20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredibly unprofessional tour operator ruined my entire day
Daudi was incredibly unprofessional - he did not arrive on time for my agreed upon scheduled pickup nor responded to any of my subsequent texts or phone calls over the next hour. Eventually, I gave up on my dream safari and missed the scheduled 6 am train.
Only then did Daudi respond, eventually showing up at my hotel 3 hours late, after I was resigned to frantically finding a new tour operator last minute for my last free day available of my business trip.
I believe I may have been scammed - Daudi asked for all of the cash upfront the week prior (thankfully I declined), sent me WhatsApp photos of his supposed IDs promising that I could keep them as insurance (the birth dates did not match), and did not offer or return my deposit.
I would strongly encourage other travelers to select a more reliable tour operator to ensure that your dream safari comes true as scheduled!
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horrible experience
We paid a total of $1,440 for a four-day trip. On January 5th, when we arrived at the entrance of Serengeti National Park in the afternoon, we were informed at 5 PM that we could not enter because the tour company had not paid the entrance fees. Even by the payment deadline that day, the fees remained unpaid. After extensive negotiations and communication, and upon receiving a guarantee, the national park allowed us to enter first. The fees were later paid.
On the afternoon of January 7th, when we were scheduled to leave the Serengeti and proceed to Ngorongoro National Park, we were stopped again at the Serengeti park entrance at 3 PM because the tour company had not paid the fees for Ngorongoro National Park. We waited at the Serengeti park entrance until 8 PM, but the tour company still did not make the payment. As overnight stays are not permitted at the Serengeti park entrance, we were allowed to enter the Simba Camp in Ngorongoro National Park at around 8:20 PM, finally arriving at approximately 1:30 AM on January 8th.
Throughout this period, the tour company repeatedly assured us they would pay the fees but kept delaying until noon. After that, they became completely unreachable.
After we got to the the tourism police station.We spent the whole days there to try to get our money back.A guys showed up at the end he gave us 100 dollars back each and promised to send us the rest of the money by transfer . But until today I still have not get it .
RO
50-65 years of age
Very poor and careless service
We have booked with this agency a tour of Johannesburg in January. It was on our way back home from Kruger Park that we had a whole day and booked a cultural city tour with this agency for our family of 3. They asked for a down payment of 35% when booking some weeks in advance and for the full payment of the balance before the tour start. We did so - they were supposed to send us a payment link for the balance one week before the tour but they forgot, we noticed them and we paid. In the morning of our tour, the weather at Nelspruit Airport was bad and our flight was cancelled so we could not make it to arrive to Johannesburg at the previewed hour. We even had to rent a car and drive for more than 4 hours so as to be sure we get in time for our flight back home in Europe. I wrote them a message right after the cancellation of the flight was announced, let them know that we could not make it and kindly asked them whether we could be reimbursed all of part of the Euro 250 cost of the tour. They did not answer for a week or so. After few kind follow ups, they replied, they said they will inquire again internally, I waited for another 2 weeks, made follow ups again. Long story short, they not even bothered to answer something. Not to say that they did not announced us that in case of cancellation due to a non-attributable reason they will not reimburse anything. Anyhow, a very poor service, a clear careless agency related to its clients and absolutely no sympathy or courtesy for its clients. I am even more surprised they have such high ratings. My recommendation - be careful if you book with them and never pay the balance before the tour (as they request).
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Appaling, I advice you avoid them!
My advice is that you AVOID!! ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE! My holiday was ruined by continual arguments, over the entire 2 weeks, with Claudious Tours and Safaris about repayment for the money they extracted from me, as cash loans (yes they borrowed $730 from me to pay their Guide Team and National Park admission fees that were already included in my holiday!) and various payments for hotels and meals that were part of my "inclusive" package but which they insisted I pay for again.
I am home now, still owed $130 by them, but what really annoys me is that what should have felt like major personal achievements (climbing Mt Kenya and Kilimanjaro) have been totally overshadowed by Claudious reps appalling attitude and the complete absence of any sort of apology - clearly their customers are always wrong!
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incapable of correcting problems in a proffesional way
We went on a 7 day budget camping Safari with Makini. On day 1 we found out that the order of the parks had been changed, no one ever tolled us until we were already in the jeep. We booked a camping safari because we love camping and we were looking forward to camp for 4 days. The first day they brought us to a lodge without checking if that was okay with us. This happend again in day 4. The driver/chef were always late, this caused us to start the game drives very late (costs us valuable park time). The driver/guide lied to us about his experience, he said it was 3 years but really it was 9 months. When we contacted the company about this to ask for a partial refund (50-100 usd pp) they refused. They blamed us and told us that everything had been payed so they could not give us anything. They also said that we agreed to stay in a lodge : “you said you would like that”, that conversation never happened. After ignoring us for days (I called multiple times) they agreed to give us 25 usd pp, only 2,5% of what we payed for the safari!!! We refused to except this!
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I paid and they didn't deliver. I felt scammed
Be Aware
The person from Good One Tour has been arrested by tourist police recently.
I was scammed by this operator and visited Arusha tourist police to make a report in January 2026.
According to Arusha torist police, they have been chasing Mr. Gadiel from Good One Tour for long.
This company never paid hotel and guide company.
A part of tour wasn’t arranged and I couldn’t get service though I already paid.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very bad experience
I booked with them the half day Nairobi park tour (morning). Avoid this agency. Zero communications before the travel (need to send reminders to get an answer, they even forgot to inform half of the group about the need to buy in advance online the entry ticket for the park,…), then extremely late the day of the tour (late pick up, stopped at gas station on the way, at the park gate driver chatting with bystanders with the group waiting in the jeep, etc) it was supposed to be an early morning but we ended up entering the park essentially as the last ones of the morning, inevitably we didn't see any carnivores (to see them, prime time is in the morning). Other groups who entered earlier, saw quite a few lions. The guide didn't care. With so many agencies around, go with another one, the half day tur is not cheap (80 USD the park entrance fee plus the cost of the tour) and for that price you deserve better than that.
CO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Felt Scammed
Our contact was Samuel , who stole USD 1,000 from us for a service he never provided, claiming that the money had been stolen from him and that he would return it to us within one month. Once we were already there, we had no choice but to accept this. After that, he came up with lies about accidents and other excuses, and now more than seven months have passed. We know for sure that he ultimately kept the money.
We strongly recommend never using any kind of service or doing business with this company or with Samuel.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible experience, stay away from this tour operator.
Hello,
I wanted to report a truly unpleasant experience that recently occurred with travel operator Shinzelle Safaris during the period of natural emergency and severe rainfall that affected the Limpopo and Mpumalanga regions. Usually the quality of a travel agency shows when problems arise, not when everything goes according to plan.
We had booked, many months in advance, a rather expensive 4‑day package in January, which included accommodation, meals, transfers, and safari activities in private reserves and inside Kruger National Park. The day before our arrival, we were informed of the serious emergency unfolding in the region and especially inside the park. When we asked whether it made sense to cancel the experience (we still had time to reorganize a different itinerary in South Africa), we were told to stay calm, that all activities were still confirmed, and that we only needed to prepare for a bit of rain. So we left, still very excited.
Day 1:
We arrived at the Lodge around lunchtime, and despite the 6‑hour trip from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit, we were informed only upon arrival that the afternoon safari activity planned in a private reserve had been cancelled. They offered us an alternative activity (spa and massages at the Lodge), which we accepted, but magically there was no availability anymore. We asked to reschedule it in the following days, but it was never recovered.
Day 2:
The full‑day safari went ahead successfully. We entered the park through Orpen Gate at 5 a.m., and despite the heavy rain throughout the day, we had fun and truly enjoyed the experience (it was our very first safari), without paying much attention to the weather conditions.
Day 3:
Panorama Route interrupted after just a few hours. Our boat tour was postponed from the morning to the afternoon, but the rain conditions were dramatic from the early hours. Despite this, they still made us leave, but the road was crazy and the vehicle was at serious risk of skidding off the road. Along with the rain, dense fog prevented any visibility of the canyon, making it impossible to enjoy the views. After about 3 hours of driving, we were called back (obviously all boat tours had been cancelled), as conditions had become prohibitive and the main road back to Hoedspruit had already been closed. We returned to the Lodge around lunchtime and spent the entire afternoon and evening in our room.
Day 4:
Morning safari—an optional activity paid separately from the standard itinerary—was scheduled in a private reserve but cancelled the night before, with no alternative activity offered despite our request.
Summary: Two safari experiences cancelled and the Panorama Route interrupted in dangerous conditions. Communication with Danielle, the operations manager of the tour operator, was always prompt during the booking phase and when it came to cancelling activities along first days. But as soon as we asked for replacement activities, responses became vague and never timely. It should be noted that despite the adverse weather, we always maintained a calm and even enthusiastic attitude about the experience. But when the last activity was cancelled, we politely asked—despite the frustration—for a partial refund for the activities not carried out.
From that moment on, Danielle literally disappeared for more than 48 hours, without even acknowledging us (not even a simple “no, it’s not possible, our terms and conditions do not include refunds for weather cancellations, we are handling emergencies and will get back to you”—nothing). We were completely ignored until we returned to Johannesburg and flew back to Europe.
We are fully aware that their terms and conditions give them the upper hand, but we would have expected at least a different attitude, more empathy and cooperation (which we showed throughout the cancellations and especially when we were put at significant risk on the roads under heavy rain, all documented with photos and videos). We were not even offered a partial refund for an optional activity paid in advance. Unfortunately, we felt misled throughout the stay, when it would have been easy to avoid wasting our money, time, and putting us in dangerous conditions. Strangely, we were contacted again only after we sent an official complaint by email and after posting our first negative review on their social media.
They even pointed out that we received an upgrade from a 4‑star Lodge to a 5‑star one—an upgrade we had not requested, though appreciated—and for this reason we supposedly had no grounds to complain, despite some issues with the food (little variety, overly spiced) and having to shower with cold water one day (reported and then resolved). They said they offered us two meals and drinks (one vegetarian wrap lunch when the first safari was cancelled, one wrap lunch upon returning from the Panorama Route—although lunch was already included in the itinerary—and two drinks), which didn’t even remotely cover the cost of the lost activities. Only later did we realize that the upgrade (from a well‑known luxury lodge chain) to a private lodge placed us right next to the company’s headquarters inside the Hoedspruit Estate.
After many years of travelling around the world, we have never encountered service like this from a travel agency. We were very surprised by the treatment received and the total lack of empathy and customer care. Why not offer at least a partial refund, even just for the cancelled optional activities, as a gesture of goodwill toward a clearly disappointed customer? Especially when you, as the tour operator, organizing the activities directly with your own resources, did not have to bear any cost? We would have been satisfied even just to see some willingness to meet us halfway. Instead, we were treated merely as a number, yet another tourist to take advantage of.
Looking back, we can consider ourselves lucky to have been able to return safely to Johannesburg and not have had any accidents along the way. According to them, they met all safety standards and consumer care requirements, but unfortunately the facts told us a very different story.
We came back home sad, disappointed, and deeply bitter.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Avoid it at any time !
I am sharing my experience transparently, as I believe it's important for others considering this tour operator.
For a 7-day safari, I paid over $9000 USD.
Based on my experience, I felt the value received was significantly below what I anticipated, making it a deeply disappointing trip.
As an experienced traveler who has visited over 60 countries, this particular journey stands out as my most challenging and unsatisfactory travel experience to date. My personal belief, given what occurred, is that I was misled regarding the quality of the service.
Based on my personal experience, I would strongly caution others to thoroughly research and consider alternatives before booking.
I am available to provide further details that could potentially assist others in making informed decisions.
The lawyer is still on the file.
Sincerely, Francois