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
US
Email Mike | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great value for your money!
I'm a budget traveller and Trip Advisor offered an affordable 4 day, 3 night safari to Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. We had 3 big meals a day and got to see all the wildlife including the elusive leopards and even 2 Rhinos. It met all my needs and expectations.
UA
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They are Liars!
A plus:
It was a beautiful safari and we saw many animals. I want to say many thanks to the chef, his food was very tasty.
Minuses:
We went in the low season, so if you are hoping for what they told in the correspondence, do not believe it! They'll take you as they like. They will not follow the description that is said here. And you will have a safari only in the morning or only in the evening, do not expect that you will spend all the time looking at animals. Our car broke down and we drove 6 hours to the campsite at a speed of 10 km and no one came to our rescue.
We arrived when it was dark, nothing is visible and I hurt my leg, it was swollen and there was a hematoma, and they even do not have a usual first aid kit and they refused even to bring a bottle of cold water that I would put on my leg. On the last day of the safari, the people who were with us, ended their safaris, because they started earlier and we just joined them. At 11 o'clock in the afternoon we were taken to a camping place and we did not go anywhere else!
With all this, the director of this company blatantly lied and denied that everything was fine!
When I gave the guide a tip of $ 85 (4 days of safari for two), he also started to say that we should give tip the chef! Dear authorities, warn people that they themselves should distribute tips between employees, because I thought that they themselves share everything equally. That's why we paid even more!
I do not recommend this company to anyone. The most terrible and deceitful attitude!
RU
Email Kseniya Yaroslavtseva | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari with Trip Advisor Africa Safaris!
We started a process of choosing safari company about 40 days prior to arrival to Kenya. I sent about 15 emails to different safari companies with price request. Trip Advisor Africa Safaris replied very quickly and after the process of communication with the director Seth Vincent he offered us the best price among all safari operators! Need to note that safari by itself is not a cheap entertainment.
Communication with Seth was via Whatsap and email, he replied very quickly and detailed.
We transfered a deposit of 500 USD to Trip Advisor Africa Safaris to confirm our booking, residual amount we paid on arrival by cash.
Our itinerary included:
Day 1 - Pick up in the Airport Nairobi, where director Seth Vincent and our driver guide Jacob met us, then we proceeded to baby elephant center (David Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage), then to the Giraffe Center, then after lunch we had a guided tour in Kibera slums, after which we had a wonderful dinner in Carnivore restaurant. The program in Nairobi was well-thought and intense, we probably wouldn't have made it by ourselves, so, services of Trip Advisor Africa Safaris was really valuable!
Day 2 - at 7:30 in the morning we started driving to Masai Mara through the Great African Rift Valley escarpment and through Lake Naivasha where we had a great boat trip. We saw a lot of birds, big group of hippocampus in the lake and even on the land! They are really impressive animals! And we even had a chance to walk on the land nearby to giraffes, very close! However, they are rather cowardly animals:) Overnight was in Mara Sidai tented camp which is quite nice.
Day 3 - Full day Masai Mara game reserve with our driver Jacob, who managed to show us a lot of animals just in one day! We saw a lot of wildebeests, antilopas, elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions - we even saw a hunting of female lion (which btw finished not in her favor:)) Jacob is really experienced and knowledgeable guide, he always tried to show us animals up close and to ensure that we have the best view!
Overnight was also in Mara Sidai camp.
Day 4 - After morning game drive in Masai Mara we headed to Serengeti national park via Isebania Serare boarder (Tabaka gate). At the border we changed our vehicle and met our Tanzanian driver guide Zigi. The scenery in this part of Tanzania is fantastic - very sumptuous greenery, authentic local villages (however, we were advised not to take photos of people there), gold mining pit! It was really beautiful road. Then we had a game drive in Serengeti and we saw also a lot of animals, here our driver Zigi showed us leopard and cheetah family! In Tanzania we had our private chief who cooked fantastic meals for us, the food was absolutely mind blowing, believe me! Especially in this natural conditions of camping, it was so romantic:))
Overnight in Serenera campsite.
Day 5 - Morning game drive in Serengeti national park, then we proceeded through Olduvai Gorge to Ngorongoro national park and stayed overnight in a picturesque Ngorongoro Simba campsite, it was rather wet and cold in the night and morning, however, we were aware of this.
Day 6 - in the early morning we headed to Ngorongoro Crater, there was morning fog covering crater's rim it was a mysterious view! In the Crater we saw many animals and the lake with pink flamingo! However, we were not able to drive close to them as far as park's rules prohibit off-road driving. It is wonderful how animals can form their own world inside the Crater.
After game drive we headed to the small town Karatu where our accomondation was beautiful lodge. I would recommend you to chose not camping but lodge option for the last day on safari to have a rest and relax :)
Day 7 - it was just a drive from Karatu to Arusha Airport from where we had a flight to Zanzibar :)
Overall, I would recommend to use Trip Advisor Africa Safaris services, their price policy is really fair, the director Seth Vincent tries to do all his best to organize your tailor-made trip. I wish you further development and a lot of happy clients! :)
Email Anthony Hewitt | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not what was agreed or paid for
I agreed and paid for a 'safari' covering the Mara and Serengeti, with some other parks. This was Jan-Feb 2017.
The bottom line to my problem with it all was that I did not get what was agreed (in detail) and paid for. I also lost days off my holiday as a result. I have e-mail evidence etc to support all of this.
It became apparent that some of the things that were agreed were unlikely anyway due to distances and travel connections, in which case, why were they agreed?
I (mostly) enjoyed my safaris, but this was thanks to the actual providers, not to TAAS, who as far as I could tell were only sub-contracting me anyway.
I was meant to be mostly mid-range, but ended up mostly budget, and some of that was severe end of budget.
In practice, especially for solo travellers or couples, you are likely to be passed on to other companies. Many companies barely have offices never mind their own vehicles, etc, they just sub-contract, sometimes many times, and slice money off the top.
As such I would advise paying a little more and sticking to firms with actual offices and their own vehicles and some history, and make your own group if you can. If Serengeti, perhaps wait till you get to Arusha and have a good look at the numerous options available.
The economics and logistics of all the above is understandable and acceptable, but only if clear and transparent. What I can't accept is being promised one thing and then being given another, largely inferior thing.
Great Four Person Private Safari
We had a great experience during our safari. We saw the big 5 animals (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Giraffe, Buffalo). We spent a day and a half in serengeti and then a day at Ngorongoro. Our guide was very knowledgable about the plants and animals and entertained all of our questions and requests. Our cook was also great and made very large, delicious meals.
US
Email Chris | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 day Masai Mara and Serengeti Package with Ngorongoro Crater
This was the perfect package for our first visit to Africa. Seth Vincent, our organizer, was able to fly us into Nairobi where Ken toured us to Masai Mara in a luxury camp and then he delivered us to the Tanzania Border where Erik and Simon picked us up for two more nights camping in the heart of the Serengeti Reserve and then a day touring Ngorongoro Crater before being dropped off at Kilimanjaro Airport for our trip home. Our pictures are amazing and we say all of the Big 5 and including a live Cheetah chase of a Gazelle and lions eating a zebra....couldn't have been happier. We are so glad we visited both countries since many of the animals were migrating and therefore we were able to see them all either in Kenya or Serengeti. As for the sleeping arrangements, there is no electricity in the Serengeti Camp site so expect cold showers, no toilet paper, and sleeping in a tent with a sleeping bag and no pillow so you may wish to upgrade to luxury camping but the location for us was most important. We just wish we knew to bring pillows, flash lights, blankets, towels, and toilet paper. Overall, a trip of a life time.....highly recommended. Thanks Seth and our guides in both Kenya and Tanzania. Oh, and by the way, if you take this package, there is no paved roads between Kenya and Tanzania so we drove 7 hours on dirt roads with no A/C but the trip was worth it. Don't miss this opportunity with your family. We had the 4 of us in a private vehicle with driver which was perfect.
US
Email John | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A good booking agent makes a huge difference.
We booked our Tanzanian Safari through Trip Advisor Africa Safari with Seth Vincent based upon there good reviews and competitive prices. When we arrived in Arusha and paid we were kind of surprised to see that our receipt of payment was issued by Sandland Tours and Safaris. Our confusion turned to panic when we looked up the reviews for Sandland. I immediately got ahold of Seth Vincent who reassured me for like 2 minutes that everything was going to be okay and that we could count on the reputation of his form Trip Advisor African Safari. He'd personally selected or guide and we could count on a good experience.
In short, he was correct. Our guide China was incredible. He had 9 years experience, was knowledgeable, funny, and very hospitable. I couldn't imagine a better guide. There was someone on our trip that was challenging at times and China was always extraordinarily patient with her beyond what I would have been. I always felt taken care of and we saw 4 of the big 5 in 4 days. (Plus we got three different lion hunts.)
That said, conditions remain fairly primitive and things come up. Showers were cold, we had a flat tire, the temperature dropped to 40 degrees, and roads were really rough. But we booked an adventure not a resort and we definitely got our adventure.
I also want to commend our cook Simon. My wife and I are vegetarian as were 3 other people on our trip. The food was delicious, plentiful, and nobody on our group got sick.
I want to clarify that the outsourcing of safaris seems to be a very common practice here, so what Trip Advisor did was certainly not unusual. Nearly everyone on our tour booked with a different agency and ended up on the same Safari. What I appreciated was that Simon was available to take my phone calls, hear out my concerns, and was involved enough to see to it that we got a top tiere guide.
Seth Vincent staked his firm's reputation on us having a great Safari, so kudos to them for delivering. We had an amazing experience.
Email D Seifert | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent four-day safari in Masai Mara, Naivasha and Lake Nakuru
This was an excellent safari, and every part of it was very well organised. I saw more wild animals than I could have imagined, and our drivers were extremely good. The only small complication arose before the start of the trip, when I was charged an unusually large transaction fee on my initial payment. This aspect could perhaps be improved upon, but otherwise it was a very pleasant experience.
IT
Email davide | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience!! Fantastic Safari
Absolutely great value for money safari experince, Tom. Morris and the whole staff are your perfect safari guides.
Thank you guys!!!
Email Alessandro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience! Best safari team ever!
Great adventure! We loved it! Highly recommended!
The staff was very friendly and let us see many animals and wonderful places in the Masai Mara!