US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad experience
I recently booked a safari tour with Optimum Travel, but the experience was not at all what I expected. The vehicle did not arrive on time, and the guide seemed very inexperienced. The spots were not seen properly because the guide was in a hurry. At some places, we were not allowed to stop and take pictures.
Also, the quality of the food was very average.
I thought it would be a bit professional service, but the management was very average. I will try another company in the future.
MX
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Being threatened and kidnapped! What a terrible experience! I am a victim!
My mom and I spent $10,000 on the trip, not including airfare. We booked a 12-day luxury tour in Kenya and Tanzania. They were so annoying along the way, making faces, robbing, and threatening our lives. It felt like they had no reason to rob us of our money.
Some of the hotels they booked for us were very ordinary. Silas threw us to the other two tour guides and sent messages throughout the trip. They were not two tour guides, but just two drivers. The tour guide in Kenya, Chris, changed his face from the moment he left Kenya. I didn't give him a lot of tips at first because I exchanged all my beauty coins for county magistrates. Then he made faces along the way. To be honest, I felt that I was providing him with emotional value along the way instead of the other way around.
Tanzania was even more exaggerated. They took us to the Maasai village. At first, they said it was 100 US dollars per person. Later, when we got off the car, the chief said it was 100 US dollars per person. I said we would not go there. We took some photos in the valley (no photos of people). As a result, they threatened us that this place was theirs and we could not take photos. We went to get in the car. When we got in, they stopped us and asked how much money we had. I wanted to close the door, but they said they would not let us. Is this robbery in broad daylight?
Then Silas told the tour guide Micheal that there was a 10 US dollar tip per person per day. I gave him a shilling and he said what was this? To send away beggars? I said I didn’t have that much US dollars and he said you go get it.
On the way back to Kenya, we were asked to change to another black car. We thought we were kidnapped and almost called the police because Silas said there was no such arrangement.
If you want to ruin your vacation, choose them. Robbers! 0 experience!
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extremely Disappointing Experience – Refund Confirmed but Never Received
Extremely Disappointing Experience – Refund Confirmed but Never Received
I’m very sorry to write this review, but I feel obliged to warn other travelers.
I booked a trip with East African Jungle Safaris, which I had to cancel on April 17, 2025 – well in accordance with their official cancellation policy that promises a 90% refund if cancelled at least 28 days before the trip. The company confirmed in writing that a refund would be issued. However, as of today — three months later — I have received nothing.
Despite repeated follow-ups — including from my lawyer — the company has either not responded at all or given empty promises. To make matters worse, part of my deposit included national park permits, which were issued on April 25, more than a week after I had cancelled. When asked about this, the company shifted responsibility to the Uganda Wildlife Authority, who in turn claimed they were not responsible either.
At this point, I feel deeply disappointed and financially taken advantage of. What makes this situation particularly frustrating is that I placed full trust in a company operating under the Ugandan tourism system. Unfortunately, I have to conclude that this trust was misplaced.
I sincerely hope that no one else has to go through the same experience, and I encourage others to be cautious when booking — especially regarding refund and cancellation processes.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Horrible experience - Avoid at all costs
Avoid this operator at all costs.
After booking 6 months in advance, nothing was booked - we had to wait for hours to know the plan on every step of the trip.
Last minute changes on the original planning, inexistent organisation, and we had to ask constantly for the next steps since we didn't know what was next. Boat trip wasn't book in Moremi nor in Chobe, so we had to wait and solve it there with the local people.
Sometimes we didn't have lunch nor dinner and we had to ask for it - nobody was even asking. We had to organise ourselves because if not, you skip what you agreed.
Avoid this company if you want a happy trip.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Do Not Book through this company
A very dishonest company from our experience. You see all the high rated reviews here & on TripAdvisor, pay your money, then if you are lucky the 'game' starts 2 days before your safari. Having now delved into many bad reviews the script is exactly the same. Issues with account department, not my fault, I'm trying my best for you. Multiple apologies. Your midway lodge/camp won't be booked, park entrances won't be paid for, nor transport/driver fees or fuel, oh and if you manage to actually get all that sorted by them, who will 'gently' hint that you will need to pay more, or in the worse cases leave you stranded at a park entrance or in a park until you pay more (with empty fake promises of refunds for the additional costs due to their account department errors) the time in the parks is rushed, your transport won't be the luxury comfortable, air conditioned, WiFi enabled (despite stickers on the windows) charging point enabled, cold water providing vehicle you are promised. We enjoyed our safari that we actually managed to go on, but the stress prior and during as this company tries to con you ruined much of what our holiday was for. We believe we only got what we did because I made them aware I had contacted my bank and the fraud department asked me to keep them informed of what was happening. I strong recommend you do not use this company or their sister company Africa Kenya Safaris.
IL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Just don't
Warning: “Opulent Africa Tours and Safaris” is just a rebranded name for “Opulent Tours and Travel.” Please read before booking.
My wife and I had carefully planned a once-in-a-lifetime 31-day safari with Opulent Tours and Travel. The staff were polite and helpful—until the moment we needed our money back.
When COVID hit and our country banned travel to South Africa, we canceled well within their official refund period and filled out all the required paperwork. Then the excuses began. “Be patient,” they said. Weeks turned into months. We later realized their terms of service say nothing about when refunds are due. We had paid months in advance, but now they felt no urgency to return what was ours.
After nearly two years of waiting, we offered them a chance to redeem themselves: let us take the original trip. Instead, they demanded an additional $3,000 for a shorter 25-day tour. Why? Because of our negative review. Yes, really. We were told we owed them for being honest. Since then, they’ve gone silent. We even tried to sue them, but Evans, the owner and CEO keeps moving from address to address to avoid the judicial process.
Planning a tour like this is about trust, and Opulent Africa Tours broke it. Please don’t make the same mistake we did. Do yourselves a favor and choose a company with basic decency.
CZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Warning
Do not trust this company. The owner stole our money and ruined our holiday in Uganda. He has been reported to the police.
OM
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely Disappointing Safari Experience with Kibera Holidays
Unfortunately, my experience with Kibera Holidays was extremely disappointing and frustrating on many levels. I feel obligated to share my story so that others can make an informed choice.
1) Major Route Change Without Notification:
The original itinerary clearly stated that we would spend the first two days in Amboseli National Park — the main reason I booked this tour, as seeing Mount Kilimanjaro was my top priority. However, without any explanation or prior notice, the route was changed, and we were taken to Tsavo East instead. I only found out at the park gate. As a result, I missed the one clear day to see Kilimanjaro. By the time we returned to Amboseli, the weather had turned cloudy, and when it finally cleared, we were already rushing to the airport.
2) Extremely Poor Vehicle Condition (Plate: KDL 368Y)
The safari vehicle (plate number KDL 368Y) was in terrible condition. Over the course of the trip, we lost around 10 hours trying to fix mechanical problems — valuable early morning hours that should have been spent on game drives.
On the first day, after my early arrival, the driver (Jacob) spent two hours unsuccessfully trying to repair the windshield wipers.
On multiple occasions, we had to divert to garages for repairs instead of going on safari.
On the final morning, when we should’ve been looking at Kilimanjaro, we were inflating a tire for an hour.
Later that day, a flat tire left us stranded on the roadside. Jacob was unable to change the tire on his own until other safari drivers stopped to help.
3) Uninformed and Unprepared Driver:
Jacob seemed completely unprepared for the trip. He did not know the route or even the names of the hotels where I was staying. He constantly had to ask other drivers for directions, which caused further delays and unnecessary stress.
4) Long Delays at Park Gates Due to Ticket Issues:
At every park entrance, we experienced long and unnecessary waits — often 30 minutes to over an hour — just to process entry tickets. Other safari vehicles were cleared within minutes, while rangers themselves seemed confused by our repeated delays.
The worst delay happened at Amboseli, where we waited over 1.5 hours to enter. Shockingly, Peter (the manager) asked me to pay the park fee using my personal credit card — something that should never happen on a prepaid tour.
5) Terrible Quality Lunches:
While breakfasts and dinners at the lodges were fine, the lunches provided by Kibera were awful.
On the first day, I was taken to a filthy roadside café with flies everywhere and food I couldn’t even eat.
The following days, I received “lunch boxes” with dry bread rolls, a tiny piece of cold boiled chicken, stale fruit, and cheap juice.
There were no picnic setups — I had to eat under a tree without a table. At one point, rangers in Amboseli felt sorry for me and invited me to eat in their office.
6) Water Not Provided Despite Being Included
The tour description clearly said that drinking water was included. However, Jacob was unaware of this, and I had to buy water myself throughout the trip. Only on the last day did Peter acknowledge the issue and resolve it.
Final Thoughts
Poor communication, disorganization, lack of professionalism, and vehicle neglect ruined what could have been an unforgettable adventure.
I strongly advise others to look for more reliable and reputable safari companies. I hope this feedback helps improve Kibera Holidays' operations, but based on my experience, I cannot recommend them.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very bad experience with Zamunda Tours & Safaris
We, a couple in our late 20s, would like to give our honest feedback on Zamunda Tours & Safaris.
First of all, we've only given positive feedback so far, but unfortunately, that doesn't apply to Zamunda Tours & Safaris.
Furthermore, we've experienced safaris before.
After paying a deposit of 25% of the quoted price, the service generally left a lot to be desired, specifically delayed responses (several days, previously immediate response).
Our safari began with an airport transfer in Zanzibar.
Our hotel there was near Makunduchi.
We were picked up by a taxi driver.
It was repeatedly discussed and firmly agreed with Zamunda Tours & Safaris that our luggage, which we didn't want to take with us on safari, would remain in Makunduchi and, after the safari, would be taken to our next hotel in Kendwa, including us.
Fortunately, the taxi driver informed us that if we left our luggage in Makunduchi, we would be taken from the airport to Makunduchi after the safari ended and then to our new hotel in Kendwa, even though we had arranged something completely different with Zamunda Tours & Safaris.
Since we didn't want to do that, as it would have involved a 4.5-hour drive after the flight, the taxi driver offered to take our luggage and store it at his home.
The next point of criticism concerns the pickup at the airport in Arusha.
Every safari company was there on time with a name sign upon arrival, except for Zamunda Tours & Safaris.
But that wasn't the only thing:
We were told on WhatsApp that Zamunda Tours & Safaris would be there.
A guide from another company eventually called and, since there was no response on the other line, passed the call on to us. I didn't receive a response either.
Zamunda Tours & Safaris finally showed up a few minutes later, and the remaining 75% was paid.
The offer advertises that the game drive begins immediately upon arrival and lasts until the evening.
We define a game drive as a drive in a national park with possible sightings of free-roaming and wild animals.
The first two hours involved driving on a highway, so it had little to do with a game drive.
In Tarangire National Park, we had a net game drive time of 3.5 hours, meaning it didn't last until the evening.
That evening, the next surprise came:
We had booked a lodge with a pool, but we ended up staying in a much cheaper lodge without a pool.
The next day, we were supposed to be on a game drive from morning to afternoon.
However, here too, our net game drive time was shorter (to be precise: four hours). This net time is still quite good, though, because we left the lodge as early as possible at our request.
The experiences in the two parks (Tarangire & Ngorongoro) were, of course, unique, but we would recommend everyone to book and take this trip with a different provider.
Zamunda Tours & Safaris also received this feedback personally, but all they offered was an apology and a lack of understanding at first.
Not to mention a small compensation, which would have been the least we could have done (downgrading our accommodation without being informed).
IN
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Avoid like Black Mamba
Modus Operandi - collects full fare. Does not pay to service providers. Drivers wait endlessly at park gate. You end up paying entry fee, fuel, hotel charges. The CEO vanishes from scene. KATO suspended them. But they have managed to resurface. TRA , the authority who blacklist, has not done anything. I saw some other operator black listed but not Natural World. With all the amounts being diverted must be having a huge cash reserve to pull strings.!
