US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
11 day Kenya-Tanzania Safari, Bad accommodations in Arusha, truck broke down twice in Tanzania
I had an 11 day tour of Kenya and Tanzania with luxury accommodations. Before I left for Africa, I really had a good communication with Susan/Suzy, she answers questions all the time thru WhatsApp, it's when I arrived in Africa when everything starts to become bad, when I got there, she changed some of my accommodations, the accommodations in the national parks were amazing, I chose the luxury accommodations and they were indeed nice! But my accommodations in Arusha were very bad, she put me in bad places that have dirty rooms, slow shower pressure and stinky rooms! Also, our truck that we used in Tanzania broke down twice, one day we have to spend a few hours in a junk shop in the middle of Serengeti to have the tires fixed then the following day this truck broke down again and we have to hitch a ride with another tour group to go back to Arusha! She booked us thru 7 wonders in Tanzania, I guess this safari company in Tanzania is not reliable! Also in Kenya, they used a van that was converted with a roof that can be lifted during game drives, its not those 4x4 safari trucks! The bad thing about this is it's very bumpy during game drives and roads in Kenya and Tanzania are not paved and very dusty! I just would like to point out that the drivers I had were amazing, Anthony in Kenya and Linus in Tanzania were both nice and they can easily spot animals even if they're very far from the vehicle. Overall, I enjoyed this trip I was able to see the big 5 and I would still do it again but I would probably choose another African countries next time and if I have to be back in Kenya or Tanzania then I'll choose a different tour operator next time
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Anoying
In the middle of the safari they change us of group,van and driver.
The driver didn't stop in naivasa lake when we had to do It...
The driver wasn't worried about us any moment.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not the best experience
After the trip we were taken to their office like hostage to demand more money than we agreed and already paid cause they decided that they didn't make enough profit. Very poor customer service.
Be expected to pay much more than the original agreed fees as they will claim it is not included, e.g. entry fees. At one point we were asked to pay for the fuel cost!
Make sure to pay yourself entry fees as we realised we have been scammed and paid more than the entry fee. Unfortunately only realised this after the trip when we talked with out friends who visited the same attractions
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Hell's Gate National Park by Tara
Great place to ride bikes and see beautiful scenery, but there wasn't a density of wildlife. We jut saw zebras and giraffe.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not professionel
We have booked 2 safaris, the first was planned with 4 nights and the 2nd with 5 nights (so it was in the mail and was also paid). The first safari went well, we have also seen many animals, the guide really tried hard. On the 2nd safari we were told after the 4th day that tomorrow is the last day. Astonished we said that according to the mail the safari lasts 5 nights and 6 days. Suddenly nobody wanted to know anything about that. After a phone call and SMS to George, he then admitted that there is probably a misunderstanding, he actually meant only 4 nights even if there are 5 nights! Astonished and annoyed, we tried to make it clear to him that we expect 5 nights at this price according to the mail. George does not want to know anything about it and there was also no compensation. The end of the safari was accordingly bad, as we desperately tried to get another accommodation at a reasonable price! Thus, we have now paid an extra night and also the full price - which was for 5 nights. From our point of view, this is pure rip-off. Who books here, must clarify beforehand how many days and nights are included in the booking to avoid nasty surprises. We do not recommend this tour operator
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Julia
Lake Manyara is a little bit destroyed from the flood. In the morning we almost saw no animals than Monkeys! Would not recommend!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad
the mini bus was terrible, everywhere we ate the food was bad, our main day was delayed by an hour because of other passengers and at the end of the day we ran into a rhino and 10 lions on the hunt and the driver hurried home and didn't let us enjoy the scene 10 minuts more
the only reason for rating 2 is that we saw a big five
US
Don’t select, we were left stranded twice with independent drivers that did not know our itinerary.
We are experienced travelers who generally don’t mind small hiccups or slight plan changes. However, we experienced many issues on this safari that were unacceptable. No matter what tour agency you select, you will see the animals and the landscapes. If you don’t want those memories clouded by stress, uncertainty, and worry, pick a more reputable tour agency. This is not a professional outfit.
We were dropped off at multiple locations that didn’t match our provided itinerary with no Wi-Fi / service to contact the agency. In one instance, the next driver showed up 15 hours late. There was a lack of information and transparency that left us feeling unsafe, vulnerable, and stranded. We paid extra for a 4x4 Jeep but spent half of our time in various small sedans. We were not able to drive to one of the parks due to this.
A flat tire is reasonable and common. However, setting off on a three-day safari in the Serengeti with a damaged, leaking radiator is negligent and unsafe. We were stranded for two hours because the engine overheated and had to make several other stops to check on the vehicle throughout the tour.
Despite paying for an all-inclusive (planned) safari, we had independent or sub-contracted drivers who were not aware of our itinerary —including what parks we were to visit, where we were staying and the logistics of our next (unexpected) hand-offs. These drivers also didn’t have our information and we were forced to trust they were somehow affiliated with the company.
In one specific incident, a driver had no idea what our final destination was or where we were staying. This driver attempted to pick up friends along the way until we demanded to be taken to our accommodation. He didn’t know this accommodation, so we told him to take us to the accommodation we stayed in before we departed for the park where we knew we would have access to Wi-Fi to call for help. We then had to go to the new accommodation that was not on our provided itinerary.
Other issues we experienced:
1. Our accommodations didn’t match those listed on our itinerary and we were never provided with an updated version.
2. None of the jeeps were affiliated with Okoa Tours or the Tanzanian counterpart called Seven Wonders, despite other legitimate companies having branded vehicles.
3. All jeeps’ were older than the pictures provided and the charging outlets did not work as described.
After the tour we reached out to Okoa and they responded “But as far as the Kenya side nothing went wrong” because we arrived at the 3 listed parks.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amzing wildlife
I enjoyed my trip, but there are few things I must say.
Safaris are overbooked. We had 10 people in the van ( including driver). For people sitting in the back or front sit (next to the driver) it was difficult to enjoy the experience. It was too crowded, sometimes I couldn't even turn or stand up for the view. Missed quite a lot because of that. Bare in mind people in the van won't just let you see.They want to enjoy as well and they won't just sit and say 'your turn now'. Vans should be bigger or less crowded.
People here will give you a price after looking at you and judging how much money you have. Prices are visible only in supermarkets.
Be careful what you buy. Souvenirs often contain bone, skin or plant fragments that are illegal to bring back home.
If you decide to stay in Nairoibi, avoid city centre. It's overcrowded, easy to get mugged. I alsao have beed sexually harrased and called names for no reason. Racist.
Rubbish everywhere. It was heartbreaking to see so much plastic and other stuff along the road. Very bad for environment.
Avoid raw fruits and vegetables, eat only what's been cooked. You never know what kind of water they used to wash.
Food was often cold. We stopped for lunches on our way from one park to another and never had a hot meal. Easy to get food poisoning.
Be prepared to spend a lot of money for tipping people. Every little thing they do for you they will expect you to tip them, some will even tell you how much.
On the good side wildlife is amazing.
You see the same animal many times and still don't have enough.
Most of the parks are really big. You just keep driving.
I liked the fact that they are kept as natural as possible (no modern roads, few stops with actual toilets etc.) Gives you real wild experience.
IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Be careful to avoid a trip from a nightmare
Tl Dr: If you dare to book with Glory, confirm your exact itinerary, find out who delivers the services, whether she takes responsibility for anything at all from what she sells to you and then cross your fingers to not end up like me.
I was recommended Glory by the manager of the Shoki Shoki hostel in Zanzibar city as I was looking for a last minute safari. At first she had nothing available but a few days later she contacted me on WhatsApp with an offer to join two other travelers to Mikumi on a three day trip. She sent me a picture with an itinerary, the price and the starting date.
I gladly accepted, paid on her website after checking her reviews here and looked forward to the trip to Mikumi with a visit to a Masai village teh first evening, a full day game drive the second day, a dinner show the second night and a sunrise walk up a hill the third morning with private transfers between Dar and Mikumi and meals included.
My "guide" Joseph met me at the ferry in Stonetown and put me into a car with two other people in Dar waving me goodbye after exchanging only a few sentences on the ferry.
I felt that this was a bit weird but went with it, thinking that the other man in the car is my new guide.
Our driver dropped us at a bus station outside Dar. Ar this point I started asking questions and found out that we had no guide but rather Joseph gave some cash to my fellow traveler who happened to be a very nice local man to help me get to Mikumi and to cover my share of the safari car. The agent told him that another man will pick me up at the bus stop.
This was followed by a 7 hour drive on a local public bus.
Unfortunately there was nobody at the bus stop and Joseph was not answering the calls of my fellow traveler.
At this point I contacted Glory and asked her what is happening with the visit to the Masai village, why didn't I get a private transfer and why don't I have a guide?
She told me that she never saw the itinerary she sent me. She only forwarded that as she simply outsourced me to Joseph. She didn't organize my trip ( only took a cut) and told me that the itinerary I received was never achievable from the price I paid. At this point I was fuming.
She did not want to take responsibility as in her view Joseph was the one that owed me the services.
Eventually she organized to pay for my park entry fee and my packed lunch but I had to pay my second night of accommodation, organize another bus ride back to Dar, sit on a crowded, uncomfortable bus for another 7 hours, get my own transfer from the station outside Dar to the ferry and pay for my meals on the 2nd and third day.
At the end I got a 4hr game drive in a car from around 1980 and spent 2 full days traveling there and back on some horrendous buses, spent the whole time worrying about how will I make my way back, spent an extra $50-100 on top of what I paid up front and got a lower back pain that took me two weeks to get rid of.
And what was Glory's response? It wasn't her responsibility. She trusted the wrong people but that is not her fault.
What about the fact that I paid her, based on an itinerary that she never intended to fulfil? - you may ask. She thought that was not her fault either. "I should have known that this itinerary was not achievable. "
She reassured me that no matter how I feel about this trip God understands that she is a good person and thus all is good. Let's just say that I didn't quite agree.
Would I recommend Glory's glorious travel agency? Not this time. Thanks.
Similarly, I would not pay a penny to Joseph's wonderful agency, Jodari Expeditions either.
Stay away from these people if you can.
