ID
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Avoid this agent, a real shame !
We booked a trip for 4 people for August 2023 – Kenya Tanzania with this agency Bleu Ranger Safari Kenya for 11 days in the largest parks (7 in total), a still substantial budget. But it seems that this agency does not provide quality at all - the guides are drivers who barely speak English, have no knowledge, and do not even have the program in hand to follow it at least the vehicles are in poor condition, and the assistance when things start to go wrong, completely non-existent… We had to complain constantly to finally get a response from their office…….
The accommodations were 80% modified each evening and without any information even before arrival... it's pure amateurism for a trip that was supposed to be superb...
The impression we have is that they cut back on all the services from the start, driver as cheap as possible (he was not aware of the program, did not speak English at all, a real disaster) – the poorly maintained, dirty and uncomfortable vehicles – meals on the side of the road in dens where the menu must cost 1USD/person no more – hotels not at all up to standard and constantly dislodged from start to finish. We got so fed up that we cut it short and asked to send us back to Nairobi earlier at our expense at a last hotel (Radisson Blue) for the exceptional cost which saved us the end of the trip... With the last driver who almost came to blows with us because of the lack of tip..
This agency has completely put us off Africa... we are disappointed by this experience - don't trust it, because they are not professionals at all, just offering the worst services to improve their margins, to the detriment of the client! !!! Scandal !
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We believe we are trapped and treaded unfairly
We are 4 friends and booked our trip to Tanzania from 09/24 - 10/4. And we’ve planned our trip like more than half year ago, we are so looking forward to have an impressive and unforgettable trip. But it turned out that we are just trapped and treated unfairly:
1) Request are neglected
during the book，we have highlighted that we need twin room(2 beds in 1 room), and the company had confirmed the request in our itinerary in the email. But it turned out that the company just ignored the request and there are always only 1 bed in 1 room.
During the Serengeti safari, we can overcome the difficulty as there is only 1 night and with the help of receptionist, we finally have 2 beds in one room. Although 1 is king size the other is baby size.
But when we arrived at Zanzibar, there are straight 3 nights! And when we turn to receptionist, he confirmed that there is no request for the room and it cannot be arranged. At the time I called Mirene, our customer service representative from the company, she just said I NEVER request!!!
2) forgot to arrange activities with payment
We booked dolphin adventure and but there no one knows the schedule onsite.
We check with the reception desk, they let us ask the excursions and taxi office. And the office asked us to wait at the front desk today at 6 am….
We just wait at front desk today at 6 am as we are told, but there is no driver, the receptionist tried to call someone to help. And we are waiting half an hour. The driver finally showed up and took us to the North saying the staff forgot to arrange the adventure to us. And because it is too late, cannot take us to the south, which list in our itinerary, he can only take us to the north as it is closer.
3) Payment change without notice
We are informed fully that the credit card payment rate is 2.5%, but when we pay it was updated to 3%. We find the balance is not right and reached out to the company and only when they told us that because the government changed the rate.
4) careless and time wasting
We have reported to the company on 10/1 and want to have a solution of the unhappiness, and till now 11/11 we don’t have the solution. And the reply just keep saying they are contacting accountant (don’t understand why need to contact the person) and asking the same question even though we have demonstrated exactly in the email of what we need and what happened.
the route of keeping letting us down in summary
A. the credit card payment rate rise from 2.5% to 3% without notice until we find the difference. And we accept it;
B. Full of lies: One of my friends reached out to Mirene to help know who is our pickup guy at airport. And Mirene replied she will contact me to confirm. And I never received her email so I have to write to her. And she wrote me back” she never got message from my friend” ( we have both WhatsApp and email record if you need). Again we accept it.
C. During the safari, the room is also only 1 bed. As you may know already. We accept it with the receptionist help.
When we back to Arusha, we immediately write back to Mirene that we are very happy with our arrangement as we want to know the time that pick up tomorrow! And of course, you may need to give credit to wild animals who help erase our unhappiness.
D. And finally our disappointment has reached to its ultimate level in Zanzibar when we step into our room. So I immediately write email to the company but they just keep pulling back and forth.
We truly want to know, the difficulty the company set for us is because we are Asian? or more specifically speaking, we are treated unfairly is because we are Chinese?
AT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
unreliable, untrustworthy and careless
I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with my recent safari experience in Tanzania with Kipok Africa Adventures
I booked 3-day safari package for 2 people, including one airport transfer, transfers to and from accommodation before and after the safari, and full 3-day safari with guide and accommodation.
Itinerary: 1.day Tarangire, 2.day Ngorongoro and 3.day Lake Manyara
Contact person: Amani
Specific Feedback
• Communication: After we paid for our trip, we received very little communication from Kipok Adventures. We were not informed that we would be with a different group/company each day, even though we paid for a package that should have included the same guide for the entire trip. They also charged us extra for the airport transfer, which should be included in the price of our package.
• Plan changes: The original safari plan included visiting Tarangire National Park on day one, Ngorongoro Crater National Park on day two, and Lake Manyara National Park on day three. At the last minute, we were informed that the plan was changing and we would be visiting Lake Manyara on day two and Ngorongoro Crater on day three. Due to these changes, on the second day of our safari, we had too much free time because we were very close to Lake Manyara, and on the last day, we had to rush through Ngorongoro Crater (the highlight of safari) in order to make it to Arusha on time. This made the trip feel rushed and stressful.
• Guides: We had a different guide from a different company every day. We never knew for sure who would be leading us. For two days, the car had no company markings. The guide on the last day was very unprofessional and did not organize the taxi to our hotel properly. We had difficulty getting back to our hotel and had to ask the guide from the previous day, John from Crater Explorer Tours, for help. John was the only one responding and actually the only really professional guide on our trip. I am very grateful to him for helping us even though he was not our guide on the last day.
Additional Feedback
I would also like to add that I sent a complaint letter to Kipok Africa Adventures but I did not receive a response until few days later, after I sent a warning to write a review based on my experience. This is already 2 weeks and since then I did not hear from the company. I believe that this shows that Kipok is not serious about addressing customer complaints.
Conclusion
I am very disappointed with the service that I received from Kipok Africa Adventures. I would not recommend them to anyone.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A terrible company and one that all travelers should beware of
I have always thought that the second-selling travel agency on SafariBooking has basic service guarantees,！
but I am wrong!
The trip was very bad. I changed three cars and three drivers in a row on the road. I didn't have any notices or reminders before, which made me feel at a loss, and there was no apology and explanation afterwards, especially the last driver was not prepared any water for us and we were all thirsty and unbearable, and we couldn't buy any water. The most exaggerated thing was that the driver was unwilling to take me to the airport. The 7-day itinerary included the last delivery to the airport. He asked me to call Uber by myself!
All future travelers！
please don't be blinded by the so-called sales volume and are blinded by more than 1,000 comments, choose this company carefully, and choose a travel agency carefully!
TW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible
I think Seven by Far Tours is a cheat agent. They didn’t apply VISA for me, so I can't get into Kenya. They promised me they would return my money 1795 USD, but they always said they were processing now. It has been three months, I still haven’t gotten my money. If you want to go to Kenya Safari, don’t consider this agent. I think they are cheaters.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Irresponsible; callous; unapologetic; indifferent to fact we paid for a service he could not deliver
Sold safari itinerary that proved to be undeliverable.
Driven in land cruiser with several major defects, many of which were significant safety risks.
The most harrowing part of the journey was during 14-hour drive from Makumi to Selous (which should have taken no more than 7 hours).
Just after 7pm on this drive, the headlights on the vehicle failed. It was dark and very remote where it happened.
The road was potholed and riven (a truck had been stuck in the mud earlier and we had waited an hour while villagers dug it out before we could pass).
The driver resorted to holding his mobile phone out of the window in his right hand,to shine the light from his screen on to road. His left hand held the wheel and he drove one-handed, with very little light from his phone, with hazard lights on.
The journey was completed agonisingly slowly in this dangerous one-handed fashion.
Because of the rain, it was also hard to distinguish the road from water on both sides.
We both thought we would die.
The following day we saw Steven, the company owner, at the river safari where he was with a group (from the hotel where we had been staying). He was in a more superior vehicle.
We were rightly angry. We tried to tell him about some of our experience of the tour, but he offered not one word of sympathy, still less any apology or acceptance of responsibility.
When we said our lives had been endangered, he said we should take it as an adventure! I am in my 70s and my wife is nearly 70. We do not need this kind of adventure at this stage in our lives. We are well-travelled and had ‘slummed it’ in our twenties.
When my wife mentioned that the hand rail came off when she held on to it as the vehicle tipped at 45degrees going through a rut, Steven said that it was probably because of her weight!!!
We pointed out to him that it was his responsibility to provide us with a vehicle that was fit-for-purpose. He responded that it was the rain that posed a problem to our journey having taken so long.
This is just an account of the worst part of the tour.
We bought a 4-day safari (84 hours) but spent spent a total of 31.5 hours travelling in the vehicle, with a mere 8 hours on actual safari in the two parks, Makumi and Selous.
We paid USD1800 and were provided with an unroadworthy, not fit-for-purpose vehicle.
The accommodation was changed at the last minute on the first day and we were put up in a place with no fan, air-conditioning or hot water.
The accommodation at Selous did have a fan, but no hot water for a shower after our gruelling journey or for an early morning shower. (They did provide hot water later in the day but no hot shower before our walking Safari before breakfast.)
It was a terrifying experience.
Clearly not value for money.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
For your own safety and money worthy, DON'T choose this fraud
I and my friends (4 persons) booked the 14 days Kenya&Tanzania trip(Sep 10 - Sep 23), and the whole trip became a nightmare since Day 6 until the end. Below are what happened to us, which might happen on you too. For your own safety and money worthy, NEVER EVER choose Seven by Far.
1. Became the hostage in the wilderness:
Seven by Far outsourced our Tanzania part to the local tour agency without telling us, and had payment issues with the local agency. The local agency refused to provide the service unless they received the full payments from Seven by Far. During the time, Seven by far just left us there. We had to communicate and negotiate with the local agency and pushed Seven to talk with THEIR OWN agency. They had the same payment issues with the Safari camp, the camp hold us there because they also did not receive the full payment. Instead of sending money to the camp, Seven asked us to pay the rest by our own and said they would refund us at the end of trip. This mess last 4 days and we lost 5 safari drives in Serengeti and had to change our rest of trip. In those 4 days, we were sucked there in anxiety and nervous and had to keep calling Seven by Far to resolve their own payment issues, but they just left us there. At the end, the Camp argued with Seven by Far and finally got full payment and allow us leave, and we paid by our own to the local tour agency to move our trip forward.
2. Never notify you when they made change in your trip:
They changed our accommodation from North Serengeti to Central Serengeti without any notification, downgraded from Rive Camp to Ikoma Camp for 2 nights, also downgraded the accommodation from AA lodge(4 stars) to the Kamala camp(1 star) for 2 nights in Amboseli. After we called them, their explanation was the original accommodations were not available. But should you notify the customers in advance instead of directly throwing the customers to a place they never expect?
3. Same story again, suck in any place you never expect:
In last day, Seven by Far booked the local driver to take us to the airport. Same story again that the local driver said they did not receive full payment so they would not provide us the transportation to the airport. We called Seven by far multiples times, they can't resolve it, then we paid our own to catch the flight.
4. Refund?
2 hrs before our flight, they showed us a paper and said they would refund. Since we were back from the trip, we spend 1 month to negotiate with them and finally reached agreement on the refund amount $1857. Then another round battle start, they kept saying they were processing the refund but until today(Nov 24), we did not receive even 1 penny and they become unreachable.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Proceed with Caution
Think twice before booking!
Unfortunately this did not turn out well. We haven't been to Kenya yet so our experience with African Mosaic Tours has made the last week or so very stressful and manic.
At first, Max, the CEO, was friendly, very quick at replying and put together a safari pack we were happy with. We sent across our deposit to the link that Max provided, he confirmed he had received it and we were set to go. Happy days! Or not…
I messaged Max last week to update my contact details and he came back to me in his usual quick response time but on this occasion accused me or being a fraud, that I was playing a “ game “ and that they have never used that payment option before, therefore, he has not received our deposit. My partner called him but he was aggressive and rude to her on the phone and he has now ceased communication with us and appears to be ignoring emails from other people who are trying to get to the bottom of this. We were, and still are, baffled as to what has happened here. What boils my blood is his outright lying. Everything he denies is in the email communication between us. I have the payment link, I have payment confirmation and I have a screen shot from Max showing my money in their account.
It doesn’t look like this is going to be settled through Max and African Mosaic Tours since they’re ignoring emails so I am going to have to find the answers through other routes. We have since booked another safari which just looks incredible but I would very much like my 1700USD back from this company.
Think long and hard about booking with this company. I’m sure they do and have provided safaris in the past but if this experience has happened to me then it can happen to others too.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Terrible experience
Attention! do not go to any of these safari agencies (Kilimanjaro Adventure Safari Club, Kima, Safari Moja Matata) especially not to Mister Thomas. I think they are scammers.
We paid Mr. Thomas 3800 USD to have a 8 days safari, at the end of July 2023: Serengeti, Lake Natron, Olduvai Gorge, lake Maniara. Starting from Arusha. He promised us the new car which pics he sent us by whatsapp when we contacted him, but a very old Toyota was used for our safari. The car was very very old and dangerous and Mr Thomas put us in a very serious DANGER and RISK for our LIVES! AND HE KNEW IT. That was a criminal way to work with people.
First of all, we paid Kilimanjaro Adventure Safari Club; the safari program was by KIMA company, and to enter the parks the name of the company was Safari Moja Matata. We don't know what happened.
The Toyota Prado sx 30 turbo (plate T457 ANR) had very worn tyres, left windows and doors didn't work (we can't get out of the car, we can't close the windows when the road was dusty), brakes didn't work and produced smoke and bud smell, brake fluid came out from the left front wheel, rear shock absorbers didn't work so the car skided dangerously and the engine made strange noises. The car was very very dirty and rusted. The driver (Juma) had to drive very slowly because the car swerving when improved the speed, so we lost a lot of time for visiting the parks. We were very afraid for our safety.
After a day driving, we wrote and phoned to Thomas to ask him for changing the car for a better one as those in the picture he sent, but he said it was the only avaible car. He said the car was ok, but it wasn't at all.
In fact, on 25th July one of the bald tyres broke. They mount the spare wheel but he broke after 20 meters! The spare tyre was very bald too.
We stand on the road for hours to wait for new wheels. I called Thomas to protest, he said we was right and he would refund us for that day, but he didn't it. That was the last time he answered at calling or sending messages.
Finally Thomas sent a private car that carried us to Lake Natron but we arrived in late and we had only 2 hours to visit the side in a great hurry.
By night, the driver Juma arrived to Natron with the same old car again and 2 new tyres and we continued the safari on the same old car.
The safari continued driving always very very slowly and we always must wait 2/3 ours for the payment for entering the parks because Thoms were always in late in that. We lost a lot of time every time.
On 27th July in Serengeti the brake fluid came out from a wheel that made bad noises. So we couldn't arrive to Serengeti Central and we had to pass the first night in another camping near the border of the park. Because of the slow driving and the in late payments we arrived on 28th July to Olduvai Gorge only 1 our before the closing! INCREDIBLE! We have no enought time to visit all we wanted.
On 29th July, during descending Ngorongoro slope, brakes caught fire! The company put us in a great danger! We could have a serious accident during the deep descent. A lot of other drivers stopped to advise us about the dangerous situation.
On the way back, climbing the Ngorongoro slope, the car stopped because the engine produced smoke. We all pushed the car trying to restart the car unsuccessfully. Another car gave a ride to the top of the slope. The old and dangerous car broke definitely and our driver left it in Ngorongoro.
We remained with no safari car, and we continued our safari changing different private cars for the remaining 2 days with great discomforts and delays, while you disappeared at all!
On the way back to Arusha we went to the Arusha Tourist & Diplomatic Police station to make a report to the police.
The police said that surely one of the three safari companies was a fake.
Our safari and our holiday are ruined, and we risked our lives!
After the report at the police, Mr Thomas promised to refund us 1500 USD, but he disappeared without doing it.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
They ruined my safari
Attention! do not go to any of these safari agencies (Kilimanjaro Adventure Safari Club, Kima, Safari Moja Matata) especially not to Mister Thomas. I think they are scammers.
We paid Mr. Thomas 3800 USD to have a 8 days safari, at the end of July 2023: Serengeti, Lake Natron, Olduvai Gorge, lake Maniara. Starting from Arusha. He promised us the new car which pics he sent us by whatsapp when we contacted him, but a very old Toyota was used for our safari. The car was very very old and dangerous and Mr Thomas put us in a very serious DANGER and RISK for our LIVES! AND HE KNEW IT. That was a criminal way to work with people.
First of all, we paid Kilimanjaro Adventure Safari Club; the safari program was by KIMA company, and to enter the parks the name of the company was Safari Moja Matata. We don't know what happened.
The Toyota Prado sx 30 turbo (plate T457 ANR) had very worn tyres, left windows and doors didn't work (we can't get out of the car, we can't close the windows when the road was dusty), brakes didn't work and produced smoke and bud smell, brake fluid came out from the left front wheel, rear shock absorbers didn't work so the car skided dangerously and the engine made strange noises. The car was very very dirty and rusted. The driver (Juma) had to drive very slowly because the car swerving when improved the speed, so we lost a lot of time for visiting the parks. We were very afraid for our safety.
After a day driving, we wrote and phoned to Thomas to ask him for changing the car for a better one as those in the picture he sent, but he said it was the only avaible car. He said the car was ok, but it wasn't at all.
In fact, on 25th July one of the bald tyres broke. They mount the spare wheel but he broke after 20 meters! The spare tyre was very bald too.
We stand on the road for hours to wait for new wheels. I called Thomas to protest, he said we was right and he would refund us for that day, but he didn't it. That was the last time he answered at calling or sending messages.
Finally Thomas sent a private car that carried us to Lake Natron but we arrived in late and we had only 2 hours to visit the side in a great hurry.
By night, the driver Juma arrived to Natron with the same old car again and 2 new tyres and we continued the safari on the same old car.
The safari continued driving always very very slowly and we always must wait 2/3 ours for the payment for entering the parks because Thoms were always in late in that. We lost a lot of time every time.
On 27th July in Serengeti the brake fluid came out from a wheel that made bad noises. So we couldn't arrive to Serengeti Central and we had to pass the first night in another camping near the border of the park. Because of the slow driving and the in late payments we arrived on 28th July to Olduvai Gorge only 1 our before the closing! INCREDIBLE! We have no enought time to visit all we wanted.
On 29th July, during descending Ngorongoro slope, brakes caught fire! The company put us in a great danger! We could have a serious accident during the deep descent. A lot of other drivers stopped to advise us about the dangerous situation.
On the way back, climbing the Ngorongoro slope, the car stopped because the engine produced smoke. We all pushed the car trying to restart the car unsuccessfully. Another car gave a ride to the top of the slope. The old and dangerous car broke definitely and our driver left it in Ngorongoro.
We remained with no safari car, and we continued our safari changing different private cars for the remaining 2 days with great discomforts and delays, while you disappeared at all!
On the way back to Arusha we went to the Arusha Tourist & Diplomatic Police station to make a report to the police.
The police said that surely one of the three safari companies was a fake.
Our safari and our holiday are ruined, and we risked our lives!
After the report at the police, Mr Thomas promised to refund us 1500 USD, but he disappeared without doing it.
