BH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They do not honour their refund commitments and deliberately mislead clients.
I am extremely disappointed. They owe me my refund since November 2025. They repeatedly promised me that my refund was being processed, but it was just a deliberate stalling. They never paid me back, only gave excuses and blamed Pesapal. I asked for a wire transfer instead, and they requested my bank account details, but still the money was never transferred. This is beyond unacceptable. Definitely not recommended.
AR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible company. I Don't know how they can have 5 Stars. The Worst Safari Company.
I don’t understand how this company can have 5 stars. Unfortunately, our experience was not good, and we would not hire them again.
During the planning phase, Judith was very kind and accommodating. She put together our itinerary, accepted changes, and answered our questions. However, once the trip began, the experience changed completely.
I want to distinguish between Acram, our Spanish-speaking guide, and the safari driver, as our opinion of the two is entirely different.
- The driver’s attitude:
From the second day on, he began to show annoyance regarding the tips we left at the accommodations. He gave us a lecture in the vehicle about how much we should be tipping him and the hotel staff—a conversation that felt like a demand and made us very uncomfortable.
We have never had an issue with leaving tips, and we made sure to distribute them among the various staff members who assisted us. What bothered us was the way he demanded them; his attitude made it clear that he was primarily focused on money.
Throughout the entire safari, he never sat at the table with us—unlike other drivers, who would share those moments with their guests. We aren’t sure if it was personal, but while other groups’ guides or drivers would sit with their tourists, we were always left on our own because he never wanted to join us for meals. Furthermore, right from the start, he instructed us not to speak to him and to direct all our questions to Acram instead. His behavior was arrogant and unpleasant, and it left us feeling as though we had no real support or companionship.
- Safari schedules and duration:
While we observed other groups heading out around 6:30 AM and returning near 6:00 PM, we typically didn’t leave until 8:30 AM and would return around 4:00 PM.
WE WERE ALWAYS THE LAST ONES TO LEAVE. For the last two days, we asked to head out at 7:00 AM to make the most of the experience, but the driver kept asking us repeatedly if we were sure we wanted to leave that early. We were always the last ones to depart, and he constantly looked sleepy.
- The vehicle and the snacks
The van was old, and the snacks promised in the itinerary turned out to be nothing more than cookies and popcorn—leftovers from the packed meals provided to other tourists at the accommodations we visited. In other words, the snacks given to guests at their lodgings were simply left in the van for the next group of tourists. 🫠
On the final day, while we were on our way to the airport, another van broke down, leaving us stranded in the middle of Arusha.
- Transfer to Zanzibar:
When it was time to head to the airport for our flight to Zanzibar, the driver asked us what time our plane was leaving. We had to contact the company ourselves to confirm the departure time—something that should have been handled by them. Very unpleasant.
- Judith
She was very attentive during the planning phase, but once the trip began, she practically disappeared. She never checked in to see how the experience was going or if we needed any assistance. It felt as though the support ended the moment the payment was made.
The highlight of our experience: Acram
We want to give a special mention to Acram, our Spanish-speaking guide. He was kind and incredibly knowledgeable about the animals and the environment. Thanks to him, we were able to learn so much more and truly enjoy the places we visited.
ALSO, ON THE LAST DAY, THE VAN CAUGHT FIRE—WITH US INSIDE! WE HAD TO START SCREAMING JUST TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE.
Conclusion
The experience fell far short of our expectations, particularly due to the driver’s attitude, the scheduling, the duration of the outings, and the condition of the vehicle.
We paid a significant amount and expected a level of service to match. It is not about an unwillingness to tip or a desire for unnecessary luxuries; rather, it is about being treated with respect, having good organization, and being able to fully enjoy the experience. We felt a great deal of contempt from the driver toward us.
We would not book with Full Package Adventures again, nor would we recommend them. Given the price we paid, we expected much more—especially in terms of how we were treated. The only real highlight was the work of Acram, our guide. I cannot write any more, as anything else I might add would not be positive.
(automatic translation from Spanish)
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very disappointing experience with Johills – deposit ultimately refunded in full
In June 2026, we booked a fully organised 14-day private safari for six adults in Botswana with Johills Travel Agency, scheduled for April 2027. We paid a deposit of approximately €4,740. Johills confirmed receipt and assured us that preparations and reservations would begin.
Unfortunately, the problems started with the very first quotations and invoices. These repeatedly contained errors, including incorrect travel dates, activities assigned to the wrong locations, and even an invoice bearing another customer's name and an entirely different tour description. I constantly had to check documents myself, identify mistakes and request corrections. The biggest problem, however, was the lack of visible progress with our reservations over several months.
Our original itinerary included five nights at Chobe Game Lodge, two nights at Planet Baobab, three nights at Khwai Hippo Pool and three nights at Camp Xakanaxa. These were the accommodations on which the proposed safari package was based. Despite paying our deposit in June 2026 and being assured that preparations would begin, we still had not received satisfactory booking confirmations months later. Ultimately, Johills failed to secure a single one of the four accommodations originally promised to us.
A major turning point was when I contacted Planet Baobab directly. In September 2026, their reservations team confirmed in writing that they had received nothing from Johills regarding our proposed booking. I found this extremely concerning, as Johills had promised months earlier that reservations would begin. In October, Friedrich then informed us that Planet Baobab only had availability for one of our two requested nights. He also disputed the information I had received directly from Planet Baobab. To my surprise, I was then able to book both of our originally planned nights, 10–12 April 2027, directly with Planet Baobab within a single day. I cannot know exactly what Johills had done in the meantime, but this sequence of events seriously undermined my trust.
Only when I started pressing more firmly for clarity and concrete solutions did various alternative accommodations begin to appear. Friedrich sent Booking.com confirmations for hotels and lodges that differed considerably from our original itinerary. Every one of these reservations was free to cancel, and they were bookings I could just as easily have made myself as an ordinary customer. There is nothing inherently wrong with refundable reservations. However, after months without convincing confirmations for the original accommodations, these bookings offered me very little reassurance. They could, after all, be cancelled again without charge. By then, my confidence had already been seriously damaged, partly because of the information I had received directly from Planet Baobab. The constant changes to accommodations and arrangements continued, without a clear and reliable overall itinerary emerging.
One striking example was the sudden addition of an overnight stay in Maun. Without any prior discussion, a hotel in Maun suddenly appeared among Johills' proposals. Originally, we were supposed to spend our final night at Camp Xakanaxa and travel to Maun the following day for our return flight. An overnight stay in Maun had never been part of our agreement. Johills proposed, among other options, The Three Tree Hotel: three standard rooms for six people, costing less than €150 in total for one night. This was a completely different type of accommodation from the safari lodges in our original itinerary. Although we were eventually willing to accept an overnight stay in Maun, this did not mean that we automatically considered every proposed hotel suitable. Our main frustration was the way arrangements kept changing without clear explanations or prior consultation.
The travel logistics were also inconvenient from the outset. Before booking our flights, I had suggested flying directly to Victoria Falls, as this would be the first destination on our trip. However, Johills advised us to fly into Kasane because of our planned five-night stay at Chobe Game Lodge. Although that route was less practical, we accepted it because of the beautiful accommodation and because Johills would be arranging all transportation. When Johills subsequently failed to secure Chobe Game Lodge, we were left with flights to Kasane. We now have to arrange and pay for additional transfers from Kasane to Victoria Falls and then back into Botswana. This means unnecessary travel time, an additional border crossing and extra transport costs, even though I had suggested a more logical route before we booked our flights.
Quad biking on the Makgadikgadi salt pans, which had been included in our itinerary from the beginning, also led to considerable discussion and uncertainty. An alternative near Maun was even suggested. Johills eventually stated that the original activity had been arranged, but only after extensive correspondence. Throughout the entire process, we genuinely tried to make the trip work. We were willing to accept considerably less luxurious accommodations because the safari experience itself mattered more to us than luxury.
Eventually, I offered to book and pay for certain accommodations directly myself. I was increasingly worried that suitable accommodation would become unavailable and wanted some certainty about where we would be staying. I was also reluctant to transfer any more money to Johills while so many arrangements remained unclear. This was entirely my own initiative. It certainly did not mean that we wanted to take over the organisation of the entire trip. That was precisely why we had hired a travel company in the first place.
On 18 October 2026, Johills informed us that the original itineraries were essentially no longer valid and that we should arrange accommodation and activities ourselves. This was a far cry from the fully organised safari we had booked. On 19 October 2026, we therefore terminated the agreement and requested a refund of our deposit. To be fair, Johills ultimately refunded our entire deposit of €4,740. I appreciate that Friedrich honoured his commitment, and I believe it is important to acknowledge this.
However, the refund does not erase the time, uncertainty and stress this experience caused me. This special family holiday is intended to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. What should have been an enjoyable planning experience turned into months of checking, chasing answers, discussing changes and searching for solutions. In the end, I organised the entire trip myself, alongside my full-time job. After two weeks of intensive email correspondence, I had arranged the accommodations, activities, transfers and other logistics. It took an enormous amount of time and energy, but remarkably, I achieved more certainty in those two weeks than I had during almost four months of dealing with Johills. I now have direct contact with the providers, know exactly what has been agreed, and can finally look forward to our holiday with peace of mind and confidence.
We never actually travelled with Johills, so I cannot comment on their guides or the quality of their safaris. My review relates solely to our personal experience with the planning process, communication, reservations and agreed arrangements.
Despite receiving our deposit back in full, based on our experience, I would not recommend Johills Travel Agency.
FR
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Run away from this agency
We used this agency in AUGUST 2026 for our safari in Tanzania, and I strongly advise against them because in my experience they are dishonest and unprofessional. First, we had booked a French-speaking guide and ended up with an English-speaking guide. Then they made a mistake with the booking date for a hot air balloon flight! As far as we know, they received a refund from a provider in August, and despite our numerous follow-ups, we still haven’t been refunded the amount of €960. No response from them at all. On top of that, their vehicles are in a pathetic state. This was my second safari, but I will never recommend Congema again.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely disappointing experience – Refund still outstanding
I am extremely disappointed with my experience with Lush Africa Safaris. I booked and paid for a safari, but had to cancel well in advance of the scheduled departure, in accordance with the cancellation conditions applicable to my booking.
Although the company acknowledged my cancellation, I am still waiting for my full refund. I have sent numerous emails and made repeated attempts to resolve this matter amicably, but I have received nothing but delays and explanations about problems with PayPal and third-party providers.
I have been patient and cooperative throughout this process, yet the issue remains unresolved. What concerns me most is the lack of a clear solution, reliable communication and accountability. Customers should not have to spend weeks chasing a company to recover money they are entitled to have refunded.
I have now escalated the payment dispute with my card provider and am pursuing formal complaints through the relevant channels.
Based on my experience, I would strongly advise anyone considering booking with Lush Africa Safaris to carefully review the cancellation and refund terms and consider the risks before making a payment.
A professional company should handle cancellations transparently, communicate clearly and resolve refund requests promptly. Unfortunately, this has not been my experience with Lush Africa Safaris.
65+ years of age
Untrustworthy
We had been really excited to be going to Kenya, booked through a reputable UK holiday company.
Sadly from the start of our holiday things did not go right.
Having arrived at our hotel in Nairobi we discovered that a room had not been reserved for our first night there.
It was resolved and we could have accepted the fact that mistakes happen, however when it came to leaving along with many other tourists, who were all boarding various vehicles, it was so disorganized, first being told vehicle no: *, then another vehicle no, then changed again. When we got outside with our bags we were shown to one vehicle, then told it was another, then told yet again it was another.
This was how things started out and yes they did get better but they also got a lot worse, when we were asked by the driver to pay an extra $30 each to go on a visit to a Masai village, which was part of an afternoon safari. We pointed out that it was included on our paperwork and even showed the driver there and then. We wanted to do the safari but were not interested in the visiting the village (as I have worked in Africa many times and been to places like this previously). We were then told $20 each and that we could not go on the afternoon safari without visiting the village. So we were dropped off back at the Zebra Plains Mara lodge. We immediately contacted our travel agent. The following day all the other guests who had paid for the visit to the village were told they would be refunded their $30 each. We received an apology from the lead driver and a bottle of wine, (which sounds good), but the reality was we'd paid for an afternoon safari for that day, as part of our holiday package and never received it. A single day safari costs a lot more than 1 bottle of wine! We were told by the lead driver that we would be refunded for the afternoon missed but have never received that refund. The whole point of going on a holiday like that is to be able to see the animals. 1 day missed to us, was 1 day missed where perhaps we may have seen a Leopard perhaps!! What happened in regard to the driver wanting to charge us extra was to us, an attempt to get extra money from the tourists, with our driver being directed by someone else, therefore I would warn anybody thinking about booking through this company to think again and look elsewhere. I would not be writing this had we been refunded properly. There were other issues also which we haven't mentioned here and we did tell all this to the Pollman's rep, (Timothy), at the end of our holiday at the Pinewood resort, who said he would email the Nairobi office.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We believe we were scammed
We booked a full-day excursion in Nairobi, which was supposed to include the following: a 4x4 vehicle with a driver, pre-booked entry tickets for the Giraffe Centre and the elephant orphanage, a safari in the national park, a French-speaking guide (for an additional fee), a picnic, and bottled water for the day. Payment was made in advance.
In the end:
- There was no food or bottled water provided (this was an excursion with two children, aged 5 and 7, in 40°C/104°F heat).
- The "French-speaking" guide did not actually speak French (I had to translate from English into French for my children).
- The tickets had not been pre-booked: we missed the start of the elephant feeding session (an activity that only lasts one hour and takes place during a single daily time slot), and we had to coordinate with the driver to pay for the tickets ourselves, because the owner of Akira had taken our money without actually booking them.
Despite our complaint, we received no refund or any form of compensation. I strongly advise against using Akira.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari not delivered as planned; promised refund not received
I booked a seven-day Kenya safari for my wife and myself through Inspired Budget Safaris, represented by Lina Margaret. On 3 August 2026, I paid USD 630 through the DPO Pay payment link provided for the booking.
Our safari was scheduled for 10–16 October 2026. After arriving in Nairobi, I repeatedly tried to contact Lina to confirm the arrangements. I also contacted the accommodation properties listed in the itinerary and was informed that bookings had not been made in our names.
We were left uncertain about whether the safari would take place and had to arrange an alternative at short notice, resulting in additional expense and disruption to our trip.
On 7 October, Lina acknowledged in writing that my deposit remained owed and asked me to wait until 12 October for a refund. I gave her the additional time requested, but the promised refund did not arrive.
I have retained the payment confirmation, itinerary and message history. I am pursuing the matter through the relevant payment provider and authorities.
Based on my experience, I would strongly advise prospective travellers to independently verify all accommodation bookings and obtain reliable written confirmation before relying on this operator. I hope the company provides a proper explanation and resolves the outstanding refund.
TW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My friend and I have not yet received a refund.
James, the general manager of the travel agency, acknowledged that he would refund us the price difference ($505) resulting from the downgrade in our hotel accommodation. Despite his repeated promises regarding a payment date, he has continually delayed the process; a month has now passed, and we still have not received the refund. I feel that his word cannot be trusted, and I am deeply disappointed.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest
Africa Flash McTours and Travel, specifically its owner Peter, took what should have been a most memorable safari for my wife and I and made it a horrific memory of our experience. After much research, inclusive of quoting several companies and reading reviews, we booked a 3 day, 2 night safari in Amboseli National Park with this company. We paid our 90% deposit two months before our departure date and the balance one week before departure. African Flash booked our accommodations at the Ol Tukai Lodge.
The safari and stay at the lodge were outstanding. Our driver/guide, Martin was awesome. He made sure we had a wonderful safari experience from the start as he picked us up at our hotel in Nairobi and drove us 5 hours to the park. Our horrific experience started when we checked out and looked to start our journey back to Nairobi.
Our guide, Martin informed us that Peter had not paid the lodge for our stay and that the management was not permitting us to leave until they received payment. It was at that moment that I received a call from Peter apologizing for the inconvenience and stating that he was working to settle the account. He started to intimate that I could help him by paying the Lodge a balance due. I stopped him and stated that I would not pay anything additional as I had prepaid the full amount.
Our departure delay continued for over three hours as Peter continued to make false promises that the matter would be resolved with 15 minutes, then 30 minutes…. I engaged with the Ol Tukai manager and provided him with a copy of my paid in full invoice. While apologetic he told me the lodge’s policy was not to release our vehicle and driver and thus us until the account was settled as Peter had not paid anything towards our stay. I called the US Embassy in Nairobi and had them engaged with the lodge manager. While they have no enforcement authority in the country they did explain to the manager that they had no right to hold U.S. citizens from departing their property for an account balance they did not owe. The conversation had no impact on resolving the situation (I’ll reserve further comments on what I consider the hostage holding policy of Ol Tukai Lodge for my review of that establishment)
To me, Peter continued to lie about settling the account for over another hour. The only recourse we had was to hire another transport company to take us on the 5 hour trip back to Nairobi. So, we departed Amboseli disgusted with African Flash McTours. We took our guide with us as Peter was willing to have him stay in Amboseli with the vehicle that Ol Tukai lodge was preventing from leaving.
There are dozens of Safari companies to choose from in Kenya. I would run away from this company. One final point, I did receive a refund from Peter for the cost of the transport to Nairobi, but that in no way makes up for the horrific 4 hour hostage experience we endured.