel despite it being in the itinerary that his company would supply it. These issues continued throughout the entire rest of the trip and made for a very akward and dangerous ride back to Nairobi with all of the vans occupants asking him multiple times to slow down and stop driving so dangerously. The drivers name was Dalton nickname Ali, in my opinion and the opinion of everyone I was with he should not be allowed within the park and definitely should not be trusted to drive people.
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional scam artist, avoid Yoeni Japeth Mbonea at all costs. No stars!
My wife and I engaged Drive Tanzania for a 21 day safari covering Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. With the benefit of hindsight, we should have not gone ahead with this when Yoeni, the director of Drive Tanzania was either very hard to connect with or he would hang the phone up on you mid conversation, as what occurred in the lead up to us engaging Drive Tanzania. There was a lot of miscommunication due to poor communication by Drive Tanzania around flights and commitments. I thought it is just a bad phone connection but really, that has nothing to do with it. All of these tour operators have multiple phone numbers and whatsapp. Tourists do not get the number they use most for all their communications with locals and to do their business.
Regardless, we commenced our tour. Things continued to go badly. In Uganda, when we arrived, our tour guide was more than an hour late, which is quite scary late at night in a foreign country with taxi drivers yelling at you at airports. There is a minimal standard of care and for a safari of this price, it was not being met. Eventually our driver came. We found out he didn't know who Yoeni was as all of the Uganda tour was outsourced and not provided by Drive Tanzania.
That said, Uganda is amazing. Seeing mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and getting so close to them is a life long memory. Further, the Maasai Mara in Kenya (our second country, guided by another outsourced tour guide) was also excellent. Seeing lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, hippos etc in the dry season was actually very worth while as we could get close to the animals as there are less tourists around.
Here is where the disaster with the fraudster Yoeni and Drive Tanzania really began. As we crossed into the border from Kenya to Tanzania our Kenyan tour guide told us he was unable to reach Yoeni and left us there, to drive back to Nairobi. I was able to contact Yoeni and he said the car had broken down and they were several hours away. We waited for them in a roadside hotel at the border as we had next to no money, afterall on safari all expenses are paid and in advance. Also, this is Africa… do you think they accept credit cards or know what an ATM is? The hours passed. We got worried and tried calling Yoeni...repeatedly… 110 times! He had turned his phone off. We got worried and started scrambling. Eventually we found out the name of our hotel in Tanzania in the Serengeti and when we called, we discovered there was no booking for us and we could not get into the Park.
Yoeni Japeth Mbonea and Drive Tanzania left us stranded and took $10,000s from us. We are still chasing him for an equitable refund for more than half of an unfulfilled trip. Be careful, he has done this before. He has many different tourism companies that have come and gone. He also has interests in mining companies and gem traders. His fees are also very expensive, particularly as he outsources everything, but really he makes money by scamming foreign tourists and making a couple of phone calls to other tourist providers. His company is actually really small and he uses the money he steals from others to support an affluent lifestyle in Norway. Avoid this person [remember his address in case he starts a new company!] for your own piece of mind. Use safaribookings.com to find another tour guide as there are 2000 more out there and you will save yourself from this horrible, potentially life threatening experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Rude and disinterested tour-guide - don't book with SafariBook Evolution
Myself and my husband have recently returned from a 3 day safari with SafariBook Evolution in Kenya through the Masai Mara to finish off our 4 months spent travelling in Africa. Having spent a lot of time looking on TripAdvisor prior to selecting our company we decided choose SafariBook Evolution due to their cheap prices and despite their occasional dubious reviews however unfortunately this was a bad decision! Our trip was extremely disappointing and we would advise spending a few more dollars and going with a more trust-worthy company.
Our guide was disinterested, extremely rude and spoke limited English. He didn’t talk to the group and spoke about us rudely to other tour company guides. He needed to be pushed to go into the park and was reluctant to do so, cutting our time inside the park short on all occasions.
With regards to the campsite; it was a tented site however was extremely basic; the tents had holes in them, the zips didn’t work, the mosquito nets were dirty and holed, there was limited hot water and no wi-fi despite this being promised.
Alongside this, and probably our most alarming concern was that our guide had a complete disregard of park rules. He frequently drove off the park tracks, towards animals often causing them to run away in fear much to our surprise. This is obviously wholly inappropriate, not only for the obvious harm it causes animals but also for the future conservation of the park and its tracks.
We have been in back and forth emails with the owner Steve however this has been a fruitless task. We would strongly advise spending a few more dollars and going with a company that is much more trust-worthy. Don’t book with Safaribook Evolution!
US
Liars and Thieves...Buyer Beware!
Having traveled to 49 countries including many developing countries, we try to book tours, excursions, drivers and accommodations with local business to help the local economy. Never have we been taken advantage of until now. Tembea personnel and staff are thieves and liars. They give the good people of Kenya a Very bad name and reputation. Calling them thieves and liars is an Insult to liars and thieves. I deposited with them for our Safari in October 2015 because of the owner's past employment with a world renown company A&K. As A&K is one of the highest rated suppliers of safaris. I assumed (wrong on my part) that having worked in their capacity, that professionalism and integrity would follow when operating their own company. Was I ever wrong. I always try to see the best in people but Tembea has left a very deep scar and they should be Ashamed of themselves. Using emails with Angelina, who initially appeared very professional and was quick to respond to my emails, she was always happy to make any changes I had. I felt comfortable with sending the required deposit for what was to be an awesome custom safari and understood the terms and conditions for cancellations and changes, I was a little apprehensive when they required the deposit by "wire transfer only". You have No recall as with a credit card should things go wrong. My fault. We decided to cancel for personal reasons, followed the Exact Tembea policy and was advised that we would receive a refund of $2,000.00 as outlined in their terms/conditions. I knew that there would be a penalty and was okay with that as I agreed when sending in the deposit. I was advised that a refund back to the wired account would be processed in 2 months. 2 months passed , no refund. I was then advised that I should pay the full amount of the safari so that the refund process would be expedited. What??? Never have I been asked to pay in full to receive a refund. At that point I Knew dealing with Tembea was a Scam. I held my frustration and continued my emails regarding my refund and then was told that it would be processed at the END of their season in October 2016. Again I kept my cool Knowing I was dealing with Scam artists. At the end of October 2016 I made one last ditch effort and still they continued to assure me that a refund was following. I know there is NO refund. So you have Been Advised and Buyer Beware. If you continue to deal with Tembea and your dream safari does not manifest correctly for you, you were warned! I am out $4,200.00. Shame on me for being trusting!