CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Jamlan's trip arrangement is disappointing
Last Oct, we booked two trips from two trip operators in Kenya. One 8 - day trip from Nairobi to Amboseli, Tsavo and Diani, which turns out to be perfect; the other from Nairobi to Nakuru to Masai Mara operated by Jamlan Holiday, which is quite disappointing.
We soon found all the hotels Jamlan booked for us are outside the park upon the start of the trip (in most cases, the hotels and lodges outside the park are cheaper than those located inside the parks). That truly cost our much time on the way and largely reduce our time inside the park. For example, when reaching Nakuru, we had to go through traffic jams of a city besides Nakuru to eventually arrive at the hotel inside the city. I then asked Jamlan to make adjustments but was refused with nice excuses like their operation cost is too high.
It seems they don't understand tourists can calculate the average price per day and compare it with that of other trips. Also they don't understand we can talk with other tourists to make comparisons.
So, I strongly suggest all guests planning to book the trips operated by Jamlan Holiday to check the locations and prices of the hotels, as that is an important part to decide the quality of your trip.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond Disappointed – Not Worth the Cost or the Hype
I booked with this company specifically because they advertised lodge accommodations over camping. Unfortunately, the lodge experience was extremely underwhelming. There was no hot water, the power went out twice, and the pool was in such poor condition that getting in wasn’t even an option. While the staff were kind and welcoming, the overall experience failed to meet even the most basic expectations.
The game drives were cut short and felt rushed. On two of the three days, our guides were clearly on tight schedules—once to drop another guest off at the airport, and again the next day because the group had arrived at camp early and had to leave within 24 hours. This completely undermined the feeling of a relaxed, immersive safari. We were also moved from vehicle to vehicle, creating a sense of disorganization and inconsistency that disrupted the trip.
Although the food was decent and the guides themselves were friendly, the execution left much to be desired. Several advertised services were either missing or not up to par, and what I paid simply didn’t match what I received. The trip cost $700, and yet it felt like a cut-rate experience. I specifically asked questions before booking and was given clear, confident answers—which is the only reason I felt comfortable moving forward. Sadly, those promises were not kept.
I was intentionally trying to support a newer company, but in hindsight, I should have gone with a more experienced operator. I feel that, at a minimum, the company owes me $200 back for the misleading service. I’m now considering what steps I can take to recover part of my payment, as I am beyond disappointed with how things turned out.
If you're considering a safari and want value for your money, I would strongly advise booking with a more established, transparent company. This was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and instead, it left me frustrated and let down.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It started good but ended poor
Lack of communication is the key word for this company. I tried to get in touch with them many times but nobody responded. Their website disappeared and they stopped offering tours here. Nothing was arranged until I started pushing. After expressing my concerns about all this they put me in touch with their director. I asked for a refund of my deposit on which he replied that it was not possible but a credit note for another safari with them certainly was. If that is what I want after the poor communication.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unreliable
We had booked and paid for a five-day safari, including two nights in the Serengeti. However, we only stayed in the Serengeti for the first of the booked nights. We had to spend the following night in heavy rain, in a musty-smelling camping tent, with damp bedding, at the Ngorongoro Crater. The agency had confirmed in writing in advance that we would only be sleeping in houses and not in tents, so we didn't have any camping equipment with us. We're definitely not sensitive, but this is unacceptable! Our complaints were dismissed by the agency with excuses, and we felt they didn't take us seriously. Furthermore, our safari guide was not customer-friendly and showed little interest in us. Fortunately, on the last day, we were assigned a different safari guide, who was very good. This was a coincidence, however, as the original guide had to return to the city on short notice. As compensation, we were only offered a trip to a waterfall in the Arusha/Moshi region after the safari, which we found completely inadequate and therefore declined. One star is awarded for the excellent food on the safaris and for the guide on the last day of the safari. Another for the houses where we stayed. The parks and the wildlife are wonderful, but the aforementioned circumstances unfortunately spoiled the tour for us.
(automatic translation from German)
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Be aware that Balu does not run some of their groups and you may end up moved to others tours
Balu offers reasonably priced safari experience, but note that they act as more of an intermediary broker rather than an operator. They place you with other tour operators and so consequently you may end up getting shifted around one or more times to different joining groups/ vans during your trip. That does mean the max pax as set out in the booking and the itinerary may well change depends on what group you end up with- just be mindful of the flexibility that’s required when booking with Balu.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awful operating company, amazing tour guide
Let me start on the safari guide that took us around, Mike from Karava Brothers Safari. Absolutely amazing, his knowledge on animals was insane, he found cheetahs, lions and other amazing animals on his own without the use of the radio and utilised the radio to help us see every animal available. A lovely man who I cannot recommend highly enough, I will give his details to friends and family.
However, the safari operator whom I dealt with was appalling. My communication with Mercy Yetu Safaris began months before and we had an itenary arranged and paid for 6 months prior. A week before going away I informed the company where we were staying and got no reply for a couple of days. This was very unusual so I did a bit of research and found their website was out of use, and their page on the safari comparison company was out of use. None of the numbers given were working and there was no reply to any emails. I called the safari comparison site whom I found them on who emailed them. All of a sudden I got a reply to my emails with the Mercy Yetu claiming they'd gone into their spam, very convenient when I was getting replies daily a couple of months prior. The days before my safari were a complete stress as it had appeared the company had forgotten about my safari which was confirmed when I found out they had booked everything 3 days prior to our arrival despite us booking months in advance. I thought the trouble would end on our arrival however it continued. We had paid for flights and the company weren't sending us out tickets, after an absolute slog of back and forths we eventually managed to get the tickets late at night when we had a flight at 8am, shocking. Finally I thought this was the end of the stress but again, the return flight which we'd paid for experienced the same issues with the company not sending us the email with the booking code making check in impossible, a couple of hours before the flight I was sent the code by WhatsApp to end what was supposed to be a good day but turned into a stressful day due to Mercy Yetu's incompetence and lack organisation. To make matters even worse a couple of days before the end of the safari, despite being told we would be with our guide until day 7 we were merged with another group and said goodbye to our guide whom we had built such a bond with, we were told we had to pay $300 to keep him despite being told we'd have him till the last, they claimed it was because they were over budget, again lack of organisation.
I would strongly advise against anyone booking with this company to avoid the stressed we went through
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unrealiable
I would be very cautious and get all the information before making a booking with Fauna Safari. In the Itinerary they confirmed Masai Village but didnt pay for the tickets. We were left stranded at Maasai Village and asked to go back to the hotel. They didnt even offer to help or pay the amount to get us entry. They simply refused to coorperate. Also the drive from Naivasha to Maasai was horrible. There is a better road from Sentrim Mara. The tour operator didnt purchase the road tickets and we have to a rough drive of around 80 kms which took us about 3 hrs. This reduced our game f=drive time substantially and our guide/driver also got tired....
For first timers - make sure you can the right questions and get everything in black and white. They can leave you stranded and hamper your vacation...
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
charming, but not reliable and cheating
Very bad end to initiallly good experience!
We had an almost 4 weeks trip in Uganda and Rwanda.
The company owner (Meddy) drove us from Rwanda to Uganda and back. We we visited friends, the Murchinson Falls National Park including Budogo Chimpanse Tracking, and Mambasa Wet Lands, toured Rwanda (Musanze, Rubavu, Rusizi, Huye and Kigali). In the ed we did a 1,5 days tour to Akagera National Park. For the last trip, an employee was employed driver.
First everything went well and we had really great experiences. (Not the Company Owner is driving very fast.)
The travel was planned by myself and covened with the Company Owner and we paid in advance. For the last trip the company owner did not only ignore what we had convened, he changed the lodge, which made a big difference, but he did not tell us before and did not give a clear explanation, after questioning. The communication was very bad. I got very angry.
But more important in the end we had a problem about payment.
Arriving at Akagera Park Visitor Center we learnt to our shock, that the companys credit card was not charged suffiently. No explanation. The company owner asked me to pay and he would reimburse me. I trusted him, because he had done this before and he was friend of friend...
But in this case, Meddy first started to delay and to question details.... He was back in Uganda, I was in Rwanda. He did not pick phone. We texted..... In the end he reimbursed but in tranches and up to today incompletely, and only after many discussions, reminders and big delays!!! Up to now there is a still a balance due that he did not pay. He keeps on promising, and then not action but silence.
This startedd early February and we are not mid March!! This is not professional.
Advises: Don't pay all in advance, don't pay on his behalf and do not rate until the very end of the trip and all bills settled!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Poor communication
This was my first safari as a solo traveler. This review is of the safari company, not the safari! I opted for a 5day group safari. I chose Everlasting as they seemed to communicate well prior to me committing to go with them! I did obtain 3 quotes and they were all comparable in price and itinerary. What I learned during the safari was that smaller tour companies ( Everlasting) don't exactly have your safari "well planned" ( it was described to me this way). This means that if you have a group tour for various locations and a different level ( budget vs. midrange), it is likely that you will have different drivers. They confer with each other the night before to see who is available. This is what happened to me. Not only was I dropped off at the wrong lodge, but, if I had not reviewed my itinerary, I would not have been sent to rhe correct lodge ( much nicer and what I paid for). I had 3 different guides on a 5 day safari. And, honestly, the problem is that Everlasting never bothered to inform me that someone not belonging to their company would be picking me up or that guides would change! One morning, they sent a driver who spoke no English or sign indicating he was there for me. I was then told by Everlasting that I would be driven to another lodge to meet with another guide. I was, in fact, driven to the park to meet with the guide. Just poor communication!!
Also, because I had midrange accommodations, I was 45 min away from the budget travelers. This meant, I had to get up before sunrise to travel and pick them up to begin game drive and was the last one to reach my accommodation at days end!
I did not allow this to ruin my safari as I had wonderful guides ( not belonging to Everlasting) that I felt very safe with. Unfortunately, they offered no apologies or explanation, and for that reason, I would not choose this company again.
It was still an experience of a lifetime!!
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful team on the field during the hike but very bad experience regarding the service in Nairobi
I did the 5 day Mount Kenya trek (Chogoria down Sirimon). The team on the field (guide, cooker and porters) were very good and thanks to them it was a great experience, with wonderful landscapes, and amazing service from the team.
But the organisation and quality of service (equipment provided and logistic/transport from Nairobi to Mount Kenya) received from the company and their intermediate in Nairobi were very bad. Despite the high price paid, they wanted me to take a local public transport (a matatu from the matatu station a 15 minute walk from the office in the city center). When arrived in the matatu and when I understood it was not a vehicle provided by the company but just a local public transport, I just refused to stay in the matatu (unsafe transport and it was empty, had to wait for it to be filled with passengers, and how long would have last the travel with many stops, etc.). I asked for a refund or another solution. My tour was supposed to be a private one but I had been notified that I will use a shared vehicle with two other clients, and I was OK with that... But actually it was just a matatu without any other clients... Finally they provided me a car with a driver and the travel was OK even if a big waste of time before departure.
But the tent provided was very small, much smaller and cheaper that all the other tents I saw in Mount kenya, provided by other companies to their clients. And the mattress I was given was too small (1,60 m but I am 1,80 tall, so the feet touched the cold soil, not professional). I should have checked their mattress and taken my own mattress, not theirs. Other point, before arriving in the NP we stopped in Chogoria for lunch. It was a very cheap restaurant (no problem with that if food is OK) but it was not good.
At the beginning of the trek, after the intermediate let us in chogoria, the local team seemed not to be aware of the itinerary i had paid for (5 days whose 4 days climbing and the last day for the final climb and the going down, itinerary precisely described in the written offer). They wanted/described to me another itinerary (apparently 3 days up, 2 days down, staying in other campsites, not the same itinerary). Fortunately I had previously checked the map of Mount Kenya, the names and the locations of the different campsites and routes and so I understood it was note the good itinerary and I insisted to make the right itinerary. The local team accepted and it was finally a wonderful route and trek, with a great service from the team. But apparently the intermediate or the company didn't give the right information to the local team about the itinerary, which could have led to a less scenic trek (and more difficult for acclimatisation).
At the end of the trek, I was given a shared vehicle with other clients to come back to Nairobi so it was better than a matatu but I had to wait more than 1,30 hour the two other clients, and they were prioritised for the drop off in Nairobi. Apparently they were clients of the intermediate not of the company. So despite the high price paid, it was a several hours waste of time for me to get back to my hotel in Nairobi.
I clearly don't recommend this company (and this intermediate) for Mount Kenya treks. But I am very grateful to the local independent team for this wonderful trek.