SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Do not join the shared group. You may be dumped to another group by the driver half way
Poor experience. Do not join the shared group!!!!!
Poor communication between agent and driver/agent. And seems like the agent lost control of the drivers.
1. All the accommodations are sopa as it was written in the website. I have adjusted my dates to ensure the hotels are available. They managed to help me book all under Sopa. But one week before the departure, they messaged me and said need to change Nakuru stay to another hotel cause Sopa Nakuru is not within the driver’s pick up area. If it is like that, why you don’t tell at the start and why you advertise you trip as all SOPA stay to attract ppl.
2. Sudden change of driver in the middle of the trip. Me and another Australian guy were transferred to another group by the driver without informing at the beginning. We wasted whole morning waiting for that group of ppl to finish their morning schedule. And the next 3 days our schedule were totally disrupted cause our schedule does not tally. I was promised to get a morning game drive for reimbursement then go to Nairobi Airport. The agent also called for confirmation. But the driver treated me. He drove me together with that group of ppl to Tanzania border cause their next destination was Arusha. Again my whole morning was gone. And after reaching the border, that driver transferred me to another driver again!!!!! 2 times of transfer within 7 days!!!!!!
3. The guide/drivers they arranged are unprofessional. The first driver/guide did rock climbing in the hell’s gate and we had to wait for him. Why a guide made his customers to wait for him to play!? Why he can’t play after he finished work?!
The second guide/driver was never punctual and he has no integrity. He made me wait at hotel for more than 30min without informing the change of timing. He treated me about the schedule and arrangement. And he was so blurred that he did not even know the other group’s schedule. I need to ask other ppl to find out and see if I can do something else to avoid conflicts. Such poor communication and arrangement.
These are not the agent’s fault. She told me tried her best and it was also out of her control. I am sure she is doing her best. But a capable travel agent and a powerful travel company should be able to identify good guides/drivers and hand over their customers to qualified/trusty ones instead of dumping to a random one. At least there will be some quality control.
So in summary, please do not take the shared group if you are only 1-2 persons. Please choose a private tour to avoid the above conditions. I am sure it may happen to any agent company and it may be a common thing in the shared group. Cause I have seen another poor traveller being dumped to our group on 2nd day. The driver’s company just want to maximise the profit and drivers are also the one being squeezed.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Stole our money
We paid around $60000 total for our group of 14, months ahead of the South Africa tour September 2025 . Craig and Bianca didn’t book anything ( including pick up , local flights, and stay )
We were stranded in a foreign country . We had to book everything ourselves the day before ( higher prices on flight, stays which was not in our itinerary) making it an extremely stressful vacation .
That is a lot of money to steal without any consequences. We don’t want it to happen to anyone else .
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Serious Warning: My Experience Led to a $5,000 Loss Due to a Security Issue
My experience with this company’s booking process led me to what I believe was a sophisticated scam, resulting in a loss of nearly $5,000. I am writing this as a serious warning to future travelers.
After first contacting them on Instagram, the owner, Gifton, sent me a legitimate quote from their official email. When I replied to proceed, it appears my email was intercepted by a third party. This person or group impersonated the business and tricked me into sending funds to a fraudulent US bank account.
Critically, the scammer's demand for a 100% upfront deposit did not seem unusual to me, because the legitimate owner, Gifton, had also required a 100% upfront payment during our initial discussions. In my opinion, this high-risk payment policy makes customers vulnerable to interception scams like the one I experienced.
The legitimate owner only reached out to follow up after the scammer had already "confirmed" my payment. For 13 days of back-and-forth communication, there was no intervention or check-in from the real company, which to me suggests a lack of oversight on active inquiries.
Even more alarmingly, I am concerned that this security issue may not be resolved. After I was scammed, I sent multiple test inquiries from different accounts to their official email. In each case, my follow-up emails were also intercepted by the same scammer.
When I first reported this, the company’s response was deeply disappointing. I felt that the director, Gifton, was dismissive and suggested the problem was on my end, showing little empathy. His tone only seemed to change after discovering a mutual acquaintance had introduced us.
While the safaris themselves may be wonderful, I feel the company’s combination of high-risk payment policies and what appears to be an unresolved security vulnerability is a serious issue. From my perspective, it puts every potential customer at enormous financial risk.
Until this company can publicly demonstrate that they have secured their communication and payment systems, I cannot in good conscience recommend engaging with them. Please be extremely cautious.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
⚠️ Avoid Mamu Travels & Safaris Kenya – A Very Unprofessional and Disappointing Experience ⚠️
We booked a private safari tour with Mamu Travels & Safaris Kenya from August 12–15, 2025. Before we paid, their representative Mariam D. was extremely friendly and always quick to respond. However, as soon as the payment was made, that friendliness vanished. She became unresponsive and offered no real help when issues arose.
The real shock came when the tour began.
Our private tour was anything but private. The driver, Daniel, randomly brought along a colleague — turning our private tour into a shared one. And the worst part? Mariam Desimo knew about this from day one and did absolutely nothing, even though she was fully aware it was booked and paid as a private experience.
He made no effort to find animals, didn’t listen to our requests, and basically just followed his own agenda. We felt like passengers on his trip, not guests on ours.
One of the included services in our official itinerary was a visit to a Maasai village. However, Daniel tried to scam us by taking us to a village where we were suddenly asked to pay an extra $30 per person — even though this visit was already included in our package.
As for tipping — the offer already included a mandatory $10 tip per day, which we were forced to pay. So it’s not like we tipped voluntarily — it was built in, and we had no choice.
After the tour, we sent Mariam clear photo evidence showing that:
-Daniel did not use a company vehicle - risking our lifes with a poor vehicle
-the tour was not private as agreed,
-services in the offer were not delivered properly.
Her response? Just an empty apology and a desperate attempt to convince us not to write a bad review. She didn’t care about our experience — she only cared about her company’s reputation.
When we reasonably asked for a partial refund based on the points that were clearly not delivered as promised, they outright refused. A serious company would take responsibility for their mistakes. Not here.
And the biggest joke of all? They claimed they “made no profit” from this tour. Come on — not even a child would believe that. Every tour operator works with special rates and partnerships to generate profit. Trying to pretend otherwise is just insulting.
We're now dealing with this legally through our lawyer — and even now, they refuse to refund us for the services we paid for but never received.
If you’re considering booking with Mamu Travels & Safaris Kenya, I strongly advise against it. In my experience, it was a waste of money, time, and peace of mind.
If you need proof – feel free to contact me privately. I have receipts, photos, and messages to back up every single word here.
I worked with another safari company during the same trip that was 100x better — professional, honest, and truly customer-oriented. So trust me when I say:
I would strongly advise avoiding Mamu Travels & Safaris Kenya. In my experience, the trip was ruined and I felt my money was wasted.!!!!!!!!!!!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Worst car company of the world
Horrible and dangerous car, and lire about all the answer for advise ! Don’t book with this company! In my experience, I felt scammed and ended up losing my money.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The company is not professional with minimum customer care
George Killas, owner of Terrain Tanzania Safaris, left us completely unsupported during multiple trip failures—and never took responsibility.
After a full day of travel, our group (which included elderly family members) was denied check-in. The hotel informed us that George had failed to make payment, even though he had told us everything was confirmed. Later on, he tried to explain the situation and then we realized that he knew this could happen weeks ago but chose not to inform us.
When the hotel rejected the voucher, George told us to “just show it again” and dropped the call. We spent over an hour begging hotel staff to let us stay while he did nothing. It was humiliating, stressful, and completely avoidable.
Throughout the trip, George showed no accountability. From disappearing during emergencies to making excuses instead of solutions, he abandoned us when we needed him most.
We booked this trip expecting reliable support and coordination from a trusted safari company. Instead, we were met with negligence, dishonesty, and total lack of professionalism.
Do not book with this company. George will take your money—and leave you stranded.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They are scammers! Stay away from them
I paid an advance of 257USD back in April for an3 days safari to Masai Mara in September. In the 3rd week of August, he sents me a msg saying he has to cancel the safari and he will initiate the refund.
And then I have tried to text him, no more responses. I had to pay another operator to do my safari, but these never got back
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest company
DO NOT BOOK!!! They scammed us out thousands of dollars! My husband and I booked a 5 day honeymoon safari, paid in full, through them in January and checked in with them a few weeks before arrival to make sure everything was confirmed and our itinerary was set- to which they reassured us it was. Upon arriving at our 2nd nights accommodation we found out not only was that hotel not paid for but the rest of the accommodations, park fees and driver were also not paid! They claimed they are having money issues and the “bank took the funds”. We have not been issued a refund despite them saying we would be receiving one. I encourage everyone that has been scammed by them as well to contact the tourism police and file a claim. They should be held accountable!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unreliable
A few years ago, 10 of us traveled on safari to Kenya and Tanzania through a different travel agent who went above and beyond. That trip was flawless, which made us excited to try Kruger in South Africa, as it is often considered even better. Sadly, our experience with Bianca Els and Craig Lucke of Southern African Tours was the complete opposite—and it has left us heartbroken.
We first contacted them in September 2024. Craig was responsive in the beginning, but soon handed us off to Bianca, whose replies were slow and inconsistent. After our first deposit, her communication slowed even more. By March 2025, we had paid in full—including domestic flights—for a group of 14, totaling over $56,000 USD, because Bianca said everything had to be paid in advance. From that point, communication nearly stopped. Confirmations never came, and when replies did arrive, they were delayed and filled with excuses.
Two members of our group required visas. Despite repeated requests, Bianca sent only one document, with incorrect information, and gave no real guidance on the requirements. She never even asked if the visas were obtained . She also ignored repeated requests for proper flight and hotel confirmations. Bianca did take a call a few days before our departure to discuss the trip and also again gave assurance she would be available 24/7 and that everything was confirmed. Because this company had come recommended, we trusted her assurances that “everything is taken care of” and boarded our flights to Johannesburg believing our arrangements were secure.
The reality was devastating. Upon arrival, we learned that nothing was booked: no domestic flights, no safari lodges, no activities, no transfers, no dinners. The only exception was a single night at one Johannesburg hotel. We were left scrambling, on our phones at all hours, trying to salvage an 8-day trip for 14 people at the very last minute. This caused incredible stress, disappointment, and financial loss.
During this ordeal, Bianca and Craig never once responded to our messages or calls. Yet when friends back home posed as potential new clients, Bianca replied to them immediately. That contrast was deeply painful and showed us where their priorities truly were.
We also discovered that the company operates under another name, Afrique Australe Tours (PTY) Limited. Their Southern African Tours website displays the SATSA logo, which typically signals credibility, but when I checked directly, I was told they are not current members. Perhaps they once were, but displaying the logo now feels misleading to travelers.
We tried everything during our stay—calls, emails, even asking locals for advice—but there was no accountability or resolution. The staff at the hotels we eventually stayed in were kind and sympathetic, and even they expressed shock that agents representing their country would allow this to happen. Several suggested our only option was to pursue legal action once home.
This experience has not only cost us greatly, but it has also shaken our trust in visiting South Africa at all. It is a beautiful country, and the people we did meet were wonderful—but what happened with Southern African Tours was devastating.
Warning: Based on our experience, we strongly urge travelers to avoid Southern African Tours / Afrique Australe Tours . We relied on them entirely, only to be abandoned, with the $56,000 we paid unused for our trip. We hope sharing this prevents anyone else from going through the same pain.
Very disappointed.
We booked a hut in Lower Sabie Camp. What a disappointment. Only shelves. No cubbards. Only a basin with cold water. No shade where you can braai. The road is going around this hut no silence. This is really a disappointment. We will leave tomorrow. Pay our money back please.