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Solaris Tours and Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- IATA & UFTAA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
-
KERWTZUG
- Price Range:
- $75 to $500 ppper person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Judy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
This company misappropriates client funds
The itinerary looked good, with 3-4 star hotels on a 14 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania. The reality was a disaster.
1. The itinerary offered a 4WD. In Kenya, we were given a 2WD van (for 6 of us). Had 8 seats so only room for 2 to stand at a time. Van very uncomfortable and not suited AT ALL to Kenyan conditions. Masai Mara in particular has many 4WD roads only, including the road to the border. Because of the van, we were forced to spend 9 hours going around the park to the border instead of 3 hours through the park. Cost us a day as we didn't get through the border until 6 p.m. and couldn't then drive 5 hours to our next stop in Serengeti until next day.
2. Driver/guide in Kenya was a disgrace. His driving was downright terrifying, and his guiding non-existent. He didn't communicate with us and I didn't even know he spoke english until the end of the second day when there was an accommodation problem. My requests to Solaris to replace the driver and vehicle were ignored.
3. We only stayed in the hotels shown in our itinerary for 5 of the 13 nights. All others were a downgrade, once to a place with no water in showers. Looking on TA, the prices for the quoted hotels was about $300+ pn pp, the ones we stayed in as low as $120. Once in Tanzania, our guide there (fortunately we'd left Joe and his van in Kenya) tried his best to get us accommodated each night, and spent hours on the phone cajoling and fighting with the Solaris office staff. He was terrific and his company Cross to Africa to be recommended.
4. Game park fees, included in our itinerary, were paid in Kenya but not in Tanzania. We ended up more than US$2100 out of pocket as we had to pay our own way in. There have been repeated promises to repay the amounts, but of course nothing came of them.
5. I have reported this company to the Kenyan Tourism Regulatory Authority, and trust that they will soon be out of business. The best outcome would be to see the "Boss" and the directors charged with misappropriation of funds and theft. I live in hope! Sadly, when people ask about our East Africa experience, my response is that Uganda and Tanzania are fantastic, but tread warily in Kenya.
Email Juliet | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Stay away from Solaris Tours & Safaris, a scam tour operator!!
Thank you Safari Bookings! It’s about time this “fraudster Solaris Tours & Safaris” finally be stopped & be exposed for their fraudulent activities as tour operator in Kenya. We became victims ourselves and only recently. Solaris Tours & Safaris a scam , liars and no credibility at all to be in a position as Safari tour operators. To start with, they will offer you, perhaps cheaper than other operators , smooth itinerary & professionally done & impressive (who would have thought...) but reality is once you paid them full 6 months in advanced for all your accommodations, park fees, entrance fees, etc. when we start our supposedly once in a lifetime safari experience, it was all a nightmare!! Complete & utterly nightmare, words not even enough to describe our disgust with Solaris Tours & Safaris. Angry, understatement! All bunch of liars!!! You’re a disgrace to your own country!! Shame on all of you at Solaris!!! You should be all ashamed of yourselves for giving Kenyan tourism in Safari a very bad reputation. Even your Tanzanian counterpart, who witnessed first hand how you operate your scam doesn’t want to do future business with you . To all unsuspecting victims, please don’t use Solaris Tours & Safaris, not too late yet to save yourselves ....
Email Sue | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Worst driver and operators I have experienced
I, along with 5 friends had booked what we hoped to be an unforgettable safari experience. Unfortunately it was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. The first day we were given a pop top van instead of a 4WD, with not enough room for more than 2 people to stand and our trip to our first lodge was terrifying with our driver who hardly spoke to us passing at great speed on blind corners nearly hitting oncoming vehicles. There was no communication from him about any of the wildlife in the parks. Our accommodation on several occasions was changed (downgraded) with us only finding out on the day. On the last day before going to the border with Tanzania to continue our safari that had been organised through Solaris we had to travel 9 hours instead of the 3 we were told as the vehicle could not go through the National Park - no 4WD.
In Tanzania the company who had been contracted by Solaris, Cross to Africa, had not been paid for our park entrance fees so our guide was constantly trying to get them to pay up. Our organiser, Judy, ended up paying for the park fees and after much persistence received a repayment a month after the end of the safari.
Our accommodation was also downgraded on several occasions in Tanzania by Solaris. It is a pity this experience has caused us to feel we cannot recommend going to Kenya.
Email Judy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Update o n my previous review
I wrote earlier about the very unpleasant safari experience we had with Solaris that finished at the end of June, and the fact that they owed us over US$2,000 at the end of the safari. This week (a month later)I received a refund of the actual money I had paid to get into the Tanzanian parks, all of which were supposedly included in the itinerary. I was surprised and glad to receive this refund. I believe the fact that I received the refund had everything to do with our negative reviews here on SafariBookings and on TripAdviser, and my complaint to the Kenyan Tourism Regulatory Authority. Solaris then requested I take down my negative reviews.
However, receiving this refund back does not alter the fact that our safari with Solaris was a horrible and extremely stressful experience, and one which I hope others can learn from. It does not change the fact that our accommodation was downgraded from that shown on the itinerary at least half the time, and it does not change the fact that the vehicle allocated to us in Kenya was not the 4wd promised by the itinerary, causing us to spend at least one day extra on roads instead of in parks, and the driver in Kenya shouldn't have had a licence, let alone be allowed to drive with passengers. I told Solaris all this when I responded to their email and refund.
Disclaimer
- All corporate and/or tour info is provided by Solaris Tours and Safaris, not SafariBookings
- The tours offered by Solaris Tours and Safaris are subject to their terms & conditions