MO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A nice caring guy
For every safari drive, Nickson tries to find something for us to look at, he points to every wildlife that newly and oldly seen.
He is caring too, two of our companions are not feeling well with eyes and the stomach, he correspondingly drive to the pharmacy , take us there and buy the medicine which is pretty kind.
He will negotiate with the hotel with our concern of security( Staff going in the room for cleaning or putting down the net without telling).
He will adjust the problem at once when he knows them.
However, his briefing can be clearer. He will talk about what will we go tomorrow, for some schedule adjustments , it will be better if he can talk about precisely in advance and talk about why we are changing it. ( like there is misunderstanding when going to Tsavo taita hill wildlife sanctuary and Tsavo west national park).
And his campanion( according to him is his relative). As being told it is a private trip with only the guide and us. It is ok for us to to have someone helping with moving the luggages at the beginning of the trip( that is what he is always doing throughout the whole trip), but we should know it IN ADVANCE. We only know the man is going with us the whole trip when initiatively asked, having a feeling of encroaching of personal boundary, especially he took my potato chips and ate them all without asking(not sure whether he knows it is my potato chips). We told Nickson about the potato chips issue and it did not happen ever after.
In short , we care about the clearness on the details of schedules, which is the person following, the schedule adjustments.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An Unforgettable Safari Experience with meijo
Thank you so much for this incredible journey. The itinerary was well-paced, the guides were patient and attentive, and the landscapes were simply breathtaking. It was surreal to see animals that I’d only ever watched on TV—right there in front of me. Absolutely amazing.
· Tarangire: the park rangers and the baobab trees 🌲, the baby elephant hiding in its mother’s shadow 🐘, and the Maasai boys going through their rite of passage.
· Serengeti: the lion prides on an early morning patrol 🦁, the cheetah feasting on a gazelle 🐆, and the wildebeest charging across the river against all odds.
· Ngorongoro: the elephants, giraffes, and—haha—the jackal poop 💩 we spotted on our walking safari.
One small but important heads‑up for future travelers: during my stay at Safari Heaven Migration Camp, some money went missing from my room. Please keep your valuables secure and double‑check your belongings.
Otherwise, it was a trip of a lifetime—thank you for everything!
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Service Failures and Itinerary Deviations by Kenya Partner Agency (Shades of Africa)
I booked a tour with Jambo Masai Tours, who outsourced the Kenya portion of my trip to Shades of Africa. My complaint is regarding the services delivered by their outsourced partner.
While we have no issue with Jambo Masai Tours directly, we experienced multiple itinerary deviations and service issues from their outsourced Kenya counterpart, specifically driver-guide, David, from Shades of Africa.
Below are the factual details and itinerary deviations encountered during the four days of our trip in Kenya:
Day 1 (Late Arrival & Tipping Request): The driver arrived at 7:00 AM for a scheduled 5:40 AM pick-up at the airport. Upon departure, he requested a tip rate of USD 20 per person per day. This contradicts the rate of USD 10 specified in Jambo Masai's official brochure guidelines.
Day 2 (Missed Itinerary Item & Unscheduled Stop): Delayed arrival times resulted in the complete omission of our scheduled evening game drive in the Maasai Mara. The driver altered the route to include a Maasai village tour not listed in our official itinerary, requiring an unscheduled USD 60 out-of-pocket admission fee.
Day 3 (Altered Game Drive Duration): The driver concluded the game drive at 3:30 PM at the accommodation without prior consultation. While he had communicated the 7:30 AM start time the previous day, the conclusion time was not discussed, and we were notified that the tour had ended upon arrival at the lodging at 3:30 PM.
Day 4 (Tanzania Border Tipping Dispute): At the Tanzania border drop-off at 11:00 AM, the driver contested our tip of USD 100 for the 4-day period (equivalent to USD 12.50 per person per day). He explicitly demanded USD 20 per person per day inside the vehicle until we reiterated Jambo Masai's USD 10 guideline, at which point the provided amount was accepted.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very available
We took a private safari tour in Tanzania and were very satisfied with the experience and organization.
Special thanks to our Italian guide Nelson, our driver Joel, and our chef Prospar, all professional, kind, and always available. Nelson was an excellent guide in Italian, knowledgeable, and passionate. Joel took us to see all the animals we hoped to see, demonstrating his great experience, while Prospar won us over with his cuisine: even at the campsite, he prepared truly excellent dishes.
We had some unexpected issues, including a car problem, which was resolved quickly without us missing a day of safari. Even the issue of camping towels, which we hadn't been told we needed to bring, was resolved by the agency purchasing them for us before departure. We really appreciated their ability to quickly find solutions.
Overall, the itinerary was well-organized. The only thing I'd improve on was the day at Ngorongoro: we started from a point quite far from the crater entrance and wasted a lot of time on the journey, leaving us with little time inside the crater.
The only other small complaint concerns the car: compared to the other jeeps we saw during the safari, ours was dirtier and didn't look like it had been washed before departure or during the safari.
The overnight stays were overall good, except for one very basic one, due to the fact that we had chosen the budget package. One of the campsites, however, was truly beautiful.
Overall, it was a positive experience, with a few areas that could be improved: the team's helpfulness and professionalism were the best thing.
(automatic translation from Italian)
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Competent, caring, and always attentive
We were satisfied with the trip organized by Savana, where we saw everything we wanted to see. Our only comment is to better evaluate the transportation to the lodges, as the journeys are often tiring.
(automatic translation from Italian)
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic and super competent driver
A beautiful safari through the Serengeti, Ngoro Ngoro, and Tarangire.
Thanks to our excellent driver, Issah, we saw all the Big Five.
The lodges were beautiful and the food was excellent.
The experience of sleeping with lions in the distance was wonderful.
I'm not giving it the highest rating for two main reasons: the packed lunch could have been better, and the experience in Tarangire wasn't up to par with the other two parks.
Still, Lost in Africa is highly recommended!
(automatic translation from Italian)
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a good experience.
Everything was great.
The drivers to go and come back from Kruger Park, the loges and they breakfast bag, the guide to visite the park.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
100% Recommend
Full package agent Jonsbert was very kind and give us attention from the moment we were closing the package to till the last day of the safari.
We did 4 days Zanzibar which was great, only downside for me was the hotel didn’t serve alcohol(due to the religion) and we were not informed before, also the hotel looked empty, no entertainment from the staff, but hotel itself was great installation and in front of the beach.
Name hotel Smiles Beach hotel.
We went to Safari stayed first and last night in Arush at Amani Safari lodge which was nice and cozy, great food and nice staff then at the Safaris, our camps were great.
Serengeti Classic view camp(great staff and installations, recommend!) and Heritage Mara Camp( kind and attentive staff, entertainment in the evening at dinner but as it’s a immigration camp, installations are much simpler than the other one).
Our tour guide was Babuu who is super knowledgeable on the safari, made sure we have seen all animals, he was super patient with our millions photos and videos.
Always made sure we were having a great experience. We would recommend doing the safari with him.
I believe our package was great choice and good value for it.
We had a great time with full package and we 100% recommend them!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very enthusiastic and informative.
The tour was well organised by Abel, and communication was done in an appropriate approach. He was considerate of the needs of each and every person travelling and accomodative of any health issues and concerns as well.
IT
Effective and supportive
Jungle roam Safaris was an amazing experience. We went to several different parks and out tour guide Walter John did everything in his power to give us the opportunity to see the big five.
Overall, it was once in a lifetime journey!