Vehicle issues
We had a good safari experience overall, thanks especially to our driver, Hilary. He was extremely knowledgeable about wildlife, and was always willing to share interesting information.
However, I would like to express my concern regarding the condition of the vehicle. From the very beginning of the trip, the engine was making unusual noises, which made me feel that the vehicle may not have been properly inspected before departure. Unfortunately, the vehicle later experienced mechanical problems on the way back. We had to ask for other Safari company to give us a ride back.
As a safari company responsible for guests’ safety, I believe vehicles should undergo thorough safety inspections and maintenance before being used for tours. While I appreciate the company’s efforts to resolve the situation, this incident has left me concerned about the overall safety management procedures.
Hilary did an excellent job throughout the experience, and I am grateful for his dedication. I hope the company will take this matter seriously and strengthen its vehicle maintenance and safety checks to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
Double face ! Before the tour will help you then when you arrive will leave you with your guide/ dri
I hate to do this and am traveling all over the world and this is our third Safari in Africa so I know what a company should be . I had few companies I could take but Peter was fast before and planned all ,very communicative and I believed he will give us all he promised but .. that was not the case .. I know he will reply now with all kind of stories but believe me as I also use reviews . He promised us a good car this was my condition of taking him as I know the car is very important, he gave us a 2002 jeep ! We are in 20026 and I saw many cars of companies on the way no one had this old car. No air conditioning … The only good thing is the guide that I asked for ,he did not even offered him it was Simpson that I read good reviews this what saved us ! The best man ! Kind helped us in all. Peter never contacted us in the 12 days of our trip , I had to contact him once his answer was not so kind .. But the last day on the way to the air port the car broke down on the way… we were on the road had to drive 6 hours more with no hope ! This was a very very old car! We understood that we will miss the flight so I called Peter , he hanged the phone ion me ! Never even contacted me till today to apologize even ! We were lucky another nice safari driver with nice big car stopped with tourists inside , they agreed to take us we drove with them 6 more hours , their car was nice comfortable! We were just lucky we barely made our flight ! So if you will have a issue on your trip think twice if you want this kind of person ? The tour he organized was fine our guide that I asked for was amazing but I asked for him his name is Simpson .
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable memories with positive and negative sides
Our safari experience was absolutely wonderful. I will never forget the time we spent with our fantastic guide Charles. The food and accommodation both lived up to our expectations perfectly.
Unfortunately, our stay in Zanzibar was a terrible letdown. Tour manager Nuhu was often hard to communicate with. We even had to argue over lunch and dinner meals that were supposed to be covered by our travel package. If you book trips with this operator, make sure you get written confirmation of every included detail, especially dining arrangements.
On top of that, our Zanzibar guide Mussa was extremely unreliable. He kept taking personal phone calls while behind the wheel, which felt very unsafe.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Enjoyable safari, but there was a clear gap between promises and reality.
Overall, we had a great safari experience and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We had some incredible wildlife sightings, the lodges were excellent, and our guide, Denis, was knowledgeable and made sure we had a memorable time. However, there were a few very noticeable issues that did not match the expectations set during the booking process.
1. Airport transfer vehicle: The vehicle provided for the airport-to-hotel transfer was far below the standard expected. It was a small car with very limited space for passengers and luggage.
2. Safari vehicle: The safari vehicle provided was completely different from what was shown during the booking process. The advertised Land Cruiser had proper seat covers, a dedicated fridge, charging ports, and much better interiors. Since we spent most of our safari inside the vehicle, this was not a minor difference—it had a significant impact on our overall experience. If a different vehicle is going to be provided, it should be communicated honestly instead of showing a better one during booking.
3. Guide experience: Denis was a good guide and did his job well. However, we were specifically promised a guide with over 10 years of experience, and that commitment was not fulfilled.
4. Itinerary: The itinerary seemed unnecessarily rushed just to make the package look more attractive. Early morning game drives were scheduled in both Amboseli and Lake Nakuru, but we deliberately skipped both because they would have left us exhausted with virtually no time to rest. We would have preferred a more realistic and balanced itinerary rather than one packed with activities that we ultimately had to skip.
5. Lunch on the return journey: The lunch stop on the way back to Nairobi was simply pathetic and nowhere near the standard of the rest of the trip. It was a disappointing way to end an otherwise enjoyable safari.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good safari and excellent driver, but we lost trust in the operator
We did a private safari tour in Tanzania in June 2026 and, in terms of the safari itself, it was a good experience. The lodges were comfortable, the locations matched the program, and before the trip the operator was very responsive and answered all our questions in detail.
Our driver‑guide was excellent: safe driving, very good knowledge of the parks and animal behavior, he really tried to show us as much as possible and adjusted to our wishes. We would gladly recommend him personally.
Unfortunately, our overall impression of the operator is very negative because of what happened with the airport transfer that was included in our package. On the last day nobody came to pick us up for the airport, the operator did not answer our messages, and we had to order a taxi ourselves, wait for about an hour and almost missed our flight (we were only saved by a schedule change).
After the trip I wrote to the operator and explained the situation with the missed transfer in detail, but we never received any reply or apology.
Before this incident we had already recommended this company to several friends, but after such a serious failure and complete lack of reaction we no longer trust this operator and cannot recommend the company to others, even though the safari itself and the driver were very good.
SE
Lovely, but could give us more information about the animals
Good company that organized it very well for us. Good hotels and helped us with transportation
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A jolly good fella!
Hello there traveller! Have you heard of the song, he's a jolly good fellow... well yes, Axis Safari, represented by Winnie and driven by Julius were a jolly good team for 6 wildlife photographers from Delhi India including a 78 year old except for the challenges we faced written below with proof: 1. Limited water supply: Bottles of 500 ml given to each traveller, at best 3/4 bottles a day. Mind you, the outside temperature was 38C plus in Kenya during June 2026. 2. Our jolly good driver Julius was so homely, lively and honest it was a pleasure to be with him. However, he isn't ideal for photographers who need different angles, sense of lighting and patience to wait till the best frame and composition appears. 3. The land cruiser had AC and was not used despite a 10 hour 36C 40% humidity long drive where we reached Amboseli from Nairobi after a 10 hr drive! As a result, we lost fluids, health battery and ability to enjoy the long trip and got super tired with a 78 year old. 4. The car Julius drove was solid enough to go through any terrain, but was not well built, not comfortable, not repaired well, no ac and not maintained. There were far better cars available with others in the same price. As a family, Julius and the team are super apt! As professional photographers this is where I would call again. Thank you for reading.
BE
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari in an African way
In November 2025, my daughter and I decided to do a safari in Uganda, mainly to visist the gorilla's and chimps. We inquired several safari companies in Uganda. Finally, we decided to chose Riso Gorilla Safaris. With a little doubt as there were no reviews of this company but the contact with the owner felt good. While other companies sent me a detailed itinerary, I had to propose a contract myself. When I did a first payment, the owner replied that he had reveived it, which felt good to hear. But 6 weeks before we left, I tried to contact the company (via Whatsapp and email) but did not succeed for several weeks which made me worried. Finally I got a reply saying that he was in Tanzania and had no internet.
The day before the start of our 13-day safari I reveived a message of the owner that he was at the airport in Entebbe to welcome us. He was a day too early ?? The next day, we arrived and Eric our guide/driver welcomed us an drove us to the hotel. The next day, our safari started with a classical tour : Murchison Falls, Kibale forest, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi, Lake Mburo and back to Entebbe.
Following things happened during the tour :
-The vehicule was not maintained. The back door could not be opened for several days. There were also 2 times mechanical problems when we wanted to leave the lodge : one time it was the battery which needed to be replaced, another time it was not told to us what the problem was.
This second time we had a walking safari planned and the guide arranged another car so that we could still go.
-We had agreed and paid for a private boat trip to Murchison Falls but when we arrived there, it was not foreseen. After contacting the owner, he told us that he had forgotten to book it.
-In Queen Elizabeth it was foreseen to have 2 different lodges : Kasenyi and Enjojo. When we stayed in the first lodge, our guide told us that we had to stay in the first as the second one was in renovation and we could not go there. A few hours later he proposed to go to another lodge, Topi lodge, where we finally went.
All these things were finally solved but it annoyed us.
During the tour, we saw the different animals, except the leopard.
For the gorilla's we went to Ruhija and after a difficult walk of 40 minutes, we met the gorilla's. What annoyed us for the gorilla trekkng were the many tips we had to pay . The permit costs 800 usd per person : ok. But the tips are too much : a dancing group at the briefing, the trackers, the ranger, the security guys. And finally we had to pay 40.000 ugx for gloves we rented. I wonder what the 800 usd permit is used for.
We found the best activities :
-chimps
-gorilla's
-boat trip Kizenga channel : book a private one
Did we get value for money : probably yes. The price we paid for the safari was one of the lowest we received from the different offers.
Would I go again with this company : probably not.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Family tour Namibia 2026
We delegated completely the arrangement of the vacation to CrissCross understanding thatched were the experts. We regretted to have done this instead of putting more time on it ourselves.To know that unexpectedly most iconic places might not be in the itinerary or you would just pass by ( so you need to know which ones these are , so that you can check that they are in the itinerary and with adequate timing). Review in detail the ratings of the booked lodges, some were disappointing as well as the number of rooms that you really need and insist to book what you want. We spent one day in a domain which was more a zoo than a wild reserve and no visit to Etosha (we just cross drived it ).Know that most of the driving is on gravel roads and check that driving time is not more than 3 hours per day, in reality driving time is more than you can read in the itinerary. Some days we spent more than 8 h sitting in a car. This was an average quality salary but not luxury. Briefing prior departing was average, Know that in winter you really need winter clothes in the evening and mornings, in particular driving in open cars. Some of the restaurants in the evening were also under-heated . Guide was however knowledgeable and did his best as disappointments were popping up
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beyond the plains safari tour company review
Beyond the plains prepared a custom private safari tour for us to the Maasai Mara that was done extremely well by their office team and payment processes were extremely smooth and communication was great. On the start of our safari the team got us safari hats which was a nice touch and we were accompanied by one of their drivers called John who is very knowledgeable with the nomenclature of the animal species in the Mara and familiar with the vast Mara ecosystem.
A point of concern is the driving which was not particularly safe especially overtaking on the escapements trying to dodge in and out of traffic. This can lead to serious fatal accidents. Another point of concern is that our driver was constantly using his mobile device even when driving and did not have his seat belt on for majority of the trip. This is being extremely casual on the road and not respecting the Highway Code.
All in all we had a good experience at Amani Mara and had lovely game drives where we saw the big four (no rhino) and other wildlife animals.