HK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bring a very bad experience to us!
1. After we confirmed the itinerary and paid the deposit, we received an email on the day of our arrival to change three hotels, among which Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, the most expensive hotel, was changed to Lake Naivasha Resort. You can check the price difference online.This was the hotel with the largest difference in price, and two nights were also changed to cheaper hotels and the difference was not refunded
2.Two times early morning safari and last day's lunch all be cancelled,The guide said never be informed of the early morning safari.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Rushed and impersonal safari
Went on an evening game drive with a bush dinner. It started off promising and good. However, we then spend over half an hour having a snack-stop and the driver seemed in no rush to continue the game drive. After the snack-stop it were finally beginning to be dark, so that the evening game drive could begin. However, the driver where rushing forward to get to the bush dinner so that we nor he could have any chance to spot any animals. We then ate and the same story continued after. A driver that rushed through the park where no one had any chance to spot any animals. Very rushing and impersonal experience. Would definitely not recommend.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
So disorganized, terrible communicators
Once you get to game driving, it’s hard to have a bad time. But I would not trust this company with booking anything more than a day trip. The day before our trip, they changed the entire itinerary, and it was clear from that point that they were only booking things one day at a time. Drivers weren’t showing up on time, we weren’t in the right vehicles, it just took so much away from a once in a lifetime trip. There were things in the itinerary we missed out on, and when we try to ask for a refund, the operator stops responding. There’s so many companies, don’t book with this one.
IT
Unprofessional
My experience with Tegu Tours and Safari could be sum up as follows.
My girlfriend and I booked a tour with:
- afternoon game drive the first day: didn’t happen;
- a Jeep: there wasn’t, there was a van
- 2 full days in Mara, we spend half of the second stuck into a savana because of the van;
- in the morning of the second day we started at 9am safari and not a 7am;
- the second Mara day we were with a new first group and we did the same things of the first day, wasting our money and time;
- the second day at Mara they put us in danger because the driver didn’t call the ranger to rescue us and we were on the grass after the park was closed (illegal) and we got split up without knowing when we were going to see each other again (very worried) because we were in Africa and we had to rely on people who were not transparent at all;
- the second night we booked Lenchada Camp, we were forced to go to a different accomodation because our reserved tend was given to other clients;
- they weren’t able to switch us in a Jeep although there was availability;
- we were treated disrespectfully and unprofessionally by the staff of this company during all the vacation.
After 4 days with these disrespectful people we changed company and we kept going our trip perfectly, enjoying the beauty of this magic country.
Don’t compromise your holiday, don’t book with Tegu Tours.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.