Our Consultants in the office
Meektrails Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2020)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $130 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Elizabeth | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not customer-oriented, only interested in own profits
Starting with the positives:
* Our driver exhibited exceptional friendliness and punctuality throughout the journey.
* We were consistently provided with excellent vantage points for capturing wildlife photographs.
* Despite encountering dangerous traffic conditions, our driver drove safely, though it's worth noting the necessity for functional safety belts within the vehicle.
However, handling of unforeseen circumstances by Meektrails Safari, particularly regarding our delayed arrival:
On the downside:
* Meektrails initially suggested omitting a day from our Masai Mara itinerary, a significant disappointment given its prominence in our plans and its associated cost, with no reimbursement offered.
* Contrary to their stated cancellation policy guaranteeing full refunds in such situations, we were informed that refunds were not feasible due to upfront payments for accommodations and entrance fees.
* During the safari we saw that these fees were typically paid upon arrival, contradicting Meektrails' explanation.
* Following considerable negotiation, Meektrails agreed to adjust our itinerary to two full days in Masai Mara, yet failed to compensate for the activities and accommodations we skipped.
* Additionally, the promised sightseeing activity in Nairobi on our final day was abruptly canceled without prior notice, leaving us feeling fooled
In conclusion, we recommend you to recognize the potential for abrupt changes in plans during such excursions. However, Meektrails' failure to stick to their refund policy and their apparent attempts to prioritize their interests leave a negative impression. Regrettably, we cannot recommend this agency.
Reply from Meektrails Safaris
Posted on Mar 26, 2024Many thanks for posting your safari experiences with all the people here looking for a good safari in our beautiful country Kenya. This is an eye opener.
I will point out what you did not mention, that your flight was delayed for over a day and it is busy season here.
Despite your flight being delayed for over a day we managed to rework your itinerary making sure you did not miss out on anything without charging you extra for changing some of the dates despite the hotels considering your booking as a last minute cancellation. We actually paid more for the change, some places 100% for the room.
The 100% refund is for us protecting our clients, in most cases we cover the losses as you well know the hotels have different policies, we look at it in a positive way that no one will book a holiday in Africa with the intensions to cancel last minute. We only do it to protect the clients, rarely do the cancellations occur.
This is the same thing that we did for you, just did not find it necessary to tell you we are paying some of the hotels afresh for the changes since yours was considered a last minute no show and we had to push every place a day ahead. Rarely do such cases occur.
I think honesty is very important everywhere as the only place that would not fit inn was a night in Lake Naivasha because of your Flight back home.
Many thanks for choosing our beautiful country Kenya for your holiday.
CO
Email Diego Piracon | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good safari experience, but unacceptable handling of the final day
I took some time before writing this review because I was hoping to receive a logical explanation and, above all, an apology from Meektrails for what happened on the final day of our safari.
We booked a private 12-day safari through Kenya and Tanzania, starting in Nairobi and ending in Arusha. Overall, most of the safari was a very good experience.
Our guide in Kenya, Ben, was excellent: professional, responsible, friendly, and always willing to do his best to give us the best possible wildlife experience. Our Tanzanian guide was also professional and made a genuine effort. The hotels were generally good, although I would not recommend the Elementaita hotel due to the enormous number of lake flies in the area.
Unfortunately, the final day was a completely different story.
The driver for our final transfer was the same guide who had been with us during the Tanzania portion of the safari. We had agreed that he would pick us up at 8:00 am. to take us to the airport for our 2:30 pm flight to Zanzibar. The drive from Ngorongoro to the airport takes approximately four hours.
At 8:00 am. , the guide did not show up. We waited until 8:45 am. without receiving any communication from him or Meektrails.
I then contacted Charles at Meektrails, explained the situation, and asked for the guide’s contact information so I could try to reach him directly. My attempts to contact the guide were unsuccessful.
Around 9:00 am. I asked Charles to urgently arrange alternative transportation so we would not miss our flight. We were in a remote area, so arranging transportation ourselves was not easy.
Finally, at 10:15 am. a taxi arrived. The driver did everything possible to get us to the airport, and after a three\-and\-a\-half\-hour journey, we managed to catch our flight to Zanzibar just in time. .
What was particularly concerning was the lack of communication. It was only after I contacted Meektrails that they became aware of the situation. I then had to send two additional messages before I was eventually told that the guide had supposedly experienced a medical emergency and had been hospitalized.
I can understand that an unexpected medical emergency can happen. What I find unacceptable is that there was no communication with us or any apparent contingency plan. Even if the guide was genuinely unable to contact anyone himself, the company should have had a system in place to realize that their guide had not arrived and immediately contact their clients.
What disappointed us even more was what happened afterwards: no apology, no follow\-up to check whether we had arrived safely, and no compensation for the stress and inconvenience.
We paid approximately USD 11,000 for a private safari for two people. At that price, we expected a much higher level of organization, communication, and customer service.
The final day was extremely uncomfortable. We had breakfast at 7:00 am. and did not have another meal until approximately 5:00 pm. when we finally arrived in Zanzibar.
I want to emphasize that the entire safari was not a bad experience. We had many excellent moments and our guides did a good job, particularly Ben in Kenya. However, the way Meektrails handled this incident and the complete lack of communication afterwards significantly affected our overall impression.
For these reasons, I cannot recommend Meektrails for the Tanzania portion of the safari.
Emergencies happen. What is within an agency’s control is having proper communication, monitoring scheduled transfers, having a contingency plan, and taking responsibility when something goes wrong.
In our case, none of this happened.
After spending USD 11,000, all we expected was something very simple: an explanation, an apology, and some gesture from the company to acknowledge the stress and inconvenience we experienced.
Unfortunately, we received none of them.
Email Bart Somsen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Kenyan wildlife experience, but disappointing delivery from Meektrail
We recently completed a 10-day private safari organised by Meektrail, covering Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and the Maasai Mara. Kenya itself was wonderful, and we had some unforgettable wildlife experiences, but our experience with Meektrail was unfortunately mixed.
Planning and communication before the trip were initially good. Meektrail adapted the itinerary following our feedback, and we agreed on three nights in Amboseli, two at Lake Nakuru and four in the Maasai Mara, with a private driver-guide and mid-range lodges.
Problems began on arrival, when we were told during the drive from the airport that our three-night stay at Amboseli Sopa Lodge had been changed. The first night would be at a different, noticeably more basic lodge. This was not communicated beforehand, no proper explanation was given, and no alternative was offered.
Our original guide then spent on the next few days a very and unacceptable amount of time on personal phone calls, including during game drives. We eventually raised this with him. To his credit, he apologised and explained that he was dealing with a difficult family situation. He was subsequently replaced partway through the safari due to a family bereavement, which we fully understood.
The biggest disappointment was in the Maasai Mara. Our itinerary specified full-day game drives with picnic lunches, but on our first two full days we were returned to Zebra Plains Lodge at around 12.45 pm and told, “See you tomorrow.” We therefore lost two afternoons of game viewing and had to spend part of our holiday contacting Meektrail to resolve an issue that should never have occurred.
We also had to remind Meektrail about the sundowner and special “unforgettable meal” promised for our 25th wedding anniversary. The sundowner felt improvised, while the special meal was simply the normal lodge buffet, although Doris at the lodge kindly decorated our table.
Zebra Plains Lodge was the weakest accommodation of our trip. Despite being marketed as a boutique luxury lodge with Mara views, our room was enclosed by vegetation and had no view. We also experienced poor cleanliness, questionable towels, smoke entering the tent, repeated voltage drops, weak Wi-Fi and, on our final day, no usable water pressure for a shower and despite the largest of the lodges we stayed, had the worst food offering and variety and was rather repetitive
In contrast, Ziwa Lodge at Lake Nakuru was excellent, with stylish rooms, very good cleanliness and a genuinely welcoming family atmosphere.
Finally, we were told that our Meektrail representative would meet us at the airport before departure, but this did not happen. Four days after returning home, we had still received no follow-up, despite Meektrail knowing about our concerns.
Kenya was fantastic, but Meektrail’s internal communication, attention to detail and delivery against the agreed itinerary were disappointing. Taken together, the issues left us with a sense that the company had under-delivered on its promises. Based on our experience, we would not use Meektrail again.