TW
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unprofessional and Dishonest Company - Refusing to Refund My $1,200
I recommend you do not book with this operator! I am writing this to warn all international tourists. After a cancellation, this agency agreed to a refund schedule, but they have consistently delayed the remaining $1,200 payment.
They keep making up fake excuses about the central bank and technical issues, yet they refuse to provide any official SWIFT wire transfer receipts. They read messages and go completely silent when asked for financial proof.
A case has already been lodged with the TRA (Tourism Regulatory Authority). Save your money and your peace of mind—book with a legitimate, honest operator instead. This company cannot be trusted.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not book
Do not book with this woman or company.
If I could give 0 stars, I would.
I am extremely disappointed with my experience.
I paid for a safari in good faith, but after it was cancelled I had to spend days chasing my refund. Despite repeated promises that the money had been sent, I was left waiting with very little communication and only received part of the refund. I am still waiting for the remaining balance.
This completely overshadowed what should have been a special family holiday and my birthday. Instead of enjoying my time with my family, I spent it worrying about getting my money back and constantly checking my bank account.
Having over £500 tied up unexpectedly put me under significant financial pressure while I was away, and the stress it caused was overwhelming.
No customer should have to chase their own money like this. I sincerely hope nobody else has to go through the same experience.
I will continue to write this review everywhere and every month until I receive my refund. She might comment saying she has sent it and I'm lying. I am not! I have all the proof.
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Don't deal with this business.
Very efficient at GETTING car rental deposit. Then, when trip was cancelled due to Ebola caused travel restrictions, very slow to respond and only returned part of the deposit, despite cancelling FIVE weeks in advance. Airline gave returned full price of tickets. Hotel returned full deposit. EVERY car rental company ever dealt with returns any and all money deposited if the rental is cancelled a day or three in advance. Lesson learned. Don't deal with this business.
IL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
very nice tour
Good nice trip
This guy doesn't he was good - Lucas to the right position for any event that occur in the Safari.
For improvement – I expect the tour guide to provide more information and be active and proactive, and not just answer questions like a passive tour guide.
The tour guide Rahim is an excellent driver, drives safely, and his main advantage is that he made great efforts to bring us to active and interesting points within the safari. When we reached an interesting and active point, he made sure to take us to an interesting location where you can see a lot of things compared to other vehicles
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Be very careful booking with this company.
I rarely write negative reviews, but I feel obligated to share our experience with Shadows of Africa.
My 15-year-old son and I booked a safari and Zanzibar vacation with the expectation of a premium, well-planned experience. We communicated our expectations clearly before booking and trusted that the itinerary would reflect what was promised. Unfortunately, that was not our experience.
With the exception of our final safari stay at Tembo Tembo Camp and our outstanding guide, Gerald, this trip was a tremendous disappointment.
At our first lodge, we were forgotten at dinner. No one came to pick us up, so my son and I went without dinner that evening. The room was also not clean. At another lodge, the accommodations were so cold that we left within minutes because they were simply not suitable. Throughout the trip, when we reached out to our travel advisor for help, we felt our concerns were not taken seriously and were not resolved.
Our current resort in Zanzibar has been the biggest disappointment. In our opinion, it is far below the standard that was represented to us. The property is unclean, the food has been poor, and it does not reflect the quality of vacation we believed we had purchased.
My son and I travel internationally many times each year, including to developing countries, so our disappointment is not based on unrealistic expectations. It is based on the gap between what we were promised and what was delivered.
The one bright spot of our trip was Gerald, our safari guide. He was professional, knowledgeable, kind, and truly exceptional. Tembo Tembo Camp was also excellent and demonstrated the level of quality we expected throughout the trip.
I sincerely hope Shadows of Africa takes this feedback seriously. We invested a significant amount of money in this vacation and expected much better planning, accommodations, communication, and customer service. Unfortunately, based on our experience, I cannot recommend the company.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not serious
In September 2025, I booked a tour for June 2026.
One week before my arrival, I sent an email... and received a reply saying the tour was canceled, supposedly due to Ebola !
As if they couldn't have warned me sooner !
If I had arrived without sending an email, I would have been completely stranded without an agency !
For a supposedly reputable agency, this is unacceptable.
They couldn't find me a French-speaking guide, or even an English-speaking one... while I found another agency with a French-speaking guide, and Ebola was never an issue.
Even the Ugandan Ministry of Tourism says travel is permitted. The worst part is that I've been fighting for a refund for almost a month: they keep promising me a 2-month processing time.
The worst part is that I’ve been fighting to get a refund for nearly a month : I was promised a 2-to-3-week timeframe, then after four weeks I was told "soon," then told a hotel refund was missing and I had to wait another week... there’s always an excuse, but no money back !
Anyway, I’ll let you be the judge, but this is neither professional nor reassuring !
There are other agencies that are far better and more reliable.
Alexandre
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad experience with Greg Adventures
We were scheduled on a 3 days safari tour with Greg Adventures.
On May 19, 2026, while exiting the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the safari vehicle suffered a mechanical failure, causing a delay of over two hours. Despite clear concerns regarding roadworthiness, the vehicle was not replaced.
Later that same day, while traveling within the Serengeti National Park, the vehicle lost control and overturned.
As a result:
Two passengers sustained significant injuries, including:
Deep lacerations requiring more than 20 stitches
Three fractured ribs and head injury
All passengers were exposed to significant risk and experienced trauma as a result of the accident
Following the accident, the driver:
Failed to assess or verify the condition of passengers
Failed to provide or offer first aid
Failed to activate timely emergency response procedures
Passengers were forced to administer emergency care themselves, including controlling severe bleeding, until rangers and ambulance services arrived approximately two hours later.
No effective use of basic safety equipment or emergency preparedness measures was observed.
These failures constitute, in our view, a serious breach of the duty of care expected of a licensed safari operator.
As a direct consequence of the incident:
The safari was terminated at the end of the first day, and services were not delivered (accommodation, meals, etc.).
Injured passengers required urgent medical treatment and were unable to continue travel. Therefore, it was not possible to travel the following day to reach an alternative accommodation.
Due to the remote location and late hour, we incurred unavoidable accommodation costs (USD $500 per room for the first night and $750 USD for the second night), in addition to medical and related expenses.
The police report contains material inaccuracies, including:
Incorrect date of the accident
Incorrect number of passengers
Mischaracterization of injuries as "minor"
Passenger statements were not collected, and the report appears to rely solely on the driver's account
These issues raise concerns regarding accuracy, transparency, and proper incident documentation.
So be aware of this incident before booking a safari tour with Greg Adventures.
DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY
I was really pleased with the communication and work by this company when I booked a luxury 4 night tour in a suite in Sabi Sands and paid my deposit 11 months in advance.
Up until I arrived at the accommodation- they had not booked the accommodation they sold me - instead of being in a suite with four solid walls, king size bed, bathroom with shower and bank plus indoor and outdoor seating area I was in a tent with not even enough space to pull my case between the bed and the tent walls.
For anyone this is completely unacceptable but As a lone female traveller dropped somewhere I was not expecting with absolutely no communication on the ‘mix up’ prior to arriving I personally feel this is even worse.
When I contacted them they said it was a mistaken their part and looking back I can pretty much narrow down the point where they changed my booking as I shared the accomodation link of where I was ‘booked’ with two friends just five days prior - but after I arrived they had changed the link and the name had changed.
Not only was the accommodation of a completely different set up than what I had booked but the original booking was fully all inclusive which it still stated on the booking link - whereas the place I stayed charged for all drinks including bottled water.
They offered to cover my bar bill - which they did, and also paid for two additional excursions and they said they would refund me the cost of my accommodation but still four weeks later I have received no refund and no comms - they ignore my messages.
The poor staff at the wrong resort (who were absolutely wonderful to me) had to deal with Cape Town tour’s fallout - I was crying for several hours not knowing what had happened.
To make matters worse all of my safaris started and ended at the accommodation I had originally booked so I got to see how perfect it was. This also meant getting up an hour earlier every day to travel there and eating an hour later at night after returning.
If they had communicated the error before I arrived I would have been disappointed but would have accepted the error - the complete lack of communication on their error when they realised they had made it is totally unacceptable.
DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS TOUR COMPANY IF YOU EXPECT TO STAY IN THE ACCOMMODATION YOU BOOKED 11 MONTHS IN ADVANCE
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible Experience! Unreasonable Itinerary, Forced Seat Changes, and Refusal to Refund
Terrible Experience! Unreasonable Itinerary, Forced Seat Changes, and Refusal to Refund
My experience on this 8-day tour was extremely disappointing due to several major issues:
Unreasonable Itinerary & Hidden Costs: Many attractions require extra payments. For example, at Lake Naivasha, if you don't pay for the additional activities, there is absolutely nothing else to do but sit and wait. The time arrangement was completely wasted.
Forced Seat Changes & Cramped Space: Our group of 7 traveled in the same vehicle with a lot of luggage. We were originally seated in the front, but the agency suddenly added two new passengers who took our seats. We were forced to move to the back row, which was extremely cramped and uncomfortable.
Poor Customer Service & Refusal to Refund: Due to these terrible experiences, we requested to shorten the 8-day itinerary to 6 days and get a partial refund. After negotiating with the agency for half a day, they stubbornly refused to return any money.
Overall, it was a very frustrating trip. I strongly advise future travelers to be cautious when booking with this agency.
SE
Warning! Do not use Cheng Ngong Tours
From our experience, I suggest you do not book with Cheng Gong Tours!
28th of December 2025 my friend and I was going for a 6 days safari with Cheng gong tours. There had been a lot of problems prior to our departure with changing of prices to much higher prices all the time with different excuses. We finally agreed on the price and payed half through bank transfer and then we payed the rest in cash when the driver came to pick us.
The driver seemed to be intoxicated or high because he was driving fast and reckless.
This resulted in a CAR CRASH where we almost died. The car flipped on the side and slided several hundreds of meters before it stopped. I was severely injured and my friend was hurt too. There was no ambulance and no police that came to help but we had help from other safari companies to get out of the vehicle.
This is when the problems started for real.
The company CHENG GONG TOURS REFUSED TO PAY OUR MONEY BACK even though we almost died. They have been lying and betraying us since that very day and done all they can to NOT COMPENSATE us.
I believe Cheng Gong tours is the worst company in all off Kenya. If you want to stay alive then don't book
I am still suffering from my injuries after 5 months and I have tried to be nice and I have tried to threaten them but they don’t care. I’m in the process of hiring a lawyer now and also filing a police report for endangering my life, or even premeditated murder since they sent an intoxicated driver. They stole $3100 from us and left of on the side of the road with no help at all. A private person had to take us to the hospital and then we contacted SOS International and they sent flying doctors to pick me up and fly me and my friend to Nairobi. The accident was in Narok.
Update: people are asking why we went with an intoxicated driver and why you can’t see more injuries, so here is more detail for those that don’t believe me:
He seemed fine at the start of the journey and then we noticed that he was driving to fast and we asked him to slow down and take it easy. When we came to our first stop at Narok we went to a cafe and the driver went his own way. After that he seemed less okay and started to drive really recklessly and I think he might have been smoking weed or something by then since it was very obvious that he was really reckless and he was about to go off the road and hit a lot of women and children when my friend shouted out: what are you doing? That is when he snapped to it and turned the vehicle so hard to the right side of the road that he lost control and it flipped on the left side where I was sitting so I hit the ground really hard and got very injured (internally so you can’t see it on the pictures). I broke my elbow, got a sever head trauma and dislocated my hip so it will never be okay again and also hurt my shoulder. I have constant pain since the accident.