CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely disappointed and will recommend not to use them
Communications:When he knows there is a problem he decided to avoid answering the phone, other than that he responds ok.
Service:Not good, we definitely didn't get a good place to stay nor the trip was done as discussed!
living up to expectations:We found ourselves in a deserted camp-not sure if it was a camp-one hut with a small dining area.No other customers were there even though it is the season.
The food(ad the waiter) was brought in the car with us-which by the way was apparently a frozen chicken and eggs and we lived off that till the next day's lunch when we finally had enough and wanted to move camp.Of course we had to pay for the new camp as well!!after we complained to Rama/Gecko and his response was it's not his fault!!!
The Safari tour:
We booked two nights and three days:
First day:
the plan was to drive us from the ferry, have lunch and head to the camp and catch the ferry.They came on time to pick us up, however the trip somehow took longer than they expected so we ended up not having lunch and running to catch the boat.
Second day:
We drove up to the game park no problems.
Third day:
We were supposed to have our walk in the game park , we ended up just walking around our camp cause Gecko-Rama-decided to not buy the entry ticket and save some money!!While it only costs about 130 dollars for two people and we paid him more than one thousand dollars for two nights and we ended up paying again for another camp because the camp he chose for us was terrible, even the waiter came with us to the camp and he was the only waitron top of that we were the only customers staying there and I couldn't sleep the whole night!
*We were looking forward for this holiday, and we paid well and discussed all the arrangements in advance, but still nothing was done according to plan.It is very unfortunate to be treated this way.I would not recommend nor wish this to happen to anyone else.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
NIGHTMARE. This is a company full of liars and cheaters. Be careful, if you see one of them, RUN!
I point one start because it's not possible to put half or any of them.
This is a company full of liars and cheaters. They will try to fool you, get your money and then, seldomly they will fulfill the agreement you pay for. We hope that company will close soon and not more tourist will be fool by them.
Be careful specially with Ben, he will say at all your requests "tomorrow we will see", and then one they, he will respond to you, "sorry, but your complain are not mentioned on time"...
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Help yourself, choose others
We booked one thing and we received a totally different service, starting from the camping that was not the one agreed and of lower qualities where we could not sleep since tents and sleeping bag were in awful conditions, to the number of people in the tour (maximum should be 6 and we were 7) and we had to share the same seat on the jeep in two. Not really comfortable.
We discovered we paid much more than the rest of the group. When we pointed out all these things the only answer was we are sorry. Not enough. Absolutely to avoid.
Not serious, only a lot of chit-chat without facts.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Cancelled trip on the day of the Safari. Please avoid.
Was looking for a Tsavo 3 day trip and booked with World Escape.
Response usually was slow, but would get a reply to queries eventually.
The day of the safari, I call the number and am told that there was a problem with the safari van, and they will update me.
Am told an hour later, the van can't be fixed, and hiring one from another partner will vost more. They offerred to refund my money. I asked them to defer the trip to another date. They said they'll try, and post that the person I was speaking to stopped answering my calls and messages.
Got my money back thankfully.
No apology.
Had to pay to change my flight dates, and had a stressful morning trying to make alternate arrangements.
Please avoid them at all costs.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
BEWARE OF SARDIUS TOURS/FELIX NDUNDA
FELIX NDUNDA and SARDIUS TOURS AND SAFARIS is a business that needs to be avoided. May this serve as a warning for everyone. HE IS DISHONEST AND A PROFESSIONAL SWINDLER. HE IS SCARY AND MISLEADING. If you are looking for a quote for African Tours, please get quotes in safaribookings.com or safarireviews.com. There are hundreds of operators that you can compare with in those 2 websites. Don’t enter into any deal with him if you want to have peace of mind. Here are the reasons based on my experience why you need to stay away from this Felix and Sardius Tours:
1) He didn’t refund our deposit when we requested to cancel our booking due to plan changes even though we are entitled for full refund.
2) If you look at his prices in his website, they all look affordable but they are all inaccurate and unrealistic and will trap you to believe that he offers tours/services at lower prices. The price he quoted us is about 90% higher compared to the prices indicated in his website.
3) When I asked him to revise the itinerary so it will be more affordable, he never emailed a new one therefore he is not willing to accommodate the needs and requests of his clients. Otherwise, majority of the lodges and hotels in Kenya mostly probably is refusing to work/partner with him.
4) Before we gave him money, he will respond to our inquiries/emails after few minutes or few hours of sending the emails. After we paid him, it takes him days and up to longer than a week to respond. There are times he won’t respond at all.
5) It was too late for us to learn, but he was ousted by KATO because of all the dirty job and practices he’s doing with his own employees, lodge-partners, and tourists.
6) It was too late for us to learn, but he has very bad reviews since he started his business. Please review the following links:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k5744405-Sardius_Tours_rip_off-Nairobi.html
http://www.african-safari-journals.com/sardius-tours-review.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k964770-Anyone_know_about_Sardius_Tours_and_Safaris-Nairobi.html
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/africa/tanzania/sardius-tours
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k4269296-Sardius_tours_or_Skyview_of_Africa-Nairobi.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294207-i9695-k1510372-Sardius_Tours_and_Travels_Con_Tour_Operator-Nairobi.html
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible from the very beginning.
This company was recommended to me by some friends, so even with the terrible communication and rude service from Johnston, I decided to stick with them. Firstly, Johnston’s is extremely rude, and barely understands English so don’t bother talking to him on the phone, he literally hung up on us after getting angry that he couldn’t understand us. Prices were listed as 240$ for the particular camp we wanted to go to but he was quoting us 640 each for a week. We had to seek out someone else to deal with. Just go with another tour operator, very very unprofessional company.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Don't Prefer
Don't prefer this unproffesional company. Owner is too young and he doesn't know how to organise a group tour. He just take money and doesn't give any service.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Pathetic..Waste of Money and Time
Unorganised and unprofeasional. Dont use the service else you will end up wasting your time and money. We experienced of disappointment
1. Driver didnt paid for the lunch om the way to Masai mara from Nairobi.
2. Driver didnt paid for the park entrt fees and was caught by ranger and we wasted our first day of safari
3. We were transferred to a different tent with no attached shower at midnight and also they were fighting with us when we said we will not go to a different tent. It was not safe to be at there at that time
4. I ordered cake for my wife but they forgot to make it and are yet to refund me the money
5. We are vegetarian an we confirmed that since beginning and yet we were given Nin-veg food.
6. Our Vehicle did not had radio , so following the rest was out of question.
Overall it was a terrible experience wherein nobody was there to take our call and listen our problem. The agency did not bother to take our call.
There was another girl from Mexico who joined us on third day and she experienced the same.
QA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It is from the worst customer service ever
Hi All
I was in Kenya with my family and we wanted to do the safari trip in masai mara so we were searching for any tour company doing that then we contacted blue mountain.
From my heart I regret it so much because of many things.
1- We were 4 ( My parents, my brother and me) they told us we will have 2 tents each has 2 beds to stay then we reached there we realized that they were lying and they gave us just one tent of 4 beds then I called them that it was not our agreement so they said we don't have 2 tents as they told us and that is what available but they will give us 2 tents for the second night then for the second night nothing changed as I was expecting and we again stayed in the same tent of 4 beds.
2- We agreed with them that they will give us 3 boxes of water during our safari as one box for each day, In the first day the driver gave us one box and he told me that is all the water for you in the 3 days and I told him but we agreed for 3 boxes not 1 then I called again the office so they said we will give you another box as I was begging from them and it is not my right and I didn't call them they wouldn't give us the second box and they gave us after 3 times calling and after spoiling our vacation just 2 and half boxes not 3 as we agreed.
3- In the third day the driver told us we will not enter the park and we will go after the breakfast direct to Nairobi then I asked him how because we are supposed to enter the park 3 times in 3 days and he told me no then I called again the office ( may be it was the tenth or eleventh time to call them just in 48 hrs) and they told me no you will enter the park then again the driver he told me that we will enter but there is no time as less than 30 minutes in the park and it is nothing of course for the game drive then we didn't of course.
All of that made me so pissed off.
So I went to their office on the next day of the safari and I was talking to them more than 2 hrs and they didn't give me anything even they didn't say sorry for that and the manager of the company told me go away from here you are such a liar !!!!
Imagine they are calling their customers as liars because we were asking for our rights.
I told him I will write about it he told me go away from here and write what you want we don't care ( ZERO CUSTOMER CARE) as they took already their money so they don't care anymore.
I will keep posting that times and times
I don't recommend it to anyone to deal with them
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Big Time Disappointment - Big Time Holidays Ltd. - COMPANY NOT RECOMMENDED
We scheduled a safari through Charles (Allan) Milambo with Big Time Holidays and ultimately wasted an entire day of our two day safari trying to sort out mass confusion due to lack of communication and general incompetence. It started with failed attempts to locate Charles (Allan) who was supposed to pick us up from Kilimanjaro airport. After an hour of waiting at the airport pick-up area and actively trying to reach Charles (phones did not connect through and no response to emails), we finally concluded we were scammed and decided to salvage what we could of our short stay in northern Tanzania. Consequently, we were out of pocket monies that were spent on taxis, meals and advice from other tour companies (note: meals and rides were all supposed to be covered as part of our service). Imagine our surprise when three hours later we do hear from Charles (Allan), who indicated that another driver had been sent to pick us up from the airport (not him - why were we not informed and provided with the new drivers contact information?) and had been waiting for us this entire time (where?? We spoke to every driver in the airport's pick up area multiple times and no one there was looking for our family, was going to Ngorongoro Crater, or was affiliated with Big Time Holidays. We did, however, have many people offer to take us instead).
Our three primary frustrations are listed in detail, below, for anyone wishing to proceed with caution:
1. Services not met
Simply put, the clearly articulated services and costs for services agreed to were not met; namely, pick-up from the airport, staying at the on-site Rhino Lodge from which animals can be viewed*, enjoying a full afternoon and full, early start morning of safari, visit to Olduvai Gorge, and all meals. Notably, early in our email conversations, Charles explicitly stated that “Ngorongoro Crater alone needs two days to see everything.” Online reviews and a general internet search did not indicate any reason to suspect sub-par service.
*a few weeks prior to our trip, we were informed that we were on a waiting list and that a reservation elsewhere was made; we were not informed that this new site was over an hour away; nor was it confirmed that this plan B had become our plan A
2. Questionable ethics
There are three parts to this. Firstly, a few weeks after our initial deposit was made, Charles requested an additional 295 USD for services. When asked for more information on the surcharge, his email indicated that “his hands are tied up on this” and that there will be “no more extras”. After looking into the situation more, including contacting the Ngorongoro Conservation Agency and friends in Kenya, there was no information to substantiate the increase, and we communicated as much to Charles. He then responded - on the same day - “Don’t you worry about it. We have already solve the situation. The plan remain the same” (Note: he did not answer the majority of our questions asking for clarification in the back and forth leading up to this 'resolution').
Secondly, Charles specified early on that he would be our driver (“I will devort [sic] my self to a company you on this trip always to keep standard.”) We expected all along that we would be working with him and did not receive any communication indicating otherwise (we would have asked for the driver’s contact number if this were the case). (note: this piece is directly related to the confusion outlined above)
Thirdly, there was a clear unwillingness to acknowledge the stress and reduced services of our actual situation on Day 1 of our trip. During a phone conversation mid day when we finally managed to get a hold of one another, Charles claimed that he had met all the stipulations of our agreement and refused to compensate us in any way, stating that he had sent three separate drivers to find us to fulfill the agreement and that it was our fault (?!) for not finding the driver at the airport.
3. Money out of pocket and undue stress
One of the reasons we prearranged the safari with airport pick up and drop off, as well as meals and 50% down-payment on what we consider a large sum of money (please note: most companies ask for 30%; we however felt that we could trust Charles based on early interactions), was so that we could arrive in Kilimanjaro and simply enjoy our experience as a family – the youngest of our three kids being two years old. The opposite happened. Not only did we spend a substantial amount out of pocket for additional transportation, international phone calls, food, and bank fees, in the actual unfolding of events during our brief time in northern Tanzania, we experienced a substantial amount of stress from not knowing where our driver was, to suspecting that we were scammed, to finding an alternate solution and being asked for about 1.6 times our original costs (i.e. being taken advantage of in our desperate circumstances), to spending almost an entire day sorting the situation, to not receiving the full services agreed to.
In short, my wife and I do NOT recommend this company to anyone looking for a hassle-free holiday. We would have accepted reasonable compensation for our troubles, but that was not even considered.