Marvel in the majestic Serengeti!
Seven Wonders Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- TTB & TLTO
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $160 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
MT
Email Kristina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ruined experience
This was the worst trip ever in our ecperience and i apologise for the long write up but too much happened...So here it goes...
We booked 11 days shared Kenya and Tanzania safari with this company. The quotation was provided by and communication was held with Evelyn.
While said quotation was provided swiftly, we had to chase her to acknowledge/issue an official confirmation of the deposit payment, as according to her such are not typically provided (weird, isn't?). Since I insisted, some sort of confirmation was issued and she then disappeared without providing any details in terms of pick up or any other details. This silence continued up until the very last moment where although I requested information regarding the time of pick up (she didn't ask about our flights at any point before this), who shall be picking us up and where(it was our first trip to Nairobi, so we were not experts) by email to which no reply was received up until literally last day when I then messaged her again on whatsup (communication couldnt have been attached herewith unfortunately). So on this point a reply was sent and we communicated well upon arrival, where we were picked up by Evelyn at the terminal and 'handed over' to William who took us to their so called office which was closed so we were waiting for the driver outside(at this point we were saying how nice of her to meet us and William was great _he provided so much info on trips, acrivities, etc). Some half hr later the druver arrived and we thought we will proceed but no. We've been sitting and waiting for over 2 hrs and none carred to explain what's that we are waiting for since all 6 people were in the jeep. Here to our surprise although in all our agreed terms we were told that we will be up to 6 persons, 7th person joins instead of a guide! We the proceed to Masai Mara. Since we departed late, on the first day we only had 1.5hrs game drive close to our lodge despite itinerary indicated whole afternoon drive.
The following day we had a full day in the park, but to our all disappointment we were then advised that the 3rd day game drives in Masai Mara will not happen as parks changed the rules ( instead of 24hr to 12hrs ticket validity). None of the 7 people on this trip had been informed of this ahead and none had been reimbursed for this either! we were not even given an option to purchase a new ticket ourselves (some 80 USD for the jeep would be nothing between 7 people when we already spent so much on the whole trip).Instead, the driver advertised a trip to Naivasha Lake as being great 1.5 hrs boat ride to observe birds with a stop on the island to feed animals. Since nothing else except for driving was to happen on that day (since 3rd day of Masai Mara game drives had been cancelled by the company) we decided to go and see the highly recommended lake (note that we didnt have internet so couldn't have checked ourselves and relied on the driver). To cut the story shorth we paid 30 USD each at the place in cash (only accepted in such manner) no tickets or receipts were issued. we spent 53 min exactly on that and saw a max of 10 birds, the lake looked dead and none stoped us at any islands for any animals. Upon return to the shoar the driver bluntly asked if we saw hipos and crocodiles to which quite shockingly we replied that no such live there and he shouldn't have advertised something unless he knew what that really is! Perhaps a suggestion to the company at this point to send your drivers for such trips so they know exactly what is happening?! So even more disappointed we move to the hotel to yet again be shocked to hear that we will be left at some other place than the one we paid for (as specified in the itinerary)! Since this was stated when we were dropping of 2 guys at that place we took the opportunity to connect to the internet and check what's being offered to see that the place we booked showed eur 67 on booking.com while the one the driver told us to stay was 36 eur! We then refused to leave the jeep explaining that it's not our hotel and we want to go where we should! The driver following numerous calls with the office advised that the place we booked is fully booked so we must stay in this new cheaper place which all 5 of us yet again rejected. After some 45 min arguments the driver agreed to take us to the place we actually booked as we insisted that the place showed being available on booking.com and if anything, it must have been booked for us already. We arrive and...the place is nearly empty (why tell us its fully booked???) and we were also given options to change rooms! So lie no1 and we were not only disappointed regarding the cancellation of 1 day of Masay Mara, lost time and money to see dead lake and even more time wasted on arguments regarding the accommodation that we paid for!
The last day in Kenya we went to lake Nakuru where we only had 2.5 hrs so yet again disappointed with the schedule as we should have had more time we proceed to Nairobi to be put on a public bus!!!!! For the transfer to Arusha. At no point in time were any of us informed that the transfer to Arusha will be through a public bus!!but surely it cost peanuts so more money to the company!
When in Arusha, the bus driver surprisingly dropped us at the hotel directly and we were informed regarding the pick up times for the following morning. So far so good.
In the morning the guy comes on time (impressive!) I told him my name and the name of my fellow traveler, he checked his phone and put our bags in the jeep. Here we were informed that since we will be going to the bush, he will stop at the shops if we want to buy some wine and beer so he offerd to get it for us cheaper. We wondered how come he suggested we buy drinks ourselves when drinks were listed in our itinerary as all included but we just let it go and went to withdraw some money to buy something. In the meantime he comes back stating that we should be going back as we are not his passengers! Why did I give him our names and what he checked remained mystery but here we are again wasting our time which we could have spent driving in the park. When he drives us to the office to exchange us, a guy there shows us a map and explains that we will be going to serengeti, ngorongoro and etc. I then specifically open my itinerary and read with him to confirm the details and accommodation which he confirms to me and to my fellow traveller. All good we proceed. In the evening, the driver announces that we shall be going to again diferent hotel than that indicated in the itinerary!!! Again no Internet and same explanation _ fully booked! We endup there where we didnt like to also then get to know during dinner that another 5 people ended up the same as us_we had to be at the hotel that the company stated was fully booked when it was showing yet again available and same story was now sold to 7 people! Although we had water, beverages and wine and beer included in our package, when we asked for water/wine during the dinner we were all told that we must pay for them.
The following morning I decided to write to Evelyn regarding all the above and ONLY asked her to ensure that the remaining part of the trip remains unchanged. She never replied but she asked the driver to pass his mobile to me and she started explaining that nothing changed, that the drinks had to be provided by our chef not the place itself (like we would have known who and what and why he didn't offer if he had to?) that according to her when in the office, we were explained that the accommodation was changed and we never complained about anything etc. At this point I got seriously annoyed with her and their lies and I told her bluntly that i do not trust one single word she says as I told her in facts what happened and there were more people with me who heard all this. She then treated me to cancel the safari as according to her I was lying, none of this what i was saying was true and that in their T&Cs there is indicated that they can cancel safari for whatever reason should they wish so. She told me that she will send the car to pick us up and bring us to the office where she will refund us for the safari to which again I explained to her that I didn't ask her for anything but just to stick to our itinerary and provide what we paid for! She insisted that this is impossible as I said that I don't trust her so consequently i cannot go on safari with their driver and she just cut the cinversation. We then spoak to the driver as he seemed lost and she called again and again and from the treats to cancel us she then decided to proceed with us and while on speaker she confirmed that we shall continue as per schedule and even herself named the places that we go and stay at. This as you can already imagine was another lie as on the way back from ngorongoro we were told that we are going to be taken to that same place where our argument started!! Here we refused to go again, another call another useless chat where she for the second time accused me of lying when the only lier was her and none else and we ended up in the situation where I stated on speaker that her driver also heard her confirming that we will be going to the place that its written in the itinerary and he confirmed this to her in front of us! After some shouting and screaming by her at the driver we were told Nsya (the place we had in the itinerary) is not happening in any case and we were offered 2 other places.i insisted that if she wants to put us in diferent place again she must then upgrade us as we fed up having all these issues after paying for something that we are not getting! Guess what_ no point taken. Here we try to check on booking.com but the Internet was awful so we struggled. When asked the driver to check on his phone all of a sudden his Internet wasn't working and the only options were we were to go where he wanted to take us and we said no. He then took us to yet another diferent place to show it to us but we didn't like it and there was no Internet, he then took us to another place where the office stated that only 1 double room was available while we needed a twin room and when arrived _ triple room was showed! Another lie! Here we were just sick and tired so we said fine we'll stay there but we want dinner and breakfast with all drinks as per itinerary. The hotel rep stated that this is not happening as the company only agreed to accommodate us on room only basis! Another half hr arguments and they decide to leave the company's chef to cook for us but we won't get hotel's food, and also that we won't get any wine as that according to the driver we finished already while on safari! On this point when we were to proceed to serengeti the driver asked us if we like beer, wine or konjak and we told him that no strong alcohol is needed some like beer but mostly wine so we asked to get an extra bottle of wine (he had 1 box of beer in the jeep) and he came back with 2 bottles_ 1 red and 1 white (this for 6 people for 3 days). As said on day one we were not given any wine and the company said that the chef forgot to offer but then they only got the wine the following morning so something doesn't click again! Anyone is still surprised?
So during the dinners on these next 3 days we only saw 1 bottle of white wine and some remaining little of white from the other jeep, while red wine disappeared. When we asked on the last night, the driver stated that he give 2 bottles to the lodge (which wasn't the case as we spoke to people who stayed there and they were paying for their drinks there, it would be weird that someone paying 200 eur a night would gake a bottle of cheap wine to tbe lodge
Email Chloe | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Would highly recommend - provided us with a family trip of a lifetime.
A dream come true - this safari was an absolutely incredible experience, one that we will all remember forever.
I spent a lot of time researching safari companies and I chose Seven Wonders because it had many great reviews and often people mentioned how helpful the staff were, especially Evelyn in the office.
I'm really pleased we chose this company since Evelyn really was extremely helpful - even with an issue unconnected to the safari. I had independently booked flights to Zanzibar, but I had difficulties accessing the tickets online beforehand and wasn't getting any communications back from the airline. Evelyn phoned the airline for me and resolved the issue - she was an absolute star! Evelyn's colleague, George, was also lovely and helpful...and our safari guide Juma was truly wonderful - so kind, warm, friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely helpful. He really added to our experience in so many ways.
We did the 3 night/4 day safari and went to Tarangire, Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Each park had its own highlights - we saw the big 5, plus loads more. We watched lions stalking, eating and sleeping; hippos in the water and on ground; leopards relaxing in trees; baby elephants playing; and so many giraffes, zebra, buffalos, wildebeest, gazelles...as well as mongoose, monitor lizard, hyena, ostrich, flamingos, baboons, etc.
Our accommodation was different each time - lodges, glamping and basic camping. The food was really good - so many vegetarian options and tasty fish and chicken for the kids. Everyone was so kind and friendly. Thank you Seven Wonders!!!
ES
Email Daniel | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad experience. We feel abandoned and unprotected by this company.
Terrible experience! I went with my family to try to see the great migration and thanks to local guides and not our driver we found it but our driver Linos refused to go. First, he asks us for money and they didn't say anything in the company, which we refused, then he began to speak violently and kept us standing for two hours.
When we got internet we called 7 wonders and they informed us that for the 3 hours we had already lost we should book another hotel in the area where the great migration was and pay 2 taxes from the natural parks.
We agreed to pay, we reserved the hotel on our own and when we said to go, the driver Linos refused again, demanding payment in cash. We call 7 Wonders again and they tell us that we must pay in cash.
We take out all the money we have in cash and we are missing 160 USD to reach the amount of 1050 USD that they ask us to pay the park taxes and we inform them that when we go through an ATM we will pay them the amount that is missing.
It is at this time that the situation becomes totally surreal. The driver Linos calls the company and makes up a story that we have insulted him and that he is not going to take us to the area of the great migration where we had already reserved and paid for a hotel minutes before. We called the company and he told us, to our surprise, that we had offended his driver and that the new plan was cancelling.
I insist, at no time did anyone say anything offensive to the driver Linos.
We missed the chance to see the great migration.
We lost 662 USD from the hotel we had booked.
We had to put up with another day and a half with this driver and his derogatory comments about what he called our white money.
We had to see Ngorongoro with a negative environment and with 0 explanations.
We had three car breakdowns along the way.
Tanzania is beautiful. There are many Safari companies.
I think that in our case, perhaps more than being a problem with 7 Wonders, it was a manipulation and attitude of the driver.
He wanted to share the experience because no one should go through the situation that we live.
Reply from Seven Wonders Safaris
Posted on Jul 19, 2023Dear Daniel,
We would like to thank you for your feedback regarding your experience with us during your trip to Tanzania.
We are sad to hear that it turned out as disappointment as this was not really our intention as our aim is to offer good service to all our guests regardless.
Just to share our side of story, you have booked 4 Day safari which was supposed to take you to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, with one overnight to each park. You started with Lake Manyara and everything went just fine, the problem started on the third day in Serengeti where you were supposed to do half game drive then drive to Ngorongoro for an overnight.
In the morning of that day you asked your guide to drive you to where the migration is which was a bit far from where you were on that day and your guide explained to you that it will not be possible to drive there and get to Ngorongoro before dark as we are not supposed to drive guests around during dark.
The misunderstanding occurred and your guide decided to call the office so that we can explain to you and the office elaborate to you what will be possible by that time. So you were advised to spend another night in Serengeti at your own costs given that it was a last minute changes and there was nothing to do to get any refund from Ngorongoro accommodation, and agreed with that and we advised you to contact your accommodation as that is where you were staying and you already had a direct contact with them and see if they will be able to accommodate you and pay them directly, something which you did.
So the other charges was for the extra charges as park fee and concession fee to overnight Serengeti on that second night, we gave you all calculations and you said you can pay right away. After 15 minutes you told your guide you have no problem to pay but you prefer to do it in Arusha and it wasn't really $ 60 as you claimed on your feedback.
Your guide informed the office again and we told you that is what you suppose to do immediately for you to have a second night in Serengeti and the park cannot wait until your return in Arusha, that is where everything went wrong as you were not willing to pay this extra.
We understand you were really eager to see the migration and we have tried our level best to assist you, but since you were not willing to cover the extra cost then it became hard and beyond our control as your time was not enough and of course the program you had was not really for migration during July, August and September.
Before your arrival in Tanzania our colleague explained to your Agent of where the migration will be during your visit, but you insisted that you know exactly where they are as you have been tracing them and we should change your accommodation from Northern part to Kirawira.
For the time wasted in Serengeti, it is because we were trying to find solution and wait for you to confirm with your accommodation in-order for your guide to know where to go as you completely disrupted your program for that day.
Before this review was submitted, you contacted our office through WhatApp and you were in contact with our Manager and you requested $ 1,500 as refund for the bad experience and when we were working on it we just saw your review with different stories of what you were claiming on WhatsApp.
On behalf of our Company we really like to apologize about the behavior of our guide during this trip and about the breakdown which sometimes can happen because of the conditions of our roads, we will work on all this to do better in the future.
Great guides!
Very thankful to Evelyn from 7 Wonders. The discussions took months, but she was very responsive & helpful throughout.
On our first day, we met George in their office for a general briefing so that we know what to expect for the entire trip. Our first guide, Julius was humble & knowledgeable. We were then assigned Hozza for most of our safaris. He was friendly & very knowledgeable as well. He had a good eye to spot all the wildlife. Car breakdowns are really common, but it was resolved seamlessly due to the company’s good teamwork.
They even arranged their own chefs to come to our lodges to ensure we were well fed. We met Issac & Dickson & they were really friendly & good cooks too.
We were accompanied with Martin up Mt. Kilimanjaro, Rogath & Tobias around Marangu area. We are of good praises for all these guides assigned to us. Highly recommend 7 wonders
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Email Clint | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent guide and great service.
We booked a 3 day private camping tour to visit the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater. The trip was excellent! The tour included airport pickup and drop off, two nights of hotel stay, and the 3 day safari with meals.
Our guide, William, was very knowledgeable and friendly. He was continuously pointing out animals to us and teaching us about what we were looking at. He was excellent at spotting animals and made sure to spend time helping us to see everything that we were interested in. Our cook and William's helper, Dixon, was very fun and energetic.
I would recommend this tour for anyone interested in camping and spending as much time with the wildlife as possible.
EC
Email Tatiana | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect first safari experience with Seven Wonders Safaris
Seven Wonders Safaris is a trusted company so please don’t doubt and go on safari with them. I want to say many thanks to Evelyn who helped me in the process of booking my first safari. She was always willing to answer any kind of questions I made and she resolved all my doubts. My friends and I did a 4 day mid range safari that was like luxury visiting Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro and we couldn't have had a better guide than Nestor. He is a very knowledgeable and experienced guide who can spot everything even in many kilometers of distance, he is very professional and respectful of the wildlife so if you are planning to go on safari ask for Nestor to be your guide, you won't regret. He always made us feel comfortable and protected. We saw many animals but the best was a big pride of lions with 11 baby lions...so lovely. Thanks again Seven Wonders Safaris team for this once in lifetime experience and also thanks for the fantastic birthday surprise in Rhino Lodge that was memorable and I'll allways keep it in my heart.
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Email Rick Jones | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a Lifetime Thanks to 7 Wonders
Prior to booking we had a rough idea of the parks we wanted to visit. Evelyn worked with us to create the perfect itinerary, giving suggestions and info that we would not have gotten elsewhere. She was very responsive and dealt with our many complications (we had a large group with differing travel itineraries).
Arriving in Africa, 7 Wonders took care of everything and made it very easy for us to get to our destination and begin our journey. Along with Evelyn, Rose helped with the portion of our trip in Kenya. We met our drivers day 1, they were extremely nice (Stanley and Geoff) and were just as excited to be there as we were. These drivers were super knowledgeable and navigated the park effortlessly to get us in the right spots at the right time to see the animals. We also had to make a border crossing to get to Tanzania and the drivers helped make that process much easier for us.
In Tanzania we had Jose and William as our drivers. Their expertise of the area and animals led to us seeing two cheetah takedowns, 3 leopards, 5 rhinos, and so much more. It was truly special.
We stayed at four different Lodges / Camps and they all were amazing in different ways. Our favorite was the Serengeti Tortilis camp, where life in the tents was very comfortable and the staff made us feel like family.
We already miss being back in Africa and we cannot recommend enough that people should use 7 Wonders for planning their safari vacation.
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Email Sandra Pelfrey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely magnificent
recently returned from safari with Seven Wonders. I took the private, 8 day safari with a friend. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was hoping for a great safari. I got far more than I expected to from the time I stepped off the plane until the time we returned, it was nothing but a magnificent experience. I can’t say enough good things about this company. The owners were courteous, informative and prompt with all questions and emails I had. Our driver was José and he was absolutely amazing. He went out of his way to make sure we had a great safari. Not only did he take every chance that was provided for us to see the animals at close, he was also mindful of the other vehicles that were there to see the animals as well. If there were vehicles there waiting, he would move out of the way so they could observe the animals up close as well. If we felt like we would like to see the animals for a bit longer, he would wait until the other vehicles left and then take us back to see them. He was so patient with us. Every time I felt like I was taking too long or asking too many questions, he had reassured me that I wasn’t and said many times just enjoy yourself. When we had questions regarding the next place, we would stay, he would call the office and get us a very prompt answer. The day before we left, we decided to get a day room so we weren’t at the airport all day. We had waited far too long to expect to have a day room. However, Evelyn went out of her way to make sure that this happened. If you’re even considering going on Safari, I would strongly recommend this company. I will be going back and definitely using this company again. there are no words to express my gratitude to Seven Wonders Safari.
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Email Mary Margaret A. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Trip of a Lifetime
My daughter and her husband planned a custom safari for us. We traveled with them, our older son and his girlfriend and my daughters in laws. Not only did 7 wonders plan a custom safari but we traveled in two separate groups arriving on different days and left from different airports on different days to allow for timely arrival for the safari departure. Evelyn and group from 7 Wonders Safari did an exemplary job. Additional hotel rooms and all the necessary travel were arranged. Our drivers in Kenya for Masai Mara (Stanley and Geoffrey) were phenomenal. We saw and learned so much in our first two days we didn't think it would or could get any better.
Then our tour with William and Jose began in Serengeti, Olduvai Gorge, Ngorongoro Crater, and Terengeti. Our drivers knew what to look for with animals etc which enabled us to witness a cheetah take down a gazelle and then her cubs within seconds take down a baby gazelle (I know it sound horrific however it was nature at it most basic). We saw mutliple leopards including one about 350 yards away while on foot for our guarded walking safari (yes pretty crazy) and several black rhinos at such a close distance, including a baby rhino. The accommodations during the safari were amazing. We can't say enough about Tortillis camps. You are truly in and part of nature and the experience is amazing. Thank you so much Evelyn and group. We have already recommended you to our friends and family. It was a trip of a lifetime.
Date of experience: March 2023
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Email Nick | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, knowledgeable, and accommodating
We had a phenomenal time and our drivers Jose and William were fantastic. We saw the Big 5 and even saw a cheetah take down a gazelle. Truly a once in a lifetime experience. Our drivers for the Kenyan part of the trip in Mason Mari we’re also wonderful (Jeff and Stanley)