Nkollo Tours & Safaris

We had a deeply disappointing experience with Nkollo Tours during our private fly-in safari from Zanzibar to Selous, Tanzania. The communication was severely lacking, with multiple schedule changes not being communicated to us, resulting in significant delays and missed safari time. Our flight was rescheduled without prior notice, causing us to miss 2 hours of our first day’s safari. We only became aware of the rescheduling when we arrived at the airport, prepared to board our flight at 06:00, and were handed new tickets. Moreover, the flight we were placed on included a stopover, contrary to the direct flight that was promised to us. As a result, instead of arriving in Selous at 06:50 as initially planned, we did not reach our destination until 08:15. After contacting Nkollo Tours about this delay, we were promised compensation through extended safari hours, but this was not honoured. In subsequent correspondence regarding the flight rescheduling, they asserted that they are not responsible for the issue and advised us to contact the airline directly. However, it is standard practice that when a flight is rescheduled, passengers are rebooked on a comparable flight, not one that includes a stopover and is significantly less expensive. The second day was equally unsatisfactory. Our safari, originally scheduled to start at 07:00, was delayed by two hours without any communication, forcing us to wake up unnecessarily early (again!). The driver then proceeded to rush through the park at high speeds (60-80 km/hour), despite being informed of my mother’s back pain. This reckless driving led to a broken phone, a broken camera lens and injuries to my back and hip. We passed the elephants twice this day, yet the driver refused to stop for them, citing the need to be on time for lunch. Because the safari tour started two hours late, and the full itinerary was still followed, the driver maintained high speeds, which made it impossible for us to capture decent photos or to enjoy the safari experience properly. Lastly, if the driver did stop for us to look at the animals, a huge cloud of sand came up because he had to brake so hard for the car to stop. In subsequent correspondence, they claim that driving at such speeds would have caused the vehicle to break down. However, as someone who frequently drives, I observed that they were indeed driving at significantly high speeds, certainly not the 30 km/hour limit that is required within the park. They also claim they are not liable for any damages suffered, but I feel this is unjust, as these damages would not have occurred had they adhered to the appropriate speed limits. On the final day, our scheduled walking safari was also delayed, with no timely notice, leading us to cancel it altogether. We had asked the tour operator the day before if the start time could be pushed to 08:00, but were informed that if starting at this time, we would not be able to see any animals. We were therefore advised to begin at either 06:00 or 07:00. We agreed to a 07:00 start, but upon arriving in the dining room, we were informed by one of the employees of the lodge that our tour guide had notified them at 00:00 the evening before that our tour will start at 08:00. Given that we had to wake up 05:30, we were already in bed by this time, unaware of the change in schedule. Given the previous warning about the likelihood of not seeing animals, we cancelled the walking safari altogether. Although we received a $100 compensation for this, we were still extremely disappointed with the overall experience we had with Nkollo Tours. Additionally, the lodge’s pool was out of service, and we were not informed of this in advance, which diminished the value of our stay further. In conclusion, the experience was severely impacted by poor communication, lack of professionalism, and failure to deliver the promised service. We are seeking compensation for the missed safari hours, damaged property, and the subpar experience, but Nkollo Tours insists that the cost of the tour has increased, and therefore refuses to refund any portion of our payment, despite the numerous delays and damages we endured. The second day, they even bought us two bottles of liquor, which we interpreted as acknowledgement of their mistakes. However, they are now citing this gesture as a reason for refusing to refund any portion of our payment. We strongly advise other travellers to be cautious when considering Nkollo Tours for a private safari.

Celine Serry