AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dishonest company
I strongly do not recommend SCB Tours & Travel, run by Solomon. Several months before my planned trip to Uganda, I paid the full amount (over $3000) in advance. However, just one day before my flight, I received an email stating that the originally booked lodges and hotels had withdrawn their offers. I was then asked to pay an additional $2700—almost the same amount I had already paid—to proceed with the tour.
I was given three options:
1. Pay the extra amount so the tour could go ahead as planned.
2. Postpone the tour until he has more money or the prices dropping.
3. Receive a full refund.
Since I had already booked additional flights after my Uganda safari, postponing was not an option. Paying nearly double the agreed price was also out of the question. So, I chose the refund. However, more than 2 months later, I am still waiting for my money! I keep getting excuses and delays. Even when I requested a partial refund, my deadline was ignored.
I strongly advise against booking with SCB Tours & Travel. From my experience, this is a scam. I also reported then at the Ugandan Tour Board (UTB) to request that this company should be removed from their list of registered operators.
And i have also Made a Report at the Police at Kampala!
JP
Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Business manner please
I requested several tour companies a quote for 5days safari through this Safari Bookings.
I chose Kiliholidays Tours and Safaris, because I thought it was reasonable.
I contacted with them and went safari and visited Masai village, and I received their behaviors shown as below.
Kiliholidays told me that this tour included entrance fee of Masai village in the itinerary , but I had to pay it 40 dollars (including my family). I and our tour driver requested them to refund it, finally they agreed to refund. But actually they don’t refund any and nowadays they don’t respond me.
Kiliholidays didn’t show up to pick us up in the morning on 1st day at our hotel. I and our hotel receptionist became anxious and called them by phone at about 9:30. So, this tour started around 11am.
I ordered 2 optional tours before contacting with Kiliholidays. But after stating this tour, I had to negotiate with members in a same car to take option or not. I could not go to one optional tour, because some members didn’t agree it.
We were jointed with Rupia Adventures from 3rd day without any information from Kiliholidays before starting this tour.
We had to sleep in a tent without sleeping bag during the 3rd day chilly night at Serengeti camp site. Because Kiliholidays forgot to tell Rupia Adventures to use sleeping bag.
They kept me demanding to pay this tour by cash in dollars. We visited another country before this tour in Tanzania. So, I had to withdraw cash in the previous country and carry cash with me all the ways before starting this tour.
We enjoyed safari, but recently I can’t remember happy memories of these African tour. Perhaps, their behavior after this tour like no response has turned my pleasant memories into bad ones, psychologically.
Please consider the above behaviors when choosing your tour company.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Advise: take caution with this company
I booked a gorilla trek in Uganda on December 2024, through Northern Fox Adventures. 'Eddie' has been stalling ever since, making excuses, and telling me I had nothing to worry about. Communication was a disaster.
Three days before the scheduled tour in March, he finally canceled. I'm still waiting for the $800 I paid. Be careful.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
He owes us 1500 dollar
We've had a terrible experience with this guy.
We've booked a 5 day private safari tour in November, and on this day (7april) This Company needs to pay us back 1500 dollar... During our trip, he canceled our tour because of some very strange reasons and we needed to book a new one... He first promised to pay us back on the end of our trip, then off course he disappeared... When we told Safari Bookings about what happened and they suspended his account. He again promised us to pay us back in February.. Afterwards he promised us to pay back in march and at this moment, he is not responding...
There are a lot of good tour companies in Arusha, choose another and don't book with this guy !
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I don't recommend working with them
These guys are SCAMMERS ! I sent them money to process my Schengen visa, around April 2024 which was 250 USD, it was all good until my travel plans changed and I asked Nancy the CEO if we can change the dates or else do a refund. She took me for a fool and gave me pointless excuses. “Oh sorry I’m out of the country, oh sorry I’m at an expo” without addressing my concerns. She did this from April 2024 and now it’s April 2025. All their business lines are off and there’s no way to reach them. Pathetic service. Utterly shameful. Reach out to them at your own risk.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We felt taken advantage of during our experience.
It's a disgrace. They took our $5,000 while traveling with my family. Watch out, they're thieves!
(automatic translation from Spanish)
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest company
We had a very disappointing experience with this company. We ended up being charged twice for the same trip, and despite our efforts, the issue was not resolved. We feel that our money was taken unfairly. Based on our experience, we strongly advise others to be cautious when dealing with this company.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely Disappointing Experience – Unfulfilled Promises and Unresponsive Service
In November 2024, my friend and I booked a safari experience in South Africa through this agency, including a specific hotel which we carefully selected and paid for. However, once the safari began, we were informed that our chosen hotel was overbooked and we were being relocated to a significantly cheaper and low-budget alternative, far below the standard of what we had paid for.
After discussing the situation with the agency, we mutually agreed to end the safari experience early and receive a refund for the remaining costs. Despite this agreement and repeated follow-ups (at least 20 times), we have yet to receive the refund – it is now April 2025.
We were repeatedly told the refund would be issued "within the next days," but this never happened. The lack of transparency, accountability, and responsiveness is unacceptable, especially given the initial mishandling of our accommodation.
I strongly advise other travelers not to book with this agency. Our experience was not only disappointing but also deeply frustrating, and the ongoing lack of resolution shows a serious lack of professionalism and reliability. Be careful!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I recommend not too book-- Promised refund not provided – despite written confirmation from Collins,poor service
The circumstances of our trip and the internal rebooking to a different and significantly cheaper safari hotel in the Okavango Delta were not only not discussed with us, but in retrospect, the fraudulent practice of the provider has become apparent. After we contacted Southern Dynasty Safaris several times and they promised a refund of USD 2,000, nothing has happened yet. Collins, our contact at Southern Dynasty Safaris, is obviously highly dubious and collects the full travel price for high-quality travel services and is not willing to pay reasonable refunds that have already been promised. We had to involve the Zambian Tourism Organization, which wanted to mediate in this case. Unfortunately, they could not persuade ZATO Southern Dynasty Safaris to make a payment either. All tourists are warned at this point not to book a trip with Southern Dynasty Safaris and especially not with Collins Kolonga.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Extremely unreliable
I have used Kenya Bush Expeditions 3 times and have been let down twice.
My last Safari a week ago, somehow the email between them and me was hacked. I’m not sure if it was an outsider or someone within their organisation but I was told to pay for the tour upfront and when I arrived in Kenya I was told of the scam and advised they had not received payment for the tour.
They were kind enough to arrange something last minute but it was not the same as the original itinerary requested.
The driver arrived late to collect me on the first morning. When we approached our destination, over an hour and a half late, the driver stopped for a 20 minute breakfast. As a wildlife photographer this meant I had lost the whole mornings photo opportunity as the light was too harsh to take any photos in the park.
The driver just chased around the park for the day, he did not spot anything as he was driving too fast. Every time I asked him to stop he would respond, “you see something?” Or “must I stop?” Every time I had to repeat 3 or 4 times. Stop stop stop because he couldn’t follow a simple instruction.
On the second morning I wanted to take advantage of the good light for my photography as I had missed out on day 1. I arranged with him to meet at exactly 06:00 for a quick breakfast and leave at 06:15. Once again he was late. After being late the day before he didn’t have the decency to make sure he woke up on time for the arranged departure time.
Very disappointing, will not use them again.