US
Beware, you get what you pay for
First and foremost if you are looking for the economy version of a safari then WS Safari may be for you. Also be prepared for older Land Rovers, unexpected changes, and uniformed guides. Moses states the vehicles are well maintained and up to date which is far from the truth. Also Moses cares more about making money then customer satisfaction. He added 2 more people mid trip which made the small Land Rover we were in cramped. We were told to be at breakfast by 6am to get an early start but our guide wasp er an hour late due to picking up more guests. No one told us what was going on. Constantly there was a major lack of communication between clients and the safari company. Our guide who was nice but lacked information about parks and wildlife. He also misidentified several species of birds. More often than not the guests spotted the wildlife and had to ask to stop. On the final day we stopped at a tourist junk store and were told that another car would pick 4 of us up. This wasn't a problem but we were never told of this change. Overall we saw wildlife and if you are trying to do a safari on a budget then go for it. But Beware, you get what you pay for!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Not good
I do not recomend it to anyone. Problem is not in the camp. The probvlem comes, what you contract and what you find there. Mike send me Shiduli Lodge picture, but later spoke about Chisomo River Lodge, and my Family and me finalized in Chisomo Camp.
They are using Kuruger name!!?? I do not know why?? Kruger Park is something Fantastic; but this is an open zoo only.
NNP urgemtly need quick revamp....boring place
I visited NNP december 2015 after more than 5yrs.
1.Surely this place need revamp.Animal orphnage looks du from entrance all way to cages looks same and old.seats , cages,dustbins are old.elephants skelotons shud be replaced and mounted or hanged in attractive housing.this place is lion den and full of smell.
2~There are no animals in safari walk or any kws work to do something to attract them from hidding place to the watching spots.
3-Why shud one pay twice ...orphanage and safari walk....it shud be once.cashier at safariwalk on 27th december asked my kids age thinking i was lyjng that are under 18.....he sounded rude.
All in all this place cannot compete with even orphanges and nations with imported animals.
At one point the lioned roared and kids were afraid but noticed they wanted to be freed from cages since was already 11am.
Kws shud use monies to change this place....it is boring to see animals without someone explaning.....can staff be tasked to take group of 10 -20 around....this will have desired results...know heritage kr animals
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bitter aftertaste of being scammed
My wife and me made a 7N/8D safari with KenyaBushExcursions going to Amboseli, Aberdares, Masai Mara, Nakuru and Naivasha in early December 2015. We paid a total of 2780USD.
Overall we made many enjoyable experiences owing to the drivers and the parks themselves, and I really would love to give a better rating. However we have the bitter taste of feeling scammed by KenyaBushExcursions as we did not receive what we paid for in terms of accommodation and transportation – partially due to being dumped on an ultra-low budget safari joining group.
The details
The good:
-Santos was very responsive and accommodating in providing us with a customized itinerary fitting our wishes; pricing seemed OK
-We got to see many animals, we always felt safe and we followed our itinerary (except Aberdares see below)
-Our drivers (Stanley and Jackson) were overall really great guides, very knowledgeable and it was a great time. Especially the drive with Stanley in Amboseli was amazing, Jackson in Masai Mara felt a little bit like working down a checklist (lion check, leopard check, Giraffe check).
The bad:
1.) Scammed by 600USD on accommodation:
5 nights out of 7 nights we slept in cheaper accommodations than what we were quoted
a) In Amboseli we slept 2N in AALodge instead of Kibo Safari Lodge. There is a huge price difference between the two – judge yourself on booking.com of 200USD/ night
b) In Mara we slept 2N in Miti Mingo Eco Camp instead of Rhino. Our specific tent in Miti Mingi was really a dump, dirty and molded (think they also have newer tents though). Though Rhino does not seem hilarious, according to the resort web pages there is a difference of 60 USD/ night
c) In Nakuru we slept in Miale Hotel instead of Lanet Matfam. Lanet is also twice as expensive as Miale.
2.) Overloaded minibus:
For 3 days we were cramped with 10 people in the minibus though we were quoted a maximum of 7 people (so that everybody has a window seat). Believe me that makes a difference if you spend a lot of time on the road and also if you go out for game drives.
Change of accommodation and the overloaded bus were partially caused by us joining on a super-low budget safari by BigTime Safaris for the part of Masai Mara and Nakuru. The other guys only paid 250USD for 3D/2N safari or 400USD for a 4D/3N safari. I understand this is possible only with the cheapest accommodation possible and sitting in an overcrowded bus.
3.) Bad planning around Aberdares/the Ark:
Not having the game drive and rushing through the most expensive hotel in the itinerary was waste of time and money in this itinerary: we couldn’t make a single game drive in the Aberdares as we arrived in the Ark around 5 pm in the evening and already had to leave again at 6 am the next morning to meet the joining group. If we had known that we would have skipped it
4.) Attitude/unprofessionalism:
All of the above wouldn’t have been a drama to me, if Santos would have acknowledged that there were deviations between what we paid and what we received (accommodations!) and if he had provided us with a fair financial adjustment. However, it turned out to be very unprofessional:
a) Santos joined the last day in the car and he provided us with a cost break-down on the itinerary we received, however that was clearly fudged to match again very close to what we paid.
Actually I just noticed later that the devil was in the details, it was inflated in terms of transportation (quoted us 10 days of transportation for being less than 7 days in the car on a 24hour base) and also the quoted park fees were not the amount paid by the driver I know for sure.
b) There were all kind of excuses, such as that he already had to pay tax on the money received, hotel prices were similar (obviously not)…. If I was harsh, I would say that I don’t care, risk of doing business.
c) When they dropped us at the airport it got insulting, I especially remember two phrases “what do you want, you got to see all the parks” and “you are just angry that [the other part of the joining group] paid less than you; you know this is a free market with free prices” –seriously? We simply didn’t get what we paid…
To date, I still wait for a fair offer from Santos, unfortunately no reaction.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A bit disappointing
2 of 3 activities were great but Falcon was terrible to book with
Activity 1 was operated by Falcon and was a guided tour on the Zimbabwe side. This was the biggest waste of money EVER. We paid $100 a head to have some one read us the signs at the front and hurry us along the whole way. What a waste of money!
Activity 2 was a Dinner cruise on the Zimbabwe side which was really nice but Falcon never gave us a booking receipt and so the operators tried to charge us an extra fee which we shouldn't have been charged
Activity 3 was the Livingstone Isalnd/Devil's Pool lunch tour. Amazing experience which we almost missed out on becuase again Falcon never gave us a booking receipt.
Recommend booking with literally anyone else!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Park fees nightmare.
Day 1: My husband and I fully paid for a 4 night 5 day safari to Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Mara.
The park fees was included in the package, but when we arrived at Amboseli our first stop, we were notified that our park fees had not been paid. We therefore had to wait for 30 plus minutes in the heat, while our driver tried to sort out the problem. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact out booking agent Peter Ndambuki, we were notified that we had to pay an additional park fees so as to be let into the park!!
Day 2: We were instructed to go by the office enroute to lake Nakuru, to pick up a refund for the park fees we paid on day 1, and additional park fees for Lake Nakuru and Mara trips, this added another one hour plus to our 5 hour plus drive. When we arrived at the office, the money was not ready for pick up and we had to wait for another 30 minutes for the money, despite the fact that the booking agent is the one who scheduled the pick up!! Needless to say, we arrived in Nakuru hungry and tired and only managed to have a very short game drive.
We are waiting to see whether we have a better experience for the next two days, but we don't intend to ever, ever use or recommend this company.
Still out of pocket
We had a good, and bad experience with Tembea. Despite paying 50% of our fee more than 3 months prior to travel, we found we had no bookings for our intended itinerary when we arrived in Tanzania in July this year. They appear to have cash flow problems, and only booked when we arrived with the balance of our fee. Luckily it was not peak travel time, and we were able to get into all but one of our intended lodges. However, in Ruaha, we had to pay again for 2 nights as the money transfer had not arrived from Kenya to Tazania, and we are still USD1000 out of pocket, 4 months later.
The safari, and driver were excellent, but not knowing if accommodation was going to be available as promised was a big disappointment, as was the extra cost. I would be very wary using them again, particularly in peak season.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Safari but improvable services
We were picked up at the hotel as agreed. However after cash payment we never received a receipt. Further they don´t accept dollar notes issued before 2006. This must be informed before.
The Safari itself went fine and we had luck and could see lots of animals in a short period of time. Actually the full day safari has been finished at 16:00, as there was nothing else to see. So we were left at the lodges until next day for the trip back.
The back journey was a bit stressed, as our schedule was very tight. They picked us 40 minutes too late in the morning. However the guide took time to do some shopping on the route (3 times, for fruits and even an alive chicken, for the chicken we had to wait in the car ca. 20 minutes). Then the car´s clutch was broken and we took lunch, while the other car was coming to pick us up. We were brought to a restaurant with the meals on a box. We were asked by the waiter to pay for a single juice 10.000 Shillings (10 USD) the guides instead of stop the cheating situation, just made fun of us and we had to complain by ourselves, so we got back 6 USD.
We changed the car and kept driving to Dar es Salaam. We were informed that the remained trip to Dar es Salaam was 1,5 hours, but it was 3 and really rushing (we almost crashed with another car in Dar). Finally and running we got the Ferry at the very last minute. I consider too much time has been wasted during the morning so we had this unneeded stress.
The lunch was both days the same, cold fried chips and chicken with a sausage and an boiled egg, all to the eaten with the hands.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Needs better organization/communication
I successfully climbed up Mt. Kilimanjaro last year, but there were many things I felt the company should improve on.
#1: The day they picked me up from the airport, the driver asked if I had paid for the transport. Yes I had. I don't understand why the driver would not know this. I paid for this trip as a complete package. The tour operators should communicate this. I received no pamphlet, brochure, or information packet upon arriving at my hotel. I was told to go to bed and rest and the next morning I would be given an orientation.
#2: The morning of my trek, I woke up to have breakfast and was told I would have an orientation. I was expecting a detailed orientation, but didn't get this. Instead, a man in a business suit sat down next to me at breakfast, asked if I had comfortable shoes and everything I needed. He looked at me and said, "You look fit, you'll be fine. Your guide will be here soon." I was very shocked at how little information and preparation I was getting given how big this trip was to me!
#3: My guide was very nice and very patient. However, he spoke very broken English and could not offer me much guidance other than to walk beside me. My porters, cooks, and servers also did their job fine, but I could see that other trekkers had more guidance, advice, and preparation from their guides. They all had described a proper orientation. Their guides had devices to track their heartbeat and even oxygen supply. I had nothing.
#4: After the trek, I was transported to the hotel for my final night. I confirmed that next morning I would have a transfer to the airport. Again, I was asked if I had already paid for this. Why is there such a breakdown in communication among the staff? Anyway, I confirmed I had paid, and I wanted the pick up for 8am.
#5: The next morning at 7:55am, I report to the reception desk and ask for my driver. It turns out he already left with another customer to the airport! They left without me, and the boss had to call the driver to turn back! Both the other customer and I were frustrated by this lack of communication. Again, the driver asked if I had already paid for the service.
On a good note, prior to me booking, Dickson answered all of my questions thoroughly. He asked for all of my flight details and assured me I would be taken care of. However, his high level of professionalism led me to think that I was signing up with an organized company who managed all the details. But when I arrived in Arusha, it appears they had turned over my business to locals who lacked organization, communication, and professionalism. It's a good thing I'm an overall experienced and independent traveler and trekker who managed with such little guidance and ZERO orientation. But for someone who needs more guidance, this would be a disaster. Also, you are paying over $1000 for this once in a lifetime trek. You definitely need more than something so minimal. I honestly wouldn't recommend this company unless it's to someone I know is an experienced trekker who wants the lowest budget trek and doesn't mind little guidance and organization. I tipped my guides and porters well because they work SO HARD and deserve it. They are not educated, just extremely hard workers. You read stories about the harsh life these guys have without being paid a proper wage. I did not have the heart to complain about the service for fear they would suffer from my criticism. Truly, it is the responsibility of the tour operators.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Rather poor
Quick answer to the mails, friendly and helpful office staff. After booking and paying the contact ends, besides a voucher sent to you about 2-3 weeks before travel. At least a follow-up mail confirming flight details etc. one week before departure would be a nice move.
Pick up and transfer to ole sereni hotel worked well. However they charged me over 300 USD for that one night. On the website I found afterwards prices between 180-220 Dollars for a night. That's what I call a rip off, especially after paying a couple of thousands for a 8-day safari.
The 8-day cheetah safari: Generally confortable lodges and camps. Unfortunately the downside was our driver, he spent a lot of time on the phone taking personal calls - even during game drives!!!- very unmotivated just doing his job. Did not stop at different amazing sights like baby giraffes right next to our car. Everyone in our group was quite frustrated about this. Sometimes we had to intervene and demanded a stop. Otherwise he would have just drove by amazing photo opportunieties etc.
Take a shot while driving? Nearly impossible as our driver seamed to try escape someone - His driving was wreckless especially during the gamedrives. By far to much speed. I was lucky not to hurt myself as there where quite dangerous situations standing up in the vehicle and someone driving it like that. I almost fell a couple of times or bumped in really hard.
It certainly felt more like a formula one race rather than a game drive, and I think with this kind of driving a lot of animals heard us miles ahead.
The jeep was in quite bad conditions. One of the windows was broken, you could not open it anymore.
The windows quite dirty, never cleaned during the trip and old seats. Flat tire and breakdown aswell but not surprising.
Further our driver seemed to be really, really bored. Not many infos and a appalling attitude. Well I understand that the driver makes this safari most likely many times a year however for most of the customers it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's so sad if goes this way.
The somak lounge which you will be taken before and after the safari is just okay. Pre safari there was nothing on offer, just some drinks in the fridge which had to be payed for.
Upon arrival they gave us some fish and chips which was quite tasty with different sauces. Drinks at a surcharge as well. Wifi was not working, which would have been appreciated after 8 days offline.