US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nightmare experience, never delivered on promises
Update: I previously removed this review because Mataro threatened to withhold the refund of our deposit per his policy if I didn't remove it. We came to an initial agreement about a payment plan for the >$3,000 he owed us over the course of two months. We provided all necessary details to him for payment, but were ultimately not paid when the due date arrived. Instead we were met with additional excuses and a lack of any urgency in resolving the payment owed to us. All I can say is I'm disappointed, disappointed in Mataro and myself for falling for this. We will be working with Trip advisor and other companies to attempt to have his business de-listed as it's evident we are not the first to have had this experience. I'm completely confused as to how he's ever gotten any positive reviews. See my previous review below.
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I wish I could give negative stars. My wife and I, along with our four friends, had the misfortune of dealing with Friends Of Africa Family Safaris Ltd. We originally chose to book with Mataro because he came highly recommended by two of our friends who had previously traveled with him. While they generally had an okay experience and spoke highly of the safari guides, they did share some concerns once our own issues began to surface. For instance, they mentioned that when they arrived, they were put into an enclosed van—not a proper safari vehicle—which then got stuck and had to be pushed. No other reputable tour operators would put guests in such unsuitable conditions.
Despite these warning signs, we moved forward, only to find ourselves entangled in an even worse situation. What started as a promising interaction quickly turned into a nightmare after we paid over $6K in December as a 20% deposit. Mataro, who had been very responsive before payment, suddenly became evasive, offering only vague assurances that everything was ‘under control.’ But as we later discovered, nothing could have been further from the truth.
The Lies and Deception:
Fake Confirmations: Despite numerous requests, Mataro failed to provide actual booking confirmations. When I directly contacted one of the lodges, they had no record of our reservation—even though Mataro insisted everything was booked. He even tried to convince me to stop contacting the hotels, saying I was 'confusing people' and not 'trusting him.'
Manipulative Excuses: When I questioned why we hadn’t received confirmations or why he claimed certain accommodations were booked when they weren’t, he responded with manipulative tactics. He accused me of trying to do his job and insisted I was the problem for not trusting his process. This, despite repeatedly catching him in lies.
Unprofessional Behavior: In one instance, Mataro claimed he had booked three rooms instead of the four we required, blaming my wife for allegedly changing the request—an outright lie that he later backtracked on. He never took responsibility, and instead of fixing his mistakes, he became increasingly difficult to reach, often ignoring my messages or delaying his responses with more excuses.
Failure to Refund: When it became clear that Mataro had no intention of delivering on his promises, we canceled our trip in early May. Despite his own policy stating a refund within 90 days, those 90 days have come and gone with nothing but more excuses. He even tried to claim he needed more time, despite having made no payments to the hotels on our behalf. It’s evident he never planned to return our money and has continued to string us along with empty promises.
Final Warning:
After dealing with months of stress, deception, and outright lies, I can confidently say we believe this company is a complete scam. In our experience, Mataro is a manipulative fraudster who has no qualms about taking your money and offering nothing in return. The level of unprofessionalism and dishonesty is staggering. If you value your money and your peace of mind, stay far away from Friends Of Africa Family Safaris Ltd. This man will take your deposit and leave you with nothing but frustration and broken promises
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Terrible company, old cars with zero mainenance
I want to share our experience with Kofi Travel with you. We rented a Toyota Camper Cruiser for 16 days. Everything went perfectly until we accepted the car at the airport. When booking, I clearly asked if the A/C worked. "Yes, this one works perfect," it was said. I found out 10 minutes after picking up the car that the front windshield wiper wasn't working. I created this in the group app and reported it immediately. The answer was promptly given. However, we didn't have time to wait and started driving towards Amboseli. This ride was a horror. The car bounced enormously. The tires were at more than 4.5 bar. This is more than twice as high. This causes the car to move in a dangerous manner. While braking at +/- 60 km/h, the car pulled enormously to the right. The front brake calipers did not work properly; it was very dangerous. The A/C did not work at all, even though they said it would. To be fair, they made proposals to solve the problems. However, these problems were already present when we received the car. This means to me that the car receives no maintenance at all before they give it to customers.
We soon found out that the Camper Cruiser consumed a lot of fuel—1 liter of petrol for 3 km driving. Extremely high consumption if you visit remote places. There was a jerry can in the back of the car, which is nice, but a loose jerry can full of fuel in the car does not seem safe to me. Another negligence from a rental company that continuously says they consider safety the most important thing for their customers. I found a garage near Amboseli and had the windshield wiper motor repaired. They checked the A/C, but the compressor was broken, so it could not be repaired quickly. I had to pay 20,000 Ksh total. I passed all this on via WhatsApp. "This will all be refunded," they said. So far, all friendly and helpful.
After Amboseli, we had a stopover near Nairobi. I was notified that there was another car for us. We were super happy. The car was delivered to the agreed location on time. I had asked if they wanted to bring the second car with a full tank because we already had the Camper Cruiser filled up with petrol. This had not happened; they siphoned the fuel with a hose. Problem solved, we thought. With the second car, we drove towards Shomphole, a remote area where we had booked two accommodations. This was on an asphalt road. During a stop, I discovered that we had a fuel leak at the tank. They had tried to close it with pieces of rubber from slippers. I reported this and received the response that we had punctured the tank by driving over a rock. They started to lie, and I don't like that. We had power problems on the way to Laikipia. I looked at the air filter; it was full of holes, and we got dust on the airflow meter. The throttle cable was loose and had been tightened amateurishly.
Overtaking trucks was dramatic and dangerous without power. The 4x4 lever was broken off in the car, making shifting difficult. I reported all this. A proposal was made by the management to return the car to Nairobi and get the remaining money back. I wasn't friendly anymore. I did not agree with this proposal. Returning the car to Nairobi would take me two days. We had booked a camp in Laikipia to see the black panther. This costs $2,000 per night for two people. Do you really think I'll just come to Nairobi to return the car? I was later told that I was out to get money from them and that I had lied about the 20,000 Ksh. After a conversation with the owner, we agreed that we would receive a 5-day refund. He suggested 3; I wanted 5. This was verbally agreed upon; he did not give this either and said I was lying. We booked Shomphole Wildersniss, Lentorre Lodge, and Laikipia Wildersniss in Kenya for $18,000. If it was a matter of money, I wouldn't have booked these expensive accommodations. So folks, I could go on and on. Be careful when renting a car from this company.
They are friendly, which is nice. But the cars are terrible, dangerous, without any maintenance, and extremely old. On another review page, the owner responded that we chose the budget car and they suggested the Land Cruiser 78, which was the best option. This never ever happened; he was lying again. And then, this means they offer low-budget cars that are terribly unsafe and with zero maintenance. Think carefully before doing business with these guys.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mediocre company providing below average service charging extravagant in th.
I wish there was an option to give negative rating. The company charged us extra in the name of luxurious experience and failed on every single occasion to provide basic minimum you would expect from a travel agency. Customer service appalling and they are not affiliate with any travel regulatory body so you cannot take your complaint to resolution. Very frustrating experience in the country where we expected to create life long memories
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My 2580 USD was stolen be careful
He quoted 2580 USD for a safari. A payment schedule was also arranged, with a $1,780 down payment and the full amount payable upon arrival. He quickly changed his attitude and requested more money up front after taking the money. That was untrue, we told him, and we would settle the cost in cash when we got there. He took the money after the trip was canceled and never gave it back. He doesn't respond to our texts right now. Please use caution so as not to make the same mistake twice (Ranger Safaris)
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
This company ruined our Safari experience in Tanzania
According to previous reviews, Kipok seemed a great choice for travelling. Communication with Amani went good until arrival in Tanzania. Since the end of september everything seems to go wrong with this company since hotels are not being booked, gate permits are not being reserved and payed. We had to book and pay several nights ourselves. We were left without company /driver or guide for several days.
Amani showed up at a certain point, promising to refund us but was actually scamming us in the face. We even took him to the Police station for unreliable business.
To travel with children on a long expected holiday that was supposed to be an unforgettable experience and to end up in the Police station with support of our belgian embassy is - in 1 word - a horrible experience.
We were so lucky to meet other great people of amazing Tanzania and European travellers to help us out.
Amani is definitely not to be trusted at this moment. So sorry for al the others that got scamed.
DE
Experience level: over 5 safaris
We think we got scammed by this Southern Dynastie Safaries, so be careful if you book with them
We booked with Southern Dynastie Safaris (SDS) 6 months in advance a 4 day fly-in safari to Okawango Delta to a lodge in the heart of Moremi Game Park for a lot of money. However, Southern Dynastie Safari did not book us on the booked lodge butalready 5 month ago into a cheaper lodge with less quality outside of Moremi Game Park. If you have ever been to Okawango Delta, this is quite a difference in landscape, experience and quality.
SDS (especially Collins) did not tell us for six month that they booked us knowingly on a different lodge. They suggested all the past five month, everything is as plannend. On the Airstrip in Maun we were informed by the pilot of the plane that we are not going to the booked lodge but to a different lodge outside of Moremi.
No communication at all by SDS, no explanation, no apology, no refund of price difference. So we would just warn everybody booking with SDS that you might not get what you booked and paid for.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
terrible vehicle
We had worked for months with Soul of Madagascar for this holiday. We had quick and efficient responses from the office employees of Soul of Madagascar. We especially were impressed with Theresia. She was quick and efficient with her responses. We were expecting a wonderful holiday because of Theresia’s thoroughness. She sent us a picture of the Soul of Madagascar rep that was meeting us at the airport and a picture of the vehicle we would be using.
The lodges we requested were reserved by Soul of Madagascar. All were what we expected and met our needs. A few of the lodges exceeded our expectations. Bakuba Lodge was absolutely wonderful. It is a very unique lodge and would recommend this lodge. Bakuba Lodge and Le Soleil de Tsingy were the best lodges we stayed. We would not recommend Radisson Waterfront rooms 19, 20 or 21. They are in the basement. We would not recommend Gaspard Hotel in Ranomafana, the food was not good at all.
Our guide, Joushia, and the original driver, Rivo, were not very punctual. In fact, they were late over 95% of the time. We had to contact Theresia midway through our holiday because of Joushia’s attitude and the vehicle issues we had.
Oh, the vehicle issues we had!! Not one, not two, not even three, but five issues with the original vehicle. Then the second vehicle was a bit better but we still had no working air conditioning and ROACHES in the vehicle. We booked higher end hotels as we expected great service and a quality experience. Because of the service we received from Theresia, we thought we would receive excellent service from everyone at Soul of Madagascar. We also thought we would have had a higher end vehicle because of the higher end hotel choices we had made. Well, that was not the case. We had never experienced such bad service between the guide, driver and the vehicle like this. The best vehicle was the one that transported us to/from the hotel/airport and the one from Bekopaka to Morandava, which was not from Soul of Madagascar. Out of 14 days we have been with a vehicle, we had air condition for 4 days. Two of these days were transfer to/from the International Airport. Taking the total time we spent in a vehicle without air conditioning, it would be over 95% that we had NO air conditioning. We understand things happen. Maybe even twice, but five different things happened with the same vehicle. The first time, on the way to Kirindy Forest, the fan belt broke. It took about 2.5 hours to get back to where the fan belt broke. The next day, driving to Bekopa the air conditioner broke. We had to drive 5 hours on the dirt road with the windows down. It was SO hot and SO dusty. Our luggage, ourselves and everything was DIRTY. I mean DIRTY. Joushia and Rivo did not even seem to care that we were filthy. The next time the vehicle had an issue was on the way to Antsirabe. We stopped once for 15 minutes, then another time for 20 minutes and then an extra hour at lunch because the power steering pipe had a hole. And the air conditioning was not working. We had told Joushia we needed a different vehicle in Antsirabe. But he did NOT listen to us.
We were heading to Ranomafana the day after Antsirabe. We had told Joushia we absolutely wanted to do a night walk in Ranomafana as this was planned on our itinerary. Joushia said we had to insure we were on the road very early to arrive in Ranomafana for the night walk. We opted to not do Antsirabe city tour and the zebu factory to insure we had enough time to get to Ranomafana. We ended up paying the price for not getting a different vehicle in Antsirable as the vehicle broke down on the side of the road. We also noticed the power steering wasn't working, even though we were told everything was fine with the vehicle and of course the air conditioning was not work. That day the fan belt broke again, the same fan belt. We sat at least two hours at the side of the road while the vehicle was repaired. We repeated that we wanted to do one tonight but because of the vehicle breaking down for the fourth time, we could not. Rivo's reply was "This is life in Madagascar." WOW, what customer service is this?!?! We have not seen any other tourist's vehicles broken down on the side of the road. Obviously, it isn't life in Madagascar. We also have not seen any other tourist vehicles with their windows down! So many lies! Joushia lied to us! Finally, we got a different vehicle, but again, it had no air conditioning, and it had roaches crawling on the floor and on us!! This whole situation was unacceptable.
We travel the world as we have visited 95 different countries. Most of these travels has been on induvial tours such as this one. Never have had anything like this. We talked to other tourists while on our holiday in Madagascar; French, Hungarian, Dutch, English, Australian, Canadian, South African and Americans. None have experienced even one issue like we had. All we ever heard from Theresia was “Thank you for understanding”. Well, that is one thing, but it does not make the facts change. If we experienced any small issue on a previous holiday, we would have been compensated for any issues. It would have been a nice gesture, indicating these issues were understood, if a small refund or possibly including meals at several of the hotels. But no compensation was ever made. We paid a lot of money for this holiday and expected great service. Other than Theresia, we did not receive good service from Soul of Madagascar. We felt as if we were a nuisance and not a client.
We had communicated with Theresia during the trip for her to try to understand our situation. Her response was “my apologies” and she was grateful for our understanding. She also stated she did not know about all the issues with the vehicle until we had told her. Joushia did not tell her about the vehicle?? Upon our arrived home, we sent a lengthy email detailing all our issues we experienced on our trip to Theresia. This is her response, “I would like to apologize for the inconvenience you experienced during your trip. As a representative of our agency, I will take all your feedback seriously. I will take the time to carefully observe the people I will work with in the future. Once again, I offer you my most sincere apologies.” Apologies are one thing, but it is as if no one from Soul of Madagascar understood that we paid good money for a tour that was far below satisfactory conditions. We honestly cannot recommend Soul of Madagascar.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Christian has been fraudulent with us
I paid by mistake twice and now he is not refunding me and not even replying to messages. Christian has been dishonest with us.
IT
Very bad experience
In general, terrible organization. Only after we paid the deposit they told us that the chosen structure was not available and they proposed a tented camp far from the luxury we had paid for. The guide was terrible
FR
Liars and thieves
Like other reviewers we booked for safari in 2022, eventually paid in full as requested but got nothing in return except lies from Dirk and his bunch of thieves.