US
20-35 years of age
Beautiful Mountain on its Way to Ruin
Mt. Kilimanjaro is, needless to say, a pretty unique place on earth. Unfortunately, Tanzania runs it more like an amusement park than a place to be revered for its national beauty.
As the camps get more crowded closer to the summit (the trails merge) they get progressively worse. Tour companies do not treat the place very well. Trash is abundant around all the campsites, and the vegetation is trampled/abused all around, I suspect, not by the toursists themselves, but by the 3+ crew members typically accompanying each tourist.
Most disappointingly, human waste policies are almost non existent or just not followed (no bathroom business within 50m of a trail, for example.) Outside of camps, every few minutes, you will pass a spot that smells like the national pee-corner, or a spot with enough used toilet paper to cover a kitchen table. Really detrimental to encounter this so frequently in a place that I'd hope to see as pristine as possible.
Unfortunately, the camp toilets are not much better. In a year of living in Tanzania, the large public toilets with tile floors are the worst smelling restrooms I have encountered anywhere in this country, and of any public park anywhere in the world. The small wooden ones over a pit are pretty standard bush toilets, so they're ok.
I realize that this sounds like a prissy white guy from a developed country has his panties in a bunch because things aren't squeaky clean in Africa, but I relish the "roughing it" experience one can find camping or traveling in less-developed parts of the world. I'm no stranger to gross or inadequate toilets, but I was pretty disappointed in what I encountered in such a world-famous park that supposedly hosts luxury trips. Nothing luxurious about stepping over human feces on your way up the mountain (literally happened).
These two things (trash and sanitation) really deflated my experience of an otherwise incredible trip. The company I went with did everything in their power to make it fantastic, and its sad that my only grievances are with the park itself. The ecosystems you pass through and the views from some of the camps are stunning, and 19,341 feet does feel pretty cool.
But its absolutely not worth paying Tanzanian Natl Parks the fee they extort from visitors for a park that's so poorly maintained. You could have an unreal three week vacation in SE Asia for the same money, without (ideally) hiking through a sewer. If you're dead set on climbing a mountain in TZ though - Mt. Meru is incredible and Mt. Hanang is really cool too. Cost you about 1/6 the money for Meru, Hanang less than $100. Kilimanjaro, is unfortunately, overrated.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Authentic African safari with a lack of organization
We've booked a "4-Day Kenya Lodge Safari". The first 3 Days in Masai Mara with the Mara sopa lodge for 2 nights and 1 Night in Lake Nakuru NP at the Lake Nakuru Lodge.
Unfortunately we did not get what we booked.
We get a tent camp as an alternative for the overbooked Mara sopa lodge. It wasn't the same standard! Mara Sopa Lodge is much more expensive and we get no money back.
On the 3rd day was a 3-hour game drive according to our booking confirmation. But we only get a 2-hour game drive. On the way to the lake nakuru we had lunch and the driver droped us off with the message, we have to wait for another driver. After 3 hours we were finally picked up!!!
But now it was toooo late for the afternoon game-drive at lake nakuru, because we arrived there around 7 pm.
During the whole stay was promised us according to booking confirmation free water to each meal.
At dinner in the camp/lodge there is no water include! To every dinner we had to pay for water!
When we told all these things to the tour organizer, they said that we should not make a mountain out of this and said, that´'s not their fault because of the free water. We should take water from the car to the hotel to drink this during dinner.
In summary, we can recommend this safari-tour in any case, but the tour operator would have to act somewhat more customer-friendly.
The animals and landscape are unique!
PT
No value for money
The experience was not good. We did 4 days ( Maasai and Nakuru)
The driver was not kind. He didn't listen to our requests. First day we wanted to go for a game drive and he wanted to rest, we were waiting for him. we were always the first car returning to the hotel.
He have few information about the animals and landscape and everytime we did a question he answered with sarcasm ( sometimes he even don't answer)
Finally, we drive 7 hours to Nakuru to do 1 hour game drive on the first day and on he second day again only one hour. We arrived very early in nairobi just for nothing.
Definitely it was not a good experience
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
My experience with Naga Safaris was not good.
The vehicles were in not good conditions and they stopped two or three times (we had to push in the park were itsn't allowed to get off!!!!!), the driver was not able to drive in such difficult road and the car sanded up three or four times. Only one or two games drive during nine days were good and the team was not very profesionall. Definitively I hope to have the possibility in the future to visit Botswana with a better agency.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Not great
No hot water in the Chalet and nobody answers the " after hours" numbers to fix the problem. Not a lot of game sighted at all. Actually nothing sighted but the impala at the Chalet.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointing - Would not recomend them to any of my friends.
Communication- Fair
Service- was pretty bad. they dont stick to the timings . On the day we were to leave from Nairobi to Masai Maara, we were quite appalled with the quality and cleanliness of the mini bus that we were driving to Masai Maara. When we were told that this would be the vehicle that we would go on the game drive , we politely refuse to take that vehicle considering the rough terrain that we would be covering as the Van was in really bad condition without propoer upholstery and bad seats.
when we insisted they had the vehicle changed to a slightly better one.
Day 1- Evening -on reaching MM ,our Tour guide (Fred) was not able to locate our lodge amidst the Savannahs and we aimlessly wandered for about an hour searching and then he decided that we would go on the game drive after which we will find the lodge.
Day-2 was the best day of the 3 day tour as we were on the game drive from morning to evening. Packed lunch was provided.
Day-3 : our schedule was to leave for another game drive from 630 to 830 am after which we were to drive back to Nairobi. However when the tour guide came to pick us up he said that there was some technical snag and the car battery was having problems. We hardly took off and the van stopped twice in the grasslands. We then suggested that he go to the mechanics available in the town to which he agreed and after a 40 mt drive we reached the place but none of them were available. it was already 820 by then and he quitely filled petrol and said that he suggests that we skip the drive as we would reach Niarobi only between 7pm-9m if we went for the drive. We agreed to that as we were a bit concerned about the Vehicle giving way in the middle of the Savannahs with animals around us.
Little did we know that this was a ploy by the tour operators as half way through on our way back to Nairobi , the guide stopped for lunch and after lunch he told us that there would be a change in plan and that we had to move into another car which was parked beside ours and that the passengers in that car would travel in the vehicle we came from MM and we would go to nairobi in their car.
at that point of time we actually wondered how could they take them on a game drive if the van had technical snags (stoppped at least 3 times in Masai Maara when we started the game drive)??
It was just a pretext used by these guys as they needed the car by noon to make the swap.
Overall - Althoguh i would want to visit MM again , i would not take another package with them as their service was quite disappointing and would not recomend them to any of my friends.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dissapointing
We chose big time safari for our Safari on the class called budget mode so of course we did not expect great luxuries but unfortunately we had so many problems we wanted to share the experience.
The total days of safari were 11 days.
The worst episode was the second day in Serengeti where the car just broke down, old jeeps are used and you will have many chances that this will happens to you. The whole day was lost and nothing was seen that day.
After the Safari was over once in Nairobi we did complain at Big time safari offices to get some compensation as the service offered was not given to us.
The manager, John, was careless and unprofessional as he was more interested in what was happening on the TV than on our complain. He made us waste a lot of time in the office for nothing. The discussion ended up telling us that under his point of view we were not humans as we did not understand his problems and than worst would have been to die in the safari. Once he has your money in his pocket his behavior changes he won't call you back or he will tell you he is busy in some meeting.
Other problems we had was the guide in Tanzania was bad no interest on us. The camp in Amboseli was dirty and no mosquito net was given in one of the beds.
The picnic meals very poor some of the days.
In summary the safari was ok because the landscape and the animals are great but sure thing we would chose different company for a safari.
US
The group dynamics in the ATC tour is difficult esp. without strong leadership.
Many European tour members and tour guide leader was not very responsive to the needs of people who are Asians or of Asian-descend. They assume all do not speak English well therefore dismiss what we have to say or do not know what we are talking about. But if you a drinker and loud, then your needs will be heard and catered to.
The tour guide leader was not responsive to a safety issue, which made me want to leave the tour early.
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
an absolutely disappointing and frustrating experience with Tazama Holidays in the Masai Mara, Kenya
I just returned from a 6-nights private Migration Safari with Tazama Holidays in Kenya, quite expensive for a single traveller in a land cruiser. And it was absolutely disappointing!
The aim of my trip was very clear from the beginning on - wildlife photography of the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara.
But their driver-guide, Eric, first only did classic game drives and only after unpleasant vivid discussions finally took me to the Talek River instead to the requested more important Mara River crossing points, with the result that we only got to see one crossing on the very last day (even though I showed him the exact points on a map!)
This driver of a 'photographic' safari (Tazama's own words) did not know anything about the simplest rules how to position the vehicle. He was very stubborn and did not take lightly to criticism. At any sightings he would spend most of the time on his phone (talking or checking messages). He definitely lacks even the most basic communicative skills (except with fellow drivers) as it proved to be extremely difficult to get any info or feedback. The only positive thing: he is a good driver and game spotter. It might well be that you fare better when going with the owner, Antony, himself. But although this was initially the plan also for my trip, this was changed shortly before leaving. You never know what you get!
Shortly before leaving for the trip Tazama proposed to change accommodation, an intimate eco-bush camp inside the Mara Reserve instead a much bigger one outside the reserve. This proved to be an excellent suggestion. However, also here Tazama disappointed as they stated this new camp would be more expensive, but they would not charge it to me. During my stay, however, I got the info that the bush camp was in fact about 20 percent cheaper - quite a sum for 6 nights which Tazama of course happily kept for themselves.
In short, if you don't ask for anything more than very general 'touristy' game drives and don't mind being ripped off for accomodation rates, if you are fine with a driver who does what he wants and does not communicate, go with Tazama.
Experience level: first safari
Bad experience
In short, we got white-collar pickpocketed. We booked a 7-day safari with Jipe Trekking and Safari. On the morning of departure, we were kept waiting at the hotel for hours such that the first day's activities had to be postponed. On day 3, it emerged that there were problems with the dedicated credit card the driver was provided with to pay the entry fee for Serengeti National Park (it seems the company doesn't trust their staff enough to provide them with a general credit card). We were driven around from bank to bank for hours until the driver was forced to give up and try again tomorrow. As a result, we were now a full day behind schedule. The consequence was that we had to subsequently reduce our time in some of the nicest areas on the trip in order to return on time. When we complained about the fact that we were effectively charged one seventh of the total trip fees to wait around during these delays - none of which were our fault - the owner refused to reimburse us, and was even quite emotionally abusive over email. I suspected his responses could have been cut and pasted from previous dissatisfied clients. We've now lodged a complaint to the Tanzanian consumer affairs department. Fingers crossed.
On the plus side, the rest of our time in Tanzania was great, from the very first moment we no longer had to deal with Jipe!