CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall good, but tons of effort required to confirm/resolve the details upon arrival
I have to say that overall experience is still good. But I spent serious effort managing key details that deviated from the contract significantly. For hotels (other than the kili-base hotel they owned), I recommend that you put in the contract that they email you the invoice within a week after you sent in upfront money.
The major flaw in Kwesa's service was that they did not quite stick to the contract. None of the deviations (technically breach of contract) were due to force majeure. Rather, every incident was Kwesa-caused, foreseeable, and the worst part is that none was communicated to us ahead of time. So imagine how pissed I was. These issues were eventually resolved to our satisfaction after I sat down the owner Edward for a pretty serious talk. But it would only earn them a 4 star at the best.
The two of us (both females) booked a PRIVATE 6-day Kili-climbing tour, and a 3-day safari tour with them. We sent in upfront money (20% of total) for the entire trip more than a month ahead of time.
We arrived at the hotel(also the kwesa office) around 3 am. we planned to start climbing the next day, so we planned to spend the whole day chill around Moshi. around 9/10-ish am, Edward caught us on the way going into the city center and said that he wanted to have a meeting with us, during which we found out: 1) he thought we would climib kili on that day, not the day after as we contracted. 2) he added an Austrilian girl to "tag-along" with us. After stating that we departs tomorrow, and our tour was private. Edward agreed that things should go as we planned. He also promised the other girl would have her own team, which turned out to be a total lie. He basically sold the team we paid for a second time to the girl. We ended up liking the girl. but when we returned to the hotel, we and the girl both complained to Edward. His attitude for making up for his operational mess was not bad. we ended up getting some money back, and I think she did too.
This was when I realized Edward can be full of BS. So I hammered him about the safari details esp. the hotel we contracted. Just as we suspected, he didn't book the hotel (serengati classic view) we paid for. instead he booked a lower-class hotel and tried to slip past us (no meantioning whatsoever till that moment), and then tried to persuade us it's a good choice. I took out the contract and told him how serious breaching of contract was, and the consequence is severe, and I didn't accept anything less than SCV, and if SCV is sold out, I need something at least as good as SCV. He agreed, and did what I requested. Our safari trip was great, mainly (by some serendipitous miracle) due to the guide who happened to agree to be hired by Edward for this trip. Edward was BS'ing again by putting his apprentice a 17-year-old, in the car to learn from our guide, and dared to tell me that I should tip him as a guide. I complete ignored his words and gave the kid 0 tip to make a point.
We still think the overall experience is postive, because the safari guide was really great, knowledgeable, honest, transparent, and considerate. The kili-climibing team was also quite good:
1.the assisstant guide is a really honest hard-working guy who actually helped us along the way. ( Lead guide is the same person as Edward, dishonest when a problem was spotted, but not as much, generally OK)
2. the cook was really good. we had hot lunch every day.
3. the waiter who was also a porter was really caring for us. I left him two new water bottles and some hiking nutrition packs.
4. the porters and guides provided a supporting and naturally happy mellow vibe, which mentally made our days easier.
5. the stuff they used were not new, nothing fancy, but comfortable. food was all locally sourced. but we had no GI problems for 6 whole days, which testified for the quality of the goods and the preparation.
6. the price was fair.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
T-Man, such a fun guide. Really enjoyed the tour
Really enjoyed the exciting sightings! Saw some great game
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Efficient
Very satisfied in easiness to book clarity on website value for money
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good organization.
I had a wonderful experience with this organization. Everything was very well organized, and I really appreciated the personal attention given to my wishes and questions. I felt well supported throughout the experience, and everything went just as I had hoped. I look back on an unforgettable and fantastic time, and I couldn’t have wished for a better experience. Highly recommended!
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Attentive, Responsive, Helpful and balanced
The entire staff at Beyond The Plains were very attentive and responsive. From the booking the tours, to the activities, they listened to our needs and did all they could to accommodate us. Our booking process with Sammy was smooth and he was very responsive and he put together a personalised experience for us. Andrew our drive/guide was very warm and knowledgeable. He was particularly good with our kids and made sure they had an amazing safari experience. I would definitely recommend The Beyond the Plains.
KR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 nights, 4 days
Malone was kind, but the safari guide was a bit disappointing. It was quite lacking compared to other guides. Still, by communicating with Marlon, things improved to some extent, and I enjoyed the trip.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
She was the right plug
We really enjoyed the services offered by Adventure on the wheels, a very affordable package where value for money was achieved. The lady values time as she arrived at our hotel on time for pick up. Everything regarding the trip was explained in detail and not forgetting the lunch. It was a five star buffet meal served at the Kumuzi Boma in Zambia. We experienced a five star service at a very affordable cost. AOW is your plug if you need to travel.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent choice
Note: This review focuses on the company’s trip organization and planning, rather than the wildlife viewing itself.
> We spent a year planning this trip, and communication with our organizer was consistently responsive and helpful throughout the process. However, the execution during the trip creation and planning phase had notable gaps:
> * Software & Itinerary Discrepancies: The company relies on generic, out-of-the-box itinerary software that wasn't properly adapted to reflect our customized private tour. Important vehicle details were omitted—for instance, we were placed in a minivan instead of a 4x4 safari jeep for the first two days. This made game viewing in Arusha National Park considerably more difficult. Later, we learned about an emergency rescue directly from our driver-guide, which necessitated the change. We would have been much more understanding if that had been communicated upfront.
> * Another oversight was that we had asked for a bike tour on day two, and it was on the itinerary. There was no bike tour, and no comment from the operator about it.
> Overall: Despite these organization and communication misses, most of what was promised on the itinerary was ultimately delivered. The trip overall was an amazing experience, due to the two driver-guides Emmanuel and Elisha being a lot of fun, very authentic, and highly knowledgeable. Thank you E. & E. for your hard work!
AE
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We enjoyed it with Laurence. He done the best for us to see animals closer. 1 day to go and back.
The organisation was perfect.
We got all information before coming and keep contact during the safari.
We just regrette that it was more 2 days in parks and 1 day to go and back from the parks.