CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
On Time quite good
The Transportation was good. Theodore was always on time and did great stops on the way there and back . Although we had to sign a lot of forms over and over again and we did get quite pushed to fill out a review.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible safari experience, but serious organizational issues behind the scenes
I feel obligated to share this experience to ensure transparency for future travelers.
I am giving this experience 3 stars, mainly because our guide was truly excellent and because the safari experience itself is absolutely a once in a lifetime must do.
I chose Destiny Explorer in order to support a local safari operator, despite having read prior reviews mentioning concerns about vehicle condition and maintenance.
Six months after paying our deposit, Issa informed us that our first night at Africa Safari Arusha was no longer available and had to be changed. This information was incorrect. I personally contacted the hotel and confirmed that availability existed, including shortly before our arrival. Instead, we were relocated to Parrot Hotel, which was in extremely poor condition. The property was very run down, many things were broken or poorly repaired, and the air conditioning leaked directly onto our suitcase overnight. We were also the only guests at the hotel, which felt uncomfortable.
Upon arrival, a representative of the company demanded an additional 600 USD, explaining that a calculation error had been made after the deposit. While the mistake was indeed theirs, Issa refused to accept payment by credit card and offered no alternative solutions. I was told to withdraw cash from an ATM. Due to withdrawal limits, I had to make multiple transactions in local currency and exchange it to USD, resulting in additional fees and exchange losses of approximately 75 USD. This was handled in a very unprofessional manner.
The safari vehicle itself was old and poorly maintained, with over 150,000 km on the odometer and smaller windows than standard safari vehicles. Compared to other groups we encountered, our vehicle was clearly inferior, which raised concerns from the beginning.
Unfortunately, on day five, the vehicle broke down. We lost the entire afternoon of day five and all of day six. During this time, we received little to no clear information and were moved between locations by individuals we did not know. On the evening of day six, around 8:00 pm, we still did not know whether our final day at Ngorongoro would take place. This caused significant stress and uncertainty.
We had been previously assured that in the event of a breakdown, a replacement vehicle would be provided. That did not happen. Although a replacement part was eventually flown in and our guide rejoined us during the night, the situation was handled in a disorganized and amateur manner.
I later requested a partial prorated refund for the lost safari time on the afternoon of day five and the entirety of day six. To this day, I have received no response.
If you choose this operator, be aware that in the event of mechanical issues, you may be left without support or clear communication. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend this company.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dirty campsite.Bad organisation of the group/logistics. Driver without any interest on you to enjoy
We were 2 people and made a 6-day Safari at the end of September 2025 with Dallas Safari. We had booked this agency due to its good reviews. However after the experience, I honestly have no idea where the 5-stars review come from.
Communication prior the safari was very good and Tunu's quick replies were very helpful for us in order to organise the trip quicky.
Unfortunately the group sharing the vehicle (7 people) was organised in a way, that we had to be dropped at 3 different accommodations every time, with accomodations being almost 1h apart from each other. That meant a lot of time that we were loosing everyday instead of doing proper safari (up to 2h/day lost on this!), since our driver (Justin) would discount this driving time from the total safari time. This situation made us very unhappy since compared to other groups we were having much less safari time. Also, we were always missing dawn, sunrise and sunset, the time where animals are more active, because we were being picked up at 9:00 and dropped off at 17:00
On top of that, our driver (Justin) was always wanting to leave every spot with animals after very few minutes. Once we saw 20 baby lions together and after few minutes he wanted to leave straight away and we had to have several arguments with him in order to stay some more minutes, which is quite absurd. I dont pay this ammount of money to be begging to stay in order watching baby lions for 5 minutes.
The last day we change driver (Clement) and the new one was much better, willing to explain everything and waiting for us to watch animals without being in a hurry to leave.
Our accommodation in Serengueti was a camping site. Unfortunately, at the camping site showers and toilets were very dirty, with mouse poo in the showers. Even the place to wash your hands was dirty. In this camping there was not hot water and it gets very cold at night. Nobody warned us of this and if we had known in advance, we would have definitely not have chosen this camping as accommodation.
Overall, I would not repeat the experience unfortunately and would search an alternative company.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced
The Safari tour was what I hoped for, and would have rated it higher but don’t know who’s to blame. The Safari group of six people were great but found out that our guide had to manage us from three different Safari companies. All with different 3 day experience packages. I was unfortunately dropped off last after every days safari, (15-45 minutes later). Plus the communication on where I was staying was poor, but I had other transportation management needs that worked out well. I could have inquired more about everything but majority of the time there was not WiFi signal in the bush. The guide/driver knew where to go to give us the best experience. After all the my doubts being fulfilled it was a very good experience.
MX
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tarangire National Park by Ana García Tinoco
We werent able to see that many animals :(
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari, not so great staff
Safari itself was great, we've seen a lot of animals. The driver however barely spoke to us, we never knew what was the daily programme etc. At the end of the trip he demanded we gave him a fixed amount of tips, which was outrageous. The tips aren't supposed to be obligatory, and for sure it shouldn't be a fixed amount. We felt very uncomofortable and actually scammed. Also on our way back there was such an organizatonal chaos, we changed cars three times, and we waited almost 2 hours to get our luggage from the office and get back to the hotel.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ngoni Safaris provided a well-planned, customized gorilla Safari
Gard was our amazing driver for our Safari trip from the Kigali Airport in Rwanda to our hotel and then on to crossing the border into Uganda and on to our Lodge in the Rwindi Impenetrable Forest (and back again at the end). He always had bottled water available for us in the car which mattered so much! We felt totally safe with his careful driving (as Rwandans drive on the right side and Ugandans drive on the left). He helped us negotiate security and immigration. We made lovely stops along the way to eat, photograph and purchase items.
In addition, Gard was so knowledgeable and shared his information with us during the trip from sites and wildlife along the drive, the history of the countries, to essential safety precautions. While at our lodge, he would meet with us each evening so we could prepare for the upcoming treks, helping us to rent gators, get masks, and review the supplies to pack. He would cheerfully drive us each day, multiple times (regardless of the early morning departures), and then diligently wait for us (for many hours) while we trekked. While he waited, he continued to educate himself by reading books on the bat populations and bird varieties in Bwindi, to share this knowledge with others. He had just completed his college degree in Accounting (amazing) and yet still continues learning.
One of the most admirable qualities that I appreciated in Gard was his calm and patient personality: nothing shocked him or frustrated him- he was always cheerful and helpful. We did have a Visa issue at the border and he calmly and patiently helped us maneuver through. We also had trouble with ATMs and he would cheerfully drive us to other ATMs until we had success. If we had a question or concern, he would find the answer. If I was getting car sick, he would drive slower and make stops along the way. Gard Florence is the one who made this trip a success, as he totally customized our tour to suit us individually. We highly recommend Gard, as he was definitely worth a generous tip!
Thank you so much Gard.
Ngoni mistakenly double charged us when signing up which took some time to reverse the charges. We scheduled two days of Gorilla Trekng through Ngoni and they were amazing experiences which we will always treasure 💕 We had a beautiful cabin at the border of the impenetrable forest, with delicious meals and excellent service. The temperatures were very chilly in the evening inside the cabin, so they provided hot water bottle and blankets, which kept us warm. The hotel near the airport was excellent and the free transportation to and from the hotel/airport was beneficial.
This was an amazing once in a lifetime experience!
Stephanie and Paul
Tucson, Arizona USA
June 2025
MA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wild but expensive
Good experience and destination for wildlife, but you need to be patient and negotiate a lot prices are over for all activities and accommodation vs the services qualities.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
No
Poor organization. Until the very last moment we did not have fixed schedules.
The timings were never clear. On the morning of the second safari we were given a time that was not respected at all; instead, we had to wait an extra hour for another group to finish breakfast.
On the first day, the jeep had several problems and only started when pushed — not exactly a great or reassuring way to begin a safari.
Until the last minute we didn’t know what time we were supposed to leave for the airport. They realized this far too late, threw us into another jeep, and we had to rush like crazy, arriving at the airport where they almost didn’t let us check in.
A nightmare. Stressful and very disrespectful, considering how much money we paid.
I strongly recommend turning to professional agencies instead.
RO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lovely nature, services expensive and not really rewarding
I had the 4 day 3 nights budget joining group in Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro. The nature is amazing, especially the crater, packed with animals and the views are crazy. Tarangire was also packed with animals. The Serengeti is huge, so we drove more and saw less animals.
What left a sour taste in my mouth was the price - service quality ratio. I will leave a breakdown here:
- Lem carnivores contact was responsive and polite, but the organisation was chaotic, the first 2 mornings we had to wait for a few hours each day (when animals are actually most active) just so they can organize the cars, they changed the driver and they don't communicate all this in advance, we felt like you never know what awaits you
- drivers & cook were nice people, although we would have expected more info from the drivers about the schedule
- first day accommodation was a very basic room, second night in Serengeti was an awful public campsite: tents smelled like dirty feet, there was no light in the bathrooms and showers, showers doors did not close, no toilet paper, no soap, no hot water and generally dirty. The third night in Ngorongoro public campsite was ok: tents were better, we even got pillows, bathrooms were clean, functional, they had toilet paper, light and hot water, but no soap.
- the cook was a friendly guy, we had more than enough each day, but I have high doubts about how the food is stored, because it is transported without a fridge and in the kitchen area there is no refrigerator. 3 of us got diarrhea, it was bad, we think it was the meat
- safari jeeps are not really well maintained. every day we would pass by broken down cars, lots of them!! in the last day ours broke as well in the exact moment when the diarrhea hit (to be so lucky...)
For me I believe 3 days would have been enough, considering the many hours you spend in the car on bumpy roads. If you have back pain, you will feel it a lot, so keep that in mind when booking.
I also believe that what I wrote here is a reality for all the operators, not only for Lem Carnivores, I just have the feeling that this is the most Tanzania services can provide.
All in all, I would have expected way more out of a 700 dollar experience (+3.5% transfer fees!), but the nature was amazing.