Zanzibar office team ready for your services
Soul of East Africa Safaris (Uhuru Travel)
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Member Of:
- TATO, ZATO & ZATI
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
AR
Email Gabriel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Uneven service, with great things mixed with defficient aspects
We bought a 3-week package thru Uhuru with my family of 5 (me, my wife, and 3 grown-up children (27-25-23), from December 28th to Jan 17th, 2020. It included 12 days in safaris, and 8 days in Zanzibar. We chose the mid-range option (other being budget & luxury).
Positive side:
1. First, Margaret, our contact person throughout the trip, was there for us 24/7, constantly attentive to our needs, and ready to solve any problem that could arise. It was great to have her reachable in Whatsapp at all times!
2. The organizational part was impeccable, everybody was waiting for us in the right places, at the right times, rooms ready in hotels, guides and drivers ready to take us where we were going.
3. All the lodges in the safari part of the trip, also great, meeting or exceeding our expectations!
4. Having a vehicle and a guide/driver exclusively for ourselves the entire trip was also great.
5. The guides: superb! Perfect I’d say for Charles in Kenya, and very good Godwin in Tanzania. They of top importance, you get to spend most of your day with them.
On the Negative side:
6. Major problem: the vehicles! Transport in safaris are 50% of the experience. In a trip like this, we spent 8-12 hours a day on the transport, either as a game drive or in between Parks (several of the game drives were planned to occur during our inter-park trips, with all our luggage inside the vehicle, and it cannot be done in any other way). And we were 5 adults with luggage for 3 weeks. The quality of what we got was absolutely terrible, not up to standards. And that after much complaining from our part, Uhuru refused to change the vehicle, is really incomprehensible. It ruined our experience. In every lodge, every park entrance, every stop to watch animals, where we saw other tour vehicles, ours was by far the oldest, most decrepit, and overcrowded of all! I happened to read on several Safari.com reviews that other passengers also complained in the past about the same issue with Uhuru, and also read in disbelief that management from Uhuru replied that Uhuru assigns the small Jeeps for up to 4 passengers, and the extended Jeep for up to 6, and we were 5 adults and Uhuru had us crammed in a small Jeep for 8 days (the Tanzania part)!!! So Uhuru did not even respected its own established standards. It is really lamentable, this was meant to be the trip of our life, but it gave us reasons to complain every day we had to endure such bad mini bus/Jeep. On top of that, since the conditions of the roads are so bad, the famous "African Massage" turned out to be torture for us due to the bad conditions of these very old vehicles. Advise to future travellers: find a way to know ahead what kind of vehicles you will be given during the safaris!
7. As compensation, Uhuru offered a free half-day tour in Zanzibar (we chose snorkeling in Nmemba Island). Although this was a nice gesture: 1) it was not nearly enough to compensate the problems we had during the safaris, and 2) the tour itself was bad, the service was mediocre, and the facilities at the point of departure of the boat were just terrible. I’d strongly suggest Uhuru to not use those guys anymore.
7. Airport hotel at arrival: 67 Airport Hotel at Nairobi was horrible, and in a terrible location! My daughters arrived at night and were so scared when they saw their airport transfer entering the streets where the hotel is, it is like a slum. And the arrival hotel is the first impression one has of the whole trip, the country, and the tour company. It is at least three levels below the quality of the safari lodges. It is clearly not “mid-range” level that we chose for the whole trip, and I’d say it does not even qualifies for “budget”.
8. Nungwi Nmanari Cottages in Zanzibar: the hotel is OK, I’d say more budget than mid range, but acceptable in terms of rooms, services and general facilities. But it is on the wrong side of the island!!! It has no beach!! We spent 6 nights on a tropical paradise island in a hotel with no beach. High tide: no beach, low tide: the sea retreats to 800 meters away, and impossible to get to because there are stones, coral, and see urchins. We could not believe it when we went to the other side (just a 10’ taxi ride away) where a lot of other hotels are, and saw such beautiful beaches, enjoyable in both low and high tide. My son and daughters, who love the beach, complained day and night, and I felt that I let them down organizing this trip in such a way that didn’t let them enjoy Zanzibar’s world famous beaches
Reply from Soul of East Africa Safaris (Uhuru Travel)
Posted on Jan 27, 2020Thanks for your great reviews its always a pleasure to have positive and negative side of the review. We shall work on all the points. Hotels will change them for better ones and Jeep we will make sure with the clients before their safari. Since Mr. Gabriel was assigned with Min-Van in Kenya for 6 Seats and Tanzania Jeep 6 Seats but they had many luggage about 7 pieces with back packs! Was to much to be accommodated in the Min-Van or Jeep. Luggage consumes a lot of space in the Cars. Its has been a great challenge with many clients paid for normal size Jeep of 6 seats requesting for Extended Jeep for 8 seats in the middle of the safari while they are only 4 or 5 due to their many luggage in the cars. Better bring one luggage and one back pack each at least will fit well in the Safari Car. No space for too many luggage. We promise to deliver smooth and good services to all our clients. Uhuru Travel Team.
US
Email Sharon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
TERRIBLE GUIDE
We started out with a great guide, George, bu the jeep broke down so we wasted a day waiting for the jeep to be fixed. The guide stayed with the jeep and we got a new guide. The new guide didn't tell us anything about what we were looking for, he didn't communicate with us, speak English, and was generally just kind of a jerk. It was exceptionally disappointing for the 4 day safari. Maybe Uhuru is fine but I hope they never use Jonas as a guide again or make sure you don't end up with Jonas.
Good value for money but chaotic communication
I booked a 7 day Safari to Tanzania.
Presales communication was promptly.
We agreed on travel plan.
Pickup was waiting for me at the airport.
That’s where the communication broke down. The original plan was changed with the night before notifying me that I have to be ready for travel instead of a day later.
Safari driver seems very inexperienced especially when compared to the second one when I changed cars half way through.
I had to talk to the driver to get the last 2 days rearranged since his itinerary didn’t match up with the trips I booked.
Eventually I covered all spots I wanted to go to but my 3rd and last driver didn’t even know I had to be dropped off in a Arusha again.
I also have to contact multiple people to get the drop off at the airport arranged which was part of the package.
The office in Arusha doesn’t exist (shown on their webpage). Another travel agency on that road never heard of them. It is a single person without office who is in Arusha.
Summary:
Price was good. At the end we covered every location. The driver can be a hit and miss.
Once you paid the communication becomes difficult.
Be ready to be proactive and check everything at least once yourself.
Email Kate | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Guide was fine. Tour was different to the itinerary. The mattress, tent & sleeping bags were gross
Advise if the tour is different to what is proposed . Advise us to bring sleeping bags as those were disgusting and we both had bed bugs
Reply from Soul of East Africa Safaris (Uhuru Travel)
Posted on Jan 14, 2019Thanks Kate for your personal reviews. About the Itinerary due to other clients you are sharing safari with starting their safari in Serengeti thus why the itinerary was changed by our partner to accommodate each client! We have been operating Camping Safari for the past 12 years we had never had such complain, explained by you as "Gross" Nothing like that in our Tents and Sleeping Bags. That have been exaggerated but its not the case. Our Gears are being washed after every trip for our clients comfort. And am sure also our partner Gears did not have such things! Anyway we shall make sure even our partner are free from such problem (Uhuru Travel Team)
IN
Email Abbas | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Average, not personal and providing misleading information.
Uhuru travels had given name and no. of person would be our guide and driver for 3 days. They changed the person without even informing us. It seemed Uhuru has sub contracted our trip to someone else. There was no personal contact. The driver himself did not know who he worked for.
Did not get value for money on this trip.
Reply from Soul of East Africa Safaris (Uhuru Travel)
Posted on Oct 26, 2016Dear Abbas,
Thanks so much for your reviews though its also misleading to the other clients about Uhuru Travel. Why misleading? We did provide you will all the details of your safari to Mikumi. Unfortunately you show signs of problem on the mid way when having lunch the driver guide called me and inform me that you do not have any information of about your safari. Why did you agreed to pay safari and be ready to enjoy it? What convince you to pay if you did not have any information? Mr. Nestor was together with the other driver looked into your phone and the program was in your phone!! They were 2 Jeeps on that day and all were our Driver Guides. I am 100% sure you did enjoy your safari and everything went well. We appreciate your business to us.
Uhuru Travel Team
Email Seppo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Not what expected for 1600 USD/person.
Six nights in Serengeti. First night in Impala Hotel in Arusha was awful. We did'nt have electricity in the room and in the bathroom. Breakfast was awful. Never accept Impala Hotel ! Tour and guide itself was good. The standard was not what was promised. Luxory tented camp was far from luxory tent. I have been in a luxory tent as well. Arrangements in Arusha at the end of the tour were poor. 1600 USD price/person is far too high compared with the standard.