MY
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible
No time management and not responding to the msg once you are out of country
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beware
This is not a complaint, it is too late for that, since I don’t plan to use this company ever. Instead, I am writing this review to help future travelers be aware of what they might encounter, and to provide important information so you can make an informed decision for your trip.
We booked our safari for six people with them well in advance and paid in full more than three months prior to travel. Our trip was coordinated by “safari specialist” Esther, who assured us that everything was set. She even met us in person to collect a thank-you note and reaffirm that everything was set.
Our first two days in Kenya went smoothly. However, the problems began when we crossed the border into Tanzania, in route to the Serengeti. We were suddenly stranded at the border because Natural World had not paid the local driver. Despite multiple attempts to reach Esther, we were finally able to get her on a call, during which she told us we had to pay $200 ourselves to continue the journey. We were shocked and explained that we had already paid in full. After a few hours, our driver, out of sympathy, decided to take us to the hotel without payment.
Upon arrival, we found that there was no reservation, and no payment made. The driver gave us the contact information for someone he called the “owner” of Natural World – Hamfry. After multiple attempts, we finally got a response, and the hotel reluctantly accepted us for the night.
The next day, while heading toward Serengeti, we were stopped at the Ngorongoro Park gate and again unable to proceed because no fees had been paid on our behalf. After hours stuck at the gate trying to sort this out, I received an email from Esther (please see attached) informing us that WE would need to pay $5,000 per day to continue, claiming they were having "a problem with their bank."
At that point, we had no choice but to hire another company in Tanzania, paying nearly $4,000 just to continue our journey. Had we not done this, our once-in-a-lifetime trip would have ended there. Another hotel had only been partially paid, and they were asking to we pay the balance ourselves.
I spent over a year planning this trip, and Natural World completely ruined it. Despite promises to reimburse us for the additional payments we made, we have not received a single cent.
To make matters worse, the “owner” never answered his phone when we needed urgent assistance. I have a log of
I am submitting a formal complaint to the Ministry of Tourism to help prevent other travelers from being put in a similar position.
I hope this review and the extremely unpleasant experience we endured will help shed light on what might happen to you. Please consider your options carefully before entrusting them with your dream vacation.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Another One bites the Dust
We found this company based on their very good reviews on TripAdvisor. But after booking two safari with this company, we saw all the negative reviews they got here.
We were worried, so once we arrived in Nairobi, we visited their office straight away. The following trip to Masai Mara was great, even though we understood afterwards that the driver seemed not to have been paid.
Our second trip to Amboseli was when it went bad. The accommodation told us our rooms hasn't been paid for, the promised services and meals was not delivered, the driver didn't get the money to pay for the gas. In all cases, it costed us more money and nerves that it should have, especially after the already large initial costs.
I don't know if this is malice or incompetence, and I am glad some trips are great. This seemed to be mostly down to the drivers that are either paid in time, or locked-in waiting to be paid for.
You should not book with a company with a succes rate of 50%. Book elsewhere or directly by a driver.
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I recommend you do not book with this company
Do Not Book Any Tours With This Company (NWKS)
The manager has blackened the previous good name of this company, and has probably tainted the good reputations all his drivers\guides
I have used this company in the past, with no complaints, actually they were so good, I have used their services three times.
I contacted NWKS in February this year to book another safari, and I paid a very large deposit.
I was not concerned because I had never experienced any prior problems with NWKS.
In hindsight, while planning a tour in 2024 with a friend, our choice of East Tsavo accommodation was changed due to ‘a government department booking out the whole venue\resort’, and our accommodation was downgraded without any reduction to the fees, maybe this was an earlier sample of the devious methods of the manager.
The manager had frequent contact with me while I was emailing him planning my 2025 itinerary, but once I had paid a deposit, I did not hear from him much at all, except when I arrived in Nairobi.
I spent 5 weeks in Kenya visiting friends in the Kisumu area, then had a short Mara safari with a different operator who is a friend, when I mentioned my planned safari to my friend, she asked which operator I was booked with and expressed her extreme concern about NWKS and their recent bad reputation for dodgy practices.
Apparently, they hadn’t been making bookings or paying for accommodation, nor arranging or paying for park entry fees, arriving at parks and then their guests have had to pay for things that should have been booked and paid for on receipt of the guests’ deposit.
I contacted the NWKS manager to inform him that I was back in Nairobi, and he wanted to know my method of payment for the balance of my planned safari, and he\his staff contacted me about this payment several times
I was to be picked up on 15\4\25 at 0700
On the advice of my friend, I did noy pay the balance, and requested a copy of the service voucher, which was not forthcoming.
My friend rang all three park accommodations that I was due to visit, and there were no bookings for me at two, and one had a cancelled booking.
My friend booked a whole new safari for me with her own company, similar to my planned one, and I left with her and joined her driver\guide after having to deal with the managers lies, as below
The NWKS driver arrived at 0700, I asked him to show me the service voucher for the first park, and when he couldn’t produce it, he rang the manager who spoke to me and told me that it wouldn’t be available until his office opened at 0830. He asked me to present to his office at 0830.
At 1145 that day, I received a ‘copy’ of a service voucher for one of my accommodations at 1145 that day, which was ‘created’ on 21\2\25.
I have reported this company to KATO, which said NWKS has been removed from membership, and the issue has been passed on to TRA. I don’t know if I will ever get a ‘refund’.
Apparently, the office and phones, aren’t manned, and all the vehicles have been auctioned, but the manager is still arranging safaris and ripping people off, using reputable drivers, and tainting their reputations.
Since receiving the ‘copy’ of the service voucher on 15\4\25, I have not had any contact from this company at all, and surely, if they had any morals or concern, they would have been wondering where the hell I went to after I left with my friend?
I have waited, and contacted both KATO and TRA again, but I have not heard anything from either organisation in over a month since being home, and I have been hesitant about complaining about this until now, while hoping for some positive response, and an indication of some kind of refund.
This situation is very damaging to the Kenya tourist industry and needs to be addressed to prevent the honest operators, guides and drivers being tainted by another company’s rotten reputation.
NL
I recommend you do not book!
We believe we got scammed. They said on their site they would reschedule if the weather was bad. They didn’t wanted to do that but they picked us up 3 hours later.. We waked up at 6 in the morning because this was the best time to spot the Dolphins. I heard at 06:51 so 9 minutes before they would pick us up they wanted to reschedule to later that day.. I asked ‘is it still a good time to spot the dolphins?’ Yes don’t worry about the time. When we finally went in the sea the driver already told us , today is not a good day because the waves are way to heavy so it was indeed a bad day ! Like I already asked before. After 2,5 hours searching for Dolphins there were none, the driver also explained that around 10am the Dolphins are most likely to look for food and that is was indeed a bad timing . So I asked 2 things and I was indeed right about it. The day & the time. Yes I already knew it’s wildlife so the chances to not see them are there, but to let us go on the worst time and day of the week? Was just rude. I explained before that is was our Honeymoon and this is was the thing were the most exciting about.. We still needed to pay everything and they didn’t want to give us a refund..I recommend you just don't book.
CW
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointment
Hi Monika,
I have put off answering for several reasons ... this way I could let my disappointment sink in a bit ... I have decided to be brief.
Let me start by stating that I am personally responsible for the decision I made to accept your proposals and those of Wild Times Safaris (WTS). I paid dearly for professional advice and I could have assumed, for example, that WTS would really think along and not just want to "book", ....
Two people who are turning 60 and have traveled for 48 hours and come from the other side of the world (with Jet Lag), two night flights with four different aircraft, you advise them to take it easy and not immediately take a helicopter flight to the Victoria Falls on the day of arrival in Zambia. This is just an example.
The lodges in Zambia and Botswana were certainly very nice, the people fantastic, the food delicious etc. Gomoti was the most pleasant and that is where we saw the most animals. Duba was dark and a bit depressing. All 4 lodges were almost empty and that is perhaps the reason why we got all, read: TOO MUCH, attention. You don't get a moment to stare into space and enjoy, except from your own room where we often escape to, or there is someone next to you asking "how was your game drive" ... When the cook has been, the chambermaid comes and then the guide follows who prefers to sit at your table to talk about everything again. You didn't get a moment's rest or privacy. 4 lodges in 12 days means 5 days of traveling to and from ... packing and unpacking and you can't enjoy the lodges themselves in this way at all. WTS should have warned you about that. Followed your "money tip" advice and left 500 US$ per lodge, US$ 2,000 is excessive. The flights and all transport coordination went fine by the way.
But now Cape Town: This was a real letdown and certainly for my organizational quality feeling towards WTS. Euro 10,000 for 6 nights and your invoice confusingly states 7 days (and an earlier invoice/quote even stated 8 days instead of 7), ... Of these 7 days you travel/fly 2, so you only have 5 whole days!!! This amount NB EXCLUDING flight costs food and drinks ..... Cadogan is in a nice neighborhood but is highly overrated. Small room that didn't even have a chair in it. Delaire Graff more than beautiful but unfortunately we couldn't enjoy it much. I think WTS couldn't imagine what I consider adventurous and unique. We were driven to the fishing port of Hout Bay, a stinking dump, bare, uninviting and dumped in a canoe. No idea what you wanted to show us ... See our holiday photo attached, and yes that may be on your website. I protested to you Monika! WTS even made me take my swimming trunks, so there I was.... This can't have been serious! A lost afternoon for us, but it gets even better because WTS takes us back to Houtsbaai the next day, where we waited for I don't know how long for a boat that took us out for a quarter of an hour in dangerous weather ..... Here again, no idea why? Then, and now I'm even sadder, we go to the penguins ... Horrible and nothing that resembles natural beauty or adventure. What a waste of time and money! We go to the wine fields: Wonderful, and arrive in Delaire in the evening, ... we could hardly enjoy that the next day because we had to pack again because we were picked up at 0430 AM for transport to the airport. I mentioned this to you via app and was actually sent away with a "root in the reeds" (see attached). Not worth Euro 10,000 I think? Do I get something back?
Greetings,
Justus van der Lubbe
Curaçao
(automatic translation from Dutch)
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horrendous experience- update from previous review
I wrote a review previously about my horrendous experience with this company and wanted to provide an update. I prepaid for my safari well in advance only to find that nothing was paid for upon arrival and I was forced to pay out of pocket. Our accommodation was also changed last minute- even after the company CONFIRMED that everything was booked and paid for in advance. All lies. Our safari was in February 2025 and I have been asking for a refund since. I have been provided with generic emails promising refunds with no follow-through. Now I've been ghosted by the company and they won't respond to my texts and email. I am writing this secondary review so others are aware. I DO NOT recommend rolling the dice with this company. You will likely lose out on money and be stranded.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
a terrifying trip
It was a terrifying trip, and I still can't help trembling when I think about it. On the last day of the return journey, the driver parked the vehicle on a slope but failed to apply the handbrake after getting out. The car quickly rolled backward, crossed the entire road, and eventually overturned. The four of us in the car were injured to varying degrees. The travel agency refused any compensation, including for our personal items crushed under the car in the accident. When we requested to see our insurance documents, they refused to provide them, making it highly likely that they had not purchased insurance for us. The accident caused the fuel tank to burst, and diesel spilled all over the ground while we were trapped in the car. Fortunately, it was the rainy season, and a sudden downpour prevented the vehicle from catching fire. I still feel terrified now, and the travel agency's ability to handle emergencies is extremely poor.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I do not recommend Silver Spark Africa
Our highly anticipated 5-day private safari, costing over $4000++, with Silver Sparks was a complete disaster. After full payment, we were subjected to:
• Substandard vehicle.
• A seemingly new and potentially unpaid driver.
• Unpaid entry fees at tour sites (despite our full payment).
• The driver's concern about not being paid, jeopardizing our return.
• Last-minute cancellation of our return airport transfer via text leaving us stranded.
• Unacknowledged overpayments for dinners.
• Zero communication or proactive updates from Silver Sparks during our trip.
• Unauthorized itinerary changes.
Silver Sparks takes your money and fails to deliver on their promises. This unprofessional and unacceptable experience ruined our first visit to Kenya. We strongly advise you to seek other reliable tour operators.
Silver Sparks never acknowledged returning the monies we paid twice due to their negligence. Seems to be their standard way of operating.
A formal complaint has been filed with the Nairobi tourist board.
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
too expensive
It was too expensive! I noticed that when I joined the safari tour with other poeple who booked same tour from other company! It was safe and fun, but between the tour company and the guide, they didn’t have a good communication. They also charged us additionally for the hotel near to the airport and other optional activity which we’re already booked! We’ve confirmed with the tour comapany again and again when the activity is being started… At the end of the tour, we asked for heading to the airport directly but they just sent us until the city center without any transit. Our guide is nice he asked a taxi for us and it should be paid by our tour company not the guide, so I called our tour company and the tour company just only asked us do no pay for the taxi driver and the taxi driver was in a bad mood since he needs payment. We’re lucky that we took the taxi with other 2 travellers, they paid for the taxi fee then asked their tour company with the invoice then their tour company apologize them first and did the refund quickly to them. I was so disappointed for our tour company has no apoligize and only asked us do not pay… not only this time but also the including lunch and some activities we’re already booked and had paid. Without the payment issue with our tour company, the local guide was really nice and we really enjoyed the adventure. Please select the tour company really carefully and MUST asked them for cheaper price since we paid this tour for double price then others from our group who booked from other tour company and they joined the same tour with us.