IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not so good
We booked a 5-day Safari between Tsavo East-West, Taita and Amboselli. The quality of the facilities is very good however the time spent on the Safaris was very little (in fact we saw very few animals). Much of the tour was spent in moving from one park to another. We usually arrived at the lodge to check in around 12 noon and the guide took us to the safari directly at 3 p.m. for only two to one and a half hours. All this money for two hours a day of safari doesn't seem like the best.
We were finally very disappointed when we were taken to see the rhinos in the special reserve near Tsavo...the guide arrives there for 4:30 p.m. and after 20 minutes makes to leave since the park closes at 5 p.m.; but couldn't he have taken us there earlier?
finally, the guide did not seem the least bit knowledgeable to us and never wasted time looking for animals (he even came without a spotting scope!).
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Budget tour
11-18 Aug (8 day Adventure budget group sharing tour)
Owner Mr Richard is available to troubleshoot problems. Hospitality was ok.
Pricing - Budget, reasonable (cutting corners is visible)
Travel - Very bad. They changed vehicles and drivers everyday. The condition of vehicles was very old and shattered. Great to get bodyaches.
The drivers were not punctual. On 1st day masai Mara we got only 90 min of Safari. 2nd day driver started 1 hour late and exited the park 2 hrs early. The drivers took park entry tickets but never showed us. The way they did it, seemed fishy.
Stay
Masai Mara - Lenchada tents - stay is ok, food is ok
Nakuru - Hotel Hill Court- very good
Naivasha - Hotel Leisure Apex - Good
Amboseli - Nyati Safari camp - Very good
Despite assuring water on all 8 days, they provided water only on day1 and 2. We had to buy over priced water from the accommodation premises.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great animals/accommodations/food but poor organization for our safari
I'm writing to review our safari with Samson's Safaris. We were a family group of mothers and daughters from the United States. Overall, we had a disappointing experience due to poor organization by our guide and the company.
Our experience with Samson's Safaris started well -- they were enthusiastic about our addition of some experiences (a Maasai-run eco-camp and Mau Mau history) and were communicative during the planning process. However, our bad experiences started the first day when we got up early for the 7 a.m. departure time given to us by Samson's, but our driver was 30 minutes late. His vehicle had awesome wifi, but two broken seatbelts in the two prime seats, meaning we had to sit in the back of the vehicle to remain safe while driving on highways. The guide backed into a parked car at the beginning of the day, and later took a wrong turn and had to stop for directions and then backtrack.
The second day, our guide failed to game out the breakfast options at our lodge, which conflicted with his initial proposed 7 a.m. departure time, so he moved departure to 8 a.m. without discussing options with us. When the morning's local guide took longer than expected with a hike, so we didn't get to lunch until 3:30 p.m. and missed the rest of the day's planned activities. Rather than offer us options for what to cut or how to adjust the schedule, our guide simply moved it to the next day, creating an unrealistic schedule for the next day (we would learn) that required starting at 6 a.m.
The third day, the guide was then a half hour late for our 6 a.m. start, which was explained later in the day as a flat tire, though when we called, it sounded as if we woke him up. We had a good morning, but then our guide got the vehicle stuck in the mud for over an hour. We realized after being pulled out by a similar Toyota Land Cruiser that our vehicle's tires were nearly bald, and on several occasions later in the trip we were nervous about anything involving water or mud where we might get stuck again as the wheels just spun. On the way to lunch, the guide took another wrong turn, but by this point we had started tracking logistics through Google Maps, so we alerted him and helped him get to the restaurant. Again, the times presented for the day were not realistic, so we started managing the plan, cutting a hike short ourselves and missing our first glimpse of the Rift Valley before dark. Our guide took us to the wrong hotel, which had closed but had the same name (in his defense it was in the wrong place on Google Maps, but still made for a long and frustrating day.).
Each of these issues individually would have been understandable and excusable -- one late arrival, a broken seatbelt, one messed up schedule, these things happen. The fact that they kept happening was representative of the fact that neither the guide nor the company was communicative about problems or opened up a dialog with us. We would have preferred that the company let us know when the schedule changed, or the guide sought our feedback about how we wanted to prioritize limited time and activities -- but these changes were made without our involvement and without realistic estimates of time/distances.
When we sat down with our guide at the end of the third day, we requested three items for the rest of the trip: that he be on time for morning departures, that he brief us about the timeline for the next day's activities (there were no daily briefings like you'd expect for this type of trip), and that he discuss changes to the schedule with us before making them. We then shared those requests with Samson's management, who again were very responsive and re-assuring that those issues would be addressed. After a fantastic fourth day with all problems addressed, we were surprised upon returning to the hotel that Samson's management drove all the way from Nairobi to Nakuru to join us for dinner and that they'd arranged a boat ride on Lake Naivasha the next day to make it up to us -- both of which were changes to the schedule that hadn't been discussed with us, which was specifically one of the things we'd asked. More frustrating, the new plan was completely unrealistic -- described as the "same drive time" but actually adding another hour in the car that combined with the boat ride would have made it impossible to join the afternoon cultural activities at our next lodging. Again, this was presented as a done deal (we have changed your schedule to add more activities to make you happy) rather than as a discussion about what would address our concerns, which is what we would have preferred. We politely declined the offer of the free boat ride and requested to keep the original schedule.
Our worst experience was our final two days in Maasai Mara. At the end of the trip, we planned to be dropped off at the Tanzanian border at Isibania to continue with a different company in Tanzania. We learned from Samson's on day five that what was listed as an "optional game drive" on our last day was in fact an $800 four-hour shortcut through the park for what would otherwise be a six- or seven-hour drive on the road. The "optional game drive" price was not listed in any of the preparatory materials. After talking as a family, we decided we would take the short cut and pay the extra fee. However, on day six when we arrived at the Maasai Mara entrance for the game drive included in the safari price, we were asked to make the next day's $800 payment that day because it would save time for both of us to buy tickets at the gate at the same time. Our guide waited for the line with his uncle -- letting other people go first for the other line -- in what we came to suspect was a plan to have us pay the $800 fee for the first full day and then the next day he could pay just $200 for a transit ticket -- since we were transiting the park -- and save/pocket $600. We paid for one day via credit card, but then were told that he wouldn't buy the tickets for the other day that day, he would pay the following day.
The following day (our last of seven days), our guide ended up being a few dollors short to pay the park entrance fee, so we had to pay the extra. The guide said the company had not given him enough money to pay the expected fee. We texted the company, who said they would send the funds to the guide by Mpesa, which we could pick up at a roadside stand, but we didn't want to spend any more time with Samson's and just wanted to be done.
There were some highlights: the wifi in vehicle was a nice surprise, the accommodations and food were great, and we did see the Big Five and many more animals. However, we cannot recommend this company to other travelers at this price point. If you're a student or trying to save money, this could be a great fix if you don't really care about time and schedule. For us, we paid $2500 each for a seven-day trip ($10k total), and the experience did not meet our expectations for guided trips with our parents.
CH
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Nigel
After all this park was made out to be we were fairly disapointed. We saw a good variety of wildlive but only small isolated groups. Mush of the terrain was burnt and void ao anything. This was not due to natural bush fires but controlled burning and it completely ruined any feeling of bush atmosphere.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The agent to book a resort for guests
Overall, a 3-star experience with a 5-star cost.
• The toilet in the room doesn’t flush well.
• The bathroom light is white, which ruins the vibe. It should be yellow.
• One waiter doesn’t smile while serving. He also spilled red wine on the table without noticing it himself and couldn’t remember the dishes for a group of four. He’s not familiar with the drink list at all. A young waiter on a working holiday, who’s only been here for a week, knows it better than him.
• On a windy day, the waiters kept forgetting to close the door during dinner, even though two groups reminded them multiple times. This was awful and inconsiderate.
• The guide skipped the coffee on the morning safari without explanation. His hospitality changes when there are more white guests on the safari car, raising concerns about racism. Such differentiated treatment is completely unacceptable.
• The suggested tip is 450 ZAR for the guide and 450 ZAR for the villa staff per day, which guests are informed about upon arrival. This doesn’t feel right and isn’t a good practice for a luxury package. While tipping culture exists in the U.S. where employers often don’t pay a good base wage, when we’ve already spent tens of thousands of ZAR on a luxury package, the staff and guide should be paid well and shouldn’t expect tips.
It’s quite disappointing to find so many flaws every day when you’ve booked a luxury package.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice experience in Kenya
My friend and I had our safari organised by this tour agency from the 6th August till the 16th August: it was our first safari and, overall, we enjoyed it, even though some aspects can be improved. The communication with the agency was really quick and efficient during the all time and our accomodations were good (budget option), except for the first one in Masai Mara, where we spent two nights and both food and bathrooms (scarcely essential and with unstable hot water) were not the best.
Our driver, Newton, was a nice guy and he used to provide adequate explationations during the game drives, but he was not always on time, so the timing in general should be optimized, also considering few but proper stops and the time for meals, and we didn't always feel safe while he was driving, because he was constantly on the phone. A very negative aspect about the organisation is that the driver didn't have his accomodations booked for the night, so it happened twice that we had to leave earlier from the game drive in order to let him find where to sleep (and of course we agreed to leave because we didn't want him to sleep in the car, but it would have been more appropriate to book it in advance, maybe through the agency, so that we could enjoy the whole day at the park). In addition, during our first game drive in Masai Mara the car broke down twice (at first there was a problem with a bolt of the tyre, which probably wouldn't have happened if there had been a proper check-up before the start of the safari and this inconvenience made us waste more than 1 hour to solve it, while the second time was just a damage in the tyre, which of course can happen and was quickly changed).
Our programme also included a visit to Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha: they are not bad, but I think two days are too many and it's better to skip at least one of them and to have more time for a game drive in a park (Amboseli for example, where we spent just half a day at the end) and when we realised this during the trip, they told us it was too late to change our schedule. I would have liked to spend more time in Masai Mara too, because, even though we were supposed to spend two days of game drive there according to the programme, we actually had one day, since we arrived in the afternoon on the first day and there was only the possibility to visit the Masai village, which we preferred not to do.
So, on balance, I would suggest to see less spots, but to spend more time in the main parks, maybe also providing more packed lunches to be taken in the morning when it's time to change accomodation in order to avoid waisting time in reaching the new place, doing the check-in and having lunch, but going straight to the new park for the game drive and then doing the check-in directly in the evening.
At the end, we went to Diani Beach, where we spent a very nice and relaxing time at our resort. Anyway, apart from the previous points, we had a good time.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
a well-organized and memorable safari experience, with excellent wildlife spotting and safe driving,
We recently completed a 5-day private safari in Tanzania, covering Tarangire, Central Serengeti, North Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Overall, it was an unforgettable experience, and we were fortunate to see all the animals we had hoped for.
Lameck, our guide, was excellent at spotting wildlife and drove safely throughout the trip. His knowledge of the animals and environment was impressive, and we learned a lot from him. Additionally, Pietro, who handled our booking, was professional and prompt, making the planning process smooth.
However, there were a few areas for improvement:
Bluetooth speaker to wake Lions: One incident that left us feeling uncomfortable was when Lameck used a Bluetooth speaker to play hyena sounds to wake up sleeping lions on our first day. While this did lead to better photo opportunities, it felt unethical, especially with numerous jeeps already surrounding the lions. Although he stopped after we expressed our discomfort, this behaviour seemed at odds with the ethos of conservation that Lameck self-proclaimed. We believe this practice should be avoided entirely in the future.
Language Barrier: One of the more significant issues we faced was with Lameck's English, which made communication somewhat difficult. Almost everything he said, we had to ask him to repeat himself, and after a while, it became tiring to continue asking questions.
Communication about our route and plans: For much of the trip, we didn’t know where we were or where we were going next. For example, when I asked about visiting Seronera, Lameck simply said "no" due to our accommodation, but we ended up going there later. A bit more explanation—like letting us know we’d visit later—would have helped manage expectations. It would also be helpful if he provided options, like whether we'd prefer more time with animals and a later arrival (after sunset) at the lodge, or an earlier return. Keeping guests more informed would enhance the experience.
Overall, it was a fantastic safari, but with a few adjustments, it could have been even better.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Smooth booking process, but miss on value for money with properties booked
Crafted’s team worked with us through several iterations to design a trip that we thought matched our requirements. Their team from reservations to finance to the driver they arranged for us was kind, efficient, and customer-oriented.
Ultimately, however, our experience staying in the lodges Crafted advised and had assured us were top-quality didn’t meet expectations. There was a complete misalignment in terms of value for money. I recognize the experience at the lodge ultimately falls on the management of that lodge, but we felt like Crafted either didn’t adequately calibrate expectations or hadn’t recently visited the properties as they had assured us the properties we booked were of highest quality and that our trip represented very good value. I think what made all of this most disappointing is we opted to pay ~15% more to book with Crafted than a competing tour operator whose properties were likely of higher quality and included a private air transfer instead of one of the long drives we had.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Uganda has terrible road structure, but wonderful wildlife and people.
Uganda is a beautiful country with wonderful people and amazing wildlife. What I did not enjoy was our car ride from the airport in Entebbe to Bwindi National Forest. It took 10 hours because their roads are in terrible shape, two-lane highways through small towns all the way. The distance we traveled would take 4 hours on roads from the US. But because they don’t have the infrastructure we do, it took 10 hours.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Responsive
I dealt with Paul and he was very responsive. I booked quite late (1 month) and so struggled with accommodation options. I asked for guidance between somewhere outside the mara or inside (the Lorian camp- somewhere I had found on google) and he has suggested that the one I found may be better in terms of luxury and being inside the mara and getting an extra game drive in the morning as we were travelling out. Unfortunately the camp was basic and the extra game drive did not happen as that camp was so far from the gate and you have to keep the windows up, we had to rush out without seeing a thing. I fed back our disappointment to Paul and he took this well. Overall Paul and the driver were very reliable and had excellent communication.