SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Barely survived
We thought we had booked a trip to discover and experience the wild animals in Kenya and Tanzania but apparently that was not the case. The schedule of visiting several national parks and also be guided in these suited us perfectly but was a huge disappointment.
We were more or less driven around without our so called guides took care of us, guided us or talked to us. The guides or more correctly drivers showed no interest in giving us more knowledge about the wildlife or the parks where we visited. During our ten days of safari none of the drivers took full responsibility for us but just send us on our way to the next driver totally without communication and information what was happening or what was going to happen.
This was really bad but even worse was the fact that the drivers showed big lack of skills in their ability to manage the vehicles they drove us in, which resulted in a number of really dangerous traffic incidents on the savanna. Neither did they have the ability to maintain their vehicles, which was clear and almost got us driven off the track trying to ascend the Ngorongoro crate where the hill was very steep.
We managed to survive these incidents barely.
Sure we encountered the wonderful wildlife but the experience around it was just awful on every level. We can just recommend you choose another tour company.
QA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
One of the worst.
One of the worst safari companies in the world! I was shocked to see how unprofessional they are as I have never faced this in any other country.
As soon as they have your money they will start showing their true color.
No food on time, all cheap/damaged products and services, entire safari trip was planned wrongly- nobody can do a morning game drive in Nakuru, do 6hrs drive and then an evening game in Masaimara- it’s practically impossible!
The driver was not informed about the itinerary and sounded so lost, long wait to enter the parks as the tickets were not purchased prior, long wait in traffic as they don’t spend a few dollars to purchase express entry passes, literally for every single thing I had to message the so called MD, rose who would send a nasty reply.
TH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cheating, bad organized and poor services
We paid the deposit of 7 nights tour for 9 persons to them more than 6 months in advance to confirm our accommodations. In order to make sure , we asked for hotel confirmation and received vouchers from them. But the papers were fake or something, one of our accommodations were changed in last minutes a day before traveling day and they promised that is all , the rest are fine . But it was a lie. They kept changing our accommodations again 2 more times. 1 night seemed like cheating; the rooms were lost 1 room so our 2 single rooms got to be combined to 1 room. We asked for refund but no single dime were returned with so many reasons those not make sense. Our days in the masai Mara park were cheated from 3 to 2 and finally 1 day in order to save their expenses on park fee. Don’t trust this operator if you don’t want to feel like being robbed as us!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Avoid the company, they are fraudsters and liars
We were cheated by that company by around 2.400 USD.
We have fixed a ten days safari with them and paid all money that was agreed onin advance by international bank transfer.
We arrived at the 29.07. 2024 very early in the morning
It was agreed upon that we should be picked up at the airport but nobody was around. All the other tourists were warmly welcomed by their safari companies. We then called the K hotels where we were supposed to spend the rest of the night and the next night before the safari.
The problems already started there because KHotel wanted us to pay extra money for the early check in although it was fixed in the contract that the accommodation before and after our trip should be paid by
AZAS, which they did not do, even the night before our departure and the trip to the airport we had to pay by ourselves.
During the trip there were a lot of irregularities that should be communicated.
From the 31.08.- 03.08. 2024 it was fixed in the programme that we should spend 3 nights at Mweya safari lodge based on full board.
When we arrived at the Mweya safari lodge the manager,
Mr Brian Maher, told us that the lodge was booked by AZAS but unfortunately not paid yet.
Staying at this lodge was a compromise Azas agreed upon before we started the trip.
The former set up contract says that we should have been accommodated at the Karambuya Gorge lodge which the did not book fast enough, so the prices went skyhigh and they could not deliver that lodge.
After that frustration and some whatsapp traffic Simon, the head of Azas, told us that the payment unfortunately bounced back to their account and he did not know what the issue was, he then requested us to pay the lodge by credit card and by arrival from the trip he assured me to give back the money, 1.856 USD at the KHotel in USD cash, before we would check in.
So finally we did the payment and when arriving at the KHotel nobody was there to give us back the promised money.
When checking in the last two nights at KHotels we heard that he did not pay for the last night either which cost us another 310 USD. + airport transfer.
He also did not pay for the trip of the top of the Murchisson falls which was agreed upon in the programme.
To make it short Azas is absolutely unreliable.
They are big pretenders that do not deliver what is fixed in the set up contract.
To make it short AZAS is absolutely unreliable. They are perfect cheaters who want to make a fool of their clients.
Avoid them!
I can prove everything that I have written, the facts are overwhelming!
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
huge disappointment
We had booked with Maximilian a stay for 3 days and 3 nights, first half day with the Masai, then 2 full days of safaris. Everything had started well, great welcome by the Double G Safaris team, very attentive team, 2 hours with the Masai... Maximilian arrived during our evening meal explaining to us that he had lost his mobile and our exchanges on the upcoming program while we had had him on the phone the day before to confirm everything. Small worry but after reading our exchanges, he validates the 2 days to come (2 days of safari), we pay him in cash and explains to us that he will not be our guide because he is too busy and but will give us someone we trust.
The next morning we leave serenely with the same guide who had taken us to visit the Masai village. He is adorable and we spend an unforgettable day.
On the way back, I talk to him about the next day. Surprised, he tells me that Maximilian had told him that it was over for us, that we were leaving the next day by train to Dar Es Salaam. Surprised, the worry is mounting, we try to contact Maximilian who does not answer us. We arrive at the camp thinking to see him to discuss it but we are told that he had to be absent and that he will not be there this evening! He sends us a simple message to tell us to pay the guide the entrance fee to Mikumi!
Our guide comes to tell me that Max has just called him, that he has bought our train tickets for the next morning at 7:00 and that it is like this and no other way!
The team on site is incomprehensible, our children are in tears to have to leave like this. We have the feeling of being kicked out of the camp.
Maximilian will not answer us anymore, our driver will have him on the phone but will not be able to do anything to change the situation. We leave sad, the team of the adorable camp with us is sad too.
Maximilian is a liar, a person without any morals.
Guide to avoid who gives a very sad image of his country where people are however so adorable.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
worst service & gave us the worst experience of Safari
Once we arrived in Nairobi, the tour agent picked us up and took us to their office to pay the remaining balance. We expected everything to go smoothly, but it didn't.
1) We had the two worst drivers who were rude and inconsiderate. During the safari tour, they did not show us the best sights. They lacked the patience to wait for important moments, like when a lion was about to hunt a wildebeest. The drivers were only focused on their own benefit and, sadly, not on us, their customers.
2) We paid for 7 rooms for our entire trip, but they only booked us 5 rooms and downgraded our accommodations to different hotels than what we agreed on. This is really unacceptable for your customers. Additionally, we tried to contact them multiple times, but they did not answer the phone calls. This happened to us 3 times during our 7-day trip with this dishonest agency.
3) The services were very poor and far from standard quality in both Kenya and Tanzania. We experienced unpredictable service every day. Honestly, I believe it feels like a scam or a robbery.
If you want to have a terrible safari experience in Kenya and Tanzania, choose this dishonest and unreliable agency. We are very disappointed and do not recommend this agency at all. We just want to share our experience with everyone.
LV
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Too expensive for a bad safari.
Too expensive for a bad safari.
I saw very few animals. The driver did not show or look for animals that the passengers themselves saw, that was it. The driver was talking loudly to other drivers and on the phone all the time, not paying attention to the passengers. I was promised there would be 5 more passengers, but I was the 7th. It was a mixed group, living in different places. Also, living in the middle category did not always meet the standard. Compared to my first safari in Kenya, which was perfect, this one was downright bad. I do not recommend anyone to apply for this company. So they are not SafariBookings.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We believe we got scammed by Dickson
Four of us were referred by my friend’s sister to the owner, Dickson, of Adventure Africa Expedition over six months ago. All communications were very good at the begining. We were so exited and looking forward to the great migration in Masai Mara and Serengeti. We even wired him extra fund after the contract due to park fee increase from July 1st in Masai Mara. But during the tour, we realized we were scammed. He charged us 5 day Masai Mara park fees ($4,000), but we should only pay for 4 days. We have confirmed with the driver that he only paid $3,200 for 4 days. We brought this fact up to Dickson as this is an integrity issue, but he has been running around and refused to refund $800. We have reported this scam/integrity issue to Kenya’s Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) and we are waiting on the reply. But we really don’t know how Kenya authority will do. We were told that government has got so corrupt. Hope that is not the case. I have all the facts including the contracts and communication. I like to share this true experience so you can avoid falling into the same trap. Safari is great, but you need to stay away from this company.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bad service
Bad service, 1 day waited 3 hours at a gas station, 2 day safari ended at 2 p.m., 3 days no safari, just drove around, even drove to another country and dropped off 1 person. There was no response to a complaint.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointing Experience with Nkollo Tours - Unfulfilled Promises and Poor Service
We had a deeply disappointing experience with Nkollo Tours during our private fly-in safari from Zanzibar to Selous, Tanzania. The communication was severely lacking, with multiple schedule changes not being communicated to us, resulting in significant delays and missed safari time. Our flight was rescheduled without prior notice, causing us to miss 2 hours of our first day’s safari. We only became aware of the rescheduling when we arrived at the airport, prepared to board our flight at 06:00, and were handed new tickets. Moreover, the flight we were placed on included a stopover, contrary to the direct flight that was promised to us. As a result, instead of arriving in Selous at 06:50 as initially planned, we did not reach our destination until 08:15. After contacting Nkollo Tours about this delay, we were promised compensation through extended safari hours, but this was not honoured. In subsequent correspondence regarding the flight rescheduling, they asserted that they are not responsible for the issue and advised us to contact the airline directly. However, it is standard practice that when a flight is rescheduled, passengers are rebooked on a comparable flight, not one that includes a stopover and is significantly less expensive.
The second day was equally unsatisfactory. Our safari, originally scheduled to start at 07:00, was delayed by two hours without any communication, forcing us to wake up unnecessarily early (again!). The driver then proceeded to rush through the park at high speeds (60-80 km/hour), despite being informed of my mother’s back pain. This reckless driving led to a broken phone, a broken camera lens and injuries to my back and hip. We passed the elephants twice this day, yet the driver refused to stop for them, citing the need to be on time for lunch. Because the safari tour started two hours late, and the full itinerary was still followed, the driver maintained high speeds, which made it impossible for us to capture decent photos or to enjoy the safari experience properly. Lastly, if the driver did stop for us to look at the animals, a huge cloud of sand came up because he had to brake so hard for the car to stop. In subsequent correspondence, they claim that driving at such speeds would have caused the vehicle to break down. However, as someone who frequently drives, I observed that they were indeed driving at significantly high speeds, certainly not the 30 km/hour limit that is required within the park. They also claim they are not liable for any damages suffered, but I feel this is unjust, as these damages would not have occurred had they adhered to the appropriate speed limits.
On the final day, our scheduled walking safari was also delayed, with no timely notice, leading us to cancel it altogether. We had asked the tour operator the day before if the start time could be pushed to 08:00, but were informed that if starting at this time, we would not be able to see any animals. We were therefore advised to begin at either 06:00 or 07:00. We agreed to a 07:00 start, but upon arriving in the dining room, we were informed by one of the employees of the lodge that our tour guide had notified them at 00:00 the evening before that our tour will start at 08:00. Given that we had to wake up 05:30, we were already in bed by this time, unaware of the change in schedule. Given the previous warning about the likelihood of not seeing animals, we cancelled the walking safari altogether. Although we received a $100 compensation for this, we were still extremely disappointed with the overall experience we had with Nkollo Tours. Additionally, the lodge’s pool was out of service, and we were not informed of this in advance, which diminished the value of our stay further.
In conclusion, the experience was severely impacted by poor communication, lack of professionalism, and failure to deliver the promised service. We are seeking compensation for the missed safari hours, damaged property, and the subpar experience, but Nkollo Tours insists that the cost of the tour has increased, and therefore refuses to refund any portion of our payment, despite the numerous delays and damages we endured. The second day, they even bought us two bottles of liquor, which we interpreted as acknowledgement of their mistakes. However, they are now citing this gesture as a reason for refusing to refund any portion of our payment. We strongly advise other travellers to be cautious when considering Nkollo Tours for a private safari.