Imani Excursions
Imani Excursions
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $3,090 to $16,311 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
CN
Email Yuan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A DISAPPOINTING Safari Experience with a DISRESPECTFUL guide!
My friend and I chose Imani for a 7-day trip in July, hoping for a memorable experience. Unfortunately, we encountered a series of disorganized and disappointing events that left us questioning the agency’s professionalism.
The issues included accommodation and itinerary errors, lack of communication, a rush itinerary, and the disrespectful guide, Fred.
1. Accommodation and Itinerary Discrepancies:
(1) Downgrade of accommodation: On July 24, our driver informed us that our originally booked hotel, Mara Kati Kati Camp, was destroyed by a wildfire. We were left with no choice but to accept an alternative hotel they had arranged. However, upon checking in at the Untamed Migration Camps, we discovered that this hotel was significantly inferior, holding merely 3 reviews on Tripadvisor, compared to the initial booking's 1724 reviews. We reached out to the manager, Mike, hoping for clarification and a refund of the price difference, but his response lacked any apology. He simply stated that it wasn't his fault and that Untamed Migration Camps is better than Mara Kati Kati Camp, and then ceased further communication. Later, we met another group from the same travel agency who were upgraded to a better hotel (Baobab Lodge & Camp) due to the Mara Kati Kati being fully booked, not destroyed by fire as we were told. This discrepancy in stories left us doubting the veracity of the wildfire claim and feeling deceived.
(2) Mistaking us for the wrong accommodation: On July 26, we were mistakenly taken to the wrong hotel, Manyara Secret, and endured a half-hour wait and more unapologetic responses from management. Our eventual accommodation at Escarpment Luxury Lodge proved inadequate with issues like malodorous rooms and a leaking air conditioner, which necessitated a midnight room change. The staff then moved us to a standard room type—larger, cleaner, and more organized. Only then did we realize that, even after the hotel mix-up, the agency had initially booked us into the most remote and least desirable room in the hotel. We ended up having to pack and move rooms in the early hours of the morning.
(3) Meals not covered during the first-day trip: Contrary to our itinerary, meals were not provided on the first day. We had to cover these costs out-of-pocket, with the agency only reimbursing us for lunch after a discussion with the manager.
1. Unreasonable Itinerary Planning:
We booked a 7-day safari trip through Imani but were not informed in advance about the overly rushed schedule. In practice, we only had 5 days of actual safari, with a significant portion of our time spent in transit. Our time in the Serengeti was rushed, limiting our encounters with wildlife. On the last day, with almost no activities scheduled by Imani, we had to independently arrange a village tour and a visit to a Maasai village. The agency failed to provide a clear and flexible itinerary that would have allowed us to adjust or reduce activities to enhance our experience.
2. Communication Shortfalls:
Although Imani uses communication apps such as WeChat, they did not provide these contact details in our email exchanges, hindering effective communication. Besides, during our initial email correspondence when we expressed enthusiasm about booking their tour, they did not supply a final itinerary, leading to numerous misunderstandings and errors during our trip.
3. The driver Fred is a very unprofessional and disrespectful guide. We did not feel that he prioritized the passengers' experience, and we even sensed his disdain. His unsatisfied behaviors include but are not limited to:
(1) UNAUTHORIZED USE OF PERSONAL BELONGINGS: The driver Fred, realized his camera was malfunctioning, and I told him that if he wanted to take photos, he could borrow the camera from mine when needed. However, on July 25, he took my camera without my consent, inserted his memory card, and used it to take photos. He even posted Instagram stories of him holding my camera. This was done without any apology and is the most incomprehensible and infuriating issue I encountered.
(2) POOR COMMUNICATION and Lack of Consideration During Safari: Throughout the safari, the driver dictated all movements without any discussion—driving when he decided and only stopping when he chose to. When I requested a brief stop to capture better photos of the lion family, he declined, claiming that we were not allowed to linger in that area (why? and why cannot we get the permission?). This made every wildlife sighting incredibly tense, as I was always worried about missing the opportunity to take photos. Such an experience was profoundly unsatisfactory.
(3) Neglect in Customer Experience: After exchanging Instagram accounts, I noticed that the photos he took after spotting a group of elephants closely were from a much better angle than ours, which was taken from a rear perspective. The prioritization of viewing angles seemed skewed to benefit Fred’s own photographic interests rather than providing guests with optimal wildlife viewing experiences, as evidenced by the superior angles of his photos compared to ours.
(4) Uncommunicated Personal Errands: The driver often had his own errands, such as delivering supplies to his friends or buying personal items. We understand that these tasks might be necessary, but he never informed us in advance nor did he communicate his plans to us.
After expressing our frustrations, the agency offered a paltry $250 refund and a complimentary airport transfer. It hardly compensated for the multitude of issues we experienced. The trip culminated in an apology from the manager, but it was too late. This trip has left such a negative impact that I am disinclined to visit Tanzania again. I have traveled to more than 30 countries and have lived in several countries, but had never had such a poor travel experience.
It is crucial to share our story to help others avoid similar negative experiences. The level of service provided by Imani was not only disappointing but unacceptable, and I caution potential travelers to carefully consider their options when booking a safari in Tanzania.
Reply from Imani Excursions
Posted on Aug 23, 2024Hi Yuan,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Your feedback is important and we rely on hearing from our guests to ensure we’re doing a great job.
As you shared in your review, this was not the case for you and for this, we do really apologize. Our customers are the heart of our business and . We understand you’re feeling disappointed about our guide and experience given .
Please know that we have worked to resolve all your concern to make sure nothing like that will ever happen again
Please know we’d like to make this right for you. We’ve sent you an email and if you’d like to chat further, we do hope you will give us another opportunity to earn your business.
Thank you, again, for taking the time to share a review with us and bring all this to our attention.”
Thanks
Imani G shoo
Email Laura Castillo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Imani Excursions gave us the experience of a lifetime!!
Beginning with our greeting at the airport, Imani Excursions did not disappointment through the entire trip. The owner, Imani himself came out to give us a big welcoming. Our tour guides David and Julius were always cheerful, very knowledge about the areas we visited and the animals we encountered. They knew where to find the animals. I'm still in disbelief about the heart pounding encounters we had with the animals. We came away learning about the animals, the culture and were even taught a little Swahili. Thank you David and Julius!! This is definitely something my family and especially our kids will never forget because of you.
Our accommodations were beautiful staying at Manyara's Secret and the Lahia Luxury Tent Lodge. Manyara's Secret was right on the lake with your own individual private pools. The food was delicious and staff were very welcoming and attentive. The whole place was gorgeous. In Lahia, other than the zip up walls you wouldn't even think you were in a tent. The rooms were large, huge bed and overlooked the Serengeti with the two sinks and toilet inside your tent. There was a beautiful private outdoor shower attached to your room. Animals came right up to the lodge. It was incredible walking through zebras on the way to dinner.
There are many tour companies in Tanzania. You should not hesitate in booking with Imani and his staff. You can tell that they love their jobs and are in awe with us encountering the animals even after many years of giving tours. This translated to an incredible and unforgettable experience for us. Imani Excursions made us fall in love with Tanzania and if we ever get back there we will definitely book with them again.
Email Jack | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
David and Julius were very knowledgeable and went above and beyond to provide an excellent service
We were well fed and treated like royalty. We saw many many animals, every thing but the cheetah. We saw rhino lions hundreds of wildebeest and Zebra many antelope of different species even a leopard. We couldn't Have asked for more it was well worth the money. The overnight accommodations were amazing I would recommend to anyone thinking of going to Africa
They were very nice and kind.
This trip was a great experience. I went with my parents, grandparents, and aunts. The accommodations were beautiful. I loved seeing all the animals. The tour guides were nice.
CN
Email Lief Gu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I would rate the Safari with Imani Excursions 4/5, and the Kilimanjaro Climbing 5/5.
Overall, the travel experience was fantastic. Before the trip, I booked the Safari and Kilimanjaro Climbing with Imani Excursions. We discussed the travel arrangements, and the agency's responses were timely. After several revisions, we received a great plan and a decent quote.
In the first part of the trip, we went on the Safari. Since it was our first time in Tanzania, we visited all the major attractions, including Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Manyara. If I were to give some advice, I would suggest focusing more time on Ngorongoro and Serengeti, as the animals you can see in the other places can also be found in these two. If there's anything that wasn't ideal about the Safari, it would be that too much time was spent traveling from one location to the next. If we could have stayed in one place for several days, we would have had more time to actually look for wild animals.
There were two disappointing aspects of the Safari. First, we didn't see any cheetahs despite our five-day Safari. This is why I made the above suggestion. We spent too much time traveling and not enough time actively searching for animals. The driver (also our guide) kept emphasizing that seeing cheetahs was a matter of luck which I totally understand, but many people we met on the way had seen more than one cheetah. Second, we missed a beautiful view along the Safari route. We hoped the driver could go back a short distance, which would have taken only 5 to 10 minutes, but he refused. This was quite upsetting for us.
Although there are some disappointing things during the Safari, I would rate our driver (also our guide), Baraka, 4/5, because he really worked hard. He drived the jeep for 6-10 hours per day, also he helped us to find animals on the way.
In the second part of the trip, we went on the Kilimanjaro Climbing. I would 120% recommend our guide Joshu and Eugen. We spent 8 days to finish the Lemosho Route. The team carried a watermelon, a pineapple and mangos for us. It is really amazing to have fruit on the very high altitude after getting exhausted after a whole-day-climbing. Also, the team carried the toilet for us, which is much cleaner than the public one, and we don't have to go a long distance every time to empty ourselves. At the summit day, the Joshu and Eugen carried backpacks for us, and two other porters carried hot water for drinking and oxygen for emergency. I would say without every thing the team did for us, it could be much more difficult for us to reach the peak. Along all the way from the beginning to the end, out guides kept introducing everything we met and cared about our health.
During the trip, Imani Excursions made two mistakes with us. One is that the agency charged us some fees twice accidentally. But after the communication, we got the refund very soon. The other is that the tip guide we received was wrong. This problem is also solved happily. Our guides kept letting us focus on our holiday and enjoy the climbing.
Again, 120% recommend out guide Joshu and Eugen. The team is awesome.
So overall, I would rate Imani Excursions 5/5, simply because it is a nice agency. They really tried to provide good service and hoped us to have wonderful experience. I would say no trip is perfect and it is common to meet some problems during the trip. It is quite important to keep communicating with the agency. Luckily, Image Excursions is such a nice one that we could easily communicate with and all problems are solved quickly and happily.
Email Dave and family | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Imani was an amazing tour guide; he was extremely professional, knowledgeable, and safe.
The safari tour with Imani Excursions was more than we could have hoped for. Our group was a family of 4 (including adult kids 21 and 19). From the start, Mike at Safari Bookings was so quick to respond and assist us with building out the excursion that met our needs. The second we landed to the moment we flew out we felt completely taken care of. Mike even offered a photographer to join us, but we declined, as we wanted to just enjoy it with our family. We visited Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Lake Manyara. We enjoyed every park, and even though a lot of the animals were the same, the environment and experience was different. Imani was our tour guide, and I don't think we could have asked for anyone better. He has over 12 years of experience and he had knowledge of the area, where to have a better chance to see different animals, good routes planned, and we always felt safe riding with him. His safari vehicle was in great working condition, which is so important, as we saw a number of others broken down, things not working, getting stuck, etc. Imani cleaned/washed his vehicle every day, restocked it with drinks, and the lunches were always great. You could really tell he took pride in what he does. The hotels were amazing and if we did it over, we would stay a second night in the Lahia Tented Lodge and maybe just do a couple hour safari for one day, so that we could enjoy the hotel and relax. I was surprised at how much January was an off season, there were very few people in the hotels, so we really felt pampered. For the safari, you cover so much land in a short number of days, you are essentially on the move 10+ hours a day, especially getting to and from each of the parks. As far as seeing animals, Imani was able to show us so much, all of the big 5 and so many more animals. We didn't go in with a checklist, and I don't think you should, as it would take away from the experience and of course this isn't a zoo. Imani had a great plan/route for us and he will really work with you on whatever your goals/needs are. You essentially spend every minute with your guide, and Imani was really an enjoyable person to be around. I would certainly recommend Safari Bookings and Imani Excursions for anyone looking to visit these parks; they made it truly an amazing experience for me and my family!
Email Lorna and Charlie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect honeymoon safari
From start to finish our safari experience was amazing.
We booked our safari a few months in advance and that’s when we were in communications with Mike, he put together a tailor made plan for safari based on what we wanted to do and our budget. He answered all of our questions leading up to the Safari and was a life saver when we turned up in Kilimanjaro with no luggage, as it had been lost in transit.
We arrived at 1:30 in the morning and were met by our guide, Mohammed. We drove to Arusha for a couple of hours downtime before we started our Safari. During our safari we covered Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, The Serengeti and lake Manyara. Over the 4 days of safari we were lucky enough to see the most amazing scenery, ranging from large plains to rainforests to beautiful lakes. Even more luckily we saw the most outstanding wildlife even two of the harder to find - black rhino and leopard.
Our luck however was more down to Mohammed who went out of his way to make sure that we saw it all, he’d make sure that we were always in the best spot to watch what was going on, he’d go the extra mile, sometimes leaving the parks later than planned to make sure we’d had the best day. His knowledge of not only the animals was amazing but also the birds, the landscape, the Masai Mara tribe and everything else safari. We’re so unbelievably grateful to Mohammed who made our honeymoon so memorable.
The hotels on our safari were outstanding. We stayed in Kitela Lodge and Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge in The Serengeti. Kitela lodge is so peaceful, surrounded by its own coffee plantation. The staff here are so hospitable, you instantly feel comfortable here. Mike arranged for our lost luggage to arrive at Kitela - we didn’t have to worry about any of it at all, he arranged it made all the calls to get all of our stuff back. Kubu Kubu lodge is perched on a hill overlooking the Serengeti and is an unforgettable spot. We arrived here, instantly handed a glass of champagne and shown to a spot to enjoy the sun go down over the Serengeti. The staff a Kubu Kubu were also amazing, setting up a private candle lit dinner with champagne for us, with the help Mike and Mohammed.
Finally, on the last day before leaving Kilimanjaro, Mike arranged our early morning transfer to the airport, free of charge! Imani excursions looked after us from the moment we landed until the moment we took off again, creating an amazing honeymoon experience for us. Thank you
Email Jabari | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This is the best tour company I have ever worked with.
This was a fantastic experience from beginning to end. Mike is the front office was a pleasure to work with. He not only arranged a fantastic Safari but also made sure the accommodations we wanted were within our price point and wonderful as well as arranged flights within Tanzania and worked to secure our reservation on Zanzibar. He went above and beyond and was patient and courteous with me. He handled the questions I had from my group of 26 people effortlessly. We what’s up video called or chatted whenever it was necessary and he always responded expeditiously. The safari itself was fabulous. Imani (also company owner) came out in the field to lead our group of four vehicles over a four day tour. Our group ranged in ages from 12-77. Everyone felt well taken care of and had a wonderful time. Everyone thought their driver was the best:) This was an incredible value for the money spent. I traveled all over the world and arranged trips for large groups of friends and family and I can’t say enough about this company. You will be m excellent hands.
Email Debbi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Luxury in the Serengeti and beyond
Imani Excursions did a great job. They took care of our every need, predicting what we would need and listening to our desires. They treated us like royalty, not letting us lift a finger. They were super informative throughout the safari. I learned so much from them. Their passion for the job shined through every minute of the way. We were a large group, over 20. This meant a lot of herding cats. The guides did this with grace and were polite in their efforts to keep us on schedule. I hope they were able to enjoy themselves as well.
HK
Email Jenny | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Spectacular, beyond expectations
Our Tanzania safari with Imani Excursions was absolutely incredible! From the moment we arrived, Imani and his team greeted us with such warmth and even surprised us with a thoughtful welcome gift, which set the stage for a fantastic trip.
Our guide, Muddy, was outstanding—highly professional, incredibly knowledgeable, and always attentive. His expertise helped us spot an amazing variety of animals, from elephants to cheetahs, making every game drive unforgettable. The itinerary was well-planned, blending thrilling safari drives with a memorable hike led by our guide Joshua, who was friendly, skilled, and full of great insights.
The accommodations were comfortable, and the food was delicious, with plenty of local flavors that added to the experience. To top it all off, Imani went above and beyond by treating us to a fantastic local BBQ for our farewell, completely on his own dime—a gesture that made us feel truly appreciated.
I wholeheartedly recommend Imani Excursions for anyone looking for a well-organized, memorable safari in Tanzania!
