Gardenia African Safaris

I would advise you don't choose them if you want to have a good experience

I had a horrible experience choosing this operator. Initially, during the reservation phase, they promised me a great experience and in reality, I had a terrible experience going with them.

Sketchy Org: First of all, they are not member of the TATO(Tanzania Association of Tour Operators), which I did not know about before I tried to register a formal complaint against this agency. It is recommended that tourists go with TATO members for safety against fraud, and other bad experiences. So please choose an operator which is a TATO member atleast to save yourself the trouble that I have faced.

Unprofessional Driver: The guide, Kim, was extremely unprofessional. He kept on making food related jokes when pointing towards animals and also constantly kept on making sexist remarks degrading females which was really disgusting. During long transfers between the borders and the roads, he started to play loud music which was pretty annoying. Even after asking him on many occasions to stop making his cheap jokes, he kept on making them throughout the entire safari which ruined the experience. Also, during the reservation phase, I had it confirmed that Matey will be our guide but when we arrived at the border, we were surprised to find that Matey had not come and instead Kim was there. This was a big red flag and beware of their stunts like this.

Low Quality Accommodations: I had some concerns initially with some of their accommodations based on google reviews and research but they assured the accommodations are top quality and nothing to be afraid of, but in reality they turned out reality bad. They offered us Tloma Lodge in Karatu for the stay after Ngorongoro crater and we were bitten by mosquitoes whole night in that lodge. The staff was really unprofessional.

Horrible Picnic Lunches: They also don't buy lunchboxes unlike other operators and save the money. The quality of lunches we had everyday were really horrible like cold pasta, fruits that were starting to rot already, cold potato fries, and 1 tiny piece of cold and soggy fried chicken per person. Please confirm with your operator in advance what lunches you will get if they offer you picnic lunch.

Fraudulent Breakdown: After the bad experience when we asked to show the breakdown of the costs, the numbers they sent were all over the places. First, we had paid for 6 days of safari car with unlimited mileage but they again added an extra charge for transfer which was within that 6 days. Also, they showed park charges which was almost 33% higher than actual park fees. Also they did not buy us AMREF insurance policies which they promised and charged us to include. The reservation specialist confirmed that operators get special prices for booking accommodations which are much lower than the ones available online or through direct booking with the hotels and camps. But in the breakdown their prices were all higher than the highest prices that you can find on the direct websites or booking platforms. When I asked to justify the areas of concerns in the breakdown, they just said they don't need to justify because I agreed to pay the amount initially. So please ask detailed breakdown in the beginning from all your operators before making the payments.

Overall they ruined my honeymoon experience so totally do not recommend them for anyone. They charged a lot because we wanted private tour and in return we were provided bad accommodations, horrible food, unprofessional driver, and no resolution or support when we raised the concerns. Please save your money and time and go with a more trustworthy operator.