CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice experience, but with some negative aspects
Me and my girlfriend went on a safari with Vision Safari. In general, it went all smooth, the drivers were very nice and we were able to see all animals. The food was good. We were given very good binoculars, branded tshirts and a keychain, which we really appreciated.
There were a couple things which were unexpected:
- You are informed by Vision safari that there might be some people from other agencies in the car, but they don’t inform you that you’re actually one of them, because we were on a car NOT owned nor handled by Vision safari, instead it belonged to a second company, and hosted customers from themselves, vision safari and other agencies.
- Vision safari mentions while booking that they have the best and newest vehicles, however the ones we got did not belong to them as mentioned before, and were about 25 years old with more than 550.000 km on the Odometer. They were not well maintained, the last we got had wet seats in the morning and was leaking water inside all over the safari.
- They advertise that the tent you’ll sleep in has some bed structures, however you’ll sleep on 10 cm mattresses on the ground.
- While you are in the lodge waiting for your car, it’s not really clear what’s gonna happen, when and whit whom. You just wait, sometimes hours.
- The people that were in our car booked the very same safari (Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Manyara) and being them in our very same car, they had the exact same experience. They booked through Serengetisafaritour and spent 700 USD per person, as opposed to us, which booked with Vision safari and spent 850 USD per person. I would then recommend to go with Serengetisafaritour to save 150 USD per person and receive the exact same experience.
- On the website the price was 800 USD, but when we receive the quote they raised the price to 850 USD without informing us beforehand. I did not like that they raised the price, and that they did it without saying it. Furthermore, we requested the safari only, but when they sent us the quote and asked us to formally accept it, they included 2 nights in a hotel/lodge without informing us, and at an additional price not included in the quote. I would recommend you read the offer thoroughly to be sure of what you’re accepting.
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari was disappointing
Disappointing safari
This was our third safari the last 2 were in masa mari National park this one was in Nyerere national park
We booked through Greg adventures and would not use them again
They flew us outside the national park and arrived at 7 am and we couldn’t enter the park til after 11 am because they only paid 2 days park fee when though we were quoted for a 3 day safari
We drove nearly 7 hours to get to our hotel through desperate roads
We ended up having to buy a flight out from a nearby airstrip as we couldn’t face the journey again
The park is nowhere near as good as masa mari it’s hard to see the animals with all the growth and we could drive fir ages without seeing anything
Overall disappointing and had a lot of upset all down to the agent we booked through
CW
65+ years of age
nice to see once
We were not lucky to visit national game park in rain season at the coast near DAR es Salaam. Due to the high grass and bush we did not see a lot of animals,Dar es Salaam is a big city with not a nice vibe.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Correct
The program was ok, we watched lots of animals, but it would be fine if you change the jeep, ours was very old and dirty!!
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Murchison Falls National Park by Astrid EM
Coming from South Africa, I have been to many other national parks. At Murchison Falls NP the scenery is quite monotonous, though the tall grass is a beautiful contrast to the sand roads. Cob, elephants and giraffes seem to dominate the wildlife scene, but I did see buffalo and some other antelope as well but no zebra. The lion kill had been close to the road but too many safari vehicles were bunched together at the site, so the lions moved off into the tall grass. Another highlight was the quick sighting of a leopard walking though the grass. The birding was very rewarding!
BR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Drowsy driver
We took a 1-day trip to Amboseli. The safari part was ok but the transfer between Nairobi and Amboseli was carried out by a driver who was dead sleepy (both on the way and on the way back), which left us insecure. On the way back, I even sat next to him to talk and make sure I kept him awake.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Etosha National Park by Eileen Blignaut
The poor quality of the roads in Etosha certainly detracted from the enjoyment of the bush experience. The driver did not have the opportunity to view game, as he had to concentrate on careering on the very neglected roads in the park (even though we drive a 4x4). This needs to enjoy urgent attention from the parks authorities.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good and fun trip but a bit disorganized
There was a problem with the airline and the plane landed 2 hours ahead of schedule. However, I ended up waiting 4 hours at the airport because the guide experienced some problems with the van. On the first day, we spent several hours repairing the vehicle, and we had to drive additional kilometers to switch to a different van on the third day. Despite these setbacks, the tour was good overall.
The guide/driver (Julias) knows how to entertain clients and make the long journeys enjoyable.
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lovely safariparks
We had high expectations of our safari.
They were partially fulfilled: the parks were lovely, our driver was very friendly and punctual and the communication with the company was good.
But...
We asked to do 3 parks in 6 days. While doing the tour, it became clear that the distances were too long. I wish the company would have warned us before that the driving times are usually longer than the internet says.
2 of the 3 hotels were perfect. Charming, lovely views, nice food...
The third hotel was a disaster. It was everything the other hotels were not. We felt really unhappy being there. I don't understand why the company chose that hotel. More profit? So we ended our vacacion with a disappointed feeling.
The company apologized for this but that's it. I would have appreciated a small refund for the last hotel. After all, we paid a lot of money, also for a hotel that costed almost nothing to the company.
JP
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari was good, guide less so…
I usually don’t leave a comment when I’m dissatisfied with a tour or service, but a safari is on another level in terms of cost, especially when you choose a private one.
First, the positives: the person I corresponded with by email to organize the safari was professional, and the safari itself was enjoyable. We appreciated the stunning landscapes and wildlife, although, as it was our first safari, we can’t really say if we saw more or less than others.
However, we had issues with our guide’s manners.
The first impression was terrible. The pick-up was scheduled for 8:30 AM, as confirmed by the company the day before. Yet, when we arrived in the hotel lobby, the first thing he said was, “I thought you had vanished.” We were confused, and he went on to say he’d been waiting for a while because, according to him, we were supposed to leave at 8:00 AM. Even after I showed him the confirmation message from his company, he didn’t acknowledge the mistake or apologize and simply carried on as though we were at fault. Not exactly the best way to start. My husband and I were bewildered and instantly uneasy about what kind of person we’d be spending the next four days with.
Unfortunately, there were several other moments during the trip that made us uncomfortable. For instance, one evening we had to share a table at dinner. My husband, who was drinking a beer, thought it would be polite to offer one to the guide as well. To our surprise, the guide ordered two beers without hesitation — and to make matters worse, he didn’t even say thank you. It came across as entitled, like he just assumed it was his due. This lack of basic manners, combined with other odd comments and behaviors, made us feel increasingly wary and uneasy around him.
In the end, we decided not to confront him to avoid ruining our four precious days. We even gave him a generous tip since that seems to be the norm. He probably has no idea how we felt. However, we can’t help but think another guide would have made the experience far more memorable.
Ultimately, it was the breathtaking landscapes and incredible wildlife that saved the trip for us.