TH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad travel agent in Africa
Me and my husband booked 6 days 5 nights safari tour in Kenya with this company. Ms.Regina and Jecton the driver were cheating people.
They changed our itinerary on spot. They tried to avoid to pay for the National Park to save the budget which makes us miss the morning and evening safari.
One day on our itinerary, we have to do evening safari in Amboseli National Park but the driver try to delay the drive to arrive late in hotel because he doesn't want us to visit the park and he can save at least 140 us dollars.
We paid money for safari but we miss two times Safari because of this bad people, Regina and Jecton
Don't use this company if you don't want to disappoint with your Safari experience..
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The company is bankrupt and the owners are liars
Protas Kilongola and Tom Kilongola are liars who will let you down. They did not book the hotels we asked for, lied to our face and have refused to pay money they owe us.
They asked us to pay park admission fees of c.$500 (which we were told were already included) with a promise of paying us back. They have never done this. I have seen bank records which indicate they are almost bankrupt.
Other people have suffered worse than us, so don’t book with them because they will let you down and steal your money.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
they did nothing for me, and not refund the money which i paid in adovance.
this company did nothing for me in Tanzania.
i had paied some money in adovance via internet.
i had to use 1 day to contact with someone who worked for this company.
and i needed to find another tour operator in Arusha because they did nothing.
no apology. no refund. no contact.
this is a thief company.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Horrible. They blackmailed me.
I booked a private safari of 14 days with Orongai for January 2019.
However, 4 days before the start of my trip they send me an email that the cost of fuel had risen since I booked the tour and I had to pay $ 1,400,- extra immediately!
This is crazy. I checked and found out fuel prices had fallen by 10 per cent instead since I booked the trip. Then I realized I was blackmailed.
Later I found out that more people were blackmailed in a similar way. Check the reviews.
I cancelled the tour, but they did not want to return my money.
Only after the safaribookings.com where they promote themselves blocked them, I received most of money back (not everything), but it was a horrible experience. They ruined my holidays.
These guys are criminals.
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
BEWARE OF SCAMMER / LOW QUALITY
I am glad that I did not book with Achieve. I saw their van while in Murchison and it wasnt nearly as nice as the 4x4 with a pop top that we enjoyed for a better price with Uzuri (https://uzurisafaris.com/) instead.
I had originally planned on booking with Achieve, but their email account was hacked and I sent a wire for $3,140 USD to scammers. The owner Polly Kamugisha took zero responsibility even though I took steps to verify the fake instructions sent from their email account. I even messaged an Achieve employee on whatsapp to "confirm the email with updated instructions are legit? Just wanna make sure nobody sent a fake message from your email account" (see screenshot).
I wouldnt normally air my dirty laundry like this but the world should know that the business owner's response to the incident was that I should seek help from the police... not only is he ignorant about the likelihood of a recovery via law enforcement, but I am still shocked that he doesnt think Achieve has any responsibility for the instructions sent from their compromised email account. Wouldnt even agree to split it.
Probably would have been more victims if I hadn't separately reached out to a 3rd party lodge in my efforts to verify the suspicious instructions sent from Achieve's email address. They called Polly to make him aware of my concerns before I sent the wire.
Don't expect Achieve to be there for you if anything goes wrong! Have the time of your life with Uzuri or any number of better companies out there!
KH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horrible!!
I want to warn everyone of Sardius Tours and its operator Felix Ndunda. He quit responding to our emails after receiving our downpayment last December 2018. He used to answer quickly with all our inquiries. We tried to get back our money multiple times but he won’t respond anymore via email. We re-booked with another Agency thru www.safaribookings.com I recommend you find a more genuine and honest agency in this website. Very late for us to learn more about Sardius Tours based on different reviews that we’ve came across with after researching more. Please review the following online reviews:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k11871897-Sardius_Tours_Felix_Ndunda_BEWARE-Nairobi.html#94339015
https://www.safaribookings.com/reviews/p446#34038
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k5744405-Sardius_Tours_rip_off-Nairobi.html
https://www.safaribookings.com/p446
http://www.african-safari-journals.com/sardius-tours-review.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k964770-Anyone_know_about_Sardius_Tours_and_Safaris-Nairobi.html
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/africa/tanzania/sardius-tours
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k4269296-Sardius_tours_or_Skyview_of_Africa-Nairobi.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k1510372-Sardius_Tours_and_Travels_Con_Tour_Operator-Nairobi.html
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very bad & disappointing!!
we were planning a trip to Botswana/ Namibia / Zimbabwe but we couldn't make it & actually we were sent back from the airport because the agency lied to us and didn't provide the needed documents.. so the vacation was ruined, embarrassment at the airport minding that myself & my friend we are regular travelers (weekly basis almost). they ripped us off & no one is answering our mails & requests to get refunds!!!
It’s been almost 6 months & still nothing...
We’ve trusted that they will handle our visa , at least that's what the agent said
:For my friend it was extrmely confusing for them to give an answer about her documents and then they’ve assured that she would get the visa on arrival... this never happened because we were not even allowed to leave the airport
:For myself they’ve started the visa applications. (again what they said!!)
:We’ve purchased the flight tickets after their confirmation on my visa delivery on Nov 27th Tue, which they’ve said they would send the file either on the same day eve or the next day morning.
: They’ve never sent the visa!!!! We’ve received an image of a so called ‘visa’ only 12 hrs before our flight. And at the airport we were told that it was not a visa but a ‘Acknowledgment of Receipt’. It turned out we were fooled and ripped off by Enrico’s Safaris. And still no refund even after 6 months & no one is replying !!!
They’ve ruined our holiday plans and we’ve missed an opportunity. On top my friend received an email from them saying: ‘If you guys could have emphasized strictly that you are not allowed without a Visa I would have done my utmost best to make sure, that's the level of support you get from this agency!!
Of course we’ve asked for refund of our down payment & flight ticket costs. They’ve said they can only return the down payment and instead of the flight ticket they’ve offered free of charge tour in March 2019, which we’ve declined and asked for a refund. Since then no refund, no answer to our emails and phones.
again I am a regular traveler & this never happened to me but I guess there is always a first time when we have such incompetent agencies. please check before picking them for your vacations because they are such a big disappointment , waste of money & time...
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Presentation, contract, itinerary, and actual experience never matched up, and no resolution.
We booked a safari in South Africa at a travel show in Dallas. We received an itinerary 2 weeks before the trip. On the trip our experiences were not what was communicated at the travel show, nor on our contract, nor on the itinerary. The contract says they can change anything they want at their leisure and as a customer there is no recourse. Many of our safari guides exceeded the 6 passengers, so that small group feel...gone, forget it. They only allow you to stay at their resorts so there is EXTENSIVE driving to and from every activity. Our itinerary said we would be on a jeep safari in Kruger, but once we arrived we were told we had to pay an additional 130 for the jeep. Our trip to Kruger took 3.5 hours to arrive, only got 3 hours on the jeep, then a 5 hour drive back to the resort (Hamala). It was a miserable day in the van and not worth the drive for such a short safari. Hamala is a nice resort but dinner is what they choose, not what the customer would like. They served a steak one night that was too tough to eat. I told the host the steak was too tough and his response was "your welcome", so needless to say I went to bed hungry that night (there were NO other food options provided). The safari's at Hamala were at 7 am, wake up call at 5:30, coffee at 6:30 and safari from 7-10, then breakfast is at 10am. I struggled with my blood sugar being up for 5 hours without any food. I finally had to buy snack cakes at the gas station during an outing. Persons on the Cape Town tour are flown into JBurg and they say a free night at Seasons resorts to recover from the travel, but all it is, is a sales pitch to buy into the resort, as they then have to fly from JBurg to Cape Town the next day. We also booked a shark dive with Go Touch Down, they charged us 350 per person. When we arrived at the shark dive operator we found out the cost is 186 per person. I assumed there would be a small up charge for Go Touch down to book it, but seriously, double the cost. Save your money and book your own shark cage dive directly with Apex Shark Encounters in Simon's Town, your cost will be cut in HALF. I will never recommend this company. I wrote 6 emails during my travels of my negative experience and received NO assistance, many emails I didn't even get a response. I wasted so much money with the company and want to ensure other people don't get scammed like I did.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The Absolute Worst
AVOID. HIDE. RUN. My 11 day solo Uganda tour blew up after 5 days – money issues. I found out (too late) that Bella had financial difficulties. I paid in full before the tour but they kept asking me for money during the tour. Beware of her and guide Robin coming back into the business under a different company name.
Internet: “www.bellaafricasafaris.com Mailscanner has detected fraud in the website at docs.google.com. Do not trust this website”. www.inspirock.com Bella ... # 78 of 102 in Wildlife in Kampala “www.tourhq.com ... Bella ... ranked # 39 of 47 tour groups in Kampala”
Before the Tour: My repeated emails were typically returned days late. I had to ask for receipts after monies were paid. A “must have” list never came. I emailed the lodges on the tour itinerary a week before it started. Only one lodge said they had a reservation under my name or Bella’s. I emailed Bella, and guide Robin responded that"all reservations are confirmed" (liar).
The Tour: Substitutions were made for all of the lodges listed on the itinerary. I was picked up late every morning at my lodge, once 3 hours late. Guide Robin said that the van had repairs done that day, but the driver told me in the afternoon that Robin spent the morning trying to get money. They asked me for money on the second day … difficulties in Bella getting money to Robin (lie). We spent an entire morning trying to get into Murchison NP - Robin with Bella on the phone tried to talk the person at the gate into letting us in. Finally I paid (and was never reimbursed). A joke. The van was given gasoline 6 gallons at a time – never filled. Bottled water was purchased one bottle at a time. The tour blew apart on day 5 in Kibale NP. Bella never paid for my Chimp Habitation permit (surprise!) – she asked me to pay the 200 USD fee. Nope. The game warden said I could go on the habitation if Bella got the money to him before I returned at the end of the day. I went on the habitation but no money came. When Guide Robin arrived to pick me up (I was the last person to be picked up out of 25 people) they kept him, fortunately letting me go back to the lodge with the driver. The warden kept Robin in jail for the night because of lack of payment. He was let out the next day. I heard later that they were thinking of keeping me in jail, too! The driver got disgusted with everything and drove his van home – he had never been paid anything by Bella and had been using some of his own money to buy gas. I stayed on one more day – the wonderful lodge manager got me a ride back to Entebbe (200 USD) and I stayed in Entebbe until my plane left 5 days later. Believe it or not Bella came out to Kibale NP and apologized – too little too late. She said I would be completely reimbursed for the tour (I’m still waiting on the money that won’t come !). Bella and Robin wanted me to continue the tour! I was genuinely concerned about my safety as well as being outraged with the tour. When I got back to Entebbe the lodge people and other guides told me about Bella and her money problems. They were angry with her for giving Uganda tourism a bad name. I could tell more. DO NOT GO NEAR!
The bottom line is that Bella let me fly 19 hours in the air to Uganda (and back home), pay 1500 USD roundtrip air, and pay her about 5000 USD in full for a trip that she knew that she could not pull off. As low as you can get. Would have liked to give zero stars. Amazingly, she still has her website online and on Safari Bookings.