SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Stuck in mainland Tanzania with kids
We booked a safari with Hello Tanzania in February 2026. Unfortunately, the experience was affected by several serious operational issues.
On the second day of the safari, park entry was delayed because the park fees had apparently not been paid. The company stated there was a problem with the park system, but both park staff and other guides at the gate indicated that this was not the case.
In addition, the return flights that were part of our package were never confirmed despite repeated requests before and during the trip. Because of this, we ultimately had to purchase new tickets ourselves in order to return home (approx. 1038 USD).
The company later acknowledged the situation in writing and promised reimbursement within three days. That deadline has now passed and no payment has been received.
The matter has been formally registered with the Zanzibar police (case reference MAZ/RB/576/2026).
I hope the company resolves this situation and honors their written commitment. I will update this review if the reimbursement is completed.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The guide stole from me!
I beliive these people are deceptive, who stole money by pick pocketing me during a tour
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I had a horrible experience with this company which works with Cache Safaris. Horrible!
Entirely unprofessional. They work together with Cache Safaris. Avoid the headache! There are dozens of other options… use ANY of them. You will not be communicated with except to apologize for the multitude of ‘mistakes’ in the itinerary. In other words, they will lie to you about the itinerary, do nothing about it, keep your money, and then call it a mistake. Incredibly frustrating! AVOID THIS COMPANY!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I experienced incompetence and misinformation.
Entirely unprofessional. Avoid the headache! There are dozens of other options… use ANY of them. You will not be communicated with except to apologize for the multitude of ‘mistakes’ in the itinerary. In other words, they will lie to you about the itinerary, do nothing about it, keep your money, and then call it a mistake. Incredibly frustrating! I advice you avoid this company.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely unprofessional Safari - I recommend you do not book
My sister and I booked a safari with Utopia Safari, guided by owner Exude. and it was a complete disaster from start to finish.
* From the very beginning our driver failed to pick us up, and Exude offered one excuse after another.
*Exaud was unprepared - not hat , no bug spray ( we shared ours)and even delivered us to the wrong location for our overnight of which he as to see our itinerary to know where to take us.
*During the safari, he was distracted by business calls and focused on his camera and other toys rather than the experience he was supposed to provide
* He admitted this was his first safari in a while because he had been working mostly in the office marketing.
*We were taken to the wrong location , again, mid-safari, and he blamed the government and the company for not notifying him of site relocation, showing a complete lack of preparation. We inquired to be told an emails are sent 2 months in advance with relocation notification.
*Our safety was ignored as he led us through challenging terrain without consideration of risk resulting in my sister's injury.
*To top it off he dropped us at the airport only to be told we were a day late and missed our departure flights.
These are only a sprinkle of incidences. Exude claimed to see a memorable safari "EXPERIENCE" , but all we received was a disorganization, distraction and negligence. When we requested a 50% refund, he insultingly offered only 20%. While he may know about animals, that knowledge ends there - he cannot run a professional safari business.
I strongly advise anyone considering Utopia Safari to look elsewhere. This experience cost us time, money and peace of mind.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware of booking with Hallmark -severe operational lapses that required escalation with authorities
We selected Hallmark Travel Planners after careful research. Pre-booking communication with Levis was strong; responsiveness declined markedly after the down payment was made, and repeated operational and financial issues emerged during our trip that significantly impacted our experience.
Key issues included:
• Being asked to pay USD 990 in conservancy fees that had already been prepaid by us.
• Failure to secure our prepaid beach resort booking in Diani Beach, with rebooking to a hotel of lower standard without proactive communication and transparency regarding the price difference (refunded after pressure).
• Provision of a downgraded safari vehicle for a portion of our safari without prior notification.
• Inconsistent provision of promised water on game drives.
• Milestone birthday activity was cancelled at short notice due to payment issues on Hallmark's part. The activity had to be rescheduled to the next day.
The most troubling aspect was the reactive communication approach. Emails frequently went unanswered, phone calls were not returned at all, and issues were addressed only after escalation.
During the tour, a reimbursement of USD 1,350 was agreed upon after we had escalated the lapses to the relevant regulatory bodies. Although we were informed that payment had been made, we did not receive the funds for a significant period without explanation for the delay. Standard proof of international transfer was not provided, and the resolution required repeated follow-up and another external escalation with the Kenyan Association of Tour Operators and the Tourism Regulatory Authority.
This was intended to be a milestone family vacation. A substantial portion of our time was spent managing issues that should not have arisen. While financial discrepancies were eventually corrected, the experience fell short of the contracted terms. We cannot recommend this operator at all.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A tour full of breakdowns !
We have the horrible experience with this tour company on our 3 days safari tour .
The car is constantly broken down at least 7 time during the whole trip.
The first day morning we are 2 hours and 15 mins late for departure.After we stop for lunch ,the batteries died again.Basically the first day we didn’t do any game drive and just rush to the campsite.
The the second day morning the car died again.Other people at the campsite come and help to push the car and half hour later we were able to start the game drive.in the afternoon the driver constantly jump out of the car in the middle of the national park to open the trunk to check the car.After 1 hour the left side stirring of the car fell out and we continued driving to the campsite very slowly.
The third day morning the driver need to call the machinery to come and fix the car.it took 2 hour and 15 mins.Stoped for lunch at the crater ,the car broke again.On afternoon,we realized the wiper of the car is not working properly when it’s raining outside and we were driving down on a big hills.
We ended up went to the tourism police station.The owner of the tour company kept lying in our face and claimed we have seen all the animals so we should be grateful for that.This company have very bad reputation on every safari social platform.Avoid at all time!
We haved all the documents(photos and videos)to report to the MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND TOURISM also the police said they will write to ministers to revocation his TALA！
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
$2,000 charged for services NEVER provided
I strongly advise against booking with this agency due to a major breach of contract and dishonest dispute management.
The Dispute: We paid a $2,000 supplement for a specific Kilimanjaro extension (Horombo Hut). This service was never provided. We were kept on the basic 1-day itinerary, simply spread over two days, and never reached the promised altitude or refuge.
Bad Faith: Although the agency admitted in writing to an "editorial error" in their program, they refuse to refund the overcharged amount. They only offered a derisory $400 compensation (20% of the cost), which is unacceptable for a service that was simply not delivered.
Customer Service: Management refuses to take responsibility for their billing errors. Keeping $1,600 for a service that did not exist is not a "gesture of goodwill," it is an unjustified enrichment.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I would not recommend this agency
⭐☆☆☆☆
I am very disappointed with how this safari was handled, mainly because of the lack of transparency about the price. I clearly asked for the middle option and its price, yet I was placed in the budget option without this being properly communicated. Even worse, I later found out that another traveler who had exactly the same safari, same campings and same hotels, paid only 550 USD including park fees — significantly less than I did. That feels unfair and unprofessional. For info, I paid 970 USD.
In Maasai, I was put in a tent with someone else. When we complained, the solution offered was to move me to another budget camping alone, which was not an adequate solution. We were also not given enough bottles of water for all the days. Additionally, when asking questions during the trip, some of the answers we received were simply not accurate. We are tourists, but we are not stupid.
The safari itself — the animals and the parks — was beautiful. However, the overall organization and honesty from the agency really affected the experience.
On top of that, I personally found Kenya to feel very touristy, and not in an authentic way. Too often it felt commercial and focused on extracting as much money as possible from visitors.
Because of these issues, I cannot recommend this agency.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Afrishare Beware!!
Our 5-day safari in Serengeti National Park was deeply disappointing due to serious vehicle issues that severely impacted the experience. Two out of the five days were lost to repeated car breakdowns. The vehicle provided was in poor condition, unsafe, and unreliable for long distances on safari terrain. Instead of exploring and viewing wildlife, we spent hours waiting for repairs.
This loss of time significantly reduced the value of the trip and caused unnecessary stress during what should have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A safari company should prioritize guest safety and dependable transport, especially in remote areas. Unfortunately, the condition of the vehicle and the repeated mechanical failures made this safari far below acceptable standards.
In addition, the Tour Operator of Afrishare Ibrahim, treated us with a lack of care. His exchange via messages was rude and disrespectful. His inability to show a level of understanding and care for what had happened was shocking.
The only shinning light was our guide Deo, who tried his very best to manage the situation and tried to ensure we experienced all the safari had to offer with the limited time.