Victor Godwin. Thief. Liar. Conman. Avoid at all cost.
I can sadly see that we are not the only ones who have been conned by Victor Godwin. Here is the trick. Consider yourself warned if you book with him.
You will agree safari itinerary and you will pay in advance, all inclusive. When you go on the safari, Victor will call you and ask if you could please pay for park entry fees or for upgrade of accommodation. He will promise to reimburse you once you get back to Arusha. Now the problem is that the drivers do not have funds for the park entry fees so you have no other option that to pay or not enter the park. Clever right. And yes, of course he does not refund your additional expenses.
On our trip, we were six people whilst another car had thre people. On the first night, we stayed in a different hotel than agreed. We went along with that. On the second night, Victor called the other party and ask them to cover additional expenditure for upgrade of accommodation, not upgrade for them though but for my family. So he played the parties against each other. He did the very same thing the next day where he called me asking me to cover an upgrade for the other party. He asked for $600. The following day, he called me again asking us to cover the entry fees to Ngorongoro, again $600. I refused. He called the other party of course with the same request. We briefly discused between our two parties and agreed that one from the other party would cover the entry fees. This was to ensure that none of us would end up having thousands of dollars to be refunded, again it was $600.
It is now five months since our safari. As I live in Tanzania, Victor has not been able to simply disregard my calls, SMS, Whatsapps. He has again and again promised to pay. Each week, he will make that promise and then find an excuse. He is nothing but a frail little liar who should never ever be trusted.
Also note that Victor is not a member of Tanzania Tour Operators Association. This essentially means that they are not able to help any customers who might have problems with Victor. Another reason for staying completely clear of this guy.
Thieves. Conmen. And other words not suitable for a public review
I can sadly see that we are not the only ones who have been conned by Victor Godwin. Here is the trick. Consider yourself warned if you book with him.
You will agree safari itinerary and you will pay in advance, all inclusive. When you go on the safari, Victor will call you and ask if you could please pay for park entry fees or for upgrade of accommodation. He will promise to reimburse you once you get back to Arusha. Now the problem is that the drivers do not have funds for the park entry fees so you have no other option that to pay or not enter the park. Clever right. And yes, of course he does not refund your additional expenses.
On our trip, we were six people whilst another car had thre people. On the first night, we stayed in a different hotel than agreed. We went along with that. On the second night, Victor called the other party and ask them to cover additional expenditure for upgrade of accommodation, not upgrade for them though but for my family. So he played the parties against each other. He did the very same thing the next day where he called me asking me to cover an upgrade for the other party. He asked for $600. The following day, he called me again asking us to cover the entry fees to Ngorongoro, again $600. I refused. He called the other party of course with the same request. We briefly discused between our two parties and agreed that one from the other party would cover the entry fees. This was to ensure that none of us would end up having thousands of dollars to be refunded, again it was $600.
It is now five months since our safari. As I live in Tanzania, Victor has not been able to simply disregard my calls, SMS, Whatsapps. He has again and again promised to pay. Each week, he will make that promise and then find an excuse. He is nothing but a frail little liar who should never ever be trusted.
Also note that Victor is not a member of Tanzania Tour Operators Association. This essentially means that they are not able to help any customers who might have problems with Victor. Another reason for staying completely clear of this guy.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic safari from start to finish
Gatatu safaris were an excellent choice to arrange our safari . From our initial inquiry Richard was incredibly helpful with any questions we had , and the excellent service continued when we arrived in Uganda. Our guide stephen was fantastic and went out of his way to make our trip memorable. I would highly recommend using this company
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Safari
We experienced an amazing 10 day safari with AAA Express Adventure. Its good value for a competitive price. Our guide Emil was friendly, knowledgeable and funny and always asked and respected our small wishes. I'd highly recommend this company.
50-65 years of age
Well planned holidays with very helpful and patient staff.
Communications were very good throughout the booking process with nothing being too much trouble. We originally planned to go to Madagascar and Tailormade produced a very exciting itinerary. We, however, changed our mind and decided instead to go to Mauritius. Tailormade quickly produced a revised holiday to suit our new requirements and were very competitive on price compared with other tour companies. Rob Morley was always helpful and very good at explaining his proposals. Very enjoyable holiday!
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful africa, nicholas and staff are the best
A safari is a wonderful experience for both young and old. With Nicolas and his staff, they certainly helped us make our safari special, accompanied by a very experienced guide, super jeep, lodging in traditional lodges, comfortable cozy and good food, wonderful sunsets, spectacular dawns, great tips to enjoy this holiday, spending less than other agencies.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We recommend Ajabu Adventures for an amazing Safari in Tanzania
In June we visited Ajabu for the 3th time with Ajabu. We love Tanzania!!! And also this time we enjoyed our stay just as much (or even more) than before.
We recommend Ajabu because you can arrange your safari exactly like you want it to be. They know the best and most beautiful places to stay or to visit. Choose the parcs you want to visit, how long you want to stay in each park. Everything is possible. Ajabu arranges high or low end accomodations, according to your wishes. They know the best places to stay during your safari.
Our guide was Juma who is really very friendly,enthousiastic and know everything about Africa, her nature, wilde animals etc etc. Impressive!
After 1 week safari we went to Zanzibar. Heaven on earth! A really nice place to rest on the beautiful beach or plan activities like spotting dolphins of kiting.
Ajabu Adventures: Asante sane for our amazing time. We hope to see you again!
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Adventure on the African savannah with Dallago Tours
We had our second safari with Dallago Tours this summer and would really recommend this operator if you are going to Safari in Kenya. Good information ahead of the trip and reliable and accurate all the way. The guide / driver was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive all the time. In addition, he drove safely and carefully to and from the park. The company is very service-minded and helps you tailor the journey. Dallago gave us a wonderful experience and memories for life.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful trip!
We returned ten days ago from a terrific safari, with many thanks to Compass Odyssey. My husband and I traveled with a close friend, so we were a small party and we all felt extremely well looked after. Darren was very easy to communicate with and designed a great itinerary for us which included Cape Town, Greater Kruger, Victoria Falls, Chobe, and Johannesburg. It is pretty incredible that with three internal flights and five different locations in 13 days, this all went off without a hitch. The guides were absolutely top notch, particularly Garth in Cape Town, from whom we learned an astonishing amount about the history and current realities of life in South Africa. It was like having a very fun, good natured college professor along with us for our time in Cape Town. All of the guides Darren connected us with were wonderful, and every aspect of our travels went smoothly so that we didn't have to worry about transit details or which sites to prioritize, we just showed up in each new locale and jumped right in. The quality of the game drives was especially high and we have to give a special shout out to Senalala where we stayed in Greater Kruger for the high quality of that experience. This is a very special locale, with just eight rooms and a wonderful level of attention to guests and to the very special natural habitat all around them. We were lucky enough to do a bush walk and to experience wildlife outside of the jeep, but the guided drives were very special as well. Chobe was notable for the incredible quantity of wildlife gathered at the water and it was one of the most special experiences of my life to see one of these noble elephants (or ellies, as they are called here) swim across the river with her trunk held above the waterline.
This was truly an unforgettable journey and it took a lot of care and planning to make sure that we had that outcome. Darren and his wife Kate are personally invested in the experiences of their travelers and it really shows. I recommend Compass Odyssey highly and without reservation. You will be in great hands.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Have good contact with drivers , hotels and the park accommodation. Land cruiser vehicles were good.
The drivers had the thirst to show animals and drive hard way untiringly throughout the packaged tour. It was saluteable and we sighted more animals and the Masai village too. Coordination from TravelforChange was very good for all the different places we visited in my customized tour. Will look forward to contact them for any of my future Africa trips