Avocet Tanzania Safaris — Local services in Arusha

Worst Safari Experience: Rude Guide, Dishonest Company, and a Complete Waste of Money

Our 3-day safari to Serengeti and Ngorongoro was deeply disappointing, frustrating, and honestly insulting. I would never recommend this company to anyone.

Let’s start with the guide, who was rude, disinterested, and unprofessional from the beginning. He created a tense atmosphere, snapped at guests for asking questions, and made zero effort to spot wildlife, which is literally his job. Most of the animals we saw were thanks to other jeeps or people in our group spotting them. It felt like he either had no clue what he was doing or simply didn’t care.

We paid for three full safari days, but in reality, got barely 1.5 to 2 days. The worst was the final day in Ngorongoro Crater, where we had a clear agreement: We would enter the crater at 6:00 AM, spend the day exploring, have lunch around 2:00 PM (as is standard in Tanzania), and only start ascending out of the crater in the late afternoon. Instead, the guide suddenly announced he wanted to leave at 11:00 AM, completely cutting the day short.

When we pushed back and said this was not okay,since we paid for a full day, he became defensive, made up excuses about permits and weather (even though the weather was perfect), and did everything in his power to ruin the mood. He finally agreed to stay a bit longer, but still pressured us the entire time, and forced us out of the crater by 1:00 PM. It felt like he was punishing us for speaking up.

It gets worse. During the trip, I found out that some members of our group paid almost double what we did, my friend and I paid $560, while others paid $950–$1,000 for exactly the same itinerary. When I called the company’s boss to report our guide’s behavior, he told me I wasn’t allowed to tell the others what we paid. When I explained how awful and disrespectful the guide was being, they laughed at me and hung up. No apology, no concern, just mockery and silence.

When we followed up after the trip, the company’s official response was: “But you had a good time in Serengeti, so it doesn’t matter.” That sentence alone tells you everything about their attitude toward customers.

On top of everything, the accommodation in Serengeti was poor. Leaking showers, no hot water, and some guests didn’t have working showers at all. It felt run-down and neglected,far from what you expect when booking something advertised as a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip.

Overall, this was a complete disaster: • A rushed and shortened itinerary • A hostile and dishonest guide • A company that cares only about taking your money and silencing complaints

If you’re looking for a safari that’s fair, professional, and respectful: look elsewhere. This experience was a huge disappointment and an enormous waste of...

We got sold 4 days safari with 4 days FULL day game drive

Day 1 „full day game drive“ entering the Tarangire Park: 12:45 p.m, driving out at 5 p.m At the entrance gate to the national park were the guides rather chatting with each other then buying the entrance tickets and go finally on a safari We were told we would sleep the first night in a comfortable king-size bed. We ended up sleeping in a single bed which was 1,80 m long (I´m 1,92m). The mattress was so thin that one could feel the wood under the mattress

Day 2 „full day game drive“ Entering Ngorongoro: 12:30 a.m, driving out at 5:15 p.m Breakfast started at 9 a.m. After breakfast, we had to wait because the cars weren´t packed correctly and the guides had to change. Before entering the Ngorongoro the guides did again a lot of small talk and wasted time. Then our car with all the guests inside had to push another car from the company because it had broken down From 5:15 p.m until 8 p.m we drove at high speed through the Serengeti to our camping space. Couldn´t see any animals at this high speed and arrived at the camping ground when it was dark.

Day 3 „full day game drive“ 8 a.m – 4:15 p.m (this was the only day that came close to an actual full day game drive) We started driving in the Serengeti at 8 a.m, we were by far not the first car who left the camp. After 4:15 p.m we were driving again at high speed to the camp in Ngorongoro Crater for the night.

Day 4 „full day game drive“ 7:15 a.m – 1:40 p.m Unfortunately, we have been always one of the last cars that start driving in the mornings. Because the same car we had to push on day 2 broke down again, we had to take all the people from this car in our car. This means that all the seats 2 people had to sit. Safety!? Apart from that, because this costs us a lot of time, the driver had to drive really really fast to make it to later appointments. Some people feared for their lives

In total very unprofessional company and a disappointing experience. Especially because this tip cost us 650 USD per person. Please stay away from...

Blatant scam and outrageously unprofessional.

We paid for a 3-day safari with 2 full days in Serengeti and 1 full day in Ngorongoro. The itinerary clearly said game drives until late afternoon, but we were told we had to leave before 11 AM. It’s a deliberate scam: they abuse 24h park permits by entering late and leaving early to avoid paying for the extra day we already paid for. When confronted, they demanded an extra $70 for another permit or to leave early. Outrageous.

Our driver, Fidel/Fidelis, lied nonstop to our faces. Claiming Ngorongoro is so small it only takes 4 hours, just another excuse to leave early. He had barely any knowledge of animals. To add insult to injury, the food was expired. The owners literally hung up on us when we complained and told us to "just relax and enjoy." They speak Swahili to plan the lies, then flip to English to execute them. It's a rehearsed fraud. Too bad for them I speak Swahili... Guess I'm not just a "mzungu mjinga" after all.

Total fraud from top to bottom. They lie, cut corners, and gaslight you when caught. Avoid this company at all costs.

EDIT AFTER THEIR RESPONSE: The company’s long and hollow reply here is pure damage control and full of the same empty apologies and claims of “action being taken”... the exact same lines they fed us in real time when we were trying to fix things mid-trip. We already tried calling, messaging, and speaking to them while it was happening and they ignored us, hung up, or gave scripted excuses. Now they claim to be "heartbroken" and "taking responsibility"? Spare me.

If they really meant any of this, they’d have fixed it then, not after getting a public review. They’re not apologising because they care, they’re apologising to save face. Everything in their response is as dishonest as the way they...