RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overrated. Had no luck with a guide driver.
So the main complaint is about information. It seems that our guide driver Matu was a lier! Or a joker, but it was not good that information about animals he gave us and other guides gave was very different. As not an local we cannot prove anything so it was kind of unfair. Also, he was late every day. Talked a lot with somebody on the phone and with other drivers. It was very uncomfortable to travel with him. He never commented his actions. We were driving about 3 hours under the hot sun with no words where are we go and what a going to do. And he had very bad accent. He always said "glass" instead of "grass" and other words.
Also it is a complaint about hot drinks. It was highlighted in the contract that drinks like sodas and beers are not included. But they didn't say a word that hot drinks are not included into lunches and you should buy it!
But they gave us a better price for that time. But at the same time the hotels and camps they are providing are so poor and incomfortable. Other proc is that they didn't want a prepayment (you know that e-payment systems are not brillliant in Africa) and the water was included in price.
I want to say a big thanks for Vinsent.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overpriced.
For what we received the charges were exorbitant--the room was not in order upon arrival, water not hot, pool hours limited so that once one returns from the cruise the pool was closed, cruise time was fine but the distance and information limited, family rooms sleep six but only four allowed (????), price was more upon arrival than quoted in the email. Sorry, but we won't be staying there again. It just wasn't worth the price.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great animals everything else is ehh
Uganda is a large poor country, The national parts have lots and lots of animals. Customer service, food, hotels, roads, are all poor. Ugandan people are very friendly.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Disappointed.
We chose Kazinga for their flexibility, good reviews and prices. With another couple of friends we spent 9 days of game drives in three parks of Tanzania.
When we saw the 4X4 car picked us up from the airport in Dar, we already said it started badly. It was an old 4X4, 18 years old, in poor condition, with smooth tires! Of course we had a puncture. In addition to the nine days, he broke down twice and stopped two days.
The organization safari was bad, with trip totally undervalued times (4 hour trip turned into an exhausting 11-hour trip!)
The guides were friendly and reservations had been made and paid.
Finally, we cut and preferred to fly at our expense, to go from Ruaha park to our hotel on the Indian Ocean.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amzing wildlife
I enjoyed my trip, but there are few things I must say.
Safaris are overbooked. We had 10 people in the van ( including driver). For people sitting in the back or front sit (next to the driver) it was difficult to enjoy the experience. It was too crowded, sometimes I couldn't even turn or stand up for the view. Missed quite a lot because of that. Bare in mind people in the van won't just let you see.They want to enjoy as well and they won't just sit and say 'your turn now'. Vans should be bigger or less crowded.
People here will give you a price after looking at you and judging how much money you have. Prices are visible only in supermarkets.
Be careful what you buy. Souvenirs often contain bone, skin or plant fragments that are illegal to bring back home.
If you decide to stay in Nairoibi, avoid city centre. It's overcrowded, easy to get mugged. I alsao have beed sexually harrased and called names for no reason. Racist.
Rubbish everywhere. It was heartbreaking to see so much plastic and other stuff along the road. Very bad for environment.
Avoid raw fruits and vegetables, eat only what's been cooked. You never know what kind of water they used to wash.
Food was often cold. We stopped for lunches on our way from one park to another and never had a hot meal. Easy to get food poisoning.
Be prepared to spend a lot of money for tipping people. Every little thing they do for you they will expect you to tip them, some will even tell you how much.
On the good side wildlife is amazing.
You see the same animal many times and still don't have enough.
Most of the parks are really big. You just keep driving.
I liked the fact that they are kept as natural as possible (no modern roads, few stops with actual toilets etc.) Gives you real wild experience.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
the land of tips
The wildlife was the best we have had from this country. Italy is knew in the world for sly people but tanzanian were worst than us. I've never knew something similar. The land of tips, the land of "surprises". I am really sad because i think that this will kill the tourism there. Last but not least, you make fool prices for all about tourism. In the rest of the world we are not so riches as you think. For the most of us, the 50$ that you ask like chips are a day of work!!!!!!
P.s. the weather was good, the foid was good, the accomodation not so bad, but when i think about my trip, FOR YOUR FAULT, i think about you CRAFTINESS for first.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beautyful senic and an impressiv wildlife. Kilimanjaro is a memorable experience. I am very exited.
The wildlife was really exiting. I saw many animals in the nature. I also climbed the Kilimanjaro. This was one of my best experiences I ever did so far. It is really impressive and also a real test for your body and mental skill. I really suggest to you to do this.
On the other hand I realised that you as a Tourist are just enough to pay a lot of money for a safari and not to get really the value for this. I booked with openafricasafari.com and the Price was much to much for this i got. In the same group were 6 other people who paid around 600 dollars for a 3 days safari. (I was booked on a group with maximum of 6 people and I was the 7th person!). The first 2 days was great. The second was so so. But my last day was worthless. A nature walk on the road. Walking straigt to a lake and than the same way back. How boring. Really not an experience. They sold me a nature walk!!!! They promised me to visit a School an a Hospital. We did not. I got some explanation about how bananas grow and so on. But a normal Person knows this already. The guide came to late in morning and was very surprised that I could walk for 3 hours and I did not call for a taxi, which, of course I would have to pay for it. (all the stupid Tourist are just rich and pay all the time!) Furthermore I had to tell the guide what we gonna visit. Otherwise we would have been back to the Hotel very early. I really paid around 200 dollars to much for this trip. I would not book whith this agency again.
The 3. day. The other 6 persons booked only 3 days. So the guide wanted to leave the game park at mid day. But I booked a full day in this game reserve. Even the others ha in there itinery that they would stay until 3 o'clock. Finally the guide turned around an we continued the game drive. But the day was not good anymore.
It is a shame to treat Tourist like this. Tansania is just a nice country and I met so many good guides on my 2 month journey trough south africa.
I was travelling for 8 weeks with other different tour guides (south africa, Namibia, Botswana and Tansania)and it always was a very good experience. Only the safari with openafricasafari fucked up. I asked for same money back, but,,,,,
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice, but not superb, experience for an European
As a biologist, I enjoyed African Nature in many diverse places in South Africa; also in Mountain Zebra National Park, of course. Landscapes are beautiful, not very different to African savanna, I think. There were very few tourists when I visited the Park, so it was a good moment to relax and enjoying driving through it.
Apart from this, I have to say that mammals diversity was not too high, so we had to drive a long way to see "big" animals (gazelles and zebras, most of them). I can imagine that the most of urban citizens, unused to Nature, prefer to find wilder animals like rhinos, lions, cheetahs,... and that could be the reason why we saw so few tourists there.
My final impression was that Mountain Zebra is a good park, sure, but it shouldn'be a priority for visitors
disappointing
I travelled many years all over South Africa. I made a one day visit to Ithala game reserve by driving my own 4x4 car.
I was very desappointed except the scenic landscapes and some intresting 4x4 loops.
Wildlife is rather spare; there are no great predators. I drived sometimes long moments without seeing any animal ;when I was lucky I saw mostly isolated ones. Ithala is certainly a lovely place for week-ends in nature as the South african people like but sure not a place for tourist comming to SA for meeting games
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I would not use this company
The safari day and crater day were good everything seemed to be going well.
When we arrived at the second hotel it went down hill from there, the hotel was not as expected. Food took nearly 4 hours to come out and didn’t want to eat it as it was cold and looked awful as such we did not want to eat breakfast and risk food poisoning, when I gave feedback to the person I was in communication with for our tour I was told to “just go and eat the food multiple times.
The next day we arrived at the waterfall experience, where there was a complete lack of communication, I was very clear that we had an older person traveling with us and therefore couldn’t do much physical activity.
There was a 30 minute walk which involved climbing down and up rocks to get to the waterfall.
The lack of communication and the behaviour of the tour guide was unacceptable, the tour guide tried to push us into doing something else when we were very clear we could not do that activity, we lost money as they wouldn’t give a partial refund and made the end of our holiday very unenjoyable.
I would not recommend this company if you are traveling to Tanzania