ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
THE WORST SAFARI IN MY LIFE !!!
Hi,
last october a group of friends were in Bostwana for 2 weeks. We selected this company, Bush Baby Calls, because the price was good (Ultimately the cheap thing works out expensive) but our problems started in the first day in vic Falls when the manager of Bush Baby Calls received to us in the airport. He wanted only the rest of the money and then...he disapear!!
In short, we lost many breakfasts, lunches and dinner in spite of we pay for full board. Futhermore, the manager, Mogakolodi Serumola cheated on us several times: the land cruiser that we used was broken, he promise to us repair it however I didn´t it; we losed several games drives and he promised to us to do night games drives and we didn´t it, we pay to take shower inside the tent but he didn´t it, we had to apy the park fees in some parks and he told us that then he did the transfer to us but he didn´t it... The manager was terribe, a completely liar. Our safari was a full nightmare. I have done safaris in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe and it had never suffered anything similar as with this company. His manager was a coward. He never help us. In spite of the fact that in Khwai his driver left wire drawing us in the middle of the bush in the middle of the night and one was because he was not finding the camp.
If you want to enjoy a safari do not contract with this company.
ES
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The worst experience of my life in Africa !!
An authentic deception. I felt cheated by this company. It was my first safari in Africa and had a lot of illusion but the bad management and planning of this company did that our safari was turning into a nightmare. The manager of this company was called Mogakolodi Serumola. An authentic disaster. He never faced the consequences opposite to the quantity of problems that we had: it gave to us a torn land cruiser and left wire drawing us in the desert of the Kalahari for hours. It took us show restraint, breakfasts and dinners that were included in the trip. It gave to us camps that were not the approved ones (some without water). It took us games drives in spite of having paid them. It made pay the income to a companion to the park Chobe because he said to us that it forgot to do it and to never return the money to us. But the worse thing happened in Khwai where his driver left wire drawing us in the middle of the night in the sheet and we had to sleep in the hut of a few ladies since it was not capable of finding our camp.
An authentic shame the management of this person.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Don't book your Safari in Tanzania at this company, they failed completely!
We booked a safari by Vimics Group (part of Wellplanned Safaris) in Arusha, Tanzania. We found them on this website. We like to place a negative feedback about their company. Hopefully you will remove them from your website so other people won't have the same bad experience. The organasation failed completely. They put us together with two different groups, so the car was filled with 8 people, when they promised 5 instead. The hotels and accomodations where in 3 different places, so we spent each night driving to 3 different hotels. This took us about 3 hours each night because they where not close to each other. The same problem started in the morning when we had to pick up everybody. Because of this we started our safari at 9:30 each day instead of 6 am. like they promised us.
Also we booked a 6 day safari trip and the only planned 5, so they last day they had us wait for 2 hours, and finally a taxi picked us up to do a safari ( in a taxi !?) when we roads required a 4x4 car. We had to wait at least an hour for every gate because the paperwork was not in order. Other safari cars only waited about 2 minutes at the gate so this was not normal. Finally we made a complaint to Victor ( owner of Vimics Group). He promised us to refund $100 dollars. We still haven't received this money. Every promise they made didn't happen so I don't think they deserve to be on this website. I hope we can save others a bad experience.
Book Days Safaris Adventures at your own risk.
...i booked the tour 24th Nov 2017 with Kshs 22,750 for 22nd to 25th Dec. 6 Days to the tour, i received an email to clear the balance. I insisted on getting to know about the quorum. 2 days to the trip, i was told there was no quorum. we asked for next available which she said it was full. we never went to the trip: very disappointing coz i had booked for more than a month and it should have been communicated on time about quorum.Our anticipated and planned safari was aborted without prior communications. From a previous Trip, the services are Terrible, communication is poor, Customer care is pathetic.
Up to now am still requesting for refunds which had not been facilitated.
Am still waiting for the refund: All i get are empty promises.
I believe if there was no Quorum, she should have communicated on time so that we can get refund and book from another company.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Scam Alert. Francis Otieno (Holgger) is a 1 person tour company with a fake website. He scammed me!
We just concluded a wonderful 7 days in Kenya. Its a beautiful country with amazing wild life - but I want to raise a scam alert in case you run into the same tour operator/rental agency. We chose to rent a 4x4 with driver in Nairobi to have a 6 day Safari to the Masaai Mara and Naivasha before returning to Nairobi and flying back to the USA. I worked via email and phone to book a Toyoto Land Cruiser from a guy named Francis Otieno (Holgger) from "Adventure Dragon Safaris". I later find out that "Holgger" (a 1 employee owner) also shows up in Trip Advisor as @holggeropondo faking to be a traveler!
But I took a look at the website below, and since there were no alerts I went ahead with the booking.
Here's what happened:
- Francis (Holgger) was proactive and (overly) friendly via email and whatsapp phone convincing me he was legitimate.
- He requested a 25% advance payment for the rental of a 4x4 on booking via PayPal (that I paid)
- When I landed in Nairobi, at the time of getting the 4x4 he revised his price and requested an extra day of payment AND also requested a $150 "insurance deposit" that he said he will pay me back on return of 4x4
- Being in a new country, I trusted him and paid up BOTH incremental $ requests.
When I finished the Safari, he conned me from paying back the $150 deposit. (He kept telling me that he had initiated deposit return via Pay Pal, but he was lying). He also lied about the 4x4 being a newer vehicle with AC. Infact, I later find out he doesnt even own any of the vehicles on his web site - that he rents the car and driver from a different company/3rd parties, fronting himself via a fake website.
Please BE AWARE.
I have benefitted so much from Trip Advisor that I feel obligated to inform my fellow travelers so you can be carful. Like I said, 99.9% of Kenyan are GREAT people - and I tried not to let this one bad seed spoil my wonderful vacation! I am also reaching out to the Kenyan travel association authorities to let them know so they can take appropriate action again Adventure Dragon Safaris and Francis Otieno (Holgger).
Good luck and Happy Safari'ing!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
DO NOT EVER USE THESE - THEY ARE FRAUDSTERS - YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR SAFARI HOLIDAY
They will happily take your money and then leave you with nothing!
Once they have your money you will not hear from them - they won’t respond to any calls, emails or messages.
They are known fraudsters in Kenya.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Do not book this company
We have booked Kenya/Tansania holidays with Absolute Holidays Safaris - a Kenya company. For the Tansania part SandLand Tours was responsible - the partner company of Absolute Holidays Safaris. Here a list of all issue we had with this company or to be more precise with Abraham, the head of this company:
1. We paid 2 day safari in the Ngorongoro creater. Abraham told us only one day is paid and we have to pay again 300$ if we want to go a second time. After we were back in Kenya, Absolute Holiday Safari confirmed that we have paid for two days and gave us back the 300$. Abraham lied as he told us he has checked with Absolute Holidays Safari and the second day was not paid.
2. we asked for a birthday cake as one of the group had his birthday. he wanted to have 40$ dollars for a small cake. we did not paid anything at the end as this was clearly a scam.
3. we paid for a nice lodge to have one day rest, on the day heading to the lodge we were informed that we will stay in another lodge, which was cheaper than the one we have chosen and paid for.
4. Camp sites were changed in last minute to save money as well.
5. the car we had in Tansania was not in service for years.
6. the tents were leaking
7. we had upgrade to bed and beddings, but just got tents and matrasses
I really recommend to not do any holidays with them. if you have booked via Kenya company, do not accepted any deviations from the plan in Tansania you have arranged with the Kenya company. Abraham (SandLand Tours) will try to save money whereever possible and even assert that not everything was paid in advance and the client has to pay again.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A bad organitzacion tour
It was a bad experience.
Every day they come to pick up late, the excursions were different that we read on the tour information. The last day they don't pick up us to take to the airport, we've got to take a taxi after waiting and calling them for more than 30 minutes.
The guides were so kindly and good, but the organitzacion was very bad.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Still owe us over £1200 over a year in and you don't think this is robbery?
Dreadful. See previous entries. Shocking admin, shocking ability to follow up complaints and still owe us over £1200. Admitted at start of December that they HAD had the money we sent in December 2016. Over a month later from their admission they have still to repay it. So they have now had our money for over a year... Am now looking at contacting police as cannot see any other way to get the money back. Let alone any thought of an apology, compensation for lost interest etc. Such a beautiful country and with many great people Unfortunately this is not a company to trust at all.
IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice but expensive to what we get
We paid a lot of money to this trip (around 4000$ for 2 people) and we got simple meals (especially breakfast) and sleeping in tents compared to other organized tours that you can sleep in lodges with better meals for almost the same cost.
we also had an issue with one operator in Serengeti that took us on a safari. the communication there was bad and even rude with the guides/drivers. they also asked to pay high tip at the end which was our choice whether we wanted to pay or no
In overall we enjoyed the trip with the company but we believe it can be much cheaper for getting such outdoor conditions