Scammed
Trevaron tours started to “allegedly take people outside countries for greener pastures. I was recommended to them by a close relative, met with the founder and I counter mr and Mrs Kaniu. They guided and explained to us the process and payments. This was 2022 Feb . So they convinced us and even lied they had been taking people abroad… here we are 2024 no “abroad journey” just back and forth to get our refund. Their lines not going through and emails are unanswered . Please help me spread this .. it’s so wrong keeping in mind we explained to them we are taking a loan for this.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not what we expected- close to Terrible
We had an absolutely terrible experience with this tour company. The issues we encountered were numerous and deeply impacted the quality of our trip:
Booking Issues and Payment Pressure
We booked our trip last year with several promises made about the quality and nature of the tour. The agreed payment terms were 10% down to secure the booking, with the remaining payment due when the tour began. However, we were constantly pressured to pay the full amount upfront, despite this agreement. We were also assured that all hotel bookings had been secured, which turned out to be false. This led to several complications and last-minute changes during our trip.
Last-Minute Price Increase
Just 1.5 weeks before our scheduled travel, the company unexpectedly increased the tour price by $400 per person, including for a child, citing a rise in park fees. After confirming with fellow travelers, our driver, and park authorities in Masai Mara, we found that the actual increase was only $120 per adult, with no increase for children. This resulted in an unjustifiable overcharge, which we found to be deceptive and unethical.
Accommodation Issues
We paid an additional $400-$500 per person for accommodation upgrades from budget to a higher category. Despite this, we were placed in budget or even lower budget hotels, with no upgrades provided due to late bookings made just 1.5 weeks before the tour started. This downgrade severely impacted our trip.
Balloon Ride Booking
We paid $430 per person for a balloon ride with Balloon Safari, a premium company. However, we were booked with a lower-tier company instead, which led to a landing accident and injuries. This discrepancy in service was completely unacceptable.
Delayed Hotel Bookings
Even though we paid for the trip 9 months in advance, hotel bookings were delayed, resulting in subpar accommodations. This was far below the quality we expected and paid for.
Missed Great Migration
The trip was planned specifically to witness the great migration in Masai Mara and Serengeti. Upon arrival, we were informed that this was not possible, despite the company's promises. This was a significant disappointment and a waste of our time and money.
Unreliable Itinerary
The itinerary provided at booking listed specific activities, accommodations, and schedules. However, upon starting the safari, changes were made on the fly, leading to skipped game drives and missed excursions. The initial morning game drive was never arranged, which seriously affected our overall experience.
Baggage Issues
We were told we could bring one bag per passenger, but upon arrival, we had to leave two bags behind, which were never returned as promised. This caused significant inconvenience and stress, including missed game drives and a disrupted itinerary.
Serengeti Safari Issues
We faced numerous issues during our Serengeti safari, including delays at the entry due to incomplete paperwork, an accommodation downgrade without prior notification, being grouped with campers, wasted time during game drives, and substandard hotel accommodations. The safari vehicle was in terrible condition, the driver was rude, and we missed planned excursions and the wildebeest migration.
Specific Issues with the Serengeti Safari Vehicle:
The safari vehicle was in deplorable condition, repeatedly breaking down and requiring assistance from other vehicles.
At one point, the gas tank was hanging down and was dangerously secured using seat belts cut from the passenger side. The driver continued to drive on bumpy roads, putting everyone’s lives at risk.
Despite the hazardous situation, the driver did not call for a backup vehicle, further endangering our safety.
The passenger door of the jeep was broken, creating a serious safety hazard.
The jeep's radio was broken, preventing the driver from communicating with others to locate animals, rendering the safari pointless.
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.
Additional Warnings:
This company declines any refund requests despite the numerous issues encountered. Their lack of accountability is alarming.
They are mere agents who sell your booking to cheap, poorly reviewed safari companies. This practice led to our terrible experience and is something potential customers should be aware of.
In conclusion, our experience with this company was a disaster on multiple fronts. The level of unprofessionalism, dishonesty, and disregard for customer safety was shocking. I strongly advise others to avoid this company and choose a more reliable and ethical operator for your safari experience.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Scam! Be very careful with this Company!
I was terribly scammed by Lamara Tourism! I booked a 3 day Masaii Mara fly-in safari which required a deposit of 862 USD. After the deposit was received, they started ignoring my messages once I asked for further details which was the first sign that something was wrong. I then reached out to Mara Serena Hotel where we were supposed to stay but they confirmed they never received any payment from Lamara Tourism and therefore the booking was cancelled. Lamara Tourism is a highly fraudulent company, please avoid them at any cost to avoid a lot of trouble and a loss of money.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unprofessional and unreliable
I don't know if the 2000+ positive reviews for Karibu we saw on safaribookings.com were fake or were they just related to mt Kenya climbing. I wouldn't recommend our 7 day safari experience to anyone.
When I was booking the safari, I was a bit hesitant since their package is cheaper than most other operators and therefore I was expecting barebone properties and campsites. Surprisingly, the accommodations were mostly decent and the cost cutting was done at the expense of the safari experience which was really unfortunate.
Robert was quite good with communications before the safari started, afterwards he stopped responding to messages or calls. So no matter what the issue is, if the safari is not happening as per the itinerary, or if the hotel is different than what was specified as part of the quotation, or there's some other issue, don't expect Robert to be available. Instead you are stuck with Edward, the guide + driver who was a moody individual with moments of courteousness sandwiched between rude and abrasive behaviour.
The itinerary promised 1 full day safari and 2 half day safaris at Masai Mara. On the first day of the trip, we reached Masai mara campsite and faced 2 separate issues - first that the evening safari is not going to happen and that the campsite was different (+inferior) than what was promised (I had confirmed the names of the properties that very morning at their office in Nairobi and still they preferred to not disclose the truth). We let go of the campsite issue and focused on the promised evening game drive. Robert obviously did not answer my calls and Edward in a passive aggressive manner threatened to organize a half-assed safari the next day if I continued to find discrepancies in the written itinerary and what was happening in reality. When I pressed further he called Robert, who answered his call(!) and said that the itinerary that I booked does not exist anymore (they took the webpage down from Safari Bookings that very instant)....luckily I had taken screenshots of the itinerary to share with my mates so they had to oblige. But not really in a way that counts. We did do one full day game drive as promised + 1 evening drive near the entry gate that was around 30 minutes + on the 3rd morning of the trip, we drove in from one gate and exited from another gate, a 40 minute ride that doesn't really count as a half day game drive. During the game drives, Edward mostly drove around quietly, sharing very little insight into the national parks or wildlife. If you pointed towards any animal and asked he would accurately name it. Compared to other game drive experiences that I've had, Edward was more like a driver than a safari guide. To be fair though, Karibu arranged a very comfortable 4x4 Land cruiser for us and Edward was a highly skilled driver (the 5 of us slept through bad roads and highways alike).
On the third morning of the trip, we reached the vehicle before our driver and since he was still having breakfast, I started loading everybody's rucksacks in the back of the vehicle. I was half way done when Edward showed up. He looked at me for a minute as a I stood there waiting for him to take over. Instead he told me to hurry and finish the job. I dont mind putting my bags in the car and dont really expect anyone to do it for me but I didn't see any reason why I should load rucksacks of the other group members. I dont see the point in treating your clients like that either, maybe he just got a kick out of it.
The quotation included drinking water but in reality that meant only 5.5 litres per person through 7 days so keep that in mind when choosing your operator.
Regardless of whether you go with Karibu or someone else, if you're keen on making the most out of your itinerary, I would recommend the following -
1. Start with Amboseli or Nakuru instead of Masai Mara
2. Skip Hells Gate if you are short on time. If you're going there for the lava wall, that section is inaccessible to tourists now.
3. Skip Naivasha unless you are into birdwatching. And if you are, spend some time near the lake and find a legit boat tour. The current version of the boat ride is a tourist trap where you'll see 1-2 hippos in the water (that was pretty cool) otherwise it'll be an hour long uneventful boat ride with 3-4 bird sightings that are anyway commonly seen in other parks. Not really worth $30 (additional 30$ to step foot on the island)
4. One full day safari in Amboseli is probably going to be enough. Half day in Nakuru is sufficient. Try to spend some extra time and money for Masai Mara. On day one, let the guide hurriedly take you across the park to tick off all the major sightings. On day 2, you go with a plan to focus on only the things that you missed out on day 1. Finish the itinerary with 2 days in Masai Mara so that you end on a high note.
Property Review -
1. Mara Enkajiang - Clean tents but dirty toilets. Bad food. This was given to us instead of Enchoro Wildlife Camp (highly reviewed). If any tent turned on their bathing shower the whole row of tents would lose electricity till a staff member repaired the fuse. This happened 5+ times in one night.
2. Lanet Matfam - Resort property with a nice swimming pool. Best food but very small and weirdly constructed rooms.
3. Leisure Apex - Overall best - new property, clean rooms, good food, no nonsense motel.
4. Nyati Safari Camp - Clean and spacious tents, well maintained, good food. This was given to us instead of Manjaro Campsite but we were happy either way.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour Operator lack basic safety precautions
We booked a 12 day tour through Kenya and tanzania. Our driver was Moses in Kenya. Moses was a very unsafe driver, in his phone 90% of the time including while we needed to be quiet on the game drive. He repeatedly harassed animals including driving too close (within 3 feet of a sleeping make lion) and then to get the lion to look up he opened and slammed the car door. He repeatedly chased down animals getting disregarding park ranger rules and disturbing the animals.
Worst of all I was lost in a city and he never came to look for me. My husband went to go look for me and was missing too and when I told him of this emergency where were lost, he refused to help by driving around to look for him.
I called the company to inform them of this issues and Moses lied to the company and made up a whole new story to protect himself. My safety was never his concern. The tour operator didn't care in the slightest and were completely unhelpful in remedying this major violation of our safety.
If you value your safety and you care for the wellbeing of the wildlife, do not book with Safariline Defender.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
namibia tour
We booked a trip to Namibia with the Travel Wild Africa agency, but once we were in Namibia, we realized that our trip was actually organized by Wild Wind Safari. Of course, we left a review for our agency, but our dissatisfaction with the kind of trip organized by Wild Wind Safari still stands. The lodges were subpar and pretty dirty, and the services were lacking, especially their availability to accommodate small changes in our plans, while they made changes to the itinerary without even telling us.
I should mention that we've traveled to other African countries and had great experiences. Unfortunately, this time we encountered a whole series of problems that we pointed out, but none of them were resolved by the agency. The trip cost us over $5,000 per person (excluding flights), but the treatment we received wasn't worth even half that. I hope the owner doesn’t respond to this review since they ignored our complaints throughout the trip, which we reported promptly.
(automatic translation from Italian)
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Poor communication, contractual issues
As a board member of a non-profit organization and a recent donor who secured a Wild African Safaris package through a charitable auction, I feel compelled to document the challenges we have encountered with Run Wild African Safaris.
We purchased a Run Wild African Safari package through the auction, looking forward to this trip as my third journey to Africa, albeit with a new tour company.
Approximately nine months before our trip (January 2024), we reached out to Run Wild African Safaris to finalize our booking. After paying several thousand dollars in unexpected additional fees, we signed the contract and secured our reservation.
Since then, we have faced considerable difficulties with communication from Run Wild. They have been unresponsive, failing to provide itinerary details promptly, not returning phone calls, and taking between one to two weeks to respond to emails.
Two months before our scheduled departure (Summer 2024), my partner was diagnosed with a medical condition that complicated our travel plans. I contacted Run Wild to explore options for transferring the reservation or adjusting the travel dates. I was informed that transferring the reservation would incur a fee of $1,750, and changing the dates would cost $4,800. Run Wild did not ask for any information about the medical condition.
Before committing to these additional expenses, I requested the itinerary to make an informed decision. It was only then that I discovered Run Wild had canceled our booking, citing a "failure to report a pre-existing medical condition" clause in the contract. This condition was newly diagnosed and did not exist at the time of our initial contract.
This cancellation was not communicated to us until we specifically requested the itinerary. When we inquired about the itinerary and other details, Run Wild requested confirmation of our need for a change. After informing them that we could not confirm, they notified us that the booking had already been canceled. If we had not followed up, we might have been left without a reservation or explanation while in Southern Africa.
Run Wild subsequently indicated that reinstating our booking would require disclosing the medical condition in the contract. However, they did not provide a new contract or facilitate the exchange of information, nor did they supply any itinerary details.
Given these experiences, it will be difficult for us to trust this company with future travel arrangements to Africa. Such issues can adversely affect donor perceptions and impact the reputation and effectiveness of non-profit organizations. We will continue to seek resolution through appropriate channels and share any relevant findings to assist others who may encounter similar difficulties.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreliable organization!
The worst company I ever dealt with in my life! My boyfriend and I decided to organize our safari tour across the Masai Mara, Nakuru/Naivasha and Amboseli with Tegu Tours and it was a total mess. We booked a group tour with a Land Cruiser, but in the exact moment we arrived at the office to finalize the payment we were informed that due to a strike our car was not available anymore… We were forced to go with a minivan which made our experience totally different! Most of the schedule and the accommodations were not respected (loosing also money of parks entrance fees without compensation of any kind) and we faced a dangerous situation being stuck with the van in the mud for 4 hrs at nighttime inside the park!
We went on a tour without being informed at least of the company name the drivers were working for and we felt treated disrespectfully and unprofessionally by the staff of this company during all the vacation.
For these reasons we at half of our journey we changed the organization, losing more money and having nothing paid back.
Avoid dealing with Tegu Tours and look for serious and reliable company, they are not trustworthy!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
No interest , no lunch , awful operator
They didn’t come to pick up to the AirPort the first day.
The last day was awful , we are super dissappointed. The driver didn’t tell us to take the lunch , we have eaten at the end of safari (3.00pm) awful street food , we are worried to have some illness of that food. But the whole 3 days the general attitude of the driver has been awful, he didn’t explain nothing about animals and Park, tired , showing 0 interest in his Job and looking foward to go back home every day as sooner as possible . We are completely dissapointed with this driver. We really missed to have one guide. But I could tell more things , half of the Park of lake manyara is covered by water , so we could’t see most of the Park , knowing this the company should have offered to us another option.
So taken into account that the duration of safaris has been súper short every day , the attitude of the driver of looking foward to finish , we didn’t have any explanations, the lunch of today was forgotten and we ate hard uneateable chicken in the middle of the street, and we were forgotten to pick up us first day at the AirPort , we are extremely dissapointed with this company .
Starving in the middle of a safari paying 1760 dolars is inadmisible
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
False promises, Bad communication, Wasted time
Do not book with this Operator!
From home we booked a 5 days Safari with 2 Nights in Serengeti. We were told that the tour is almost sold out and we will get the last two seats.
When we got there, the tour with two nights in Serengeti was not available and they just put us on another tour which we did not want. It was only with half a day in the Serengeti instead of two. Instead we went to much smaller and cheaper park on our last day with less Animales.
Furthermore, it was a joined tour. We did not know that. It means that you have to wait all the time for other travellers joining the tour on different days and therefore, always leave late to got to the parks. Hence, you have less time to find Animals.
Our driver always had to ask for money and the permits which should have been in order before the tour. So even more time was wasted.
So, nothing that was promised in our quote was met. Every day there und was a new problem we had to face.
At least we got a small discount, but it was nothing compared to all the trouble. After the tour we talked to our hotel Manager and he said that they already know the operator is a cutthroat.