Peter Sales Manager
Pavillion Safaris and Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $170 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Serena | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari, but terribile organization
We booked a combined safari and Diani Beach tour, which unfortunately turned out to be quite a disaster from an organizational point of view.
The safari itself was absolutely amazing. We had the chance to see an incredible number of animals, and our guide, John, was outstanding. He always made sure we got as close as possible to the wildlife and made every day enjoyable. The drives between the parks are long and can be tiring, so if you're not prepared for that, my advice would be to visit only the Masai Mara, it is absolutely worth it on its own. Diani Beach is also beautiful.
The major issue was the organization. We had agreed that the tour operator would take care of everything, including our transfer from Nairobi to Diani, which was included in the quotation. However, on the day of our departure, we discovered that the domestic flights had never been booked. After several discussions, we managed to get the company to cover the cost of the flights, but despite this, and despite our repeated reminders they still didn't book them until the day before we were due to travel.
As a result, only a few flight options were left, and the flights chosen by the agency caused us to miss a morning game drive that we had paid for, as it was included in our package. We also ended up spending almost two full days of our trip waiting around in airports.
Overall, the experience itself was wonderful, but I strongly advise against booking with this tour operator.
Reply from Pavillion Safaris and Tours
Posted on Jul 15, 2026Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for highlighting both the positive aspects of your trip and the areas where we fell short.
We are delighted to know that you had an incredible safari, enjoyed the wildlife, and that John made such a positive impact on your experience. We will be sure to pass along your kind words to him, as we take great pride in creating memorable safaris for our guests. We are also pleased that you enjoyed your time in beautiful Diani Beach.
That said, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in arranging your domestic flights. This was an unfortunate oversight on our part, and we took full responsibility for it. As soon as we realized the mistake, we immediately committed to covering the full cost of the flights and transfers at no additional charge to you, as we believed it was the right thing to do.
Unfortunately, because the booking was made later than originally planned, many flights had already sold out. We discussed the remaining available flight options with you, and together we agreed to proceed with the best available schedule. While this was not the ideal outcome, it allowed the journey to continue without any additional financial burden to you.
We completely understand your disappointment that the available flight schedule resulted in missing a morning game drive as we had to transfer you from Amboseli to the airport to catch your flight to Diani. We recognize that every moment on safari is valuable, and we regret that this affected your overall experience.
Your feedback is both fair and valuable. It has prompted us to strengthen our internal booking procedures to ensure that all domestic flights and related travel arrangements are confirmed well in advance, helping us avoid similar situations in the future.
We genuinely appreciate that, despite these challenges, you still recognized the quality of the safari itself and the dedication of our guide. We are grateful for your feedback, as it helps us improve, and we hope that one day you will give us another opportunity to provide you with the seamless experience we always strive to deliver.
IT
Email Andrea | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unsafe Transfers, Safari late morning, Transfers longer than normal.
The first problem is at the beginning, they don't pick-up me and they send a uber driver, that bring me in a unsafe neighbourhood, then it was just wrong and I arrive late at the office. Transfers are longer than normal, because the minibus is very old and because they did detours to pick up tourists from other agencies. So Transfers of 4-5 hours became of 6-7 hours. Safari starts too late, two times at 9 o'clock. During the safaris all drivers go to much nearby the animals and they stressed them. The last safari, the saturday morning, it was not a true safari, we run fast to the border of Tanzania and we don't stop the just time to see a scene with hyenas and lions, because the Driver was stressed to join the border. We cross the park amboseli in one hour and 25 minutes.
At the end the driver bring me at the wrong adress, I suggest that the hotel was another, but it says to entry there (a garage), because was the second entrance. Finally I walked 25 minutes too join my hotel.
Reply from Pavillion Safaris and Tours
Posted on Sep 23, 2025Thank you for sharing your feedback. We value every comment and would like to clarify certain points to ensure there is no misunderstanding about the services provided.
1. Pick-Up and Transfers
Our contracted drivers handle all guest pick-ups and are also licensed Uber drivers. While they may use Uber during the day, during safari assignments they operate under our contract. This is why no payment was requested from you upon drop-off at our office—confirming that the transfer was part of our arrangement, not a standard Uber ride. Though if your hotel is far from the city we can book one and we monitor it's movements from the uber app,so your safety is guaranteed
2. Office Location & Safety
Our operations office is located in a secure area surrounded by government buildings with high security measures. Many of our guests comfortably wait or walk from here when needed, and we consistently find the environment safe.
3. Travel Duration & Traffic
Safari transfers typically take 4–5 hours; however, road traffic, unforeseen delays, bad weather,mechanical issues, accidents or a member of the group getting late to wake up, can extend travel time. Such factors are beyond control but are considered part of the authentic overland safari experience and we brief our clients accordingly before the safari starts on day 1
4. Vehicle Type & Upgrade Option
The 7-day safari you booked was quoted with a safari van, which is reliable and economical. On the morning of departure, we offered an optional upgrade to a Jeep Landcruiser for enhanced comfort and terrain handling, but you chose to proceed with the van, which we respected.
5. Game Drive Timing
• Amboseli: Game drives start around 9 a.m. for geographical and logistical reasons, and this schedule was included in the pre-safari briefing on last day, the morning game drive goes for a maximum of 2 hours or less as it's a drive from your camp ,enroute the park, as we go ahead dropping others clients either in Tanzanian boarder or at the airport or preferred hotel in the city, which we must do for all our clients
• Hell’s Gate: Activities there are centered on hiking and cycling rather than wildlife viewing, which is why the start time was also 9 a.m. and we cover the whole place within time and we ensure no client misses anything
While no operation is without its challenges, we worked to deliver the 7-day budget safari as outlined in your booking. We will continue to refine our pre-trip briefings to make them even clearer for future guests.
We truly appreciate that you chose to travel with us and hope to welcome you again for an even more seamless and memorable experience.
Warm regards,
Pavillion Safaris & Tours