Operation Manager
Rhino Explorer Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Member Of:
- TANAPA & BRELA
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
AE
Email Robert (UK) | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not use this company! Terrible professionalism.
My wife and I did the 7 night wildebeest migration safari in mid-August 2019.
We were picked up at the airport and driven to Arusha to meet Daniel and asked to handover the full trip cost in cash – several thousand USD. Do not do this as if we hadn’t we would have cancelled and used another company due to issues which occurred later. I suggest you ‘pay as you go’, only pay by credit card and get a receipt. Others did this on our tour. Once we paid the money Daniel failed to answer any of our calls during the trip when we tried to inform him of the guide’s behaviour or seek his assistance. It was really unprofessional.
The first night, the guide, Malaki came to our hotel and told us he would pick us up the next day at 8am for our drive into the Serengeti. We were ready at 7.45am at reception having checked out of the hotel but Malaki did not arrive until 10.45am without bothering to answer our calls or inform us of the delay. Upon arrival Malaki informed us that he was late because the others on the tour wanted to sleep in. This caused an argument between us and the other tour members which was a disaster for starting our week long safari experience together. We later found out after bonding with the group that Malaki was in fact lying and the delay was due to the tour company not having all the equipment for the campers. This really was an awful start to the camaraderie of the group and almost ruined the holiday. One customer even left the group after this day due to having experienced the late departure twice in two days and the lies.
The second night after a long drive to the Serengeti we arrived at what Malaki said was our hotel at 7pm only for us to be told at reception that it was full. Our hotel was in fact an hour’s drive away through the pitch black wilderness and Malaki with reckless driving hit a buffalo on the way and failed to stop or show any concern. The other tour members were camping near the first hotel so it meant we lost 2 hours of safari in the morning going to collect them. I would advise that either all members of the tour either stay in a hotel or camp. As we stayed in hotels but frequently had to wait for lengthy periods of time to pack up and set up the camping equipment for others in the morning and evening which made us miss a lot of the best time for safari experiences. The organisation was very poor especially when the hotel package is very expensive.
The serengti heritage camp and kilimanjoa accommodation were really good with super staff but the rest were quite poor. The sernegeti heritage camp boss ensured we had a hot breakfast at 5.30am when all the others just gave us packed boxes. We never really got to enjoy the hotels during daylight as most of the time we were waiting for the campers to set up or pack up which again was really poor organisation. We repeatedly requested that he could drop us at the hotels whilst all the camp site activity was being done but Malaki just repeatedly ignored us and did whatever he felt like. This after spending double what the customers staying at the camp site paid.
Wildlife was great. We saw the big 5 plus wildebeest migration and a lot more. However, after a while Malaki would not wait very long for us to take in the sites or see animals that we wanted to as he had a mind of his own and was always on the phone.
On the way out of the Sernegti Malaki took us to a Masai camp of one of his friends and they tried to charge us $20 each just to visit the village. We all said no and Malaki spent the rest of the tour sulking, being grumpy and not listening to anything we requested.
At the end one of the tour one member chose to give a tip to the chef but not Malaki due to his behaviour and Malaki, due to his arrogance, started shouting at him. It was really shocking.
I really wouldn’t recommend this company. I would recommend you hire a private bus with a group of 4-6 friends/family and there were many tour companies which looked much more professional than this one.
SA
Email Nader | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not recommended Safari organizer
I booked with this company based on the many positive reviews I read on this website. I arrived on the first day, the pick up was OK, I spent the whole day in Arusha as per the trip schedule. The second (trip first day) was generally OK. By end of day, however, our guide Malaki dropped me off at Kilimamoja lodge and immediately left, I went to the reception to check in, but the responsible person there advised there is no reservation in my name, I tried to contract Malaki but he did not answer, and it almost took 1 hour to check in, while all other guests of other companies checked in smoothly without any issues. Rhino response on WhatsApp is too slow.
The pick up time on the second day was set by Malaki at 7:00-7:30 AM. I waked up at 5:30 to be ready on time, he texted me at 7:17 AM saying that a couple from the same group who were on camping accommodation asked to buy some camping stuff, they also requested not to wake up early since they were on honeymoon. The driver eventually arrived for pick up on 10:40 AM although we had a long way driving to Serengeti.
At this point, I preferred not to continue the trip with this company, and I arranged for private Safari with Savannah Explorer & I was lucky to do so.
I met with other couple of the same group by coincidence at a lodge in Northern Serengeti, they advised that Rhino were just cheating, the couple who were on honeymoon never asked for buying stuff or waking up late & this was Malaki's arrangement. Similarly, Malaki informed this couple that the pick delay came at my request.
On other side, I contacted Malaki after withdrawal from the group trip to contact Danial to confirm the balance due to Rhino since I did not pay any of the due amount from the very beginning, Malaki told the group that I am in contact with him asking to re-join the group since no other company accepted to arrange a trip for me. In addition, he sent me a video on WhatsApp of 2 lions hunting a Wildebeest as if he took this video during the trip to show me that I missed a lot due to my leave, Malaki did not notice that the car hood that appeared in the video had a logo other than Rhino's logo, which is indicating that the video was not taken by him at all.
Finally, Daniel contacted me during my stay in Tanzania threatening me that he will refer to the governmental authorities in order not to let me go out of Tanzania until I pay his money although he asked to pay through the website & the website delayed in sending the payment link. I left Tanzania on 21.08.2019 and remained in contact with him to pay his money. I paid him on 26.08.2019 and had the option not to pay him at all, but I finally paid him $861 as per his request from a moral perspective only.
DE
Email Frank | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari in Tanzania is great, but not with Rhino Explorer Tours
A safari in Tanzania is really recommendable, because you can observe really many different animals. However, this is true for all companies that organize safaris, so we would like to review the company Rhino Explorer Tours with their boss Daniel. The organization was unsatisfactory for us for the following reasons:
- On the day of arrival no one came to pick us up from the airport in Arusha, although we send the relevant information in advance by e-mail. We had to organize a taxi ourselves, which Daniel then paid.
- On the second day we should be picked up 8:40 from the hotel. Finally we started around 11 o'clock and after many telephone calls. That was very frustrating as we were not sure if we would be picked up at all.
- On the second day there was no drinking water available. Since we had not prepared ourselves for it and did not bring our own water with us, this was very unpleasant for us. In the end we bought it ourselves after the game drive, although it was actually included in the price.
- On the third day there was no game drive, although it was included in the program. This was due to the fact that we always had to wait on a second Rhino Explorer Tours vehicle had, which never showed up. This led to the fact that we arrived late at the campsite and hat our dinner after 22 o'clock.
- On the fourth day the breakfast was omitted.
- On the last day in Arusha Daniel wanted to come for dinner, but he never showed up. One should not rely on him.
- We did not receive several other things that were promised by e-mail, such as sim card and Masai blanket. We recommend Rhino Explorer Tours therefore not to promise these things in advance if they are not adhered to.
We would also like to add the following points for the sake of completeness:
- We liked the Venice Hotel in Arusha and also the accommodation at Lake Manyara very much.
- We were very satisfied with our driver and guide Francis, a freelancer who was hired by Daniel for the time of our tour.
SE
Email Goran | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely our greatest experience so far.
Me and my wife celebrated the honeymoon in zanzibar and ended the trip with a fantastic 5 day safari group tour. Absolutely the best trip in our life. There is nothing bad to say about the staff, they were professional, Daniel was service minded and arranged everything superb, our chef cooked great food and last but not least our driver Elias, very safe in his driving and talented in his role as a guide.
FI
Email Ulla | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing, wonderful safari!!
We did the 5 optimistic day in Serengeti by this company and it was very good experience.
Hotel Venice where we spent 1.night is very good hotel. Safari was well organised and David is super guide and driver! He has very good knowledge of African animals and we learned so much from him. During 3 days in Serengeti and Ngrongoro we saw lions, leopards, gepards, monkeys, crocodile, hippos, rhinos,elephants, zebras,giraffes,hyenas,jackals,eagles,buffalos,ostrichs,mongooses etc....David eyes are amazing to see the animals so far!
Food was very good during the safari. We spent 2 nights in camping area: 1 night in Seronera camp and 1 night in Simba campsite. Simba camp is better than Seronera camp ( toilets and dinning). Take a good flasflight and toiletpaper , you need them in camping site.
Mattress are quite thin in tents.
David takes good care of clients and he has good sense of humor.We had so good time with our team!!
Everything went very well and we are happy to have this experience. It is something everyone should do at least once in a lifetime! African animals are just so great....
Communication with the customers by the company could be more active before the safari....
We can highly recommend this company!
US
Email Mr. Eric Stocki | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great budget camping safari with outstanding service, it'a a trip of a lifetime
I was somewhat anxious about booking a safari in Tanzania and worried about the quality of the company even despite good reviews. So I booked the trip with Rhino Explorers and hoped for the best. Well having just returned from my trip I can say that I was so happy with my decision. Daniel who is the owner frequently checked with me to ensure that all was well. My guide Emmanuel was so easy going, great driver, friendly, and was very knowledgeable about the animals and safari details. He worked very hard to ensure our trip was a success. My group of 6 ALL thought very highly of him. He made the trip so special for each of us. No question we asked was below him.We agreed that we were so lucky that we were with him. The truck was clean and comfortable. The plug ins for electronic devices was great. No worries your batteries will die at the wrong time. Food was pretty good with more than ample amounts and variety. In fact there were always leftovers and we were full. We saw the BIG 5. The Venice hotel in Arusha was clean and very comfortable for my pre and post safari and I was surprised that a budget safari included a hotel of this calliber. Daniel worked with me individually to modify a few details of my trip to meet my needs which were easily done. He is very professional and takes such pride in his operations. Airport pick up/drop off was on time to the minute. You will be glad you went with this company and I highly recommended this company. You will have a spectacular safari that you will remember forever
DE
Email Mario | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing safari, unforgettable experience, trustworthy and ambitious company and good value for money
Our private safari with Rhino Explorer was a very exciting and unforgettable experience. We planned the safari with Daniel, the manager of Rhino Explorer. All our questions were answered immediately. Daniel provided helpful information and assisted our preparations. He really cares for his customers. We (2 adults and one teenager) spent 8 days / 7 night in the Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater area. Everything went to our satisfaction and worked as it was planned (pick up from the airport, hotel accomodations and the safari itself).
With David we had an exellent driver and guide. He has a comprehensive knowledge about fauna and flora and he has very sharp eyes. He always sighted the animals before us, although he was driving the car. We liked his humour and we had good and interesting conversations in the evenings. Also our chef was exellent. He provided us with delicious meals througout the safari.
The landscapes, animals, impressions and memories we will never forget. We saw the big five apart from many other animals. The most exciting highlight was thegreat migration of the wildebeest and zebras. You can get an impression of our experiences by watching the short movie of our son (https://youtu.be/cqBxKS4XWPk).
SE
Email Sara Paulsson with family | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An awesome safari in which we experienced much more than expected!
Our family of five had an awesome time during our 7 night and 6 day safari with Rhino Explorer. We learnt a lot and experienced much more than expected. I can really recommend this length of trip to be able to fully explore and enjoy the lovely parks and all the unique animals. Our personal driver and excellent guide David had a huge knowledge and shared everything with us in a very friendly and relaxing manner making us all feel safe, never afraid and with a great home feeling. On top of this our professional chef Action served us delicious food both for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even our three children expressed their ratings for the pumpkin soup one evenings as "the best soup they ever had tasted - why can't we have this at home"! We where amazed and was wondering how such good food could be kocked during quite simple conditions. The first contacts with Daniel and Rhino Explorer was also very easy and he quickly built up a trust and good relation with us even though the distance between Sweden and Arusha was large before we arrived in Tanzania. We were picked-up on time at the airport and transported to the very nice Venice Hotel to eat and rest before going out on the safari. During the safari David where spotting animals all over, it's amazing to be close to someone with such good eyes - we managed to see all big fives, the wild beast migration and of course a lot more. This safari is something we will remember as one of the best travels ever for very long time! Many thanks to Daniel, David and Action at Rhino Explorer. We hope to be back and see you some day again!
NO
Email Mr. Lars | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience for my family and I
We had an amazing tour with Rhino Explorer. Our driver/quide "Rocky" impressed us by his knowledge. I even had a story for each of the animails we saw. Pretty clean and nice camps with noices of hyenas and grassing zebras during the night. During daytime we saw most of the animals possible to see, and many of them pretty close to the car.
Our chef during the trip made us fantastic meals.
We have lot of memories and nice pictures from this trip!
FR
Email Sarah Revees | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari with amazing guides and chefs. So well planned and we saw all the animals expected
It was perfect. We couldn’t have asked for more. It exceeded our expectations with amazing landscape and animals. Very professional and knowledgeable guide and the admin and payment was simple. Thank you
