NZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great guide, bad organisation
We did a 7 day safari with Lenchada Safaris and while the wildlife itself was incredible, there are serious transparency and communication issues that future travelers should know about.
The main problem was in Amboseli National Park. The safari package is sold and charged as if you enter Amboseli for 3 days, but in reality you only enter the park for 2. The itinerary clearly mentions a night game drive on day 5, a full day game drive on day 6, and a pre morning game drive on day 7.
The night game drive on day 5 never happened. Our guide clearly told us that they have NEVER done the Amboseli night game drive on day 5, yet it is still advertised in the itinerary they send to customers.
There was no refund and no option to recover the unused park entrance fee. This is not about a missed service. It is a park entrance ticket that was never used. Amboseli park tickets are valid for 24 hours. What they do is enter the park on day 6 around 10am, which allows them to re enter at 6am on day 7 using the same ticket. This means they only pay one park entrance instead of two, while charging the customer as if three days were included.
If you actually want to do the evening game drive on day 5, you would need to leave Hell’s Gate no later than 10am. This was not done and it was never communicated in advance.
I have screenshots of the emails from Lenchada Safaris showing the itinerary exactly as advertised (you can go to google reviews and check the actual conversation there in screenshots). I also have screenshots of WhatsApp conversations with Sam, the Operations Manager, where I raised this issue. In those messages, he first states that they never offered the day 5 game drive, and later says that because there is not enough time on day 5, they instead do the pre morning game drive on day 7. These explanations contradict each other.
I initially dealt with Collins during the booking process. He was responsive until the deposit was paid, but after that it became extremely difficult to get answers or support from him.
It is also worth mentioning that Lenchada Safaris is a subsidiary of Jocky Tours, which operates several other safari companies as well.
Our guide Kikitu was excellent, honest, and very knowledgeable, and the safari itself was enjoyable from a wildlife perspective. However, the itinerary is misleading, park fees are not handled transparently, and communication when issues arise is very poor. I strongly recommend clarifying exactly how many park entrances are truly included before booking.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
SCAM: Abandoned at Park Gate - Confirms Financial Crisis Reports
Our experience (December 2025):
Booked 3-day Tsavo East safari, $1,730 total
NO pickup at Mombasa Airport (1 AM arrival)
Driver Shem: no AC vehicle, warm water only, demanded tips for ice
Day 2: Decided to leave due to poor service
Driver tried to COERCE lodge management to keep us there
When we insisted on leaving, driver REFUSED contractual transport to Malindi
ABANDONED at Sala Gate in extreme heat
Armed guard present - told we must pay him to arrange taxi
Found our own transport after hours of distress
Company NEVER responded to any communication
Extra costs incurred: ~$350 USD
This matches other reports: company has severe financial problems, doesn't pay suppliers, clients held hostage at hotels.
Formal complaints filed with TRA Kenya and KATO.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trouble from the beginning. Dishonest, lies to customers
This is a review of my Safari with Twinkle Tour Tours & Safaris, Limited & owner Mr Oketch.
I used this company twice, 2022 and 2025. The trip in 2022 went fine. But the trip from Hell was this past September, 2025. Everything was messed up. Just warning you that the owner is very dishonest. Here are things that happened.
We went on a 16 day safari. It was a private luxury safari. The 1st day we were we were to go to the elephant feedings. James did not buy the tickets in advance. Our tour guide tried to call James (owner) many times about this and he never responded. We sat in the car for over a hour waiting to get in. George was very upset and it made us very uncomfortable. Finally we do get in and we missed the entire feeding and just saw them leaving. James said he bought the Private Safari. He bought them 15 minutes before the show ended.
We then go to the giraffe sanctuary where we missed everything. We did not get inside at all. George our guide was very mad and the stressed out. The owner, James was now here to be found.
One morning our guide, George did not show up at the correct time. We did not leave to about 1100 am. We were sitting outside for over 3 hours. George was fired. We got a new driver/ guide. When we were about to leave
the original guide showed up. There was a scene at the front desk. Both of them wanted to take us.
We got to Tanzania and more problems. James changed 2 hotels without telling us. He put us in inferior ones and he pocketed the money for himself. We paid for luxury hotels, which these were not.
The trip was diminished by these actions. James agreed to pay us back $1,500 for compensation. We agreed on payment plan to pay us back. He kept telling us he doesn’t have the money. He kept telling with us that that he is waiting for the money to come in. James told us week after week his money is coming in. He promised us at least 6 times to pay us back. So months later, no payment.
Stay far away from Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris. They are having big time problems. Go look on recent reviews and there are a few with bad reviews. With very similar problems as what they did to us. Bottom line, he is not a honest business man. There are so many safari companies out there. Find a better one, just don’t use this one! Do not use Twinkle Star Tours and safaris. If you see the name James Oketch stay far away.
TW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad and dangerous experience
Bad and Dangerous Experience
- Lush didn’t book our flights between Rwanda and Kenya. They had to change our itinerary last minute while we are in the forest.
- We almost couldn’t go gorilla trekking because they messed up our reservation with the national park.
- Dangerous driving in the mountains at night. No AC no seatbelts in the cars.
- Communicating with them was a nightmare
不要訂快跑！
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest! be careful
In my experience, this operator was not honest. I found David particularly unreliable. I felt misled, so please be cautious and consider not booking with them
(automatic translation from French)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They do not care about your health
To prepare for the Kilimanjaro hike, I made sure I was fit and ready for the 8 days hike. On day 1, I had a porter who was coughing terribly. In short I got a sick person in my team to take me to the summit. I got sick and it was difficult to get sleep as I was coughing non stop as well. I made it to the summit with several days of minimal sleep and difficulty breathing on summit night.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our Worse Nightmare Tour Company
DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS TOUR COMPANY!!! I am writing this review to highlight the worst experience I have ever had with a foreign tour company. It all began in July of 2024 when I reached out to Bush2City and finalized an agreement for a "13 day Best of Kenya Tanzania Safari-Luxury" that included 10 luxury accommodations. In retrospect, I should have booked with another tour company that offered me a great package and had warned me about Bush2City. After my booking, I had many communications with Mali over the following months until I fully paid the trip in May of 2025 for the trip that began July 15th. After our arrival in Kenya, I was informed without advanced notice or rationale that 4 out of 10 of our accommodations were changed to lower category places. I was extremely upset, and we had just started our trip since I meticulously selected all the accommodations. We found that 3 of the accommodations were terrible including the last one which was supposed to be the best lodge in Amboseli and instead it was a wholesale lodge outside of the park with tons of tourists. Mr. Solomon Jackson finally agreed to meet with my husband and I at almost the end of our tour in Arusha. He apologized and promised to provide us with a 20% refund that totaled $3200 USD. The only salvation from the trip was that we had great safari guides and drivers including Steve and Nickson who patiently heard my complaints. Since our trip in July, Mr. Jackson offered several excuses as to why he did not provide the refund and then finally, he has not responded to any of my emails, calls, or texts for the past month. At the very least, I hope that no one else suffers from his fraudulent actions.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Be Warned
I recommend you do not book with this company . We decided to cancel our booking 6 weeks before we were supposed to go. The reasons as follows,
1. Lack of communication.
2. The reviews.
3. Advised by a former employee.
4. Self confessed cash flow problems.
We were correct in not using them as we are still waiting for our deposit back, just over £3500. We cancelled 22nd August. We were promised and promised but nothing. We are now claiming via our credit card company.
It seems 1 or 2 day safaris they are honouring but anything more they haven't got the money to fund it.
BE WARNED.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
No value for money, Disappointing Safari Experience
I recently went on a safari with Toto Tembo Safaris Kenya, and unfortunately, the experience was quite disappointing. We paid $360 per person, which included a $200 park entry fee for full-day access to the Maasai Mara. However, our actual game drive lasted only from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM — just about 2.5 hours.
As a result, we saw very few animals and only 2 out of the Big Five. I had previously discussed a plan to start around 2:30 or 3:00 PM, but we didn’t depart until 4:30 PM, which was far too late to make the most of the park experience.
It would have made much more sense if Toto Tembo had:
Picked us up the previous evening and arranged morning and evening game drives, or
Scheduled a full-day drive so we could explore the park properly and return to Nairobi later.
Instead, we spent nearly 7 hours traveling each way, with only 2.5 hours of actual safari time. Moreover, our guide seemed unmotivated and offered minimal explanations, mostly just naming the animals we saw.
Considering that the $200 park entry fee only provided a quarter of the expected experience, I believe a partial refund or some form of concession would be fair.
I hope Toto Tembo Safaris Kenya takes this feedback seriously and improves the planning and execution of future safaris.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
DOUBLE CHARGED, DO NOT USE
Wildtrek came highly recommended through a trusted friend. I was very excited to go on this trip. I was in contact with Bernard over WhatsApp. We discussed an itinerary on a budget and came to an agreement for our seven days Safari three day Zanzibar of our trip. We made all accommodations and booked the flights. Then, less than a week we were supposed to leave, Bernard contacted me and said that there was an issue with the money we had deposited two months prior. We had paid in full for our trip and now Wildtrek could not access our money. Even though we had paid in full 60 days in advance, they had not finalized our bookings for some accommodations and experiences. Therefore, we had to pay for those accommodations and experiences again with the reassurance that that money would be returned to us. We paid $6000 for bookings we already had for. Bernard promised us that we would have our money back by August. August came and went nothing then by September. September came and went and still no money back. Now it is well into Decemeber and the money has still been returned to us. Bernard is refusing to respond to any communication to me. Do not use this company. Unfortunately, our guide was lovely, and our experience was incredible, but I cannot recommend to book through Wildtrek because they took our money. DO NOT USE.