PA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Disappointing and Unsafe Experience
Our recent stay at Ulusaba was supposed to be an unforgettable adventure, but it turned into a distressing experience due to serious safety and emergency response issues.
Our Experience Before the Incident: I want to start by doing the following disclaimer. We did spend three magical days at the hotel before the incident. The staff were amazing and incredibly kind. Dinners at a shared table with all the guests led to some unforgettable conversations. Breakfast and drinks served by our guides after the game drives were amazing and created a special bond. We were thrilled to see all of the Big Five during our stay, with particularly incredible leopard sightings and wild dogs unlike any other place we visited. Our private pool was warm which is a rarity in safari lodges. And food was incredible.
The Incident: On the morning of our final game drive, my wife slipped and fell in the shower of our suite at the Rock Lodge. The lack of a shower curtain and the poor design of the bathroom left the floor wet and slippery, causing her to sustain a serious head injury. We immediately informed our guide, but the medical response was delayed and inadequate.
Emergency Response Issues: Upon checking in, we were assured that there was an onsite doctor available for emergencies. However, when the accident occurred, the doctor never arrived. Instead, we were left waiting for a prolonged period (3hrs) without proper medical assistance. There was no backup plan in place when the primary emergency responder was unavailable, leaving us without sufficient help. This lack of preparedness in a remote location is very concerning (we saw two black mambas the previous day very close to the hotel - imagine getting bitten).
Response from Ulusaba and Virgin: Despite acknowledging the issues, even going as far as saying that they will be remodeling the bathrooms, Ulusaba’s compensation offer does not cover our expenses or the distress we experienced (a ruined vacation). Even the involvement of Virgin, their parent company, has not led to a satisfactory resolution.
Final Thoughts: While the staff at Ulusaba were kind and tried their best to assist us, the management’s failure to address serious safety and emergency preparedness issues is disappointing. For a luxury resort, such oversight is unacceptable.
We hope that by sharing our story, Ulusaba and Virgin will take the necessary actions to ensure the safety and well-being of future guests. Until significant improvements are made, we advise potential visitors to consider these risks before booking their stay.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stay away from this operator
If you're after unprofessional behavior, being unreliable and severe lack of communication, then mafie adventures is the operator to go with.
If this is your first time going on safari or are a solo traveler, then be careful of this company. The main point of contact is a very sketchy guy.
QA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bad Driver makes a tour disaster
we had 3 days safari for Massai Marra. Our driver was an old man that has no eager to stop for any good view, any animal or even enough explanation about any things. He just liked to drive whole day! First day and the last day will be just road driving and the fact is only the middle day is a real SAFARI. The funniest part is that at the end of the trip, he asked tip from all of us, not as a request, but as an order to pay! I dont want to say his name and better this company survey and monitor the drivers and tour guides.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Overpriced and overrated
absolutely, the great migration is a spectacle you must see at least once. But other than that, I found Tanzania to be mostly disappointing. Not so much what we all saw, but more the overall experience. If you keep in mind that you are visiting the most expensive national parks in the world, you expect something in return. In the Serengeti, for example, I think the roads were extremely bad. We did 10 days of full day safaris, which at the end I almost couldn't last because of the back pain. The rest camps are completely worthless and unpleasant. Again, for the most expensive national parks in the world you can really expect more. The distances between our sightings were often enormous. Everyone drives through the Serengeti at unprecedented speed to make sure you don't miss a lion that is then sitting 200 meters off the road... And which you are watching with 70 other cars... Guides do not behave professionally, push the animals too much and the tourists are also 'once in a lifetime safari poop', which you can see from their behavior. It is often noisy during sightings and I found it difficult to enjoy it. All in all disappointing, not value for money and the safaris were not romantic and relaxing as I often feel in private parks.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Basic itinerary elements were not delivered as agreed upon but nice overall trip
We did a 5-day safari with Simba Expeditions to Kidepo National Park in uganda. Although the trip and especially the nature were overall very nice, we encountered several issues with the tour operator, that left a bitter-sweet aftertaste.
For example, our itinerary and invoice clearly included a landcrusier vehicle but on the day of the safari we got a different car type (that was less comfortable and would usually cost less than what we paid for). When we raised the issue with Simba expeditions, the only solution they offered was to stop the trip immediately (after we have already been on the road for several hours) return to Kampala and get a full refund. Obviously, this was not an option for us, as it is impossible to organize another safari on such short notice.
Apart from a few if those issues, the trip and nature we experienced was really great.
CZ
4 days MM and Nakuru with Navasha
Safari was good itself, not the organisation. Mr. Benson didn't keep promise to side boat tour in Naivasha, even after I notified few times in advance, and only offered to pay taxi for myself back to Nairobi if to go so I had to resign. At the arrival he let me wait over an hour abandoned in a car park in Nairobi without transport until I got my own.
The driver failed in critical interaction with local authorities and after bribing them he demanded money from me to pay all to him. Very disappointing customer care
PK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
She was good but didn’t tell the whole picture
We booked trip to safari for 2 persons . They said it will be whole day safari as charges were too much . Guide picked us at 8:30 am from hotel , reached safari at 1:15 pm . Then they said you have 2 hours for lunch , that’s ridiculous. At 1:30 we boarded our jeeps and to our disappointment, safari ended in 2 hours
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great at communicating, unhappy safari guide, poor planning and value for money ,
The communication from splendid was prompt and efficient. Vehicle was robust and well serviced. Driver/tour guide was grumpy and rude at times. Only on the last 1 hour drive of a four day tour decided to share his extensive knowledge. Company grossly misrepresented transit times between parks -2 hours was actually 5/6 hours. Hotels were fantastic.
NZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
NOT in the Okavango Delta, NOT really a safari - read the fine print carefully!
Be Warned: We were so excited to book our Luxury Okavango Safari. The blurb said that the luxury tented safari lodge is located on the banks of the Boteti River which has its origins in the heart of the Okavango Delta. What didn't it say? that the Lodge was 3 hours drive from the Delta on the other side of Maun, in the middle of farmland next to a muddy fried up river. We felt pretty stupid to have been conned, but the only other couple at the lodge when we arrived said that they had been taken in too and another guest had chosen to leave early for the same reason. The misleading advertising felt very deliberate. For a luxury experience, other things seemed off too. There was no cooling system or fridge in the tents (this was a problem as my partner had meds that needed to be kept cool). Drinking water had to be purchased by the bottle. The swimming pool was green with algae when we arrived - the staff did empty, clean a refill it but it was not available for the first two day of the stay. If after reading this you are still keen to go (or you've already paid and can't get your money back), what can you look forward too? The small staff was very friendly. The guides were extremely knowledgeable. Our main guide went above and beyond to ensure we saw lions in Moremi even though he must have put in a 13+ hour day with all the driving to and from the park. The chef was excellent. We were asked about preferred foods and eating times (the lodge was extremely quiet when we were there so she tailored things to our exact wishes). The mokoro and walking safari, and Moremi game drive were wonderful (just wish we hadn't wasted hours getting to them). However, as some other reviews have said, it seemed like the foreign owners didn't really care about the lodge, the staff or the visitor experience that they were offering. I would recommend avoiding, and finding somewhere actually in the Delta to stay. If you can't afford that, just stay in Maun and do daytrips.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Didn’t meet the expectations
The experience overall was not the best. Very few things could have made it a lot better.
I have to say the driver (guide) was very nice and helpful. All else wasn’t up to the expectations.
The car had too many issues, we had to stop at least three times to fix things. Each of course wasted time. Almost everything in the car was shaking and with the roads it was a lot worse.
The food tasted bad, the quantity in the was very little, but when i complained, they fixed this. And then came the tents, mattresses and sleeping bags. This was horrible. They smelled like pure sweat. It was raining at night and tents were leaking water. My mattress was soaking wet, my bag got wet, almost everything got wet. One of the guys who were with us got everything wet even her passport.
Investing in a better car, some tents and some more organization could have made the experience a lot better