2-Day Tarangire and Ngorongoro Fly in Safari

Reply from Mellivora African Travels

Thank you very much for taking the time to share such a detailed and honest review of your safari experience with Mellivora African Travels. We truly appreciate both your kind words and your constructive criticism, as they help us improve the experiences we offer our guests.
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your 2-day safari with Ludowig (Ludo). He will be very happy to know that his experience, knowledge, and attentiveness—especially in accommodating your 5-year-old toddler—made your safari memorable. We also smiled at your airport story 😊 and are glad everything ultimately worked out smoothly. Your appreciation of his thoughtful gesture with the drinks and the Day 1 lunch hamper has also been shared with him.
We are equally grateful for your recognition of Fransiscah’s efforts. She takes great pride in supporting our guests from the initial inquiry through to post-safari follow-up, and your feedback reaffirms the importance of her dedication and persistence.
That said, we would like to sincerely apologize for the distress and discomfort you experienced due to the bed bug incident at Marera Valley Lodge. We fully understand how upsetting this must have been—especially while traveling with a young child—and we are truly sorry that this negatively affected your overall experience.
You are absolutely right in saying that, as Mellivora African Travels, we bear responsibility for the accommodations we recommend as part of our safari packages. While Marera Valley Lodge is an independently operated property, it was indeed introduced through us, and therefore we acknowledge that we should have done more—both in preventive checks and in our response after the incident.
We are particularly disappointed by the lodge’s lack of responsiveness to our follow-ups. This behavior does not align with the standards we expect from our accommodation partners, nor with the level of care we aim to provide to our guests. As a direct result of your experience, we are re-evaluating our relationship with Marera Valley Lodge and reviewing our internal processes for accommodation inspections and incident handling.
Regarding your suggestion, we acknowledge that offering medical assistance, treatment creams, or a form of compensation would have been a more appropriate response. We regret that this was not extended to you at the time, and we sincerely apologize for that shortcoming.
Please know that your feedback has been taken very seriously, and concrete steps are being taken to ensure that similar situations are handled better—or avoided entirely—in the future. Your experience will help us improve not only our accommodation vetting process but also our guest care when unexpected issues arise.
Once again, thank you for choosing Mellivora African Travels and for sharing both the highlights and the concerns of your journey with us. We truly hope that despite this incident, you will remember the wonderful moments of your safari, and we would welcome the opportunity to serve you better should you consider traveling with us again.