20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Does not take responsibility
I wasn't going to write my own review but seeing how they responded to my husband's review I had to say something.
They take absolutely no accountability for issues during the trip. Its always someone else's fault. When you operate a tour company it is your responsibility to coordinate every detail of the trip and make sure the local guides no what they are doing as to not ruin experiences.
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
He didn’t show up for our trip to Victoria Falls
THEY DIDN'T SHOW UP!! We booked a day trip through GYG and, naturally, paid for it. Afrinature Safaris was supposed to pick us up at 7:30 AM at Sandpiper Villas Chobe. NO ONE!! I called three different phone numbers for the company. NO ANSWER!! Staff at the resort also tried to get in touch. Eventually, I managed to get through to the company. I immediately handed the phone to the resort staff member. Afrinature Safaris claimed we had sent an email to cancel. A LIE! The staff member immediately asked them to send that email to his resort. They never received that mail. GYG didn't receive any email correspondence about this either. So, we were simply ripped off by Afrinature Safaris. I contacted GYG right away, and—as a gesture of goodwill (?)—they refunded the amount. That was great, of course. The resort took immediate action and arranged a fantastic day trip to Victoria Falls for us. And I believe Afrinature Safaris should be banned from GYG; such tricks shouldn’t be rewarded!!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Choose another company
This tour picked us up and then it went downhill. Initially there there too many people in the cars and other minor issues. Then we were extorted for over $4000us and abandoned in Tanzania. Choose another company.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very professional fakers
Paid advance in March for a safari tour in August for which till date no vouchers received from this company which promised after receiving the advance that he voucher will be emailed within a week .3 months of stress and yomteen emails being sent to them and the only response from them being the vouchers will be sent as your safari is booked . We were forced to report this to Kenyan police and the tourism board of Kenya who promised to get this sorted with this company but we are stall awaiting for the refund from them for a safari that never took place .So I recommend you avoid this company.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Several organizationall faiures
My experience with Lush Africa Safaris
My experience with Lush Africa Safaris was unfortunately far below what had been agreed and paid for in advance.
I booked and fully paid by early July for a tour in Uganda from 14 to 23 August 2026. Problems started from the very first night in Entebbe.
During the trip, I discovered several activities had not been booked and some services were different from those confirmed. The Batwa community experience had not been communicated to the guide, and the boat excursion had not been booked.
In Bwindi, the first accommodation was different from the one agreed and was of a lower standard. The second accommodation was also different from the one listed in the itinerary confirmed before departure.
Towards the end of the trip, I also discovered that the chimpanzee trekking had not been booked and that the hotel for the night of 22 August had not been booked either.
On several occasions, I had to show the guide my own itinerary to explain what was supposed to be included in the trip.
I want to make it clear that Steven, our driver and guide, did his best to solve organisational problems that were not his responsibility.
Another important issue concerned the Italian-speaking assistance I had paid for. I was supposed to have an Italian-speaking companion/translator, but at the last minute a replacement was sent who had no previous experience in this role and had never been to Uganda.
I want to stress that she was kind, helpful and did her very best. She was a lovely person and we are still in contact today. My criticism is therefore not directed at her personally, but at the agency’s organisation: the service provided was not the professional service I had paid for.
At the end of the trip, I was also asked to pay an additional USD 360 for the final night in Entebbe, which I disputed.
After returning home, I sent the agency a detailed complaint. On 25 August, I was told they were collecting reports before giving me a proper response.
I waited and followed up several times, including on 4 and 7 September, and again afterwards. I eventually formally requested a written response and a solution within seven days.
Despite the time that has passed and my repeated attempts to obtain clarification, to date I have received neither a substantive response nor any concrete proposal to resolve the matter.
I deliberately waited before publishing this review to give Lush Africa Safaris enough time and opportunity to explain what happened and resolve the situation.
My review is therefore not based on one isolated problem, which can of course happen during any trip, but on the number of organisational failures, the differences between what was agreed and what was actually provided, and finally the lack of proper handling of my complaint after I returned home.
Based on my experience, the repeated organisational problems during the trip and, above all, the lack of response to my complaint afterwards, I cannot recommend Lush Africa Safaris. I chose to travel with an agency precisely so that I could enjoy my trip without having to deal with organisational problems myself, but unfortunately that was not my experience.
SI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Watch out for hidden fees – they do not honor their own contract
We booked a safari with Splendours of Africa Tours & Travel and had a terrible experience with hidden fees and bad customer service.
Our written offer PDF explicitly stated that all itemised entry fees and nature walks were included. Despite this, we were forced to pay extra out of pocket for a walking safari that was already part of our paid package. When we texted the operator (Ben) showing him his own offer PDF, he just made up excuses and refused to honor it.
To make matters worse, our itinerary clearly stated that drop-off transfer to our hotel was included. At the very end of the trip, they suddenly claimed only the airport was included and refused to take us to our hotel. When we tried calling Ben to sort it out, he literally hung up the phone on us.
This company uses clear bait-and-switch tactics and will ignore you the moment there is an issue. Be very careful and avoid them!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They still haven’t refunded my money
Very disappointing experience. Despite the positive reviews, this agency has not been professional or reliable.
I booked a Mount Kenya trek and paid a deposit upfront. After the payment, the conditions started changing, so I decided to cancel and requested a refund. They offered other services, which I declined, and clearly asked for my money back.
They told me the refund could only be made by bank transfer and would take 5 days. It has now been more than two weeks, and I still haven’t received anything. I contact them every day, but the only response I get is to keep waiting, with no clear update.
Very poor communication and, most importantly, no refund. I cannot recommend this agency based on my experience.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I would recommend this guide!
Unfortunately, our previous experience was very disappointing. The guide did not seem to understand how to properly plan and organize a safari, and I would definitely not describe the experience as a luxury tour.
The guide provided almost no information about the animals, wildlife or nature. We received very little explanation or insight throughout the safari, which was particularly disappointing because this is such an important part of the experience.
I would also like to highlight the quality of the vehicle and equipment. Everything was very old and basic, and for a luxury safari, I believe the quality of the vehicle makes a huge difference to the overall experience.
Another very important point is the quality of the accommodation. All of the lodges and camps that were booked for us were of a very basic standard. If you are paying for a luxury safari, you should expect a completely different level of comfort and service. In our case, we were staying in very simple tents and basic conditions, ( sometimes even without water) which did not correspond at all to what we understood as a “luxury experience”.
We were so disappointed that we decided to cancel the safari in the middle of the trip. Unfortunately, we also did not feel that the situation was handled in a particularly customer-oriented or professional way.
I simply want to be very honest about our experience, as I would not recommend this service.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad experience
Spoton Vacations completely disappointed our expectations. We booked directly with them from Italy. The first problem was that we had to wait an hour at the airport for the driver to arrive. The second problem was that we were charged an extra for an activity that was included in the price we'd already paid. To get our money back, we had to wait until the last day, insisting with the driver despite repeated requests over the days. But the most absurd thing was the lack of attention and disorganization on the part of the agency, which admitted to having made a mistake that cost us €330. Our plan included access to Lake Nakuru for the morning safari, followed by lunch at the hotel, and finally a return to the park in the afternoon for another safari, but once we left the park, the ticket would no longer be valid. The agency didn't take any responsibility for this problem, despite admitting it was wrong. As a result, to see a beautiful part of the safari, we had to leave the next morning, having to pay €180 for the entrance fee plus €150 requested by the driver because it was unscheduled. This money was never refunded.
The safaris were beautiful, but the human experience with the agency was truly awful. This left a bitter taste in our mouths, completely at odds with the experience we'd hoped for in Africa. At the end of the trip, the driver didn't even take us to the airport because all his licenses had expired. He told us he'd pay for the taxi, but given our experience, we preferred to pay for it ourselves, as we were afraid he wouldn't have the money to pay for it, given that he had a hard time providing us with the first-day refund.
Always ask for licenses, safari vehicle insurance, and the licenses of other drivers. Make sure everything is in order, because if something happens, you could get into trouble.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A safari turned nightmare
We booked a "14-Day Kenya & Tanzania Budget and Midrange Group Cruiser Safari" for August 10–23, 2026.
From day one, we noticed that the 4x4 Land Cruiser was in poor condition—dirty and lacking proper suspension.
That very afternoon, the vehicle broke down, and the entire group had to be split up among other vehicles to continue to the Masai Mara. Naturally, we couldn't take our luggage with us; we didn't get it back until around 9:00 PM, when the vehicle finally arrived—supposedly repaired.
On the second day, during the game drive in the Masai Mara, the vehicle broke down again, and once more, we had to be distributed among other vehicles.
We had been asking for a different vehicle since day one, but apparently, that wasn't possible; however, the third day went smoothly.
On the fourth day, en route to Amboseli, the vehicle broke down yet again, and this time we made our dissatisfaction with the agency very clear! Aware of the many negative reports indicating that vehicles in Tanzania were even worse than those in Kenya, the agency offered us two options:
- An upgrade to a private vehicle for an additional fee of $3,200!
- A return to Nairobi and a $7,200 refund for the Tanzania portion of the trip.
Since we refused the paid upgrade, the only option they gave us was to return to Nairobi, with them "offering" us two nights at the After 40 Hotel—and a ruined vacation.
We met Lina Margaret at the hotel on August 16; she apologized and assured us we would receive a prompt refund. After a bogus bank transfer (the proof provided wasn't even stamped by the bank), a failed attempt via Pesapal—which cut ties with the agency due to insufficient funds in their account—and a request from me to use Wise, it is now September 4, 2026, and we are still waiting for a refund!
We had no choice but to file a police report and alert the TRA, who confirmed they are looking into the matter.
My wife posted a review on safaribookings.com; the agency responded with lies, claiming to safaribookings.com that we had never traveled with them... and the review was removed...
They keep giving us the runaround, claiming they are a small agency with limited resources but promising to refund us. I even proposed a payment schedule, but still nothing...
Upon closer inspection, they have nothing but 5/5 reviews on safaribookings.com and Google; this seems suspicious and leads me to believe the reviews were generated by AI.
I will update this review once we have been refunded.