PT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not well managed and will no respect to the environment
We booked the 3 day Danakil depression tour with Ethio Backpacker Tours.
Danakil depression is an incredible place, definitely worth visiting. The sights we visited during the tour were great, and our guide Aman was friendly and very attentive. Our driver was great too.
It should also be noted that unlike the rest of the group, we had to finish our tour in Semera. The guide managed to arrange a special agenda for us on the last day so that we didn't miss anything. We are very grateful for that. And the food was also very good.
However, there were many things we didn't like.
1. Gashaw told us the group size will be 15 people max, in reality because of some last minute bookings it was about 30. Which is a huge difference, we would not book it if we knew we'd be in a crowd.
2. On the first day of the tour there was some fuel issue which caused us some 4-5 hour delay. As we learned later, it could have been prevented.
3. The camping sites are very dirty with plastic bottles and other garbage. It's painful to see the nature being treated this way. Nobody seems to care.
4. Travelling long distances with 5 people per car (4 passengers and driver) is quite uncomfortable.
5. The sleeping places in one of the camps were right next to the kitchen, so when the chef started cooking at 2 am, everybody woke up. Almost nobody had proper sleep that night.
My impression is that the operator just took on more clients than they could manage properly. So maybe it was an exception and not a rule.
Throwing out plastic bottles and not cleaning the camp sites is a serious issue though. I hope they will start paying attention to this.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Valerie and Tony's South Africa Safari, Victoria Falls and Cape Town Holiday.
We travelled to South Africa and Zimbabwe to experience our first Safari, see the Victoria Falls and visit to Cape Town. In all, we had a great experience and saw some amazing sights. Our trip started with an unexpected mishap, where Valerie was unwell on the flight to Johannesburg. We were met at Johannesburg, and were helped onto our local flight to Hoedspruit. The airport is next to the Kapama Game Reserve. We stayed there for 4 days, completing 9 drives across the whole reserve. We saw so many animals, except the elusive leopard. The accommodation was very good, very comfortable and we were treated extremely well. The staff were so helpful and pleasant. We had guides who were well-informed and knowledgeable of the terrain and the animals in the reserve. We witnessed many wonderful sights, particularly the beautiful sunsets. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Kapama Game Reserve.
We moved onto Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. We, unfortunately, had difficulties with the local flights and immigation issues. However, we were met a the airport and taken to our accommodation. The accommodation was very comfortable. We stayed at the Samanzi. We had two days in Victoria Falls with a local meal extravaganza on the first evening. The second day was a trip to the Victoria Falls, followed by a boat trip on the Zambezi River. the trip was wonderful, with the help of the knowledgeable guides. We were unhappy with airline for the local flights. The airline, which flew from Johannesburg and also catered for travel to Victoria Falls, appeared to be better, particularly with luggage costs. The Zambezi trip was fascinating with the animals that lived in and around the Zambezi River.
We flew down to Cape Town, where we spent 4 days touring the area. The flight was comfortable, with no 'add on' costs. We stayed at the Portswood Hotel. Its location was next to the Waterfront. We had tours covering the city itself, Chapman's Peak, Winelands, Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Boulders Beach. We were blessed with a great guide, whose knowledge of the City and its landmarks was so helpful. We visited the Archbishop Tutu museum. The 4 days in Cape Town was very good. In terms of value for money, we did have communication issues with the travel arrangements and costs between South Africa and Zimbabwe. This did vary with the airlines used. The tour guides for each location were excellent.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Caroline
It is really in the bush and you can't see that many animals.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Seregenti, Zanzibar, Masai
Tanzania is a stunning East African country known for its diverse landscapes, including Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti National Park, and the idyllic beaches of Zanzibar, making it a premier destination for wildlife and adventure enthusiasts.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The animals are great, people are nice, tours are ok
The only advantage of an all-inclusive tour group is that you don't have to arrange everything yourself, but that’s the only good.
As an average daily itinerary of 200usd, with buses still being used between cities, the hotel in Nairobi is very old and dirty. This is obviously not worth it at all.
And almost every day, people in the car were changing. They try to fill the entire vehicle as much as possible. So you need to wait sometimes.
The worst part is that the plan is fixed. Even if there are no animals in this place at this season, we still can't change anything.
Although traveling independently in Kenya is not that easy, I would definitely choose to travel independently next time.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Amboseli National Park by Lesley Brown
Nice park to visit with the backdrop of Kilimanjaro, but quite flat, barren and small in comparison to Masai Mara. Wildlife more spread-out and not in same volume apart from the elephants. Good to see the super tuskers
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Hell’s Gate National Park by Rainer Nicklas
Nice but finally just a gorge. Rangers announced the tour (extra costs)longer than it actually was and offered an extension for even more money. Ommissible.
DE
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The company still needs to refine a few things.
Communication was uncomplicated. The service from our driver was practically nonexistent. We're not even 20 anymore and would have appreciated more courtesy and assistance (ages 65 and 72). And planning for cash was a disaster. We were repeatedly told we didn't need cash, but everyone wanted tips in the hotels. The dollar bills weren't valid, and so we lost time constantly having to deal with such things. The car was incredibly dirty, both inside and out, which we found very unpleasant.
The tour was the usual one always offered in Uganda. The Nile tours are very beautiful. And the highlight, of course, are the gorillas, in a very well-organized park.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
**Watch Out for Bait-and-Switch Practices**
**Watch Out for Bait-and-Switch Practices**
After reading many glowing reviews and watching YouTube videos about OnlyOne Travel, I decided to book a custom 14-day Kenya/Tanzania tour for my family of three, scheduled for **October 2025**. I worked directly with **Rodney** to plan our itinerary starting in July.
From the beginning, I made a specific request to have **Njoroge** — known as “the human encyclopedia” — as our driver/guide on the Kenya side, and Rodney confirmed this could be arranged. However, after I had paid the deposit and final balance in full, I was informed — just one week before our departure — that Njoroge would no longer be available and that a different driver would be assigned. At that point, with everything already paid and finalized, I had no practical choice but to proceed.
On **Day 1**, after arriving in Nairobi, we were picked up by **Jackson**, dressed in full OnlyOne Travel uniform. He was laid-back, knowledgeable, and clearly experienced. We spent the first two days with him in **Nakuru** and **Amboseli**, and he always seemed to know exactly where to find the rhinos and elephants — often arriving before other vehicles. Every morning, our Land Cruiser was spotless inside and out.
Then, as we continued to **Ngorongoro Crater** and **Serengeti National Park** for the next four days, our driver was swapped out due to what we were told was a personal emergency.
When we returned from Tanzania to Kenya at the **Isebania border**, we were met by a guide named **George**, who I later learned is the owner of a small Nairobi-based tour agency. He arrived in an older OnlyOne Toyota Land Cruiser that lacked a working radio system. Since we were coming from the Serengeti, I told George that my only goal for the next three days was to meet the *Lion King* in the Maasai Mara.
For those unfamiliar with safaris, the radio is *essential* for a successful game drive. It allows guides to:
* Share real-time wildlife sightings (e.g., lions, elephants, or leopards)
* Coordinate with other vehicles for optimal viewing opportunities
* Maximize efficiency by tracking animal activity throughout the reserve
Without this communication network, guides operate completely in the dark.
Driving blindly through the **583-square-mile Maasai Mara National Reserve** in search of lions is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Unfortunately, we wasted an entire day in the park, sitting under the hot sun without encountering a single lion — something that could have been easily avoided with proper coordination and working equipment.
Ironically, during our stay at **Lion Cradle Camp** (now owned by OnlyOne Travel), I met **Njoroge** in person — he’s now the camp’s manager. This confirmed my suspicion that OnlyOne Travel had simply reassigned him elsewhere despite earlier promises. During our two-night stay at the camp, we were the *only guests on-site.* We brought up the issue directly to Njoroge, but nothing was done.
I paid for a **premium, customized safari experience**, but instead received **subpar outsourced service** that fell far short of expectations.
**OnlyOne Travel, you failed to deliver on your commitments.** Future travelers should be cautious and confirm all details — especially guide assignments — *in writing* before making full payment.