KR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not trustworthy
Treats foreign customers like an ATM. The attitude towards you dramatically changes before and after the payment.
1. Last minute itinerary change
Other tour operators notified me that due to the recent change in the park entrance policy, they only offer two-day safari tour. But Exciting Africa Holidays said their tour is three-day. To confirm this, I sent them an email and received a positive response, which influenced my choice for this tour. But, on the day of the tour, i was told that there will only be a two-day program due to the 'recent' change in park policy. That just spoiled my day.
2. Lying about drinking water
At the Nairobi tour office, I was verbally assured that the package included '1 litre of bottled water per person per day'. But upon my arrival in Masai Mara, I was told that there is no water to give us... I mean, why lie about water? If it's not included, just tell me, and I'll grab some in town! (fwiw, they did provide water at day2 after my complaint, but the emotional stress i had to go through on day1 was immense)
3. Lack of communication
They dropped us off at some random place, not the one we were supposed to stay at. We were totally lost. After I paid, communication between me, the tour operator, and our driver went from great to non-existent. If they had to switch the accommodation, that's fine, but give us a heads up! And there's even a signal in Masai Mara if you're with Safaricom.
When I brought up these issues with the tour operator after the tour, he raised his voice, telling me to send a formal written complaint. So here's my formal complaint.
This safari tour was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but picking this operator was a major mistake.
For the record, I was more than satisfied with our driver Shadi, he was very kind and professional. I had issues only with the tour operator, Exciting Africa Holidays. (It seems like multiple tour operators pool the tourists and assign them to different vehicles)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour operator and highly recommended
I just completed my 7-day trip in Zimbabwe and Botswana and visited the Victoria Fall, Hwange national park and Chobe national park. The package was slightly customized according to my interest. Simon did a fantastic job arranging a wonderful trip for me. Everything was perfect. I really enjoyed this 7-day journey in Africa. In particular, I really liked the fact that Simon was always very quick in responding to my inquiries, which was very helpful. Highly recommended!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent organisation for our trip
We spent 3 days at Greenfire lodge , had amazing food and wonderful accommodation . There was a great wine selection and we were very well looked after . The safari was excellent with 4 game drives and we saw lots of lions up close as well as giraffes, zebras, elephants, birds, crocodiles , hippos, black and white rhinos . Thoroughly recommended and hope to go back soon .
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic
Booked a 5-day solo safari trip with Mufasa Tours a couple months in advance. Caroline made the process very easy and was informative in providing details and answering questions. I was picked up at the Nairobi airport by my guide Julius in a land cruiser and off we went. Over the 5 days we hit Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru, and Maasai Mara. Each day was amazing and it only got better as the week went on. Julius was fantastic and I could not have asked for a better guide. He is well experienced having done tours for many years and was extremely pleasant to be around. He provided many interesting facts on the things we came across and played Kenyan hip-hop and reggae in the lengthy car rides which was a great vibe. The very first day, we saw 4 of the Big 5 (excluding the cheetah, which we saw the second day). Throughout the week, we saw all of the safari animals (too many to list!) besides the kudu, which resides in different regions than what we visited. A few of the countless highlights from each park:
- Ol Pejeta: Pet the blind rhino Baraka, chimpanzee chased another playfully with a giant sharp stick
- Lake Nakuru: A few thousand flamingos clustered at the lake, young lion cub that looked like Simba
- Maasai Mara: jackal hunting a baby gazelle while the mother successfully distracted it, crocodiles feasting and fighting over a dead wildebeest, leopard feasting on its kill in a tree, wildebeests/zebras river crossing
The final day, in the Maasai Mara, I was able to witness what I was most looking forward to, the Great Migration. We drove among massive herds which numbered in the tens of thousands and stretched for miles. It was a truly fascinating and magical experience which I will never forget, being among the sheer numbers of wildebeests and zebras. By the end of the tour, I had seen so many animals that I did not even do a double take when passing an elephant or giraffe. If you are at all interested in wildlife, enjoy the zoo, or watch Animal Planet, the safari experience is one you cannot miss!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A truly memorable safari vacation
Our safari tour in South Africa, Victoria Falls, and Chobe National Park organized by Wild Wings Safaris was fantastic. We did a hybrid safari – a private reserve safari combined with Kruger National Park. We liked both the experiences and saw all the Big 5 animals and more. We started our safari tour planning about 4 – 5 months ahead of the tour and Ilaria Semprini-Sara, our tour consultant, was great from the start. She noted our interests and carefully planned the tour and made it efficient by suggesting airline connections and giving all the details in a mobile app. She was meticulous and all the transfers were on time and accommodations were excellent. In addition, our tour guide in Kruger National Park Simon was great. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about the birds and animals. The tour was well-organized with professional communication and organization. Highly recommend Wild Wings Safari’s and I would certainly plan my future tours with them.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent day trip to Ol Pejeta
We had one day free in Nairobi so we decided to go with a day trip organized by Ongeri Expeditions. The process from the planning stage to the actual trip was super easy - great communication throughout. On the day, our tour guide (Martin) was great. It was a long day trip but we really enjoyed Ol Pejeta and managed to see some things that we did not get to see during our previous 10 days of safari in Serengeti and Maasai Mara. Thank you to Martin and the Ongeri Expeditions team for making this day trip so memorable for us :)
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wrapped up an "outstandingly organized" trip to Zanzibar / Serengeti in Tanzania
Our family of 4 just wrapped up a 2-week trip to Tanzania, including 5 days in Zanzibar and 7 days criss-crossing Serengeti National Park. What a trip of a lifetime it turned out to be, one that we will reminisce over for years to come. ALL THANKS TO ROB MORLEY AND HIS STAFF AT TAILORMADE AFRICA. We settled on Rob organizing this trip after having scouted at least 10 other agencies across the U.S., the U.K. and in Africa. The reason we picked Rob and Tailormade was he showed a genuine concern and a full-throated ability to tailor the trip so it was customized for us, not an itinerary he would want us to pursue because it was easy to organize. From the first dialogue we had with Rob until when our trip actually materialized, Rob displayed extreme flexibility as we worked through re-schedules, firstly due to COVID and yet again due to a sports injury one of my kids endured. Every accommodation, every stop, every meal plan was meticulously picked, so it worked wonderfully for us. Rob and his team were always available to answer questions, propose alternatives when we needed those, and work with us as we got ready for the trip (vaccinations, visa, what kind of clothes to carry etc.). Our trip turned out to be hugely successful for our family - what a fascinating place, what abundance of wild-life, what diversity in landscape, and what superlative a service every hotel, lodge, campsite Tailormade booked for us!! I am certainly working with Rob in coming years as and when we are ready to do our 2nd trip to Africa!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Efficient, Kind and caring! Such a pleasure to book through.
We had a lovely trip. We were picked up on time in a lovely spacious vehicle. Driven safely to our destination and booked into a Greta place in Kruger.
Thank you so much for the great service! We will definitely be booking again.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Travel Experience Ever!
Giltedge and Nikki Theron helped us navigate years of Covid delays to provide us with an amazing two week stay. The accommodations and food were excellent. The food was probably too good! We loved every guide and every tour and safari drive. We met so many kind and patient people on this trip. Transfers were flawless and Nikki kept in touch throughout the entire trip.
I can't recommend Giltedge and Nikki highly enough!
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
superb, everything is good
Personally recommended by the IELTS teacher: The price of this hotel is reasonable, the speed of replying to emails is also fast, and the hotel given is also relatively good. Our guide Allen has first-class driving skills and is full of thoughtful details: he compared the parking of other vehicles, the only thing that made it easier for us to store our luggage, and specially radioed other drivers to take pictures of us when watching cheetahs
(automatic translation from Chinese)
