Great team work, end result is great success
African Sunset Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
NL
Email Tiago | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY
Long story short we paid for a 5 Safari days.
On the day 4 we found out that the 5th day of the Safari was… going to the airport.
So the amount that we paid to this company, included the entrance in Tarangiri park 1 morning + the use of the Jeep for a morning safari and they just took us to the airport and kept that money to them. When I spoke with the person in charge he said that he wanted to make it right so he would do a refund of 318€. 10 days have passed and Haron is ignoring my emails. First he gave an excuse that he was in Nairobi and after then ignoring emails and phone calls… not happy at all.
Besides this incident, we also paid based on accommodation. On the 3rd night we paid for a Serena Hotel in Ngorongoro cratera and we found out, once we left the cratera, that we werent staying there….
Keep in mind that there are thousands of Safari companies who will definitely provide a better service. As an example, during lunch time, we always had a very basic lunch box (cold items) and we saw several companies coming with warm meal and providing a total different (and better) experience to the customer.
Reply from African Sunset Safaris
Posted on Oct 24, 2022We had this trip in September, we arranged everything as we had indicated to them, we did offer them our best guide for the 5 days safari, he has done an excellent job in all our safaris and never had any complaints about him, and he did his best on this trip
It has been our tradition to always celebrate the occasion our clients are celebrating in a special way, We have always made arrangements for honeymooners on the last night and morning to have a surprise for them, which has always had special memories at the end of the tour, we made this arrangement for this couple, but they didn't want that, for this reason, we agreed to refund them for the morning game drive, but they had the vehicle and they were dropped at the airport at around 2 pm from Tarangire, The refund is already done
We had the itinerary and shared the reservation with all hotels as we had indicated on the itinerary, Serena Ngorongoro had overbooked and some of the companies clients were to stay at Serena Manyara, I did request the hotel to work something out for them since they were staying in Serena Manyara and they did,
On the last issue to do with lunch boxes, this is strictly for the hotels to provide and not us since all hotels are booked on full board bases, having hot pots depends on which properties one is staying at, different hotels offer different lunch boxes,
SG
Email Yi Heen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The owner lies a lot and even now he is lying.
We have spoken with the platform master and he has suggested to give an update so here goes:
First, I would like to address the issue of refund. As mentioned, the agreement we made at the police station was for Haron’s African Sunset Safari to make a FULL refund BY 19 SEPTEMBER 2021, please refer to the attached. Haron only made his first partial payment on 28 September, second partial payment on 22 October. And as of today, 6 November, the FULL refund has not been received. Can you imagine after all these mistakes and injustices against yourself, Haron had the audacity to tell you to bear transaction costs when refunding you? Especially when he had a chance to repay you in person (and avoid these fees) but he chose not to. Because of this, we waited an entire day (until 9pm) at the police station - while we are on holiday.
Next, I would like to bring your attention to his responses to our reviews.
The person supposed to do ground handling in Tanzania had some problems…
(RESPONSE: We have proof and voice recordings that Haron was in cahoots with the Tanzanian middleman and tried to cheat the Tanzanian agency. We even found out about Haron’s threats because he was exposed. He is a manipulative and scary man.)
We did inform them of the only two hotels we would change more than a month before they travel…
(RESPONSE: To be precise, we certainly were not given more than a month’s notice. We were notified of the latest change (13 Jul) to one of the hotels 3 weeks before our trip. Not forgetting to mention the last hotel which Haron insisted to have booked, but when the officer called the hotel at the police station, they confirmed that payment WAS NOT made. We spent our last night scrambling to find another hotel to stay in because of Haron’s lies.)
There are so many lies Haron made that we can’t even list all of them.
It is telling when a tour operator responds to every bad review with rebuttals of their innocence. African Sunset Safaris is one such operator.
It is also laughable that this is the first sign of apology from Haron to us and it only comes when he is replying to a bad review instead of expressing his remorse sincerely in person, he is clearly putting on a show.
Haron, we know you are reading this. As the owner of an agency, please have the decency to reflect upon your actions. You owe us an apology and of course the balance of the refund. With that being said, do not expect us to take down our reviews as the agreement has been void by you.
Of course we can take failures, not everyone is perfect. What we cannot take is when it is happening everyday of the trip and the owner ignores you when he can’t find an excuse for his actions.
Of course, attaching a photo of the agreement he made with us to get away from the police station that day. That should serve as proof and give anyone reading this enough warning to steer clear.
SE
Email Joakim Ekedorff | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Owner cancelled the trip 4 days before arrival!
I will do my absolute best to hereby share my experience with African Sunset Safaris in the most objective way.
Note: This review do only cover their services in regards of booking accommodation and their general way of working and communicating, since Mr. Haron (the owner) decided to cancel the trip only 4 days before arrival!
Mr. Haron is a well-spoken person. The problem is that he lies a lot!
He lied about the condition of the tents at our confirmed accommodation, and therefore asked us to pay more to move us to another hotel.
He lied about the cost of our accommodation when calculating on our refund.
He lied about the Kenyan tourism levy rate (6% instead of 2%).
He told me it is against the Kenyan law to share the receipt of his payment to the hotel (I have not confirmed this, but I find it very hard to believe).
All in all, his last-minute cancellation made us find another agent in very short notice, in peak season.
It cost us 300 USD more than initial agreement, for the exact same itinerary due to out-sourced jeep rental.
I would never recommend African Sunset Safaris to anyone.
Full time line:
October 10th: We agree on booking of 2 nights at Mara Leisure Camp + game drive in jeep + transport from/to Nairobi at 1400 USD for 2 persons.
October 16th: I transfer 945 USD (~70 % of total amount) to Haron as deposit.
October 24th: Haron confirms payment is received and "hotel is cleared".
Dec 18th: Haron emails: "I had to move you from Mara leisure to Sarova Mara due to unavoidable reason being at Leisure the were affected by the short rains two weeks ago and currently most of there tents are under Maintenance." ... "I kindly advice we shall have a small hick on the price by USD 250."
Dec 19th: I find Haron's message suspicious and contacts Mara Leisure Camp directly to verify that their tents actually are under maintenance. Their sales manager dismisses this false facts and personally guarantees there are no problems with their facilities. They also say "your booking is still on tentative status awaiting for payment to confirm". (meaning my pre-payment had not yet been received by the hotel!)
Dec 21st: I get back to Haron: "We believe we will be very satisfied with Mara Leisure Camp, even though the tents are in bad condition.
I want you confirm the booking of a Nyati tent at Mara Leisure Camp ASAP and send them the money to confirm the reservation before it gets lost to any other client."
Dec 21st: Mr. Haron now seems to feel neglected and decides to cancel both the safari game drive and transport! However, he promises to pay the money to Mara Leisure and refund us the remaining amount of 200 USD.
Dec 22nd: I asked Mr. Haron about a reciept for his payment to Mara Leisure to confirm that 200 USD is the correct amount to refund. He now refers to their listing rates instead (which is higher that his agent rates) and concludes that I actually owe him additional 35 USD, but in the same e-mail he also states that he is willing to refund 200 USD anyway as a Christmas gift (?!).
Dec 22nd: Still without showing any receipt of his payment to Mara Leisure, I at least get the 200 USD in refund.
Jan 10th: After a number of emails to Haron and Mara Leisure Camp, I finally received a copy of Haron's payment of 716 USD, i.e. 264 USD less that what he tried to tell us when referring to their public listing rates + Christmas supplement.
Reply from African Sunset Safaris
Posted on Jan 17, 2017Mr Joakim
When we first got you request we treated you the same way we do to all our clients until the day we felt this could not work out for both of us
We clearly stated to you we are not in this business to take any advantage of anybody, but to give our clients the best time of there life and life time memories
Mr Joakim at the initial stages of our conversations when you raised the issue of agents that promise to take clients to the park and direct the to other place and liar that that is the park, we clearly told you we are not the kind of people that promise you wine and give you water and in case you have any doubts at all you book with the next agent ?
Let us get to the reason that brought about your cancellation
We had clients that had just completed there 14 days safari in Kenya and Tanzania, three weeks to your arrival dates. they raised some issues a bout the lodge in question and we felt we need this sorted out before we could take other clients to this lodge or hotel, When they told us of the hiking group at Mt. Meru group we had to completely terminate the contract that we had with that company since they were not working up to our standards. It would be very wrong of me if I would not take advice from my clients on what is to be improved to ensure better services is offer and maintaining our standards.
The next group of clients which you happened to be one of them was Mr Sumesh Sreevalsam and Mrs Sanna. We wrote to each one of you advising of the change of the accommodation and on the email I indicated this was un upgrade from your previous accommodation and by standard this was the best ranked in the Main Mara in terms of services and facility. This I gave you 100% guarantee of the accommodation, I wrote to you advising to all of you since the change was within a short notice this being 13 days to your arrival, the increase of the change of the accommodation was not mandatory and we would cater for the increase to those of you who could not be in a position to and said our main objective was to ensure you enjoy your trip. this can be confirmed by anyone that would required as to extract those emails and forward to them.
It was after this Mr Joakim started having conversations with Mara leisure and went on to disclose the package details to the hotel with the intent that should Mara leisure be in a position to offer them this tour under the same conditions, they move and work with Mara leisure , we got to learn of this when Mara leisure sells Manager wrote to us requested us we go and discuss the issue that were making us move our clients. The hotel Manager told us the client was in direct contact with them, we did got to there office and raise the issues we had with them and he promise to have the sorted out,
The Manager is a very good friend of ours and he agreed if he was the agent he would like the same done before going on.
When Mr Joakim realised what he intended could not work out he wrote to us asking us is we could continue with this trip in, We clearly told him we can not ,do a safari where there issues of mistrust and we did his payments to the lodge in question as requested by him and asked him how he would like to get his balance we shall make it available at his most convenient place. After the payment a scanned copy of his confirmation to leisure was scanned and sent to him and email followed from the hotel followed
This time we knew everything was settled and we wished him well only to get a surprising call and email from SAROVA informing us they got a email from joakim requesting for there booking availability, this know is only 3 days to there arrival and a confirmation of leisure had Already gotten to them 2 days ago. this beg the question were this clients serious
THE EXTRACTED CONVERSTION CAN TELL JOAKIM WAS GIVING VERY MIXED SIGNAL AND DENGEROUS
FW: Reservation 25-27th Dec
From: Sarova Mara Reservations
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2016 4:12 PM
To: 'Joakim Ekedorff'
Subject: RE: Reservation 25-27th Dec
Dear Joakim,
Thank you for your email, we are fully booked on the 25th please advice on alternative dates
The below voucher belongs to an agent booking which was already cancelled
Kind regards,
From: Joakim Ekedorff
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2016 3:15 PM
To: Sarova Mara Reservations
Subject: Fwd: Reservation 25-27th Dec
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joakim Ekedorff
Date: 2016-12-21 18:03 GMT+01:00
Subject: Reservation 25-27th Dec
To: econcierge
Dear Sarova,
Our tour agent has bailed out, please confirm if this reservation is still available and at what price.
Please also quote cost for pickup at Nairobi (both ways) and 2 days game drive.
Please reply asap as we need to clear out our options by tomorrow at latest.
Thanks,
Joakim Ekedorff
DISCLAIMER: This email and any attachments are confidential and are intended solely for the addressee. If you are not the addressee tell the sender immediately and destroy it. Do not open, read, copy, disclose, use or store it in any way, or permit others to do so. Emails are not secure and may suffer errors, viruses, delay, interception, and amendment. Sarova Hotels does not accept liability for damage caused by this email and may monitor email traffic.
________________________________
Before printing this mail please make sure it is completely necessary.
THE ENVIRONMENT IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS.
http://www.sarovahotels.com/eshots/images/sarovawhitesandspic3.jpg
THE OFFER OF THE SAFARI
We had given Joakim the best offer since he just happened to be one of the last client to travel with us in 2016 the transport on a Jeep at half price the normal price
let us all work this out
- the hotel if it was the normal safari by any other agent would be Usd 399 by 2 = 798
798 plus charismas supplements 200 = 998
- Park fees charges would be USD 80 by 2 people by 2 nights this will give us = 320
- transport on a jeep for three days it would be 220 by 3 days this will give us = 660
TOTAL COST = 1978
What we charged Mr Joakim -
Full time line:
October 10th: We agree on booking of 2 nights at Mara Leisure Camp + game drive in jeep + transport from/to Nairobi at 1400 USD for 2 persons.
if we take 1978 - 1400 = USD 578
Let us say he picks the very cheapest mode of transport this brings him a negative of USD 300 and still we gave him the agents price which we are not supposed to give and can never be given by any agent
We felt we deceive some respect after give them this kind of offer.
We have and we shall always advice our clients to the best of our knowledge and should we feel there is any form of doubts we shall request the client to kindly pick the next agent.
We need to know we have clients who can trust us and we trust them to give the a safari they will for ever live to cherish.
US
Email Andreea Lotak | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful trip in Kenya and Tanzania with African Sunset Safaris
The rating would be 4.5 starts if I could select that. Aaron and the entire team were professional and reliable and we felt taken care of during the transfers from Kenya to Tanzania and back. We communicated the whole time via WhatsApp and the entire team was very responsive.
There were some hiccups with COVID testing and some coordination with the payment (issues with the $100 bills) and final transfer back to Kenya, but a lot of COVID planning is difficult to do with constantly changing regulations. Aaron did take care of us after all and helped us get all of our tests needed before returning to the US.
We had a great time on the safaris and saw more than we were expecting, including a serval. Both Aaron and Geoff were very good at communicating with other guides and taking us where all the action was. We all throughly enjoyed the accommodations we stayed at (especially the camp in Serengeti) and the wildlife we were so lucky to see. It was, overall, a truly memorable trip and we’re grateful to the African Sunset Safaris team for making it happen. Would recommend.
Email Sharon Delphine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mindblowing experience of exploring wildlife and nature in Kenya staying at the perfect locations
We went to Masai Mara and Nakuru for 3 days and 2 nights. Perfect and professional service from the tour operator including customizing the package to suit our schedule and finding the most ideal places to stay. Their expertise and in-depth game drive knowledge is very impressive. The 3 days of travel was nothing but full of great memories forever to cherish. Thank you for the amazing experience. Looking forward to return to Kenya to explore more places.
SG
Email Eric Wang | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A good safari experience with African Sunset Safaris
A safe trip with good accommodations, good food and experienced drivers who managed to take us to see the big 5.
AE
Email Farah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very professional and accommodating
Very prompt in the communication . Were able to also arrange a car seat for our child travelling with us. We could not have asked for a better guide than Julius. Highly recommended!
Email Matthew O'Brien | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good people who really want to please their customers
TLDR: We had a fantastic honeymoon with African Sunset Safaris and would 100% do another safari with them. There were some slight changes to the itinerary, but for the most part they were upgrades, so didn't bother us at all. They try their very best to ensure you have the best possible time with them and they treat you like family.
We booked a 12 day Kenya safari and Uganda Gorilla trek for a very reasonable price. The initial itinerary that I inquired about had been changed so when I contacted African Sunset Safaris they sent me the updated itinerary, which seemed crammed full. Their communication via whatsapp was prompt and I was able to pay via credit card to book the trip. Our flight into Kenya had to reroute for a few hours due to bad weather at Kenya airport, so we arrived late and then discovered our airline hadn't put our luggage on the plane, but our driver, Paul, who was waiting for us very kindly helped to arrange the collection of our luggage when it arrived a few days later and bought a fried chicken meal for us to eat en route to Amboseli, so we could make it in time for an evening game drive. Within the first minute in Amboseli we saw a huge elephant right next to the road and then a lion. This was the start of an exceptional safari for every park in Kenya, as we saw the big 5 and more. Our accommodation at Amboseli Serena was fantastic (the pool was being refurbished, so we couldn't use that, but the view, service and food was great). The next day Paul ensured we had a perfect day looking at animals and getting great photographs, the highlight being a cheater no less than 3 meters from our vehicle.
The following day we got our luggage back and we transferred to a different vehicle and driver, Charles, who would take us for the rest of our time in Kenya. Charles's vehicle had a tire issue, so he bought us a drink in a cafe while it was quickly fixed and then we set off. Whether it was because of our delayed landing in Kenya, having to collect our luggage, or the tire issue, we never ended up going to Ol Pejeta to see the chimpanzees, which I was a bit gutted about, as I was looking forward to seeing them, but I suspect even if we had no delays it would be too long of a journey to get from Amboseli to Ol Pejeta and then to Lake Nakuru in one day, as google say it is an almost 11 hour drive. I have noticed that the itinerary for this package has altered slighty to stay in Ol Pejeta overnight before going to Lake Nakuru, so it may be that they have recognised it is a stretch to cover so much in such a short time. When we were travelling we discovered our accommodation had been changed from what was originally planned, but wow was it an upgrade! Room-wise, Serena Lake Elmenteita was definitely the most beautiful accommodation we we had in Kenya, it was a shame we were only there for one night and arrived just as the pool closed. Our first game drive with Charles in Lake Nakuru was excellent, we saw black and white rhinos, flamingos, monkeys and other animals. Then we headed to the Maasai mara, where again our accomodation was changed from what we initially had been booked. Again, however it was an upgrade in our opinion, as we had a glorious view from our window over the mara and the hotel pool also had a great view. Another 2 full days of wonderful safari drives followed with a picnic on the mara, a walk by the river where we saw crocodiles up close, and visited a tribe's village. Charles worked very hard to successfully find us a leopard too. Charles is an excellent safari guide and driver, he is very personable and chatty, which puts you at ease immediately and makes the long drives fly by. As it was our honeymoon, Haron had promised us a sundowner, which we asked about, because no one had mentioned anything about it since we booked the trip. No sundowners were available that night, but instead we had an evening bush meal, which was a nice experience (drinks not included). The itinerary originally said we were then to stay at giraffe manor overnight, but it was fully booked, so we stayed at the four seasons instead. I was highly skeptical that we would stay in giraffe manor anyway, as the rooms are VERY expensive and often booked up way in advance, so I didn't see how it would be possible to afford that room in addition to everything else and have the tour operator still make a profit with the low price we paid. Even so the tour still seemed great value for money, so we weren't too disheartened that we couldn't stay at the manor. What we didn't expect though was when we got to Nairobi, Charles took us to the Giraffe Centre (the nature park of Giraffe manor) where you can hand feed the giraffes. This was in my top 3 moments of the holiday, as you have several cheeky giraffe eating out of your hand! The next surprise was Charles took us to the African Sunset Safari office where a traditional homemade dinner was served to us with the African Sunset Safari team along with beers and bourbon and coke. This was so special, as we got to know the team a bit more and were welcomed and treated like family. You can really tell how much their customers mean to Haron in particular.
The next day we flew to Uganda where again we met our final driver, Abdul. We stayed at a different hotel to the one we were told, whilst this hotel was not necessarily an upgrade, the history of the hotel made it very special to stay there and am glad we did (the hotel was one that the film Hotel Rwanda is based on). We visited the genocide museum and learnt so much about the Rwandan genocide that I was ignorantly unaware of prior. Originally there was some confusion as to whether we would do the gorilla trek in Rwanda or Uganda. I thought it would be Uganda, as I believe the trekking fee is less there than Rwanda. I am glad it was Uganda, as the country is beautiful and that is the most famous place for gorilla trekking. The drive to Uganda was long, but felt a lot quicker, as the scenery was out of this world. We stopped and gave sweets and chocolate to local children in the villages and their happy faces made me wish I brought more to give to more children, so if you do go book a safari or trek make sure you bring lots of bags of sweets for the kids! The accommodation was a different lodge camp than advertised again, but yet again we did not care. This camp was a not-for-profit charity that helps build water storage wells for poor villages, so we were glad our money went towards a good cause rather than a business mans bank account. The balconies of the lodges also face west, so you get the most incredible sunsets every evening. We could have easily stayed there peacefully for a week. The drive back to Rwanda was again beautiful and we had a smooth journey back to Kenya where we continued our travels.
All in all we had a fantastic honeymoon and wouldn't change it. We highly recommend African Sunset Safaris to everyone who wants to do a safari or trek. The changes in accommodation weren't a problem for us, especially as they were mostly improvements, but I imagine for some people that might be a worry or if your families want to know where you will be for safety reasons it may cause concern. I would just advise the African Sunset Safari team inform the customers earlier/as soon as you know there is a problem, or need to change accommodation instead of on the day, or at the time of arrival. At the office meal they did say Haron wanted to make the trip extra special for us so they upgraded the accommodations and we can honestly say it was our most amazing holiday so far. Thank you very much African Sunset Safaris!
Email Charles Mbugua | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
7 days of fun in the wild
Every year we take a trip both me and my wife to celebrate our marriage anniversary and this year it was on of the best all thanks to African sunset safaris. We had hoped to do an east African tour but last minute changes meant we could only manage a 7 day Kenya trip. They picked us up from Karen the hub mall and got us back there in a timely, professional manner. We visited Lake Nakuru National Park, The Great Rift Valley and Masai Mara. Haron was our Driver/Wildlife Guide and was awesome, professional, knowledgeable and extraordinary. We were able to see the big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant & buffalo) at Masai Mara. Our greatest moment was when we witnessed three lionesses hunt early in the morning and a pride of more than 7 lions all came to feed. also we enjoyed watching a mother cheetah successfully hunt to feed her cubs, the chase was breath taking.
We recommend African sunset safaris to anyone interested in having a memorable tour.
IE
Email Carole Troy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trip of a Lifetime
We had a 16 night safari in Kenya organised by African Sunset Safaris. Haron was excellent in suggesting possible itineraries and extremely patient every time I had to make changes. Our final itinerary gave us an amazing overview of this amazing country. We saw so much wildlife and had some wonderful experiences along the way. Haron and Charles were full of interesting facts and stories and my two teenagers especially enjoyed this. They both really ensured our holiday was a wonderful experience. All our accommodation which was selected by Haron was excellent and so comfortable. So great spots to see wildlife around watering holes. I would definitely recommend African Sunset Safaris and hopefully if we get to return I will not hesitate to use them.
