50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very bad business manager Booked & paid in full but he did not pay = delays & no Hot Balloon ride
Booked and paid in advance from Australia All Wheels did not pay permits resulting in many delays.
We paid for Hot Air Balloon ride in advance in full but Edward did not pay and therefore we did not achieve our dream of floating over the Serengeti.
Booked in advance and paid in full for day hike on Mount Kilimanjaro, again Edward delayed payment which delayed our departure time which meant a shorter hike time, again another disappointment.
Edward delayed supplying our refund for the Hot Air Balloon ride with broken promises delays and little apology. We only received our refund when we advised we were contacting Tourism Police.
Although all his local agents were exemplary Edward from All Wheels was very unprofessional and tainted our Tanzanian holiday.
Joan
Australia
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very Disappointing Safari Experience
Unfortunately, our safari was heavily impacted by technical and organizational problems.
On Day 1, the taxi was late and had a flat tire. In the Serengeti, we lost several hours and arrived at camp late.
On Day 2, the vehicle had repeated battery problems and got stuck multiple times — we even had to push the car ourselves. We lost almost the entire day.
On Day 3, poor time management caused us to arrive very late at the airport, and I almost missed my flight.
While the company blamed heavy rain, many issues were clearly related to vehicle condition and organization. I effectively lost about 1.5 out of 3 safari days. They refunded wanted to refund $15 I spend while waiting for the car to be fixed. This is crazy. What about the lost safari time.
I would not recommend this safari company to anyone.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreliable
From personal experience I recommend that you dont book with Afrishare. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. Be cautious when booking with this provider Afrishare as the company owner, Ibrahim is unfortunately running a really poor business.
We booked a five day tour with him, where 2 of the 5 days the car broke down. The point of a safari is to ensure that the car takes you comfortably from point A to point B. During the first breakdown we had to jump into another tour companies vehicle and join another family for one full day and then additionally on the second incident we had to spend half the day waiting for the car to be fixed. On top of all this the itinerary for the safari was poorly planned. We did not get enough time to appropriately see the national parks, for example at the Ndutu National Park we drove there, slept and left straight away the next morning. Not allowing us to explore for animals there. It merely felt like a stop over and notnwhat was sold to us to see animals. If he was an honest business, he would understand what he put us through, especially considering that this was an anniversary trip that we had organized together and provide us a reasonable compensation. However, he was only willing to compensate for a permit, not the two days we had lost.
Ibrahim went back and forth with us and made some absurd comments on his lack of responsibility for giving us a very old rusted and clearly unfunctional car. I advise to any future Safari clients. Please do not book with him!!
Lastly one clear point I want to make is that our guide, Deo, was absolutely phenomenal in providing us such an amazing service and making sure that we were comfortable even in these difficult situations! He did his very best to make sure that he could give us the best tour with the limited time given with the car situation. If it was not for Deo, we would have canceled the trip on our 3rd day when the car broke down again with 2 new issues.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointing and no follow up
7 months ago
TRAVELLERS BEWARE OF BOOKING
Where do I start? So we went on an amazing African Safari that we booked with another tour group . It was amazing. The flights the transfers the food the value. Everything was beyond our wildest dreams . My husband wanted a 5* Beach experience for 6 nights on a beautiful white sandy walking beach where we could be spoiled a little after the early mornings and long days on safari. As we hadn’t had a honeymoon after our recent wedding my husband Booked Dream of Zanzibar. Location was perfect for the excursions we wanted to go on , the beach was also what we were looking for ,premium food and drinks and service. After finishing our safari in Arusha we stayed the night before catching flight to Zanzibar. This is the email I received from Paradise & Wilderness -
*Trust this email finds you well,
Please be advised that we have just have just received word that some of our rooms are under maintenance this week at Dream of Zanzibar and have been closed, so we are unable to accommodate your booking at Dream of Zanzibar from the 12th - 18th Feb 2025, however we do nit want to leave our guest stranded so we have secured accommodation for you at our sister property - Reef and Beach resort, in our New Ocean Front Rooms for the duration of your stay.*
We booked it May 2024 and paid in full Jan 27 at which time I would think they would have had an idea the room was not available.
Upon googling the new accommodation the Reef & Beach was a 3*- we were less than happy. I spent the day researching other accommodations to no avail. We did appreciate they put us somewhere but it was no where compared to what we booked and paid $$$ for.
The resort was 20 min further from the airport and stone town. Upon arrival at reception it was old and worn we were not greeted with enthusiasm and that’s what began the downhill experience . There was no white sandy walking beach . It was a seaweed farm for a beach and upon the tide going out was all rocks. The room upon entering had a foul smell. They moved us to a recently cleaned room and after 6 hours it too had a nasty odour. Something with the new rooms. We met the manager Deborah -who I can give a raving review about she went above and beyond to help better our experience but at the end of the day you cannot make a 3* resort into. 5 * I can go on and on about all the things that transpired but there is no need.We spent more money elsewhere on the nicer beach, taxis back and forth and for meals at other restaurants as the food at the buffet was less then enjoyable ,after 11 days of safari 5 * food.
At the end of the day we were not compensated for the price paid and what we received and the terrible experience.. We both own companies and understand things happen however the person we were communicating with basically humoured us with some communication and made many excuses as to why the company had not gotten back to us, until she ghosted us completely. Not sure if the company even knew about our complaints. I did try different ways to write emails but have never heard back from anyone else in this Company. We were never rude or nasty in any of of emails but a-matter of fact that we expected some kind of compensation. Nothing. She even asked for our direct deposit info. This happened in Feb and we communicated until May 1 it is now July. We are very well travelled and have never dealt with a company that would treat it clients like it doesn’t matter. I have never written a negative review or had the need to, but decided I would let the company and future clients know of our experience . Needless to say our experience in Zanzibar was very disappointing.. Again I want to commend the Manager Deborah for going above and beyond she was the ray of Sunshine!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My advice to you - don't book with Wiinroots Adventure
While I definitely recommend going on a safari, I encourage you to NOT book a safari through Wiinroots Adventures.
We booked our safari 2 months in advance & paid in full over 2 payments. 2 days before our safari Wiinroots reached out saying that their former employee had underquoted us by $2,000 USD & sent over an invoice requesting the additional funds. We responded saying that this was outside of our budget, but they once again requested that we top up the funds. When I spoke with Kenneth on the phone and requested a refund for everything since we were underquoted by so much, I was assured that everything was already paid for & setup except a hot air balloon ride. Because it seemed everything else was all ready to go, we decided to proceed.
Fast forward a few days into our safari, we are stuck at the gate outside the Ngorongoro Crater for 3 hours because our tour guide's boss reached out & said that Wiinroots still owed the company over $1,200. Once again, we were told everything was all set except the hot air balloon. We reached out to Wiinroots who responded to one of my messages and talked to my boyfriend & the tour company on the phone. He said he was about to wire over the money.... He never did. And stopped responding to all of us. This left my boyfriend and I with no other choice but to pay these funds out of pocket to be able to get into the Crater, pay the tour guide & finish the rest of our safari!
Once again, I definitely recommend going on a safari! We visited Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater! HOWEVER, please do yourself a favor and DO NOT work with Wiinroots Adventures. I'm very disappointed by how they handled everything.
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible customer service.
We believe we have been scammed by Kima Safaris. We had planned and booked a trip in the start of november 2025, but due to problems regarding the election in Tanzania, Steven told us to cancel the safari due to safety. He told assured us that all the money would be refunded, but to this day (23.02.26), nothing has been refunded. They still owe us 4600USD.
In the beginning he would answer my calls and messages, and told us that he would pay by the end of the month etc. but everytime the date he said he would pay us back was due, nothing was refunded. Now, he wont even pick up the phone and answer my calls or message me back, so we believe they have scammed us and would strongly reccomend everyone to stay AWAY from Kima Safaris Tanzania.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They misssold the 3 day Saadani Park trip.
Kisangara Tours sent us an itinerary with photos of 5 star accommodation with a pool and we were booked into 1 star accommodation with no pool, very limited food choice, the 4 wheel drive was not as per the itinerary and the safari guide was disinterested and unreliable.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very dishonest company — I do not recommend booking with them.
We booked a one-day safari to Mikumi from Zanzibar two months in advance for the 18th. On the evening of the 17th, when I contacted them to ask what we should bring, they casually informed us that they had moved our safari to the 19th due to weather changes and other guests being rescheduled. We were never informed beforehand and were simply told there was no availability left on our original date.
It was very difficult for us to move our plans to the 19th, so we requested a refund. First, they said we would only receive 25%. After I spoke with the manager, she assured me we would receive a full refund. Minutes later, we received another email saying management had decided on 40%. After that, the manager stopped responding entirely.
In the end, we were forced to go on the 19th despite the logistical difficulties. The safari itself was great — but only because the guide they hired was excellent. You can easily book with other companies that use great guides as well.
Poor communication, broken promises, and very unprofessional handling of refunds. Avoid this company.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not reliable.
This is a follow-up regarding a review I posted here in December 2025.
I am still trying to recover the $10,000 that I mistakenly transferred to Mr. Karema of Expeditions Maasai Safari in Kenya in June 2025. In January 2026, I received $1,000. Mr. Karema stated that he would continue making payments. I sent him a payment agreement last November, but he never signed it.
I have continued requesting the remaining balance; however, he has once again stopped responding. Unfortunately, he remains unreliable, and I can no longer trust his word.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incompetent operator prone to repeated booking errors and poor coordination
I’m posting this review so other travellers planning a high-stakes or special-occasion stay understand the risks I encountered booking through Safari.com.
I used Safari.com for a proposal trip booking at Giraffe Manor and experienced repeated coordination failures and inaccurate information from my assigned consultant, Kim , along with later management handling by Bianca. This was clearly communicated as a proposal booking where precision and follow-through were critical.
The most serious failure involved the private dining arrangements. I first asked Kim to reserve the Orchid Room for private proposal dining roughly 8 months before arrival. I was later told it was double booked and was assured she would arrange an alternative private dining experience instead. After I raised concerns and escalated, Bianca told me she would personally oversee this to ensure it was handled. Despite those assurances, when I arrived at the manor, the on-site team informed me no private dining had been arranged by the agent at all, and they had to organise something last minute after I raised it directly. An early request, a fallback promise, and management oversight were all in place — yet the arrangement was still not executed.
Other documented issues included:
• An official voucher issued with the wrong month of stay (later corrected, but highly stressful for a limited-availability property booking)
• Incorrect information given about the Edd Suite location
• Photographer cost requirements not fully disclosed at the outset, with material extra cost added later
• Arrival details not properly handed over despite written clarification
• Internal handover lapses later acknowledged by management
Management later described these as “administrative friction,” but when you are paying premium rates for a flagship experience and a proposal setting, accurate product knowledge and reliable coordination are basic expectations — not optional extras. The fact that the stay ultimately went ahead does not erase multiple preventable planning failures.
To be fair, the property staff on site were professional and helpful and stepped in to fix issues last minute. The failures were in the booking management and pre-trip coordination through the agency.
Even after internal review confirmed communication gaps and errors, management declined any monetary goodwill compensation and closed the matter on the basis that the core services were delivered.
If you are planning an important or once-in-a-lifetime trip, I would strongly suggest using a specialist luxury safari planner rather than relying on a volume booking agent. Well-known competitors that handle Giraffe Manor bookings and focus on bespoke, high-touch travel planning include Brilliant Africa, Wexas Travel, Ker & Downey Africa, and Wild Earth Stays. I recommend verifying all special arrangements directly with the property in writing to avoid preventable stress.
Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Safari.com for critical or milestone travel bookings.