CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not a pleasant experience - unpaid park fee and unfulfilled refund as promised
We recently booked an 8-day trip to Kenya and Tanzania through Morningstar, hoping for an unforgettable adventure. Unfortunately, our experience was far from pleasant.
While we were excited to see a variety of wild animals, our trip was marred by significant issues. We were forced to pay for everything twice in Tanzania, which was incredibly frustrating. Moreover, we lost a full day of safari time due to problems with our bookings.
Despite assurances from Dennis, the owner, we did not receive the promised refund for these expenses.
Additionally, we were disappointed to discover that Morningstar does not have staff in Tanzania. Instead, they work with a partner agency, which led to a lack of coordination and support on the ground.
We made our full payment two weeks before our departure, believing Dennis's claim that it was necessary to ensure everything was booked and our trip would run smoothly.
However, upon arriving in Tanzania, we quickly learned that fees-such as park entry and transportation-had not been paid. This left us in a difficult situation; we either had to pay again ourselves or risk being stranded in the Serengeti.
Dennis cited a hacked bank account as the reason for the missing payments and promised that we would receive a refund once we returned to Kenya. Unfortunately, this promise went unfulfilled as well.
In conclusion, our experience with Morningstar was disappointing, primarily due to poor management and lack of support during our trip. I cannot recommend them based on our experience, as the dream safari we anticipated turned into a series of frustrating challenges. Though our first guide Caleb in Kenya is great. He has 20 years experience and always wants to show the best to us.
Moreover, till today, we still have not received the refund. It's been 15 days since he promised to refund.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Avoid this travel agency!
Our family was prepared for a Kenyan safari and 10 days before the trip, Denhum cancelled. 22 months later we received $1380 (of a total of $20,000). We believe Denhum's owner is a liar and scammer. Avoid this travel agency!
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Dan and Ian are haven't been honest with us. We were scammed over $20,000 US dollars!
Our family of 6 members booked an 11 day safari in Kenya for $21,400 US dollars. 10 days before leaving they said they were bankrupt and cancelled our trip. We were promised a full refund if we were patient. Over 22 months we were refunded $1380, but now Dan is missing and no longer answering emails or making any pretense of refunding us. It was pump and dump right up to the time of leaving for the holiday. We have lost over $20,000 and want to warn any further potential clients to STAY AWAY!!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horriable experience! Do not select it as the whole company is cheating you all the way !
Do not book with Qualified Tours Tanzania; it was a terrible experience. My friends and I traveled to East Africa in May 2024 through this agency. They defrauded me of $2000, which has not been returned to date. The $2000 was divided into two parts: one part was for a night's hotel in Zanzibar that the agency failed to book, and they asked me to cover the cost with the promise of reimbursing me later; the other part was for the entrance fees and overnight charges at the Serengeti and the crater, where the agency claimed a system error prevented them from making the reservation and asked me to pay with my card, again promising reimbursement. Since returning home, I have been urging them to return the fees, but after five months, I have not received any payment.
Do not book with this company; you will become as miserable as me !!!!!
I promise what i said is 100% percent ture!!!!!!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We believe this tour operator is bankrupt: do not book with this organization
We traveled to Kenya with Madukha, and while initially the trip started off great, suddenly our driver/guide started mentioning that he had not received any money for 2 days already from his boss to pay for fuel / park permits etc. Due to this we lost a full day of safari as we had to wait until he found a solution. At the end of the day, somehow the money did arrive and we where able to continue the trip as planned. I am now reading that many of the other guests here have not been so lucky and have lost either part or all of their money, which is absolutely terrible and unacceptable since the full amount had to be paid 2 weeks before the trip.
Either this company is bankrupt or has some serious liquidity issues but clearly you should no longer book with Madukha and stay away from this company. It is a shame because our driver was really nice, professional, knowledgeable and never even suggested that we pay for anything while he was 'trying to find money to continue the tour'. I hope the other 'victims' will somehow get refunded for their losses because this is truly unacceptable.
MX
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Be Careful, are they incompetent? or Scammers?
Incompetence? Or FRAUD?
I booked an 8-day, late December safari with James of Twinkle Star and made my 40% deposit, with the balance due 7 days before the tour starts.
On Sep 27th, James confirmed the itinerary and receipt of my deposit.
Just two days later, he emailed me asking for the balance. Since that was not what we agreed on, I declined.
Over the next two weeks I received several more requests by email, by text and by phone for immediate full payment more than 3 months early. I obviously lost all confidence in James and Twinkle Star and canceled my trip with them.
According to their terms and conditions, they promise a full refund if cancelled more than 60 days in advance. Although I canceled well before this, James is not honoring his refund saying how he wants to refund my money, but “We just don’t have the money”
I don’t know if Twinkle Star are scammers or just plain incompetent.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible experience, be aware of their tricky ways to get you involved
I was in Tanzania when I contacted the lady named Debra who entitled herself the CEO of Croy Marajourney for the first time at the end of July, 2024. After a few talks during which she confirmed to me that the tour would for sure to run, I then made the decision and deposit payment of 671 US dollars by bank transfer on Aug. 2nd to join her group joining tour to Samburu starting on Aug. 8th.
On Aug. 5th, before I left Tanzania I texted her again to make sure everything was going to go as scheduled and told her if the tour cannot make Samburu I would like to spend another week in Tanzania, but she confirmed nothing was going to change.
On Aug. 6th, Debra texted me saying “Let's meet tomorrow to finalize.”, which is very weird for a for-sure-to run-Samburu-tour operator to say.
On Aug. 7th I made my way back to Nairobi and met her at my hotel. The first thing she said to me when we met was the Samburu tour had to be cancelled because the other two clients decided to go to Mombasa and she was only informed four hours ago. Now she would like to arrange me something else instead with the same budget. I believe Debra knew right from the beginning that this tour was not going to run, but still pushed me to pay for the deposit in order to tie me to her company. At that stage, it was impossible to ask for a refund of the deposit because the money had not reached to her account yet according to what she said. In the end, I had to allow Debra to arrange me a private tour to Samburu and made full payment to her among which 200 dollars was again the bank transfer. On departure day Aug. 8th, she promised me a receipt of the total payment when she made her way back to her office, but this never happened. I went on a private safari with no payment receipt, contract, detailed itinerary at all.
On Aug. 9th. the second day of my six-day Safari, Debra started calling me and my driver saying the money I paid through bank transfer amounting to 871 dollars was reversed. She kept calling me in the following days, framing me up this way and ruined my whole tour. The fact is I never reversed the money I sent, which could be proved by police officer later on involved. The bank letter clearly showed that the reason the money got stuck was because of the running of audit of compliance on her account, it really had nothing to do with my side. The last day of my tour Debra tried to get me pay her again in cash by threatening me to leave me in Samburu. By the time I arrived at my hotel in Nairobi, the tourism police was waiting me there and took me right away back to the police station for questioning. In the end I made a duplicate payment of 871 dollars with Debra’s written agreement to reverse it back to me once the money hits her account under the supervision of tourism police. But by now it’s been over two months, this 871 dollars is still nowhere. I had a very awful experience with Kenya because of this lady and what she did to me. Be very aware of this company and never do bank transfers, the deposit you paid means nothing, but can only ties you to this company.
One of the tourisam police is following up my case and a formal complain letter has been sent to Please write to the Tourism Regulartory Authority of Kenya, hope my money will be returned soon.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not reliable and communicative
We believe we were scammed by Croy Mara.
We booked a sharing safari months ago in June for our trip in October. Since we got in contact she pushed us to pay fast even if we were busy at work. Once we payed... She didn't send more information until the week before to start our journey when I asked for more details about the pick up place and time... Then she said she is not running our safari for that price because no one join so she wanted me to pay extra for a private safari or to cancel and refund. I asked for refund... And never got it. We try to contact and she doesn't reply.
I would give 0 stars if possible.
Never send any money in advance!!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Scammed out of 1000 USD
If you do not like being scammed, avoid this company.
We were told upon booking that the park fees (over $1000) were included, but once we got to the gate of the Serengeti, there was an “issue with the company card” and we were asked to pay it ourselves, while being assured that the money would be returned to us soon.
Faced with losing precious time on our safari, we paid.
The same issue happened in the Ngorongoro, and naively we paid again.
The money has never been returned to us three months later, and the owner has blocked us on whatsapp. We really wanted to support a small locally-owned company, but now we understand why most people choose the well-established, larger Safari companies. If you are reading this, I suggest you do the same.
Jeep was old and uncomfortable.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Denhum Holidays took thousands of $$ in advance payment for a Safari and didn't show up.
We booked a 9 day 8 night safari with Denhum, and per the terms of their contract paid 50% in advance at booking and the remaining 50% two months prior to the trip. The week prior to travel, Denhum Owner, Dan Karikui, informed us that a Denhum representative would meet us at the Nairobi airport upon arrival to provide details of our safari, which was due to commence 2.5 days later. No one from Denhum met us as at the airport so we attempted to call Denhum's phone number with no success; so at 1:00 am we found ourselves to fend for ourselves in a foreign country. For the next 2 days we tried every means possible to reach a Denhum representative: phone calls, text messages, WhatsApp calls and messages, e-mail, and FB messenger. Their phone numbers seemed to be turned off and our e-mail and text messages were not responded to. We waited in the hotel lobby from 7:00 AM to Noon on the morning of the scheduled pickup by the safari driver at our hotel, and nobody from Denhum showed up. This confirmed our fear that we had been defrauded by Denhum Holidays. We have been scammed out of several thousand dollars for what was to be the trip of a lifetime for my husband and I to celebrate 20 years of marriage. I hope this review helps others from becoming their next victim.