AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Enjoyable safari, but there was a clear gap between promises and reality.
Overall, we had a great safari experience and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We had some incredible wildlife sightings, the lodges were excellent, and our guide, Denis, was knowledgeable and made sure we had a memorable time. However, there were a few very noticeable issues that did not match the expectations set during the booking process.
1. Airport transfer vehicle: The vehicle provided for the airport-to-hotel transfer was far below the standard expected. It was a small car with very limited space for passengers and luggage.
2. Safari vehicle: The safari vehicle provided was completely different from what was shown during the booking process. The advertised Land Cruiser had proper seat covers, a dedicated fridge, charging ports, and much better interiors. Since we spent most of our safari inside the vehicle, this was not a minor difference—it had a significant impact on our overall experience. If a different vehicle is going to be provided, it should be communicated honestly instead of showing a better one during booking.
3. Guide experience: Denis was a good guide and did his job well. However, we were specifically promised a guide with over 10 years of experience, and that commitment was not fulfilled.
4. Itinerary: The itinerary seemed unnecessarily rushed just to make the package look more attractive. Early morning game drives were scheduled in both Amboseli and Lake Nakuru, but we deliberately skipped both because they would have left us exhausted with virtually no time to rest. We would have preferred a more realistic and balanced itinerary rather than one packed with activities that we ultimately had to skip.
5. Lunch on the return journey: The lunch stop on the way back to Nairobi was simply pathetic and nowhere near the standard of the rest of the trip. It was a disappointing way to end an otherwise enjoyable safari.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable memories with positive and negative sides
Our safari experience was absolutely wonderful. I will never forget the time we spent with our fantastic guide Charles. The food and accommodation both lived up to our expectations perfectly.
Unfortunately, our stay in Zanzibar was a terrible letdown. Tour manager Nuhu was often hard to communicate with. We even had to argue over lunch and dinner meals that were supposed to be covered by our travel package. If you book trips with this operator, make sure you get written confirmation of every included detail, especially dining arrangements.
On top of that, our Zanzibar guide Mussa was extremely unreliable. He kept taking personal phone calls while behind the wheel, which felt very unsafe.
Double face ! Before the tour will help you then when you arrive will leave you with your guide/ dri
I hate to do this and am traveling all over the world and this is our third Safari in Africa so I know what a company should be . I had few companies I could take but Peter was fast before and planned all ,very communicative and I believed he will give us all he promised but .. that was not the case .. I know he will reply now with all kind of stories but believe me as I also use reviews . He promised us a good car this was my condition of taking him as I know the car is very important, he gave us a 2002 jeep ! We are in 20026 and I saw many cars of companies on the way no one had this old car. No air conditioning … The only good thing is the guide that I asked for ,he did not even offered him it was Simpson that I read good reviews this what saved us ! The best man ! Kind helped us in all. Peter never contacted us in the 12 days of our trip , I had to contact him once his answer was not so kind .. But the last day on the way to the air port the car broke down on the way… we were on the road had to drive 6 hours more with no hope ! This was a very very old car! We understood that we will miss the flight so I called Peter , he hanged the phone ion me ! Never even contacted me till today to apologize even ! We were lucky another nice safari driver with nice big car stopped with tourists inside , they agreed to take us we drove with them 6 more hours , their car was nice comfortable! We were just lucky we barely made our flight ! So if you will have a issue on your trip think twice if you want this kind of person ? The tour he organized was fine our guide that I asked for was amazing but I asked for him his name is Simpson .
Vehicle issues
We had a good safari experience overall, thanks especially to our driver, Hilary. He was extremely knowledgeable about wildlife, and was always willing to share interesting information.
However, I would like to express my concern regarding the condition of the vehicle. From the very beginning of the trip, the engine was making unusual noises, which made me feel that the vehicle may not have been properly inspected before departure. Unfortunately, the vehicle later experienced mechanical problems on the way back. We had to ask for other Safari company to give us a ride back.
As a safari company responsible for guests’ safety, I believe vehicles should undergo thorough safety inspections and maintenance before being used for tours. While I appreciate the company’s efforts to resolve the situation, this incident has left me concerned about the overall safety management procedures.
Hilary did an excellent job throughout the experience, and I am grateful for his dedication. I hope the company will take this matter seriously and strengthen its vehicle maintenance and safety checks to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Tracey Cook
Not as many animals at Lake Nakuru than Maasi Mara, but worth visiting to see the rhino.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly
The organization was really good and transport was efficient. The safari itself is informative about the animals you see. Minus stars because we spent a significant amount of time looking for a lion, I think we missed the opportunity to see a big herd of elephants and giraffes up close because of all the time we spent on the lion hunting for the few people who wanted to see it. Other than that they did great at making sure everyone could see the animals we saw and ensured we got photos.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari in Uganda was magnificent, but there were some organizational shortcomings
Overall, the safari went very well and the country was magnificent, but unfortunately there were a few minor issues on the organizational side.
I will start with the positives. During the booking process and afterward, communication with the manager was excellent. The company provided all the necessary information, reminded me to apply for a visa, informed me about the introduction of the health declaration due to Ebola that had to be completed before the flight, clarified the details of my flight, and so on. The airport pickup went according to plan, and I set off on the safari right away. Uganda’s parks are magnificent - the gorillas, chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Murchison Falls.
Nevertheless, there were several shortcomings that I unfortunately have to mention.
First, the lodge in Murchison Falls was changed from Pakuba Safari Lodge to Bamboo Safari Lodge. Bamboo Safari Lodge is a good lodge, but unlike Pakuba, it is located outside the park. Although it is formally situated right next to the park entrance, in reality it takes about 20 minutes to get to the area where the main game drive begins. Even if that road is inside the park, it is mostly an asphalt road with almost no animals around, while the main game drives take place in the Pakuba area.
Second, I missed out on the game drive in Lake Mburo National Park. The original plan was that I would arrive, spend the night in Entebbe, and the next day go to Lake Mburo, where I would have an evening game drive. When I provided my flight details and said that I would arrive at 11:15 AM, the company said that “since you arrive early on the first day, we can start the safari immediately” and suggested slightly changing the plan so that I would go straight from the airport to Lake Mburo on the first day for an evening game drive. I agreed, but it turned out that this plan was not feasible. The drive to Lake Mburo, taking traffic and congestion into account, took so long that I arrived at Lake Mburo only around sunset, and the evening game drive in this park did not take place.
The third issue was on the first day in Queen Elizabeth National Park. According to the plan, I was supposed to have two activities that day: Afternoon - game drive in Ishasha, and Evening - game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. In my view, this should have meant that the first activity would start around 12:00–13:00, but the guide had a different understanding of this. I spent half the day at the lodge, and only at 15:00 did the afternoon activity begin, which consisted of a very short game drive in one area. Then at 16:30 the evening game drive in Queen Elizabeth already started. At the same time, the guide claimed that evening game drives in Queen Elizabeth begin at 16:00, but I asked the staff at the park entrance and they said that an evening game drive usually starts at 15:00.
I cannot say that these shortcomings seriously spoiled my overall impression of the safari, but I prefer to describe my impressions honestly, and perhaps this feedback will help the company take these points into account and avoid such issues in the future.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You may encounter various issues throughout the safari.
We started our 6-day safari in Kenya with a great first impression. In Nairobi, the agency owner Morris introduced us to our guide Dennis, a trainee guide, and even gave us safari hats as a gift. Everything looked very promising at the beginning.
Unfortunately, the problems started soon after.
We entered Amboseli for our first evening game drive at around 4:30 PM, while the park closed at 6:00 PM. We weren’t too concerned because our itinerary clearly included a morning game drive the next day. To our surprise, Dennis told us he didn’t know about it and had already thrown away the park tickets, even though they were valid for 24 hours. He suggested skipping the morning drive and heading straight to the next destination because we were already short on time.
I insisted on having the morning game drive as planned and asked to leave at 6:00 AM to make the most of the limited time available. Dennis then claimed that the park gates only opened at 7:00 AM. After checking the information myself and speaking with the lodge owner, it became clear that this was not true. Dennis eventually admitted that he had lied because he did not want to wake up that early before a long day of driving.
As this was my first safari, I didn’t fully recognize this as a major red flag and eventually convinced him to leave at 6:00 AM.
I won’t describe every single day, but here are some of the issues we experienced:
• Amboseli – we only got half of the planned evening game drive, and the morning drive was shortened because Dennis spent around 30 minutes trying to recover the old tickets.
• Lake Naivasha – we arrived just before closing time, and during the Crescent Island excursion we had to rush through parts of the experience to avoid being locked out.
• Lake Nakuru – what was supposed to be both a morning and evening game drive turned into only a morning and partial daytime drive because we left the park and Dennis later claimed he didn’t know the ticket would not allow re-entry.
• Maasai Mara – before arriving, I explained the situation to Morris and asked him to speak with Dennis. Morris promised us a better experience. To be fair, Maasai Mara was excellent, and we had some unforgettable wildlife sightings. However, by that point we were constantly expecting another surprise or problem.
Overall, I cannot say this was a terrible safari. The wildlife was amazing, the landscapes were beautiful, and Morris genuinely tried to help whenever issues arose. The price we paid was also very competitive.
My main recommendation is simple: if you book with this company, try to avoid having Dennis as your guide.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Charismatic and a pleasure to be around.
Unfortunately the booking with SafariLink left a bad taste in my mouth before the trip even started... but read my whole review before it leaves a bad taste in yours.
Booking with (Nobhule? At least that's the name that is on the invoice) was like trying to extract information from a stone and talking to an edgy teenager with their short, extremely unprofessional replies. After booking, I recieved no information as to where the shuttle was going to be (I knew I was going to be picked up in a shopping center, but the shopping center is medium sized and there was a few places the shuttle could've been) and after asking multiple times for the booking confirmation by calling and SMS, I never received it. I infact arrived at my shuttle the morning of, with no booking confirmation, stressing I was going to get denied the shuttle I had paid for.
SafariLink had 3 full business daysand 5 ½ regular days to send me the booking confirmation.
This was by far the most frustrating booking experience I've had.
But other than the friction and hassles dealing with the salesrep, the trip was a breeze and super smooth experience. The driver - Thomas - was fun, friendly and full of smiles. When everyone was in the shuttle he explained how low we had before the first stop, between the 1st and 2nd, and then how low we had after, and refreshed everyone's memory after every stop. He did a really good job with driving the pothole-y road from OR Tambo to Hoedspruit.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very caring
This was a fast-passed 4 day trip. I enjoyed it but the pace was too much. It would be better spread over 6-7 days. With overnights at the locations of the game drives instead of long road trips to and from the parks.