CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Security an issue
This review was very difficult review to write. The staff, especially the camp host and cook are very pleasant people. Rickson, one of the guides went above and beyond to make our last safari truly memorable. I’ve had over 30 safaris and he is truly a fantastic guide who tries to meet his clients needs. The chef was also amazing. I did not expect to be fed so well.
Now the bad. One of the guides got very intoxicated the first evening and we did not see him again until 36 hours later.sadly it gets worse. We had are tent broken into and some of our money stolen. They left some money and my iPad so it could have been worse. Outlook claims that this was the first time that it had ever happened with guests commonly leaving everything in their tents with no issue. One the last day they even ask you to leave your tents completely open with your belongings. Strike 3 is that they told us to expect a email from our booking agent (not sure what that means) but it’s been over 36 hours later and nothing yet,
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari was good but nonstop attempts for cheating against clients
Cheating : they always tried to find a way to get more money from there customers (change the price in shillings which has been already agreed by saying that the dollar currency is different today, giving only 2 rooms for 4 different group saying that there is no more accommodation available, skipping the morning game drive with an excuse of returning time back to Nairobi....). Just be careful and don’t trust them what they say as it is. Insisting what you have been promised in the program and negotiating all the time.
Safari: safari was not bad, the driver was quite experienced so you could see all the major animals that you can see in masai mara.
Car: they brought a van for actually suitable for six people but received a reservation for 8 people. We had to squeeze in in the small car for 7-8 hours driving. The backseat was too high so I had to bend my back and neck all the time.
Communication: the communication and customer service in nairobi office was very good, swift and helpful. They tried to resolve the problem but it seems that they don’t manage very well the subcontracted drivers and accommodation staff.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Company did ok but guide was disappointing
I communicated via email with Benson on a 1-week itinerary for me and my 3 children and he presented a comprehensive mid-range safari package in a timely manner. Everything went well until we started out with our private guide. Logistics were smooth with one exception that was clarified with a quick call to Benson. Otherwise, the guide was obviously more interested in chatting with others on his 2 cell phones and car CB than in providing information to us, his clients. Some of the communication was between guides sharing animal sightings in the area and there was no shortage of those the guide pursued but there was more than one case of me seeing an animal in a place that required backing up and the guide disregarded my request. This was my 3rd time on a guided safari but my childrens’ first and they missed out on so much, even with my advocacy. I prompted the guide several times to provide information - differences in species, etc. - and answers were one or two sentences at best. It got to the point at one meal where, after loudly reminding my daughter that using electronics during dinner was rude and unacceptable, I had to ask him to put his cell phone away minutes later. He never asked what kind of animals we were interested in, never pulled out a field guide, and offered very little personal insight. I felt like my family was a load to be transferred between locations rather than a family who had crossed half the globe to appreciate his homeland. We met other Benson guides who showed far more interest in their jobs (and us) so I think we got the guy who’d grown tired/bored after 15 years of guiding. One other minor thing: Benson claimed he would come by to meet us which he never did. The week was good in the sense that the animals are everywhere in the parks, camps and food were good and we didn’t have any catastrophes but I know the trip would’ve been MUCH better with a different guide.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Two different negative experiences: (1) vehicle and driver did not show up and (2) we missed flight
I would NOT RECOMMEND Self Drive Uganda based on two separate experiences that were both costly and unpleasant.
(1) Upon arrival, there was no driver or vehicle to pick me up. This occurred despite extensive conversation and confirmation with the company beforehand. This put me in a pickle for my gorilla trek the following morning, which I could not reschedule. I ended up hiring a taxi driver for $200+. Self Drive Uganda eventually sent a driver, charging me for the tank of gas to come meet me. They never provided an apology or acknowledgement of their error.
(2) About one year later, I returned for another gorilla trek. The drive was quoted at 5-6 hours long, which was consistent with Google Maps and my previous experience. Despite having packed lunches and my family saying “we are fine,” our driver suggested that we stop for a “quick lunch” while he allegedly patched the spare tire. He stated that he would be “back in 20 minutes” given that we had “plenty of time before... Read more our flight.” He returned 1hr 20min later. We proceeded to hit rush hour traffic at the border crossing and then again in downtown Kigali. From start to finish, it took us 10 hours (9:15am to 7:15pm) to get to the airport, in comparison to the 5-6 hours quoted. We missed our flight by 30mins, which caused us to forfeit $700+ in previously booked flights, and then we had to purchase new tickets at $1,275. I am suspicious that our driver went and saw his wife and child as our lunch break also happened to be in the town where he lived. Once again, there was no apology or acknowledgement offered by management. Instead, management berated me over email for allegedly shorting them $15 in payment (which was their mistake). For context, the $15 “issue” was literally 1% of the added (and unnecessary) financial setback that Self Drive Uganda caused me. It was a mistake to stop for lunch, we were lied to, and the driver grossly underestimated how long the drive back could take at this time of day, knowing that we had a flight to catch.
I gave two stars because (1) the trip went well otherwise, (2) the vehicles were reliable, and (3) the driver was polite.
I deducted three stars because (1) no driver or vehicle there at pickup, (2) driver’s poor decision-making cost us $1300 in missed flight expenses plus new hotel expenses, and (3) a consistent unwillingness to provide an apology for company errors, that to me are both inexcusable.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Rude and dismissive guide
It pains me to write a bad review! I took the trip from Dar Es Salaam all the way down to Cape Town, with two different sets of staff: tour guide, cook and bus driver. I can't say enough good things about the second part of the trip, from Victoria Falls to Cape Town. The campsites were beautiful, the food was AMAZING and our guide was extremely knowledgeable. However, the first few weeks of the trip were quite painful, due to our terrible tour guide. He was rude, talked back to customers, wouldn't tell us how long the bus trip would be, and openly mocked customers. My bag got stolen at one campsite (no one's fault at all!) and I couldn't find our tour guide to tell him, he was at the pub having a drink. When I did tell him, he simply kept saying that it 'was not possible' and refused to help in any way at all. I had to contact the reception team at ATC to get a letter (they were quick, sympathetic and professional.)
Overall, my experience was good regarding the campsites, food, locations, and administrative staff. However our guide was so terrible for the first three weeks that it is impossible for me to give ATC more than two stars. :( If you are considering booking a tour, ensure that your tour guide is NOT Frances. I'm sure the rest of the guides are great, and this is just one bad apple. Ensure that Frances is not your guide before leaving.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stick to Kenya and don't expect great customer service
We had combined 10 day safari in Kenya-Tanzania. Everything was great on the Kenya side. Driver was fine, would answer questions if you asked, but you did have to ask. Accommodations were better than expected with private bathrooms and actual beds in tents. They definitely work to find animals and make the most of the time in the parks.
Tanzania - nothing went right at all. We were supposed to be met by the director Abraham at the bus depot and he was not there. So very confusing getting us to our hotel in Arusha.
Day 2 the driver, George, brought us to Lake Manyara when our itinerary said to go to Serengeti NP. We were dropped off at camp around 430 near the lake, not in the Serengeti. He refused to t call anyone to check on the mix up for us. Basically that it was not his problem and we were stuck.
Day 3 We should have had a full day in Serengeti national park. We did not arrive until 2 or 3pm. George told us breakfast was at 730 and we would leave... Read more at 8. . We did not depart until 10am. No one could give us an update on when we would leave. They claimed the delay was due to the chefs. Who produced fried chicken so burnt we couldn’t eat it at lunch. We had our driver changed 3 times that morning. Though Etome ended up as a very good guide. The Serengeti camp ended up being far superior to where we stayed near Manyara
Day 4 The game drive was very good this day though it was only 6 hours not the full day we paid for. We had a brunch and dinner instead of 3 meals. No time on the trip were we given the chance to visit Olduvai gorge and the museum. Also no evening nature walk was offered at the Simba camp.
Day 5 The game drive this morning was very good. However we did not enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater as described. We were driven back to camp to have lunch which was not as scenic. David did meet at at the border for our transfer back to Nairobi airport and did not ask us for additional money when the police pulled over our car and asked for bribes to continue on.
However, he claimed that he would rectify the situation that had happened in Tanzania and we would hear within a week. When we contacted him a week later he said he was still working with his Directors and Abraham in TZ. 2.5 months later and we have never heard from him again. No refund or any other compensation for going to the wrong park and wrong lodging.
Kenya was great but avoid working with the TZ company. They will lie and not stick to the paid for itinerary. And once on the trip you have paid and are stuck going where they bring you. Very disappointing that David appears to communicate greatly until they have your money then they don't care what happened to you.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour guides were nice but everything about the tour was overwhelmingly disorganized.
The animals and national parks were great. Park entrance fees were extremely overpriced but the safari itself was great.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Be Careful with this tour operator
First of all Tanzania is a wonderful country, the people are great, and the animals are amazing.
About the tour operator. It appears that the owner Alpha made this great website offering tours but that's about as far as it goes. Alpha lives in Australia, not Tanzania, and wasn't there for the tour...
The motorcycles are old Honda 250's, the bike I was given was a 1991, twenty seven (27) years old. No horn, no speedo, but to Honda's credit the bike ran fine with only one break down in 7 days. When you're riding a motorcycle you need a horn, its dangerous not to have one. I complained, they fixed it but it stopped working a day later. The other bikes didn't appear to have horns either...
When we arrived Alpha was not there. We were met by his "associate" who picked us up at the airport and then dropped us off at the hotel saying someone would meet us there in the morning. The next morning we met Kalifa and David. There wasn't really any instruction or... Read more pre trip discussions about roads, hazards, hand signals, what to be careful of etc just hop on an go (David the lead rider, didn't speak english).
In retrospect the disaster that happened on the second day might have been avoided if the operators had talked a bit about the trip prior to setting off.
What happened is one of our party drove over a small road bump, wasn't paying attention and crashed at a low speed. He fell on his ankle and broke it, a freak accident but it ruined his trip. I know it was his fault but I think the operators should have emphasized to watch out for these sort of things. At least two other times we came over a rises in the road to find that the road was washed out. Numerous times there could have been horrible crashes. There was no warning from the lead rider David...
On that note, If you get hurt in this country you have a real problem. Seeing what happened to my friend with a broken leg opened our eyes to the level of medical attention in this area. In this area the hospitals are basically just clinics with limited resources.
If you are seriously hurt they have to get you on a plane to fly you out. Getting that plane can take hours... If you suffer an internal injury you could die waiting for medical attention. Subsequently you'd think that the operators would display a high level of safety... nope. If you take this tour make sure you bring pain pills in case you are hurt otherwise you will suffer as there is no pharmacy close by. (Tanzania for the most part is a third world county).
Having ridden motorcycles and dirt bikes (I'm 60 years old) for many years my understanding is the tour operator riding out front ( the lead rider) is responsible for leading the way and pointing out hazards to the clients. There was none of this.
Also the front rider tour operator constantly placed himself in front of me so that I was constantly covered with his dust. I complained twice but he just keep riding there, when I tried to pass he just accelerated. Finally I got him to back off and stop spraying me with his dust but I ended up with an eye and nose infection from the constant dust at the end of the trip.
We had 7 days riding and then got into a truck for a safari through the Serengeti. When we got to the park gates, the guy driving the truck (who had been subcontracted from Alpha) didn't have the money for the entrance fee, nor did the credit card that was given to him work. I had to pay the 475 dollar US fee.
They promised to pay me back when we got to town at the end of the trip, didn't happen. They promised to email me the payment by the end of the week, didn't happen. As of 7 weeks after the tour Alpha is paying me about 100 dollars every 2 weeks, and I am still owned a couple hundred dollars at this point. Having paid Alpha $4,800 US Dollars for this trip this is unacceptable.
I understand how things can happen, but when you make a mistake you should fix it and act responsibly. If I didn't harass this operator I don't believe he would have ever paid me anything.
The drivers, Mohammed, Kalifa and David were all nice, professional but I think they could use some feed back from the owner who is just absent. They should make the effort to stop every once in a while to explain to clients about the area and points of interest. I think these 3 guys did an ok job but the owner should give them more instruction, or the owner should be there...
Use caution with this operator
AR
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Driver and van very poor quality, camp good tents but poor meals
The driver had little experience in bad roads, we got stucked many times, the van was old and not comfortable and worst of all had not enough heigh for passing holes with water in the roads of Masai Mara.
The camp has good tents but food is not enough.
Personnel of the camp very kind !
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
unprofessional
Very poor service.
I had talked on the phone with their Delhi office.
This was an inquiry for a trip I was planning.
But they didn't bother to even reply to the email.