Johnbow Tours and Travel
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- IATA, KATO, KATA & TOSK
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $750 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
RU
Email Dmitrii | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You may encounter various issues throughout the safari.
We started our 6-day safari in Kenya with a great first impression. In Nairobi, the agency owner Morris introduced us to our guide Dennis, a trainee guide, and even gave us safari hats as a gift. Everything looked very promising at the beginning.
Unfortunately, the problems started soon after.
We entered Amboseli for our first evening game drive at around 4:30 PM, while the park closed at 6:00 PM. We weren’t too concerned because our itinerary clearly included a morning game drive the next day. To our surprise, Dennis told us he didn’t know about it and had already thrown away the park tickets, even though they were valid for 24 hours. He suggested skipping the morning drive and heading straight to the next destination because we were already short on time.
I insisted on having the morning game drive as planned and asked to leave at 6:00 AM to make the most of the limited time available. Dennis then claimed that the park gates only opened at 7:00 AM. After checking the information myself and speaking with the lodge owner, it became clear that this was not true. Dennis eventually admitted that he had lied because he did not want to wake up that early before a long day of driving.
As this was my first safari, I didn’t fully recognize this as a major red flag and eventually convinced him to leave at 6:00 AM.
I won’t describe every single day, but here are some of the issues we experienced:
• Amboseli – we only got half of the planned evening game drive, and the morning drive was shortened because Dennis spent around 30 minutes trying to recover the old tickets.
• Lake Naivasha – we arrived just before closing time, and during the Crescent Island excursion we had to rush through parts of the experience to avoid being locked out.
• Lake Nakuru – what was supposed to be both a morning and evening game drive turned into only a morning and partial daytime drive because we left the park and Dennis later claimed he didn’t know the ticket would not allow re-entry.
• Maasai Mara – before arriving, I explained the situation to Morris and asked him to speak with Dennis. Morris promised us a better experience. To be fair, Maasai Mara was excellent, and we had some unforgettable wildlife sightings. However, by that point we were constantly expecting another surprise or problem.
Overall, I cannot say this was a terrible safari. The wildlife was amazing, the landscapes were beautiful, and Morris genuinely tried to help whenever issues arose. The price we paid was also very competitive.
My main recommendation is simple: if you book with this company, try to avoid having Dennis as your guide.
Email Carla B | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Satisfactory but could be alot better
Driver was great, was knowledgeable. The drives themselves could be much better scheduled. Especially in times of inclement weather. The drives were too short and for such a big area, it takes time to explore. I'd rather do that than sit in a hotel.