20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Frustrating experience
I did a safari with this company and unfortunately had a bad experience. They made me pay the park entrance fee again, even though I had already paid it. It didn’t show up in the system, but that’s something they should handle, not me. I ended up paying over $80 with the promise they’d refund me the same day.
That didn’t happen. They delayed it again and again with different excuses and only on my last day, after insisting a lot, did I finally get my money back. in shillings, not dollars, even though they’d had two days to sort it out.
I’ve done safaris with other companies without any issues. This is the only one that caused me problems. They made the experience stressful and frustrating.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cheated by Craig & Bianca
We began planning our trip to South Africa with a group of family and friends in September 2024. Craig Lucke and Bianca Els of Southern African Tours were contracted to manage the in-country arrangements, including internal flights, hotel accommodations in both Kruger and Cape Town, group transportation in Cape Town, and various excursions.
We made our initial payment in September 2024 and completed the full payment before our departure. However, those in our group responsible for communicating with Craig and Bianca experienced increasing difficulty in getting timely or clear information—especially as the departure date approached. Despite repeated requests, we never received a final itinerary or confirmation numbers for any of the bookings before leaving the U.S.
Upon arrival in South Africa, we discovered that no hotel reservations, internal flights, or excursions had been booked or paid for. We were essentially stranded in a foreign country without any confirmed arrangements. Thankfully, the situation was salvaged—largely due to the efforts of our group members and the kindness of several locals we met along the way.
This was an incredibly stressful and disappointing experience. We have never encountered a situation where a company took full payment and failed to deliver any of the promised services. We strongly advise others to be cautious when considering Southern African Tours.
RS
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
AVOID Dwayne Tours & Safaris tour operator
From our experience, I would recommend that you AVOID Dwayne Tours & Safaris tour operator
The service with Dwayne Tours & Safaris was extremely disappointing, showing no respect for clients. I want to briefly share my experience to warn others about this agency, which operates in a completely unprofessional way.
Here are just some of the issues we faced:
• We booked and paid for a private tour, which was not provided. Instead, we were placed in a random group without being asked.
• At Chobe River, our program stated we would have a morning game drive starting at 8:30, but we only left around 11–11:30, when animals are much less active due to the heat.
• The “private” game drive turned into waiting for a group of teenagers who were more interested in taking photos in the driver’s seat and climbing trees, while we sat in the vehicle for half an hour. The drive itself lasted only 2 hours (including the waiting), instead of the promised 3 hours.
• Despite paying for an all-inclusive package, we were told there was no water and initially no lunch at the lodge (this was later corrected, but only after a dispute).
• I tried to address these issues with Lloyd, the operator, but he only kept saying “everything will be fine,” without doing anything to make up for the wasted and very expensive time. After traveling 24 hours to get there, his complete lack of awareness or respect for our time and money was shocking.
• When I asked for at least a discount or some compensation, he kept nodding but never did anything about it.
The next day, we were supposed to drive through Savuti to the Okavango Delta. Lloyd told us the journey normally takes about 6 hours (or 8 if stopping along the way). In reality, without any stops, it took us more than 11 hours, which completely ruined our schedule and cost us valuable time on what was already a short trip. This was also our wedding anniversary, which made it even more frustrating.
Later that day, instead of the planned private afternoon game drive, we were again added to another group that had booked a mokoro excursion – so both their plans and ours were ruined. We just sat waiting in the vehicle for them to return. When we tried to talk to Lloyd again in the evening, he became dismissive and even rude. Together with the Kwai Expedition Camp management, he promised us a full day private game drive the following day to “make things right.” Of course, that was another empty promise – we were again joined by strangers and got maybe three hours of private time in total.
At the end of the trip, my husband gave Lloyd the final payment with the words: “If you think you earned it, take it; if not, it’s up to you.” Without a second of hesitation or remorse for the terrible service, Lloyd took the full amount.
After we returned, my husband gave him one last chance to show at least minimal responsibility by refunding part of the money. He never responded.
This was by far our worst safari experience ever – unprofessional, disorganized, and completely disrespectful towards clients.
👉 I feel responsible to warn other travelers: Avoid Dwayne Tours & Safaris at all costs.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stress Filled Trip
Our group of twelve began planning this trip in Sept 2024 and hired Craig and Bianca of Southern African Tours to organize what we hoped would be a seamless, once-in-a-lifetime Safari and Cape Town experience. Instead, it turned into a stressful and costly ordeal.
After making our final payment in June, we repeatedly requested confirmations for hotels, internal flights, and Cape Town activities. Bianca assured us everything was paid for, but never provided any documentation. Upon arrival, we were shocked to discover that nothing had been paid for at all—no hotels, no flights, no activities.
Bianca stopped responding to all messages, leaving us completely abandoned and in disbelief.
Our first safari lodge confirmed Bianca only called the day BEFORE to request rooms, without payment. She had held our group’s money for nearly a year yet failed to secure a single booking. As a result, we had to pay out of pocket each day at higher last-minute prices for flights, safari resorts, hotels, tour guides, and Cape Town activities. To make matters worse, internal flights were so limited we had to split our group across different planes.
Instead of enjoying the trip we had spent a year looking forward to, we wasted precious hours daily researching, calling, and booking the rest of our own itinerary—tasks we had hired Southern African Tours to manage.
Thankfully, the staff at Kapama Game Reserve went above and beyond to help us find rooms and salvage part of our trip. Their professionalism was the only bright spot in this otherwise mismanaged experience.
Please learn from our mistake: do not use Southern African Tours. They took our money, failed to book or pay for anything, and strung us along with empty promises before going silent.
South Africa is a breathtaking country and truly worth experiencing—but do yourself a favor and use another travel agency that will handle every detail properly and give you the trip of a lifetime.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unresponsive and elusive
I was in contact with the owner Joshua throughout the process. I inquired about a 3 day chimpanzee trekking tour with 2 other travelers. I liked the itinerary and made a deposit. I had various questions and he was unresponsive. I had to follow up 2 or 3 times for him to respond which he was a red flag. My flight into Kigoma was canceled, so I should have been able to request a 50% refund of the deposit I made per their refund policy , as it was over 30 days prior to the trip. When I requested it, He never responded. I followed up various times without a response. Effectively, the refund I was owed was not given to me. I do not recommend this company if you plan on going on holiday unless you want to deal with an unresponsive and elusive owner.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Honeymoon ruined by KOFI
We rented a Toyota HZJ78 from KOFI Travel for our honeymoon trip to Tanzania in August. While the vehicle looked good at first glance and we paid it full price, it was a death trap that completely ruined our trip. The damages I'm listing are just a small fraction of the dozens of failures we experienced.
On day one, the starter battery failed, leaving us stranded. The roof rack broke from vibrations, and we almost lost our rooftop tents. The starter motor broke, too. The power steering failed not once, but twice. The rear right wheel was bent, causing severe vibrations that eventually led to a massive oil leak from the axle. The engine was in such bad shape that we had to add a liter of oil every 300km. The final straw was when a brake line exploded, and we nearly crashed.
During one of the many days we spent in a workshop, a Toyota expert pointed out that this was originally a left-hand drive vehicle that had been poorly converted to a right-hand drive. The conversion was shoddily done and clearly not by a specialist. To make matters worse, the conversion was done using the chassis number of an HZJ76 model. I can't even imagine what would have happened if one of these failures had led to a serious accident.
This was not just a series of small issues; it was a cascade of catastrophic failures. This vehicle was not fit for purpose and should never have been rented out. We were lucky to get out of this trip alive
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
terrible experience
If I could give zero stars to Kofi travel Safaris, I absolutely would. We rented two vehicles, and it was a complete nightmare from start to finish, with multiple occasions where our safety was put seriously at risk.
Just a sample of what went wrong: one radiator literally exploded (not a hose, the actual radiator), one engine was so cooked it burned one liter of oil per day – we had to buy 5-liter cans and top it up every single morning. The power steering system leaked until it completely failed; after we patched the hose, the pump itself collapsed, leaving the steering unusable again. Driving a Land Cruiser off-road, in mud, without power steering is almost impossible.
One vehicle had a bent wheel from day one, causing constant vibrations that eventually led to a brake system failure and nearly caused an accident. The starter wiring was badly connected and falling apart, then the starter motor itself died. When we opened it, we found it had been beaten with a hammer countless times, clearly a long-term “fix” by someone who knew it was failing.
The documents were inchoerent: the registration showed a different model, and the chassis number was freshly re-stamped. No windshield wipers – and of course, it rained on muddy tracks, turning a defect into a life-threatening situation. Air conditioning didn’t work in one car; in the other, switching it on killed the engine at idle. Cars were advertised as coming with water tanks – neither had one. One fridge didn’t work at all; the other only worked with the engine running, making it useless overnight since food spoiled.
A bumper fell off on a track, the rear shock absorbers lost all bushings and were literally metal on metal, and one roof rack weld snapped twice, forcing us to weld it back in the field.
All of this across just two vehicles. These issues caused multiple dangerous situations and at least two full days lost between breakdowns and repairs.
The company refunded mechanic bills and parts (oil, battery, etc.) but refused to compensate for the lost days, charging us the full rental. After we repeatedly insisted, they offered only a “voucher for a future rental.” Needless to say, there will never be a future rental with Kofi.
This was not just poor service – it was reckless, dishonest, and put our lives at risk. Avoid Kofi at all costs.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Frauds. Took our money and did not book anything.
Our group of 14 people trusted Craig and Bianca with booking a full trip to South Africa, and we were completely deceived. They took full payment from us and never booked anything. After receiving the final payment, they stopped communicating entirely, except for a few inconsistent and suspicious excuses — ranging from family tragedies to personal emergencies. These excuses included:
A sister passing away
A house break-in
A mother passing away
An overdose
It's difficult to know what, if anything, was true. What is clear is that we were scammed out of our money.
Please do not trust the good reviews — we have no idea how they were obtained, but our experience was a complete nightmare. If you book with them, you may end up stranded with no reservations and no support.
We are pursuing all possible legal avenues and urge others to report any similar experiences. Don’t let this happen to you.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Extremely Disappointing and Unsafe Rental Experience
We rented two vehicles from Kofi Travel Safaris this summer for a self-drive trip in Tanzania. Unfortunately, our experience was extremely disappointing and at times unsafe.
Due to mechanical issues, one of the two cars we had booked was unavailable upon arrival, so the company had to find another vehicle for us, causing us to miss the first day of our itinerary.
According to the company’s own Terms & Conditions, the vehicles were supposed to be “well-maintained”. However, the car that arrived late was in very poor condition and suffered from numerous mechanical and safety issues throughout the rental period.
Land Cruiser 78’s problems:
- Brakes weak, later completely broken
- Rear right wheel missing one bolt – then two – from the axle flange
- Rear right wheel deflated overnight
- Roof rack broken (welds detached)
- Rear tent unbolted
- Rear tent with broken floor + water leaking inside
- Rear right door could not be opened
- Gas stove not working (we repaired it ourselves)
- Power steering broken twice (we drove one week without it)
- Rear-view mirrors loose, right one broken
- Co-driver and right passenger seats unstable/moving
- Driver’s seat belt could not be pulled out
- Co-driver’s seat belt difficult to unfasten
- Faulty battery (hard to start the engine)
- Front headlight not working
- Reverse light not working
- T-belt warning light on
- Handbrake not working
- Drive belts frayed
- Excessive oil consumption (1L every 300 km)
- Water tank unusable
- Secondary fuel tank unusable
- Front tent ladder could not lock
- Starter motor not working correctly
- Windshield wipers not functioning
- Speedometer not functioning
- Battery bracket broken
- Windows hard to open and scratched
- Differential oil leaking from right rear hub
- Hood latch system broken
- A/C not working
- Radio not working
Land Cruiser 76’s problems:
- Radiator blown
- Missing lower bushing from rear left shock absorber
- Missing upper bushing from rear right shock absorber
- Front bumper detached
- Windshield wipers not functioning
- Ignition problems (battery terminals)
- A/C switched on made the engine stall at idle
- Handbrake not working
- Missing tourism permit
- Unpaid fine
These issues caused significant delays, additional expenses (e.g. we had to sleep in hotels close to the mechanics), and constant stress during our trip, putting our safety at risk.
We repeatedly reported these problems and formally requested a partial refund to reflect the poor condition of the vehicles and the inconvenience caused. Although the company reimbursed us for the mechanical repair costs we incurred (with a four-day delay), they refused to compensate us for the time lost due to the breakdowns and the vehicles’ repairs.
Vehicles in such poor condition should never be rented out, especially for long trips through remote areas where reliability is crucial. For these reasons, we cannot recommend this company and strongly urge other travelers to consider alternative providers if they value safety and peace of mind.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was the most unprofessional and disappointing experience I've had with a tour operator
If I could give them 0 stars, I would. Our experience with Southern African Tours, operated by Bianca and Craig, was deeply disappointing and frustrating. What was meant to be a stress-free and enjoyable trip to South Africa quickly turned into a logistical disaster due to severe mismanagement—or worse, a complete scam.
We paid the full amount for our trip before departure, trusting that everything would be organized as promised. Unfortunately, that trust was misplaced. Despite repeated requests, we never received any confirmation numbers, booking references, or documentation for internal flights, accommodations, or excursions. Upon arrival, it became clear that none of the arrangements had actually been made.
Left with no choice, we had to rebook everything ourselves on the ground—last-minute flights, hotels, tours—at significant extra cost and with a great deal of stress. It was incredibly disheartening and completely avoidable.
Communication from Bianca and Craig was always inconsistent, but became nonexistent once the issues emerged. To date, we’ve received no resolution, no explanation, and no refund.
I strongly caution anyone considering this agency: do your due diligence. Our experience felt not just unprofessional, but exploitative. Travel is supposed to be enjoyable and enriching—this was the opposite