Reviews

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 21-30 of 84 Reviews
Christine Botzky   –  
Tanzania TZ
Visited: February 2020 Reviewed: Feb 29, 2020

Email Christine Botzky  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Our Safari was just excellent.
5/5

My mother and me spent 5 days in the Tsavo west and east national park.
We were really lucky with Allen and our safari guide Obama.
He did not hesitated to share his knowledge about the wildlife and also told us many things about the local life.
He patiently guided us through the huge park. We felt really comfortable and happy on our journey together :)
The lodges were just amazing, everything was organized really well.
The only thing for what I would wish an improvement is the staff's behaviour in our last lodge (Ngulia lodge in the west park). The food was ok, compared to the other two lodges nothing special and the staff was not very kind.

But all in all we had an amazing time. Thank you Allen and especially thank you Obama for this unforgettable journey !

Ashwin Kumar Nandakumar   –  
Germany DE
Visited: September 2019 Reviewed: Sep 25, 2019

Email Ashwin Kumar Nandakumar  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Brilliant organiser + knowledgable guides = Best Honeymoon
5/5

Allen is the best contact person one can have to plan an Africa Safari. He was available 24x7 for instant assistance. Unfortunately my flight got delayed and I missed my connecting flight to Nairobi. I was in contact with Allen even at 22:00, he was available, very patient and ensured the trip went smoothly in spite of missing out on the first day. Thanks to his planning we had absolutely no hiccups in our honeymoon and we had a trip that is worth remembering for a lifetime. Back of Africa tailor made our plan to suit out budget and the places we wanted to visit, we had lovely stays and were provided with good knowledgable guides who were very punctual. Overall we had a great experience and we highly recommend this company for your Safari.

jinyoung   –  
South Korea KR
Visited: August 2019 Reviewed: Aug 19, 2019

Email jinyoung  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

A wonderful experience in Tanzania
5/5

I had a two-day tour of Ngorongoro, Tarangire in Tanzania.
It was originally scheduled for three days, but due to delays in flight departures, it arrived in Tanzania 24 hours later than expected. In addition, the baggage was lost.It was really the worst. I informed Alan about this situation, and he gave me feedback in real time. Alan's quick scheduling helped me finish the trip well.
And, because I lost my luggage, the guide helped me buy the things I needed before I started the safari tour.
Although the whole situation has shown the worst, I am very grateful to have completed the trip safely with the help of Allan.

And everyone! Go to Ngorongoro. I saw a family of lions hunting buffalo there. It was by far the best moment.
I wish you good luck, too.

Alex Simoneaux   –  
United States US
Visited: May 2019 Reviewed: Aug 2, 2019

Email Alex Simoneaux  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Obama: The Tour Guide That Made For the Best Safari Ever
5/5

Our guide, Obama, was hands down the best tour guide we could have possibly asked for. He was infinitely knowledgeable on everything you could possibly want to know when visiting these magical landscapes. He spent hours upon hours telling us the stories of the Maasai people, explaining the history of each location and Kenya in general, and detailing the behaviors and habits of every animal we would (and did) see on our safari. Aside from his wealth of knowledge, he was extraordinarily energetic, jovial, kind, and respectful of our wishes for the trip. He bent over backwards and jumped through hoops to make sure we could experience all that was possible. Obama is the kind of person that you'll become best friends with immediately and you know his passion is to provide you with the most unforgettable experience you could hope for.

Yuan   –  
France FR
Visited: July 2019 Reviewed: Jul 23, 2019

Email Yuan  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of Yuan and not that of SafariBookings.
I had to tell myself not to be mad and enjoy this honey moon private tour
1/5

I'm here to note the tour operator so I'd like to state several facts dealing with Back of Africa:
1. Allan asked me to pay the balance in cash but we don't have any USD, so he added 40 dollars (I can't remember how much excatly) bank fee in order to pay by card.

2. Three hours after departure we realized that it's not the direction to our first destination Amboseli so asked our driver. He told us we're actually going to Masai Mara.

3. I contacted Allan, he replied sorry for not telling us, and the program change is due to non availability at a lodge. Given that we were asked to pay the deposit 3 months ago "in order to secure the logistics", it's simply NOT acceptable to make the reservations at the last minute then realize that it's full. After carefully studying and made this tailored grogram together, imagine my furstration when Allan reversed our itinerary without informing us at all.

4. Since the itininary is reversed, I asked for a new full program. He said ok but I never recieved anything until the end of the trip.

5. On the initial program is included 3 hot meals per day, except for the full day safari in Masai Mara. Surprisingly we were given 3 times this non editable and completly non hygiene lunch box (imagine a toast sandwich with cheese and a greasy chicken leg after 5 hours under the sun). So we didn't have lunch and starved the whole day until I suffered from stomachache every evening. For the 3rd time I had to complain and fight for a real meal during our 7 hours drive from Naivasha to Ambosali.
(Allan told us later that full board hotel booking is only 5 dollars more expensive than half board, so it's more interesting for him to book with in-hotel lunch or lunch box. Again, since our program is changed, the road trips don't allow a in-hotel lunch. Since he never sent over the new program, we always needed to figure out by ourselves where we go the next day, and have no clue of lunch arrangement.)

6. On the last day back to Nairobi, Allan joined us for lunch, and asked us to express ourselves. He said sorry again, gave us loads of excuses that we as customers find it hard to accept. I asked on D1 some form of compensation which he refused, because he is too busy, and "miastake is human", and he "learned the lesson". This meeting is a pointless loss of time for our holiday.

7. I felt offended during this whole meeting. Allan was adressing only to my boyfriend and never looked at me, even when saying goodbye.

I would definately recommend Kenya and loved the breath taking scenaries and amazing animals.
Our driver and guide George is quiet and doesn't really smile, but has adequate knowlege and did his job.

These moments of frustration were not expected especially given the price we paid, we need to at least have the service we booked.
If I have any advice to give, do check every detail with him before you pay, and do not trust.

Reply from Back of Africa Adventure
Reply from Back of Africa Adventure
Posted on Aug 2, 2019

Hi Yuan,
I am sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience with myself as an organizer. That was really not my intention I had at the back of my mind more so on our mail conversations as our valued customer. As a company and as a person in charge, I really appreciate your feedback as it is very indispensable.

I would also like to take this chance to comment on your points.

Yuan: Allan asked me to pay the balance in cash but we don't have any USD, so he added 40 dollars (I can't remember how much exactly) bank fee in order to pay by card.
Allan: with due respect, kindly refer to our mail conversation dated April 11, 2019, 12:02 PM, the tour booking form outlines well our company payments policies that were sent to you in good time before you make any down payments to our company via bank to bank transfer. You filled in well and mailed us back two weeks later, I’m pleased to say that I never pushed for a cash payments neither did I asked for more money than what was agreed upon during our mail conversations.
At times as a good customer and as a concerned tourist you need to be honest and not to keep some cards under the table. You had all the options on how to make payments to us including online payments through our company secured link beforehand and you opted and informed us that you shall pay the last bit in cash upon arrival…
regrettably last minute when i dropped you at your Nairobi hotel on sunday July 7th/2019 you told us that you want to settle the balance via card and NOT cash as was earlier communicated via mail and agreed upon.
Little did i know you did this intentionally....same way you gave us a wrong date for airport pickup....of which you have not include in your well versed report. i honestly believe it slipped your mind too....?!

CHANGE ON THE ITINERARY:
I must admit that this was my mistake as it completely slipped my mind and I never informed you in good time that the program was to start from the bottom to the top. I’m so sorry about this please. The main reason why I did reverse the program to start with maasai mara instead of Amboseli national park was to ensure that I get the availability for the lodges that we agreed upon in the package that you both opted for and not that we did reservations last minute.
I could have missed the facilities that were agreed upon if in any case the trip commenced with Amboseli and end it with maasai mara game reserve as per the original plan.

The below was the sketch revised itinerary:
Day 1. July 8th/2019. Nairobi to maasai mara sopa lodge
Day 2. July 9th/2019. Maasai mara – acc. Mara sopa lodge.
Day 3. July 10th/2019. Maasai mara to Naivasha sopa lodge.
Day 4. July 11th/2019. Naivasha / hell’s gate NP. To Amboseli Kibo safari luxury tented lodge.
Day 5. July 12th/2019. Amboseli NP. Acc was at Amboseli kibo safari luxury tented lodge.
Day 6. July 13th/2019. Amboseli Np. To Nairobi ----END OF TRIP.
I opted for the above due to the availability of the rooms since the month of July is a beehive activity with various lodges. though NO NATIONAL PARK or GAME RESERVE was compromised.

MEAL PLAN:
The meal plan was full board in every lodges and I believe “Tom, Dick and Harry” who has done similar trip in the past do understand the logistics involve. I’m astounded to read that you got greasy lunch boxes from outlined facilities. If it is not a matter of “adding salt to the open wound”, then as an operator I shall follow up with the outlined facilities.

COMPENSATION:
I honestly did outline to you why compensation was not possible since it was just a twist of the program to start to maasai mara instead of commencing with amboseli National park. It was not intentionally reversed but just to ensure I get the rooms in good time, all other logistics were as was communicated and agreed upon in our mail conversations and even the park entries, accommodations were paid in good time for the flow of the program and there were no transportation problems since we only have a new cars for our programs.

Once again do accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience you may have experienced in respect to starting your trip with maasai mara game reserve instead of Amboseli National park.
We take this opportunity to thank you for your feedback which allows us to serve you and other customers better today and tomorrow.
We deeply value your trust, relationship / business with Back Of Africa Adventure and I’m committed to providing you with the highest level of service simply because our customers deserve the very best. If you have any further questions or comments regarding this matter, please feel free to discuss it with us via e mail or phone call.
Yours sincerely
Allan.

Malcolm & liz   –  
Spain ES
Visited: June 2019 Reviewed: Jun 29, 2019

Email Malcolm & liz  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Dream come true safari.
5/5

I contacted 4 companies in kenya and told them what we wanted. Only 1 came back with a price for exactly what we asked for. Alan from Back Of Africa Adventure was a pleasure to deal with. He always responded within minutes to my wasaps and emails and i can assure you i sent a lot of messages. The price for our 4 nights 5 days safari stunned me i never ever thought we could have got so much value for little money. We seen 4 out the big 5 but that was good for us as our guides done their upmost best. Seeing 2 leopard was the highlight. I now know we could afford another safari and if i am ever in Kenya again i will be in touch with Alan for sure. Did i mention our tents at the campsite were ensuite?

Mary   –  
Spain ES
Visited: June 2019 Reviewed: Jun 20, 2019

Email Mary  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Great Safari (Masai Mara)
5/5

Everything was as we arranged with the company and we had a very good experience at Masai Mara. Our acommodation at Sopa Lodge Masai Mara was wonderful.
I recommend Back of Africa Adventure!!!!

Carlos Andres Solis V   –  
Colombia CO
Visited: June 2019 Reviewed: Jun 15, 2019

Email Carlos Andres Solis V  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Life changing experience.
5/5

For me everything worked nice and smooth, since the first day that I arrived in Nairobi, Allan was attentive and answered all my questions and doubts. The Safari itself was amazing, we managed to see a lot of animals including 4 of "the big five" and the incredible wildebeest and cebra migration. The drivers (I had two) were very friendly and gave explanations about animal behavior and other data. The camp also very good, the staff there also an amazing group of people. It definitely met my expectations.

Harriet Clark   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: November 2018 Reviewed: Nov 29, 2018

Email Harriet Clark  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

A life adventure!
5/5

Me and my dad had the best time with Back of Africa Safari tours. A real adventure, with a great tour group and a hero of a tour guide/driver. He made the whole experience not just a bucket list moment but also a comedy show inter-disbursed with great knowledge of nature! I strongly urge anyone to give this a go as a simple must! Needless to say I will also be back in the hopefully near future!

Tang Alice   –  
Hong Kong HK
Visited: September 2018 Reviewed: Sep 28, 2018

Email Tang Alice  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Back of Africa have did a great job in organizing and guiding during our whole trip in Kenya
5/5

This is my first time visit Kenya and thank you so much that Back of Africa have provided to me a great experience throughout my safari. Allan is really helpful and pleased to answer any of our questions during our planning stage especially arranging the pick up and drop off from and to airport no matter how early is the flight....pick up at very early morning 4am with no worries.

Our guide, George, an extremely experienced and really nice guy. He can spot the animals so quick that we even need to search for some time from where they are. George will try his best effort to search for the hiding animals and explained to us in details their character and behaviour with best of his knowledge. We indeed can understand more about the wild. Overall the safari is wonderful. The lodge we are staying with very good standard, the price is reasonable, the safari is smooth and well planned and the service is excellent.

I will highly recommend my friends to join Back of Africa or maybe me again in the coming future.

Average User Rating
4.8/5
Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 70
  • 4 star 10
  • 3 star 1
  • 2 star 1
  • 1 star 2
Write a Review

Disclaimer

  • All corporate and/or tour info is provided by Back of Africa Adventure, not SafariBookings
  • The tours offered by Back of Africa Adventure are subject to their terms & conditions