BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bisar
We have a good holiday with KWSS, but at the last evening when we arrived at the hotel we have to pay our stay self (110 dollars), altough the stay was included in our trip. that was on august 3, and also our ride to the airport for 10 dollars.
So i think we have the luck to finish our trip with a minor problem when i look at all the other comments.
PS, Sorry for my poor english.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Overall nice experience but a little more bang for buck expected
The staff were friendly and accommodating, changing the itinerary as per requests without fuss. The only thing we were really unhappy about was the driver's level of experience. While very nice and professional, he was just that, a driver. He clearly did not have a lot of experience as a guide and could not properly answer a lot of our questions. In the end we found out he was a trainee. If that was the case, I wonder why he was sent to guide us on his own instead of in accompaniment of an experienced guide from whom he could learn. For the money spent on this trip, that is the least Wildebeest Safari could have done. We would consider going with them again, but would certainly ensure we have someone who is more knowledgeable.
TH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Akira Sorajja
So sad that we cannot see rhino on the day we went there
US
Just OK.
Tanzania is gorgeous and the safari experience is truly “once in a lifetime”, plus the staff in the lodges especially porters, waiters, chefs etc are simply excellent. All of these factors make a Tanzania safari an amazing vacation.
As a tour operator there are 100s of options and most appear to be similar. I don’t think we got anything commendable from Asilia Africa (ground operator for Audley) but we don’t have anything to compare as this was a first time. We figure most operators have the standard packages and they just sell the same to every customer, so nothing exceptional or noteworthy about this company.
Two concerns -
1) the final day of our trip was a mess with no planned activities/meals or even the willingness to help us - while we were on our own to figure out our day until the 10pm flight. We purchased a package and expected they would pay attention to all the details or at least bother to help when we reached out to request some assistance (via the guide). Very frustrating to feel abandoned, hungry and stressed even if it’s just the “last day”.
2) perhaps our mistake in trusting them/the guide - but the guide took us to a store to buy tanzanite and we spent a considerable big amount. Shockingly he hung out right next to us as we shopped affording no privacy despite requesting that we will be out in an hour, and then he collected money as commission from the store as we left with our purchase! Are they (asilia,store, guide) all into a scam or did we make a genuine purchase. Left a very poor taste about trust and reliability for us at so many levels.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Worked out but stressful
I used Flash Mc Tours to do day trips in Nairobi and to provide driver service as we were flying in and out of Nairobi to Zambia and Tanzania. The first driver went to the wrong terminal. Fortunately, my son had a phone that could make international calls so the driver finally was contacted and provided the ride to hotel. The next day, a different driver picked us up on time and did a great job taking us to Amboseli NP. Our main contact Peter seemed disorganized and wanted us to provide flight information repeatedly. He also forgot to schedule a driver for one day until we reminded him.
The last day we had a city tour. Our driver was nearly an hour late with Peter and the driver pointing out that it was the other's fault. Our city tour driver told us that he specialized in city tours but really turned out to just be a very pleasant driver. He provided very little information.
If you are going to use Peter and Flash Mc Tours, I suggest that you constantly remind Peter about your needs. Perhaps our problems would have been less if we had a continual safari instead of needing services over 2 weeks as we flew in and out of Nairobi. However, I was upfront and contracted with Peter for the services before arriving in Nairobi.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
There's room for improvement (2.5 Stars would be more realistic)
June – July 2019 – 8 Days safari
PROS
- Unique experience
- Amazing people
- Beautiful sceneries/places
- Rich wildlife
- Awesome driver (Atif)
- Awesome cook (Rashidi). Always smiling and whiling to help us with loading the car and so on. Great guy!
- Ibrahim has offered competitive prices
CONS
- Poor communication with Ibrahim (the owner) especially after paying few thousands deposit, he wasn’t interested in answering my emails very fast.
- No one waiting for me at the airport at 5.00 AM on my arrival. After 10 minutes of waiting while thinking that I was scammed, Atif, the driver shoved up.
- Atif, (driver and guide) as I mentioned above, very good driver but not such a great guide. First of all, he was very quiet. Most of the time we had to spot the animals and ask him questions.
- I was promised by Ibrahim that his team goes the extra mile, but I didn’t feel that during my trip.
- I’ve politely asked Atif to stop as I can take some pictures and he rudely informed me that he is the driver and he knows where to stop, telling me to “calm down”. He supposed to tell me instead: Just wait 20 more seconds and we'll get to a nicer lookout.
- I’ve asked the driver if he has a map as I can better visualize our trip and he said “I don’t have a map. I don’t need a map.” I am 100% he doesn’t because he knows all those places in and out, but the tourists don’t.
- Ibrahim didn’t provide me with a clear itinerary and plan. I always had to ask the driver what’s next. Including my commute to Zanzibar, I expected to find an envelope with instructions about it, at my hotel front desk in Arusha. Surprise! Nothing was left for me there. More than that, he didn’t even get in touch with us at all during the trip to get feedback.
- We spent too much time at the park entrances. I got the logic behind it but spending 2.5 hours at the Serengeti park entrance I still think is a bit too much. I would rather spend that time in the wild spotting animals.
- Other small things that I am not going to mention anymore. I am sorry for the CONS, not trying to affect his business in a bad way but I am trying to help other people with my experience that I had with Afrishare. The main reason for choosing Afrishare was the good reviews, not the competitive price. It didn't work for me.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent driver and guide but the Agency changed 4 out 7 of our hotels, lots of extra driving time!
Our driver and guide was the best! He was very informative in all areas of Uganda’s history, wildlife, people, etc., and of Africa in general. He took into consideration all of our needs and wishes. His safari driving was excellent and he knowledge of the fauna and flora superb. Unfortunately, the Pinnicle agency changed 4 out of 7 hotel destinations and not all of them the same high standard we had paid for. They gave us NO explanation as to why. These changes caused us to spend AT LEAST 12 or MORE HOURS DRIVING ON PRIMARILY UNPAVED ROADS (NOT PLEASANT) AND MISSING OUT ON OUR FINAL NIGHT TIME GAME DRIVE! Needless to say we were disappointed
Uganda is a beautiful country, the people friendly, and the wildlife spectacular. A place to visit again! With the same driver but not organized by Pinnicle Africa Safaris
Being immersed in Nature: a surreal experience defying expectations
Stunning scenery, access to all wild nature and an enthusiastic knowledgeable driver / guide made the whole experience unforgettable.
Highlights such as “fights” between teenage elephants, lionesses surveying migrating zebras and crocs submerged in the water lurking for their moment to strike were vintage as was the hospitality offered while glamp-ing in the wild.
Masai villages, probably unchanged in the last 20,000 years were a point of serious reflection as the realisation that Serengeti was once part of the Lake Victoria before it dried up.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Ava
We went to Lake Manyara after visiting the other places, and it's just not as exciting as the Serengeti, or as beautiful as the Ngorongoro crater. They have a lot of cool birds there, a variety of monkeys, and the lake is beautiful with some nice vistas, but you just don't see as many animals here. It may have been a better place to go first, as it felt lackluster when we visited as our last destination. I would have rather spent another day in the Serengeti rather than stopping here.
MM
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One thing I had never done in my life
It was pretty nice game reserve drive. I enjoyed most of the time. But the tant wasn’t what I expected. It was a bit cold at night, maybe cuz of the season. The ranger was very skillful one and he also explained everything he knew, make us to be comfortable. I liked everything overall.
Thanks for everything