Reviews
AE
Email RALPH | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Completely disorganised
I booked a 4 day safari through Mariam from Sipolio for 28/7 to 31/7. Everything went well during the booking process where I had to pay the money.
Then this is what happened:
• I was sent a contact for a driver who was supposed to pick us up at the airport. It was the wrong contact and someone else picked us up.
• Sideways tours sent a small 4 door car to pick up a family of 4? Why wasn’t a larger vehicle sent? The driver had to order a second car to take the rest of the luggage.
• When we met the safari driver it wasn’t the driver mentioned in the email
• When I asked the driver to check our bags there were only 3 bags in the safari car. The driver of the second car from the airport drove away with our 4th bag! He didn’t even get out of his car to check before he left.
• The safari driver wasn’t told which hotels we were going to and we had to tell him
• It wasn’t clear to him even if more people were coming on the trip with us. We waited and then he was told there would be another 2 people. He was then told there would be another person.
• He wasn’t told which hotels they were going to either.
• When we arrived at our hotel at 3pm in the afternoon, it was deserted and had obviously closed for many months. How could you book us into a hotel that was closed?????
• I called Mariam several times, but she never answered the phone. I emailed her but she didn’t answer the email. She only responded the next day at 7pm!!!!!!
• I then tried to call Sideways Tours who were responsible for the driver. Our "customer service manager" contact didnt answer the phone. I spoke to another who was very unhelpful and told me how it wasn’t the problem of Sideways Tours and there was nothing she could do. When I said I wanted to speak to the manager, she said he wasn’t available. He was “at home”. She refused to contact him or let me speak to him. Even better, then she hung up the phone.
• I was sent an email saying “Our transport manager is called Eric who is available on WhatsApp on +254717723305.” Why do you even bother sending this message if he is not available? Why do you write “Customer Success” in your emails?
• Our driver made several calls and eventually spoke to a lady called Susan from Mamu Tours who started to help us. She said that Sipolio is a sister company of Mamu Tours.
• She eventually found one small room for us in another hotel. We really appreciate that due to the urgency of the situation, but we booked 1 double and 1 twin room!
• I have to mention here that the driver did a great job solving all the problems throughout the trip and without him it would have been a mess.
You can make your own decision about whether you use this company.......
Reply from Sipolio Africa Safaris
Posted on Aug 14, 2025Dear Mr. Howie,
Thank you once again for your review.
First and foremost, I want to offer my deepest apologies for the frustration and inconvenience your family experienced during your safari. I truly understand how upsetting the situation was and regret that your experience did not reflect the quality of service we aim to provide.
To clarify and provide full transparency:
Your original booking was for two rooms at Mara Ndovu Lodge, a 3-star property. Unfortunately, we were not notified in advance that the lodge had suddenly closed for renovations. This last-minute closure took us by surprise as well, and it directly impacted your experience upon arrival.
Once the issue was brought to our attention, I (Mariam) personally took charge of the matter. I was in direct communication with Susan from Mamu Tours, our driver Ken, and the hotel suppliers on the ground. It was I who paid for the upgraded accommodation at Jambo Mara Safari Lodge, a 4-star property, to ensure your family had a place to stay despite extremely limited availability in the Mara at the time.
While we could only secure one room due to peak season constraints, this was done urgently and in good faith, and at nearly double the cost of your original booking. These additional costs were fully absorbed on our end.
I do recognize that the communication during the first day fell short — and for that, I take full responsibility. However, I want to assure you that the situation was actively managed from behind the scenes to resolve it as quickly as possible.
Given the substantial increase in accommodation costs we incurred to support your family, and the logistical efforts that followed, we are unfortunately unable to offer a refund. I do understand and respect that our goodwill offer of a future discount may not be of interest to you, but it was made sincerely in the hope of restoring some goodwill.
We are now reviewing all internal processes and supplier relationships to ensure that such a breakdown never happens again.
Once again, I sincerely regret the experience and thank you for your feedback — it has been taken seriously, and it is helping us improve.
Warm regards,
The Management Team