IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
From our experience,avoid this company
Only now, when I was about to leave a review, I noticed that several reviews were from locals with a single review, and several others complained about the same experience we had.
Furthermore, the photos weren't actually taken, but were taken online.
In summary, we had a terrible experience and I would advise everyone against using this agency. I've also reported them to the Italian consulate for their utter dishonesty.
I contacted them for a quote, and they responded very kindly and offered me a solution.
I asked if it was possible to make some changes since it was a private tour.
Everything was accepted.
The initial tour includes 8 days and 7 nights at a cost of $4,995:
- Airport transfers, accommodation and meals only
- Tarangire National Park, accommodation and meals
- Serengeti National Park, accommodation and meals
- Central Serengeti National Park, accommodation and meals
- Ngorongoro Crater, accommodation and meals
- Lake Manyara National Park, accommodation and meals
- Materuni Waterfall, accommodation and meals
- Airport transfer
I decide to modify the itinerary based on my needs by booking the initial and final accommodations and two intermediate ones myself, after asking them for confirmation. The program is modified so that I can do a one-day light trek on Kilimanjaro and have more time for the Serengeti: therefore, 6 days and 2 nights are at their expense.
The final program will be as follows:
- Mount Kilimanjaro Trek
- Tarangire National Park, accommodations and meals
- Serengeti National Park, meals
- Central Serengeti National Park, meals
- Serengeti National Park, accommodations and meals
- Ngorongoro Crater, meals
You'd think the total would decrease, right?
But no, because I'm told the initial offer remains the same (so they're already making money on the four nights I won't be using) and all additional expenses are my own.
New total requested $5,870, as you can see from the attached images.
Almost $1,000 for the changes.
The program still mentions full days spent in the various parks.
Initially, I try to negotiate, but given the limited availability, I decide to let it go and insist that everything go smoothly because it's the vacation of a lifetime...
Everything was fine on the first day, but already on the second day, the surprises began:
- rooms in the second day's accommodation had mold-covered walls and unbreathable air (and we thought it was a mix-up that led to our amicable termination)
- they didn't pay the accommodation fees, causing us to be in trouble because they had to pay them at the park entrance, but we never went to the register (read what's listed as included in their offer, and in any case, they specifically asked me for the money to pay them)
- they said, despite it being stated in the contract, that for the days we had the accommodations, no meals were included, despite it being stated in the contract and no one having notified us.
- to earn about $400 more, they forced us to get up between 5 and 6 for two consecutive days, because by compressing our hours, they saved themselves from paying for a day of access to the Serengeti.
Let's just say we spent the third day pissed off, having found the manager to be a total pain.
On our last day in the Serengeti, in particular, we spent three hours at the park gate arguing about the fact that we had paid for an extra day to stay there (about $1,000), and at 9:45 they were taking us out.
Truly embarrassing.
The only positive note was the truly exceptional guides, especially Samwel!
What more can I say? Avoid them completely.
RU
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The agency cheats on clients, I reported to police
I paid fir 11 days Kenya +Tanzania safary. Arriving in Tanzania, I realized, that hotel and safary were not booked. No hotel, no guide, no safari. Tge hitel told that I'm not tge firs victim of this agency. I returned to the border Namanga and reported to police. The agency didn't responded at all. Finally Kelvin send me this message.
Dear Olga,
I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you are currently experiencing in Arusha. Please allow me to clarify the situation.
We had indeed arranged and paid for your Tanzania safari; however, we have unfortunately become victims of a cybercrime-related funds fraud that has disrupted the payment process on the ground. This unforeseen situation has interfered with the operator receiving the funds as scheduled.
To ensure your trip continues smoothly and without further delays, I kindly request that you make payment directly for the Tanzania safari on your side. Please be assured that we will process a full refund to you within 7 working days once our accounts are settled.
We deeply regret this unfortunate occurrence and take full responsibility for resolving it. Your experience and trust mean everything to us, and we are doing everything possible to ensure the rest of your safari remains memorable.
Please let me know once you have made the arrangements, so that I can personally monitor the refund process and keep you updated step by step.
With deepest apologies and appreciation for your understanding,
Kelvin,
CEO,
Beast Spoor Safaris
THIS CHEATERS MUST BE BUNNED FROM THE BUSINESS
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolute Rip Off
The camps were mostly filthy no hot water dirty matresses ,no toilet paper with staff cooking in kitchens in the camps at night making so much noise one couldn’t sleep.overpriced.
All viewings had so many tourist vans on disgusting roads that it was likely a peak hour expressway
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely Disappointing Experience – Do Not Recommend
We had an awful experience with Explorers Wild Adventures and cannot recommend this company.
The safari vehicle they provided was completely unfit for purpose, which caused us to miss an entire game drive — one of the main reasons we booked this trip. When we raised the issue, the company admitted fault and promised to refund the park fees for the day we lost. Months later, despite repeated follow-ups, we have still not received our refund and they are now ignoring our messages.
A safari is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the lack of professionalism, poor communication, and failure to deliver what was promised ruined what should have been a highlight of our trip to Kenya. There are many reputable operators in Kenya — avoid this one if you want reliability, honesty, and a properly run safari.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beware of This Fraudulent Tour Operator – Avoid at All Costs
We booked an 8-day South Africa luxury trip through Bianca Els and Craig Lucke, and it turned into a nightmare.
Our itinerary included:
• 1 day in Johannesburg
• 4 days in Kruger (Kapama & Ulusaba luxury lodges, 2 nights each)
• 3 days in Cape Town (One&Only hotel)
We paid in full upfront, trusting their promises. Here’s what actually happened:
• Last-Minute Bookings: After weeks of chasing them for confirmations, they finally booked our Johannesburg stay at Four Seasons – but only on the day we arrived.
• No Flight/Resort Confirmations: When we landed in Johannesburg, we repeatedly called Bianca for flight and resort confirmations to head to Kruger. She never responded.
• Excuses & Lies: Craig finally replied saying Bianca had “overdosed,” claimed all bookings were prepaid, and asked us to pay for two nights out of pocket, promising a refund in two days (which never came).
• Nothing Was Paid: When we arrived at Kapama, we discovered the booking had been made just the day before – and nothing was paid for. We then called every other resort and hotel on our itinerary — none were booked.
• False SATSA Membership: Their website claims SATSA membership, but SATSA confirmed their membership is expired.
At this point, it became clear they were running a Ponzi scheme, using client money for other purposes. We essentially paid for their addictions while being stranded.
Adding insult to injury, Craig responds to negative reviews as though they did everything right — a blatant gaslighting tactic.
This experience has completely destroyed our trust in the system and caused massive financial and emotional stress.
Recommendation:
Avoid this couple and their company entirely. Verify memberships directly with SATSA, demand written and prepaid confirmations well before travel, and never transfer large sums upfront without protection.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They took our money and didn’t plan anything.
We began planning our 2025 trip to South Africa back in September 2024. Originally scheduled earlier, we had to postpone due to friends in our group becoming new grandparents. Bianca and Craig from Southern African Tours came highly recommended, and at first, they lived up to the praise—responding promptly to inquiries and accommodating the adjustments we made nine months ahead of time.
However, as the trip approached, communication began to falter. We were repeatedly assured that a detailed itinerary, including guide names and reservation numbers, would be provided, but we never received it. One week before departure, we managed to speak with Bianca, who again promised to send the necessary details. Unfortunately, nothing ever arrived.
Despite the lack of information, we remained hopeful that everything had been arranged as promised—after all, we had paid in full for the trip, including accommodations and excursions. That hope quickly vanished upon arrival in South Africa, where we discovered that no internal flight reservations had been made. Even more troubling, our accommodations in Kruger and Cape Town had not been booked or paid for.
This was a devastating realization. I have never experienced anything like this with a business. It feels as though they took our money and disappeared. Although Bianca had assured us she’d be available for support during the trip, she has not responded to any of our group’s calls or messages.
Looking back now, some warning signs were there—particularly Craig’s defensive responses to other reviews, which, in hindsight, should have raised concerns.
We’ve been saving for this trip for a long time, and it’s heartbreaking to see our money mishandled like this. Thankfully, members of our group have stepped up to salvage the experience, and we’ve had the opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people here in South Africa. Sadly, we can’t count Craig and Bianca among them.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Careful Serious Breach of Contract Not Professional at all
I am witting to formally report a serious breach of contract regarding a reservation made through - African Bush Cats. The reservation was made for a Jambo Mara Safari camp fom august 7th to August 9th 2025. I paid 2200 USD For a single and a triple toom in top glass cottages, full board, transportation Go and return + one day game drive.
The Manager was supposed to pick us up on the 7th at 10.30am and no vehicule came pick us. I finally arranged to go by my own with my 3 kids to Jambo Mara safari camp when arrived I realize the full reservation was no paid. This was an extremely serious issue and I consider this situation to be NO professionnal misconduct bordering on fraud. I would like to report to you this information as i don't want other person have the same misadventure. You should not work with this Tour Operator I paid 100% of the amount I negociated and I am still waiting for a refund. I have made report to TPA and TPU, tourism & police regulatory office in Kenya.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Untrustworthy Tour Company – Avoid SDSafaris at All Costs
I had a very disappointing and frustrating experience with SDSafaris. I trusted them with my travel plans, but unfortunately, they completely failed to deliver on what was promised.
The tour I paid for was either never provided or was drastically different from what was advertised.
Communication was poor or nonexistent once issues began to arise.
Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, I was ignored or given the runaround.
I ended up losing $3000 and there was no accountability.
I would strongly advise others to avoid this company. It feels like a scam operation. If you're looking for a reliable and professional travel experience, look elsewhere.
BG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Don’t trust Timeline Travel!!! Based on my experience, I felt scammed and completely misled
We visited South Africa in early May. We were a group of 35 people from Bulgaria and we paid Timeline Travel a total of about 81 000 USD, but we didn't get what we paid for. Mr. Andrew Machete turned out to be a brazen liar - he changed the program as he wanted. We didn't visit Chobe National Park in Botswana at all. Andrew did not provide us with a local guide except on the day of arrival. Another absurd discrepancy was the fact that no entrance fees to museums, reserves or natural landmarks were paid in advance as agreed (exepting Kruger National Park and the Apartheid Museum). This was outrageous, especially as Mr.Machete did not answer any of the phone calls, and later, even when he were with us, he kept changing the program and we had to pay the entrance fees. We spent an extra 4400 USD. Andrew repeatedly promised to refund this money, but of course this did not happen. I should also mention the vehicle we traveled in most of the time - the bus was literally falling apart, dirty, no air-condition, no microphone. One day we had to wait two hours for the bus to pick us up from the hotel.
Companies like Timeline Travel should not be allowed to provide tourism services.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Misleading, validate vehicle
I booked a tour with Valley Rock Tours through Viator based on the beautiful photos and description showing a spacious, comfortable 4*4 Jeep — which seemed perfect for a day of exploring. However, when the tour operator arrived, it was in a small, cramped, and very uncomfortable mint-colored Jeep, definitely NOT a 4x4 that looked nothing like what was advertised.
It was a complete letdown and felt misleading. The vehicle shown online was a big part of why I chose this tour in the first place, so I made the decision to cancel rather than spend hours in discomfort.
I requested a refund and was denied.
If the tour listing had been honest about the actual vehicle used, I wouldn’t have booked. This kind of bait-and-switch is incredibly disappointing and unprofessional.
Nyrsa Zayas
