Shannon was 100% committed, professional, attentive operator that always went the extra mile for us.
Shannon was an absolute pleasure to deal with and was available at a moment’s notice if there was anything we needed to know or tweak in our itinerary. She was informative and reliable and provided us with the tour of a lifetime to Namibia that was top notch accommodation wise as well as excellent value for money. The activities that she suggested we partake in (ie the game drive in Etosha, th ... Read moree Damaraland elephant drive and the Sossusvlei visit) were wonderfully informative and well run too.
The four of us loved every minute and cannot recommend Shannon highly enough.
Great responsiveness and clear communication
Michele was wonderful - communication before and during the trip was quick and clear. We had one concern during our trip and trajectory of our experience changed quickly and significantly after getting Michele included. Highly recommend - lots of great family memories.
Luxury safari
Very high level tour
Private guide
Luxury hotel
All good
CO
| Age: 65+ | Experience:
2-5 safaris Email Roberto Marroquin Grillo
Indigo Safari was the worst of the companies I booked a safari with in Africa
Indigo Safari was the worst of the companies I booked a safari with. The companies in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe were very diligent. It's true that the safari itself is run by different companies, bringing together groups and different accommodations, but everywhere the company I booked with, picked me up at the hotel and took me to the departure point. Indigo Safari doesn't do this, and the ex ... Read morecellent manager who assisted me simply made me feel like I couldn't make any demands. In the others safaris, every day, everyone was attentive to informing me about the schedule, pickup time, and what each game included. In Namibia, with Indigo Safari, I had to find out at the accommodations what time they would pick me up, and they would contact Namibia 2 Go, the operator, and then inform me of the time and program. The excellent manager only informed me, once, that I had to be at the departure point fifteen minutes before the departure time, and I didn't know which one. I asked her several times if water was included, but she didn't answer. She also didn't inform me if lunch was included. Every day I eat breakfast and one meal, either lunch or dinner, and she offered me a plan without either option. Since he never explained the scope of the meal, he forced me to pay extra for food at the lodgings.
Namibia 2 Go, the opearator, every day, carried not only water but also other beverages and always brought lunch for everyone, asking first if they were vegetarians or had a special diet. The top manager seems to have no idea how to operate in the field. But the worst part of all was that I asked for a quote for two safaris, one in Salousvlei and another in Etosha, and manipulated me into choosing the most expensive plans with absurdly high food charges, arguing that the other lodges, more reasonable but also mid-range, were full. At both locations, the Namibia 2 Go vehicles arrived at these lodges first, and from there they took me, usually alone, to the other lodge. At reception, they always asked me why I wasn't staying there, and when I explained, they told me they weren't full at the time. The top manager got upset because I insisted that the safaris I wanted were available; if they weren't, they would close them and wouldn't allow me to quote them. I felt manipulated and poorly treated, and I informed him. His reaction was unprofessional, and after the start date, which he had no idea what time it would start, he never contacted me about anything. The safari was over, and she never did.
Reply from Indigo Safaris:
We strive to provide excellent service and value and have built our reputation on it over the 16 years we have been in business. We take complaints very seriously and investigate them as thouroughly as possible, as mistakes can occasionally occur, and we are always looking to improve.
In this case, Roberto was looked after by Michele, one of our Senior Safari Specialists. Michele has over thirty ... Read moreyears of travel and hospitality experience in operations, lodge management, and safari planning and regularly gets great reviews on this platform and others. At no point was Roberto in contact with any of our management team. Perhaps the reference to "top manager" is the result of using online translation tools from his native language.
We offer safaris which are fully escorted like the safaris Roberto had previously done in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The Namibia safari that Roberto booked was not an escorted safari. The one he booked makes use of daily shuttles to get from one destination to the next and it is the guest's responsibility to get to the shuttle stops on time. This shuttle tour is much more affordable than an escorted tour. These shuttle tours also provide more freedom and flexibility than an escorted tour. We offered him several Namibia escorted group tours, including a cheaper group camping tour, all of which he turned down.
The itinerary for the trip that Roberto booked can be found here: https://wetu.com/ItineraryOutputs/Discovery/eeb95061-f10c-44d8-be2a-23116b52ca67
The above link shows departure times for all the transfers from one lodge to the next. In addition, on day 1 of the tour, it explicitly states that a pick up is not included from his hotel in Windhoek, a hotel that he booked himself, not through us. This fact was again brought to Roberto's attention by email before he arrived in Windhoek, when he contacted Michele and asked for information regarding the transfer he replied that it was not his job to read itineraries, it was our job to pick him up, despite it being made as clear as possible that Indigo Safaris does not have vehicles on the ground doing transfers, and that these are arranged through tried and trusted third parties.
The above itinerary link also states that lunch is not included. Roberto was also informed of this in emails before he booked the tour. The other guests on the tour who had packed lunches had bought them themselves from the lodges they stayed in. Roberto could have done this, too, if he had wanted to.
We provide all of our guests with all the information they need before embarking on a safari. When we send guests the invoice for their safari, we encourage them to read their itinerary again and double check that they are happy with everything.
On top of the pretrip digital itinerary, and PDF invoice with inclusions and exclusions, and a travel app with all the details of the digital itinerary in it, that can be viewed when offline.
If Roberto had read his itinerary, all of his unhappiness could have been avoided.
In response to Roberto's allegation that we manipulated him into booking more expensive lodges, he booked this tour of his own free will. At the time of booking, the more affordable lodges were fully booked. His claim that the other tour was available relates to him seeing the itinerary on Safari Bookings and not understanding that it is a sample and does not reflect live, dynamic availabilities.
That the cheaper accommodation was not available was explained to Roberto and Michele sent screenshots of availability from the lodges to prove to him that they were fully booked. We also have emails from the lodges stating that the more affordable options were unavailable; otherwise, we would have booked them. The lodge has confirmed that between the time of booking and Roberto arriving at the lodge, there were cancellations, with provisional bookings that did not materialise.
We did not force Roberto to book anything. If he didn't want to book the more expensive lodges, he didn't have to. He was free to book a different tour with another company.
Guests are also free to get quotes from other safari operators to ensure that they are getting good value for money, and we are always happy to explain the reasons for the price of our safaris.
However, this was a last-minute enquiry, and Roberto seemed to be in a rush to book it without reading everything properly first, something beyond our control.
If any problems arise during a safari, clients can WhatsApp their safari specialists, who will do their best to resolve the issue. Roberto had Michele's work and personal WhatsApp. Furthermore, Michele messaged Roberto via WhatsApp several times during the trip, but he never responded.
It was only several weeks after the tour that Roberto expressed any dissatisfaction, and we tried to clear this up with him, explaining the above, but his communication was limited to a seven-word response.
Regrettably, Roberto didn't have an experience that would have prompted him to leave a great review, like hundreds of other clients have left on this platform and others. Still, I believe Michele and Indigo Safaris can shoulder no responsibility for that in this case.
Christopher, Managing Director, Indigo Safaris.
Absolutely brilliant
It was very well organized, the choice and order of the lodges was excellent giving a variety of experiences. We especially loved the small scale venues.
Flawless and Stress-Free Planning
Nelia at Indigo Safaris was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. I'm usually the one who plans all of our family trips, so I know firsthand how much work it is. This time, I didn't have to lift a finger! She helped us figure out exactly what we wanted and then handled every detail, booking an incredible trip for us.
Everything worked like clockwork. The three lodges she booked were amazin ... Read moreg, and all our transfers were perfectly pre-planned. I didn't need to worry about a thing or confirm a single detail. It was, without a doubt, the most stress-free travel experience I've ever had.
A fantastic organized tour in Namibia
We visited Namibia for 10 days on a tour that included a shuttle, lodges, and some excursions. Everything worked out perfectly. Comfortable shuttles with friendly and helpful drivers, always on time. Lodges with all the comforts, friendly staff, and beautiful excursions.
Excellent value for money. We really recommend it.
Completely fabulous from start to finish
I chose Indigo Safaris as I wanted to book with a local company who knew their stuff. Michele helped with the booking process and was very helpful, responding quickly to all my questions and quickly pinning down safari dates. The actual safari in Botswana was provided by Bush Ways, who were fantastic - the planning and execution of the camping and safaris was top rate and Evans and Kepapa were o ... Read moreur exceptional guide and cook. The wildlife was unbelievable, far exceeding my expectations.
Spending our last night in the Pioneers Lodge, after 6 nights of wild camping among the lions, hippos and elephants, was the perfect finish to a very memorable trip.
Absolutely fabulous service - made our holiday perfect
Our holiday was phenomenal and Michele was fabulous. Her attention to detail, responsiveness and understanding of what we wanted from the trip was fantastic, helping us with additional suggestions and ideas to make things even better.
Unfortunately we needed to postpone our holiday due to a family bereavement and she was so accommodating and adaptable with the changes, making sure every deta ... Read moreil was perfect. We also experienced some initial difficulties when we arrived (nothing to do with Indigo Safaris?) and Michele was able to support us with some additional changes that needed to be made.
If you'd like a stress-free, amazing travel experience then Indigo Safaris is your place!
High-quality service and excellent experience!
We used Indigo Safaris to book a self-drive safari in Namibia. Michelle was incredibly efficient and responded quickly finding accommodation and supporting with our agenda. Nothing was too much trouble and the organisation was excellent. Everything went smoothly and we had a great time. The value for money was excellent and it took the stress out of our holiday. I'd highly recommend!