65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beware
This tour was not what we paid for.
Wilberforce who has also used Quaribukeniatours and seems to have sub contracted to Valley Rock Tours, was paid for a small group tour. In fact the driver arrived over one hour late and the eight seater bus was full
My wife had to sit in the front seat and I in the back row, there was no seat belt in the front and mine was fixed into the buckle of the adjacent seat. The lateness set the whole itinerary back. Whilst the driver did speak good English, we seemed to be following other tour jeeps around the park.
At the gate a gentleman from Egypt swapped seats with my wife so we were a seat away from each other.
The whole morning was spent feeling disappointed. We had booked to see the elephant orphanage for 11:00 and we arrived 15 minutes late and thus missed the beginning of the talk.
Later we were picked up by another driver who did take us to feed the giraffes and the Kone centre.
Not great value for money in my opinion
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bad experience
Bad experience Non-existent security, Non-existent security
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cautionary Warning: Deposit Dispute & Unilateral Lodge Swaps with Lensai Safaris Ltd (Kenya)
I want to share a recent, documented experience with Lensai Safaris Ltd (based in Kenya, run by Rebecca Chepkemboi) as a cautionary note for anyone currently planning an East African safari.
Summary of Events:
• Booking & Deposit: In June 2026, I booked a luxury Kenya/Tanzania safari for September 2026. The quote explicitly featured high-end luxury properties (specifically Mara Serena Safari Lodge, Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, and Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge). I paid a 30% deposit of $2,340 via Pesapal to secure these specific properties.
• The Issue: A month after taking the deposit, the operator claimed the Serena lodges were fully booked and attempted to switch our stays to mid-range/budget properties located much further from the main wildlife areas (e.g., swapping Mara Serena inside the triangle for Mara Sopa on the outer edge, and substituting Ngorongoro Serena on the crater rim for a hotel in Arusha town).
• Verification & Non-Performance: When I checked directly with the Serena properties, they confirmed rooms were available for our dates. Lensai Safaris had held my money for a month without ever placing or securing the reservations.
• Refund Refusal: When I canceled due to material breach of contract and bait-and-switch tactics, the operator introduced an arbitrary cancellation policy and offered only $390 back—retaining $1,950 without having secured any bookings or incurred costs.
This matter has been escalated to my bank for a chargeback/fraud, as well as formally reported to the Kenyan Tourist Police Unit (TPU), the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA), and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB).
Takeaway for Travelers:
1. Always insist on written booking terms/cancellation policies before sending a deposit.
2. Verify lodge reservations directly with the properties shortly after paying your deposit to ensure funds were actually remitted and rooms secured.
3. Pay via credit card where chargeback protection is available.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I suggest you do not book with this company
I booked this safari back in February this year for myself and my wife. The reviews seemed good and they offered me a good itinerary. I contacted the company and they responded immediately. I paid the deposit and started saving from my pension. I later had a request to pay an instalment earlier than stated but it seemed reasonable. I became suspicious when they requested the remainder of the money earlier than stated but by then we had bought the air ticket so I paid up. What a mistake. Two days before we were due to fly I received an email telling me that the safari was cancelled due to "operational dificultious" and that a full refund would be issued within a week. It wasn't, I emailed them again with the same responce. Now when I email or phone I have no reply. I have tried to get my money back from the travel insurance but with no luck so far.
My bank claims that this is a scam but looking at the reviews it does seem as if the company started having problems in late August. I have informed the Competition Authority of Kenya and the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) of Kenya. I would recommend that anyone considering booking a safari with them look elsewhere. I doubt that I will get any of my money back.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Do not book - we had a terrible safari experience
VERY DISAPPOINTING SAFARI EXPERIENCE
We book with Suricata Safaris and unfortunately the experience fell far below what was promised.
No airport pickup:we waited around1h40 with no assistance or information. (They forgot about us)
Itinerary changes without notice: we were suddenly asked to leave our lodge and pack within minutes.
Accommodation issues:we were initially given a shared family tent despite having booked private accommodation.
Poor organization:unclear schedules, little communication and repeated last-minute changes.
Disappointing game drives: our main concern was the quality of the guiding in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
We experienced poor communication, ineffective positioning of the vehicle and missed wildlife-viewing opportunities.
This was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. Instead, it became a source of constant frustration and disappointment.
⚠️ Our advice to future travellers: THINK TWICE BEFORE BOOKING WITH SURICATA SAFARIS.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We feel cheated
They take your money, then cancel the tour half a day before the safari and don't refund the money. They don't respond to messages either!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
DO NOT PAY THIS COMPANY – They have kept my deposit despite repeated refund promises
DO NOT PAY INSPIRED BUDGET SAFARIS ANY MONEY!
I paid Inspired Budget Safaris a deposit in May 2026 for a private family safari for six people.
Our original agreement was clear: 30% deposit to secure the booking, with the remaining 70% payable at their Nairobi office before the safari.
After receiving my deposit, however, they began pressuring me to send further payments in advance, telling me that the hotels were requesting additional money and that there was a risk that our accommodation reservations could be lost if further payments were not made.
This was completely different from the payment terms originally agreed and made me increasingly uncomfortable. I therefore cancelled the booking.
Lina Margaret subsequently agreed in writing to refund the full deposit. They have not paid.
What is even more alarming is that, since I paid them, numerous extremely serious reviews from other customers have appeared reporting very similar experiences, including pressure for additional payments, cancelled or interrupted safaris and promised refunds that have not been received. SafariBookings itself now displays a warning stating that it has received “severe complaints from clients about Inspired Budget Safaris.”
I am also extremely concerned that the proposal they provided before I paid expressly stated “We are KATO bonded.” Yet in Inspired Budget Safaris' own public response on this website dated 25 August 2026, the company stated that it was “currently in the process of applying for membership.”
I have now reported this matter to the relevant Kenyan tourism and regulatory authorities and am contacting SafariBookings, as well as the
As of 5 October 2026, Inspired Budget Safaris still has my money.
My advice to other travellers is simple: DO NOT SEND THIS COMPANY MONEY.
I will update this review if and when the full deposit is returned.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The boss of this company is a not an honest person and didn't pay for our national park entrance fees.
The safari guide and the cook were excellent, but the problem was that every time we wanted to enter through a gate, the company boss hadn't paid the entrance fee. As a result, we had to wait for a total of eight hours. We had to find our campsites in the dark, which was very dangerous.
The safari guide and the cook were excellent, but the problem was that every time we wanted to enter through a gate, the company boss hadn't paid the entrance fee. As a result, we had to wait for a total of eight hours. We had to find our campsites in the dark, which was very dangerous.
Getting the money back was a long, hard road involving threats to go to the police.
Now, another 60 dollars are missing.
Please do not book through this organization.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horrible. Run.
Wow. I am so dissappointed. All of the reviews were so high we felt good to book with them. And our driver was fine. But everything else was horrible. They didn’t have the park permits. They didn’t have the hotel room booked. And we booked the top level accommodations. The four seasons guest experience manager was DUMB FOUNDED at how the company was treating us. Then we got to the melia and were told we could not check in because THEY HAD NOT BEEN PAID FOR OUR ROOMS. And that this has happened with this company BEFORE!!!! And that Kojuu owes them a lot of money so they can’t allow us to check in without being paid. So we are stranded and NO one is offering to fix anything for us. RUN from this company. They have not been truthful to anyone and lack communication skills. The guide is fine. But this company has to be a joke….
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreliable
AVOID. Still waiting for our refund after more than six weeks.
We paid Wildebeest Safaris directly and in full for our safari, including a hot air balloon excursion which was cancelled on 21st August.
What should have been a simple refund has turned into weeks of chasing.
Initially, Wildebeest Safaris told us they were waiting to get the money back from the balloon company before refunding us, despite the fact that we paid Wildebeest Safaris directly.
After repeatedly chasing and even having to contact our safari guide via WhatsApp to get a response, they eventually apologised, accepted responsibility and confirmed in writing that Wildebeest Safaris would refund us directly.
We are still waiting.
They have since ignored further emails asking for the promised payment date and my emails now appear to be blocked.
The safari itself was enjoyable, which makes their handling of this even more disappointing. We gave them plenty of opportunity to resolve this privately before leaving a review.
Based on our experience, I would not recommend Wildebeest Safaris and would be extremely cautious about paying them upfront for any additional excursions.