IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY - THEY WILL ROB YOU!
Do not use Bella Africa Safaris as Bella basically took our money and left us hanging high and dry.
We found this out the day after our arrival in Kigali when it turned out that nothing was paid for: no car, no permits, no activities. We did have phone calls with Bella herself who told us that she had financial problems, but all would be solved within 3 days and we just needed to advance $2000 for the first 3 days so that she could sort herself out. She would meet us in person back in Kigali, apologize and ensure us we will have a fantastic trip. Needless to say that never happened. We had no choice but to pay for everything all over again it was that or taking the next flight home. We were lucky to still be able to get gorilla permits and I wont mention the financial impact of having to pay for this trip of a life time twice.
We sent the deposit back in February to ensure all permits would be bought well in advance but nothing was done. So this was not a last minute problem with cash flow as one of the versions of the story we were provided with
I repeat DO NOT use this company they are a sham. Rwanda is amazing but our trip was spoilt by Bella’s dishonesty and greed. We went to Rwanda and have been back for 3 weeks and the last thing we heard she was going to ask for a loan and reimburse us every penny. This was 2 weeks ago. We will never see our money again don't waste yours as well, find another company.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Took advance payment of $480 for transport, cancelled at last minute and not refunding the moneys.
I am convinced that this tour operator is a scamster. They took moneys in advance from us in March/July for a trip planned for August 2018 for a group of 10. At the last minute, they left us in the lurch and cancelled our bookings. They said that they will refund our moneys $480 within 30 days. Then told us that they have already wired it. But no wire came and the Company is no longer responding to our mails/calls. We have lodged complaints with Tourism Authorities, SA Police, etc.
TH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fraud
I booked a tour with full payment but had to cancel because I was worried about Ebola outbreak in DRC. Barack, the head of the company, promised to refund me 80% of my payment according to the policy. It's been more than 3 months now but still hear nothing from him. Very dishonest and unreliable.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Post ads on your Facebook page
One of their managers posted ads on the comments of my Facebook posts. It was really unprofessional and desperate
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The man is a thief---he did not provide what I paid to receive---got less than 1/2 of my services
DO NOT book with MY Friend in Africa---He is not friend and detrimental to the tourist business of Tanzania. I was pond off on other tours
and they expected me to pay---but I had my proof of payment with me. I had to pay for some things again in order to get there---operators
say he is NOT A GOOD GUY---
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Joke of a tour operator - Avoid at all cost!!! Complete lack of safety
Horrible experience - MG met us at the border between Zimbabwe and Botswana - took our money and luggage and then was supposed to pick us up at a certain time after we visited Victoria Falls. They were late in picking us up. Then we had a lovely time in Chobe National Park, which was the only positive experience with them. As soon as we started our camping safaris - one disaster after another. We rode in an open safari vehicle at high speed for 3-4h to get to the dirt road leading to Savuti. We then got to the game reserve gate 90 minutes after its closing time and then drove at night! (strictly forbidden) for another 5h to find our campsite - the guide could not find the camp - we were scared, tired, frustrated, cold and hungry. Second day, we were on a game drive and our driver went offroad and took us within 15m of a pride of lions. He stopped the engine and then the car would not start again. We were completely exposed and luckily another safari vehicle came and pulled our car out. The driver would never fill up the car’s gas tank so we were left without gas at one point in Kalahari, without water. Driver had to abandon the car and us to go in search of help - no cell phone signal. At no time we were told how long the drives would take to get from one place to the next and they notoriously underestimated the durations. We never made it in time to any of the game reserve gates. We were exposed to unsafe trip conditions on more than one occasion. Driver and his safari vehicle were subcontracted by MG and each one blamed the other for all the mishaps. Absolutely horrific.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzanian Nightmare! We're out nearly $12K USD - a year later
We had booked 4 days of Safaris in Tanzania and 5 days at an all-inclusive 5-star resort on Zanzibar back in the spring 2017 for a once in a lifetime trip for my family of 5 to celebrate my wife's 50th birthday. We had prepaid 100% of the cost of this epic adventure up front.
2 days before we were to fly from Kigali, Rwanda to Arusha, Tanzania, we received an email from advising us the It Started In Africa was having serious cash flow issues and lots of unpaid for their unknowing customers. We immediately started making calls to the various hotels, safari camps and airlines only to find out that none had received payments in full with a number not receiving any payments at all.
We were crushed...what was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime turned into a total nightmare.
We had followed up with ISIA when we arrived back home in Canada in late August and was told by Baraja that the Police would send us money starting in September. We were later told that we would be receiving a full refund of $11,995.00 USD. We continued to follow up over the next few months and it was nothing but radio silence. Only when we emailed a senior official at the Tanzanian Ministry of Tourism, cc'ing Baraja, did we get a response in November 2017.
The charade continues with only ourselves to blame for being as patient (and naive) as we've been.
I'm glad to read the positive reviews of late and that no one else has seen their trips destroyed. It's hard to stomach though seeing It Started In Africa profit from this while ourselves and many others are out of pockets in the tens of thousands of $$$.
I'm glad to read the positive reviews of late and that no one else has seen their trips destroyed. It's hard to stomach though seeing It Started In Africa profit from this while ourselves and many others are out of pockets in the tens of thousnads of $$$.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very disappointing service
I was dealing with Mary a Bonfire Agent who from the start barely provided me with information and later hiked prices & made excuses to cover herself. Bonfire has lost its quality service and I will never use them again
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
DO NOT USE - THIS COMPANY IS DANGEROUS
I used Budget Holiday Safaris and I have to say not only do I not recommend them, I would warn you from using them. I booked an 11 day safari with them in Kenya and Tanzania. They did not tell me that they don’t handle the Tanzania part but partner with a different agency, Sandlands Tours. I only found out while on the tour and when I googled Sandlands, I found there were a number of customer complaints about them. If they had told me upfront I never would have used them.
In Tanzania, Sandlands switched drivers while we were staying in the Serengeti. The original driver took all our paperwork and didn’t pay for our time in the park, and when we tried to leave, the park tried to get us to pay over $2500. Sandlands was refusing to pay. Rather than pay ourselves, we called our embassies, who had to put pressure on Sandlands . We had to stay an additional night without food or lodging, and had to sleep in the car with water buffalos and lions roaming around the car.
When I contacted Budget Holiday Safaris about this issue, their response was just that they would speak to the manager. I emailed them several times after that and they never bothered to respond. It was only when I emailed them that we had contacted the embassies and that I was going to report them as a scam to my credit card company did they bother to message me back, asking me to not do any damage to them. No concern over the situation at all.
The next day, because of the pressure that this was turning into an international incident, Sandlands relented and paid. However, Budget called me and wanted me to continue on the tour with this company. I told them I no longer felt safe and refused. Other people in my tour got calls from their agencies demanding they continue the safari or else they would be breaking their contract and would be held liable. One woman burst into tears from this.
Other problems:
• When we tried to check into our hotel in Arusha, they claimed we hadn’t been booked in and wanted us to pay for our rooms. They claimed we would be reimbursed. When we showed them our forms, they magically found our names in the registration book. This hotel also is the office for Sandlands.
• They would consistently put more people in the cars then the maximum promised for the tour.
• The vehicles lacked most seatbelts. We had several break down while on the road. The final car had broken windows and no seatbelts and felt extremely unsafe.
• We weren’t given meals several times during the trip.
• When concerns or issues were directed to Budget, they were dismissed or ignored. Once they just straight up lied to me.
While Sandlands was the primary agency in Tanzania, they were acting in full cooperation with Budget Holiday Safaris. Neither agency has made any move to apologize for the experience or to make any kind of compensation or restitution. I believe Budget to be fully aware of how Sandlands conducts business in their name, and therefor they must approve or condone their actions. I believe that the actions of these two companies are dangerous and if people continue to use them, someone is going to be seriously injured.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The most leaders are asolutely unreliable + the company dont keep promises!Get hurt by a guide
- The wildlife was absolutely various and we saw a lot of things.
- The food was most of the time great
- The accommodation was always perfect
- And our first guide was nice
BUT then we get a new guide. Ok we didnt get him, because Dan never arrrived and we didnt get any information about this, even when the hotel called him a lot of times. So we couldnt do the boattrip. The next day, we get a new guide. He was so terrible and drove his car badly. We asked him four times to drive a lit slower and to watch the streets (not his phone). When we finished lunch, we had to wait for him, because he wanted to talk and wait for other drivers. The restaurant was empty then, all the groups left the restaurant before us, even that we were the first group who was arriving in the locals and had to wait after lunch a half our extra for him.
He had just a normal car, so that we get in stuck in the safari. After that he was so nervous, that when I started to get in, he started to drive. (With my open door) -> so I get hurt and was falling on the ground. He was not nice after this and didnt ask me how I feel.
After we had also an disappointment with the company and Dan. Our first guide promised us, that Dan will help us with our camera, which we lost at the airport. Yes but noone came. We told the company about this promise and they told us, they called Dan in this moment and he will come now. But Dan didnt know about anything and was not willing to come. We told the company but they dont care.
So when they hadnt change our guide, I would give 5 Stars, but after our first guide everything was bad..... And honestly, with every other company you will see the wildlife. Choose someone else!!!!!!!!