35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Still waiting a refund for money paid out due to park fees not being paid and a cancelled flight
I've held off from writing this review as I'd hoped that the owner would do the right thing and refund us the money that he owes us but unforuantley after 3 weeks despite promises we have not recieved anything. It's a long list of issues below but basically, we paid out for the park fees that should already have been paid as part of the holiday. We also have not recieved a refund for a flight that did not happen. I have found other reviews around Septemebr/October time saying the same thing. Around $2,000 owed.
We booked our holiday and safari using JT Safaris as we had used him 20 years ago and since then our parents had also booked tours through him. All those times, everything was fine. This holiday was a special treat for us and not something that we can afford normally so we really wanted it to go smoothly and hoped by using the same company it would.
Looking back, the communication was poor and I had to chase for the confirmations of bookings etc but I convinced myself that was OK. I wish I hadn't.
The holiday started OK with a lovely hotel but the next morning we found out that the flight to the Mara had been cancelled. No reason given and we had to drive. OK these things can happen and we were assured that we would recieve a refund the flight.
We then got to the lodge but it wasn't the one we'd booked. The driver assured us this was an upgrade so that was good right? Yes, it was lovely but it wasn't what we'd booked. I'd purposely booked tented accommodation as we wanted our daugther to experience 'glamping' in the wild.
Then on the second day of safari, the driver told us we had a problem. The money for the park entrance fee hadn't been given to him and because it was a holiday the money couldn't be transferred. He had managed to get us through the gate so far as he knew people but he couldn't guarentee that for the next day. We were really upset and didn't know what to do, we couldn't come all this way and miss out because of a mistake with money transfer. Again looking back we should have pushed back harder but stupidly we agreed to pay the fee. The guide was adamant that JT Safaris would honour the payment, do not worry, we were told. Again it was stressful and not something that we wanted on our minds. £1500 on top of the holiday isn't something that we can easily pay out.
After the safari, we flew to the coast. Again paperwork was missing and we only got it just before our flight, again stressful.
We then arrived at our beach hotel. It looked lovely but then we were taken to the basic rooms at the back of the complex. During the booking of the holiday, I'd been told that I needed to pay early to guarentee a beach view which I'd done as we wanted the better room.
We managed to get the room changed but the hotel was adament that the original room was the one booked and that we couldn't have a sea view as they were booked early. I got no clear answer as to whether a booking error, whether the seaview room had never been booked or if the hotel made a mistake.
We went to the offices at Diani and being far too nice for our own good, we believed the apologies and confirmations that the money would be transfered for the flights and the park fees. We contacted JT Safaris several times for updates and each time there was an excuse or they had to go to the bank in person etc etc. We have since tried multiple times to ask for a refund but again keep being told, it is on its way or the bank has said it will be with us. Still nothing.
Don't get caught out the same way.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I advise you do not a safari with Brian or Dahlia Tours especially for Wheelchair Travel
We planned an extended family vacation in July 2024 with an US travel agent who connected us with Brian & Dahlia Tours. Our needs were specific as my father is in a wheelchair and we were a group of 9 with ages from 80 to 11. We spent over 1.5 years planning and paying for this trip of a lifetime. Unfortunately, Brian/Dahlia failed to make hotel payments, reservations for excursions, arrange disabled friendly travel and generally lied to us about the status of our trip. We confirmed all plans with him and our US travel agent frequently prior to departure for East Africa. Upon arriving, we were met with unpaid hotel reservations, unbooked excursions, limited English speaking guides, very old vehicles in Tanzania, hotel bookings that were not per our itinerary and not disability friendly, unpaid game park fees and the list goes on. It was a stressful and dangerous trip due to his poor planning and lies about his poor planning.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I recommend you stay away... 4k USD wasted
Amani is a professional con artist in my opinion. He first spoke to me last year Sept through safari bookings and I decided after my quote was received not to go to Serengeti that year fast forward a year later he contacts me out of the blue on WhatsApp to offer me a tour. I agreed after much back and forth. But alarm bells should have rung when he contacted me out of the blue. He lied by sending me provisional bookings which looked genuine but u could of course cancel and once he received my money he stopped communicating much and didn’t deliver anything as promised. This guy knows exactly what he is doing. Just stay away from this cowboy company. I am so shocked Tanzania tourist board and the Arusha police still allow this guy to trade and how he is not behind bars is beyond me. I feel sorry for all of us who got conned.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not to be trusted
If it was possible to give 0 stars I would have done so! Do not trust this company, I felt lied to and conned. All my Tanzanian and Kenyan friends told me to be careful, of course I wanted to trust them. Already they never responded to my messages a few days before to confirm, it was only very late in the evening after multiple reminders that I got news. The appointment in the morning was at 8:30 a.m., he never showed up! I called them ten times, he told me he was coming... I waited 2 hours, TWO HOURS. Extremely disappointed and angry that I was lied to like that, I call them so many times, they don't answer me, they hang up on me... Put yourself in my place, I'm a stranger, the guy cancels the activity I'm dreaming of for 2 years, I've been taking my plane in the evening and this guy doesn't care! Not even able to find another driver. It's me who offers to pay me a Bolt to go there, and he asks me to pay again! This guy is a scammer of the worst kind and I'm not going to leave it at that. Be certain