DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
CAUTION! My friend and I felt scammed by SCB Tours and Travel, lost Money & where forced to pay
CAUTION! We cannot recommend SCB Tours and Travel under any circumstances, as we believe that we have been severely scammed and coerced, leading to the cancellation of our safari. We are now left with over €800 in additional costs and were almost forced to pay another €900 on top. Allegedly, no one had ever encountered problems before, and we truly hope this is the case, because we wouldn't wish what happened to us on anyone. Here's our entire story.
First I would like to say, for the first days of the trip I would have given 5 stars because it was amazing – but what happened afterwards was one of the worst things that could happen.
Due to the attractive offer from SCB Tours and Travel, we decided to choose them, as the price seemed relatively affordable. We inquired multiple times to confirm that everything was truly included, and we were assured that chimpanzee and gorilla trekking, transportation, meals, non-alcoholic beverages, entrance fees, etc., were all completely included. After accepting the offer and making the initial payment, we were informed that taxes were not accounted for. Allegedly, the offer was created by an IT employee who wasn't authorized to do so. Despite the deposit being made, we were told that no further charges would be applied due to goodwill.
Just a few days into our trip, Solomon began blaming us for the high costs, asserting that we should have known that the taxes were not included. (We still wonder how we were supposed to know this, as when presented with an offer explicitly stating that everything is included for a specific price, we assume everything is indeed included. Unfortunately, our knowledge doesn't extend to Ugandan tax law.) We were also repeatedly blamed for the expenses of our vegetarian diet, and even when we ordered an additional pot of tea in a cold location, we were again reprimanded for how expensive everything was.
The situation escalated the day before our gorilla trekking, and we were essentially coerced into either paying for our accommodation here because the funds were depleted, or optionally, paying for entrance fees to the next parks since the money was simply not enough. Solomon cited reasons like accommodations demanding double the agreed amount, among others. However, this is also something beyond our control, and being in the off-season, we could have easily chosen alternative accommodations.
With the agreement that if we paid for our accommodation before the gorilla trekking, we could continue the trip without further discussions, we paid for the accommodation ourselves. However, in the preceding days, we had already paid for some of our meals (which were supposed to be included in the offer) out of pocket.
After the gorilla trekking, during our journey, we were suddenly stopped in a small town and more or less coerced into paying an additional $900, as we were told the trip couldn't be financed otherwise. Feeling uneasy about the situation and considering $900 to be a significant amount, we decided to terminate the trip. We also had to cover the fuel cost to return home, as we wouldn't have been able to make it back to Kampala otherwise and would have been stranded in the middle of nowhere.
The fact that we were stopped on the roadside and almost forced by Solomon to pay an additional $900 to continue the trip amounts to coercion and is illegal.
In Kampala itself, we incurred many extra costs as we had to independently cover accommodation, food, and drinks, which were supposed to be included.
Since April, we've made regular attempts to receive a response, all in vain.
Whenever we contacted Solomon recently, he shifted the blame and came up with various excuses. He has written that he will send us the $500, but we still haven't received a response regarding when this will happen.
Consequently, we cannot recommend SCB Tours and Travel under any circumstances and hope that no one else gets scammed like we did – this will forever be our impression of Uganda.
Screenshots are available in the images, unless they are deleted. Our trip started on March 6 and had to be prematurely terminated on March 18.
Since the end of the trip, we have made multiple attempts to get answers, at least regarding WHEN we will finally receive the money. We were only ever blamed for everything, Solomon even started playing mind games at times. Among other things, he told us that he hadn't even eaten because of us for a long time, and asked if we wanted him to kill himself because of us. In the end, he told us that he has a million-dollar business and he doesn't even care about SCB Tours and Travel because he doesn't need the money. Well, we are still stuck with our extra costs to this day, and most likely forever.
In conclusion, all things come back in life, or as Solomon said in his last message to us: "God (...) knows the truth and he will judge us all."
*Screenshots removed for privacy reasons.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nightmare
Terrible experience. Totally disorganized. They don't even give you a receipt when you give them money, they didn't book the rooms they told you or the flights. Unreliable! They don't give you back a single euro of what they promised you. Rely on an agency that rather charges you more but doesn't screw you over because it ruins a beautiful experience.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thieves and disorganized
I decided to organize a safari with this local agency and I couldn't have made a WORSE choice!
We left on July 9 and finished on July 12 and there was not a single day when anything was arranged as planned. All the places that he had arranged for us to sleep were then changed at the last minute, WITHOUT EVEN NOTIFYING US. I can understand that the period was loaded with tourism and that there could be changes in the process but giving notice seems to me to be a matter of fairness. In addition we were asked for 300 euros at the time for a tented, of course we refused to pay them but had to fight for more than an hour.
He had told us he would arrange, INCLUDED ALREADY IN THE PRICE, both the outbound and return flights (Zanzibar - Kilimanjiaro Airport and Arusha - Zanzibar). I PERSONALLY PAID for the first one from Italy because he couldn't arrange it and he guaranteed that he would at least make arrangements for our return flight.... OBVIOUSLY, WE ALSO HAD TO PAY FOR THE RETURN FLIGHT, HAVING ALSO HAD TO POSTPONE THE RETURN BY ONE DAY because THERE WERE NO MORE FLIGHTS. The total lost for hotel + flight is 530 euros. He promised that at least that money would be given back to us but clearly not even that.
For a modest 2700 euros we had 3 days of INCUBE safari, luckily the incredible animals seen soothed our spirits a bit, otherwise it would have been a real tragedy.
Do not book with this totally INAFFIDABLE agency!!! DAVID, is the name of the man who "organizes" your tour and he is practically a scammer since in addition to the money we gave him, he also stole our money that he never returned!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Chaotic and did not take ownership or control
This was my first safari and while the overall park experience was amazing we had a poor experience relative to tour management
Our chief tour planner delegated day to day management to junior and inexperienced staff
We experienced numerous snags and snafus
1) original agreed upon schedule was not supported and we had to make numerous unpleasant adjustments
2) tour leader was unresponsive and candidly avoiding any contact
3) we had to check out of a lodge in serengetti and find last minute accommodations because tour operator booked only 1 night as opposed to agreed upon 2 night stay
4) we were misinformed and hotel booked was different and of a lower grade than what was agreed upon in the itinerary
I would not recommend this tour operator as we did not have a satisfactory experience
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware of Wild Race Africa: A Disheartening Experience
Let me begin by confessing that I'm not one to leave feedback often, but my experience with Wild Race Africa and its co-owner, Simon, compels me to share my story to protect fellow travelers from a similar ordeal. I hope my advice can prevent others from enduring unnecessary stress, disappointment, and wasted resources during their highly anticipated holidays.
Before I delve into the details, it's essential to note that 25% of the last 16 feedbacks have rated Simon's services as terrible – that's one in every four tourists. Proceed with caution and read on.
I stumbled upon Wild Race Africa through a Google search before traveling from Europe to Kenya with my fiancé (who is Kenyan) that I wanted to surprise. Though I didn't thoroughly compare options, I was immediately impressed by Simon's responsive and kind demeanor. He seemed genuinely committed to making our customer experience unforgettable, which led me to make a grave mistake.
After a few exchanges via WhatsApp and email, I chose a 2-day/1-night luxury safari to Masai Mara for approximately 1800 USD. Simon requested a deposit of 30% (550 USD) to secure the accommodation.
Here's where the problem started. Simon presented four accommodation options for the luxury safari and insisted on a primary and backup choice. I selected Mara Serena Lodge as my top preference, clearly stating that it was my desired option. However, Simon later claimed that it was unavailable and booked Keekorok Lodge instead.
Subsequent attempts to secure my stay at Serena Lodge were met with delays and excuses. Simon's conduct became increasingly unprofessional, offering reasons such as Keekorok's inability to provide a credit note and false claims of website problems at Mara Serena Lodge.
The situation escalated as I asked for a receipt for my deposit, and Simon's communication became evasive and disrespectful. He even blamed me and others on my side, resorted to threats, and displayed an overall lack of accountability.
My trust in Simon shattered when I requested pictures of the safari vehicle, which turned out to be an everyday Toyota RAV4 rather than the high-profile Safari Jeep promised in the offer. Simon dismissed this discrepancy arrogantly.
After careful consideration and consulting with my fiancé, we decided to cancel the safari to avoid further complications. Simon retained the deposit, placing the blame on me, the customer.
To salvage our holiday, we booked a different safari with Olare Kempinski, which proved to be an outstanding experience with exceptional customer care, top-notch safari jeeps, accommodations, food, and game drives.
In closing, I urge all potential customers to exercise extreme caution when dealing with Simon and Wild Race Africa. Refrain from making any deposit until you receive a firm reservation for your chosen accommodation, and demand a written assurance that any future changes will lead to a full refund.
Based on my experience and years of business leadership, it's evident that honesty, respect, and integrity are not part of Simon's core values. Should you encounter discomfort or unsafe circumstances during your interactions with Wild Race Africa, prioritize your safety, even if you've already paid the deposit. Consider filing a complaint with your credit card provider to protect your interests.
Kenya offers excellent, honest, and reputable businesses worthy of your investment, but Wild Race Africa is not one of them.
Now, brace yourself for Simon's expected reply, where he will likely resort to his typical approach of deflecting blame onto customers and refusing to take responsibility. This will only validate the concerns I've shared above, confirming that any issues during your trip will be blamed on you, the paying customer, rather than the service provider.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour owner had no control over self planned / sub contracted portions of the tour.
The tour started on a wrong note and things went south from day 1. Internal communications or lack thereof led to confusion and ultimately exclusion of agreed upon destinations (Equator). The tour was plagued with lesser number/s of rooms being booked (for a party 30 strong) which led to endless arguments and compromises wherein the tour operator took a back seat and 'never' stepped in to take ownership of the situation. On multiple occasions the party was starving for food with the last meal having been taken 10 hours or so back. There were tourists with medical condition/s (diabetes for me) which literally put us at huge risks all due to the lack of planning and foresight of the tour operators. The balloon ride was booked for 28 people only whereas our party was 30 strong. Here again the operator just took a back seat during the proceedings and we finally had a couple of volunteers who gave up their spot/s for the rest of us. No compensation was offered to the folks who gave up their seats. The tour was in the planning for almost a year and the end product was flawed all the way thru. The tour owner met us on day 1 and then on the last day whereas during the planning phases he had committed to being with our party on all the days. The tour owner was also not 'Contactable' throughout the ordeal. The scant respect and lack of support to the touring party is the worst I have seen in my lifetime and believe me I have seen a few in all of my 65 years.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Never arrived
Never arrived at pick up point for a booked and paid for activity.
Very poor communication.
Please stay away.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible and unprofessional
Feel like going on safari and having a great vacation? Then DO NOT use this company. Douglas took our money and then demanded we pay him more throughout the entire 4 days we were trying to enjoy our vacation.He used our money elsewhere and then asked us to keep paying for services he was suppose to have paid for.We ended up forking over $2000 usd after paying him over $5000. He was unprofessional and didn’t even pay the driver, we had to!?! Go elsewhere and find a more reputable company, save yourself a lot of stress.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Worst experience ever while travelling
We booked a boat cruise, a VicFalls trip and a private safari to Moremi with Afrinature aka African Drifters.
All of them were operated by third party operators or freelancers, so rather book with others.
This company totally spoilt our holidays instead of having a relaxed trip which we actually paid a lot of money for. I already complained during the trip but I was asked by the owner to send my complaints on email, then we would talk about a refund. Since I have sent the report to him I was ghosted - no replies on Whatsapp, no one picked up the phone. After all: No refund - no excuse - nothing than disappointment with this company.
We paid 5k USD for the private safari for 2 people for 5 nights. We had a lot of issues with the company like delays, hotel change, changes in the prearranged schedule, one day we didn't even arrive at the camp that was booked before it got dark. Only one day was ok for us. Everything seemed to be happening due to a lack of planning, organisation and communication.
KR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not trustworthy
Treats foreign customers like an ATM. The attitude towards you dramatically changes before and after the payment.
1. Last minute itinerary change
Other tour operators notified me that due to the recent change in the park entrance policy, they only offer two-day safari tour. But Exciting Africa Holidays said their tour is three-day. To confirm this, I sent them an email and received a positive response, which influenced my choice for this tour. But, on the day of the tour, i was told that there will only be a two-day program due to the 'recent' change in park policy. That just spoiled my day.
2. Lying about drinking water
At the Nairobi tour office, I was verbally assured that the package included '1 litre of bottled water per person per day'. But upon my arrival in Masai Mara, I was told that there is no water to give us... I mean, why lie about water? If it's not included, just tell me, and I'll grab some in town! (fwiw, they did provide water at day2 after my complaint, but the emotional stress i had to go through on day1 was immense)
3. Lack of communication
They dropped us off at some random place, not the one we were supposed to stay at. We were totally lost. After I paid, communication between me, the tour operator, and our driver went from great to non-existent. If they had to switch the accommodation, that's fine, but give us a heads up! And there's even a signal in Masai Mara if you're with Safaricom.
When I brought up these issues with the tour operator after the tour, he raised his voice, telling me to send a formal written complaint. So here's my formal complaint.
This safari tour was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but picking this operator was a major mistake.
For the record, I was more than satisfied with our driver Shadi, he was very kind and professional. I had issues only with the tour operator, Exciting Africa Holidays. (It seems like multiple tour operators pool the tourists and assign them to different vehicles)