35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not as advertised
The first 3 nights were at Kruger Shalati, which is the accomodation in the train carriages! This place is awesome and excellent value for money. Everything is included - 4 meals a day which is far too many, all free wine etc (you can pay for cocktails but they are cheap), 2 game drives a day, great staff, very attentive, great animal viewing right from the accomodation and one of the 3 pools. We highly, highly recommend Kruger Shalati and will be back for sure.
Our next stop was Rhino Post - don't waste your time or money! It's very dirty, has a very strange energy, feels very unorganised and none of the staff seem to know what is going on. Our booking confirmation also said that all basic wines, water and soft drinks were included but they tried to charge for it all. This then all got paid by the booking company for us as it was false advertising. I wouldn't return or recommend this place to anyone.
We then did 2 nights at Plains Camp (walking safari) the camp is wayyyyy nicer that Rhino Post, very relaxing, great food, nice staff. There is no wifi at all so be prepared to relax and unwind and watch the animals in the plains like Wildebeest, Baboons and Warthogs. You may also hear the lions roaring at night. PLEASE BEWARE, you will basically see no animals at all on the walks. Animals are frightened on humans on foot vs the safari vehicles. When we got on our first walk our guide informed us that walking safaris were not for seeing animals and that was pretty disappointing as it is certainly not advertised that way. You will track prints in the soil, learn about plants and do a hell a lot of walking through thick grass which was not good for my partner as she is terrified of snakes and there certainly are snakes.
The walks are long 2-3 hours, twice a day. So also be prepared for that.
Finally that brings us to 3 nights at Geiger's. This was by far the most expensive of all the accomodations. The chef is incredible but there is no menu, you are just served a 4 course meal as a surprise each night, drinks are included. Its hard to get food, drinks or service in the day (I think the staff take their rest then). It only hosts 5 villas, so its a very small group which is nice. You reason it's worth paying the money is because the game drives on the private reserve that connects to the Kruger are amazing. We saw Lion Mums on a fresh kill with all their cubs, A leopard in a tree eating its kill, a leaoprd walking right up to the safari truck, 5 Rhinos in a group and a baby playing with its mum in the mud, wild dogs and hyenas having a fight, huge crocs and all the usual suspects Elephants, Hippos, Giraffe, Warthogs, Antelopes etc etc.
But for off road viewing right next to the action, this place is worth the money. Our guides Josh and MJ were lovely.
IT
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Just adequate. Not up to the description on the web. Just adeguate
The company contacted us by email before departure, but then they never contacted us again. The driver/guide was very good, but he was a freelancer, not a member of the company.
The hotels were very mediocre (except in Bwindi), especially the lodge in the Queen Elizabeth, with inadequate staff and terrible food.
RO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Poor
We started planning our safari in Tanzania in September 2025, and from the very beginning, communication was extremely difficult. For almost every question, we had to follow up multiple times just to receive a response.
Eventually, we received the final quotation and paid the deposit. After that, we continued to ask a few additional questions, but unfortunately, even now, one month after the trip... we still haven’t received answers.
During the trip, we also encountered several issues. Some of our accommodation requests were not respected, despite being clearly confirmed via email. Additionally, meals that were listed as included in the offer had to be paid for directly at the hotels.
This is particularly disappointing considering the significant amount of money we paid for this experience. We expected a much higher level of professionalism, communication, and service.
RU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Tatiana
Unfortunately, I think the park is dying due to the recent floods. It's sad, but it's instructive to see how cruel and merciless nature itself can be at times.
AR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not good experience
Honestly, the experience with Peter was very complicated and negative from the very beginning. Before arriving in Uganda, communication with him was very difficult. He either didn’t reply or wasn’t clear when he did.
We had agreed that payment could be made by card, but the night we arrived he told us it could only be paid in dollars. Not only cash, but the bills had to be from 2015 onward (something common in Uganda), but we didn’t know that. It was our first day, we arrived at night in a new country, I was with my wife, and he took us to withdraw money in a place with armed people and made us take out cash. It was a completely uncomfortable situation.
The next day we couldn’t withdraw all the money because of ATM limits (it was a large amount), and at 6 a.m. he was already messaging us to go withdraw more. We managed to pay part by transfer, but he charged an extra fee that had never been agreed.
Then he rented us a car that he knew was in bad condition (he had told me) but said it had been properly repaired. We went to Murchison National Park and the car broke down in the middle of the park with no signal. It started smoking.
We managed to contact him and his solution was for us to stay two days at a mechanic’s house in a small town in the middle of Uganda until it was fixed, which was completely unviable. We had to take a six-hour public transport ride across the country, which felt dangerous.
In the end he never refunded the money — he said the car wasn’t his and gave all sorts of excuses.
Later we did the gorilla tour with him. That part was overall okay, although the car also got stuck and we arrived late to all the hotels.
Honestly, I don’t recommend him. The only positive thing I can highlight is our guide, Apton. Very professional and the only thing worth rescuing from the trip.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A tour operator that failed to deliver the agreed private safari experience and did not provide adeq
⭐️⭐️ Review – Tsavo Cat Tours & Safaris
We booked a private safari with Tsavo Cat Tours & Safaris which unfortunately was not delivered as agreed.
• A private 4x4 vehicle was booked, but a standard van was provided.
• The itinerary was changed without our consent.
• The agreed road transfer back to our hotel was replaced with a train journey to Mombasa.
• Basic expected amenities were not available.
These were material changes that reduced the value of the safari.
After the trip, we contacted the operator to request a fair partial refund. Although there was initial acknowledgment, no clear proposal was provided and communication eventually stopped despite reasonable deadlines.
This review is shared as a factual account of our experience so that future travellers can make informed decisions
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Largely a transfer service that is not equipped for multi-day itineraries
I booked Touch Africa for a 7-night safari based on a smattering of positive reviews and a desire to support a smaller, locally owned business. This ultimately turned out to be a mistake, as the company does not yet seem equipped to handle complex or multi-day itineraries. It’s worth noting that this was not my first safari, nor my first time in Africa.
Pros:
• Communication leading up to the safari was good, and they were always responsive — though it did seem like multiple people were sharing a single WhatsApp account.
• Last, the individual that everyone seems to interact with, was very friendly and knowledgeable about Zimbabwe and the Victoria Falls area.
• We were paired with a game drive operator in Chobe named Rocky, who was outstanding.
Cons:
• They operate mostly as a glorified transfer service. Last showed up to transport us between lodging points, and that was largely it. The transport itself was an unmarked, fairly old and worn-out minivan with only one working passenger door, which could only be opened from the outside. We also had to ask for seat covers to be removed so we could use seatbelts, after a few fairly harrowing drives.
• Despite clearly expressing that our primary goals were wildlife/big game viewing and staying in a tented camp, our Chobe lodging — Tlou Lodge — was located directly behind a strip mall. We later learned that Touch Africa cannot access lodging that requires a 4x4. I ultimately paid out of pocket for alternative accommodations (Elephant Valley Lodge — outstanding) and arranged directly with our game drive operator, Rocky, to handle pickup and drop-off.
• The itinerary listed the transfer from Chobe to Nata as “approximately 2 hours.” In reality, this is a 315 km / 195-mile drive that took over 4 hours in the aforementioned minivan.
• Nata was described in the itinerary as being “home to vast salt pans and unique desert wildlife.” However, we quickly discovered that not only is there little to no wildlife in the region at this time of year, but the salt pans themselves had been flooded for nearly a year. This is without even getting into Nata Lodge itself, which had its own lengthy list of issues.
• Despite being on time or early for every other engagement, Last was late for our airport transfer. As a result, we ended up using the lodge’s transfer service, who — thankfully — drove like a bat out of hell and allowed us to just barely make our check-in window.
TL;DR (short version):
There were numerous negative experiences (I distilled it down to the major ones) on our trip that could have been avoided with basic due diligence and clearer communication. It became increasingly clear — and was later admitted — that larger, multi-stop itineraries are new territory for Touch Africa, and unfortunately we were the ones impacted by that learning curve. We paid approximately $6,000 for what amounted to a $2,500–$3,000 experience (after researching typical room, transfer, and activity rates). The best parts of our trip — aside from our Chobe game driver — were the result of last-minute changes I personally made that were not part of the original itinerary provided by Touch Africa.
I am not typically someone who leaves negative reviews, and I have tremendous empathy for smaller companies. I fully understand when issues are genuinely out of a provider’s control (weather, road conditions, lodging quirks, etc.). However, it was abundantly clear, time and again, that Touch Africa was out of their depth in planning and executing an itinerary of this scope.
Finally - I gave Touch Africa 2 months to provide a fully agreed upon, relatively small, partial refund (Hence the delay in this review), They eventually stopped responding and I never received a single payment.
LI
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Too many pushing emails. Too many infos to provide. Would not use again safari.com
We sent an email and wait for answers but once safari.com sends an email or request they are pushing for immediate decisions. To much pressure. Maybe it is an AI based software behind it? Value for money is very low. The lodge that we did end up with was the worst in our 5 times in the bush. Pictures presented nicely but far away from reality.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Poor follow up and customer service
We traveled to Africa this fall and booked a portion of our trip through Classic Journeys Africa. Unfortunately, due to unexpected civil unrest in neighboring Tanzania , our itinerary had to be cut short for safety reasons.
I want to begin by saying that the part of the trip we were able to complete was truly wonderful. The accommodations, guides, and experiences arranged by the company were excellent, and during the trip itself everything was handled professionally.
However, the experience since returning home has been extremely disappointing.
Because significant portions of our trip were canceled, we were assured that refunds would be issued for the unused services. Since then, communication has been inconsistent and largely unresponsive despite multiple follow-ups over several months. While we have received repeated acknowledgments that refunds are owed, no reimbursement has been received to date.
We fully understand that unforeseen events such as political instability can complicate travel logistics, and we approached this situation with patience and understanding. What has been frustrating is not the disruption itself, but the lack of follow-through and clear communication afterward.
Based on our on-the-ground experience, this company is capable of delivering an excellent travel experience. However, their post-trip customer service and handling of financial commitments have fallen far short of expectations.
Future travelers may want to ensure refund policies and communication expectations are clearly documented before booking.
We sincerely hope this matter will still be resolved.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Distressing incident
What was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime safari turned into a distressing incident involving our tour guide abandoning myself and my elderly mother at a toilet stop 3 hours into our trip and fleeing in the truck with all of our belongings (money, passports, baggage) leaving us with no resources (including my mothers medications).
The company has avoided my calls and emails and have not provided any compensation for what we endured and have given empty promises of a refund for the alternative vehicle for the past 6 months.
We are deeply disappointed in how this was handled by the company and therefore cannot recommend booking with them.