50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
untrustworthy!
This company lies that this is a fraudulent review, saying we never did a trip with them. We have shown proof and my review was reposted. Now it's been flagged it's fraudulent, again. They say we didn't travel with them, but they have responded to both my google review and review with safari bookings addressing my review in detail! That shows what kind of a safari company you will be dealing with if you book with them. Not trustworthy at all.
We booked a safari with this company, months ago. We communicated with Jose who put this trip together for us. This was our 5th safari, but our first, with Boost safari, and it turned out to be a disaster.
1. We were told, Steve was our guide, but Steve appears at the airport with Joseph and introduced him as our "guide" There was no communication whatsoever!
2. The accommodation we had confirmed at Sentrim Amboseli when we booked this trip, was changed without prior notice, and we were dumped in an awful hotel, which was a two hour round trip to the game park, and this was additional to the six and a half hours to get there! We were told by Jose that it was an upgrade, but later admitted they overbooked, hence the change. Again, no communication! This was the second change. The first, was our accommodation in Lake Nakuru Lodge because they overbooked. They changed our accommodation which we already paid a deposit for to a cheaper accommodation which we refused. They then changed it to a better lodge, which we agreed to. The accommodation in Amboseli was not an upgrade.
3. We were not given a "guide" He had no knowledge of the animals and never made an effort to look for or track the animals. There was a Masai guide in our safari in Masai Mara for two days, which was not planned, and Joseph admitted he didnt have much experience. His CB radio was broken, and looked like it wasnt working for a long time. The animals we saw were spotted in plain sight. He didn't even know how to get to planned destinations. He stopped and picked up a local for directions. A three and a half hour trip took more than five hours and we missed lunch completely. There was no time management or communication. He was on his phone all the time, even whilst driving, which made us feel unsafe. He had no interest In providing the service he was hired for. The safari vehicle was not well maintained. It was hard to open the doors from inside. At one stage he was driving so fast, the boot opened and was banging so hard, he didn't even realise it until we alerted him. That's how rough he drove!
There was no communication, transparency or professionalism from this company! We were given the shorthand of the stick again and again. Jose for a period of time, didn't answer our messages. He never checked to see how we were doing and Steve never showed up as promised after the safari.
Integrity is a great moral attribute. If you are deciding on who to go with on a safari, think carefully before parting with your hard-earned
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Mount Kenya experience – 10/10!
I used Equitorial Star for my Mount Kenya hike and had an absolutely excellent experience. Duncan was incredibly professional, reliable, kind and patient. I had multiple changes and rescheduling requests, as well as adjustments to the itinerary, and he went above and beyond every time to make things work. His communication, flexibility and willingness to help were exceptional.
The hiking team were also fantastic. The guides were professional, experienced and genuinely caring. The food was good, the tents were pitched for us, and after long days of hiking they even brought us little treats like cookies and popcorn. They also provided warm water for us to wash our faces, which was such a thoughtful touch after a tiring day.
Everyone was so willing to help and made the whole experience comfortable and enjoyable. I would highly recommend Equitorial Star to anyone planning to hike Mount Kenya. Duncan and his team made a challenging adventure feel incredibly well organised and supported.
10/10 – I would absolutely use them again!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A perfect safari experience
My husband and I are on our honeymoon, and having never been to Kenya before, we couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful safari experience.
We saw so many beautiful animals and had such an incredible time, but what really made the experience special was our guide, Ernest. He was absolutely brilliant — gentle, kind, incredibly knowledgeable and so respectful towards the animals and their environment. He explained so much to us throughout the safari and was always happy to answer our questions.
Thank you so much, Ernest, for making such a special part of our honeymoon so memorable.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Expert guides with fantastic safari routes
We booked a private 5 day safari with Gem Ginders. From start to finish the gem finders team and our excellent guide Ernest have gone above and beyond to give us a memorable Safari.
The organisation of the tour and all the details were documented clearly and we were given lots of options before completing our booking.
From the first morning of collection, through to every park we visited and hotel we stayed at, our Guide Ernest has been super helpful! Very knowledgeable of all the animals and parks and structured our days well, whilst also helping us with stops and shoots that we needed along the way.
We would 100% Gem Finders as a tour operator.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A great tour with great operator
Our guide Joseph is the best. Because of him, I has a great 5 - day safari experience! Thanks.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect first safari 😎
We’ve just come back from our first safari and we’re absolutely thrilled. We set off from Arusha and visited four national parks, including the Serengeti, of course. We saw an incredible amount in just one week, were able to observe loads and loads of animals – some from right up close – and learnt a great deal about nature and the local people. The whole tour was perfectly organised, the lodges were brilliant and our guide Gerald was really lovely, polite and caring. He wasn’t pushy at all, but extremely professional. We’re definitely completely satisfied and would do exactly the same again next time!
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Distinguished
Joshua was an exceptional guide during my tour of Queen Elizabeth National Park. His deep knowledge and engaging stories brought the park to life, and his friendly personality and excellent customer service made the experience truly unforgettable. I highly recommend him.
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NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tour in Awash national park
We took a two day/one night tour in Awash National Park. We had an amazing time - Sahlie was a reliable and extremely knowledgeable guide, telling us all about Ethiopia’s history and the many animal species we saw on the tour. We visited spectacular locations and our accommodation at Doho Lodge was stunning. Overall this tour was great value for money and I would recommend Sahlie’s tours for any travel in Ethiopia!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AMAZINGG
Everything was great with the agency, they were very attentive; I highly recommend our guide Ezequiel because he has a lot of experience and knows where to position himself, and you have a great time with him.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
ELLI'S SAFARI! UNFORGETTABLE.
The Safari experience is known to be thrilling because you expect to see the wonder of nature's gift. But what made the difference was Elli, who made this experience unique and unforgettable with her empathy and smile. I will cherish this wonderful and unique experience forever. I not only saw lions, zebras, elephants, and fantastic landscapes, but I also met a friend named Elli who loves her job, and I will have the pleasure of hosting him if he comes to spend his holidays in Sicily, to hug him and share unique moments like those we had during these four days of Safari. Meeting people like him is a blessing for those who have the opportunity, and I can say with my eyes closed that I have made a friend who I know will love me and will always love me. Elli and the Safari were pure life!
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