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.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disappointed by organization
I booked in November a safari with Marula. The communication was very fluid and everything was ok with Brian.
But 15 days before arriving in Kenya, Brian told me that the guide preferred to change itinerary and that we will begin by Tsavo to finish by Amboseli.
I told him that it was not really logical but I accepted the change.
On first day of safari, we were very surprised to have a very long drive from Nairobi and the driver explained us that Brian changed itinerary because he forgot to book hotels!!!
I was very angry against him because he lied to me and didn't propose me to change hotels instead.
Kenya is a wonderful country so we fortunately spent a nice trip but we lost a lot of time on road.
RS
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Promises luxury, struggles with delivery.
This review relates only to the service provided by the safari company in organizing our trip, not to the national parks, wildlife, or Kenya itself, which were all wonderful.
First, I would like to emphasize that our guide, John, was excellent. He was kind, professional, and did his best throughout the journey. Our dissatisfaction does not relate to him.
We booked an eight-day package that included the word “luxury” in its name. After receiving the offer, we accepted it and paid 50% within a few hours. Later the same day, we were informed that two of the four lodges included in the confirmed offer were not available. Having already paid, we felt we had little choice but to accept the proposed alternatives. We were particularly dissatisfied with one of the replacements.
Two days before departure, we were informed that yet another lodge was unavailable and were offered a different property, which again was not our preferred option.
Upon arrival at the airport, the agent who organized the trip arrived approximately 40 minutes late, which was quite exhausting after a long international flight.
The vehicle provided for the safari was operational but quite old and extremely noisy. Although this did not prevent us from completing the itinerary, it made long drives significantly more tiring than expected.
We also had the impression that the itinerary may not have been carefully planned in practice, as some activities were poorly distributed across the days, which resulted in adjustments having to be made during the trip.
The most disappointing aspect for us concerned included activities. One afternoon in Ol Pejeta, we did not have the scheduled game drive because, as we were told, there had been a misunderstanding regarding the validity of the park entrance tickets.
Additionally, although a visit to Hell’s Gate was clearly listed as included, we were initially informed that we would need to pay the entrance fee ourselves. After discussion, the company agreed to cover the cost. However, on the same day, the visit to Crescent Island, which was also clearly stated in the itinerary - was not organized.
Based on our understanding, this resulted in us missing activities with a combined value of several hundred dollars in park fees.
Overall, in our opinion, communication and organization were not at the level we expected, especially for a tour marketed as “luxury.” In our experience, the company was very efficient when it came to securing payment, but less consistent when it came to delivering the agreed services.
We had a memorable time in Kenya thanks to the parks and our guide, but from an organizational perspective, the experience fell significantly short of our expectations.
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top carriers but not the best guide
We are a really sporty couple who decided to take the challenge and hike Mount Kenya in 3 days up to Lenana.
The first day everything was perfect we got picked up at the hotel in time and we drove all the way through. We met our team and after lunch we started the hike.
The second day (at 3200ms) we had to wait around 20 mins for the guide to pick us up and start the hike.
During the hike we had not so good experiences as he was stopping by himself and saying keep going I will catch up. We ended up losing him for almost one hour. Meeting him after one hour being angry with us. Since then, the whole experience changed. During the hike I experienced altitude sickness and the recommendation from the guide was to “take a nap and drink water”. This is what I did, but I started to feel worse and worse, almost passing out, we were lucky to talk to a medical guy who was there who recommended us completely the opposite: go outside, small walks, dont lay down, drink a bit of coffee and some breathing techniques. He also said that in this condition is impossible to go to the summit the day after and that we should descend as soon as possible.
That night we talked to our guide and we were surprised about him trying to convince us to go to the summit. After a long talk we told him we are not in condition and that we would love to go back.
The last day we started the descent and we were even more surprised about our guide not talking at all to us, going 300-400 meters in front of us the whole way. Specially knowing that we were not in good conditions. It really gave us a bad feeling, that we were not in good hands and that we were not accomplishing anything.
As a summary I would say the food was super nice and the carriers (special mention to Nelson and Taylor), but the guide has sole room for improvement.
I am pretty sure I was not the first and wont be the last having these problems so I would recommend the guide to be informed on what to do in case something like this happens. And also to try to be a bit closer to us, guiding should not be just walking but also ensuring we are save and that we are having a good experience.
FR
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I recommend you Avoid
Despite his knowledge and skills as a guide, I would advise caution when considering this agency. In my experience, I felt misled by the manager, Saitoti, and found the communication untrustworthy.
On multiple occasions, we were asked to pay directly for lodges, hotels, or excursions because we were told the company’s payment had not yet been processed. We were promised reimbursement, but this did not happen during our experience.
It's shameful and a disgrace to this country.
(automatic translation from French)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Strong Safari Guides, Very Disappointing Hotel Experience
Our experience with Shinzelle Safaris started very strong. We booked a 4-Day Kruger, Canyon & Boat Tour through them at what was described as a “Luxury Safari Hotel.” The itinerary was beautifully designed and was the main reason we chose this operator over others. Unfortunately, parts of the experience did not consistently meet the expectations we had.
Several communications were sent shortly before activities and contained multiple typographical errors, which made us feel uncertain about details. As this was my first safari, I would have appreciated clearer and more detailed communication in advance. Our package included dinner with a limit of R395 per person, but this detail was not clearly explained to us in advance, and we only became aware of certain limitations during the trip. Drinks, including water, were not included, which we discovered when we received the bill. Clearer communication about meal inclusions and limits from Shinzelle would have helped set expectations and avoided confusion. When we raised concerns about our hotel issues during the trip, Shinzelle did respond and assisted, which we appreciated at the time.
Most of our disappointment related to our stay at the Radisson Safari Hotel. In our experience, the property did not match what we personally consider a “luxury” standard. We were placed in a small ground-floor room at the back of the property. The accommodation photos shown in the itinerary did not reflect the type of room we received at all (nor were room categories ever mentioned or upgrades offered). The room itself would not have been an issue for us had it been clean and had we not experienced the other problems.
The floors in our room were so dirty that our clean socks turned black shortly after walking around the room. We had to raise this concern four separate times before it was properly addressed. We also noticed what appeared to be mold or dirt (gross looking either way) in and around the shower area, which we also pointed out to them, and despite requesting extra towels more than once, we did not receive them during our stay. Additionally, after using the pool, there was dark residue on my skin after touching the pool edges, which made me concerned about the pool’s cleanliness. Overall, we felt there were major management and service consistency issues at the hotel during our stay.
We had dinner at the hotel restaurants each evening and felt that there was major room for improvement on the service side. On one occasion, we asked for dessert multiple times before receiving it, and twice we were served incorrect items. The food quality varied from meal to meal. We did find the Pegasus restaurant to be better than the main restaurant. Again, nothing to drink was included in the bill and had to be paid for separately.
While many of the issues occurred at the hotel itself, our contract and booking were with Shinzelle Safaris. We raised our concerns during and after the stay and requested a partial refund specifically for the hotel portion due to the cleanliness and service issues described above. I followed up multiple times by message. After initial responses, communication stopped and we did not receive further replies regarding our request. From our perspective, the matter was not resolved and we did not feel our concerns were meaningfully addressed.
On a more positive note, the safaris themselves were excellent. Our first evening game drive was phenomenal. Our guide, Shane from MyAfrica, was outstanding. He actively tracked animals, positioned the vehicle carefully, and made a clear effort to give us the best possible sightings. We were fortunate to see four of the Big Five, including a leopard at close range.
Our full-day Kruger Safari with Jeffery from Shinzelle was also wonderful. He was knowledgeable and shared valuable insight about the park and wildlife. We also joined a half-day Panorama Route tour. In our personal opinion, this portion involved a lot of driving, and for us the highlight was Blyde River Canyon Reserve. We probably would not do this day if we were to book again. Our final morning private reserve safari with Tasmin again from MyAfrica, who did an overall excellent job, was another excellent experience, where we saw four of the Big Five, including an entire pride of lions.
In summary, the safari guides and game drives were the highlight of our trip and truly memorable. If we had not experienced the hotel issues, it would have been an otherwise great trip. However, the accommodation problems, communication issues, and our feeling that our concerns were not acknowledged or properly followed up on left us disappointed with our overall experience. We understand these things happen, but it is in my opinion, they should have done more to better address the situation. Afterall their website states: "We pride ourselves on our dedication to guest experience and service excellence. Your comfort, safety, and enjoyment are our top priorities, and we go above and beyond to make your journey seamless and unforgettable."
HR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari was great because of our driver (Edward). Tour operator PARROT SAFARI - BAD!!
Masai Mara was amazing, I would skip the visit to the Masai village close to the park entrance. From the minute you arrive to the time you escape they try to take money from you. First they danced, few people in our group did not like that, they said it looked forced and fake. I did not have such a bad vibe from it, but from the rest - the info regarding that each person stays in the woods for 5 years, that they have to kill the lion before returning to their village and that women marry age 25-30 (and a lot of other info) and that they live in monogamic marriages....later I found a foundation that takes care of Masai women.....well....lets just say nothing of that was true. If you are into cultures and love to experience it while you travel, you can skip it and save 10-20 dollars that they take to enter the village.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not professional, and the response efficiency is slow, without considering the customer's feelings.
I booked a trip for my guest from January 18th to January 24th, 2026 on November 18th, 2025. Good review:
1. The cars in Tanzania are relatively new and the drivers are also good;
It is bad:
1.our confirmed itinerary was to stay at the Fairmont Hotel for one night and at the Mara Bushtops Luxury Camp for one night. We charged accordingly, but it was very unprofessional to inform us a few days before the trip that we could not arrange Mara Bushtops for at least two nights. Why wasn't the itinerary confirmed?
2.Regarding the bush dinner, it is the same. It was informed at the last minute that there were at least four people and it lacked professionalism.
3.On the second day of the trip on March 19th, from Amboseli to Navasha, the vehicle broke down, causing a delay of at least five hours that day, and the subsequent trips were disrupted.
4.The promised open Jeep on April 20th was not arranged properly, resulting in a delay of over an hour in the afternoon's Safari due to a direct car change.
5.From May 18th to January 22nd, the tour guide service in Kenya was poor. On January 22nd, we were forced to charge $200, but this was not actually required. We have already given enough tips. And the promised refund of $200 has not been refunded.
6.From January 18th to January 22nd, the cars in Kenya were very poor and very old.
7. It should be the boss James Macharia who communicated with me. The response speed is slow, and when problems arise, it's not a sign of good service.
GR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great itinerary & nature — but serious issues with “private tour” integrity
The itinerary and Uganda’s nature were truly impressive, and the trip itself had many strong moments.
However, we paid an additional private tour supplement specifically for exclusivity as a couple, and a third participant was added without our consent, meaning the private tour we paid for was not delivered.
In addition, there was an issue with accommodation standards (private bathroom), which was only resolved after escalation.
The experience could have been excellent, but transparency, respect of agreed terms, and value for money need serious improvement.
My advice to future travelers: get every detail confirmed in writing and double-check what “private” actually means before paying extra.