CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our Kenya & Tanzania Safari Turned Into a NIGHTMARE
It has been 10 days since I finished my Kenya + Tanzania Safari trip. I still can’t get over what happened in Kenya, and I’ve been losing sleep over it. So I decided to write this down.
I started officially planning my Safari trip in October 2025 and discussed the itinerary with more than 15 travel agencies. Lincons from RAMESA ADVENTURE replied the fastest and could basically meet all our requests during communication, so we chose REMESA. But to my great disappointment, we made the wrong choice 💔
Our trip lasted 10 days, and many unpleasant things happened. The most unforgivable issues are:
1. Both spare tires on our Tanzania vehicle were unusable!!
Poor road conditions on Safari often lead to flat tires or getting stuck, which I consider normal. We even got stuck and had a flat tire once in Kenya, and everyone stayed calm.
But near Ngorongoro Crater, after our tire blew out, the driver tried two spare tires in a row — both were useless. One spare tire didn’t even have any tread left!
I really don’t understand how the vehicle was inspected before departure. Why was such a spare tire even kept?
The driver borrowed a spare from another vehicle, but we got another flat tire inside Ngorongoro Crater. In the end, even changing the tire didn’t fix the problem. We had to be escorted out of the park by Ngorongoro’s official vehicles. We barely had any meaningful Safari time that day.
2. REMESA changed our guide without consulting us — the new guide couldn’t find animals or solve problems!
When we paid the deposit in November, we confirmed with Lincons that our guide in Kenya would be Felix. Our itinerary was a loop: Kenya → Tanzania → Kenya.
When we returned to Kenya from Tanzania and arrived at customs, I called Felix but he didn’t answer. I contacted Lincons to tell him we had arrived, and only then did he inform us that they had changed our guide to Mark.
We reached customs at 10:00 AM, and Lincons said Mark was already waiting for us.
After finishing immigration at 10:40 AM, Mark was nowhere to be found.
We called Mark 7 times. He kept lying, saying “20 minutes away”, “10 minutes away”, “stuck in traffic”, making us wait from 10:40 AM until 12:30 PM!!
Later Lincons told us Mark had overslept and was lying the whole time.
Mark was clearly an incompetent driver. He didn’t even have a radio or walkie-talkie in his car.
We saw almost nothing in Amboseli. To avoid work, he took us to a restaurant to rest, claiming the animals hadn’t come out yet.
His driving inside the park was completely unplanned.
We later learned from friends that a cheetah hunt happened in Amboseli that day. Even if we might not have made it in time, Mark clearly had no idea — because he didn’t communicate with other drivers at all.
3. RAMESA failed to pay the off-road vehicle owner, leaving us stranded at the hotel and nearly missing our flight!
On our final day, the itinerary was from Amboseli to Nairobi Airport for our flight back to China.
After we loaded all our luggage into the SUV, Mark refused to drive.
His communication skills were terrible — he wouldn’t explain what was wrong.
Only after the hotel intervened did we find out: RAMESA had not settled the payment with the vehicle owner, who remotely locked the car’s engine, making it impossible to start (I’m not sure if remote locking is real).
Keep in mind we had already paid the full amount in cash before the trip started.
We called Lincons more than 10 times, but he didn’t answer or reply to any messages.
Afraid of missing our flight, we had to pay Mark the $250 that RAMESA supposedly owed the vehicle owner, just so he would take us to the airport.
Two hours later, Mark returned the $250, saying RAMESA had finally paid.
But this situation was completely unacceptable — we nearly missed our entire trip home!
There were other problems too:
Several camps we stayed at had almost no hot water.
We repeatedly asked for three bean bags before departure, but we never got them the entire trip.
We had been so excited for this Safari before we left. But after all these terrible experiences, I’m sharing this to help others choose a travel agency more carefully.
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Stuck in mainland Tanzania with kids
We booked a safari with Hello Tanzania in February 2026. Unfortunately, the experience was affected by several serious operational issues.
On the second day of the safari, park entry was delayed because the park fees had apparently not been paid. The company stated there was a problem with the park system, but both park staff and other guides at the gate indicated that this was not the case.
In addition, the return flights that were part of our package were never confirmed despite repeated requests before and during the trip. Because of this, we ultimately had to purchase new tickets ourselves in order to return home (approx. 1038 USD).
The company later acknowledged the situation in writing and promised reimbursement within three days. That deadline has now passed and no payment has been received.
The matter has been formally registered with the Zanzibar police (case reference MAZ/RB/576/2026).
I hope the company resolves this situation and honors their written commitment. I will update this review if the reimbursement is completed.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The guide stole from me!
I beliive these people are deceptive, who stole money by pick pocketing me during a tour
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very Disappointing Experience
Our experience with Soul of Tanzania was extremely disappointing. What was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime safari trip travelling with friends who were celebrating their honeymoon turned into a stressful and poorly managed situation.
Despite paying the full tour cost upfront, a large part of the Tanzanian portion of the itinerary was never delivered due to civil unrest and a government-mandated border closure, so circumstances completely outside of our control. Rather than working toward a fair outcome, the company placed the financial responsibility entirely on us.
As a result, we lost over USD $10,000 for services that were never provided, and were even charged for add-ons that we never received. When we asked for a refund for the undelivered portion of the trip, the company refused and instead relied strictly on cancellation policies.
Communication throughout the situation was very poor. Our urgent messages were largely ignored while conditions around us escalated.
During a time of confirmed fatalities and increasing unrest, we were left without clear guidance, reliable contact, or emergency support. We were also redirected to a significantly cheaper lodge that we did not choose, while still being expected to absorb the financial loss.
For a company that markets itself as “premium,” the handling of this situation felt dismissive and focused on protecting their policies rather than supporting their customers.
What should have been a special trip with friends celebrating their honeymoon ended up being a deeply frustrating and upsetting experience. Based on how our situation was handled, we would urge others to proceed with caution before booking with Soul of Tanzania.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unprofessional response to unrest, poor support, and major losses for cancelled services.
Very poor handling of an already difficult situation
I travelled with my wife and friends on a safari organised through Soul of Tanzania. What should have been an incredible trip ended up being extremely stressful and disappointing due to how the company handled an unexpected crisis.
Because of civil unrest and a government-mandated border closure, the Tanzanian portion of our itinerary could not go ahead. While we completely understand that events like this are outside of anyone’s control, the way the situation was managed by Soul of Tanzania was unacceptable.
Despite having paid the full cost of the trip in advance, we were left absorbing losses of more than USD $10,000 for services that were never delivered. We were also billed for additional services that we ultimately did not receive.
Communication from the company during this time was slow and often unhelpful. Rather than working with us toward a reasonable solution, we were repeatedly directed to cancellation policies and advised to pursue travel insurance instead. During a period of significant unrest in the region, we felt largely unsupported and without clear guidance.
We were also redirected to an alternative lodge that was noticeably lower in standard and cost than what we had originally booked, yet the financial difference was never fairly addressed.
For a company that promotes itself as providing premium safari experiences, the lack of support, accountability, and transparency we encountered was extremely disappointing.
Unfortunately, based on our experience, I would not recommend Soul of Tanzania.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible crisis handling, poor communication, and over $10k lost for services never delivered.
Very disappointing experience with Soul of Tanzania
We travelled with friends on what was meant to be a once in a lifetime safari to celebrate their honeymoon. Unfortunately, our experience with Soul of Tanzania was extremely disappointing and stressful.
Despite paying the full cost of our tour upfront, the entire Tanzanian portion of our itinerary was ultimately cancelled due to civil unrest and a government-mandated border closure - circumstances completely outside our control. While we understand that unexpected events can occur when travelling, what was most upsetting was how the situation was handled by Soul of Tanzania.
Instead of working with us to find a fair solution, the company placed the entire financial burden on us. We were left with losses exceeding USD $10,000 for services that were never delivered, and we were also charged for add-on services that we did not receive.
Communication throughout the situation was frustrating and often unhelpful. We were repeatedly referred back to cancellation policies and encouraged to pursue travel insurance rather than being offered meaningful support or accountability from the company. Information provided to us was sometimes inconsistent, and at times communication appeared to occur with our driver without our knowledge while our urgent messages went unanswered.
During a period of escalating unrest and confirmed fatalities in the region, we felt extremely vulnerable and unsupported. There was no clear crisis management plan, no reliable emergency contact, and very little guidance on what we should do next.
At one point we were diverted to an alternative lodge that was significantly cheaper than the accommodation we had originally booked, yet we were still expected to absorb the financial loss ourselves.
It also took several weeks for the company to provide even a partial response regarding refunds or next steps, during which time we continued to incur additional unexpected travel expenses.
For a company that markets itself as a premium safari provider, the level of support and professionalism we experienced was far below expectations. The overall handling of the situation felt dismissive and heavily focused on protecting the company rather than assisting their clients during a difficult and unpredictable situation.
Sadly, based on our experience, we would not recommend Soul of Tanzania.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
0/5 — Extremely Disappointing and Deeply Mismanaged Experience
My experience with Soul of Tanzania was profoundly disappointing. What should have been a once in a lifetime safari, became one of the most stressful and financially damaging trips we’ve ever taken.
Despite having paid the full cost upfront, none of the Tanzanian portion of our itinerary was delivered after civil unrest and a government mandated border closure made it impossible to enter the country. This was completely outside our control. Instead of assisting us or sharing the burden, Soul of Tanzania placed all the financial loss on us. We ended up more than USD $10,000 out of pocket for services we never received, including charges for add ons that were never provided.
Major issues we encountered:
• No accountability: They refused to refund the true value of the undelivered services, only offering what they managed to recover from suppliers.
• Unhelpful and condescending communication: Their representative repeatedly hid behind cancellation policies, suggested we might face further charges, and pushed us toward travel insurance rather than taking responsibility.
• Contradictory information: Their emails were inconsistent, they denied previous statements, and they communicated with our driver without our knowledge while ignoring our urgent messages.
• Poor crisis management: During a period of confirmed fatalities and escalating unrest, we were left without reliable contact, emergency support, or a clear plan.
• Forced downgrade: We were diverted to a significantly cheaper lodge we did not choose, yet were still expected to absorb the financial loss.
• Slow and evasive responses: It took nearly a month to receive even a partial reply, all while we continued to incur emergency expenses.
For a company that markets itself as a premium operator, their behavior was anything but. They were evasive, dismissive, and entirely focused on protecting themselves rather than supporting their guests during a crisis.
Bottom line, if you value professionalism, transparency, safety, and basic fairness, I strongly recommend avoiding Soul of Tanzania. Their handling of our situation was negligent, unethical, and extremely disappointing.
We would not recommend them to anyone.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I had a horrible experience with this company which works with Cache Safaris. Horrible!
Entirely unprofessional. They work together with Cache Safaris. Avoid the headache! There are dozens of other options… use ANY of them. You will not be communicated with except to apologize for the multitude of ‘mistakes’ in the itinerary. In other words, they will lie to you about the itinerary, do nothing about it, keep your money, and then call it a mistake. Incredibly frustrating! AVOID THIS COMPANY!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I experienced incompetence and misinformation.
Entirely unprofessional. Avoid the headache! There are dozens of other options… use ANY of them. You will not be communicated with except to apologize for the multitude of ‘mistakes’ in the itinerary. In other words, they will lie to you about the itinerary, do nothing about it, keep your money, and then call it a mistake. Incredibly frustrating! I advice you avoid this company.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Extremely unprofessional Safari - I recommend you do not book
My sister and I booked a safari with Utopia Safari, guided by owner Exude. and it was a complete disaster from start to finish.
* From the very beginning our driver failed to pick us up, and Exude offered one excuse after another.
*Exaud was unprepared - not hat , no bug spray ( we shared ours)and even delivered us to the wrong location for our overnight of which he as to see our itinerary to know where to take us.
*During the safari, he was distracted by business calls and focused on his camera and other toys rather than the experience he was supposed to provide
* He admitted this was his first safari in a while because he had been working mostly in the office marketing.
*We were taken to the wrong location , again, mid-safari, and he blamed the government and the company for not notifying him of site relocation, showing a complete lack of preparation. We inquired to be told an emails are sent 2 months in advance with relocation notification.
*Our safety was ignored as he led us through challenging terrain without consideration of risk resulting in my sister's injury.
*To top it off he dropped us at the airport only to be told we were a day late and missed our departure flights.
These are only a sprinkle of incidences. Exude claimed to see a memorable safari "EXPERIENCE" , but all we received was a disorganization, distraction and negligence. When we requested a 50% refund, he insultingly offered only 20%. While he may know about animals, that knowledge ends there - he cannot run a professional safari business.
I strongly advise anyone considering Utopia Safari to look elsewhere. This experience cost us time, money and peace of mind.