CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Think twice...
The trip overall was good. The design of the safari itinerary could be adjusted based on our preference. Our guide in Kenya, Daniel, and the guide in Tanzania, Japhet Bundala, both are very nice people, responsible, professional, responsive and very friendly. We almost got all we expected for the animals and migration. The quote is fair and you could choose the level of accommodations.
However, there were a lot of confusing situations that I have to mention. 10 days before the trip, when I wanted to confirm our accommodations, the adviser was not replying very in time, which was a red flag for me. And later when we had arrived at Nairobi, we didn't even know the contact number of our pick up. The night before our safari started, the adviser again disappeared, so I had to contact their manager to find a guide for us in Kenya. That was 8pm, and we were told we would start our safari 7:30am the next morning.
When we arrived at Arusha, their manager met us in person and made a good brief. And the safari guided by Japhet was good. He has nice teamwork with other guides and we saw big five and river crossing. But when we transferred to Zanzibar, again we weren't told the contact number of pick up, standing confused at the airport.
There were many other details that I didn't mention, e.g. they checked our passports and flight information many times as they never saved our information, many arrangement seemed very temporary. At the end our trip finished completely, but that's the result of many back and forth communications at WeChat, email and Whatsapp. I really tried hard to find different people through different methods to get their attention.
My suggestion is, if you are very good at communication and have the preparation to handle all the random, you can still choose them for the fair quote.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice drivers but bad management
Hello everyone i hope you are reading this
Going by road is very tiring and there is no much things to see so better go by flight, the hotel books was very very bad , people are good but food and accommodation very bad, choose yourself the lodging and if you have the budget invest somewhere in the kruger itself or inside a reserve . Take those we put in the eyes to see far because you will need them. They dont stick to the plan the are saying so make sure to communicate about it . And also dont give all meals they said.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Ok wish we had a better first stop
Tiyani was our driver he wasn't bad and we got to the airport on time
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Knowledgeable guide but disappointing service and communication
We booked a private safari with Beyond the Plains, and our guide was Douglas. He was very knowledgeable about wildlife and answered our questions thoroughly. However, several aspects of the experience left us disappointed.
Before our arrival, the company told us that our guide would be waiting at the airport arrivals exit holding a sign with our names. Despite receiving our flight information in advance, the promised pickup did not go as expected. We could not find Douglas and were kept waiting. We later learned that he had apparently been in the parking lot. We never saw a sign with our names, even inside the vehicle.
During our highway journey, Douglas was involved in a road accident while driving us. Afterward, we had to stop at a vehicle dealership, which reduced our time on safari. At the time, he offered neither an apology nor a clear explanation of what had happened or why the stop was necessary. He apologized only after we reported the incident to the safari company.
Douglas told us he had more than ten years of experience. While his wildlife knowledge was a strength, his manner sometimes came across as overly proud of his experience. We did not feel involved in planning the game drives. He answered questions when asked, but rarely proactively suggested areas to explore, explained his plans, or discussed options based on sighting information from other guides. We would have appreciated more initiative and communication.
During game drives, he drove very slowly, and other safari vehicles frequently passed us. We understand that slow driving can help with safety and spotting wildlife. However, without an explanation of his approach, we were often unsure of the plan or whether we were making the most of our time.
There were also two occasions involving additional passengers whom Douglas described as friends. We agreed to the first person’s joining us. However, we did not give our consent for the second person to join, yet that person rode with us for approximately five hours from our hotel to Nairobi. We had booked a private safari and expected the vehicle to be exclusively for our party. Having an additional passenger for such a long journey without our consent did not match that expectation.
During this journey, the second passenger threw a plastic bottle out of the vehicle. Douglas said nothing in response. We were shocked by the littering and disappointed that our safari guide did not speak up, particularly given the importance of protecting the environment and wildlife.
Overall, we appreciated Douglas’s wildlife knowledge, but knowledge alone did not make up for the shortcomings in communication and service. The airport pickup, the handling of the accident, the additional passenger without our consent, and the response to littering fell short of our expectations for a private safari.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful
The safari was very good, though the organization was a bit lacking; everything was sorted out towards the end of the safari.
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointed but grateful for the experience
I went for the 10D9N Kenya and Tanzania tour. If you are a wildlife photographer and your goal is to capture shots that require lots of time, patience and experience on the part of the guide - I would not recommend this, based on my own experience.
I was really looking forward to this trip, and everything went smoothly with liaising with Naomi at the start. I really did enjoy speaking with her and she was exceptionally prompt, thoughtful and service-oriented in her replies. Since I was going to arrive in Kenya early in the morning at 7am, I wanted to make the most of the day and requested to visit Bomas of Kenya and a Masaai market. Naomi said that was ok and told me it would be an additional charge of $55 USD for Boma’s entry fee and transport. I was perfectly fine with that and made full payment.
However, when I finally arrived in Kenya on the first day of the trip and was picked up by Alex, it seemed like he had not been informed of my request — I had to remind him of this additional schedule, which prompted him to contact a driver for me. When the driver, Jimmy, came to pick me up, only then was I informed that the distance between the Bomas of Kenya and Masaai market would be too far, so we had to skip Bomas of Kenya. We went to see a smaller scale performance instead. I wish I had known about this earlier during my conversation with Naomi. I had also already paid for the Bomas of Kenya entrance fee. But I decided to let this go.
Sanita was our guide during our first few days in Kenya. He had great energy and drove very thoughtfully and skilfully. He really tried his best to give us as many wildlife sightings as he could and would even give us the chance to take photos of the same sighting from different positions (by masterfully manoeuvring the vehicle). I was very thankful for Sanita. I didn’t know that these few days would be the best part of the trip.
Once we crossed the border to Tanzania, we had Kombo as our guide. Although he seems like a genuinely kind-hearted soul (he even offered a beanbag for our photography gear), the game drives felt very rushed most of the time. Whenever we spotted something interesting, he wouldn’t stop immediately because he was very concerned about parking properly (which is great for the company - no fines). But within seconds, the animal would have already changed its position or engaged in another form of behaviour - missing these important details can be really challenging from a wildlife photographer’s standpoint. On top of that, we were rarely able to stay at places for long. We always only had about 5-10minutes maximum before Kombo would cite reasons like — we need to let other vehicles get a better view, or that we are in the way of others… Which is very kind and considerate of him for the other people, but it kind of compromised our experience since we had barely even captured enough shots. And sightings of big cats were rare, so of course we wanted to stay there longer. Of course, to be fair, at places like the hippo pool, we were able to spend a long time there. I know that Kombo is a genuinely good person, and he tried to give us a good experience. I am thankful for him, but I believe there was just a mismatch/misalignment in terms of our priorities.
After Tanzania, we crossed the border and went back to Amboseli National Park in Kenya. We had a different Kombo this time round. I felt that he was quite disengaged and uninterested, perhaps because he was tired or going through something, which I can understand since it’s not easy being a driver-guide. But it didn’t negate the fact that it was a pity to be honest as I was hoping that my very first trip to Africa would at least end on a high.. According to the itinerary given by Naomi, we were supposed to have an afternoon game drive in Amboseli and then one final morning game drive the day after till noon. Then we would start heading back to Nairobi to catch our flight (which was at 1am, so we had tons of time to kill). Instead of leaving Amboseli at noon like I had expected, we exited the park around 10am (we only started our morning game drive at 8am). This was really quite disappointing but I was not surprised because our game drives throughout the entire trip would start after sunrise and end before sunset. I assumed that “full day game drives” entailed seeing the sunset, at least… But were never able to stay in any of the national parks to watch the sunset, which really was a pity, but I recognise that I should have communicated this with Naomi prior to the trip — so this is a reminder to myself and to other photographers to clearly communicate with whoever you are liaising with, about your wishes.
Although I find myself leaving Africa feeling quite disappointed, I do acknowledge that there were indeed wonderful parts of the trip, like the accommodations and food were not bad (although we had our water supply cut off in Osinon camp, it was restored the day after which was great. And the staff like Rehema from Osinon was great too) and I really did enjoy liaising with Naomi prior to the trip. I am grateful for having the privilege to experience Kenya and Tanzania at the end of the day, so thank you Mama Savana for this, and I hope things will get better in the future.
FR
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unbelievable safari, but a big flop at the end
Very competent team (guide, factotum, cheaf). Ten days in the bush. All the wild animals (except rhino) near 4x4, and heard during the nights.
But no mokoro on the Okavango, and the bigest disappointment : no more available time to go at Victoria Falls, before departure. Program not respected. It's not worthy for a professional organizer !!!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fair
Reasonable tour, tour guide Moloko good. Couldn't hear her all the time, a mic would be helpful. It was also cold...
HU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A memorable safari with some disappointing experiences
I booked a 9-day safari with this company, visiting Murchison Falls, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo National Park.
The national parks were absolutely beautiful, and the trip offered unforgettable experiences. My guide was friendly, helpful and always willing to assist me, which I really appreciated.
Unfortunately, there were several disappointing aspects of the tour. None of the charging ports in the safari vehicle worked. I believe functioning charging ports should be a basic requirement in a safari vehicle, especially when travelling for several days and relying on phones and cameras to capture the experience.
Another issue was tipping. At several activities, staff explicitly mentioned that tips were expected. Considering that I had already paid hundreds of dollars for some of these activities, I found it disappointing to feel additional pressure to tip.
I enjoyed staying at most of the accommodations, with one major exception: Rwakobo Rock Lodge, near Lake Mburo National Park.
On the evening of my arrival, I was asked what I wanted for breakfast the following morning, and I ordered seven boiled eggs. However, after breakfast, I was informed that only two eggs were included and that I had to pay an additional $10 for the other five. The explanation was that most guests only eat two eggs. The problem is that nobody informed me of this restriction or the extra charge when my order was taken the previous evening.
It is ridiculous that a property advertised as a four-star hotel cannot provide a proper buffet breakfast and charges $10 for five additional eggs. Furthermore, my room had neither air conditioning nor a fan, while several geckos were crawling around inside.
Unfortunately, the experience at Rwakobo Rock Lodge completely ruined my day and left a bitter impression of the entire safari. It was particularly disappointing to end an otherwise wonderful trip on such a negative note.
Overall, the national parks and my guide made this a memorable journey, and I enjoyed staying at most of the accommodations. However, the problems with the vehicle, the pressure to tip and, most importantly, the final accommodation significantly affected my experience.
I am giving this safari 3 out of 5 társ, primarily because of the experience at Rwakobo Rock Lodge, which substantially diminished what should have been an excellent final day of the trip.
Good safari, but let down by organisation, communication and the condition of our vehicle
We did a 6-day safari with Judeson, visiting the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Overall, we saw some incredible wildlife and had some really memorable experiences, but a lack of communication, professionalism and organisation issues throughout the trip unfortunately affected our experience.
The start of the trip
We were told we would be picked up at around 6:40am and expected the long car journey to Masai Mara would begin from the moment we were collected. Instead, we were taken to an office where we waited for around an hour for Laurine, with very little to no communication about what was happening, why we were waiting or how long we would be waiting. We had woken up very early and were already tired, so spending the first hour of the trip sitting in an office, unsure of what was happening, was a disappointing start. We appreciate that delays can happen, but simply keeping us informed would have made a big difference. Hopefully this is something they can improve on.
Organisation and communication
Unfortunately, the lack of communication was a recurring theme throughout the trip. On Day 3, we were told we would be picked up at 7am to head towards Lake Nakuru. However, we ended up waiting around an hour for three other couples to complete the Maasai cultural tour before we could leave. We then waited for another 30 minutes even after they had all arrived, again without being told why. This was particularly frustrating because we had already done the cultural tour ourselves on the first day, after arriving at our camp near the Masai Mara, so nobody had to wait for us.
The extra waiting time could have been used to sleep, start the journey earlier, or potentially have more time at our next destination. Alternatively, we could have done the cultural tour with the rest of the group on Day 3.
Because of the 2 hour delay in the morning of Day 3, we only stayed in Lake Nakuru for about 2 hours. We felt this could have been handled much better, particularly if we had simply been told in advance that we would be waiting for another couple.
Another instance was that at the end of the trip, our driver randomly stopped at a gas station and told us to get out of the car for an Uber to take us home in Nairobi. This type of last minute and hectic communication was consistent throughout the trip.
Lack of communication and organisation was an issue during longer drives too. We were rarely told beforehand how long the journeys would take, how many stops we would make in order to stretch our legs or take toilet breaks, or when we would be stopping. Having a clearer itinerary and better communication about timings would have made the trip feel much more organised.
The safari vehicle
The vehicle was probably our biggest concern. The jeep was incredibly old and, on one occasion, was expelling smoke. We expected a mini fridge in the jeep as stated in our quote document, but our vehicle didn't have one. We experienced many tyre changes during the trip and the jeep even broke down at one point due to a broken spring. Having looked at other vehicles on game drives, this car looked like the oldest and was at points the slowest.
More seriously, on one occasion the vehicle broke down completely and we had to hitch a ride with another safari vehicle back to the accommodation. Interestingly, this gave us a very clear comparison between the two vehicles. The temporary replacement vehicle was noticeably newer, more robust and much better equipped. It was less dusty, had air conditioning and even had a fridge. The contrast made us realise just how basic and uncomfortable our vehicle had been.
Our usual vehicle also wasn't properly sealed. Even with the windows closed, we could visibly see dust coming into the vehicle through large holes and gaps itself. Given how much time you spend driving on dusty roads during a safari, this became quite uncomfortable, and at times we felt unsafe. The temporary replacement vehicle that took us back to the accommodation had no such issues.
All this unfortunately meant less time looking for animals, and arriving late to national parks due to frequent stops at car mechanic shops during the journey.
We understand that safari vehicles are used extensively on rough terrain and that they won't necessarily be new, particularly on a budget safari. However, we expected the vehicle to be in a reasonable and safe condition for a six-day trip.
Lake Naivasha and additional costs
We also weren't aware that the Lake Naivasha boat ride did not include the walk on Crescent Island. This was an additional $33 per person. Every other person on our tour had this booked prior, and it was only us that were not informed of this addition. We don't have an issue with optional activities costing extra, but it would have been much better to know this beforehand. More transparency about what is and isn't included in the itinerary, and which activities have additional costs, would have helped us budget and make informed decisions.
Food
The food was fairly basic, which is understandable given that this was a budget safari. Dinner at the camps/hotels was generally okay, and packed lunches were provided for the days when we were out on game drives.
That said, the packed lunches were often very disappointing. On one day, for example, we were given three pieces of white bread with butter, along with two boiled eggs. It wasn't particularly enjoyable, especially when you're spending a full day travelling and on safari. This isn't necessarily Judeson's fault, as the food is provided by the camps/hotels, but it's worth mentioning for transparency so that future travellers know what to expect.
Tour guides and lack of organisation
We had the safari with other couples who were spanish speakers. They were therefore given a spanish tour guide, who would mainly speak in spanish rather than English. We thought it would be okay as the driver spoke English, however he rarely spoke to us during game drives as he was concentrating on the road and he relied entirely on the Spanish tour guide. This meant we had to rely on the spanish couples to translate and tell us what each of the animals were at many points during the game drives. This is poor organisation on Judesons part as we would have preferred to have had an English guide.
Maasai cultural tour
We also did a Maasai cultural tour, which was interesting and gave us the opportunity to learn more about the local community and culture. However, we found the experience uncomfortable in parts. The person conducting the tour was extremely pushy about buying souvenirs, repeatedly telling us that purchases exceeding $40 would help support local schools. At one point, we felt surrounded by people encouraging us to buy things, which became quite uncomfortable and made us feel pressured. We understand that buying souvenirs can be an important source of income for local communities, and we were happy to look around and support local sellers. However, we would have preferred to make our own decision about whether and what to buy, without feeling pressured. This wasn't something we would necessarily attribute to Jusedson themselves, but we think it is worth mentioning for future travellers. We learnt a lot from the cultural tour and appreciated the opportunity to experience it, but the sales aspect could have been handled in a much less forceful way.
The positives
Despite these issues, there were definitely some highlights. Seeing the wildlife in the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli was an amazing experience, and we had some unforgettable moments throughout the six days. The safari itself gave us the opportunity to visit some incredible places and see animals in their natural environment, which is ultimately what we came for.
We also appreciated the opportunity to experience the Maasai cultural tour and learn more about the local community, despite the uncomfortable pressure to purchase souvenirs.
Overall
We had some genuinely amazing experiences on the safari, but the trip was let down by organisation, communication and the condition of the vehicle.
For a budget safari, we understand that there will be compromises, and we weren't expecting luxury. However, basic communication about timings, delays, additional costs and the day's itinerary would have significantly improved our experience. We also think the vehicle should be properly maintained and sealed, particularly when guests are spending so many hours travelling in it.