US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our private safari was ruined due to the incompetence of this company!
I booked a private 3-day safari in Amboseli National Park with a friend at the end of November. I spent six months arranging all the details of the safari via email with Michael, the owner of Ancient Wild Safaris. This was my fourth safari, so I was very clear about the services we wanted.
I was coming from Tanzania and met my friend Sergio and the driver Joseph at the Namanga border. 15 minutes on the road to Amboseli the car broke down. The driver was clueless how to fix the problem and didn't communicate any information to us. We waited for two hours on the dirt road until a taxi arrived to take us to the entrance gate of Amboseli, an hour away. The driver, Joseph stayed with the broken down car. Once at the park entrance, we waited another hour for a van to take us on our first "game drive". We booked a private safari, but were forced to join a Danish couple's tour. This game drive was really just driving across the park to our hotel, on the opposite side.
I contacted Michael several times during the first day, but he never communicated to me what the plan was for the next day. Eventually, Joseph told us that we would join the Danish couple's safari again the next morning. This became our second group game drive during the trip. Also, it was not our driver or tour company, so we had no choice in what we visited or where we stopped or for how long. We were just along for the ride.
After the morning game drive, we were dropped off at our hotel with no driver and no car. I had originally arranged an all-day game drive on the second day. Instead, we spent most of the morning and afternoon being bored around the camp. Eventually, Joseph contacted us to say he would pick us from the camp at 5pm! He arrived with the mechanic and we did a one-hour game drive before the park closed.
The next morning we did the only full, private game drive before returning to Nairobi. So we got 1 proper game drive out of the 4 we paid for. In Nairobi, Michael failed to show up at our hotel to discuss the poor service. He kept trying to make excuses instead of taking responsibility for the problems with the safari. I kindly requested a partial refund since we didn't get the private safari that we paid for and he refused. There was zero accountability!
I would never use this company again due to the lack of professionalism and costumer service. Throughout the entire ordeal, there was almost no communication and direction from the owner.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Total disaster
I have travelled extensively for many years and this has been the worst experience by far. Departure to Amboseli was delayed by 8 hours which I had to spend hanging around in Nairobi because infamous Mr Rufus kept making up incongruous excuses every 10 minutes. Before paying, Mr Rufus categorically confirmed I would not be sleeping in tents. Instead, he said I would be sleeping in a lodge made with "local materials", "like a proper house". The reality was that I had to spend two horrible nights in the filthiest cheapest tent I have ever seen. Mr Rufus did not make arrangements for me to leave Amboseli. After making up loads of stories and delaying the agreed departure time by about two hours, he offered me the option to take a matatu (unsafe public bus) back to Nairobi by myself, which I had no choice but to accept since Amboseli is in the middle of nowhere. Do not trust the positive reviews because I suspect they are fake. Simply do not take the risk of going on a safari with this agency.
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not trustworthy!
Bad! Poor execution and under-delivery of what has been agreed and paid for are my two biggest pain-points with Tomodachi. Even if the company had provided as advertised, I would still not recommend it due to poor overall service (last-minute arrangement and changes), lack of tour briefing (we have to ask what's going on all the time) and the tour guides are not helpful. The Managing Director is Joseph Mwema, and co-partner: Jasper Kishari.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A whole disaster and very terrible experience - watch out with this agency! Not trustful at all
We found Mercury Tours on Safari-Bookings and Ndamungu (tour operator) seemed to be nice and helpful. We were having email contact for about two weeks in which Mercury Tours explained the Program in detail and gave us all information etc. In November 2016 we booked the 7 day safari with him (Selous-Mikumi-Ruahu Safari) to start on January, 1st 2017. We transferred half of the money to Ndamungu in November (1330 Dollar) and agreed to pay the other half directly to the tourguide when the safari would start. Ndamungu confirmed that the tourguide would pick us up at 8.40AM in our Hotel. Well, we were all excited to start the Safari and on January, 1st we waited to be picked up in our hotel reception. Unfortunately, no one from Mercury Tours appeared, so after 30 minutes waiting, we called Ndamungu. He said, that the driver had an "accident" and would come within 20 minutes. Unfortunately, this was not true. We waited for hours, calling Mercury Tours several times and Ndamungu said the guide could come very soon and hung up on us with no more information. So, we ended up waiting for about 4,5 (!) with another disappointment. Ndamungu confirmed in November that our driver would be our guide at the same time and would speak English. The person who picked us up just spoke barely English and had no idea of our program and where to go, so he had to explain him everything. Above all, he forced us to pay him 200 dollar otherwise he wouldn't drive us and explained us the actual guide was waiting for us at the camp. Well, we were very angry at the time, but paid him and hoping that the real guide would actually speak English and we could finally start our safari without more stress and headache. When we arrived at the camp, unfortunately no guide was waiting for us. The driver and Ndamungu explained, the guide would come the next day but this was another lie. The next day, the driver was gone without saying a word, no guide appeared and we were left alone literally in the bush. The people at the camp were really helpful and called Ndamungu serval time, but he just switched off his phone. Nothing was organised, nothing was paid for us. So, we lost 1530 Dollar and didn't receive anything for it. We went for a game drive with another guide but had to pay all by ourselves. Our safari was a whole disaster and tomorrow we are heading to the police and embassy here in Tanzania to report on this. Luckily we have all confirmations made by Ndamungu. So be very careful with Mercury Tours and Ndamungu - they are criminals.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unethical business practices
The director, Naphtally, accepted our payments in advance. Upon the very morning of the start of our safari, the local tour guide showed up with Naphtally on the phone. He claimed the government was slow in allowing bank transfers into the country, etc. He asked that we pay for the park fees in advance with our credit card and that he would in turn reimburse us for the different at the end of the tour. In fact, he has not paid the tour guide, the local operator, or us. It is unfortunate because he gives tourists a bad feeling about all local companies which is unfair and unethical. Do NOT give this company any of your money or business.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest and Disorganised
We booked with Bonfire Adventures for a 3 day trip to Mara Maasai and after our experience would not recommend Bonfire Adventures for the following reasons.
1. Disorganised.
Bonfire were highly disorganised. I felt as if I was doing most of the organisation and I was trying to organise their agent to book things for us. I had to repeatedly follow up with them about if they had made the booking and what time we would be collected to start the Safari. They only confirmed who was collecting us at 7pm the night before we were due to leave at 7am the next morning. They asked us to let the driver know where to collect us from even though we had already provided them with that information more than a week in advance.
2. Dishonesty
We asked them for a quote as to the cost, which they provided to us. It wasn't until after we paid that they informed us that they had quoted us the residents rate rather then non-residents rate and would have to pay more money. I have a very English first and surname so I have no idea why they would assume that I was a resident. They then said that I should have known that it was the residents rate as they had charged us in the local currency rather then US dollars. I asked them to return my money to me as I did not want to pay extra as this would make the safari significantly more expensive. It was only at this point they said that they could actually offer it to us at the residents rate.
Perhaps more disappointing was that they were dishonest with money. I sent them the money for the Safari and paid the bank fees. According to my calculations I unintentionally underpaid them 700 KES (Approx. 7 USD) due to the different the conversion rates. However Bonfire said that I had underpaid them by 5,600 KES (Approx. 53 USD). When I questioned this they said the difference must be due to bank fees. I went back and checked that and in fact I had already paid these fees. I asked for further proof of exactly how much they received in the transfer but they only provided an internal spreadsheet, but nothing from their bank. I have asked them to provide me with a way to pay the remaining 700 KES and am waiting to hear back from them.
3. Driver
The driver was also disappointing as at the end of our Safari we were dropped off at Lake Naivasha. He put pressure on us to pay him to drive us back to Nairobi after we were finished at the lake in a few days time. He asked us to pay him $120,000 KES and told us that we wouldn't get anyone to drive us back to Nairobi for less then $100,000 KES. We phoned a great driver we had previously used in Nairobi who immediately suggested a much more reasonable price of 70,000 KES and didn't pressure us at all to go with him.
They also ask to do a client feedback form which you then return to the staff who you are assessing so its difficult to give honest and open feedback in these circumstances.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very bad experience with this company
Very unhappy with Richard Kilonzo and his Safari company:
We booked a 7- day Safari with Richard Kilonzo. To start with, we arranged that somebody from his company would pick us up at the bus station and take us to our hotel; nobody came. Someone from the bus station that didn' t work for him took us to his office. The entrance to the office is embarrasing, full of mud and puddles. He showed himself very friendly the very first day. Not like that the last day when we came back from Safari, that hardly had time to speak to us.
We were supposed to spend a full day driving in Ngoron- goro crater, from 06.00 a.m. until late in the afternoon, as it was written in the planing that he had sent to us when booking the Safari.
Our surprise was that the night before going into the crater he told us that it was not possible to spend the whole day. We could only be inside the crater for 4 hours (from 06.00 until 10.00 a.m.) and then we had to go out of the Park. The problem was that he should have paid one more day fees for us (we were four people in the jeep) in the crater, but he did not. He told us that "laws have changed lately" and he could not do anything, so if we wanted to stay more time in the crater, we should pay the extra- charge. If you look in the Official Website of the Parks, since so many years, the entrance- fee is paid for a 24- hour stay; if you want to stay longer, you have to pay another entrance. He lied to us. So after all, we could not be in Ngoron- goro crater for longer, which is one of the best Parks in Tanzania.
Moreover, the last two nights we were supposed to sleep in Tarangire campsite. He tried to convince us to sleep everywhere else, telling me that in that campsite there was no water (I do not know why), but finally, after my insistence, we slept there.. with hot- water showers. The last day or the Safari we were supposed to have a morning- drive game in Tarangire before coming back to Arusha, and what we really did was to have breakfast in the campsite and inmediately come back to the city; no game driving our last day of Safari, as it was written in our initial planning. He told us that we didn' t ask for the driving that morning... Why have I to ask about something I have already paid and it was included in the Safari plan??
Another german couple came with us for 4 days in the Safari. Richard changed their plans almost everyday, even every 2-3 hours sometimes the planning changed...
I would not recommend at all this company for a Safari in Tanzania. You cannot trust this man absolutely. He sold us a Safari that we haven´ t really done. I strongly recommend every tourist to look for another better and more reliable choice.
IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Shabani's scam
We booked 4 days safari with Shabani's company. It was a disaster!!
1. The cars were completely full. 9 people including the chef instead of 7 as promised. When we asked Abdul (our guide) to solve this issue he gave us unacceptable solutions (leave the chefs and that we will cock for our self). Also the cars were fulled with equipment so there was no place for the legs.
2. Abdul the guide was unprofessional. After we talked to him about some of the problems he decided not to talk to us and didn't explain anything during the game drives, even not the names of the animals. He was just a taxi driver that took us from one location to another.
3. Time in the Safari weren't as promised. In the first day of the Sarangeti we had only two hours of game drive.
4. A lot of small annoying issues: there were not enough tents in the first night for everyone, in the second day the chefs refused to wake up early in the morning to make us breakfast because it was too "early" for them.
When we came to Abdul ,asking for solutions for our problems he didn't show any intention to figure out them out and he even blamed us one time that the reason we got late to the Sarangeti (16:30) is because we asked him to stop to photograph giraffes on the way.
When we got back to Arusha we went to Shabanis office to talk with him about everything. During the talk he blamed us for being "hard customers" and didn't even say he was sorry about anything. Eventually he started to talk in aggressivly when we said we will write a bad recommendations. When we got out from his office (without any compensation) he even tried to hit one of the girls and we had to stop him. When we walked out to the street he keep followed us, this was really scary and unpleasant.
I think Sahabani is a dangerous man and even that his prices is low it doesn't worth the bad feeling.
PT
Company not good
Dont recomend this company.
They give diferent from wath they sell in the ofice. We pay for 3 days safari and day give 2 days only, thay say yhe 3 day is to return in Arusha web the distancie is 2 hours.
They ate nor correct to in the hotel day sai, wen we bay they day we sleep in lodge in ngorongoro caráter but we sleep in camping.
If you book with them tell to right everithing in the recipt because after they tell we are nor correct.
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Owner cancelled the trip 4 days before arrival!
I will do my absolute best to hereby share my experience with African Sunset Safaris in the most objective way.
Note: This review do only cover their services in regards of booking accommodation and their general way of working and communicating, since Mr. Haron (the owner) decided to cancel the trip only 4 days before arrival!
Mr. Haron is a well-spoken person. The problem is that he lies a lot!
He lied about the condition of the tents at our confirmed accommodation, and therefore asked us to pay more to move us to another hotel.
He lied about the cost of our accommodation when calculating on our refund.
He lied about the Kenyan tourism levy rate (6% instead of 2%).
He told me it is against the Kenyan law to share the receipt of his payment to the hotel (I have not confirmed this, but I find it very hard to believe).
All in all, his last-minute cancellation made us find another agent in very short notice, in peak season.
It cost us 300 USD more than initial agreement, for the exact same itinerary due to out-sourced jeep rental.
I would never recommend African Sunset Safaris to anyone.
Full time line:
October 10th: We agree on booking of 2 nights at Mara Leisure Camp + game drive in jeep + transport from/to Nairobi at 1400 USD for 2 persons.
October 16th: I transfer 945 USD (~70 % of total amount) to Haron as deposit.
October 24th: Haron confirms payment is received and "hotel is cleared".
Dec 18th: Haron emails: "I had to move you from Mara leisure to Sarova Mara due to unavoidable reason being at Leisure the were affected by the short rains two weeks ago and currently most of there tents are under Maintenance." ... "I kindly advice we shall have a small hick on the price by USD 250."
Dec 19th: I find Haron's message suspicious and contacts Mara Leisure Camp directly to verify that their tents actually are under maintenance. Their sales manager dismisses this false facts and personally guarantees there are no problems with their facilities. They also say "your booking is still on tentative status awaiting for payment to confirm". (meaning my pre-payment had not yet been received by the hotel!)
Dec 21st: I get back to Haron: "We believe we will be very satisfied with Mara Leisure Camp, even though the tents are in bad condition.
I want you confirm the booking of a Nyati tent at Mara Leisure Camp ASAP and send them the money to confirm the reservation before it gets lost to any other client."
Dec 21st: Mr. Haron now seems to feel neglected and decides to cancel both the safari game drive and transport! However, he promises to pay the money to Mara Leisure and refund us the remaining amount of 200 USD.
Dec 22nd: I asked Mr. Haron about a reciept for his payment to Mara Leisure to confirm that 200 USD is the correct amount to refund. He now refers to their listing rates instead (which is higher that his agent rates) and concludes that I actually owe him additional 35 USD, but in the same e-mail he also states that he is willing to refund 200 USD anyway as a Christmas gift (?!).
Dec 22nd: Still without showing any receipt of his payment to Mara Leisure, I at least get the 200 USD in refund.
Jan 10th: After a number of emails to Haron and Mara Leisure Camp, I finally received a copy of Haron's payment of 716 USD, i.e. 264 USD less that what he tried to tell us when referring to their public listing rates + Christmas supplement.