SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unprofessional, deceitful and greedy Kenyan operator
- We booked a 7 day Masai Mara, Lake Naruku, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli safari with Wildbound Safari from 3-9 August through their consultant, Electine.
- Wildbound Safari is a terrible operator who outsources to other operators, in our case - Jocky tours and does not bother to follow up on the itinerary. Thankfully our guide Joseph from Jocky tours was great.
- There have been multiple hiccups with them right from the start. First, we booked a mid-range safari experience with all Sopa lodges accommodation and paid the 50% deposit weeks in advance. Weeks later, on the actual day of our flight to Africa were we suddenly informed that all our Sopa lodges are full and our accommodation have been downgraded.
- Fine, we accepted that but then again they downgraded us to a tent/ campsite on the last day instead of the hotel that we had paid for. There was no refund of the amount we paid.
- Wildbound Safari also misrepresented and gave us a deceitful proposal with 2 game drives (1 in Lake Naruku and 1 in Amboseli) omitted as we were merged with another tour group who paid US$1,000 less per person than us.
- They then failed to refund us the entry fees for those 2 game drives that we missed which amounted to US$240.
- Wildbound Safari is super unprofessional as when they picked us up at Nairobi airport, Electine gave us the wrong bank account info for us to complete the rest of our payment here despite us checking multiple times with them.
- After our funds were transferred with proof of payment that the funds have left our bank account, they insisted on us paying a double amount to them again through no fault of ours.
- They called our guide Joseph everyday to bug us and we never got a good night of rest, and we were constantly bugged throughout the long car rides.
- Speaking of which, our itinerary guaranteed no more than 6 passengers in a group per land cruiser but they squeezed in 8 people and it was so uncomfortable!
- Their director Duncan did not take any responsibility and instead disrupted our schedule by insisting that our entire group stop by Nairobi to pay them and even go to the bank which is known for ridiculously long queues.
- Duncan also threatened us and said that our accomodation for the rest of the trip isn't booked if we don't pay them again.
- Duncan then also threatened us with police at the airport.
- Basically this has been a shit show for what was my birthday trip and I would never ever deal with them again.
- Deal with them at your own peril. This trip is an absolute disaster!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very bad experience!
We do not feel like recommending this operator: our experience was very bad. Starting with the stay at the Venice Hotel which is an old and dirty facility to continue with a general organization that was completely inefficient and inadequate for the amount spent. The manager pocketed the money and then subcontracted us to another agency without ever providing us with a detailed program with schedules and practical information. Our package included a night inside Ngorongoro Park, a very expensive choice and made to take advantage of the game drive from very early in the morning so we could spot predators. The agency assigned us to a group leaving from Arusha and we had to wait for 4 hours until late 10 a.m., thus sacrificing our safari day. The second night we were changed the lodge from the prearranged schedule without even a warning. Experience not to be repeated.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
They're responsive until they get your money
If I could give 0 stars I would. I booked a private tour. Below are just some issues I faced with this company:
1. Rude guide. Being that I'm his only client on a private tour, it's inexcusable that he gave very little information and loved to chat with his guide friends but neglected me.
2. I specified I didn't want to camp and wanted very nice accommodations. The price reflected much nicer accommdations. They ended up booking me in some lodges with no hot water (it's winter in namibia and freezing on the skeleton coast), broken lights, and no heat while it was just 3 degrees outside.
3. They booked me a photographer. He showed up an hour late the first day. Took terribly over-exposed photos that were worse than photos on a phone. A month later, he still won't edit the photos in any way to make them look professional. People's Safari won't respond to my emails and won't take any responsibility for this issue.
4. The logistics were poorly planned. They didn't look for lodges close to destinations so we ended up losing time driving several hours out of the way. I guess they were trying to save money at the expense of tourists' time.
They're happy to take your money but give subpar accommodations and customer service. Please save yourself the headache and avoid this tour operator
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible Experience with 3 Wonders - Avoid at All Costs!
Our trip with 3 Wonders was a complete disaster from start to finish. Here are the main issues we encountered:
Serengeti Entry Delay: We faced a frustrating 2-hour delay at the Serengeti entry due to incomplete paperwork, causing us to miss our evening game drive. This is there typical reason because they don’t pay the park fees and somehow expect to get around it. In some reviews, travelers have paid parks which is their strategy .
Accommodation Downgrade: Upon arrival at the camp around 8 pm, we found that our booking at the Serengeti Heritage Lodge had been downgraded to Engiterata Camp, a very basic camp, without any prior notification. Being stuck in the forest with no other options made this situation completely unacceptable.
Grouped with Campers: We were grouped with campers, wasting our time waiting for their activities, which was not what we had signed up for.
Wasted Time in Serengeti: The next day, we were dropped at the campsite around 11 am for an early lunch, only for the driver to leave and return after 2.5 hours, wasting our time and ruining our experience.
Limited Game Drives: We had no game drive on the first day and only a short one on the morning of the second day, which was a huge letdown.
Terrible Safari Vehicle: The safari vehicle was in terrible condition, constantly breaking down and needing to be pushed by other vehicles.
Broken Passenger Door: The passenger door of the jeep was broken, creating a serious safety hazard.
Rude Driver: The driver was extremely rude, lacked information, and appeared upset with us for no reason, which was very frustrating.
Broken Radio: The jeep's radio was broken, preventing the driver from communicating with others to locate animals, making the safari pointless.
Missed Excursions: Our itinerary included excursions like the Olduvai Gorge museum, but there was no plan for these, which was incredibly disappointing.
Fuel Tank Hazard: The fuel tank in the jeep was broken, which was very dangerous. Despite this, the driver continued to drive the same jeep for three hours. It was late evening and dark, and we were in the deep jungle where wild animals roam. Anything could have happened to us, and the rescue jeep arrived very late.
Actually no one now books with 3 wonders because of bad reviews but in some cases your safari company might sell your booking to 3wonders. If your safari company assigns you to 3 Wonders, please don't go with them because you will either die or, at the very least, not enjoy the game drive because there will be none done. Save yourself and ask your safari company who they are going to sell your booking to because that is what they do.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I recommend avoiding this tour operator
We took a family trip with this operator in July of 2024. We paid more than was required by the operator and the operator has since refused to refund us the overcharge. The operator has also been unpleasant to deal with. I recommend avoiding this tour operator and finding a different tour.
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible, horrible company ，I received personal threats
We needed to end our 13-day trip early due to health reasons, but because of their mistake, they didn't tell us what we paid. After we asked the price and paid, they told us that we forgot to pay. Now when it comes to refunding, they have a very bad attitude and told us that it is our fault. They didn't tell us when we went to pay. After repeated inquiries, they gave the wrong price. When refunding, they didn't admit that they forgot the correct fee. When I refunded, they forced me to write a letter of commitment saying that I agreed to refund only 300 US dollars. It's terrible. I don't agree and I'm not satisfied, but the staff told me that I must write it, otherwise I can't leave the office. I'm scared because their office is small and dark. I'm really scared of what they will do to me if I don't write that I agree to refund. And they lie. It's bad. Very bad. After canceling the rest of the trip, the total price was $5,000, and they refunded me $300 in 13 days. They also threatened and intimidated me. I will tell everyone. This is terrible.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very bad service.
We all are unhappy in your service.This service is very bad.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My advice is not to trust APS, they were dishonest and unresponsive with us
We were a group of four and wanted to do safaris in Kenya and Tanzania in July 2024 and wanted this to be a private tour. After doing a lot of research, we had a very specific itinerary in mind, including the parks we wanted to visit and the accommodations we wanted to use.
So we contacted African Paradise Safaris (APS) in July 2023 (over a year in advance) to ask if they would be able to do this itinerary and they assured us they could. They provided us with a quote for this specific itinerary and it seemed good so we booked with John Peter.
We just returned from our trip and we had a very bad experience with APS. They did not respect the contract at all, they lied, and they did not respond to our emails when we reported the problems. They were very responsive when they wanted us to book our trip with them, but after that they just ignore you.
Here are some of the very bad surprises we had with APS :
- The Land Cruiser provided in Kenya was not appropriate.
It was very dirty, very old, too small to accommodate our luggage and in very poor condition. And it did not seem safe at all. Everybody was passing us on the road and our driver could not keep up because his steering wheel was shaking hard. At some point he even left us at a roadside market to go get it fixed but it did not help a lot. This caused us to lose a lot of precious time during the Kenya part of our trip.
During our game drives we saw a lot of other Land Cruiser et we clearly had the worst, and this was not what we paid for.
- The itinerary was not respected and something fishy was going on.
One day we were scheduled to arrive at our lodge in time for lunch, relax and have an afternoon game drive later.
However, our driver told us he knew a shortcut and decided to use some back road to get there and was very evasive when we asked him questions as why we were not going to the lodge first as planned.
He got lost three times trying to figure out where he was going and we lost so much time that he finally had to stop in the middle of nowhere to ask a guy to guide us on his motorcycle, through a very rocky terrain, to a non-official questionable entrance of the Maasai Mara park. We then lost some more time while he negotiates our entry and I suspect that using this back-entrance was a way to avoid paying the full fees for the park. We finally got in the park around 16h30 for a short game drive, but with all our luggage still in the jeep so this was very uncomfortable.
We were supposed to have lunch at the lodge and then relax until our game drive, instead we lost all our afternoon driving around in bad conditions, had a late crampy game drive and got to the lodge after sunset so we could not enjoy the facilities as expected.
- We booked two nights at the Zebra Plains Mara Camp but when we got there, there was no reservation for us.
Our driver took us to the wrong lodge first, then he finally got us to the Zebra Plains but they had no reservation for us, they told us APS did not book our reservation.
We thought somebody must have made a mistake and they would fix it so we will let them figure it out. After a while the Zebra Plains representant told us that they would only be able to provide us with rooms at their sister lodge, the Zebra River camp, about 35 minutes away.
It was irritating but it was getting late and we had no other choice.
The other accommodation seemed equivalent (not as much wildlife around though) but it was not the one that we chose and paid for.
Again a lot of time was wasted.
- In our quote we asked for a french speaking guide and APS told us it would not be a problem and they would provide a guide/driver that speaks french.
APS confirmed to us more than once that there would be just one person to accompany us (guide/driver would be the same person) when we specifically ask about that. However, in the middle of our trip we learned that we would have to switch vehicle and driver for the Tanzanian part of the trip because it seems APS subcontracted this part to another company called African Natural.
When we got to the border we were surprised to see that now we had two guys, a guide and a driver, which would mean that we would now have to pay double in tips.
We tried to contact APS about that but got no response.
But on the bright side, the Land Cruiser provided for the Tanzanian part of the trip was a LOT nicer. It was clean, spacious and in good mechanical order. It had a working cooler full of water, not just a dirty non-refrigerated box like we had before. In fact, this Land Cruiser was just like the ones all the other companies use! That was exactly what we expected and did not get in Kenya.
- We booked one night at the Rhino Lodge but again when we got there, there was no reservation for us.
This was the second time APS failed to book what we asked for and this time it was really beginning to piss us off.
We asked and there were rooms available but no reservation for us.
Our driver tried to contact APS and African Natural to sort this out, but they blamed each other and told him they could not even booked the available rooms.
They relocated us to Ngorongoro Wild Camp which is about 45 minutes away and is not at all comparable (a big step down).
We paid for a room with a fireplace, a nice restaurant, a nice view and we got a camp with no view, no fireplace and a restaurant that looked like a poor cafeteria.
And this place was not convenient at all (a lot further on very bad road), so we lost more than 2 hours the first day sorting this out and getting there and lost another hour the next day to get to the Ngorongoro crater.
Again we emailed APS to get some answers and never got any response.
- Our reservation at Masailand Safari Lodge was not booked full board (all meals included).
When we got to this place they informed us that our reservation was just bed and breakfast so we would have to pay for dinner and would not have our lunchbox the next day.
Our driver had to sort this out with APS again. After a while the lodge finally told us that African Natural agreed that we could have dinner but no lunchbox.
Since our invoice was clear that we paid for full board we send proof to APS and African Natural using Whatsapp and after a while we got a response telling us we would get our lunch the next day. Again we lost a lot of time for something that should have been done right from the start.
- We booked two nights at the Kibo Safari Camp but again APS failed and did not book it.
This time we did not even had to get to Kibo Safari Camp to learn that APS did not book our reservation.
We were on the way there and we happened to ask the driver if he knew the place to which he just answered that we were not going there after all!
This was the third time APS failed to book what we asked for, this is unacceptable.
We were pissed and asked why since this is the place we booked, and he told us APS decided to upgrade us for no reason and that we were now going to the Ol Tukai Lodge.
We specifically chose the Kibo Safari Camp because it is #1 on TA but again it seemed we had no choice but to accept that APS failed and lied.
The Ol Tukai Lodge (#3 on TA) was not bad and we liked it, but when you plan a year in advance and did not get what you paid for it is very irritating.
We were still able to have a good trip since Kenya and Tanzania have a lot to offer if you want to do safaris, but just do not use African Paradise Safaris (APS) if you want to avoid the stress and the deceptions.
And make sure your driver uses his radio to communicate with other drivers. Our driver did in Kenya which was very helpful but in Tanzania the other driver did not and we think we missed a lot of opportunities because of that.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime turned into big disappointment because of this tour operator.
Our recent 10-day Safari and Zanzibar trip with Shengena Adventures, managed by Mike, was a major disappointment. While we did see the Big Five, several issues severely marred the experience:
Poor Communication:
There were significant communication breakdowns between the tour manager and our guide. On two separate occasions, we were left waiting for hours due to miscommunication, wasting valuable game drive time.
Substandard Vehicle:
The jeep provided was in terrible condition, lacking air conditioning, with frequent breakdowns, and was extremely uncomfortable due to bad suspensions. By the end of the safari, the dashboard was falling apart, making the experience unpleasant.
Mismanaged Transfers:
Our transfer to Zanzibar was poorly planned, leaving us wasting an entire day at a hotel instead of enjoying the beach due to a late flight booking.
Failed Engagement Surprise:
I had arranged a special bush lunch for my engagement, but it was a disaster. What was promised—a beautiful setup with champagne—turned out to be a cheap, poorly executed setup with alcohol-free grape juice. Despite paying extra, the experience was far below expectations, though I eventually received a refund after several complaints. See photo comparison on what was promised and what we received.
Overall, Shengena Adventures failed to deliver the quality experience we paid for. I wouldn’t recommend this company to anyone, as there are many other options that would likely offer a better experience.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just a waste of money and time
Recently we had a tour with Trusit Line Safaris their service was not good at all we could not stay with their food. They were feeding us stale food and the accommodation was dirty. I advise to stay away from their services.