50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
happy with the whole experience, except for handover at the end which was very poor
We were happy with the pick-up arrangements, although our contact was late arriving at the airport and the vehicle was good (there were a few minor problems but given that we were travelling on bumpy, gravel roads this is fair enough). The accommodation ranged from good to excellent and the country itself is really spectacular.
However, the handback at the end was dreadful. I had a lot to do in Windhoek, including looking after a young child. The handback time was delayed which necessitated me hanging around my hotel and, when someone eventually turned up there was no apology for the inconvenience I has been caused. The representative then tried to charge me an exorbitant sum for not returning with a full tank (fortunately I had photographed the fuel gauge at the start of the trip which showed it had been handed over half-full). As the full gauge showed 60km less than we had started she then tried again to charge me an exorbitant amount to make up the balance (I went to a petrol station and filled up with for 25% of the price she wanted). Given the very large amount of money I had spent with the company and the generally positive experience we'd had, this was a very poor way to end the trip . We will return to Namibia but not with Secret Namibia
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mixed experience - really depends on your guide
I have to give a bit of a mixed review. I was on a group 4-day safari in Maasai Mara and Nakuru, which I booked specifically because it had good reviews.
For the first half of the trip, I had an amazing experience. My guide was Sir Charles and he gave us a lot of information about what we were seeing, scouted out where animals may be, and tried to get us the best views of everything. I think you really couldn't ask for more in a guide and the park itself really exceeded my expectations. I think we saw pretty much everything except a leopard and I had a lot of fun as well.
After Maasai Mara, I was the only one from the group not going back to Nairobi, so I was passed to another guide for the end of my trip in Nakuru. The other guide (Andrew) unfortunately did not seem to care much. He didn't give us any information and when we asked questions, only gave one-word answers. He was not looking for animals. If we wanted to see something, we had to spot it ourselves and then yell for him to stop. He also did not have water, which was supposed to be provided. He generally seemed to not care about our experience and the entire group was pretty upset. Still very cool to see rhinos and such, but it put a bit of a damper on the experience.
Overall, I think your experience really depends a lot on your guide, and it seems you have no control over this. I guess all these small companies are beneath one larger umbrella company and they pass customers around from vehicle to vehicle based on where each car is going. Overall, Maasai Mara is amazing, but I wish there was a bit more transparency about what we booked and who we would be with.
DE
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dallago is good, but there is missing good knowledge about the location of the lodges
In the first step, Dallago was very efficient and good at organising the tour according to our wishes and locations. We were happy with the lodges they offered us. After we had made the first 30% payment for the safari, they came to the conclusion that two of the proposed lodges were fully booked. Dallago asked us to agree to change our booking to alternative lodges. We questioned the lodges as they were in different locations, but they assured us of the same conditions and we trusted them. However, one of the changes from Mara Serena Lodge to Mara Elatia Lodge was really not good because Mara Serena Lodge is inside the park and we could have started the game drive from the lodge, whereas Mara Elatia Lodge was very far from the park. So we had to drive 2 hours on a very bumpy and bad road to get there. We felt a bit betrayed. Some of the times given on our invoice also did not reflect reality, like one of our internal flights where the estimated time for the shuttle to the airstrip was very underestimated and we hardly had time for breakfast. We also had a bit stress with the payment of the remaining 70 % of the bill, because this bill only arrived to us after we requested it three weeks before our holydays started. Despite all these problems, with a good and experienced guide (David) we had a good safari and managed to see a lot of animals (the big five and all the big cats).
KR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not bad, but can improve
Here is the review of our 7 day safari tour with Super Eagles
1. Communication
- Charity was very helpful both before and after the tour. She managed to answer all questions I had regarding the tour and was very accommodating for every request. We had to modify our tour plans several times before departure but it was arranged with no difficulty.
2. Driver
- Our driver John was one of the best driver I've met in Kenya. He drove safely from one location to another. He also helped our team find lost bag on the way.
3. Overall organization
- Unfortunately, overall organization of the tour did not meet our expectation. Here are the reasons
: We booked for a private tour and paid extra money. But it was only on the departure day that we realized they put us with 2 other strangers in a small tour van. We complained but the operator initially tried to put us with them and refund the extra money instead of arranging a private tour for us. We insisted and was put on a private tour at the end though it delayed 1 or 2 hours.
: We were also told on our departure day that the hot air balloon tour which we were supposed to do was not confirmed. I had hard time understanding the situation, for we booked the tour few months in advance which gave operator enough time.
: It was only when we arrived at Amboseli National Park that the accommodation we were supposed to be at was overbooked and that we had to be relocated to a different hotel in town, which was about half an hour away. It could have been communicated earlier. Also the new inn the operator tried to put us in was completely different from what we expected. We insisted to go for another one and was arranged accordingly.
4. Conclusion
- This was a budget safari. If we were to expect a perfect tour, we should have go for luxury so I think it was of good value for money.
- However, there are always rooms for improvement. I sincerely wish that these reviews be taken into consideration so that the operator provide more pleasant, memorable safaris in the future.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Responsive
I dealt with Paul and he was very responsive. I booked quite late (1 month) and so struggled with accommodation options. I asked for guidance between somewhere outside the mara or inside (the Lorian camp- somewhere I had found on google) and he has suggested that the one I found may be better in terms of luxury and being inside the mara and getting an extra game drive in the morning as we were travelling out. Unfortunately the camp was basic and the extra game drive did not happen as that camp was so far from the gate and you have to keep the windows up, we had to rush out without seeing a thing. I fed back our disappointment to Paul and he took this well. Overall Paul and the driver were very reliable and had excellent communication.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Uganda has terrible road structure, but wonderful wildlife and people.
Uganda is a beautiful country with wonderful people and amazing wildlife. What I did not enjoy was our car ride from the airport in Entebbe to Bwindi National Forest. It took 10 hours because their roads are in terrible shape, two-lane highways through small towns all the way. The distance we traveled would take 4 hours on roads from the US. But because they don’t have the infrastructure we do, it took 10 hours.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Smooth booking process, but miss on value for money with properties booked
Crafted’s team worked with us through several iterations to design a trip that we thought matched our requirements. Their team from reservations to finance to the driver they arranged for us was kind, efficient, and customer-oriented.
Ultimately, however, our experience staying in the lodges Crafted advised and had assured us were top-quality didn’t meet expectations. There was a complete misalignment in terms of value for money. I recognize the experience at the lodge ultimately falls on the management of that lodge, but we felt like Crafted either didn’t adequately calibrate expectations or hadn’t recently visited the properties as they had assured us the properties we booked were of highest quality and that our trip represented very good value. I think what made all of this most disappointing is we opted to pay ~15% more to book with Crafted than a competing tour operator whose properties were likely of higher quality and included a private air transfer instead of one of the long drives we had.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
a well-organized and memorable safari experience, with excellent wildlife spotting and safe driving,
We recently completed a 5-day private safari in Tanzania, covering Tarangire, Central Serengeti, North Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Overall, it was an unforgettable experience, and we were fortunate to see all the animals we had hoped for.
Lameck, our guide, was excellent at spotting wildlife and drove safely throughout the trip. His knowledge of the animals and environment was impressive, and we learned a lot from him. Additionally, Pietro, who handled our booking, was professional and prompt, making the planning process smooth.
However, there were a few areas for improvement:
Bluetooth speaker to wake Lions: One incident that left us feeling uncomfortable was when Lameck used a Bluetooth speaker to play hyena sounds to wake up sleeping lions on our first day. While this did lead to better photo opportunities, it felt unethical, especially with numerous jeeps already surrounding the lions. Although he stopped after we expressed our discomfort, this behaviour seemed at odds with the ethos of conservation that Lameck self-proclaimed. We believe this practice should be avoided entirely in the future.
Language Barrier: One of the more significant issues we faced was with Lameck's English, which made communication somewhat difficult. Almost everything he said, we had to ask him to repeat himself, and after a while, it became tiring to continue asking questions.
Communication about our route and plans: For much of the trip, we didn’t know where we were or where we were going next. For example, when I asked about visiting Seronera, Lameck simply said "no" due to our accommodation, but we ended up going there later. A bit more explanation—like letting us know we’d visit later—would have helped manage expectations. It would also be helpful if he provided options, like whether we'd prefer more time with animals and a later arrival (after sunset) at the lodge, or an earlier return. Keeping guests more informed would enhance the experience.
Overall, it was a fantastic safari, but with a few adjustments, it could have been even better.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice experience in Kenya
My friend and I had our safari organised by this tour agency from the 6th August till the 16th August: it was our first safari and, overall, we enjoyed it, even though some aspects can be improved. The communication with the agency was really quick and efficient during the all time and our accomodations were good (budget option), except for the first one in Masai Mara, where we spent two nights and both food and bathrooms (scarcely essential and with unstable hot water) were not the best.
Our driver, Newton, was a nice guy and he used to provide adequate explationations during the game drives, but he was not always on time, so the timing in general should be optimized, also considering few but proper stops and the time for meals, and we didn't always feel safe while he was driving, because he was constantly on the phone. A very negative aspect about the organisation is that the driver didn't have his accomodations booked for the night, so it happened twice that we had to leave earlier from the game drive in order to let him find where to sleep (and of course we agreed to leave because we didn't want him to sleep in the car, but it would have been more appropriate to book it in advance, maybe through the agency, so that we could enjoy the whole day at the park). In addition, during our first game drive in Masai Mara the car broke down twice (at first there was a problem with a bolt of the tyre, which probably wouldn't have happened if there had been a proper check-up before the start of the safari and this inconvenience made us waste more than 1 hour to solve it, while the second time was just a damage in the tyre, which of course can happen and was quickly changed).
Our programme also included a visit to Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha: they are not bad, but I think two days are too many and it's better to skip at least one of them and to have more time for a game drive in a park (Amboseli for example, where we spent just half a day at the end) and when we realised this during the trip, they told us it was too late to change our schedule. I would have liked to spend more time in Masai Mara too, because, even though we were supposed to spend two days of game drive there according to the programme, we actually had one day, since we arrived in the afternoon on the first day and there was only the possibility to visit the Masai village, which we preferred not to do.
So, on balance, I would suggest to see less spots, but to spend more time in the main parks, maybe also providing more packed lunches to be taken in the morning when it's time to change accomodation in order to avoid waisting time in reaching the new place, doing the check-in and having lunch, but going straight to the new park for the game drive and then doing the check-in directly in the evening.
At the end, we went to Diani Beach, where we spent a very nice and relaxing time at our resort. Anyway, apart from the previous points, we had a good time.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The agent to book a resort for guests
Overall, a 3-star experience with a 5-star cost.
• The toilet in the room doesn’t flush well.
• The bathroom light is white, which ruins the vibe. It should be yellow.
• One waiter doesn’t smile while serving. He also spilled red wine on the table without noticing it himself and couldn’t remember the dishes for a group of four. He’s not familiar with the drink list at all. A young waiter on a working holiday, who’s only been here for a week, knows it better than him.
• On a windy day, the waiters kept forgetting to close the door during dinner, even though two groups reminded them multiple times. This was awful and inconsiderate.
• The guide skipped the coffee on the morning safari without explanation. His hospitality changes when there are more white guests on the safari car, raising concerns about racism. Such differentiated treatment is completely unacceptable.
• The suggested tip is 450 ZAR for the guide and 450 ZAR for the villa staff per day, which guests are informed about upon arrival. This doesn’t feel right and isn’t a good practice for a luxury package. While tipping culture exists in the U.S. where employers often don’t pay a good base wage, when we’ve already spent tens of thousands of ZAR on a luxury package, the staff and guide should be paid well and shouldn’t expect tips.
It’s quite disappointing to find so many flaws every day when you’ve booked a luxury package.
