CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
WARNING DO NOT BOOK!!
where do I start, first off don't even take a chance on looking at all the other good reviews, we did the same thing. This company is a total scam. I was in contact with Richard for months to book a gorilla safari for our honeymoon. Needless to say he went above and beyond to make you trust him then you send money and then all contact is cut off and your money is gone. The tour never existed, noone picked us up, the hotels we were supposed to stay at had no record of us coming, the worst part is richard sent us FAKE permits. The UWA advised us they were fake and they were never purchased.He was recently arrested for another large scam, this company shouldn't even be allowed to run. We came half way across the world to do a gorilla tour with what we thought was a legitimate company just to be scammed and not be able to do it. We were completely heartbroken. This guy and this company has no heart, they are just out to scam the next poor person who trusts them. We spoke with the UWA & tourism boards and all they did was lead us on. Pretty sure they all work together , you cannot trust them. If you decide to do a tour go to rwanda and pay the extra money where you can trust the people and feel safe and go to the gorgeous volcanoes national park instead. We never got our money back , nor did we get to see the gorillas.....Gatatu safaris are Scam artists and criminals. Please do yourself a favor and make sure these guys DO NOT get your money, they should be shut down
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
If problems come up they just ignore you
We booked the 10 day tour that includes safaris at Kenya and Tanzania. The only positive thing that has happened with this agency was that we had Aruni the first three days as a driver (he was 10/10). But, since the beginning, the programme you are supposed to follow is not followed at all, and they skip several game drives during those 10 days. Our big problem with the agency began when we arrived to Tanzania and we tried to contact to the agency because again they were skiping the morning game drive at Manyara Lake. Although at the beginning they answered back, they did not give me any solution, and that same day they did not amswered until now. They were supposed to provide me a transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport the last day (paying 40 dolar). I messeged them by WhatsApp to see if finally they will provide it or not. They did not answered. I asked then the Tanzanian agency with which they cooperate and the said that they will arrange the transfer for the airport for me. Suddenly, when I was expecting to pay for that transfer, our guide and driver at Tanzania, Joseph, said that his boss wanted to talk to me by the mobile. His boss told me that Karibu would aford the payment of the transfer to the airport, although personal of Karibu did not inform me about that by WhatsApp. They were supposed to pick us up at 4:30 am. Noone appeared at the hotel. At 4:45 am we calles for a taxi. I have contacte to the hotel once we have arrived to Zanzibar and they have confirmed that no driver went to the hotel. This agency is no serious, so don't waste your money with them. Some times low proceso become expensive and a headache!
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Nairobi National Park by Hui Cheng Thong
Very difficult to spot animals
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Untrustful company of thieves
They cancelled at last time without reimbursement. They stole our money. Do not ever book with them at least you want that your holidays become a nightmare.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dishonest cheats!
Try to avoid this safari company at all costs! Reasons below:
1. We were quoted 120 USD for 2 people for a private safari. After reaching, we were put together with 3 more people, who paid 45 USD each, but the price was not reduced for us. Later, after finding out, when we asked for a refund, it was denied by the company.
2. The safari promised was for 12 hours. The guide cum driver (the owner's son) stopped abruptly at 12:30 for a 3 hour break. They probably have a connection with this hotel, and though we all carried our own food, we had to stay in the hotel for this time.
3. The homestay was in the owner's house. The flush does not work properly, the bathroom does not drain, so you are in a pool of dirty water.
4. The owner's wife would knock and enter the room without waiting for a reply.
5. We were forced to leave at the same time as the owner and his sons left for office, since they wanted to economize on one round to drop us at the bus station.
6. After all of this, and cheating us of 30 USD, the owner was trying hard to sell their Masaai Mara package to us, though we kept telling things were already arranged.
Our trip was amazing, except for this single experience.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
is a scammer
I booked a 17-day tour with enrico, asked for a guide in Spanish and when I got there it was in English, he told me that it took 2 days to change it and it took me 7. I had to pay the gas because the guide had not given him money and if not I paid could not continue with the tour. He made fictitious reservations and does not pay to the hotels, you get there and if you want to continue you have to pay again, from Windhoek we left 6 hours later because I changed the car for a smaller one, I had 2 paid activities worth $ 600 and he did a dummy reservation and I don't pay ... you still owe me more than $ 2000 and don't pay please do not book with him, he will ruin your vacation
CZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The operator didn't return app. 1000 USD to refund not received service
Arranged itinerary was not followed at all. The company didn't refund money for different accommodation and mainly for prepaid balloon safari. It means that the tour operator has stolen approximately 1000 USD what I had to pay in advance.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Do not use! The worst experience ever!
I booked a 7 day tour with Enrico safari two months in advance, and emailed him a few days before arriving to ensure that everything was organized, which he confirmed. However, the service level and organization of this company turned out to be far from professional or satisfactory. Here is a long list of reasons:
- My tour was supposed to start with an airport pick-up from where we would go straight to Etosha NP, but there was no one to meet me at the airport. Only through the help of a random friendly taxi driver did I manage to get a hold of Enrico. After two hours someone finally arrived, but this was not the guide/driver who was originally meant to do the tour. That guide had not shown up as it turned out - my new guide informed me. We ended up leaving with a 3-hour delay out of Windhoek as the new guide had to drive around and arrange different private things before leaving.
- Whereas the other guides waiting for their clients at the airport were well dressed wearing uniforms with the company logos, my guide was shabbily dressed in dirty clothes and flip flops.
- As a result of the delay in leaving from Windhoek we arrived very late in Etosha and I did not get the afternoon game drive that I had paid for. No apology or compensation offered!
- The guide did not know the itinerary of my tour and did not have it either on his phone or on paper, so basically he did not know what I was doing, where I was staying, etc. And Enrico did nothing to ensure that he did. Even on day 3 of the tour the guide was unsure about what was happening after having been on the phone with Enrico several times.
- All trough this it was very difficult to get a hold of Enrico, who had claimed to the guide that I had not given him the flight information even though I have an email saying “thank you for providing the information”. He also repeatedly kept saying he would call to sort things out with me, but he never did.
- When arriving at the lodge in Etosha on the first night I found out that the booking was wrong as only two nights had been booked, but according to the itinerary I was staying for 3. Enrico said he would fix it Friday night, but it did not get fixed until Sunday afternoon. And I had to go to a different accommodation.
- On the second day we went on a game drive in the park, but when it came to paying the park fees the guide didn’t have any money to pay as there was no money on the company card. (Enrico later claimed that there were problems with the card, but if you read other reviews here, this is apparently not the first time that has happened). After waiting for over 2 hours at the park office, and the park was closing we paid the park fees ourselves even though they had already been paid for as part of the payment for the tour. We would not have been able to leave the park otherwise and would have had nowhere to stay. During those more than two hours we tried to call Enrico repeatedly, but he did not answer. In the evening we finally spoke to him. He was extremely rude and could not see any problem and denied the problems. He said he would call us back later but never did.
- On the third day the guide was changed to another guide without any notice. On the same day we were stopped by the police and rangers in the National park. The guide did not have the required documents to prove that he was a guide, so was not actually allowed to drive in the park with me. The police let him continue with a warning.
- The guides/drivers of other companies would use part of the lunch breaks in the park to refuel and clean the car in order to maximize the clients’ time, whereas my guide would get me in the car and then spend 15 min refueling and cleaning the car.
- All the other companies used appropriate safari vehicles, whereas Enrico used a normal car used for normal roads. During the two days I was there not once did I see any company or private visitors to the park use such a car. The car was not appropriate for safaris and at the end of the day both back tires were flat.
- A lot of the information in the itinerary was wrong. E.g. it said that the drive from Etosha to Sawkopmund was 3 hours, but it was 6 1/2 hours. The pictures and description (“perched on a hill with expansive views”) used were not from Etosha Safari Lodge, but from a more expensive lodge.
- On day 4 I spoke to Enrico on the phone as the guide was trying to get money to pay for activities, petrol and accommodation, but Enrico kept not transferring enough money even though the guide pushed for it. Enrico practices a system where the guide has a company card, onto which he transfers money for the next thing - next meal, next accommodation, next activity. But sometimes the card doesn’t work and often there isn’t enough money on the card to e.g. fill up the petrol. Enrico was extremely rude to me over the phone, yelled, lied, talked over me, refused to listen to anything I said and was very arrogant. I have never by any of the tour companies I have used in any of the 60 countries I have visited been spoken to so rudely and been treated so unprofessionally.
- On day 5 when my activities had been moved to (according to the itinerary they were supposed to have been on day 4) I arranged with the guide to be picked up at 9, so that I could be at the activity center for 10. At 9.40 when he still hadn’t arrived, I called him, and he said that he was at the garage to have the tires fixed, which got broken in Etosha 2 days prior. He showed up at 10.15!
- On day 5 the car had to be changed as it was not appropriate for driving in the desert in Sesriem, and an appropriate car was to be driven from Windhoek. The day before Enrico had said on the phone that the car would be ready at 11.00. At 13.45 when I had finished my activity there was still no car, and Enrico now informs the guide over the phone that the car was in service. Again no apology or compensation.
- We set off for Sesriem in the car that was not appropriate for the desert and after driving for 10 min the car would not run. As I found out 15 min later, the guide had not put any petrol on the car. So we simply ran out of petrol in the middle of the road in swakopmund. At this point I decided to terminate the tour, as I did not feel safe in the car or with the guide or the company.
In sum, the tour was a complete mess organisationwise from beginning to the point when I’d had enough. This caused a lot of stress, hassle and a feeling of not feeling safe. Constantly having to worry about whether the guide could pay for petrol the next time, or whether the next thing on the itinerary had been booked or not, is not exactly something that makes a holiday enjoyable or relaxing. Throughout the duration of the tour Enrico acted both rudely and highly unprofessionally. E.g. shouting on the phone, not listening, not acknowledging that anything was wrong (judge yourself by the points listed above), not answering or returning calls, despite making many promises to do so. In spite of all the disorganization, no apologies or compensation were offered. On the contrary Enrico accused me of looking for things to criticize (judge for yourself by the points above - and reviews listing the exact same problems). I completely recognize the descriptions in the bad reviews that many other travelers on here have written and there is definitely a pattern of the same things happening repeatedly. So if you value your holiday, time and money, do not use Enrico! I met many professional companies along the way in Namibia - use them instead!
IL
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
avoid tanzania. it is very expensive and evrybody want to cheat you
in september this year we visited masai mara safari in kenya and serengeti safari in tanzania.in masai mara we saw many many animals but in serengeti was sec and allmost no animals.we had been 6 persons 2 nights each park,in masai mara cost us the entrance and the hotel(very good lodge) 1300 us$ and the serengeti park cost us 3300 us$. we past trough ngorongoro park to arive arusha and we payed for the pass 600 us$.
i recomand ,if you go in september to visit safaries to avoied tanzania and stay more in masai mara park.
not only that there are only a few animals and alot of dust but also everybody want to cheat you. every 3-4 km policemen stop you and ask money,we ordered 3 rooms but in two places they told us that only 2 rooms were ordered and we had to pay again, so avoied to visit tanzania
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Scam alert - be careful when booking this company with fake reviews
Be careful when booking this company. The agent Jose that works for this company also worked for Bimos Travel which has recently come out as a huge scam. I highly suggest checking out the reviews on Bimos Travel before booking with this company.