CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour. Driver is very knowledgeable
Great experience. Unique life experiences. Coach and driver is very good with great knowledge.
CH
Great safari experience, but not without issues
Overall, I had a great safari experience, although unfortunately not every part of the trip was as positive.
From the very beginning, communication with Glory was great. She was always quick to respond, helpful and made the whole booking process very easy.
I booked a 4-day camping safari. The campsites were good and the tents were equipped with small mattresses and sleeping bags. One thing I was a little disappointed about was that the first night wasn’t actually spent in a tent, even though my itinerary stated three nights of camping. It wasn’t a huge issue for me, but it was different from what I had booked and expected.
Also: bring more warm clothes than you think you’ll need! Especially around Ngorongoro, the nights can get very cold.
The food throughout the safari was always really good and there was more than enough. Of course, some meals were quite similar, but for four days of camping there is really nothing to complain about. A big thank you to our chef Ritschard for taking such good care of us!
As for the safari itself, we saw an incredible amount of wildlife and had some amazing moments.
Unfortunately, the part that significantly affected my experience was our guide, Lawrence.
Throughout the trip, I repeatedly felt ignored and not taken seriously by him. There were many situations where I would ask a question and simply receive no answer. It became so noticeable that it actually turned into an inside joke within our group: when I asked something and got ignored, one of the guys would repeat the exact same question — and suddenly get an answer.
I addressed this directly with Lawrence several times during the safari. Unfortunately, his response was basically just “okay”, and nothing changed afterwards.
I also felt that we sometimes received surprisingly little information from him. For example, when staying at campsites with wild animals around, we had to repeatedly ask for basic information about whether it was safe to walk to the toilets alone at night and what precautions we should take. Whenever something was questioned or we asked for more clarification, his reaction often felt dismissive.
There were also a few situations involving the animals that made some of us uncomfortable. At times, members of the group had to point out that we felt we were getting too close to animals. There were also one or two occasions where we drove off-road even though nobody in our group had asked for this.
I understand that safari guides have a lot of experience and know the parks far better than tourists do, but for me, respecting the animals and their space is an important part of the experience as well.
It’s unfortunate because there were so many great aspects to this safari, and I want to emphasize that my criticism of the guide does not reflect my experience with the entire company.
After the safari, I shared my concerns about Lawrence privately with the company. I was apologized to and told that the matter would be addressed, which I appreciate. However, I was also repeatedly asked not to include this negative experience in my public review because it could affect the company. I understand their position, but I believe an honest review should reflect both the p
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Kellie Hicks
A lot of the park was covered by the expansion of the lake. Many of the animals described in the brochure that I hope to see no longer lived there.
DZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Average
Overall, the safari itself was a good experience, and the communication team was professional, responsive, and helpful throughout the process.
Unfortunately, the safari driver was the main negative point of our experience. He did not even offer us a bottle of water during the trip, despite the fact that we were traveling with a small child. According to the agreement, food, snacks, or at least drinks were supposed to be included.
What made this even more disappointing was seeing that many other safari vehicles were clearly providing drinks and refreshments to their guests.
Because of this lack of basic care and hospitality from the driver, I am not sure I would choose the same agency again for my next safari trip, even though the communication team and the overall organization were good.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Private Safari with small kids
Our experience with Axis Safari was overall mixed, with some very positive aspects but also some important issues.
The biggest positive was undoubtedly our guide, John Mwangi. Our first interaction with the initial guide was unfortunately very poor, and after just a few minutes we asked Axis to change the guide. Axis accepted our request and arranged for John to take over, which we appreciated.
John was excellent throughout the safari. He was knowledgeable, professional and particularly good at finding special wildlife encounters and positioning the vehicle at the right moments. Thanks to him, we had some truly memorable experiences, including an incredible leopard sighting.
The PrideInn Mara was also a very pleasant part of the experience. The food was good, and the staff were friendly and attentive.
The main disappointment was the safari vehicle. From the beginning, we had specifically requested a vehicle with canvas-covered rear windows, as we were travelling privately with two young children. When John took over, his vehicle did not have canvas-covered windows. We therefore asked Axis to keep both requirements: a different guide and a vehicle with canvas.
Axis ultimately arranged for John to exchange vehicles with the initial guide, meaning we ended up using the initial guide’s vehicle — the same vehicle we had arrived in. We had only spent around five minutes in that vehicle initially, so we did not have the opportunity to properly assess its condition at that point. We chose to keep it because it was the only vehicle with canvas that Axis was able to make available to us.
Unfortunately, over the following minutes, we discovered several issues with the vehicle. Most importantly, the majority of the seat belts were not functioning properly, which we found unacceptable when travelling with young children. There were also other maintenance issues, including charging ports that did not work and windows and doors that were not functioning properly. In addition, the vehicle was not particularly comfortable, which was disappointing given that this was a private safari and we spent many hours in the vehicle each day.
To be fair, Axis was responsive to our requests and did make efforts to accommodate the change of guide and our requirement for a canvas-covered vehicle. However, we feel that the standard of the vehicle, both in terms of safety and comfort, was below what we expected from a private safari.
Overall, John was excellent and made a significant difference to our experience, and PrideInn Mara was also very good. Unfortunately, the initial guide experience and, in particular, the condition and comfort of the vehicle prevented us from giving Axis a fully positive review.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Payment system is a nightmare; guides are good
The company’s payment system was still not working even after we arrived in Africa and began the trip. We had been unable to pay by credit card through their system for several months, and the company also appeared to be experiencing issues. They asked us to pay by wire transfer, which was not possible for some members of our group and did not feel secure.
Aside from the payment issues, our tour guides were knowledgeable, passionate, and excellent. We were very happy to see the animals and visit so many beautiful places.
SV
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good experience
The guide ( Martin) and the tour operator’s service were excellent. However, I felt that the experience didn’t fully match what was advertised. The tour gives the impression that you’ll see certain animals up close, but in reality, most of them are seen from quite a distance.
Overall, it was a good experience, but I expected something closer to what is shown in the advertisements. I think the advertising could be more realistic about what visitors can actually expect.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
He is helpful
1. the schedule is not well planned, for a 7day trip, we spent almost 3days only driving on the road to another place.
2. there was one day, one of the passenger was sick, so we had to stop on the road for 2 hours for her to take rest, and i asked the travel agent to send another car and someone else to take her to the hospital, and the travel agent simply didnt do anything. so all other passengers wasted their time doing nothing.
3. everyday, the trip started at around 9:00am, and finishes at 16:00pm, this is the period where the temporature is quite high, so the animals are hiding, it means, we would not see as much animals as possible, it is much smarter to start earlier or finish later, so that more can be seen.
4. and the tour guide didn't remind us that there is some extra activities like ballon and Helicopter, so i missed these activities.
5. the guide is not good at English, so i wouldn't understand him most of time. and also he didn't really introduce much about the living habits of the animals
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Safari But Issues!
My wife and I are seniors and booked the “6-day Sopa Lodges 4x4 Jeep Shared Tour By Tall Masai” almost a year in advance. There were definitely positives: the game drives were excellent, and our guide Joseph — a Maasai who grew up near the parks — knew the area and wildlife extremely well and made sure we had good viewing time each day. We also met many friendly travelers who joined us. Most were low budget campers staying in tents or small huts, and they seemed satisfied with the safari they purchased.
However, the organization didn’t match what we expected. After paying the deposit, many of my emails went unanswered, and communication was vague. Approximately 60 days before the safari, I suddenly received several WhatsApp messages within an hour insisting that the remaining balance be paid immediately. Even though I had asked a couple of times prior for a balance due date, it was never provided. The timing was inconvenient — I was watching the World Cup with friends and had to leave to handle the payment.
I interpreted the term “shared safari” to mean a single group traveling together and staying in the same accommodations with a guide. This was not the case. Travelers joined and left constantly and stayed at different locations. This resulted in a lot of time spent picking up and dropping off people. On the first day we were picked up at 6:30am but didn’t leave Nairobi until around 9am. The group changed almost daily, and each day involved long hours in the vehicle. My wife and I didn’t join the group on Day 2 because we still had jet lag and Day 1 was 13 hours of travel, which was exhausting.
The biggest issue was a change in accommodation at Lake Nakuru. The 3 hotels listed were a big selling point for us to purchase this safari. We looked them up on-line and they were amazing. Our invoice listed Lake Nakuru Lodge inside the reserve, but we were moved to a hotel in town about 20 miles away. The hotel room itself was adequate, but it was nothing like what we expected and paid for. This reduced the quality of the experience and required extra driving. We were not told about the change until we arrived at the hotel, and we were not happy.
Overall, the wildlife experience and Joseph’s guiding were excellent, but the logistics, communication, and accommodation changes did not match what was advertised. Travelers booking a shared safari should be aware that the group may change daily and that everyone may be staying at different locations. We did not finish the trip with any of the people we started with.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lacks organization and needs consistency in services
We recently booked a safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro, followed by a few days in Zanzibar, through Amshar Travel Agency, with destinations we personally selected (Mara River, Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Villa Kiva Hotel in Zanzibar).
Overall, the wildlife experience and destinations were absolutely outstanding. Serengeti in August is incredible, and we were lucky enough to witness the Mara River crossing of the wildebeest migration, along with a huge variety of wildlife. The safari experience itself exceeded expectations.
Our safari guide, Major, was excellent throughout the trip. He drove safely, had a great knowledge of wildlife, and shared interesting information without being intrusive. He struck a very good balance between explaining things and giving us privacy, and was consistently patient and professional. A big credit to him.
The safari vehicle was suitable for game drives inside the parks—spacious and comfortable. However, on normal roads it felt quite old and slow.
There were, however, some organizational issues at the start of the trip. Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, we were met by a driver (not our safari guide) who was supposed to take us to Arusha for a same-day flight to Kogatende Airstrip in northern Serengeti. Unfortunately, the agency had not communicated the flight details or timing to him. When we arrived at the airport, the driver was unsure about the situation and even asked if we had the tickets.
This created confusion and stress, and only at that point did we receive the airline booking confirmation via WhatsApp from the agency. We then realized we had only about 30 minutes until boarding. Despite going through security and trying to make it, we unfortunately missed the flight.
The agency did try to resolve the situation afterwards, and arranged for us to be taken to a hotel in Arusha, with a new flight scheduled for the next morning. As a result, we lost half a day of our safari itinerary. While apologies were given, there was no form of compensation or gesture offered for the inconvenience.
The hotel in Arusha was average, slightly unorganized, and the food was also below expectations.
The following day, everything continued smoothly and we began the safari properly with Major.
The camps during the safari were mid-range tented camps. Heritage Mara Camp was decent but fairly average. Kon Tiki Serengeti Camp was excellent, both in comfort and overall experience. Ngorongoro Wild Camp was acceptable, but located quite far from the crater without a clear advantage to justify the long drive.
Food quality varied depending on the camp, since breakfast and dinner were taken there, while lunch was provided as boxed meals during the day. The lunch boxes did not match what was described in the itinerary (which mentioned more “fine dining” picnic-style meals), and were quite basic overall. Kon Tiki Camp offered the best food experience among the camps.
In Zanzibar, Villa Kiva Hotel fully met expectations. The location is beautiful, right on the beach with sunbeds just steps from the sea. Service was good, and the food—mostly à la carte—was excellent. Special compliments to the chef.
In summary, the wildlife experience and guide were outstanding, and Zanzibar was a very relaxing and high-quality stay. However, better organization, clearer communication, and more consistency in services would significantly improve the overall experience with the agency.