Nice person and somebody who truly knows what he’s doing 🤩🤩
Affordable,Fun experiences and no issue regarding the tour every thing was smooth
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointing Experience with Nkollo Tours - Unfulfilled Promises and Poor Service
We had a deeply disappointing experience with Nkollo Tours during our private fly-in safari from Zanzibar to Selous, Tanzania. The communication was severely lacking, with multiple schedule changes not being communicated to us, resulting in significant delays and missed safari time. Our flight was rescheduled without prior notice, causing us to miss 2 hours of our first day’s safari. We only became aware of the rescheduling when we arrived at the airport, prepared to board our flight at 06:00, and were handed new tickets. Moreover, the flight we were placed on included a stopover, contrary to the direct flight that was promised to us. As a result, instead of arriving in Selous at 06:50 as initially planned, we did not reach our destination until 08:15. After contacting Nkollo Tours about this delay, we were promised compensation through extended safari hours, but this was not honoured. In subsequent correspondence regarding the flight rescheduling, they asserted that they are not responsible for the issue and advised us to contact the airline directly. However, it is standard practice that when a flight is rescheduled, passengers are rebooked on a comparable flight, not one that includes a stopover and is significantly less expensive.
The second day was equally unsatisfactory. Our safari, originally scheduled to start at 07:00, was delayed by two hours without any communication, forcing us to wake up unnecessarily early (again!). The driver then proceeded to rush through the park at high speeds (60-80 km/hour), despite being informed of my mother’s back pain. This reckless driving led to a broken phone, a broken camera lens and injuries to my back and hip. We passed the elephants twice this day, yet the driver refused to stop for them, citing the need to be on time for lunch. Because the safari tour started two hours late, and the full itinerary was still followed, the driver maintained high speeds, which made it impossible for us to capture decent photos or to enjoy the safari experience properly. Lastly, if the driver did stop for us to look at the animals, a huge cloud of sand came up because he had to brake so hard for the car to stop. In subsequent correspondence, they claim that driving at such speeds would have caused the vehicle to break down. However, as someone who frequently drives, I observed that they were indeed driving at significantly high speeds, certainly not the 30 km/hour limit that is required within the park. They also claim they are not liable for any damages suffered, but I feel this is unjust, as these damages would not have occurred had they adhered to the appropriate speed limits.
On the final day, our scheduled walking safari was also delayed, with no timely notice, leading us to cancel it altogether. We had asked the tour operator the day before if the start time could be pushed to 08:00, but were informed that if starting at this time, we would not be able to see any animals. We were therefore advised to begin at either 06:00 or 07:00. We agreed to a 07:00 start, but upon arriving in the dining room, we were informed by one of the employees of the lodge that our tour guide had notified them at 00:00 the evening before that our tour will start at 08:00. Given that we had to wake up 05:30, we were already in bed by this time, unaware of the change in schedule. Given the previous warning about the likelihood of not seeing animals, we cancelled the walking safari altogether. Although we received a $100 compensation for this, we were still extremely disappointed with the overall experience we had with Nkollo Tours. Additionally, the lodge’s pool was out of service, and we were not informed of this in advance, which diminished the value of our stay further.
In conclusion, the experience was severely impacted by poor communication, lack of professionalism, and failure to deliver the promised service. We are seeking compensation for the missed safari hours, damaged property, and the subpar experience, but Nkollo Tours insists that the cost of the tour has increased, and therefore refuses to refund any portion of our payment, despite the numerous delays and damages we endured. The second day, they even bought us two bottles of liquor, which we interpreted as acknowledgement of their mistakes. However, they are now citing this gesture as a reason for refusing to refund any portion of our payment. We strongly advise other travellers to be cautious when considering Nkollo Tours for a private safari.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome humans! Great 9 day multi-country safari
2 people (couple) from California, USA did a 9 day safari Kenya & Tanzania. Abongo was the very best helping us plan and manage every step of the way! We booked nearly a year ahead for mid-August travel. Was scary sending $ to a stranger overseas but felt confident & he answered all questions timely and crafted our dream safari! Super communicative throughout. Abongo & our guides spoke excellent English and understood us well. Everyone we met from Silver Spark spoke like 3-4 languages! Glad we got to meet Abongo in Nairobi & again at the border crossing. Very friendly & knowledgeable guy. He really helped make our border crossing quick & easy. Our safari was amazing! John (Jenga) our driver in Kenya was awesome. Toyota van was perfect & comfy. John was knowledgeable, patient, kind, helpful, patient, and funny. Very happy guy. Vehicle breakdowns on East Africa roads are common so John asked us if it was ok to rescue people a few times. You may have a private safari but expect the possibly helping others transport people or gear. The guides look out for each other cuz you never know when you’ll need help. The roads destroy ALL vehicles. In Kenya, we had a vehicle issue but luckily got fixed quickly & stayed on schedule. The roads out to and in the national parks are bad! But our driver made us feel confident. Then, Babu, our driver in Tanzania was the best!! Land cruisers only in Tanzania. It was cool to experience both types of vehicles. We were sad to leave Jenga but Babu was amazing as well! Felt sad to leave our friends at the end.
If you come up with a dream itinerary, ask Abongo for an ETA between places because the journey btwn parks is long and roads are sketchy & rough. Wish I had known to ask this info. I assumed roads would be bad but way underestimated. The time btwn parks is good for editing photos and napping, however :) It would be good to advise guests of approximate travel times. We chose mid-range accommodations with a mix of camp and lodges. All the places we stayed at were pleasant, some were excellent! We learned that Abongo w/Silver Spark does all the comms and planning in Kenya and they partner with Nyangulo Safaris in Tanzania where Soombe does all the planning. We met Soombe upon arrival & departure. Together, Abongo and Soombe make a great team and worked things out for us to have an amazing 9 days!! Thank you both. Things to know for ANY safari if this is your first: there is no “luxury” driving safari bc these roads are rough & destroy ALL cars ALL safari companies. We had car issues in both countries and saw countless cars broke down on the side of the road. You’ll need to be patient at park entries & in case of vehicle issues. Now we understand why safaris aren’t cheap. Vehicle maintenance in East Africa is a beast! The roads are dusty & bumpy! Don’t expect cold beverages on 9-12 hour road trips but you’ll get used to warm drinking water & Coca Cola. Also, if you end your trip with Zanzibar, be sure to arrive at the airport 2 hours before. We almost missed our flight, but again, Soombe helped with negotiating & begging on our behalf. Tip your guides well; they work HARD and make the journey great. We tipped more than the minimum and were generous to wait staff at lodges too. Silver Spark & Nyangulo are the best!!! We cannot say enough good things about these guys. Thank you, team!!! Asanti sana 🫶🏽 five stars? Hakuna Matata
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly Safari
Good organization and very good human beings! Friendly people helpful, awesome safari. For my standards accomodations were a little bit low level, but was my first time in equatorial Africa, so I learned how the life is there.
I will go for another experience for sure
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Safari operation imaginable
My family had a most extraordinarily positive experience with Golden Africa Safaris on our safari to Botswana. Our group consisted of Grandparents, Adult children and Grandchildren ages 7 through 16. Every aspect of the safari was planned and executed to perfection by the management and staff of Golden Africa Safaris. The pre-safari communications were all excellent and prompt and helped us plan such things as the itinerary, desires for viewing on game drives, dietary issues all the way down to what things we should bring for clothes for the safari. We had chosen a tented safari rather than game lodges or hotels in our desire to be closer to the game as well as experience Botswana in such a setting. This proved to be an excellent choice for us. The game drives were exceptional. Moa and Option, our guides, were so educational and enjoyable that all ages remained excited and engaged throughout the game drives. They were extremely respectful of and knowledgeable about the wildlife. The safari vehicles were extremely comfortable, and the vehicles had refreshments and an abundance of charging ports for the electronics we brought for photography. The animal activity in the vicinity of the tents at night was wonderful. The staff did such a wonderful job of taking care of us and giving us a once in a lifetime experience, at extremely high quality, and all from a mobile kitchen and support trucks. Time spent with the staff and getting to know them was a true highlight. During the planning of the safari my wife and I had decided to renew our vows on the occasion of our 50th wedding anniversary. The owners Charlotte and Rob and guide Moa did all of the planning. They scouted out a wonderful site at a hippo pool for a traditional type of Botswana wedding ceremony which was spectacular. Charlotte, Rob and the entire staff made this happen in a most memorable way.
This wonderful safari with Golden Africa Safaris far exceeded our expectations from the first day of planning through our final day with them. This was a tremendously professional company who took great pride in having anticipated all of our wants and needs to have a perfect safari. Our whole family is extremely thankful for all of their expertise and planning that made this a perfect and memorable safari. We are planning a new safari and will most definitely go with Golden Africa Safaris again.
IT
Efficient and very professional
Kentau turned out from the first moment to be a great choice that indulged us in all our needs with excellent value for money. Thanks to Dominic who organized everything and to our guide David from Amboseli who with his 30 years of experience passed on his passion and knowledge for animals.
Super recommended agency
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tailored Safari and wonderful experience
My boyfriend and I wrote to Dominic and his staff in an unhappy moment (we were having the worst time with another safari company). We were lucky enough that Dominic and his staff immediately answered us and saved our journey! He arranged a tailored safari with a private land cruiser and everything went perfectly! Dominic has been in contact with us everyday to check on us and make sure everything was good (really appreciated)! Definitely serious organisation and with great attention to the client’s needs!
The two tour guide we had, David for the Amboseli Park and Peter for Tsavo East were super! David’s passion for animals, in particolar, made our safari memorable
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Suricata Safari's is the absolute best in Tanzania!
Suricata Safari's was absolutely amazing! The amount of animals and action we saw was so memorable ♥️ Damon our guide was very knowledgeable of the animals and the areas they might appear. We witness all 5 game animals over the course of the 5 day tour which is extremely rare but was possible thanks to Suricata Safari's. Daniel did an outstanding job as well preparing and organizing the tour briefings before and after the tour. Tito our personal chef made delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day and always changed it up! All in all the team for Suricata Safari's is #1 in my book and I would happily recommend them to anyone wanting to go on a Safari adventure in the near future. Thank you!
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
they provide good driver guide, equipment and service
i think the best thing in this travel is the experience of driver guide John. it is so valuable. he could go to the lion place, leopard place accurate and quickly. so we have more time to see the most important view the crossing in masai mara. and he know when and where and how the crossing would happen. we take a long time to wait in the place he suggest. and we saw the crossing finally. we are so lucky. and lucky to have a good driver.
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized trip and great tour guide
The trip was very well organized and Danny was an amazing tour guide, well informed and very friendly. We have seen most animals and he gave us a lot of information about them. Cultural experience was also well organized and interesting but Masai village was not included in the price, we bought it for extra though and loved it.