20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My advice to you - don't book with Wiinroots Adventure
While I definitely recommend going on a safari, I encourage you to NOT book a safari through Wiinroots Adventures.
We booked our safari 2 months in advance & paid in full over 2 payments. 2 days before our safari Wiinroots reached out saying that their former employee had underquoted us by $2,000 USD & sent over an invoice requesting the additional funds. We responded saying that this was outside of our budget, but they once again requested that we top up the funds. When I spoke with Kenneth on the phone and requested a refund for everything since we were underquoted by so much, I was assured that everything was already paid for & setup except a hot air balloon ride. Because it seemed everything else was all ready to go, we decided to proceed.
Fast forward a few days into our safari, we are stuck at the gate outside the Ngorongoro Crater for 3 hours because our tour guide's boss reached out & said that Wiinroots still owed the company over $1,200. Once again, we were told everything was all set except the hot air balloon. We reached out to Wiinroots who responded to one of my messages and talked to my boyfriend & the tour company on the phone. He said he was about to wire over the money.... He never did. And stopped responding to all of us. This left my boyfriend and I with no other choice but to pay these funds out of pocket to be able to get into the Crater, pay the tour guide & finish the rest of our safari!
Once again, I definitely recommend going on a safari! We visited Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater! HOWEVER, please do yourself a favor and DO NOT work with Wiinroots Adventures. I'm very disappointed by how they handled everything.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointing and no follow up
7 months ago
TRAVELLERS BEWARE OF BOOKING
Where do I start? So we went on an amazing African Safari that we booked with another tour group . It was amazing. The flights the transfers the food the value. Everything was beyond our wildest dreams . My husband wanted a 5* Beach experience for 6 nights on a beautiful white sandy walking beach where we could be spoiled a little after the early mornings and long days on safari. As we hadn’t had a honeymoon after our recent wedding my husband Booked Dream of Zanzibar. Location was perfect for the excursions we wanted to go on , the beach was also what we were looking for ,premium food and drinks and service. After finishing our safari in Arusha we stayed the night before catching flight to Zanzibar. This is the email I received from Paradise & Wilderness -
*Trust this email finds you well,
Please be advised that we have just have just received word that some of our rooms are under maintenance this week at Dream of Zanzibar and have been closed, so we are unable to accommodate your booking at Dream of Zanzibar from the 12th - 18th Feb 2025, however we do nit want to leave our guest stranded so we have secured accommodation for you at our sister property - Reef and Beach resort, in our New Ocean Front Rooms for the duration of your stay.*
We booked it May 2024 and paid in full Jan 27 at which time I would think they would have had an idea the room was not available.
Upon googling the new accommodation the Reef & Beach was a 3*- we were less than happy. I spent the day researching other accommodations to no avail. We did appreciate they put us somewhere but it was no where compared to what we booked and paid $$$ for.
The resort was 20 min further from the airport and stone town. Upon arrival at reception it was old and worn we were not greeted with enthusiasm and that’s what began the downhill experience . There was no white sandy walking beach . It was a seaweed farm for a beach and upon the tide going out was all rocks. The room upon entering had a foul smell. They moved us to a recently cleaned room and after 6 hours it too had a nasty odour. Something with the new rooms. We met the manager Deborah -who I can give a raving review about she went above and beyond to help better our experience but at the end of the day you cannot make a 3* resort into. 5 * I can go on and on about all the things that transpired but there is no need.We spent more money elsewhere on the nicer beach, taxis back and forth and for meals at other restaurants as the food at the buffet was less then enjoyable ,after 11 days of safari 5 * food.
At the end of the day we were not compensated for the price paid and what we received and the terrible experience.. We both own companies and understand things happen however the person we were communicating with basically humoured us with some communication and made many excuses as to why the company had not gotten back to us, until she ghosted us completely. Not sure if the company even knew about our complaints. I did try different ways to write emails but have never heard back from anyone else in this Company. We were never rude or nasty in any of of emails but a-matter of fact that we expected some kind of compensation. Nothing. She even asked for our direct deposit info. This happened in Feb and we communicated until May 1 it is now July. We are very well travelled and have never dealt with a company that would treat it clients like it doesn’t matter. I have never written a negative review or had the need to, but decided I would let the company and future clients know of our experience . Needless to say our experience in Zanzibar was very disappointing.. Again I want to commend the Manager Deborah for going above and beyond she was the ray of Sunshine!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very Disappointing Safari Experience
Unfortunately, our safari was heavily impacted by technical and organizational problems.
On Day 1, the taxi was late and had a flat tire. In the Serengeti, we lost several hours and arrived at camp late.
On Day 2, the vehicle had repeated battery problems and got stuck multiple times — we even had to push the car ourselves. We lost almost the entire day.
On Day 3, poor time management caused us to arrive very late at the airport, and I almost missed my flight.
While the company blamed heavy rain, many issues were clearly related to vehicle condition and organization. I effectively lost about 1.5 out of 3 safari days. They refunded wanted to refund $15 I spend while waiting for the car to be fixed. This is crazy. What about the lost safari time.
I would not recommend this safari company to anyone.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very bad business manager Booked & paid in full but he did not pay = delays & no Hot Balloon ride
Booked and paid in advance from Australia All Wheels did not pay permits resulting in many delays.
We paid for Hot Air Balloon ride in advance in full but Edward did not pay and therefore we did not achieve our dream of floating over the Serengeti.
Booked in advance and paid in full for day hike on Mount Kilimanjaro, again Edward delayed payment which delayed our departure time which meant a shorter hike time, again another disappointment.
Edward delayed supplying our refund for the Hot Air Balloon ride with broken promises delays and little apology. We only received our refund when we advised we were contacting Tourism Police.
Although all his local agents were exemplary Edward from All Wheels was very unprofessional and tainted our Tanzanian holiday.
Joan
Australia
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.
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.
JP
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointing Experience Due to Safety Concerns
Our safari experience raised serious safety concerns, including extremely aggressive driving on muddy roads and poor risk management. The situation became dangerous and forced us to interrupt the tour.
Handling afterward was disappointing, and communication lacked transparency.
Travelers should carefully consider safety standards and emergency response before booking.
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.
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！
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.