Company President Yosuke Yamada with Team Members
OnlyOne Africa
- Located In:
-
Japan
Panama
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2018)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $299 to $1,400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email T. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
**Watch Out for Bait-and-Switch Practices**
**Watch Out for Bait-and-Switch Practices**
After reading many glowing reviews and watching YouTube videos about OnlyOne Travel, I decided to book a custom 14-day Kenya/Tanzania tour for my family of three, scheduled for **October 2025**. I worked directly with **Rodney** to plan our itinerary starting in July.
From the beginning, I made a specific request to have **Njoroge** — known as “the human encyclopedia” — as our driver/guide on the Kenya side, and Rodney confirmed this could be arranged. However, after I had paid the deposit and final balance in full, I was informed — just one week before our departure — that Njoroge would no longer be available and that a different driver would be assigned. At that point, with everything already paid and finalized, I had no practical choice but to proceed.
On **Day 1**, after arriving in Nairobi, we were picked up by **Jackson**, dressed in full OnlyOne Travel uniform. He was laid-back, knowledgeable, and clearly experienced. We spent the first two days with him in **Nakuru** and **Amboseli**, and he always seemed to know exactly where to find the rhinos and elephants — often arriving before other vehicles. Every morning, our Land Cruiser was spotless inside and out.
Then, as we continued to **Ngorongoro Crater** and **Serengeti National Park** for the next four days, our driver was swapped out due to what we were told was a personal emergency.
When we returned from Tanzania to Kenya at the **Isebania border**, we were met by a guide named **George**, who I later learned is the owner of a small Nairobi-based tour agency. He arrived in an older OnlyOne Toyota Land Cruiser that lacked a working radio system. Since we were coming from the Serengeti, I told George that my only goal for the next three days was to meet the *Lion King* in the Maasai Mara.
For those unfamiliar with safaris, the radio is *essential* for a successful game drive. It allows guides to:
* Share real-time wildlife sightings (e.g., lions, elephants, or leopards)
* Coordinate with other vehicles for optimal viewing opportunities
* Maximize efficiency by tracking animal activity throughout the reserve
Without this communication network, guides operate completely in the dark.
Driving blindly through the **583-square-mile Maasai Mara National Reserve** in search of lions is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Unfortunately, we wasted an entire day in the park, sitting under the hot sun without encountering a single lion — something that could have been easily avoided with proper coordination and working equipment.
Ironically, during our stay at **Lion Cradle Camp** (now owned by OnlyOne Travel), I met **Njoroge** in person — he’s now the camp’s manager. This confirmed my suspicion that OnlyOne Travel had simply reassigned him elsewhere despite earlier promises. During our two-night stay at the camp, we were the *only guests on-site.* We brought up the issue directly to Njoroge, but nothing was done.
I paid for a **premium, customized safari experience**, but instead received **subpar outsourced service** that fell far short of expectations.
**OnlyOne Travel, you failed to deliver on your commitments.** Future travelers should be cautious and confirm all details — especially guide assignments — *in writing* before making full payment.
TW
Email Rich | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Friendly and Efficient.
We had a great experience using OnlyOne Africa for our safari in Kenya this September. From the beginning, all the staff, but particularly Chunyi and Cherry were great with advice and suggestions and nothing was too much trouble for them. We were put in touch with our guide, Anthony, prior to landing at JKIA and this meant a seamless arrival experience. As for Anthony, he was a wonderful guide; patient, knowledgeable, fun and a safe and entertaining driver on our long journeys. We had an unforgettable trip and would highly recommend OnlyOne Africa to anyone looking to travel in Kenya on safari.
TW
Email Christine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The heart and soul of our safari — Steve
Thank you, Steve, for taking such great care of us over these 9 days.
You drove a total of 1,361 km — and that doesn’t even include all the game drives!
From the long hours on the road and sharing your knowledge with us, to doing everything you could to help us find the animals we wanted to see, you made our Great Migration safari everything we hoped for. 😇
Thank you for making this trip so special! 🤎
TW
Email Rose | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice and wonderful trip arranged
I didn’t know much about Africa before this trip. I decided to come mainly because a close friend wanted to go, so I joined her. But after arriving, I completely fell in love with this incredible land.
I don’t usually take many photos, but this trip was completely different—I took more than 100 photos every single day! Seeing all these beautiful wild animals up close, animals that we could never see back home, was truly unforgettable.
Throughout the journey, we visited different national parks and had the chance to see the iconic animals of each area. Every day brought us new surprises and unforgettable moments.
A very special thank-you goes to Steve, who was truly the soul of this trip. His incredible “eagle eyes” and extensive work made it possible for us to see so many amazing animals and experiences that we might otherwise have missed. He was also incredibly knowledgeable and always took the time to explain everything to us in detail.
And of course, I have to thank Steve for being so thoughtful about our bathroom breaks and making sure we had plenty of opportunities to use the restroom along the way! 😂
This trip was far more than just a safari. It made someone who once knew very little about Africa fall deeply in love with this beautiful continent.
Thank you, Steve, for making this journey so special and unforgettable. 🦁🌍❤️
TW
Email Harriet | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely irresponsible agency!
We joined Onlyone’s 10 day tour from Aug 14–23, 2026, and experienced several disappointing incidents.
[Hotel changed without notice]
Our original itinerary listed Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge (TWD 17,480/night), a very popular lodge where zebras and giraffes will roam around. However, while applying the ETA, I noticed that Onlyone changed the hotel to Naivasha Kongoni Lodge (TWD 7,500/night) without telling us. The reviews and the prices of two hotels are totally different. Most importantly, Kongoni Lodge doesn’t have chance to watch animals walking around. I asked Onlyone, it claimed that they’re the same level hotel. I refused to accept, so it eventually arranged Enashipai Resort & Spa (TWD 9,840/night) to us, but this hotel offers no animal-viewing experience.
When we met other tour members in Kenya, they had no idea the hotel had been changed! Onlyone didn’t informed them either! If I didn’t noticed the change, we might ended up staying at Naivasha Kongoni Lodge!
After returning home, I shared my experience online. Turned out at least 4 other groups also found their hotels had been changed by Onlyone without notice!!!
In my case, Onlyone gave us different explanations: the hotel was flooded, the hotel had deposit issue, and the hotel list was just for us to apply ETA. However, other traveler commented on my post that they stayed at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge on Aug 14. I supposed to stay there on Aug 18, so the hotel was fine on Aug 14 but flooded on Aug 18??
Also, Onlyone kept saying that Enashipai Resort & Spa is a five-star hotel, it's better than the original one. Yet its website still showed Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge. If Enashipai is the better option, why doesn't Onlyone change its website info?
[Being left at the train station]
On Day2, Onlyone told us hotel would pick us up after we arrived Voi Station by train. However, nobody was there to meet us. A taxi driver kindly helped us call the hotel, it said that it didn't received pick up arrangement from Onlyone. Seems like there was communication gap between Onlyone and the hotel. So we were left waiting at the station for 30 minutes before the hotel driver arrived.
[Maasai Mara National Reserve game drive was changed to a private conservancy game drive]
According to the itinerary and the website, Day8 and Day9 were supposed to have game drives in Maasai Mara National Reserve. But Onlyone told us only Day8 would enter the national reserve, Day9 would go to a private conservancy. It told us Maasai Mara is a huge area and private conservancies are also part of Maasai Mara after we first complained. To enter the reserve again, we would had to pay extra USD 200/person for entrance fees. After we showed Onlyone its website, it changed the explanation and said our guide had misunderstood. We would go to the national reserve on Day9.
Plus the hotel and train station issues, it also offered us one night safari as compensation.
I posted about our experience on social media after returning home. The Taiwan market manager, Cath immediately commented on my post that they would get in touch with us.
However, It’s been a MONTH, and nobody has contacted us!!
I even messaged them after two weeks and again after a month. They completely ignored both messages!
Honestly, this is incredibly disappointing and irresponsible!
After viewing the post, other travelers also reached out to me, sharing similar terrible experiences. Clearly, we’re not the only case!
Please be careful before booking with Onlyone!
