US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stick to Kenya and don't expect great customer service
We had combined 10 day safari in Kenya-Tanzania. Everything was great on the Kenya side. Driver was fine, would answer questions if you asked, but you did have to ask. Accommodations were better than expected with private bathrooms and actual beds in tents. They definitely work to find animals and make the most of the time in the parks.
Tanzania - nothing went right at all. We were supposed to be met by the director Abraham at the bus depot and he was not there. So very confusing getting us to our hotel in Arusha.
Day 2 the driver, George, brought us to Lake Manyara when our itinerary said to go to Serengeti NP. We were dropped off at camp around 430 near the lake, not in the Serengeti. He refused to t call anyone to check on the mix up for us. Basically that it was not his problem and we were stuck.
Day 3 We should have had a full day in Serengeti national park. We did not arrive until 2 or 3pm. George told us breakfast was at 730 and we would leave at 8. . We did not depart until 10am. No one could give us an update on when we would leave. They claimed the delay was due to the chefs. Who produced fried chicken so burnt we couldn’t eat it at lunch. We had our driver changed 3 times that morning. Though Etome ended up as a very good guide. The Serengeti camp ended up being far superior to where we stayed near Manyara
Day 4 The game drive was very good this day though it was only 6 hours not the full day we paid for. We had a brunch and dinner instead of 3 meals. No time on the trip were we given the chance to visit Olduvai gorge and the museum. Also no evening nature walk was offered at the Simba camp.
Day 5 The game drive this morning was very good. However we did not enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater as described. We were driven back to camp to have lunch which was not as scenic. David did meet at at the border for our transfer back to Nairobi airport and did not ask us for additional money when the police pulled over our car and asked for bribes to continue on.
However, he claimed that he would rectify the situation that had happened in Tanzania and we would hear within a week. When we contacted him a week later he said he was still working with his Directors and Abraham in TZ. 2.5 months later and we have never heard from him again. No refund or any other compensation for going to the wrong park and wrong lodging.
Kenya was great but avoid working with the TZ company. They will lie and not stick to the paid for itinerary. And once on the trip you have paid and are stuck going where they bring you. Very disappointing that David appears to communicate greatly until they have your money then they don't care what happened to you.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour guides were nice but everything about the tour was overwhelmingly disorganized.
The animals and national parks were great. Park entrance fees were extremely overpriced but the safari itself was great.
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Poorly organised, poor communications which only improve near the end of tour.
Bad start to tour. Pickup came about 30mins late for pickup from CPT airport. No assurance about daily tour itinerary and dinner reservations. I had to asked every tour leaders lookalike at the door of my hotel to find my allocated tour. Went for prepaid dinner but restaurant rejected us for no reservation or info on our dinner after travelling a great distance to the restaurant in a foreign land. Everyday, we had to be on our toes to find our allocated tours searching the hall of the hotel and every hotels we stayed we had to make sure all meal and tour reservations were in order without knowing the time and location of meetup! I had to called the outsourced travel agency after I finally figured out who they were myself from the reception to arrange myself the time and place. At times, even this travel agent was unsure of my paid itineraries which further added on to our already messy and poorly arranged tour. Tour only improved at JNB with a dedicated tour leader in charge of us with clearer instructions. Overall, really bad start with so much fear and uncertainty that really ruin our holiday.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Failed to provide the tour promised - beware
I used Matembezi to arrange a trip of the East and West Usambara mountains, they were expensive but I picked them as they agreed to supply a specialist birding guide (Njano Mbilinyi who I had heard was good) I was very clear that I need an expert as the birds in the mountains are difficult to find.
However when I arrived they told me Njano was not available (he had had a better offer) and instead provided a driver/guide who they said was just as good! The reality was the guide provided was just a driver and did not know the birds and was unsure where to find them (and was totally reliant on a bird guide just to guess). The result was a very disappointing trip which I could have done for less than half the price.
As they knew Njano would not be available they could have
a) told me and I could have found a different tour guide
b) told me and arranged local guides
instead they seemed to just hope we would not notice! When we complained they just suggested we pay for local bird guides!
On the plus side the driver was friendly and tried his best and we did get to the general locations of the birds safely.
However all in all it was very disappointing, frustrating and annoying - I would suggest you avoid this company
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.
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!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very unprofessional tour
Out safari guide showed up at our hotel with no paperwork or verification who he was. No uniform, no ID. He had to call Kanuth to verify. The vehicle was not in great shape and it appeared his license plates were expired. When ever we stopped at a checkpoint, he took about an hour in each office. All the other drivers showed their paperwork and they were off in 5 minutes. Our vehicle had a dead battery and no Air conditioning. Driver had to get a push start or start on a hill to get going. Very dusty ride. The guide was knowledable about the area and animals though. The guide and the cook did not seem to work well together,, just seemed to be business arrangement.
TH
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A safari which did not meet my expectations
I had booked a 8 days tour.The whole travel was in an old minibus ,so not very comfortable.Day 5 was confirmed in the program with stay in Mara Sopa Lodge,but i was brought in AA Lodge (4stars) which is not even a 2 star place,but stay was in a cheap place: explication there had been a booking problem,day6 program would have been Mara Sopa again ,but i stayed in a cheap place again:Jambo Mara.So i had payed 2 nights for a 4 star place but got much less.The whole trip was overshadowed with the payment problem(i wrote you that already separately) ther were permanent calls :where is the money.
Seen in total the trip was more a deception then pleasure,and as i continued after this to south africa ,i just can say there its super,everything was at 100% like promised and it was just a difference like day & night
BE
Parks were amazing but organisation, communication and trust with the agency were quite poor.
The safari experience in itself was fantastic but this is mostly due to the beauty of the parks rather than the tour agency. We've had too many last minute changes, very poor communication, quite antipathetic driver and we were stolen a significant amount of money during the trip. I'm not accusing anyone from the agency, I just think that the conditions were really not trustworthy.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
To ve avoided
Walking in Nairobi streets, one guy offered To take us To their office for information. We wanted To go safari in Meru National Parc. We entered the office for information and went out with our safari booked, 4 days and 3 nights sleeping in the parc in a banda with the driver and the cook for 1300 USD(our f ault, we should have gone elsewhere To compare. ..)We paid 10%, supposingly for them To organise the trip and were supposed To pay the rest of it the next Day in cash. So the next Day, the driver came To take us at out hotel and took us To the office To pay the rest of the amount. The problem is that we were not able To withdraw so much cash but surprisingly the credit card machine that did not work the Day earlier (we asked To use it) was working but we were taxed 5% of the total amout for bank fees... So we paid and went off for the safari. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch and then went To the supermaket so that the cook could but food for the safari. We finally arrived in Meru after 9 hours drive. When we arrived, we were finally unable To sleep in the parc...and were taken To a nice place outside the parc. We had 3 game drives instead of 4, the cook was not very gifted and the only one thing we asked To the driver (going To the hippopool) he said yes but did not do, with no explaination, except when we asked , he said it was too dry so no hippos. .. apparently according To the local people there were hippos To be seen...imagine our deception. .. Finally on our way back, we stopped at a restaurant and ordered one coke, they ordered two sodas and then we ate together. Then the went for checking out and a waitress brought us the Bill for our soda which we found a bit expensive...in fact the guys vas tried To make us pay for their sodas too behind our back! The best meal We had was prepared buy the local cook of the hotel and our cook pretending he made it ... So see the mentality. .. maybe tipping them would have ended in a better experience. ..