50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safe, Within Budget, Knowledgable
We asked David at Elida to organise our climb of Kilimanjaro and a subsequent tour of Amboseli National Park.
Logistics: airport pickup and drop off as smooth and well organised. Baggage handling for 15 was never a problem.
Handling of monies: no deposits up front (no deposit cons) and payment made only when a service was provided. We paid for accomodation only once we had spent time there. Everything is receipted as you need it.
Accommodation: always safe, hygienic, secure, and always within our budget. David is well connected to a wide range of accomodation options and we enjoyed being able to 'upgrade' at Moshi. The Amboseli accomodation was spectacular, especially given many students were on a budget.
Budget: never over budget on anything. In fact if anything, these folk tend to undercook their prices.
Contact: always contactable by phone at any time. Email too, though given he is on the road a lot, phone is best once in country. Email and Skype were used in the pre-planning/planning stages and it proved very effective.
Vehicles: safe, well maintained, modern.
Drivers: not the usual mad, overtake at any speed or location East Africa drivers.
Guides: always unobtrusive and very knowledgeable. One gremlin in Tanzania with guides who wanted to be paid a tip at the end of the trip. We had already paid them at the beginning. Not the fault of Elida but something to watch out for if there is a 'package deal' done.
Package deal: Elida are very happy to work out a single price package. Very handy for those in your group who are watching their budget closely.
Government/border: our crossings were always smooth, assisted in each case by a local 'fixer' who was happy to guide us through the process.
Watch out for: David will always have things under control but operates in the usual relaxed African way, and does not always inform you of every detail, which can be disconcerting for the Western mind. But simply ask and he will show you what has been done.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional service received from Judie - tour operator
We stayed at the Mtawazi Lodge which was fantastic with our own cook - home is well maintained and clean - service levels the Afritour were exceptional and Judie was a pleasure to deal with - the drivers were fantastic and we had to really good guides - escpecially the night drive guide Sipho - was very forthcoming with information - the only think lacking was when one makes a booking and all confirmed a map should be included with the Reservation booking sent to the tourist - other than that 100% - Thank You
CL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
La mejor experiencia en Africa - The best experience in Africa
Excelente experiencia, ya son muchos años con nuestros amigos de Features Africa.
La amabilidad, cordialidad, calidad humana, seguridad y ayuda, hace que te sientas en familia y muy seguro.
He viajado con amigos y también con mi familia, nos sentimos muy tranquilo, la experiencia de la empresa hace que lo que tu quieres y esperas de un safari, lo puedas vivir al 100%
Recomendamos a esta empresa a todos quienes quieren vivir el verdadero sentir de África.
Mas que una empresa de safari, una familia amiga...
(traductor Google)
Excellent experience, many years with our friends of Features Africa.
The friendliness, cordiality, human quality, security and help, makes you feel family and very safe.
I have traveled with friends and also with my family, we feel very calm, the experience of the company makes what you want and you expect from a safari, you can live it 100%
We recommend this company to all who want to live the true feeling of Africa. More than a safaris company, a friendly family ...
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A good experience
We were a group of 4 and we had a great time at Skukuza Camp.
The AfriTrip is a good option, but the food could be better and sometimes the quantity it was not enough for the group.
The safaris were great with one of the guides. The other (the woman) was terrible and we hardly saw anything with it.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely perfect!!
We were lucky enough to receive Meleck John as our guide. He is very competent, smart and fulfills every wish! His goal; Satisfied, happy customers. It all worked out perfectly, he is also a very careful and experienced driver. His horizon goes far beyond Tanzania. The lodges were beautiful, the food excellent. We can only recommend Parakuyo !!
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable experience
Everything was excellent! Thank you Gilbert's Robert for organization all of details.
Avoid this company!!
Avoid Sandlands!
Do not book with Sandlands Tour Company in Tanzania. Mr Abraham Shaidi and his colleague Simon will take your money and not deliver what you actually booked. During our trip this happened to us, another lady we met and we were informed that it was not the first time Mr Shaidi had done this.
My friend and I paid $1680 for a 4 night/ 5 day safari and did not receive everything in our itinerary. We should have had 2 nights in the Serengeti, but we only got one. We should have had an evening and full day game drive in the Serengeti but we only got two half days - one of these 'half days' was only from 3:30-6pm. We should have had two game drives in Ngoronogoro but we only got one.
We were paired with three men who had booked a budget 3 night safari costing around $600 and our itinerary was changed to suit theirs. Meaning we essentially got the same experience as a budget safari (with the exception of accommodation) but paid over $1000 more.
Further to this, we spent almost 2 hours daily waiting around for the men to pack up their camping equipment despite the fact we deliberately didn't book camping to avoid this delay.
On two occasions, Mr Shaidi also instructed our driver to take us to different accommodation than what we had actually booked - accommodation that was significantly lesser than what we paid for. It was only because our driver was kind and honest that we realised this and were able to call Mr Shaidi to demand we were taken to where we paid for.
When we spoke with Mr Shaidi to resolve this, him and his colleague Simon refused to take blame for the fact that they falsely advertised the itinerary and didn't give us what we paid for. Mr Shaidi did compare the itinerary we booked, to what we actually received and agreed it was vastly different. However, he blamed Simon for this and Simon blamed him. Mr Shaidi was the one who instructed our driver of the itinerary to follow. Mr Shaidi assured us that he would ensure we each received $200 in compensation the next day. However, predictably this was also a lie and we received no money back.
Do not waste your time and money booking with this company. They are complete con-artists and will try to cut corners wherever they can. We are extremely angry and disappointed that we spent so much money and did not receive what we booked and hope that this review ensures nobody else is ripped off like we were.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good people , Great service !
Had a wonderful time with Wildebeest. Geoffrey our guide took very good care of us, He has excellent knowledge about the park and knows the best places to catch all the action you need! He has an "Eagle's Eye". Every thing was managed wonderfully and on time. Thank you wildebeest!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Avoid these guys!
I have never written an online review but feel I should.
As soon as I paid my deposit communication suddenly went very quiet and I had to send several chaser emails to find out what was going on.
Finally a day before we were due to start I received an email 'Pick-up at 6.30am'. 6.30am came and went and at 7.30am I finally received an email response saying 'Call driver 07xxxxxxx'. Not even an apology. You can imagine how stressful this was morning was! When I spoke to the driver on the phone he explained that one of the guests on our safari had a delayed flight and was waiting at the airport. When I met the others they said they all arrived the previous day! Other than that, they hadn't prepared the vegetarian option for lunch which I had requested.
The second day brought more dramas. After being told to wake up at 7am for an 8am start we were all extremely frustrated to find the driver had disappeared. He eventually came back at 10am and explained that his boss hadn't put the funds on his company card. We missed out on 2 hours in the Ngorongoro crater because of this.
We were promised extra time in Serengeti to compensate for this but on the 3rd day exactly the same thing happened! The driver even asked if anyone could pay the balance on their card and that his boss would refund through the web!
I know they offer extremely cheap packages but no saving is worth the stress of waiting around to get into a park on a once in a life time trip. Pay a little bit more and avoid MJ Safaris."
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous exactly as described, guide sincerely interested in giving best possible experience.
Communication was excellent. Robert responded to every email within 24 hours. The experience was exactly as advertised, even better. Ashton did his very best to meet our expectations so at the end of each day we discussed the plan for the next day and he made suggestions within options available. He was excellent at even the smallest details like getting us positioned for the best pictures.