IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good first time safari experience
We traveled to Lake Nokuru national park and the Masaimara reserve. Both the places were truly breathtaking, full of wildlife. We did have lots of fun. However, our accomodation at lake nokuru was inside the nokuru town - it would have been a much better experience had there been something close to or inside the park. The hotel facilities at nokuru were however excellent. Same cannot be however said for the Masaimara camp. The biggest downside was that power was available for only 4 hrs in the evening and there were no charging points in the tents.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A somewhat nightmarish, yet remarkably astonishing safari experience through Elkan.
My last safari was a bittersweet experience in every sense of the word. What would start out as a suspected long-con ended up being a pretty incredible safari through the ranges of Manyara and Ngorongoro, to the plains of the Serengeti. I even ended up making friends with a couple of lovely people from Spain with whom I had a surreal amount of fun. I am a New Yorker, and I was travelling alone.
I picked Elkan as my operator, not after doing a properly extensive search for a reputable operator, but only because of the simple fact that the response from Victor, the sole owner/employee of Elkan Ltd., was a very welcoming and exciting one. I was offered an itinerary of exactly the sort of safari I had envisaged, and Victor also allowed me to negotiate the overall rate a bit. From the very beginning of our correspondance, I kept growing more and more excited as the safari dates approached.
What was initially meant to be a group of six people on a 7 day safari, ended up being reduced to only 3 people on the day our safari started. Apparently the group had been broken up in 2 to accomodate specific itineraries. There appeared to be a lot of misinformation for all the parties on our safari, including the driver/guides, who apparently had not a single idea of our itineraries, what they entailed, etc. It was at this point we began to suspect a hint of disorganisation and misinformation on Victor's end.
After a glorious first day in Tarangire, where we saw lions mating, a whole world of elephants and the most stunning, yet underrated landscape, we were brought to a semi-decent campsite around Manyara called Sunbright Campsite. It was at dinner that our group, which consisted of myself and the two ladies, and our over-exhuberant narrator/driver Osman, learnt about the completely misguided information from Victor we were all under. Our driver was only going to be with us for one more day-trip to Ngorongoro, before he was to hand us over to another guide, Adam, who was to take us around 3 different parts of the Serengeti over the course of 5 days and 4 nights. However, according to Osman, the Serengeti was only going to be 2 nights. I immediately shot an email to Victor demanding clarification to which he responded everything was status-quo, no changes of any kind whatsoever.
The next morning we received a call from Victor asking us to accept a 2 night safari in the Serengeti and a refund for the remaining 3 days. That was bollocks, and we made sure he understood what bollocks meant.
Needless to state, at this point we knew we were about to be caught in a Tanzanian local tour operators clumsy attempt at conning perfectly well-educated international people, all under the pretence of their sad mentality of "this is Africa", which seems to be the only place on Earth with a licence to be inadequate in everything consumer-related.
We carried on with our safari as we'd planned and had another magnificent day of animal-spotting on the Ngorongoro Crater floor. We saw a coalition of lionesses set out to hunt buffalo end in the most ruthlessly perfect execution, and then each of them returned to collect their cubs hiding in the bushes 5 meters from our car. Our entire engagement with this pride was an incredibly rewarding experience, one that only few people get to experience on that vast crater-floor. And when the other shoe came cascading down from the sky, we were told by our guide that we needed to rush back as he had other Victor-related engagements to adhere to. Our resistance to being swindled once again only earned us a speedy drive passing all variety of animals to the lunch-spot to wolf down our pathetic lunch boxes, and rush back to the rim so as to accomodate Victor's disorganisation. This was when we were handed over to a driver/guide named Adam, who would become our sole Tanzanian assistant in making sure we would not be robbed of our safari, as had apparently been planned by management. Turns out Adam worked for another company called Sunset Africa, who were in a deal with Victor to provide our safari. Turns out they too were having a devil of a time working with Victor, financially.
The 3rd day, according to the provided itinerary, promised to be quite exciting. We were all high spirits as we drove through the Ngorongoro ranges towards the Serengeti. Then we arrived at Nabi gate where you enter Serengeti from Ngorongoro, and shortly after were notified that our park entrance fee had not been paid by Victor and that we would have to bear the cost, until it could be refunded to us later. This is where the whole tide turned against Victor as it had become all too clear that this one-man bad operation was out to flat-out rob us. After an intensely excruciating 3 hours of demanding the services sold to us, the owner of Sunset Africa, man named Ally, stepped in and decided to handle the dealings with Victor, and letting us proceed with our safari. But, not before we were each asked to pay $70 in order to enter the Serengeti for our first day, which would act as a day's fee while the "management" got things sorted in Arusha for the remaining 4 days.
For the next 4 most incredible safari game drive days, very very sadly we also had to deal with going to the extension office every single day during lunch to extend our days as it was not sorted out appropriately since our very first day in the Serengeti, which meant we never got to leave the Central Serengeti/Seronera region at all. For 4 days, we hung out with the same pride of lions, same herds of elephants and even the same Leopard whom we spotted twice. While this was indeed THE most amazing 5 days of hanging out with the lionesses of Seronera and their cubs and boyfriends, and all the other beautiful wildlife in Central Serengeti, for the purpose of the company review it should be stated that we were initially offered a 5 days safari in the Serengeti to several different areas of the park, Center, North and West as it is simply massive. Nevertheless, our 5 days around the central area and nights at the Serengeti Wild Camp (operated by Zara Tours) were just fantastic.
We chose to abandon the toilet of a public campsite arranged by Elkan called Pimbi. Even the animals found it too disgusting to graze by.
Ultimately, this was, without a doubt, a safari of a lifetime for me considering all the wild animal interactions we had, and our stay at a semi-luxury lodge, with abundant wildlife through camp. Although, a lot of it was due to the diligence employeed by our smart, hilarious and jolly-spirited guide, Adam. He single-handedly saved all his co-workers faces by showing that some Tanzanian people do value a good work ethic and will do whatever they have to to deliver.
In the end, Victor was, as you'd expect, quite apologetic and I can honestly say that we were not robbed of anything, except several hours of our safari time. All else was sorted once we got back to Arusha, including our $70 and timely transfers back to the airport. I do genuinely hope that this was just one big logistical/planning error on Victor's part and that he'll do better to avoid such an instance next time, else I can't imagine Elkan Ltd. or any other local Tanzanian tour operators who don't learn from such experiences, would survive too long in this highly personalised and incredibly lucrative business.
All the best, Victor.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Visit to South Africa October 2014 - Wonderful Trip
We enjoyed our trip immensely. But we made clear that we didn't know the areas we were going to and I think our travel agent could have helped us out a bit.
ILIOS is the group that was used for our guide and transfers. They were all knowledgeable, punctual, thoughtful and professional.
Cape Town was beautiful. The hotel was very nice, big rooms and what a VIEW! Staff were friendly and helpful. The breakfast was delicious, fresh fruit every morning just got our taste buds popping. But as much as we enjoyed the hotel since there was not restaurant or bar at the hotel, I think for us, 2 women traveling alone, we would have enjoyed a place closer to restaurants. Maybe on the coast by the V&A wharf, not sure how much those places cost but would be something if I go back I would look into. We were there 3 days but personally, I think Cape Town could easily have been done in 2 days.
I can't say enough about the Safari and Lion Sand's River Lodge. Staff unbelievable, the rooms were huge, food amazing and again what a view, giraffe outside our deck on the first day! We saw all the Big 5. We had early wakeup call off by 6 am each day, we stopped in the morning for a coffee break. Each place our guide picked for a break had a great view, sometimes at the river and others in open plain One morning we had surprise full breakfast by the river! After breakfast we would go out again until about 11 am. We could relax have lunch, watch the wildlife off our deck which was right by a river. The afternoon around 4 we would go back out again, we loved the tracking and off roading. We would stop about 7 pm for a happy hour, Gin and Tonics, wonderful snacks and to watch the sun set. Back later that night for a lovely dinner. I must give a big shout out to Eddie, our tracker, and Landon, our guide, they went above and beyond for us during our stay. Our we absolutely had all our needs and expectations met at Lion Sand’s River Lodge.
Then the last 3 days and this is where we felt our travel agent failed us. We went to a very nice hotel because there was problem with us getting a flight out. The hotel was beautiful, there was a restaurant at this hotel but the food was so-so and again this was out in the middle of nowhere. It was too cold to swim and there was nothing for us to do. But luckily we were there only one night.
The next two nights was off to Zambia and Islands of Siankaba, we were so excited about going to Victoria Falls. Our hotel, Islands of Siankaba, was wonderful, we were on an island on the river! So we were ok with the isolation at this location. Staff was so friendly, food great so fresh. Several things to do on the island and in the evening we would go out on the river in a pontoon boat and have drinks, appetizers and watch a group of hippos and the sunset. Thank goodness we had this wonderful place because the Victoria Falls was such a disappointment! We were there in the dry season and there is really NO Victoria Falls on the Zambia, no one told us this. There was the opportunity to go to the Zimbabwe side which seemed to have some falls, an extra excursion we would have gladly paid for if we had known but we didn't know! We were leaving the next day so we couldn’t book it.
So maybe we can't blame our travel agent, maybe we should have done our own research but is that not why you hire a travel agent? Since you have never been in the area and don't know anyone that has been in the area before, is that not why you hire a travel agent? Lesson learned . . .
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
So and so
I did a slight variation of the 12 day safari that the company offers in January 2021 as a solo traveler. I paid $2820 + 3% credit card fee. The trip included 3 nights in Masai Mara, a day at Lake Nakuru, a day at Mt. Longonot + Hell's Gate, a day in Amboseli, and 3 days in Tsavo (1 in West, and 2 in East). I had previously done a safari in Tanzania in August 2017 for 8 days in Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngororongoro, and therefore I will compare this safari with the previous safari experience. There were both good and less good things about this safari in Kenya.
First, I think that visiting Kenya out of the high season in Masai Mara, which is July to October, may not be a good idea. I knew that the wildebeest will not be in Masai Mara in January, but I was expecting that there would still be many other animals. The wildebeest also had left Central Serengeti when I visited it, but there were still many other animals left there. In Masai Mara in January, though, there were very few animals with the exception of a small area near the gate. You could drive around sometime for an hour without seeing any animals. On the other hand, the animals migrate much less from the other parks, so the experience there was probably as expected.
The second issue to consider is that while the safari was advertised as 12 days, and there was some sort of game drive for all days except the last when we traveled from Tsavo back to Nairobi, the actual number of 24 hour periods for which permits were purchased was in fact 8. This is partially due to the long distances that need to be covered between parks, but also because the company wants to minimize the number of permits it has to purchase, so it includes quite a good amount of downtime in the itinerary, which is not evident when booking a trip. For instance, in the first day starting from Nairobi at 8AM, one could do a half day game drive in Masai Mara starting maybe from around 1-2PM at the latest. Instead, because of several stops along the way, including a half an hour stop a tourist shop right before the 1 hour stop for lunch, and also a stop at the lodge right at the gate of the park, one enters Masai Mara only at 4PM, for a relatively quick game drive. Similarly, on the day when we entered Amboseli coming from Naivasha, we could have entered the park at about 1PM, but instead, we entered at 4.30PM (we got to a lodge right at the park entrance and then stayed there for 1.5 hours). That was so that the next day, which was supposed to be a full game drive in Amboseli, we would not have to exit the park too early, because the company only wanted to pay for one 24 hour permit. These are just some examples - the whole schedule is affected by this. On top of that, the driver further cut the available time in the park. For instance, for the full day Amboseli game drive, he exited the park at 3.15PM, although the permit would have allowed exiting at 4.30PM. And he cut other days short as well. These being said, it is likely that other companies use the same strategy when setting itineraries in Kenya. What I can compare with is the itinerary that I had in Tanzania, where out of the 8 days I paid for, we actually stayed in parks for 7 days because they were very close to each other, and once we entered Serengeti, we stayed there for several days continuously, with the camps being right in the middle of the park.
Third, the accommodations that were offered varied quite a lot in terms of quality. The lodges where I spent 5 nights near Amboseli and Tsavo were very nice, while the rest where I spent the first 6 nights were much less so, with the hotel in Naivasha barely meeting the minimum for a tourist grade hotel. The food at the good lodges was good, but for instance, at the hotel in Naivasha, the breakfast was one fried egg, two pieces of toast and a little bit of fruit. This is very poor for an almost $3000 safari. In general, for the first 6 days, the food was quite poor in terms of quality and quantity, and I had to buy myself more food even though I don't usually eat a lot. The packed lunches during these 6 days were also insufficient. For instance, in Masai Mara, they were consisting of a small chicken leg, a banana, and a small vegetable sandwich the size of a closed fist.
Fourth, the van that was offered, while not a 4x4, as stated in the tour description, was relatively new and reliable. And since there were Land Cruisers to get us out when we got stuck a couple of times in Masai Mara, I would say that it was perfectly fine. In Tanzania all tours are run by Land Cruisers.
Fifth, the experience with the company's manager, Silas, also had good and less good parts. The communication prior to the trip and during the trip was very efficient, most times with almost instant responses. However, there were some things that were not as expected. For instance, he agreed that I would make the payment with the credit card upon arrival in Kenya never mentioning that he would expect me to pay a 3% fee until right when I had to make the payment, even though there were plenty of opportunities to do so during our prior communication. Normally, if the seller expects the buyer to pay that fee, that is clearly stated when agreeing on a price and payment method. Second, while he promised prior to the trip that I would be able to set my own game drive schedule during the trip since I had booked a solo trip, in practice that did not happen. As mentioned above, that was partially to avoid paying too many park fees, but also because the driver, Nelson, did not really care about what Silas had promised even if I mentioned that to him, and exited the park when he wanted to exit it even when I explicitly said that I would want to stay more on that day. The driver basically said that whatever I discussed with Silas has no bearing on him and I should talk with Silas if I have anything to discuss on that topic, that "this is Kenya and promises don't mean anything", and so on. While I can say that I did see enough of each of these parks, maybe except for Amboseli, I would have liked to make the most out of the time in Kenya and spend it in the parks even if sitting around looking at some animal, rather than in lodges. In Tanzania, I had no problem accomplishing this, unlike this safari in Kenya. However, for people who are fine spending more time in lodges, this may not be an issue.
As for the guides/drivers (I had two of them since the first one had a family medical emergency after the first 5 days), they also had good parts and less good. They were both very knowledgeable of the parks and of the behavior of the animals, and while in the parks, did their best to show me the animals and the various landscapes. The first guide, Jackson, was also perfectly fine to interact with. The second guide, Nelson, was quite weird. Much of the time, he was a perfect guide, but when contradicted or disagreed with using some objective facts, he was starting to say some really unpleasant things that I had never heard on any other guided trips I was on. Like if you were to tell someone that 1+1=2 instead of 3, as they claim, and then hear him telling you some unpleasant personal things because you dared to contradict him even if you do it in a casual way. I tried to not be too affected by these and I was mostly able to accomplish that, but it may ruin the trip for people who would be a little bit more affected by such discussions. Also, worth mentioning that both drivers were saying at times things that were clearly not true when it was serving their purpose, as I could tell from other sources of information, like asking other people there. But probably this is not too surprising.
Overall, I obviously enjoyed this trip through Kenya, although it could have been better on several dimensions. However, for people who think that they may do only one safari in their lifetime, I would personally recommend to do that in Tanzania in July-August, with time in Tarangire (which is a really special park even if less known), Serengeti (including a day in the North part at the Sand River to see the wildebeest crossing) and Ngorongoro Crater. You can do that in 8 days for less than the cost of this 12 day Kenya safari. That safari I did in Tanzania was perfect - it couldn't have been better - and was probably 10 times better than the one I did now in Kenya. On the other hand, if you have already been to Tanzania and want to also see another country, then Kenya also has interesting places and somewhat different landscapes and it is also definitely worth visiting if time and money allows you. As for the operator I booked with, it may well be that in that price range, all companies offer similar services, but just prepare yourself to be a little bit disappointed every now and then relative to what you would expect or was promised. However, you should still be able to enjoy the trip eventually if you can get over these issues.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
welcome to the jungle
The safari itself has been fantastic. Good food, good driver/guide (Emmanuel), accomodation in tent as expected. We passed a very good time with the animals and the wild saving a lot of money. We only have had 2 misunderstanding with the hotel for the 1 night accomodation and for the way back to the airport, so we suggest to be preparated and maybe to organize yourself to save money and to avoid surprises. We suggest Twinkle star tour for your tanzanian trip.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari was good; Roho Ya Chui was Disappointing
This was my second safari trip and third tour in Sub-Saharan Africa and my first journey with Roho Ya Chui. We traveled to Tanzania (Ruaha, Selous and Zanzibar)
The good: Ute was very responsive throughout the booking process. I selected the parks we visited and Ute recommended the lodges. The Zanzibar hotel she selected for us at the end of the trip was a particularly good choice.
The bad: I asked for a modification of the itinerary 10 days after booking and deposits because I had done some further reading and had gotten some negative signals about one the lodges she booked us in. Her response was an immediate no as it turns out she had bought an end to end package from a local operator in Tanzania who owned both the lodges and the air carrier responsible for our transfers. She was dismissive of my concerns about the lodge, but I asked if she could humor me and at least inquire about a modification before giving me an automatic no so I could make my own decision. She investigated and informed me the change would have meant the forfiture of my deposits so I stuck with her plan.
The really bad: Before our journey I reconfirmed our arrival information and asked specifically who would be meeting us, how they would be identified and with whom would they be affiliated as I hadn't been provided that information. She furnished me with the number of the local duty manager and received no additional details other than that they would have a sign with my name. She also said I could also contact her with any issues if they arose. We arrived as scheduled at 4 am to Dar Es Salaam and no one was there to meet us. I called the local duty manager - no answer. I called, texted and emailed Ute - no response. It was left to me how to figure out ground transportation in an unfamiliar African city. I managed, but it was not the best experience after 30 hours of travel. A couple hours later Ute responded and asked me why I hadn't called her. I said I had and she said she insisted she didn't get a call from me. I sent her a screen cap of my call - and she then admitted she had missed the call. I found it a bit strange that she would intimate that I had somehow mishandled the situation considering I was the client who was needing assistance - but as I said to her - I took care of it and no harm done. The local operator did refund me the money I paid to get to our hotel.
Our first camp/lodge was great. Our third and final stop was great. Our second (the one I had been concerned about) was less so. The property was under renovation and some services that were advertised were not available (pool out of commission; bar/main lodge being re-roofed, no hot water, and no view from our accommodation). These were minor issues as for me it is really all about the animals. More concerning was that the promised animal drives (the whole point of the exercise) were not available to us on two (out of four) occasions. When this happened the second time - I had to put my foot down. The manager admitted (what I already knew from observation) that they were fully booked and didn't have enough capacity to accommodate the drives for all guests. I found this very disappointing - doubly so as this was at the location I had told Ute I was concerned about. Ute was informed but, once again, it was up to me to get the issue resolved in real time. She said she was contacting the camp manager, but I never did hear from Ute if she spoke with the manager, what the excuse was or any particular apology. Ute did offer that no one had ever complained about that particular lodge in the past which was sort of besides the point. I don't know if she was suggesting that I am particularly difficult or if other people's good experiences were supposed to make up for my bad experience. In the end, a simple apology would have sufficed.
In sum, the booking process through payment was very smooth, but I cannot say she was helpful when problems arose and rather than being helpful or at least soothing when things went wrong was strangely defensive. Based on my experience, she gets the basic job done but if you run into any problems, you are on your own.
CA
lack of training guides
the safari was good ,but the lack of training of are guide ( Wayne)to adress a''Bully ''in are group ,even after it was mention to him ,put a lot of strain and a bad atmosphere in the group ,and cause me lot of stress,I will not recommend to someone Sunway Safari ,I saw other group ,with other company having more fun and a better group dynamic that our,I lodge a complaint to Sunway Safari , will see ,
IT
Tanzania safari good, but...
I booked a 4 days safari in Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro with Right Choice.
On the day of the departure, I discovered:
1 The tour was to Tarangire and not Lake Manyara.
2 I had to travel with "Meru Slopes" and not with Right Choice.
3 The other travellers of my safari booked directly with Meru Slopes and had free pick up at the airport, hotel included...
So, if you travel in Tanzania, book with Meru Slopes directly!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good budget value
We booked a safari througt 3crest tours&safaris and i think this is far out the best budget option. We slept in small tents (little iglo's). this was okay. The only complaint i have is about the sleeping bag. They were not cleaned after using. I idid not like to sleep in a sleepingbag in which another persoon slept. We discussed this problem with Gabriel. And we are sure he will solve this problem.
Gabriel will do everything to make you feel comfortabel.
The Tour includes à pick up from the airport and also the first and last night in the hotel.
we did the safari in a good car. A Cook went with us. Hè stayed in the camp while we are doping the gamedrives. We can convince everyone that hè makes wonderfull and delicious maels.
we can recommand 3crest and the personal attention from Gabriel will give you warm feelings.
Beste lezer,
We hebben deze safari geboekt. Gabriel heeft een beginnend bedrijf maar hij weet wat mensen uit Europa graag willen. Hij beheerst de kunst van luisteren. hij zal alles in het werk stellen om het de klanten naar de zin maken. Natuurlijk kost de safari een heleboel geld, maar bedenk dat dit inclusief de pick up van het vliegveld is en ook de eerste en laatste nacht in het Arusha Toerist Inn zijn inclusief.
De kok die met ons mee reed, maakte de meest formidabele maaltijden klaar.
Het enige minpunt waren de slaapzakken. Maar Gabriel heeft ons beloofd om hier verandering in te brengen.
De zorgen voor zijn klanten houdt niet op na het beëindigen van de safari. Gabriel bemiddelde ook voor ons bij het kopen van bustickets.
Kortom, we hebben een fantastische herinnering aan 3crest tours&safaris.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Let down by easily fixable problems
We did a five-day, four-night budget (camping) safari with World Tours and Safari in December 2014, visiting Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara national parks.
Let’s start with the good:
1) this really is a budget safari – from our conversations with other travellers, you’re likely to pay $700-1000 more for a very similar itinerary with many other operators out of Arusha.
2) we saw a great many animals, and had some very exciting sightings – more lions than we could count, a leopard (!), a lion-buffalo showdown (the buffaloes won), lots and lots and lots of hippos, hyenas, jackals, owls, vultures, even rhinos in the far distance in the Ngorongoro crater (etc etc). The places we saw are jawdroppingly beautiful, and all in all, just being there is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
3) a couple of the (freshly cooked) meals were very tasty.
4) (though this is by chance) we had great company, getting on very well with the couple who were in the Land Rover with us – which made the trip so much better than it could have been.
HOWEVER:
1) While Richard’s communication had been fast and informative when we were booking our trip, he firstly made us change our initial leaving date, with a story of us joining what we suspect to be a fictional couple (since our eventual companions had been told exactly the same story) and secondly, he then changed our itinerary the day before the start of our safari. Make sure to check that you’re still spending the same amount of time in each park as initially agreed upon, and be firm about getting exact details. Also, when planning, stick to what you want, and when you want to leave.
2) Our guide and cook were both very nice and friendly men, who both appeared to be trying their best. However, their English was quite poor, which made communication and planning for the day difficult. Our driver did know a lot about the bush, and clearly loved (spotting) animals, but it took time and patience to draw it out of him, that you don’t always have, and he didn’t volunteer information very often. In other words, he was much more of a driver, than a guide. This led to frustration from both sides, and made some meal-times (when it is the custom that the guides always join the clients) quite awkward.
3) Our Land Rover was old, and stalled and overheated a number of times – the worst of which was for about 45 minutes, as it was getting dark, on the way to our third night’s camp.
4) The tents are very old. The worst however was the camping equipment, all of which was very old and dirty. The mattresses are okay, but the sleeping bags and pillows are downright disgusting. Bring your own!! We also really didn’t like that the guides had a much worse tent than us (!), and lower stools (which broke) rather than proper chairs. More (easily avoidable!) awkwardness.
5) As above, a few of the dinners and the one lunch that was freshly cooked was tasty enough. However, the packed lunches were all the same, and not very palatable (dry fried chicken for the third day in a row, anyone?). Take the menu on the website/in your itinerary with a very generous pinch of salt, and be prepared to bring your own snacks along to supplement meals, particularly fresh fruit, nuts etc.
To reiterate, we were on a budget safari, and the result was – the incredible scenery and wildlife aside! – a budget experience. What is disappointing though is that many of these things could be fixed quite easily, and at minimum cost (or perhaps by increasing rates only slightly). The cook needs a bit of training and some new ideas (make a chicken mayo sandwich on the third day! Add fresh tomatoes to your lunch menus!). And fresh safari uniforms for both men would also go a long way to make the operation look more professional. Give your customers and your guides a detailed itinerary for each day, and impress upon your guides that they need to stick to it as far as possible or communicate any changes to your customers. Fix your vehicles!
Weighing it up, we probably wouldn’t recommend World Tours and Safaris. Rather go on a shorter safari with a more expensive (and professional) operator.