ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An In-Depth and Constructive Critique of African Overland Tours and Nomad
We recently embarked on a 42-day trip through Africa in July and August 2024, booked via African Overland Tours and operated on the ground by Nomad. The total cost for two people was approximately EUR 14,000 (USD 450 per day), which we believed would guarantee a professional and enriching experience. Regrettably, it turned out to be our most disappointing travel venture to date. As two seasoned travelers who have lived in multiple countries and are generally quite flexible, our expectations were reasonable but were met with numerous shortcomings. We share our experience below so that future travelers are adequately informed, and in the hope that these companies will address these issues.
1. Excessive Idle Time and Limited Activities
• Only 3% of the trip dedicated to actual activities: During the first ten days (240 total hours), merely 8 hours were devoted to any form of organized activity (e.g., a 4-hour safari, two 1-hour village walks, a 2-hour coffee plantation visit, and 30 minutes at the Baobab Valley).
• The remaining 97% of our time was spent either in the truck (8–15 hours daily) or at budget lodges with nothing planned or suggested.
2. Uncomfortable and Inadequate Transportation
• Long, exhausting drives: While the first hour of scenery can be interesting, enduring 8–15 hours in a cramped truck becomes unbearable.
• Poorly maintained truck features: The microphone did not function, the seats were extremely tight for anyone taller than 175 cm (5’9”), and the filtered-water mechanism was outdated (offering no reliable source of mineral water).
• Meals in transit: Be prepared to have breakfast and lunch inside the moving truck. Given the rough roads riddled with bumps, it is almost inevitable that you will spill coffee, juice, or food on yourself.
• Unsuitable for a wide age range: In our particular group, travelers ranged from about 15 to 75 years old. The long hours and uncomfortable seating were especially challenging for older individuals and for younger travelers unaccustomed to such conditions.
3. Lack of Proper Guidance
• No professional guide provided: Despite the substantial tour cost, we only had a driver and a cook. While both individuals worked hard, they lacked the expertise or training to properly inform, organize, or address customer concerns.
• Minimal information about destinations: We received only the most basic daily details (“Tomorrow we drive to X, then stay at Y”) with no in-depth coverage of cultural, historical, logistical, or natural aspects. There was an absolute lack of information about the surrounding environment, local geology, fauna, or ecosystems—knowledge that would have greatly enriched our experience.
• Poor problem-solving: Complaints or suggestions were largely dismissed. Even when our concerns were constructive and proposed potential solutions, we were told that “complaints will disturb the peace of the crew, the clients, and the company.” There was little to no communication from Nomad’s management during the trip.
4. Substandard Accommodations and Extra Costs
• Budget lodges: Approximately 90% of the lodges were in the USD 30–60 range, often lacking hot water (and sometimes water entirely). Only about 3 out of 35 accommodations could be considered “good.”
• Additional fees: While visiting major attractions (e.g., National Parks or optional tours in Zanzibar), we were frequently charged extra (e.g., USD 350 for a game drive in Tanzania, and numerous other add-ons). Basic drinks, including water at lodges, were also billed separately.
• No meaningful stops en route: Travel breaks were typically confined to fuel stations or malls—no scenic or culturally significant stops were made without special request, and even then, requests were often ignored.
5. Overreliance on Guests’ Labor
• Expediting meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were rushed to about 30 minutes, leaving no opportunity for a relaxed, enjoyable break.
• Unpaid assistance: Guests were expected to handle tasks such as arranging tables, chairs, helping with cooking, and cleaning dishes, presumably to cut staffing costs.
6. Poor Communication and Organizational Gaps
• No document checks: There was no verification that all travelers had correct documentation, nor was there assistance or advice concerning border crossings.
• No room assignments: Upon arrival at accommodations, rooms were distributed randomly without prior arrangement. Travelers had to negotiate among themselves for room type.
• Erratic time management: Stop durations were inconsistent—if the driver/cook said “30 minutes,” it could easily turn into 40, 50, or 70 minutes, leaving everyone waiting without clear instructions or schedules.
7. Dismissive Customer Support
• Slow or no response: Both Nomad and African Overland Tours were unresponsive when issues were raised during the trip. Post-booking, African Overland Tours took over a week to reply to emails and generally offered no meaningful solutions.
• Lack of empathy and poor phone assistance: The telephone representative we spoke with interrupted us constantly, showed no empathy, and placed blame on us instead of assuming any responsibility. Their main suggestion was that if we were unhappy, we could leave the trip at any point. Ultimately, we did leave three days before the tour ended—and unsurprisingly, no refund was offered for the unused hotel nights.
• No compensation or accountability: Even in cases where promised accommodations were unavailable (forcing guests to camp instead of using rooms they paid for), there was neither an apology nor a financial adjustment.
8. African Overland Tours: Marketing Over Substance
• High-pressure sales tactics: The African Overland Tours team appears to be primarily focused on marketing and selling the product as quickly as possible. Clients are encouraged to make fast decisions under the pretense that spaces may run out otherwise.
• High commissions: They add a significant markup over the price charged by the actual operating company—Nomad in our case—yet contribute no additional value or support once the sale is finalized. Essentially, they operate as a middleman who could just as easily be selling a car as organizing a trip.
9. Final Observations
• National Parks and city visits: Africa’s wildlife and cultural experiences are undeniably astonishing. However, these highlights owe nothing to the tour operators, who merely facilitated transport to these locations.
• No guided urban explorations: For major cities like Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, we had to organize our own tours. Most participants, unaware of what these cities had to offer, stayed at the lodge and missed out on wonderful experiences.
10. Conclusion
Given the high cost, one would expect at least a professional guide, better accommodations, and a more efficient itinerary. Instead, we encountered disorganization, lack of communication, and a general sense that the primary goal was to reduce expenses rather than deliver a memorable journey.
Recommendation: We strongly advise looking into other agencies. In our view, it would be difficult to find a more poorly organized operation than what we experienced with African Overland Tours and Nomad. For the sake of future travelers, we hope this review prompts these companies to improve their standards and offer the quality of service that travelers deserve when exploring such a magnificent continent.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Changes to 2 of the 6 Main Activities on the Itinerary
Our experience with Four Crane Safaris was a mixed bag.
The good:
-Paul was very responsive to our communications prior to the trip. He arranged a custom tour for five people which included 6 main activities (two game drives in Queen Elizabeth, a boat safari in QE, chimpanzee trekking, gorilla trekking, and golden monkey trekking/ a second day of gorilla trekking.
-The lodges Four Cranes booked for us were splendid.
-Our driver quickly responded to requests and seemed to want us to have a good experience.
-The rangers at the parks and the boat guide (who were employed by Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, and Mgahinga) that led the single day activities were fabulous. The gorilla trekking was such a special experience that we will remember for years to come.
-A member of our group celebrated her birthday during our trip. Paul arranged a cake and our driver gave her a Uganda shirt. It was very sweet!
The bad:
-On our first day, our driver informed us that Paul was unable to acquire the chimpanzee permits. He said Paul was supposed to tell us when he met us at our hotel that morning. When we asked Paul about this later via email, he said he didn't tell us because we were busy checking out of the hotel. He also admitted that he knew about the failure to obtain chimpanzee permits a month in advance of our trip, but he chose not to communicate this to us as he wanted to tell us in person which he then opted not to do. Via email, he offered to refund us the fee for the chimpanzee permits or to do an additional game drive. Our group selected the refund which we never received.
-Our itinerary listed the tree-climbing lions and game drive on our first day in Queen Elizabeth. We were then told that this section of the park was too far and we wouldn't be going there, but we would go to the north section of the park for the game drive. When asked about this, Paul at Four Cranes said he had copied a prior itinerary for ours and the tree climbing lions section was left on in error. Then, we were informed days later that we will not be getting a refund for the cancelled chimpanzee trekking as we did two game drives. However, Four Cranes had two game drives listed on our itinerary and it wasn't clarified to us until days later that the two game drives were also in error and only one should have been listed. We left the tour feeling cheated and scammed by this. Four Cranes should have reviewed the itinerary they sent us before sending it initially or at the very least at the time we paid the deposit. Any changes should have been communicated then.
Both good and bad:
-The trip was advertised as having a guide/ driver. While nice, our driver did not offer guiding services. He drove through the national parks at 60 km/hour and did not stop for animals unless we asked to stop. That said, once we asked him to drive slower and to stop for animals upon request, he did. The driver provided the names of the animals but not much more. Very little was shared about Uganda's culture, and nothing was shared about history or current events. When we asked questions, our driver would answer, but sometimes answers were clearly false. He'd state, "There are no birds in this park" and when we pressed further to ask about the birds we were hearing, he'd say "they are in their bed."
-The car broke down twice. Luckily, once was on the morning of a travel day and delayed us only a few hours. The second time, a different care was temporarily arranged to pick us up from golden monkey trekking while the original car was being repaired. The vehicle was older and definitely showed that it had been loved, but overall, it got the job done. It was missing one seatbelt, and one of the seats was slanted to the side, but it got us around. That said, our driver and Four Cranes seemed to work to fix the car mechanical issues as soon as possible.
-Additionally the jack under the passenger seat leaked oil onto one of our group member's coats. Upon request, the driver took the coat to get cleaned for $10. The strong chemicals used removed the oil from the outside of the coat and left a strong turpentine-like smell.
-Despite our driver repeatedly saying communication was important, he provided little communication about the plans for the day/ expectations. However, he was very responsive to our requests. Once we requested to stop to see the animals on the game drive, he did so willingly each time we asked (yet we had to keep asking). Our driver multiple times asked if we wanted to go do something (such as see the salt farm community up close or see flamingos up close) and after responded "no" he still took us to the place. Upon reaching the place, we again confirmed that no, we did not want to pay extra to see the attraction. This wasted time and is an anomaly to the other tours we've done. That said, he knew we were disappointed about not going to see the tree-climbing lions, so he thoughtfully took us to see three sleeping lions in the north section of the park.
Summary:
We talked with other travelers at the lodges and during the trekking who really enjoyed the other tour companies with whom they booked. Four Cranes has potential to grow into a successful tourism organization; however, based on the multiple changes to main activities on the itinerary (game drives and chimpanzee trekking) and the omission of a promised guide, I would not recommend Four Cranes for your trip to Uganda.
Note: the above information was shared throughout the trip and after the trip with Four Crane Safaris via email. Paul expressed that he was saddened that we weren't satisfied, but he did not make efforts to resolve our concerns about dropping chimpanzee trekking in order to do a game drive that had already been listed as being included on the itinerary. He also stated that many travelers have been satisfied with Four Crane Safaris' tours in the past, yet I can only review based on our personal experience.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not the best experience in service, but enjoyed the trip
Flight was cancelled a few hours before I was due to fly, options I was provided was to fly to another park ( which after agreeing was told was no longer available) or fly 3 hours later, which meant basically lose the best part of the day for safari, leaving me with no options, in addition this later flight was further delayed when I received the the ticket it was actually due to fly 30 minutes after the time I was told further delaying a already late schedule. In addition. I was told the day would be extended 30 minutes to reduce the 3+ hours lost, however this was not true and the day actually ended around 1hrs earlier, so in total my day ended around 4hours shorter than what paid for
I rarely post a negative review, so to end on a better note, the day itself was still enjoyable, I had no further problems and the organiser discounted me a small amount 50 dollars, although not much considering almost 900 dollars paid and losing more than a third of the time I was meant to be out. I'll give the company the benefit of doubt that my situation is probably unusual, but the resulting service was poor
LV
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Be ready for some unpleasant surprises
We chose Natural world Kenya Safari (NWKS) because of the good reviews, but it seems that the company is currently having some (financial?) problems, which also affects its customers. I booked a safari (5 DAYS, 4 NIGHTS: NAIROBI – MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE– AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK– KENYA BEACH) tour for my family (2 adults, 2 children) several months before the trip. Communication with the Nairobi office specialist Faith was very good - a detailed program was sent and all questions were answered.
As promised, we were met at Nairobi airport by our driver/guide David and we paid the remaining amount at the NWKS airport office. The first two days in Masai Mara were great - we were very kindly welcomed by Orng'atuny Mara King Camp, went on safari trips and also visited a Masai village. The problems started on the third day, when we arrived at Amboseli Park. At first, there was a strange hitch with the accommodation confirmation, but later it was received. The next day according to the program was scheduled for "Full Day Amboseli National park", description: "We’ll start the day off viewing the animals as they first awaken and come into the clearings, seeking their first meal of the day. Then, it’s our turn for breakfast. You can relax now or go on a mid-morning game drive. Or both. You set the pace for the day and we’ll adjust accordingly." Instead, we drove to the park gate around 8:30, waited there for more than an hour, and then returned to the campsite. The reason, as driver David explained to us, is that someone from the office did not send the any confirmation. All the other vehicles drove in without any problems, only we were left outside. We didn’t visit the safari that day at all. I wrote an email to Faith, but I didn’t get any response from her. She didn’t reply either later, when I asked for an explanation again after returning from the trip. Perhaps this is the communication style of Natural World Kenya Safaris - to respond only until all money is received, but not after that. David is a good driver and generally a nice person, but I was also disappointed in his inability to resolve the situation. He just repeated several times that it was not his fault. We spent the last day of the tour feeling a bit stressed, wondering if another unpleasant “surprise” awaited us or if we might be cheated again. Fortunately, this did not happen and we successfully reached Mombasa, but later Diani.
Although this tour also had a lot of positive emotions, I would not risk choosing this company's services again.
CW
65+ years of age
Review about Saadani National Park by Andre Smit
Raining season and high grass/bush so we did not see a lot of animals
The service and food&beverage was below standards. We could not sleep in our cottages an there was a national local group who party with alcohol, noise, bring their own food and just camp in front of our expensive cottage.
Never go to National Parks anymore
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not thrustworthy, you should not believe a word they say.
We booked two safaris with Pride of Africa in January 24 for our Kenia holiday in October 24.
Just about two month before the trip we were informed by Stephen, that the park fees for Masai Mara have been raised and that we have to pay a higher price for the safaris. On my complaint, that the higher fees have already been officially released by the time of the booking they said that they expected the government to not really stay with these higher fees and so they did not integrate them into our price and that we will have to pay the higher fees. Finally, we agreed that I will pay some higher amount, but not the full difference and I got the assurance from Stephen that we will find a good solution for both of us when we are there.
Finally the good solution was that I was told to pay the full additional amount and that otherwise they will not start the safari. This really felt like fraud to me, because in this position there was no other way out for me than paying the amount and the obviously knew this in advance.
After my complaints after the tour Stephen promised me several times to talk to his boss again and make sure that I will get a refund (I have this as a written statement!).
Now it is already three month later and I did not get anything than more and more empty promises.
If you ask me for my recommendation it will be that you should not believe a word the say and even be careful with what they write.
Additionally it turned out during our tour, that many of the described and booked parts of the safaris will just not happen, as it is absolutely impossible to do all this in the given time frame and driving distances. And again, I am sure that they of course knew this advance. Don’t get me wrong: Our guides did a good job and in general it was a nice and unforgettable trip, it was just more expensive with much less safari parts than promised before.
To get a good feeling about the honesty and trustworthiness of Pride of Africa Adventures just look further down in these reviews where you will find a review from Phelix from October 24. Everything you read in this review is a lie. Neither has Phelix booked a tour nor was he there with his family. Actually, he was one of our guides and I took the photo that shows him at the boundary stone to Tanzania. If you look at the attached photo you will see the same guy at the same location at the same time. This review is just a fake and maybe a good description of the business of Pride of Arica Adventures
DK
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Insufficient information
I will divide my rating into two parts:
1. the agency
2. guide/driver
Communication with Joshua has been reasonable until the safari started - got fairly quick answers to questions even though often only parts of my question were answered so I often had to repeat questions.
Flight and pick-up in Arusha went according to plan - but after this everything went wrong 2 of 4 nights were changed without us being told. One due to price changes - it meant almost 1 hour extra driving. The other night that was changed was only made possible with the help of the guide - nothing was booked at all so the place did not know us upon arrival. We had not received any information about changes even though they were made in December and our trip started 20/1-25.
The guide who was freelance was very helpful and we do not know if we would have got the accommodation for 3 nights if he had not helped us. That is the only reason for the 2 stars.
The guide was OK. although we didn't get much information on the way. The car was ok, the driving was a bit wild but that's probably how it is often. We had a chef with us who was primarily supposed to serve two girls who were camping - at the end he created a bad atmosphere by demanding $10 per person in tips per day - even though he had only made lunch for us twice - we refused this.
Good
Budget Safari…you get what you pay for I guess? You get everything that is described however 4 days and we are put with 3 different transport vehicles and groups.
We spent the entire of day 3 waiting around and driving, if you don’t want to do any of the optional add ons you spend the entire day sitting around. Overall had a good time but seems a bit disorganised.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour Operator Changed Lodging
I wish I had seen previous reviews before booking our tour. As others had stated the tour operator changed our lodging without notifying us beforehand. One lodge was downgraded and NOT what we paid for. We paid for semi-luxury lodging and it was a serious downgrade. A second lodge change wasn't exactly what we had expected but it was fine. No matter what the tour operator should have notified us of any change before we left on our tour. The downgraded lodge makes us feel like we were taken advantage of because there isn't anything we could do but accept the change. No refund was offered.
Very Frustrating!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cancelled trip and no refund
Hi,
So my trip in May to Lake Turkana was cancelled and they were reluctant to pay refund (I still haven't received everything). It took 5 months to get the first payment on October after multiple calls. Also they were pushing me to go to the same trip in October but I explained that I am no longer available that time. The third part I still haven't received although they said that I would receive it in November (still 6 months later). Also, they take ages to answer just because I am asking for refund to a trip I haven't been. Quite unprofessional in that sense so be careful if you want a refund for a cancelled trip. Be prepared to call them 30 times in a span of 7 months already..
I am adding screenshots as proof as they deleted my previous request. No need to publish those
