MX
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Be Careful, are they incompetent? or Scammers?
Incompetence? Or FRAUD?
I booked an 8-day, late December safari with James of Twinkle Star and made my 40% deposit, with the balance due 7 days before the tour starts.
On Sep 27th, James confirmed the itinerary and receipt of my deposit.
Just two days later, he emailed me asking for the balance. Since that was not what we agreed on, I declined.
Over the next two weeks I received several more requests by email, by text and by phone for immediate full payment more than 3 months early. I obviously lost all confidence in James and Twinkle Star and canceled my trip with them.
According to their terms and conditions, they promise a full refund if cancelled more than 60 days in advance. Although I canceled well before this, James is not honoring his refund saying how he wants to refund my money, but “We just don’t have the money”
I don’t know if Twinkle Star are scammers or just plain incompetent.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible experience, be aware of their tricky ways to get you involved
I was in Tanzania when I contacted the lady named Debra who entitled herself the CEO of Croy Marajourney for the first time at the end of July, 2024. After a few talks during which she confirmed to me that the tour would for sure to run, I then made the decision and deposit payment of 671 US dollars by bank transfer on Aug. 2nd to join her group joining tour to Samburu starting on Aug. 8th.
On Aug. 5th, before I left Tanzania I texted her again to make sure everything was going to go as scheduled and told her if the tour cannot make Samburu I would like to spend another week in Tanzania, but she confirmed nothing was going to change.
On Aug. 6th, Debra texted me saying “Let's meet tomorrow to finalize.”, which is very weird for a for-sure-to run-Samburu-tour operator to say.
On Aug. 7th I made my way back to Nairobi and met her at my hotel. The first thing she said to me when we met was the Samburu tour had to be cancelled because the other two clients decided to go to Mombasa and she was only informed four hours ago. Now she would like to arrange me something else instead with the same budget. I believe Debra knew right from the beginning that this tour was not going to run, but still pushed me to pay for the deposit in order to tie me to her company. At that stage, it was impossible to ask for a refund of the deposit because the money had not reached to her account yet according to what she said. In the end, I had to allow Debra to arrange me a private tour to Samburu and made full payment to her among which 200 dollars was again the bank transfer. On departure day Aug. 8th, she promised me a receipt of the total payment when she made her way back to her office, but this never happened. I went on a private safari with no payment receipt, contract, detailed itinerary at all.
On Aug. 9th. the second day of my six-day Safari, Debra started calling me and my driver saying the money I paid through bank transfer amounting to 871 dollars was reversed. She kept calling me in the following days, framing me up this way and ruined my whole tour. The fact is I never reversed the money I sent, which could be proved by police officer later on involved. The bank letter clearly showed that the reason the money got stuck was because of the running of audit of compliance on her account, it really had nothing to do with my side. The last day of my tour Debra tried to get me pay her again in cash by threatening me to leave me in Samburu. By the time I arrived at my hotel in Nairobi, the tourism police was waiting me there and took me right away back to the police station for questioning. In the end I made a duplicate payment of 871 dollars with Debra’s written agreement to reverse it back to me once the money hits her account under the supervision of tourism police. But by now it’s been over two months, this 871 dollars is still nowhere. I had a very awful experience with Kenya because of this lady and what she did to me. Be very aware of this company and never do bank transfers, the deposit you paid means nothing, but can only ties you to this company.
One of the tourisam police is following up my case and a formal complain letter has been sent to Please write to the Tourism Regulartory Authority of Kenya, hope my money will be returned soon.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not reliable and communicative
We believe we were scammed by Croy Mara.
We booked a sharing safari months ago in June for our trip in October. Since we got in contact she pushed us to pay fast even if we were busy at work. Once we payed... She didn't send more information until the week before to start our journey when I asked for more details about the pick up place and time... Then she said she is not running our safari for that price because no one join so she wanted me to pay extra for a private safari or to cancel and refund. I asked for refund... And never got it. We try to contact and she doesn't reply.
I would give 0 stars if possible.
Never send any money in advance!!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Scammed out of 1000 USD
If you do not like being scammed, avoid this company.
We were told upon booking that the park fees (over $1000) were included, but once we got to the gate of the Serengeti, there was an “issue with the company card” and we were asked to pay it ourselves, while being assured that the money would be returned to us soon.
Faced with losing precious time on our safari, we paid.
The same issue happened in the Ngorongoro, and naively we paid again.
The money has never been returned to us three months later, and the owner has blocked us on whatsapp. We really wanted to support a small locally-owned company, but now we understand why most people choose the well-established, larger Safari companies. If you are reading this, I suggest you do the same.
Jeep was old and uncomfortable.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Denhum Holidays took thousands of $$ in advance payment for a Safari and didn't show up.
We booked a 9 day 8 night safari with Denhum, and per the terms of their contract paid 50% in advance at booking and the remaining 50% two months prior to the trip. The week prior to travel, Denhum Owner, Dan Karikui, informed us that a Denhum representative would meet us at the Nairobi airport upon arrival to provide details of our safari, which was due to commence 2.5 days later. No one from Denhum met us as at the airport so we attempted to call Denhum's phone number with no success; so at 1:00 am we found ourselves to fend for ourselves in a foreign country. For the next 2 days we tried every means possible to reach a Denhum representative: phone calls, text messages, WhatsApp calls and messages, e-mail, and FB messenger. Their phone numbers seemed to be turned off and our e-mail and text messages were not responded to. We waited in the hotel lobby from 7:00 AM to Noon on the morning of the scheduled pickup by the safari driver at our hotel, and nobody from Denhum showed up. This confirmed our fear that we had been defrauded by Denhum Holidays. We have been scammed out of several thousand dollars for what was to be the trip of a lifetime for my husband and I to celebrate 20 years of marriage. I hope this review helps others from becoming their next victim.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It is a fraud
We had a 8-day Safari to Samburu, Aderbare, Lake Nakuru and mAsai Matra.
They did not pay for transport, we had to.
They did not pay for parkfees, we did.
They did not pay for Lodges,we did.
We went to the tourist police to file a report. They say we were not the first one.
So stay away from Madukha.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Avoid at all costs
Image travel took my booking for $US 4,500 for a 5 day safari, and became impossible to contact after I paid for my trip. They did not respond to my e-mails and were not reachable by telephone. Less than 48 hours before I was to be picked up at my hotel in Nairobi, and after my flight had left Canada, they sent me an e-mail stating that they were not able to operate my tour and that they would be refunding my payment.
They have remained unreachable for almost 2 weeks now after sending me that notice and they have not refunded my payment. Check a similar review on Tripadvisor from September. I believe they have either gone out of business or are still "selling" tours to unsuspecting clients and absconding with their money. Now I must seek legal action.
Safari Bookings should no longer be including them in their referred list of Tour Operators.
Avoid!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not use this tour operator cancel trip on the day of our departure and took our money
PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS TOUR OPERATOR!!!!!!WARNING !!!!! Six of us ladies decided to take a Safari trip in Kenya. I selected this tour operator and we paid full in advance 6 ladies at $3000 per person. Prior to leaving I was emailing and calling on WhatsApp no answer from Mwanje. On the day of our departure he emailed me to cancel the trip.
JP
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guide, worst agency
I do not recommend this agency at all.
All the bookings are fine, but they hadn’t pay petrol fee to our guide in advance , so we had to stay at petrol station twice for long time to wait them to send money to our guide.
Eventually they did not send him money so he had to pay out of his pocket. Which is INSANE.
As you know, petrol fee in Kenya is bloody expensive.
Anyway, our guide was super nice guy. He said that our tour will be the last job with this agency. Bless him.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not trust Image Travel
We booked with Image Travel Ltd a 5-Day Luxury Lodges Safari for 2 person. The package cost US$ 4,700.
When we arrived at Nairobi Airport on Oct. 1st, nobody picked us up. The phone numbers were both unavailable. When we checked with three of the hotels, we were told there was no booking information.
We reported our situation to police station at the airport. The police cannot contact them either. This is a fraud incident!
My opinion is you cannot trust image travel