Mega Wild Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $210 to $3,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Kim | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
COVID19 Cancelled our trip and this company took advantage of the pandemic
I do not recommend booking with this company. Anne was very friendly, but the savings of a few hundred dollars turned out costing us thousands. We had a safari scheduled for early June 2020, which we chose to cancel due to COVID19. We cancelled 3 months in advance. We chose not to wait it out because we feared losing all of our money if this safari company decided that COVID19 was not a good reason to cancel and to be honest it turned out that they didn't feel a pandemic was a good enough excuse to cancel anyway. Their policy of a 75% refund less the gorilla permits was better than losing the total $6600 I spent.
However the upsetting part was that I emailed Anne asking how they planned on dealing with COVID19. I was nicely told they would give full refund less the Gorilla permit that they tell you aren't refundable (which is not true by the way.). Needless the say when I took her up on her kind offer of giving full refund.... well, there was radio silence for over a day. So I emailed again and then she finally replied telling me... Oh sorry that full refund I mentioned we could do, well we can't because i talked to people who told me I can't give it. IT IS HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE TO DO THAT. Also their website states that they give 90% refunds if canceled more than 60 days in advance but their written policy doesn't say that. Also, please check out this link and never use a tour company like I did to book your Gorilla permits- Uganda Wildlife Authority does give refunds. It's just another way for these tour companies to SCAM you. https://www.bwindiimpenetrablenationalpark.com/gorilla-permits/cancellation/
After arguing with Anne over email that it was not okay to tell a customer full refund and then change your mind. I finally accepted the refund they would give and filed a dispute with my credit card company. The crappy part is my credit card company is so bogged down right now with other travelers. Anne failed to mention to them that she had told me full refund and then took it back. She also failed to mention, I never signed a contract. She failed to mention that the Uganda and Kenya are closed right now due to COVID19. Failed to mention that it's not possible to go on a trip right now.
Overall, my experience is I got scammed. When I didn't want to rebook my trip and took her up on her offer I think she freaked out and then said, oh no... By the way, rebooking the trip would have cost me more money. Why you ask? Because the Gorilla permits cost more next year and there is a fee to reschedule. And don't forget they aren't refundable. They are refundable, just not to you if you book with this company or one like it.
So the moral of this story is, I'm totally bummed I had to cancel my trip. Yet, there are better companies out there to work with. These guys are not fully honest. The policy stated on their website versus the one given to you are different. They can decide when they feel like it if they don't want to honor something they tell you.
I will likely not win my dispute for the other half of my refund, but I have not given up. One thing I've learned in all my travel is that you need to fight for your refunds. I travel a lot. I'm a digital nomad. I'm writing this review in hopes to save another person from this experience.
COVID19 or not... I would not trust this company. They have some good reviews and it's why I went with them, but don't be fooled. You could have a great trip with them or you could get total ripped off and scammed just like me. The choice is yours. I wish you all well.
Reply from Mega Wild Safaris
Posted on May 11, 2020Dear Kim,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are truly sorry that we failed to meet your expectations. Please kindly note that Uganda Wildlife Authority(UWA), the only body responsible for issuing gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits, does not offer refunds for unused gorilla permits and Chimpanzee permits but rather offers reschedules incase a customer is not able to track on their comfirmed dates. As such, the company was unable to offer you the refund for the already purchased permits because Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) did not offer us a refund for the permits we had already purchased for your tracking. Please understand that the Company issued you a refund in accordance with the refund and cancellation policy that was clearly stated on your invoice and agreed to by yourself prior to you sending the payment for the trip. We are however sorry that your experience did not match your expectations and we'll strive to do better.
Email Luisa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreliable and terrible service
A terrible experience – I strongly advise against booking with Megawild.
We had an absolutely terrible experience with Megawild. We paid the full amount on the agreed dates, months in advance of our trip, based on Anne’s assurances that everything had been organised, booked and confirmed. Unfortunately, just two days before our trip, we received an email from Anne informing us that our safari had to be postponed due to internal financial issues. As we had already booked our international flights and additional accommodation for after the safari, rescheduling the trip was simply not an option.
Anne’s only proposed solution was for us to make an additional payment as a “top-up”, effectively lending Megawild more money to ensure the trip could go ahead.
This was an extremely disappointing situation to face, especially considering that we had already paid all the required fees in full and had been repeatedly assured by Anne that everything had been booked and paid for.
However, the problems did not stop there. The night before we were due to travel to Tanzania, Anne informed us that our trip might be cancelled because she had supposedly been unable to find a reliable tour operator in Tanzania. We later discovered that the actual problem was that she had not paid the Tanzanian tour operator for our trip. Understandably, the operator was not willing to provide services without receiving payment.
This was when we realised that many of the arrangements we had paid for months in advance had either not been properly booked or had not been paid for at all.
Eventually, another tour operator agreed to take over our trip, but unfortunately, the problems continued. We had to change some of our accommodation because the properties originally agreed upon were no longer available. Even more concerning, Anne had still not paid for the full Tanzania itinerary.
While we were staying in the Serengeti, our Tanzanian operator informed us that Anne was no longer responding to their messages and that the remaining portion of our trip had not been paid for. As a result, we had to cancel our planned stay in Tarangire and find alternative accommodation in Arusha at the last minute, completely disrupting our itinerary.
After everything we went through, including the stress, uncertainty and disruption to what was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, Megawild did not offer any compensation or meaningful resolution whatsoever.
We paid everything upfront, trusted the company to deliver what was promised, and instead found ourselves dealing with unpaid suppliers, unconfirmed bookings, last-minute changes and the constant risk of having our trip cancelled while already travelling in Africa.
Based on our personal experience, I would strongly advise anyone considering Megawild to think twice before booking. Paying months in advance does not guarantee that your accommodation, activities or tour operators have actually been secured. We genuinely regret trusting this company with such an important trip.
Reply from Mega Wild Safaris
Posted on Nov 9, 2026Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are genuinely sorry that certain aspects of your experience with Mega Wild Safaris did not meet your expectations.
We acknowledge that there were operational challenges surrounding the timing of your trip. These challenges were communicated to you at the time, and we fully understand the stress and uncertainty they caused, particularly given the amount of planning and anticipation involved in your holiday.
However, we would also like to provide some important context for readers of this review.
Despite the difficulties encountered, Mega Wild Safaris worked hard to ensure that you received the services you had paid for across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Your multi-country safari ultimately proceeded, and the agreed services in these three countries were delivered, with the exception of your planned stay in Tarangire National Park.
We recognise that missing the Tarangire portion of your itinerary was disappointing, and we sincerely regret that this happened. However, we would like to clarify that the full amount allocated to the Tarangire National Park portion of your trip was refunded immediately. You were therefore not charged for services that you did not receive.
We also acknowledge that a change to your accommodation in Serengeti National Park and caused inconvenience to you. Nevertheless, we provided accommodation which was in the same category of accommodation agreed prior.
We are saddened that your review does not reflect the many positive experiences and services you received throughout Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, or the efforts made to minimise the impact of the challenges encountered.
We do not dismiss your concerns, and we accept that certain aspects of the arrangements should have been handled better. We take this feedback seriously and recognise the importance of continuously improving our processes.
While we regret the difficulties you experienced, we also believe it is important that the full picture of your safari is fairly represented.
Thank you for travelling with Mega Wild Safaris. We genuinely regret that the experience did not fully match your expectations and wish you all the best.