Trip Advisor Africa Safaris
Trip Advisor Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Tour Types:
- Short mid-range tours (½ to 3 days)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Everything we would have asked for with a budget safari, even a little more!!
We had arranged a private 8 day safari from Nairobi through Kenya, across the border to Tanzania and then ending in arusha for 2 of us. Trip advisor safaris was very open to helping us plan the perfect trip for our budget and included the parks we asked for. We emailed back and forth a bunch trying to settle on the perfect itinerary with enough time to catch our plane from arusha to zanzibar. Although this tour operator was very accommodating, the only reason I took one star off was because I felt like it was a bit pushy to book every day and it was very difficult to sort out payment. I am from Canada and we dont do direct bank transfers and I found giving a deposit very annoying. Also when we arrived in nairobi to give full payment, he expected $3000us cash. Qe were not adware this is how it would be done and no way would i carry that in cash travelling alone from Canada as a female. So we paid by credit card in the end and paid the transaction fee percentage and waited in the office until the transaction arrived at the bank and then we went there so he could get the cash out for our safari guide. I feel like this could have been avoided with more clear communication. As for our safari, our guide in Kenya was Rubin and he was 5/5!!! He was so kind and honest and we trusted him 100%. He was a very reliable driver and was able to show us more animals than we ever expected! He was quiet, but very happy to answer all of our questions at any time. He never tried to make us shop or buy things, which was very nice for us. Our accommodations were even nicer than expected in Kenya some nights considering it was on a tight budget! Our crossing over the border to Tanzania was easy and our tanzanian guide Salim was waiting for us when we arrived. This portion was organized through trip advisor Safaris using the company kili slope. Salim was energetic and full of information and eager to find big cats for us. We saw many lions and also a leopard and a cheetah! Amazing! He was also a safe driver and happy to share information and quiz us on what he taught. Our personal cook in Tanzania was also named Salim and he made 100% vegetarian food for us as requested. He made delicious soups and yummy packed lunches! We were very pleased with our experience and saw everything we could imagine. As most recommendations say, get everything in writing. Our itinerary was not as full as it said because driving times in between were much longer than it seemed. But even so, we would recommend organizing with this company because we had a great time!!
US
Email Carolyn & Peter from San Diego | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelievable experience, fantastic locations, wonderful camps
My wife and I took a 15 day private safari to Kenya and Tanzania in August and September 2018. We booked everything through Trip Advisor African Safari (TAAS) in Nairobi. The owner, Seth Vincent, was terrific to work with. He worked very closely with us over several months as we customized our itinerary and accommodations to exactly what we wanted and we valued all of Seth's input and guidance. Seth met us at Nairobi airport and was constantly in communication with us during the entire time. Our Kenya portion was a clear 5 STAR experience with a terrific driver/guide, Ken, who took us to all the right viewing locations and gave us great insight into the animals, land, people and culture. Unfortunately Kenya and Tanzania do not have great relationships when it comes to tourism an don't have reciprocal arrangements. That meant half way through our safari when we transferred from Kenya to Tanzania we also had to change driver and vehicle and go with a Tanzanian subcontractor of TAAS. We were disappointed with our driver as he was very uncommunicative and told us little about what was going on. He did take us to fantastic viewing and we saw everything we wanted to see. The lodges and camps were all spectacular. If there was a 4 1/2 STAR rating, I would have selected that, but the guide in Tanzania was significantly below standard.
We would highly recommend TAAS for any Kenyan safari. Seth is easy to work with and very knowledgeable. The value of this private safari was substantially better than any group tour we looked at. During our entire safari we felt very safe and couldn't be more happy with the overall experience and the memories we created.
CA
Email Tony | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall, fantastic
Taking everything into consideration, I received my money's worth. There were a few hiccups. We were a group of 12, and our understanding was that we purchased a private tour. However, when we got to Nairobi, we found that there was a 13th person included in our group. This was an inconvenience (no offence meant to this person), as we had to share two vehicles. All of the hotels were as promised and very good, except just one in Tanzania. We were told some rooms at the hotel that was promised, were not available, and we would be taken to another in Arusha. The hotel in Arusha was not up to the standard of that promised. I tried to get the hotel booking reference numbers beforehand so that I could confirm the bookings and the number of rooms, before our trip commenced. However, I met with some resistance, even from some members of our own group that protest the loudest, and never got this information. Then there was another incident in Tanzania where the hotel was claiming they were not paid for the second night, and wanted us to make the payment. Eventually though, it got sorted out. As you can see, it was mostly in the Tanzania side of our Kenya/Tanzania tour that we encountered some problems in logistics.
So those were the "cons". Taken with the broader scheme of things, they were minor. We did manage to complete the tour, and we did encounter heaps of wild life. I should also mention another incident that will show that the organizers had the well being of their clients at heart. One of my luggage, containing some of my medicines, did not arrive with us to the Nairobi airport. Seth Vincent (from Trip Advisor Africa Safaris) made the effort to collect it when it arrived (two days later) and forward it to me to the point of our tour.
Email María | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The worst experience of my life
I don’t recommend this agency at all. I work in tourism and travelled around the world and never in my life I got such a bad experience. Seth Vicent the one who sold us the package Safari Kenia and Tanzania just Cheat on us with many lies regarding our tour. He was not paying the entrance at the parks, accommodations were never the ones we agreed and the last day we couldn’t check out of the hotel because he didn’t pay it. We paid everything in advance. We were having such a bad time. He was all the time aware of that but he didn’t fix it he was just playing with us telling that he will refund the services that we paid for and we never get. Now we are dealing with the police and embassy for some justice , and also because this type of no -professionals are not good for a country neither for tourists that want to enjoy.
Reply from Trip Advisor Africa Safaris
Posted on Oct 10, 2018Jambo Maria,
Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us.
We are really sorry for all that happened while on your trip,we confirmed your trip expecting to deliver our quality and best hospitality ,we even came up with un alternative of securing for you private tour for the same program without extra charge just to give you the best,thought at long last our Tanzania counterpart did not keep his promise, after you have cross border,Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience cause during this period and this will not happen again since we are know having our branch office in Arusha.
Kind regards Seth Vincent.
CA
Email Chris | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
OK Tour for money paid but proper organization and attention to detail will help!!
This is a review of the 12 day Kenya / Tanzania Safari that 12 of us (Private Tour) undertook from 12 – 23 September, 2018 organized through Seth Vincent, Director Trip Advisor Africa Safaris, Nairobi.
The Nairobi airport pick up and transfer to hotel went off well and the Sarova Stanley Hotel that was booked for that night as per itinerary was great.
As per the itinerary day 1, the tour of Nairobi commenced at 9:00 am on 12 September. At the outset Seth introduced us to a 13th person (not known to any one of us in our group of 12) who was going to join our tour group. This was a complete surprise to us and none of us were happy about it. We questioned Seth why this was sprung upon us and he was quiet. Although this was not acceptable to us, based on the compassionate nature of our group we had no objection and the group became 13. On hindsight, we should not have allowed this and stuck to our position of only our 12 as this extra person in the vehicle led to great inconvenience with seating/viewing.
Seth/Trip Africa Safaris must ensure private tours remain private and limited to the people in the original group – no additions whatsoever, without prior written approval by the group.
While out on the Nairobi tour, we quickly realized the detailed itinerary as given to us by Seth was not realistic. Moreover, the drivers/guides were completely unaware of the contents of the itinerary. They had their own plans which made more sense than the given itinerary. Seth/Trip Africa Safaris must ensure the itinerary submitted to clients is realistic and correct AND it is copied to the driver/guide so that everyone is on the same page. Evening ended with a great welcome dinner to our group at the Carnivore as given in the itinerary.
Day 2 – Drive times given in itinerary were wrong but the drive from Nairobi – Nakuru through Great Rift Valley, game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, and Sarova Lion Hill – Nakuru overnight hotel part were as given in itinerary. A problem we encountered was the hotel not having individual bookings in the names of persons in our group and the additional person. This led to confusion and delays checking in. Seth/Trip Advisor Africa must ensure hotel reservations are made in individual/couple/family name with individual reservation confirmation numbers, which can be confirmed by the clientele even before arriving in Kenya/Tanzania etc.
Day 3, 4, 5- Lake Naivasha, Masai Mara good but previously mentioned hotel check in problem existed at Azure Mara Haven.
Day 6, 7 - Drive to Tanzania Serengeti through Isebania border. Transfer to Tanzania vehicles/s driver/guide OK. Hotel check in problematic once again at Serengeti Serena on day 6. Major problem in checking out on day 7 as tour operator had not paid the hotel bill in full. This is completely unacceptable and must not happen.
Seth/Trip Advisor Africa must take full responsibility for ALL arrangements both in Kenya and Tanzania side as our group agreement is only with Seth. As a client we have no involvement with any sub agents.
Day 8, 9 – deviations from the given itinerary started to be made due to the bad/lack of planning of the Tanzanian sub agent who it appeared had not made any firm bookings for our group in Ngorongoro, and Tarangire. We were sent to Serena Manyara instead of Serena Ngorongoro, and Impala Hotel, Arusha instead of Sopa Lodge -Tarangire, which is a major downgrade of hotel not at all acceptable to the group. We were kept in the dark as to where we were staying until late evening and it was extremely disappointing particularly with the drivers/guides working in collusion with the Tour Agent/s. Game drives were shortened and varied from those given in itinerary. These changes are all unacceptable to clients such as our group who paid all the money that was asked up front well before the due date.
Seth/Trip Advisor Africa must take full responsibility for the inconvenience, peace of mind, etc.
Day 10, 11 – Transfer at Namanga OK and overnight at Sopa Lodge – Amboseli as given in itinerary. Game drives ok but changes to lunch arrangements by drivers unacceptable ( got boxed lunches from Sopa instead of Hot Lunch at Amboseli Serena as given in itinerary).
Day 12 – Back to Nairobi and farewell dinner at Thai Restaurant – Sarova Stanley Hotel as requested by group was good.
A good thing about this tour was that we saw loads of animals at very close quarters. This I believe is partly luck and to the efforts of the drivers/guides Ken and Jacob in Kenya AND Ben and Ziggy in Tanzania , although the latter two were partly responsible in working with their Tanzanian Boss to keep us in the dark on change of hotels. The arrangements on the Kenya side seem to be more in lines with the itinerary and OK but the same cannot be said on the Tanzania side.
I am satisfied with the tour but Seth/Trip Advisor Africa will have to improve tremendously if we are to actively recommend them. They are disorganized and needs to put a lot of effort up front to have realistic itineraries, vehicle details (A/C or Non A/C) and firm/confirmed individual hotel bookings with reference numbers available to client before coming over to Africa. Also, Seth must keep to his words when verbal promises are made to clients on site. That would go a long way in building trust and recommending Trip Advisor Africa as a reliable entity.
Chris - Canada
DE
Email Konrad | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lovely Safari with some minor problems
I did a Safari with TripAdvisor Africa in August 2018. The safari included one day in Tarangire, two days in the Serengeti and one day in the Ngorongoro Crater. I got the contact details from the Tour operator, who always tried to help me through the problems who occured during the trip. The Tour operator is placed in Nairobi and has an operator in Arusha. The operator in Arusha was SafariBookEvolution. I can just advice you to tell the operator, not to use this guy. The first problem was he was not picking me up at the airport. I took a taxi instead which was quite expensive. TripAdvisorAfrica refunded that taxidrive in the end. The pick up for my travelmate did not work as well, even if I had telephone contact to the nairobi office. The operator in Arusha was out of control...
The morning the safari was taking place we were carried to an athiopian coffee where some people were sitting. The operator from arusha did not say hello and he was sitting at the neighbortable all the time. When he came to us he was offending and wanted to see the money right at the beginning. I told him, thta I do not do that and them he was telling me that I can go away. I kept cool and when I saw the safari car everything was fine. I guess Tripadvisorafrica quitted the contract with that operator afterwards. I was still able to stay in contact with them all the time, which gave me a better feeling. The safari itself was super great, we saw many animals and we had the best driver ever. Thanks brutus. The cook was great and the tents were in a good shape. The car was cleaned before the safari and I felt way better when we let that guy from safaribookevolution behind us.
After the safari the transport failed as well, but that was obviously and we were already prepared. We also got a refund for that.
In conclusion I already recommend that company two times. They are always there for you, you can stay in contact and they are thrusty. If something failes, they will refund you with the whole amount of money and they are paying the fees for the bank as well.
I was unlucky with my operator in arusha, but I would book with tripadvisorafrica again, but I would ask him to choose another operator in arusha instead of safaribookevolution.
IT
Email Biagio | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Really good organization. From picking up at the airport to the safari itself!!!Recommended!
The whole safari was amazing. The agency provided me help also in accommodation the first night before the start of Safari, taking also care of the others luggages I didn't need during the safari. Tha safari was amazing, we saw all species!!!! big 5 and more. The guide was helpful in recognizing species and in giving us some explanations - not so many detailed but useful in general. The first accommodation in the camp just outside masai mara was wonderful - as living close the savanna. The second accommodation at nakuru was perfect about the quality of theroom in the hotel, but food and general organization in the hotel was really scarce! Anyway, the beauty of Nakuru lake with rhino and flamingo definitely didn't make us think about.
Strongly recommend this experience and this agency!
CA
Email Mano | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very poor organzation with outright cheating as we didn't get th promised game drives and hotels
We went on a tour with Vincent Seth from Trip Advisor African Safaris(from the 7-24th of Sept 2018) and I would like to make the following comments.
We paid the money in 3 installments - First about 4 months ago, 2nd about a month ago and the last installment when we arrived in Nairobi (this is the way he asked).
Tour - Group = 12 to be accommodated in 2 vehicles as a private tour with an English speaking Driver/Guide. Tour 11days in Kenya/Tanzania with 5 of us doing an optional 4 day tour at the beginning in Zanzibar.
Day 1 - Zanzibar : Driver who picked us up spoke practically no English(acceptable for this part bout not later when touring). We were to have 3 singles and 1 double but when we got there the hotel stated we were booked as a triple and 1 double. Had to contact Vincent (while sharing a room for the initial hours by 2 of us - 3rd arrived later) who corrected the problem. Excellent Hotel (Blue Bay Resort). The day we arrived we were to on a Spice Tour in the afternoon - Driver who dropped as well as his Zanzibar contact(Willie) didn't inform us that somebody would be arriving to at 2PM to pick us up (when we have gone on tours the driver before leaving gives clear cut instructions a to the next pick up time-but this didn't happen). We were in the restaurant but whoever arrived at 2PM didn't bother to look for us but left after a while(if he told the front desk they would have had no difficulty locating us as we were only 30 metres away).
Day 2 : We went on the missed Spice Tour followed by the Old Town Tour - Guides very knowledgeable and overall very good tour; Suggestion - We were taken for lunch to a restaurant stating it is local food although the food was essentially Indian Food (which I know has a big influence on the local cuisine). There were other tourists there with the lunch acceptable. After the lunch during the tour we were taken to a colonial hotel with a nice restaurant overlooking the bay - It would have been better to give an option to the tourists to go to the usual place vs this restaurant (for an additional charge) as we anyway stopped there for tea, thus spending time.
Day 3: All problems commenced. On our schedule we were to be taken for a boat tour to see Dolphins followed by lunch and a tour to local sanctuary for a visit including a Colobus Monkey viewing. We had a 2hr drive to go to the Dolphin site (+ 2hrs back). The driver spoke no English at all. When we reached the beach there wasn't a single other tourist there (thus I am not sure whom they sub-contracted to do the tour). The motor boat was fine but the life jackets provided were old and frayed with the zips not functional. There was only one additional straps on the jacket (usually has 2-3) with the no clips to latch. Thus we tied the 2 frayed ends with an hand done knot. This in my opinion is gross negligence and dangerous. As you are aware a large number of people died in a Ferry accident in Tanzania a few days ago. The boat driver again spoke very little English. After the boat ride the car driver stated that he was asked to take us back to the hotel and that he wasn't told about lunch/Colobus monkey tour. After our insistence he had a back and forth discussion with Willlie with the phone handed to us to argue with him with regards to provision of the remaining portion of the trip. After wasting nearly 1hr the driver was told to take us back to the boat area to a restaurant - When we taken to this beach side restaurant there was not a single customer in the restaurant and there was not a single staff person to be seen either. We certainly weren't prepared to have lunch there and asked the driver to take us back to the hotel. We were not expecting a fancy restaurant(I have eaten at many beachside cafes in the Caribbean) but this place wasn't suitable to have a meal. The only people in the restaurant were 4 young kids seated and playing cards.
Day 4: Arrived in Nairobi. Taken to Sarova Stanley hotel- An excellent hotel. Vincent Seth was there. It took nearly 2hrs to get the rooms as Vincent had not made the bookings according to what we paid for ( 5 double/twin rooms and 2 singles). However we took this in good stride but informed Vincent that he needs to make a list citing the names and the room allocations and fax it to all the other hotels in advance to expedite the check in. Vincent spent a lot of time asking us to write all the names in detail citing the room requirements (all this info was already sent to him beforehand). However the next day he brought a sheet written by him many names misspelt and handing over to us. I explained to him that he needs to fax this the hotels and there was no need to give each of us copies. The list was ultimately not faxed to any of the hotels except possibly one.
Day 5 (Tour Of Nairobi): Vincent arrived late and stated that another person from England was going to joining us in our tour. This was a total surprise as we were to have a private tour. Although the person was quite nice having the 7th person in the van resulted in limitations for space to carry luggage as well as inconvenience when trying to jockey for position during game viewing(especially in Tanzaniawhere the truck had only 7 Tour of Nairobi -although identified we were not taken to the Nairobi Natl park, Blixen Museum etc - Vincent had too many things on the schedule and the drivers didn't have copies of the schedules with them (This was an issue throughout the tour where not a single driver/guide had the schedule given to us. Evening - Dinner at Carnivoro Restaurant - Nice
Day 6 : Told by Vincent that we would reach Lake Nakuru in 2-3hrs (and we would have a full game drive there) with his drivers insisting that it would take 4-5hrs (the latter turned out to be correct). Nice Hotel
Day 7/8 : Masai Mara - No issues although game drive on last day not done as road issues forcing a detour.
Day 9/10 : Serengeti Serena Lodge - Excellent hotel and good game drives. When we went to check out of the hotel after staying 2 nights the Manager told us that we cannot leave as the hotel has not been paid for the 2 nights with only a deposit made. He wanted us to pay US$ 5100.00. We obviously refused but were held hostage at this hotel until 1145AM. We had to make dozens of phone calls to get hold of Vincent and his Tanzania agent (Ibrahim) to arrange for the payment. Ibrahim stated that Vincent hadn't paid him and Vincent stated that Ibrahim had played him out. In addition to the mental anguish we missed the morning game drive. If anybody disbelieves this please feel free to phone the Mgr at the Serengeti Serena - his name was Vincent as well
Day 10 -we were to be taken to the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge for the night(as per our schedule) but the drivers stated that we should go to Lake Manyara Serena to allow for proper game drives at Ngorongoro as well as Tarangerie. Ultimately we had totally inadequate game drive at Ngorongoro and never got any worthwhile game drive at Tarangerie either(see reasons below). We were unfortunately naïve to believe this with Vince stating later that the Ngorongoro Serena and the Lake Manyara Serena are similarly priced - however when I checked on the Serena website a few days ago the Ngorongora Serena was listed at US$480 and the Lake Manyara Serena at US$ 280.00 (thus we were cheated again).
Day 11- We were driven to Tarangarie Natl Park(90 minutec drive) to be accommodated at the Sopa Lodge in Tarangerie for the night (as per original schedule). Throughout the day we had no confirmation from Vincent or Ibrahim as to where we are going (we repeatedly asked the drivers who stated that they were also not told). After doing a very short game drive(less than 2hrs) we were told that we are to be housed in Arusha (and not in the Tarngarie Park). We drove another 2 1/2 hrs and were taken to the Impala Hotel in Arusha - A very run down hotel with bare electrical wires hanging from the wall.
Day 12 - Amboseli - Good hotel but again as per schedule we were to be taken to the Amboseli Serena within the park for lunch - Instead box lunch given cutting their costs.
All in all the organization was terrible and I wouldn't recommend anybody to book with this company. I have been to numerous countries in the world in many continents but have never seen a person as disorganized as this. I simply do not believe some of the comments on the website stating Vincent was well organized unless we are referring to a different person. A prime example of his lack of understanding is illustrated by the following. My friend texted Vincent from Zanzibar asking him whether he could arrange a late check out as his flight was in the late afternoon (we left in the morning). The reply from Vincent was Jambo - "I would be more than happy to arrange an early checkout for you with the hotel"! As everybody is aware the cost for the tour at this site is substantially less than if you booked through an agent in North America. However this discount is essentially based on avoiding the commission charged by the agent in America - As ultimately they book though agents in the developing countries sometimes even go though other agents in UK etc (with everybody keeping a cut). We have booked though local agents and visited Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and recently Myanmar. We have never had this type of experience. In fact this was my 2nd visit to Kenya/Tanzania. When we went 15yrs ago we used an agent in Nairobi where the price charged was about $2000.00 less than the price asked by North American travel agents. We had absolutely no issues at that time with all hotels provided as per schedule with each driver having a copy of the schedule given to us. Having said all this the only redeeming feature was that we saw loads of wildlife during this tour with the experience exceeding our expectations. This as you know is partly luck and partly the efforts of the drivers. If by chance we didn't see much the trip would have been considered as one of the most terrible tours that I have had. The drivers/guides were quite good with a lot of knowledge on the animals including birds. However I felt that the drivers in Tanzania played us out working in conjunction with the agent - Missing 3-4 game drives, switching to cheaper hotels etc
Mano
Reply from Trip Advisor Africa Safaris
Posted on Oct 9, 2018Jambo Mano,
Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us during your holiday.
I will not comment on this but, I will only copy pest one of the review from the person who was in the same group , same vehicle same drive.
Here below find the copy pest review from one of you!!
Here below find the copy pest review of others in the same group!!
8 Oct 2018 | By Tony
Rating:
5 / 5 stars
CA | Age: 65+ | Experience: 2-5 times
Reply to this review | Report fraud
Overall, fantastic
Taking everything into consideration, I received my money's worth. There were a few hiccups. We were a group of 12, and our understanding was that we purchased a private tour. However, when we got to Nairobi, we found that there was a 13th person included in our group. This was an inconvenience (no offence meant to this person), as we had to share two vehicles. All of the hotels were as promised and very good, except just one in Tanzania. We were told some rooms at the hotel that was promised, were not available, and we would be taken to another in Arusha. The hotel in Arusha was not up to the standard of that promised. I tried to get the hotel booking reference numbers beforehand so that I could confirm the bookings and the number of rooms, before our trip commenced. However, I met with some resistance, even from some members of our own group that protest the loudest, and never got this information. Then there was another incident in Tanzania where the hotel was claiming they were not paid for the second night, and wanted us to make the payment. Eventually though, it got sorted out. As you can see, it was mostly in the Tanzania side of our Kenya/Tanzania tour that we encountered some problems in logistics.
So those were the "cons". Taken with the broader scheme of things, they were minor. We did manage to complete the tour, and we did encounter heaps of wild life. I should also mention another incident that will show that the organizers had the well being of their clients at heart. One of my luggage, containing some of my medicines, did not arrive with us to the Nairobi airport. Seth Vincent (from Trip Advisor Africa Safaris) made the effort to collect it when it arrived (two days later) and forward it to me to the point of our tour.
Thank you !!
AL
Email Livia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
First time to experience safari in Africa and it was the most beautiful one :D 4 days in different parks. Saw a lot of animals. The guide was friendly and helped us to understand better and to make more adventurous our trip. After safari more 4 unforgetable days in Zanzibar. If i could do one more time this trip, I definitely will! Thank you guys
Email Laura | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
not recommendable
Arrangements before starting the trip were managed well. The trip started with a delay of 2,5 hours. No explanations were provided, neither an information about the timing of the later departure. The accommodation in the tent lodge was not good at all: the mosquito net was not arranged, the bathroom was really dirty, food was acceptable, service personal rather rude. The bus we were transported in was not comfortable and noisy. The driver drove safely, was friendly and adapted to our wishes along the game drive. The game drive was nice as the wildlife we could observe was stunning.
Reply from Trip Advisor Africa Safaris
Posted on Aug 30, 2018
Jambo Laura,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
First of all I apologise if we behaved in an unprofessional manner.
I would like you to know that there is a reason that we have all positive reviews except some few individual who confirm safari last minute especially during high season, we don't pay or give special treatment to our clients so that they can write good reviews. We offer our clients value for their money. It was unethical for you to demand me to give you a single occupancy tent which you had not paid for, with threats that you would destroy our business.
My first email to you clearly explained that you will be sharing a tent with another traveler or else you will pay a supplement of USD 100 for you to have a single occupancy room. You ignored this and demanded that you must be given single occupancy room without paying the supplement even if you book last minute,remember I even upgrade your accommodation to mind range though you pay for the budget but still didn't get satisfied with that but demanded that you wanted to be taken to a lodge, I made arrangements and instructed my driver guide to take you to Mara Sopa Lodge where you would pay the supplement for the accommodation at the lodge since you had paid USD310 for a 3days Masai Mara budget safari which could not cover this lodge as it costs almost USD300 without transport, game drives and park fees.
You changed your mind and decided to take the single the mid range which we paid for you not knowing that your budget for 3 days was $ 300PP you even forgot that, however in the morning you declined to stay there claiming you were separated with the rest of the group, the same group you didn't want to share a tent with. All the other members of the group had paid the same rate and they agreed to share the tent and since we did't have any other alternative and you still wanted to stay as single occupancy, we prepared the tent so that you can share it with one of the traveler in the same group.
I think you had not made up your mind about this safari as I remember you had requested a refund a before lunch at Narok, after departure but later you changed your mind and decided to proceed. Please stop misleading our clients there was any miscommunication, evenif there were any you should have accepted the tent we offered you as it was even better and we still paid the extra $50 for it.
I have never heard any other client complain about our driver guide , even the rest of the group recommended him and wrote good reviews about him, he has the best attitude with our clients because he loves his job. I believe if he had a bad attitude like you want to potray he would not have made these efforts to show you the animals you claim he had.
I hope to save you again if it happen you will give us chance God bless you.
Seth Vincent
Director
Trip Advisor Africa Safari.