20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Non-trustworthy
Uganda was impressive country. However, this was the worst safari experience I have ever had.
If someone really needs to contact this agency, please make sure to read the followings;
1) The proposal you receive via e-mail is different from what you need to pay when you get out of airport.
They intentionally give you low-cost quote and change their word saying it was a 'mistake' which they've been repeating many times already.
Please make sure to bring extra cash to pay when asked for.
Otherwise, you need to look for ATM which is not easily working in the country.
Also, you will need to undergo unpleasant argument throughout the journey until you pay the extra money.
2) This agency is appropriate for those who do not travel alone - especially not for a single lady.
When you are traveling by yourself, then you will encounter a blackmail in the middle of trip that the tour guide will drop you off there and leave in the middle of nowhere.
3) You will understand what is typical African-style lie, telling whatever they want to convince you to pay more. Didn't want to argue about details, but it was disgusting to listen to throughout the journey.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Attempted to Strand Us in Arusha
My travel agent had booked us a tour with Ranger Safaris, and upon our arrival to Arusha, there was a mix-up as to whether our tour group would be the same as the group we had been in from the beginning of our trip in Kenya. My group simply asked that we be able to contact our travel agent in order to straighten things out, but we were first told Ranger Safaris had been in contact with our travel agent via email about this issue (which we later learned was an outright lie) and then told that if we did not get in the car we would be left alone in Arusha. When I raised these issues with management, Ranger Safaris never got back in touch with me. I would HIGHLY recommend all travelers avoid this company.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Untrustworthy, changes to itinerary, skipped site, misleading communications...
I do not recommend this tour company. No compensation for changed itinerary with a site completely skipped that was on my tour, no pickup in Arusha on arrival, poor customer relations and misleading communications from day to day, difficulty with payment at national park resulting in lost time on drive, not enough room in vehicle for equipment so stacked tents on top resulting in no pop up viewing one day. It just seems the operator wants money and cannot deliver what is promised. Be very wary when touring in Tanzania. Enough said. I have experienced several safaris, and this one is the only one that I can say was regrettable.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Poor management, did not follow itinerary, rude, Great driver
I recommend looking ELSEWHERE before booking with Orongai Africa. I am not one to write bad reviews but my poor experience with them warrants such review.
I priced out many safaris prior to booking and specifically requested going to Lake Manyara weeks before booking with Orongai. They agreed to this and I paid a deposit down for a 5 day, 4 night safari. One week after paying for half of the trip, they sent an email with what looked like the same itinerary as we agreed upon. What I did not realize however was that they deleted Lake Manyara (despite our initial request and agreement) from the last day without discussing this with me at all. After arriving in Tanzania from Kenya (which I will give them 1 star of credit for because they were very accommodating to picking me and my significant other up from the border which was very helpful), we had to pay for the second half of the trip. We attempted to pay via paypal with a credit card which "did not go through", so I sent a second payment through paypal. Essentially, we paid 1.5x what was originally agreed upon. I have now been back for 4 weeks to the USA and despite emailing multiple times, we have yet to receive a refund for the extra half trip we paid for. I hope we get our money back soon.
Not only is their management rude sending snarky emails back and accusing us of not tipping our amazing guide (for which I take a lot of offense to because we tipped him extra for how great his knowledge and sense of humor was), but they are UNTRUSTWORTHY for changing itineraries AFTER money was already paid.
I highly recommend looking elsewhere before booking with this company. Save yourself the headache of being accused of being a bad person inappropriately.
On a side note, if you do come across a safari guide named Issac. He is really great and gave us a good experience on 4 out of the 5 days of the safari that the company took us on. The 5th day, they stated we had "used all of our money up" and could not go on the last day of the safari before the airport. Such a disaster.
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stay AWAY! Negative reviews Deleted!
ISIA contacted me after Safaribookings.com gave them my email address. This is not OK!
How can you trust the reviews on Safaribookings.com when you work like this?
A review website like this is to keep the customers safe. This is exactly the opposite.
Please know that when you read these reviews there probably is many who deleted their negative reviews hoping to get a refund from ISIA. In 6months... Sounds like a scam to be honest.
"Our request is if you and other clients accepts on our request to suspend the safaribookings reviews we can clear in installments your total refund in six months as we are getting many safari requests from the thousands of clients friends who are being recommended to us but the issue of the negative reviews is keeping them from booking with us, meaning if you can suspend your review and others as we are requesting from all those affected we can get business and pay all your refunds in the shortest time possible and we clear our name from the perspective the affected clients have on us."
"We are not only communicating with you alone but we have approached safaribookings for them to assist us in sorting out this issue once and for all as they know we were some of their best customers for the years we have used their services and they are the one who even sent us your email address and other clients and the review number you had posted and we are hoping for the best."
The rest of the emails is about how It Started In Africa is a victim and what ever...
This is YOUR fault! YOU have stolen money from a lot of people! People trusted YOU and YOUR company with their hard earned money or even life savings. It is your job to make sure they are safe!
Your customers are the Victims.
Not you!
I hope I can save someone.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fraudulent company!
I had a terrible Experience with this company in Tanzania in 2016.
Communication and booking was swift but the rest was a shambles!
Since then I noticed many were scammed thousands in booking deposits, even arrived to the country to find the company has ripped them off.
I wrote a review previously and I am writing again bc i have received emails from Bernard Kangoma pleading to suspend my review so they can operate and take more bookings and “rebuild”!!
Bernard was the Tanzania manager who inadequately dealt with my complaints when i was left stranded with 2 guides who tried to make up their own tour instead if a planned prepaud coffee plantation tour!
JP
No scenery and I saw barely any wildlife. Dissapointing
Not very good, expected more from the reviews. Only saw hippos from a 7 day trip
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Changed itinerary, skipped one sight completely, dishonest tour operator
Unscrupulous tour operator, should be shut down. He cannot deliver what is on the itinerary. Vehicle breakdowns, delays at park gates, demands from staff for tips they do not deserve, inconveniences abound. Worst is the skipped sights, drivers going 60 to 70 kilometres per hr on game drives where sped limit is 25.....list goes on ...
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolutely disgusting service
Travel to the Kruger park at least twice a year but this was the first time booking through safari. Com.Arrived on holiday with a double booking people and after verbal promises from safari. Com nothing was resolved. Absolutely disgusting service
US
Never witnessed such terrible harassment of animals
Just returned from a trip to Tanzania in the Serengeti. Repeatedly witnessed Leopard Tours harass animals. I don't know how a company like this can stay in business.
March 19 - watched a Leopard Tours vehicle drive at high speed directly towards where a cheetah was lying to get it to run for the amusement/photos of another one of its vehicles.
March 20 - watched a Leopard Tours vehicle drive directly into the path of where a cheetah was trying to hunt to allow the solo photographer a better photo opp. The cheetah ended up not getting to hunt that day due to the perceived privilege of this one vehicle. The other 19 vehicles watching that day from a myriad of companies moved angles to get better viewing but never acted like this one driver did repeatedly - reckless and careless.
I'm disappointed and shocked at the blatant disregard for the animals. I had heard Leopard is like this but until I witnessed it myself I couldn't say anything about it.