Our Trip Planners and Consultants
Hallmark Travel Planners
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- ASTA & KATO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Kitti | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware of booking with Hallmark -severe operational lapses that required escalation with authorities
We selected Hallmark Travel Planners after careful research. Pre-booking communication with Levis was strong; responsiveness declined markedly after the down payment was made, and repeated operational and financial issues emerged during our trip that significantly impacted our experience.
Key issues included:
• Being asked to pay USD 990 in conservancy fees that had already been prepaid by us.
• Failure to secure our prepaid beach resort booking in Diani Beach, with rebooking to a hotel of lower standard without proactive communication and transparency regarding the price difference (refunded after pressure).
• Provision of a downgraded safari vehicle for a portion of our safari without prior notification.
• Inconsistent provision of promised water on game drives.
• Milestone birthday activity was cancelled at short notice due to payment issues on Hallmark's part. The activity had to be rescheduled to the next day.
The most troubling aspect was the reactive communication approach. Emails frequently went unanswered, phone calls were not returned at all, and issues were addressed only after escalation.
During the tour, a reimbursement of USD 1,350 was agreed upon after we had escalated the lapses to the relevant regulatory bodies. Although we were informed that payment had been made, we did not receive the funds for a significant period without explanation for the delay. Standard proof of international transfer was not provided, and the resolution required repeated follow-up and another external escalation with the Kenyan Association of Tour Operators and the Tourism Regulatory Authority.
This was intended to be a milestone family vacation. A substantial portion of our time was spent managing issues that should not have arisen. While financial discrepancies were eventually corrected, the experience fell short of the contracted terms. We cannot recommend this operator at all.
Reply from Hallmark Travel Planners
Posted on Jun 23, 2026Dear Kitti
Thank you for sharing this. Safaribookings approved it months after the you posted similar sentiments in the other forums as well, in March 2026.
That said, milestone family trips carry a lot of meaning, and reading about how much of yours was spent managing problems instead of making memories together was genuinely disheartening. As per the communications during and before the end of your vacation, we're sorry, and we owe you a real explanation, rather than excuses. We tried to do that.
Each point you raised matters to us. You should never have been asked to pay conservancy fees you'd already covered, and the loss of your confirmed Diani Beach booking without us being upfront about it, including the price difference, was a failure on our part to treat you with the honesty you deserved. The same goes for the safari vehicle swap, the inconsistent water on your drives, and especially the disruption to the birthday celebration, a moment that should have been effortless and joyful, not something you had to fight to salvage. We also let you down by being slow and reactive in our communication, both during the trip and afterward with the reimbursement. Not getting timely proof of the transfer document of the reimbursement/compensation, after everything else you had already gone through, was an added burden you shouldn't have had to carry. We are sorry and regret that too.
We got this feedback and are making real changes and improvements to how we confirm bookings with our suppliers, handle payments, and stay ahead of communication during a trip, so families and other individuals after you do not go through what you went through. Your decision to escalate to KATO and the Tourism Regulatory Authority is a fair reflection of how seriously this needed to be taken, and treated it that way internally.
With sincere apologies,
Levis
Email Mike | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Poorly planned and did not refund fees we paid for them
Hallmark not only poorly planned and communicated our safari but failed to pay certain fees that we ended up having to pay with promise of reimbursement. It's been 6 months and now after multiple lies about the "check is in the mail" will not answer email regarding our payment. Basically stole from the 3 couples.
Reply from Hallmark Travel Planners
Posted on Mar 27, 2023Dear Mike,
Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry to hear that your safari experience did not meet your expectations. We have looked at all the issues that you mentioned and all that went through your 14 day trip hope to be able to deliver better experiences to any future customers. We certainly had some challenges with your particular trip and later on with mode of reimbursement of the amounts in question. Reimbursement of US$80 has since been made to all the 3 couples that were in your party. We still hope to serve you and others in the future.