CZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
abandoned with 6 Czech citizens, money stolen, police investigation, horrible safari
Booked a safari for 7 to Maasai Mara and Nakuru National park which was to start on 11th February to 14th February, Valentines day. We paid the full fee which was all inclusive, but the surprises began, we didn’t get lunch on the first day, 11th February, I contacted the owner Lilian who said clients buy their own lunch. Firstly, it had been paid for and secondly she went on to lie that we are suposed to have lunch in Maasai Mara. we were told to leave Nairobi at 9 a.m. and thanks to delays, we left at 10 a.m. and we were supposed to have lunch at 1 p.m. or even 2 p.m.?? I asked her if we were meant to have two lunches or what? She then said we would get packed lunch on our way to Nakuru?? So in fact we were getting lunch but on a different day? On the day we were going to Nakuru there was lunch at the hotel and have the packed lunch that we missed? The lies were so bad you just tell this woman was a bad liar. I asked that there be no problems from that point forward,no reply. One of the guests was ill but didn’t even have free lunch,how pathetic from Lians Travel! We got a very nice welcome at Mara Sidai and the guest went on to rest and was to miss the next day’s Safari.
12th February: we go on safari all day,packed lunch,everything was superb I must say. The sick guest was well rested and everything seemed fine with the world.
13th February: no game drive in the morning?? In the itinerary,depart from Mara for a 3 hour distance to Nakuru? That was problem number one, problem two,driver says he can’t leave because he has issues with the owner. He asks me to contact her and I do. I was furious at that point, we were standing by the roadside,having driven some distance from Maasai Mara, the driver says that he doesn’t have enough money to go to Nakuru. I called Lilian who claimed the driver was trying to sabotage her. I got confused because I and the others wondered if the driver was in fact the problem. Instead of enjoying our safari, we all became Sherlocks trying to find out who was lying to us, the driver,Lilian the owner of Lians Travel Africa? Who? After Lilian claims that the driver is trying to sabotage her, she tells me secretly to get off at Narok town. Now,are we ghosts to exit the vehicle at Narok without the driver noticing? What IQ does one need to realize that? I realized though where the problems were coming from. I tell the driver what I’ve been told,he is still visibly nervous and uncertain and I wasnt sure if we would continue with the safari, interrupt our safari and go to the police station or not. I tried to call this woman called Lilian and when she realized that the driver was listening in the call, she starts to accuse me of being in cahoots with the driver and trying to sabotage her. I am her client and I paid for the safari and she was accusing me of sabotaging her and my own safari?? What person of sound mind would come to such a conclusion? She texted me the same thing and said that since I started it,I should sort myself out. I called her,her words,” I don’t care, you started it, sort yourselves out” There were 6 foreigners in the car,some of whom cannot speak English and she was ready to ditch them in Narok, later on, that’s what she did.
Poor them, I had to explain what was going on. We were stuck between her and the unpaid driver. The driver didn’t want to leave Mara and he just couldn’t leave us stranded with our luggage. Lilian left us at the driver’s mercy, so we and the unpaid driver had to find a way to get out of this crazy mess. The person we paid the money to,Lilian, adamant and it was clear she wouldn’t help. I told her to call the driver and that I was not her go between,I was her client but she even ridiculed me and said that since I became the spokesman of the trip,i her own client,had become the object of ridicule, simply incredible how rude, how selfish and heartless a person can be! She even claimed that since I was a Kikuyu,one Kenyan tribe, I was stealing from the other foreigners too, she assumed that since I was the only black person on the safari, I was either too poor to be there or I was stealing from the other foreigners in the van,little did she know that I was with my wife and in laws and friends and not some clients I had lied too. On top of the problems, she goes on to ridicule me because of the colour of my skin and my name, JUST BECAUSE I'M BLACK, DOES IT MEAN I CANNOT AFFORD TO BUY MYSELF A SAFARI??Anyway, we pleaded with the driver to go to Narok and figure it out because it was clear she wouldn’t pay him and expected us to pay more money to finish our own trip. The driver hesitantly agreed to go since he was now operating at a loss. At this point,we may have been stuck in Maasai Mara, Narok, the side of the road, a ditch but Lilian from Lians Travel Africa had abandoned all parties and even suggested we go to the police. I told her these were my family members so I would certainly go to report her. She texted that she had left the park fees at the hotel reception and was done with us. I have the text message to prove this. We told the driver if the park fees are there, we can just fuel the car ourselves and go to Nakuru. It was either that or go to Nairobi and ruin the whole holiday without even having been to Nakuru.
We fueled in Narok, with our own money by the way, all the other travelers, all foreigners were now fully drawn into this situation, poor them, and what if they were alone left at the mercy of this heartless woman called Lilian, what would have happened then?She would have left them in Narok or in Maasai Mara with no way out of it.
We went to Nakuru and as far as we were concerned, Lians Travel Africa had no idea where we were. We went to Chester Hotel and I must say that at Chester we had such a warm welcome but they noticed something was off. We had lunch and we were curious if the park fees had indeed been sent or not and when the receptionist was calling and calling Lilian awaiting for confirmation, we just told her, “We are dealing with a conwoman here, she will not send the money,kindly avoid speaking with her”. Since we are here, and despite not having the park fees paid, we decided to pay it ourselves. The driver wanted to leave and go to Nairobi so actually we almost didn’t go because he was still operating at a loss, we had only fueled him until Nakuru so if he wanted to leave he could have. I can say it’s really not the kind of mood you want on your holiday or safari. Some didn’t go to Lake Nakuru National Park, they were already pissed off by everything, a big thanks to Lians Travel for that by the way. We went to the park, paid our own park fees, and I have the receipts to prove it. We had like one hour only in the park, from what was supposed to be like 4 hours or more, but the driver was fantastic and he was still a proper guide in spite of what was going on. Lilian has the audacity to “enquire whether we had checked in and decided to pay our own park fees” and I told her to fuck off, because seriously, after ditching us in Narok, she was waiting by her phone and calling the reception to find out if we had made it to Nakuru, how horrible, how despicable! I can’t fathom of the kind of person who would do such a thing. She even ends her messages with "Have a blessed day". i mean who does that? How terrible and cruel must you be to make fun, insult someone at the comfort of one's office without a care in the world, all while screeching at us on the phone. We went back, had dinner and reflected on the past events of the day unaware of whether our driver would return or not.
14th February: Valentines day in the worst circumstances, we wake up to the question of whether our driver is still there and luckily he was. We all just wanted to go back to Nairobi, and since Lilian had urged us to go to the police, we went to The Tourist police and spent hours telling and retelling the story and by no means did I wanna spend my time at a police station on my holiday. After a long time the OCS came and it was already apparent who the cause of the problems was, he called her up and just like she did to us, she kept on yelling and yelling, with a police officer, no respect even for the law, so as I write this, I urge, I beseech and ask that you not do business with Lians Travel Africa. That wasn’t the end, the OCS asked her to come to the police station but of course she was busy, she asked him to go to the police station, the next day and so the story continues.
15th February: 10 a.m. Did the lady show up? She didn’t. As I write this, we still have no word from her, she didn’t intend to show up at the police station, and she is playing a waiting game until we leave. Our experience with Lians Travel Africa has been nothing but disappointing, I guess no refunds are coming but the word had to come out, I write this on your behalf, the traveler that may lay eyes on Lians Travel Africa and think of doing a trip with them, I again urge, beseech and ask you to avoid this company called Lians Travel Africa headed by one Lilian Maina, she put me and my guests, all foreigners through hell after paying full fees. No refunds as of now, no word from the woman and she has refused to show to the authorities, what would she do to you and your fellow travelers, you have seen my experience, do avoid this company. You will be left on the roadside, abandoned in a foreign country if you are a foreign traveler, money stolen, trip ruined, use Lians Travel Africa at your own risk. The police investigation is still going on, as to whether it's a real company or not, she has not presented herself to the authorities and has stolen our money with no intention of returning it, she shall do the same to you, the future traveller who reads this, I am writing this review on your behalf, to save you from the agony of a ruined holiday, STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
8 days Uganda
I contacted ATA for advice on a roundtrip through Uganda. I had basically no idea, just wanted to do the gorillas. Nicholas and his team (always very responsive) put together a very compelling itenerary (that was also priced competitively). Ziwa/MNP/Kibale/QENP/Bwindi/Lake Bunyonyi. I'm glad I followed their advice regarding the lodges and things to do - it was a memorable trip. It would have been a very good journey even without the gorillas, but of course they were the icing on the cake. The schedule was well timed - we covered a lot of ground, but it made a lot of sense. In hindsight, the suggestions for particular lodges were always spot on. Kaye, the guide, was knowledgeable and a safe driver. One thing I regretted: I should have chosen one leg of the flights to/from Kigali instead of going both times through Entebbe. This might have saved some time.
I'd gladly recommend ATA to friends.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service from start to finish
From the moment I first made the enquiry with Nature Travel Namibia, nothing was too much trouble. I think we revised our itinerary about 6 times but Esmari was happy to accommodate and advise on destinations and activities. We also kept them waiting until the last minute to confirm such are the vagaries of our situation with staff travel but regardless we got exactly the holiday we wanted. Jakes was our travel guide for the 2 weeks and was totally fantastic. When we travelled around Etosha he was a mine of knowledge on the birds and animals and able to spot them at 100 meters - without Jakes I don't think we would have seen half of what we did given the time of year and vegetation
I can't recommend Nature travel Namibia enough
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Marvelous boat and land safari combined with an unexpected walk with a unique bushman
The 3-day & 2 night tour at the selous river camp was perfectly arranged with Gecko Adventure Tanzania. The package containing the flight transfers, a half-day boat safari, a full day safari in the selous reserve and a walk with a bushman was an ideal combination for a short but intense immersion in this lovely landscape. Once you have seen all or most expected birds or wild animals, the final walk with the bushman sound like an amazing and unforgettable surprise.
Many thanks to the selous river camp team. We are glad to have such an experience in these conditions and with this agency.
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience gorilla tracking
My friend and I had such a great experience with matoke tours! We organized gorilla tracking from Canada, and corresponding with matoke tour representatives made planning a breeze. They worked with our schedule to make sure we were able to fit everything in.
Even though the drive from Kampala to Mutanda lake resort was long, our guide Mugabe was an excellent driver and we made good time (we arrived in the daylight hours) and he was a super safe driver as well which can be a bit rare in Uganda!
Mutanda lake resort is beautiful and the food was amazing! I only wish we could have stayed longer.
I’ve been wanting to do the gorilla tracking for the past 4 years but never had the time/money so it was great to finally be able to cross this experience off my bucket list! It was just as amazing as I imagined!
Thanks for making this such an unforgettable experience for us!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Impressive Safari with a perfect guide
Even the safari started one day after our arrival, our guide picked us up at the airport. While and after the tour everything was organized to our interest.
The guide knows the park and the animals very well and knows the places, wehre you can often see leopards, lions etc.
All in all we are deeply contented with everything.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari Experience, catered to your budget
We spent 5 days, 4 nights touring the Serengeti, Ngorogoro Crater, and Tarangire parks. If you are strapped for time go directly to Ngorogoro because it offers the most bang for your buck, there are animals everywhere and it's a small area to cover compared to Serengeti.
Romeo was easy to work with over email to discuss options in setting up lodging and dates. Piuc our tour guide was a super cool and cheerful guy and very knowledgable about the animals and parks - he was able to bring us to the Big 5 PLUS leopards, cerval cats, and too many exotic birds to remember. Our food was better than expected from Dogo our mild mannered chef. If I had one call out it would be the sleeping arrangement. We thought we would stay on elevated cots like the website pictures, but actually had something more a long the lines of mattress pads. Not a big deal since we went the budget route, but after 4 nights it can be rough on the hips/back. All in all an amazing experience and was flexible enough to be within our price range. Serengeti shall never die!
**** BEWARE MBUGANI ARE SCAMMERS****
If I could give zero stars I would!! Dont be fooled with their website. In December 2018 I booked a safari from the UK with Mbugani Safaris and our contact Peter was very helpful and prompt in his replies via email. Even providing detailed itineraries and seemingly providing advice. We then paid in full prior to our 5 day safari (Mt Kenya, Nakuru and Mara) due in January 2019. However, on the day we were supposed to be picked for the safari the driver did not show up. When we tried to make contact with Peter via email or mobile there was no response. We then tried the company landlines and these were for a private residence. I contacted the lodges and they advised that no bookings had been made. Fortunately as I had paid via paypal I was able to make a claim for services not received. I then received an email 10 days after the no show from Peter claiming he had been involved in an accident and would also refund the balance which was paid via a credit card - to date we have still not received this refund. We are now pursuing this matter through the Kenyan police and courts. If you are looking for a genuine tour company then book with another company. On the day Mbugani safaris did not turn up and we realised we had been scammed I contacted Anthony at bonfire in Nairobi and he was able to replicate the safari that Mbugani had quoted within a couple of hours and did it cheaper!! In essence we realised we had been scammed by Mbugani by 8am and by midday we were travelling to our safari destination all thanks to Anthony at bonfire adventures.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience
I booked the 6-day Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli tour with them and I couldn't be happier with their service. Although it was a budget tour, their service was professional through and through. The communication before the trip was always prompt and detailed. The drivers/guides are experienced and patient. You can easily pay 3 times more money for a more luxurious trip and you'll see exactly the same animals. I would 100% recommend them to someone travelling on a budget and wants value for their money.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience!! Just need more clear communication with the company/tour operators
Beautiful scenery, parks and accommodation. The accommodation was very beautiful and had warm showers and amazing views. We felt like royalty. We saw elephants, lions hippos, lots of birds, lots of monkeys etc. The food was delicious and you get ALOT of delicious food.
I would recommend better communication with the tour operators and the clients. Our itinerary was changed a couple of times without our knowledge and we were a little upset with this. One of the hotels was not available and they wanted to put us in a place that had bad reviews. We did get a nice place in the end but it was a little stressful. We also felt a little pressured to tip every single guide on the gorilla trek, chimp trek and multiple community walks we went on. We spent over $4500 for the tour and didn't think we would need to tip every single person we encountered. I would suggest the tour include tips if this is necessary for Ugandan customs and cultural norms. We didn't mind tipping here and there but every single hotel staff, trekkers, boat crews and cultural guides would have cost us over $1500 USD.
Overall, we had a wonderful time and Uganda is a very beautiful and friendly country.
