IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Mokoro trip
Mokoro trip was nice, but after this trip my group had to wait the driver (to came back to our cars) more than one hour (and we had to arrive to the camping for the night driving safe , instead we arrived at our camping at 7 o’clock pm, in the dark).
The driver didn’t say anything, no apologise with us or anything else for the delay. Never more.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bad safari, indifferent to the clients
The agency didn't provide value added to our trip. On the contrary, they ruined it from the beginning.
1. Misleading statement. I booked this agency because its competitive price given the same package. But unfortunately they didn't provide what they promised. I asked for an open-sided vehicle, which is more expensive than the normal Landcruiser. To make it happen within my budget, I even asked them to downgrade the hotels. They confirmed they can provide the open-sided one as I asked. However, what they provided is just a Landcruiser with the windows replaced with canvas cover. This was not even closer what we wanted. How they explained? They told me the open-sided vehicle that I asked can only be used in the park. Do you think it justified that you claimed you have the open-sided one? If you don't, why not telling me in the first place?? Moreover, at least other 2 agencies provided this option(opene vehicle) with extra fees over than the normal land cruiser.
2. Overpriced package. To have an open-sided vehicle, I proposed to downgrade the hotels. After their recalculation, the total price was almost the same. However, as I said above, they didn't provide the "upgraded" vehicle but they downgraded my hotels range. In terms of the same package with a normal landcruiser, this agency charged USD500 more than the quotes we received from other agencies. I wouldn't booked with them if I could know their open-sided vehicle was a lie.
3. Vehicle with bad conditions. You know what? They can not even provide a normal vehicle. What they provided was one without popped-up roof, which means you either close the top cover or leave it completely open. Among the vehicles we saw, ours was the ONLY ONE that didn't have the popped-up roof . If you want to stand up to see the animal, you have to suffer the strong sunlight for the whole game drive because it's not adjustable on on the road.
3.Unprofessional and undevoted guide. The guide hired by the agency was unprofessional and undevoted because
1) He is always on the phone calls, private ones, joking on the calls. When the vehicle stopped to wait for the animal to move. Other guides usually were explaining the animal to the clients or kept silent, but you know what our guide was doing? Making calls. Sometimes we had to interrupt him to ask him to move forward. Even when we were quite close to a lion, he was still talking with someone in the phone. Using phone always made him distracted, so he drove very slow. When I doubted the slow drive, he responded safety was the priority. How come using phone while driving could be safe?
2) he was not experienced enough to know where to find the animals, we were often wandering somewhere not even had any aninals at all. When we only missed leopard and chitah, what he did was just idling away in the park Instead of trying to find the animals. Of course we were not demanding that he must find every beasts, but we didn't feel he was devoted to meet clients' expectations.
3) He was not customer-driven. Since the 3rd day, never opened the door for us. In Nakuru, we started safari inthe morning, however we didn't go for flamingo first, instead, he chose a way in the woods to wander about. Until we saw flamingo, it's noon, which the sunlight was not good for taking pictures. When I doubted why we didn't go to see flamingos first, he questioned if I know the way and asked me to trust him.
4. Bad problem-solving altitude. The agency never solved problem we raised, only explained and pretended to understand your feelings. They provided a Landcruser without popped up roof, I asked them to solve. Then they told me the driver will sort it out. However the driver was not able to sort it out. And they just ignored our complaints. This is how they treated the clients.
Never ever choose this agency!
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Poor quality and lack of professionalism
-2 adults and 1 child. 3 days and 2 nights. = 1800 €
-They did not comply with the established itinerary.
The car did not work well and that was the reason they didn’t
take us to the north of Serengeti to see the migration. We ask for compensation visiting another places or returning a part of the money, but they refused.
-Three days driving the same roads…
-We felt ripped off and it ended my dream of a real safari.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Scammer. Asks for deposit and makes promises that are not kept
Seems very professional in the beginning but did not keep the promises made and changed the schedule to his liking and convenirnce to make more money for himself.
I planned 8 safari day tour and managed to actually do only 3 days. The rest had to be cancelled or changed because of external factors.
Despite having agreed on a refund and getting a confirmation from the official email, they never refunded the money.
I dont recommend going to them for this.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Subcontracted our Private tour to the Lowest Bidder
In January ’22 (6 months before our departure date) we booked The Great Kenya & Tanzania PRIVATE Circuit - 13 Days Safari and Cultural Experience offered by Sunsets in Africa.
FIRSTLY, before our complaints are listed, We want to make it clear that WE HAVE NO COMPLAINT with our KENYAN DRIVER/ GUIDE. (His real name is Safari) Safari was informative, polite, and quite a good driver – he made sure we had a great vantage point to view the animals. All the other Kenyan drivers seemed to know and like him. We missed him once we arrived in Tanzania.
The majority of our complaints are a result of Sunsets in Africa's subcontracting our PRIVATE tour to the lowest bidder: TOPHANSTANZANIAADVENTURE.COM
The owner of TOPHANSTANZANIAADVENTURE.COM who also became our “guide” in Tanzania was named Hans. After returning home, we researched his company and found that Hans’ offers a 12 day tour of Kenya & Tanzania(not 13) with a minimum of 5-6 people (NOT PRIVATE) for 1/3 $ of what we had paid to Sunsets in Africa. This explains A LOT!
We blame both SUNSETS IN AFRICA AND TOPHANSTANZANIAADVENTURE.COM for this following, (condensed) negative review:
>>>>
Our tour was booked and paid for as a PRIVATE party of two, but upon meeting Hans he informed us that we would be traveling with another private party of 2! (Neither party agreed with that arrangement but we were stuck!)
>>>>
Our PRIVATE tour was also supposed to included nice 4* lodges (Yes, they were nice in Kenya) but when Hans himself took over in Tanzania he took us to a Tent cabin on the outskirts of Serengeti which had a picnic table for a restaurant/bar!! This was Not at all Similar to the Serengeti Serena Lodge on our itinerary!
>>>>
Hans was NOT a professional guide (he almost never had his radio on in the parks to communicate with the other guides and was always talking or texting on his phone instead of talking to/informing us)
>>>>
I inquired about the cost of a Night Game Drive and Hans told me that would cost $950.00 USD for 4 people. I declined saying it was out of my budget… Hans replied by asking “what is your budget?” At that point I had a feeling there was a possibility of a scam so I ended the conversation. A few days later on day 7 of out tour, at Lake Manyara Lodge they offered a night drive for $55.00 USD per person!!!
>>>>
On day 11, Hans LEFT US STRANDED at our Lake Manyara Lodge until 4pm (1600 hrs.)! He wasted an entire day!
>>>>>
Instead of transporting us from Arusha to the Nairobi airport himself, he hired a man w a VERY SMALL car to take the 4 of us and our luggage from the border to the Nairobi airport. (We had luggage on our laps! for several hours)
>>>>
We have gone on many private tours around the world, but never had a "guide" as rude, devious, and unprofessional as Hans of TOPHANSTANZANIAADVENTURE.COM .
>>>>
THE BEST TIP I WOULD GIVE THIS “GUIDE” WOULD BE “HANS GET OUT OF THE TOUR INDUSTRY!”
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Possible scam
Possible scam! RUN AWAY from this company! Save your hard-earned money! Please don't be fooled by Glorious Tanzania Tours and Glory. Right before leaving for our trip, my friends and I found out Glory was part of a suspected ring of scammers. We feel scammed out of our trip to Kenya and Tanzania. We have invested thousands into this trip and it has been devastating. It has been taxing trying to get our money back after many failed promises from Glory. Instead of a trip, we were left with dealing with police reports and trying to get our money from our credit card company.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Total Ripoff/Dishonest/Unbothered/Dubious
I'm a very disappointed client on 2 occasions the latest on for Mara being the worse than the first trip to Salt lick and it's a wrap for me with this said company. I booked my sister and her family via the the agent Xavier and on the day of and during the trip his true colors were out without a doubt. Having paid for landcruiser option for pick and drop off...the dude shows up with a Noah with excuses from here to tumbuktu in the name of maandamano n promises to fix the mishap. At Narok he takes them to a bar setup for lunch with kids yet the booking included lunch at Jambo Mara hotel...as if this was not enough they end up being picked from Narok in a rundown canvas landcruiser that's was nothing but utterly disrespectful. I don't even want to mention the state of the rooms booked despite paying extra to ensure even the children would get meaningful space...instead the rooms were all squished in wooden cabins contrary to glass accommodation that had been shared to us during booking...anytime they sought help from the hotel they kept being referred back to their the so called agent with cared less about them. Seeking refunds for the substandard services offered versus what we paid for all landed in deaf ears and there's totally nothing good to write about this company from our experience. We leave it all to Karma as conversations bore zero fruit...
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Do not go with them on safari!
Don't go with 3 wonders! I would not recommend it at all.
Broken equipment (chairs, sleeping bags with no zip, tents with holes), poor organization (3h lunch, no dynamism), risky behavior (the driver had no tent not sleeping bag so did not sleep for 3 days).
Very packed car with a lot of problems (motor, windshield, wheels).
We had to build ourselves the tents, waiting 4h for food, doing very few game driving with the guide who had no knowledge of the wild life and did not bother stopping to see animals.
When confronting them, they did not acknowledge the poor service provided, although we all paid 200$/day/pers. for a zero level safari service, moreover putting our lives in danger with risky behavior (driving fast, equipment on the roof not secured, one door broken etc.)
There are plenty other companies who will do a lot better with the same amount of money!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They reduced program without warning
After we paid them, they told us they would not do the game drive in the morning of the last day, because 2 months ago the government increased the price of the park entrances. It feels like a scam.
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
the worst operator ever, irresponsible and never solve the issues, only want to earn Chinese money
After a 30-hour flight, we discovered that our hotel rooms were not booked. I want to make it clear from the start that I don't want private messages asking for post deletion, nor do I need money to delete posts. I'm not lacking money.
We've just finished a 2-week trip to East Africa, where the natural beauty and adorable animals were stunning. However, the local tour agency, Africa Joy Tours, was a disappointment, greatly diminishing our experience.
In February of this year, our group of 8 people booked a customized 10-day trip to Kenya and Tanzania through Africa Joy Tours, starting in mid-July. We finalized the itinerary and paid the deposit in March. Subsequently, the agency's responses became increasingly slow, but due to numerous positive reviews on platforms like Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), we attributed it to the laid-back African style and didn't raise concerns.
The first issue arose when, just before departure, we were informed that three of the hotels we were supposed to stay at had no available rooms (we needed 4 rooms for 8 people). Despite having paid the deposit in March, the hotels were not confirmed before our departure. Moreover, some of the replacement hotels were virtually unknown, and we couldn't find much information about them on various platforms, leading to concerns about our accommodation experience.
The second issue was with the unreliable drivers. Our first interaction with the tour agency was when we were picked up from Nairobi to head to Masai Mara. As per our agreement, the driver was supposed to pick us up at 6 am. However, one driver arrived an hour late, and we had to wait in the cold hotel lobby for him. During the journey, this driver stopped for coffee, making us wait for more than 30 minutes while he indulged himself. He also had a heated phone argument with the tour agency's owner while on the road. The journey that was supposed to take 5 hours ended up taking 8 hours. Both drivers seemed completely lost throughout the trip, not knowing where to go or what to do, relying on us to recognize our own group members. They repeatedly asked us what our next steps were, which was frustrating since we expected them to lead as paid guides. They even had us get off the vehicle to arrange our own lunch instead of taking us to the contracted hotel as planned.
The third and most significant issue: after an 8-hour journey, we arrived at our Masai Mara hotel at around 2 pm, only to find out that our rooms were not available. We were tired, hungry, and frustrated. We contacted the tour agency repeatedly, but they were slow to respond and kept telling us to wait while they were supposedly confirming. Eventually, they informed us that they had booked the rooms for the same dates in August, effectively leaving us without accommodation for that day and the next. We were left in disbelief and shock. We couldn't even have lunch at the hotel because we didn't have a confirmation. After a lengthy ordeal, three of us shared a room that night, and the agency arranged alternative accommodation for the next day. We kept requesting confirmation for the remaining hotels, but the agency was unresponsive and lacked an apologetic attitude. We managed to squeeze through the first night.
The fourth issue: the replacement hotel didn't have our reservation either. The next day, we were told that two rooms were arranged in a nearby hotel, which turned out to be over 30 kilometers away, taking over an hour to reach. After our game drive, we rushed to the new hotel, only to find out that our rooms were once again not booked. Despite our repeated requests for hotel confirmation documents, the agency never provided them. Two consecutive days of such problems left us infuriated, prompting us to threaten with negative reviews online. Suddenly, the agency's representative, Thompson, became more attentive, and communication improved, with promises of actively resolving the issues. After much back and forth, we learned that the hotels were not booked under the agency's name (which they failed to communicate), making it difficult for us to verify our reservations. After prolonged discussions, they finally managed to sort out our check-in. The agency finally apologized and mentioned considering a refund for the first day's accommodation that we couldn't use. I firmly insisted that they must refund rather than just considering it. We agreed to meet in person in Arusha to discuss further.
The fifth issue: pushing for a refund for the unused hotel room and an additional $100 as compensation. In total, the refund amounted to $480 for our group of 8 people, translating to $60 per person (out of a total tour cost of $3400 per person). As agreed, the refund was supposed to be provided in cash on a specific day. However, Thompson, the agency's representative, disappeared and didn't show up. We repeatedly tried to contact him, but he never responded. We then had to contact Clinton, the agency's owner. He claimed they didn't have enough cash for the refund and hadn't prepared it yet. This was unacceptable since they had promised to provide the refund on that particular day. Their attitude towards resolving the issue was disheartening. We had to press Clinton to come and provide a partial refund in the evening, and he promised to complete the rest the next day. He was supposed to arrive at 10 am the next day but ended up arriving close to 12 pm. With this, our ordeal with Africa Joy Tours finally concluded. As an additional note, the agency initially claimed that lunch on the final day was included, but the hotel demanded $25 per person. We had to contact Clinton again to resolve this issue before we could have the lunch that should have been provided for free.
All the above incidents are documented through chat records. This is not an attempt to defame the tour agency. One peculiar aspect of Africa Joy Tours is their eagerness to attract Chinese tourists and promote their services, even repeatedly asking us to help them with promotion. Are we being treated as naive tourists, especially considering the experience we had? Not to mention the instances of sexual harassment by a driver in Tanzania who consistently made inappropriate comments and even shared his home address with female members of our group.
If the agency wishes to profit from Chinese tourists, they must enhance their services and improve their attitude. East Africa is stunning, but the tour agency's poor service greatly detracted from our experience. We spent days on end dealing with communication issues and disappointment, resulting in frustration and discontent.