Kayash Adventure

Avoid Kayash: wrong lodge, hidden fees, no accountability

We booked a 2-person private 8-day/7-night safari with Kayash Adventure through SafariBookings. We planned the route ourselves: Amboseli, Ngorongoro, Days 3–5 in the Northern Serengeti for the wildebeest river crossings, and Days 6–7 in the Central Serengeti. They quoted over USD 10,000 and arranged the lodges. The trip did not deliver the core experience.

Problems:

1. Hidden payment fee: Paying the 30% deposit through their link added about 4% (USD 123.30). A bank transfer would have cost us about CNY 200. They did not disclose this in advance.

2. Poor contract discipline: After the deposit, they asked for an extra early payment to “ease hotel pressure,” even though the contract did not require it. They accepted our refusal, but it showed a lack of reliability.

3. Wrong lodge location, no compensation: They placed us at Kuoom Serengeti Lodge, which is in the Western Serengeti corridor, not the Northern Serengeti we had booked. They later admitted that “the Western Serengeti was initially mistakenly referred to as the Northern Serengeti.” From Kuoom, the drive to the Mara River took over 3 hours one way, 6+ hours round trip. They refused to compensate or move us unless we paid more. We had to stay there.

4. Balloon problem: Because of the lodge location, we could not do the Northern Serengeti balloon as requested; the balloon could only be near Kuoom. We removed the USD 1,000 balloon cost and dealt with the balloon company directly.

5. Missed highlights: As a result, we effectively spent five days in the Central/Western Serengeti and never reached the Northern Serengeti. Both key highlights—the Mara River crossing and the Northern balloon—were lost. The game drives felt repetitive and exhausting.

Lodges arranged by Kayash were mediocre and had issues:

1. Zita Tanzania Wild Camps, about USD 300/night for 2 incl. taxes. Okay, good environment and friendly staff, but not exceptional.

2. Kuoom Serengeti Lodge, about USD 390/night. Staff were good and the dome chalet had a beautiful sunrise view, but it was extremely hot by day and cold at night, and there was no Wi-Fi in the rooms. Poor value for the price.

3. Amboseli Sopa Lodge, about USD 259/night. Newly renovated with a strong chemical smell that stung our eyes. Avoid.

Overall, Kayash’s planning, accountability, communication, and value for money were very poor. The lodges they selected were generally disappointing and did not match the level expected for the price. If you care about the Northern Serengeti and the migration, confirm lodge coordinates in writing before paying, or book your own lodges. We would not use Kayash again.