65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wildside Kenya Safaris cannot be trusted
Having had the same excellent safari driver/guide for many years through a company that has ceased trading, we were anxious to retain him for another holiday. With our approval, he booked us with Wildside Kenya Safaris for a week in the Maasai Mara in early April. We paid the deposit and it was agreed we could pay the balance upon arrival at Nairobi airport. We duly handed USD4,048 to the proprietor of Wildside. We were spending the week at the same lodge and, when we were due to leave, were informed that the lodge had not been paid by Wildside. Our safari driver/guide was visibly shaken and upset - he was in no position to pay it himself. Both he and the lodge staff tried persistently to contact the proprietor of Wildside by 'phone without success. There was either no answer or the 'phone was turned off. There was no alternative to our driver/guide asking us to pay the lodge. We paid USD9,018 by card. We then realised that our driver/guide had also not been paid for his services and expenses for the trip. This was devastating for us all. All the money we had paid to Wildside Kenya Safaris had been retained illegally by the proprietor. We now need to investigate and find out what action we can take from the UK to get our money back. We are frankly disgusted and appalled by the behaviour of the proprietor of Wildside.
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Disappointing communication - Ghosted
A reputable tour operator should be available to reassure and guide their clients, but Great Lake Safaris just went silent. It feels very unprofessional and untrustworthy.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest and money hungry people
Horrible experience. 2nights 1 day safari very unorganized and safari driver could care less that we spent only 2 hrs in safari and only 40 minutes was actual driving. Lodging had no power expect for 1/2 hrs each day. Waste of time and money
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Took our money and went offline
they stopped answering emails once the money was transferred.
the website went offline.
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This review is provided as a factual account of my experience with safari organiser Samual Namu Ntg
This review is provided as a factual account of my experience with safari organiser Samual Namu Ntg and is intended to inform other travellers.
We entered into an agreement for a safari trip beginning on 23 January 2026, with planning commencing on 2 October 2025. During the booking process, communication was clear and professional. Based on these representations, we paid an initial deposit and subsequently, in December 2025, an additional 25% deposit, which was stated to be required for securing accommodation and related services.
Upon arrival in Nairobi, we were met as agreed, and the trip initially appeared to proceed as planned. At that time, we paid the remaining balance in cash. No official receipt or written confirmation of this final payment was provided, despite the significant amount involved.
On the following day, we were informed that the funds had allegedly been “lost” and that certain essential services — specifically entry fees for Lake Nakuru and Amboseli National Parks — had not been paid, notwithstanding prior assurances that these costs were included in the agreed package.
In order to mitigate disruption to our यात्रा, we were compelled to make additional payments of approximately $800 to cover these park fees.
We were explicitly assured that this amount would be reimbursed. However, despite numerous follow-up requests over an extended period, no refund has been received. Instead, we have encountered repeated delays, inconsistent explanations, and unfulfilled commitments, including a stated deadline for repayment by the end of March 2026, which has not been honoured.
While certain aspects of the safari itself were delivered as described, the failure to account for funds paid and the lack of reimbursement for additional expenses represent a serious breach of trust and raise concerns regarding business practices.
Prospective clients are strongly advised to exercise due diligence, insist on formal documentation for all payments, and verify that all services are fully prepaid and confirmed in writing.
This statement reflects our direct experience and is shared in good faith for the benefit of other travellers.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Based on my experience, this tour operator is completely unreliable. They failed to uphold any trust
I experienced a significant financial loss of $2,150 while booking with Journeymark Tours & Travel. I was in contact with employees via official company email addresses, through which I received payment instructions. After I transferred the funds and received an initial confirmation, the company later claimed the payment was never received and no booking existed.
While the Kenya police investigated the matter, they were unable to recover the funds as they had been diverted to an account in Nigeria. This points to a severe breach of their internal communication security or official email channels. Despite my efforts and the involvement of SafariBookings, the matter remains unresolved and the funds have not been reimbursed.
This has been a devastating experience that led to the cancellation of a long-planned trip. I advise any traveler considering this operator to be extremely cautious and to double-verify all payment instructions through multiple channels before transferring any funds.
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad experience.
⚠️ Warning – I want to warn other travellers and share my experience with Samuel Namu Ntg (safari organiser).
We started planning our trip on 02.10.2025. At the beginning, communication was very good, everything went smoothly and we trusted him. After paying the first deposit, we received confirmations and were told everything would be arranged.
Before Christmas 2025, we were asked to pay an additional 25% deposit, as it was said this was needed to book hotels and other services.
Our trip started on 23.01.2026. When we arrived in Nairobi, he met us, everything seemed fine, and we felt happy and confident about our choice.
We paid the remaining balance in cash, but we did not receive any official receipt.
The next morning, we received a message saying the money was lost, and we were told that Lake Nakuru and Amboseli parks were not paid, even though earlier we were told everything was included. To avoid ruining our trip, we paid for these parks again.
We were promised a refund, but we still have not received any money. It has been quite a long time, and we are only getting promises and different explanations. Each time we ask, we are told to “give one more month” – including a promise to pay by the end of March, which has also passed.
I was actually planning to leave a good review, as many parts of the trip were well organised and enjoyable. However, this situation has been very disappointing.
I am sharing part of our conversation as proof.
I am sharing this experience to warn others, please be very careful and always ask for official payment confirmation.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible NTG experience
NTG was a bad experience for me
Im a Solo travel and I never had a terrible time at the time to checkout. Hotel was charging some money
NTG Sammy don't want to pay difference so I can leave the hotel my last day.
I finished paying 14, 699 ksh so the hotel let me go and stop in tourist Mombasa Police Station to report him.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Worst experience I've had in a long time
I honestly wish I could give this operator zero stars. There's absolutely no reliability here. We felt treated like an inconvenience rather than a priority on our trip in January. Jumping around like parcels here and there, without any kind of professionalism or care for us. The worst thing: Selective listening seems to be the standard here; they only pay attention when it's in their best interest ($). Take positive reviews with a grain of salt, as most of these are clearly staged and written by the tour operator's own staff to inflate the score. See the pictures, you'll see the same faces and the same animals all around.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Poor commercial attitude and no refund despite force majeure
My experience with Great Lake Safari was extremely disappointing. I had booked and paid for chimpanzee tracking, but my entire trip had to be cancelled due to the tense political situation during Uganda’s presidential election. This was a genuine force majeure event, completely outside my control.
Instead of showing understanding, the company refused to refund the unused activity and only offered a credit note. For a safari operator, this is a very poor commercial attitude. In such exceptional circumstances, flexibility and customer care should be the minimum. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and I cannot recommend them based on how they handled this situation.