20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely horrible experience for female solo travellers
My experience has been FAR from pleasant. I have travelled across different regions using 2 different local tour operators and different accommodation providers and the overall feeling was the same: everybody pressures you into giving them money, overinflated prices for basic necessities (you can't even get a bottle of water without paying more than what you would pay in London!), constant harassment on the beach or anywhere touristy for tips, and the worst part is that the tour providers DO NOT PROTECT YOU from it, they are COMPLICIT. They will take you around to gift shops that will demand extortionate prices because they get a cut from it, they will demand tips daily because their employer doesn't pay them enough after you have paid THOUSANDS of pounds for the trip already. I was travelling alone and they took full advantage of that, especially at the beginning. I have used Jambo Safari Tours for visiting the national parks in the north and Mwanamshiki Tours And Safaris for chimp trekking in Gombe National Park. The second operator was a complete joke, tents at the park are regularly attacked by baboons and despite the park authorities knowing they do not provide any security to ensure your personal belongings are safe. All they do is sleep all day while you pay $100 a day to be there in a semi-destroyed tent that they call "luxury". My operator refused to pay for any damage despite paying over $2000 for 4 days (FOUR DAYS!!!) of trekking. Once they get their money, you can forget about it, whatever happens they won't have your back.
Not only I was heavily disappointed by the tour operators, especially the second one, but even the state of the National Parks was in shambles. Demanding foreigners to pay $100 a day entrance fee to a park in a third world destination where basic facilities are not provided. Imagine how many millions the government is making off tourists and then look at the state of the country and their citizens. If you wanna fuel this corrupted industry go ahead, if not, honestly I had a MUCH better experience in South Africa in 2023, where national parks fees were actually HONEST and PROPORTIONATE to the cost of living, camps were very well maintained and organised, and they even organised game drives through the national park, which means you didn't need to rely on private scammy tour operators who demand thousands of pounds to drive you around barely once a day in the middle of the heat when animals are sleeping, but you could actually do several drives a day for less than $20 per drive and you could book sunrise drives, sunset drives and night drives. All of that through the OFFICIAL national park website and for very little money.
I'm not saying it was the perfect experience, I think when travelling to Africa there is always quite a big margin for error and dangerous situations and south africa was definitely not a stroll across a meadow but at least I paid half the money and got way more out of it!
I also went to Zanzibar at the end of my trip and even there nothing good to say. I felt sick possibly from food poisoning and had to get some antibiotics and the hotel manager told me I'd have to pay $80 dollars for it cause it was coming from Stone Town. My insurance doctor had it delivered to me from a local pharmacy and guess how much it was? Less than $5. I did a snorkelling trip where the boat was sailed by a barely legal young boy, no safety whatsoever, 30+ boats all around the same spot trying to chase dolphins. The island is extremely dangerous to go around so you can only stay in the resort, the seaside is indeed blue but not crystal clear, you can barely see anything as it's always very murky. Beach boys harass you continuously, taxi prices are CRAZY due to the island being dangerous for tourists and tours were quite the disappointment as I explained above. So I'm sorry but heavily not recommended!
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This review is provided as a factual account of my experience with safari organiser Samual Namu Ntg
This review is provided as a factual account of my experience with safari organiser Samual Namu Ntg and is intended to inform other travellers.
We entered into an agreement for a safari trip beginning on 23 January 2026, with planning commencing on 2 October 2025. During the booking process, communication was clear and professional. Based on these representations, we paid an initial deposit and subsequently, in December 2025, an additional 25% deposit, which was stated to be required for securing accommodation and related services.
Upon arrival in Nairobi, we were met as agreed, and the trip initially appeared to proceed as planned. At that time, we paid the remaining balance in cash. No official receipt or written confirmation of this final payment was provided, despite the significant amount involved.
On the following day, we were informed that the funds had allegedly been “lost” and that certain essential services — specifically entry fees for Lake Nakuru and Amboseli National Parks — had not been paid, notwithstanding prior assurances that these costs were included in the agreed package.
In order to mitigate disruption to our यात्रा, we were compelled to make additional payments of approximately $800 to cover these park fees.
We were explicitly assured that this amount would be reimbursed. However, despite numerous follow-up requests over an extended period, no refund has been received. Instead, we have encountered repeated delays, inconsistent explanations, and unfulfilled commitments, including a stated deadline for repayment by the end of March 2026, which has not been honoured.
While certain aspects of the safari itself were delivered as described, the failure to account for funds paid and the lack of reimbursement for additional expenses represent a serious breach of trust and raise concerns regarding business practices.
Prospective clients are strongly advised to exercise due diligence, insist on formal documentation for all payments, and verify that all services are fully prepaid and confirmed in writing.
This statement reflects our direct experience and is shared in good faith for the benefit of other travellers.
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad experience.
⚠️ Warning – I want to warn other travellers and share my experience with Samuel Namu Ntg (safari organiser).
We started planning our trip on 02.10.2025. At the beginning, communication was very good, everything went smoothly and we trusted him. After paying the first deposit, we received confirmations and were told everything would be arranged.
Before Christmas 2025, we were asked to pay an additional 25% deposit, as it was said this was needed to book hotels and other services.
Our trip started on 23.01.2026. When we arrived in Nairobi, he met us, everything seemed fine, and we felt happy and confident about our choice.
We paid the remaining balance in cash, but we did not receive any official receipt.
The next morning, we received a message saying the money was lost, and we were told that Lake Nakuru and Amboseli parks were not paid, even though earlier we were told everything was included. To avoid ruining our trip, we paid for these parks again.
We were promised a refund, but we still have not received any money. It has been quite a long time, and we are only getting promises and different explanations. Each time we ask, we are told to “give one more month” – including a promise to pay by the end of March, which has also passed.
I was actually planning to leave a good review, as many parts of the trip were well organised and enjoyable. However, this situation has been very disappointing.
I am sharing part of our conversation as proof.
I am sharing this experience to warn others, please be very careful and always ask for official payment confirmation.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible NTG experience
NTG was a bad experience for me
Im a Solo travel and I never had a terrible time at the time to checkout. Hotel was charging some money
NTG Sammy don't want to pay difference so I can leave the hotel my last day.
I finished paying 14, 699 ksh so the hotel let me go and stop in tourist Mombasa Police Station to report him.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Worst experience I've had in a long time
I honestly wish I could give this operator zero stars. There's absolutely no reliability here. We felt treated like an inconvenience rather than a priority on our trip in January. Jumping around like parcels here and there, without any kind of professionalism or care for us. The worst thing: Selective listening seems to be the standard here; they only pay attention when it's in their best interest ($). Take positive reviews with a grain of salt, as most of these are clearly staged and written by the tour operator's own staff to inflate the score. See the pictures, you'll see the same faces and the same animals all around.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Poor commercial attitude and no refund despite force majeure
My experience with Great Lake Safari was extremely disappointing. I had booked and paid for chimpanzee tracking, but my entire trip had to be cancelled due to the tense political situation during Uganda’s presidential election. This was a genuine force majeure event, completely outside my control.
Instead of showing understanding, the company refused to refund the unused activity and only offered a credit note. For a safari operator, this is a very poor commercial attitude. In such exceptional circumstances, flexibility and customer care should be the minimum. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and I cannot recommend them based on how they handled this situation.
Canceled my safari less than a week out. Bad business practices.
Canceled my safari less than a week out. Bad business practices. I advice you do not book. Beware!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Nature beautiful, accommodation horrible
We stayed here for two nights and were very disappointed, especially considering how expensive it was. The cleanliness was unacceptable. The toilet was dirty and even had a cigarette butt left inside, which is completely unhygienic. There was also a used towel left on the floor in the corner, which immediately made the place feel unclean and poorly managed.
The bed looked like it hadn’t been properly made or refreshed, and the overall room did not feel clean or ready for new guests. The kitchen area also seemed used and not properly cleaned before our arrival.
For the price we paid, we expected a much higher standard. Unfortunately, this stay did not meet even basic expectations, and I would not recommend it.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Terrible and a fraud
would not recommend booking with Arosy Safaris Limited based on my experience.
I paid a $1,036 deposit for a safari planned for March 2026. After the initial agreement, prices were repeatedly adjusted and the quality of the proposed accommodations did not match what had originally been discussed. We therefore agreed to cancel the trip.
A refund was confirmed to me in writing, but it has not been processed to date. Communication became very difficult afterwards, and I have not received responses to multiple follow-ups over several days.
As a result, I had to make alternative arrangements at short notice, which caused additional effort and inconvenience.
I hope the company resolves this matter, but based on my experience, I would advise others to clarify refund terms very carefully in advance.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Kenya & Tanzania Safari Turned Into a NIGHTMARE
It has been 10 days since I finished my Kenya + Tanzania Safari trip. I still can’t get over what happened in Kenya, and I’ve been losing sleep over it. So I decided to write this down.
I started officially planning my Safari trip in October 2025 and discussed the itinerary with more than 15 travel agencies. Lincons from RAMESA ADVENTURE replied the fastest and could basically meet all our requests during communication, so we chose REMESA. But to my great disappointment, we made the wrong choice 💔
Our trip lasted 10 days, and many unpleasant things happened. The most unforgivable issues are:
1. Both spare tires on our Tanzania vehicle were unusable!!
Poor road conditions on Safari often lead to flat tires or getting stuck, which I consider normal. We even got stuck and had a flat tire once in Kenya, and everyone stayed calm.
But near Ngorongoro Crater, after our tire blew out, the driver tried two spare tires in a row — both were useless. One spare tire didn’t even have any tread left!
I really don’t understand how the vehicle was inspected before departure. Why was such a spare tire even kept?
The driver borrowed a spare from another vehicle, but we got another flat tire inside Ngorongoro Crater. In the end, even changing the tire didn’t fix the problem. We had to be escorted out of the park by Ngorongoro’s official vehicles. We barely had any meaningful Safari time that day.
2. REMESA changed our guide without consulting us — the new guide couldn’t find animals or solve problems!
When we paid the deposit in November, we confirmed with Lincons that our guide in Kenya would be Felix. Our itinerary was a loop: Kenya → Tanzania → Kenya.
When we returned to Kenya from Tanzania and arrived at customs, I called Felix but he didn’t answer. I contacted Lincons to tell him we had arrived, and only then did he inform us that they had changed our guide to Mark.
We reached customs at 10:00 AM, and Lincons said Mark was already waiting for us.
After finishing immigration at 10:40 AM, Mark was nowhere to be found.
We called Mark 7 times. He kept lying, saying “20 minutes away”, “10 minutes away”, “stuck in traffic”, making us wait from 10:40 AM until 12:30 PM!!
Later Lincons told us Mark had overslept and was lying the whole time.
Mark was clearly an incompetent driver. He didn’t even have a radio or walkie-talkie in his car.
We saw almost nothing in Amboseli. To avoid work, he took us to a restaurant to rest, claiming the animals hadn’t come out yet.
His driving inside the park was completely unplanned.
We later learned from friends that a cheetah hunt happened in Amboseli that day. Even if we might not have made it in time, Mark clearly had no idea — because he didn’t communicate with other drivers at all.
3. RAMESA failed to pay the off-road vehicle owner, leaving us stranded at the hotel and nearly missing our flight!
On our final day, the itinerary was from Amboseli to Nairobi Airport for our flight back to China.
After we loaded all our luggage into the SUV, Mark refused to drive.
His communication skills were terrible — he wouldn’t explain what was wrong.
Only after the hotel intervened did we find out: RAMESA had not settled the payment with the vehicle owner, who remotely locked the car’s engine, making it impossible to start (I’m not sure if remote locking is real).
Keep in mind we had already paid the full amount in cash before the trip started.
We called Lincons more than 10 times, but he didn’t answer or reply to any messages.
Afraid of missing our flight, we had to pay Mark the $250 that RAMESA supposedly owed the vehicle owner, just so he would take us to the airport.
Two hours later, Mark returned the $250, saying RAMESA had finally paid.
But this situation was completely unacceptable — we nearly missed our entire trip home!
There were other problems too:
Several camps we stayed at had almost no hot water.
We repeatedly asked for three bean bags before departure, but we never got them the entire trip.
We had been so excited for this Safari before we left. But after all these terrible experiences, I’m sharing this to help others choose a travel agency more carefully.