Mackos Wanderlust Safaris
Mackos Wanderlust Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2022)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
AT
Email Hannes | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
In general well organized but challenges to adopt quickly (car breakdown)
We booked our Safari with Brian from Mackosafaris. The booking process went smoothly and also the communication has been good. We have been picked up from the airport as agreed and started our tour.
Unfortunately our car got a defect on the journey to our first lodge after 20 hours of overall travel (defect of front right wheel axle). After some repair attempts along the way we thought it’s ok and got 2 hours delayed to our first lodge.
After a game drive in the evening and in the morning we were told that the car has to be checked as it is still a problem and we could not go without repair. Unfortunately through that we have been delayed by half a day and I told Brian that we will not go to Amboseli with this delay, as it would have added approximately 8 hours of drive for only one game drive. This would have been a nightmare for our 2 kids.
We have been very frustrated how the company handled the reorganization caused by their defect car which has not been repaired or exchanged in a timely manner. We lost unnecessarily more than half a day of paid Safari out of 3 days and worsening we have been rebooked into 3rd class lodges instead of 1st class which we originally booked and paid for. We were told that they don’t have enough budget left to book us in appropriate lodges like originally booked.
Overall frustrating experience how the company dealt with this unplanned incident (very slow and no adequate alternatives for a problem they caused).
Would recommend to book with a financially stronger and bigger company who can handle unexpected things better or maintain their fleet better.
Reply from Mackos Wanderlust Safaris
Posted on Nov 4, 2026Dear Hannes,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We sincerely regret that your safari experience did not go as smoothly as originally planned.
We fully understand your frustration regarding the unexpected vehicle mechanical problem. Although mechanical issues can occasionally occur even with properly maintained safari vehicles, we recognise that it is our responsibility to respond promptly and minimise any inconvenience to our guests.
When the problem occurred, we made efforts to arrange repairs and subsequently organised a replacement safari vehicle so that your journey could continue safely.
Regarding the itinerary, we would also like to clarify a few details for the benefit of future guests reading this review.
Following the vehicle replacement, the original plan was still to proceed to Amboseli Sopa, which had already been booked and paid for as per your initial itinerary. The replacement vehicle was arranged, and the plan was to depart Saltlick at approximately 9:40 AM and continue to Amboseli.
However, considering the delays experienced and your concerns about the additional driving time, you expressed that you no longer wished to proceed to Amboseli and preferred to change the itinerary to Tsavo East instead. We respected your decision and worked to reorganise the remaining arrangements accordingly.
We acknowledge that the unexpected situation affected valuable safari time, and we are genuinely sorry for that. We also regret that the changes to the accommodation arrangements did not meet your original expectations.
At Mackos Safaris, we understand that our guests invest not only money but also valuable holiday time in their safari experiences. We take such feedback seriously and continuously work to improve our vehicle backup arrangements and how we handle unexpected situations.
We appreciate that you chose Mackos Safaris for your family holiday, and we are sorry that we did not deliver the seamless experience you had anticipated.
Kind regards,
Brian