FR
Hassan Hussein Hassan only wants money
Hassan Hussein Hassan is a good guide: BUT after holidays he'll ask you for your phone number. Ok, we are stupid, we gave it to him. Then his family is in trouble (mom falls down and have to go to hospital, children must go to school, need money for water or electric, etc.) We were very stupid... But even when I told him to fuck off, de didn't stop, so told him that I'll call Leopard Tours. No way. Last time he called me in Spring this year. Now he's on the black list. "Nice"memories of Tanzania...
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware of what you are getting into!
We were very disappointed in this tour. Starting out with being picked up late at the airport. We arrived in the pouring rain with no cell phone service and the driver was 15 minutes late in picking us up, which would not have been a big deal if we had a way of getting ahold of someone to see if they were coming or had forgotten us.
Secondly, the driver was drunk from the impression I got. He drove those roads at 120kph which I finally had to tell him to slow down. These are dirt/ clay roads! There was a man on a bicycle carrying long wooden sticks which the driver hit as he drove by the man! I know I'm in a different country but is this a normal occurrence? He proceeded to tell us we would be in the car for 6 hours...? Now, I'm confused because the itinerary I was sent said:
"Transfer to Sigunga village where you will take a boat to Mahale mountain national park. Have a picnic lunch at Sigunga village before boating to Mahale. The boat will take approximately 3 to 4 hours"
As we drove at top speeds we came to a village where we were told he had forgotten dinner and would be right back. 30 minutes later he returns with a chicken and throws him in the back of the car. After driving for 3 hours I ask about lunch because it's now 3pm. He hands me a box lunch which was not vegetarian like I had said several times that I was. I could not eat! I had a banana. At 630pm we arrive at this boat in the middle of nowhere. There is 1 man waiting to take us to Mahale. This is scary for 2 women traveling alone, especially with my sister who has anxiety. If we had been informed ahead of time what was going to be going on we would have felt more comfortable. Especially since it took 7+ hours to get there when we were thinking it was a 3hr boat ride. We get on the boat and it is now getting dark. I'm in a strange place in the middle of this huge lake on this boat not knowing where we are going. We arrive at dark, can not see anything. We ate dinner at 9pm! This is not acceptable, especially since we had no lunch!
If it wasn't for our guide Huessein it would have been a horrible experience. Luckily he made it amazing for us.
Last thing, when we left and stayed in Kigoma town, we were dropped at the hotel with NO information. Nothing about lunch, dinner or the museum tour. Food was terrible. The staff didn't understand what I was talking about. So I messaged Joshua with whom I had been speaking with, very little information again. I got ahold of the driver to ask him about the museum and he said Oh, we will go tomorrow before the airport. Again, he could not tell me how far the airport was and said he would pick us up at 8 for the tour to the museum. He then said the airport was 2 hours away. I told him we left at 1230. The next morning after our tour we realized the airport was 5 minutes from us! We spent 3 hrs at that little airport waiting.
I just don't understand why the itinerary I received was not followed nor was I ever given correct information. Mahale was such a special place and I would love to return. I'm not trying to be mean, I just want to inform anyone traveling here the situation.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended!
I found Art of Safari through a friend who had used them for a safari in the past. Nicky was so helpful and created a perfect safari experience for me . I only had a weekend before I had a work commitment and what she suggested was ideal. I cannot recommended her service and advice more highly!
The communication was prompt, clear and efficient. The staff that assisted me with airport transfers and other needs were all very helpful and friendly. I wouldn't do it any other way now.
Thank you for an amazing experience!
CL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything and more than we expected
The safari was spectacular. I booked from Chile and they complied with everything they offered, we felt very well looked after. On the safari we saw everything we wanted to see and much more. They provided a guide in Spanish, which made the safari more enjoyable. Very good service and they worried to talk with us to see how they could improve. In summary a great experience and highly recommended.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great food and very friendly staff
Great food and very friendly staff
Our 6 days tour was just great, superb and Amazing! Kenya was beautiful beyond my expectation, The staff was calm and composed, and the food was Fanstastic! Thank you Judy and George
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great package deal, saw tons of animals, food and accommodations were nice!
Everything went smooth and I had a great safari. I saw tons of animals, the food was good and the luxury tent was nice also, hot water toilet and everything.
PT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was 5* everything was perfect
The programing was perfect for us!
Team was fantastic
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible !!!
Well.... What can I say!! The best Holiday we have ever had by a mile!! Alex planned our whole honeymoon from start to finish with not a single fault!! In fact ....every accomodation, trip & activity she recommended was exactly what we wanted ..... Just perfect!! The attention to detail which Alex gave was simply incredible ....she was always happy to help and if we were unsure on anything she would take the time to explain!! We went to both South Africa and Zimbabwe ....which was mind-blowing..... & Alex's knowledge of Africa is incredible, she listened to exactly what we wanted in each place, which made the whole trip perfectl!!
I have already recommended Alex to work colleagues and friends and will continue to do so .... !! Thank you once again for making are honeymoon such a memorable experience!!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 week guided Safari Uganda including 1 week in Kidepo
The general planning process was highly individual and amazing. It was easy to include everybody and their wishes into the schedule.
The trip went great, we kept (in my eyes) unexpectatly well to the tight schedule and had a lot of luck with animal sightings and weather conditions. Our guides were well organized and provided an amazing experience.
Thanks a lot to Sander and the rest of the Grassrootz Family.
MX
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Loved the place
I couldn't have asked for a more stress-free experience! Pricing was absolutely competitive and easy for our guests to make payment arrangements. Dealing with a group of 75 people is no easy task...I wouldn't have been able to make it to the alter in one sane piece without them. Noah was very easy and flexible to deal with..