I have been on tours all over the world but this is the only one I would rate lower than 3 stars. Swain Destinations booked us with two African tour providers who managed to reduce excellent hotels, guides, and game drives into an unnecessarily painful, anxiety-producing series of hauls, back and forth between parks. Here's the letter we sent to Swain's owner:
As you know from when we spoke, the Kenya portion of our trip was less than satisfactory.
The game drives were excellent. We witnessed an incredible array of unforgettable sights. The lodges were more than satisfactory. And our guide, Daniel was absolutely terrific.
The problem, of course, was in the amount of time we spent in transit, trekking back and forth between destinations. When we left Nairobi for Masai Mara we spent six hours in transit, which was fine for the outset of our safari.
But two days later we spent another six hours heading back up north past Nairobi to spend just one night - less than 24 hours - at Lake Nakuru. Then we headed south yet again, past Nairobi. Including a one-hour boat excursion on Lake Naivasha we spent an excruciating 10 1/2 hours in a jeep equipped with seats that were apparently designed for passengers who weigh less than 100 pounds, and that rattled so loudly that it was downright piercing. These are not exaggerations.
In addition to the four of us whom Swain Destinations booked on this safari were a Portuguese gentleman, and a couple from Australia. We all agreed that the amount of time spent in transit was extreme.
When the four of us arrived at the lovely Ol Takei Lodge in Amboseli National Park, we decided to review what we had been through and what to expect in our remaining time on safari. At this point we had spent more than 20 hours in excessively uncomfortable conditions strictly in transit, exclusive of any game drives, in just four days.
Then we realized that coming up in just two days on July 8 we would once again be spending most of our day in transit crossing the border into Tanzania. In addition, on our day of departure on July 14 we would be traveling from Tarangire National Park back to the border then all the way back to Nairobi airport arriving three hours before our midnight departure which would be followed by another 21 hours in transit back to New York.
Add it all up. We were going to have zero game drives on July 6 while in transit from one night at Lake Nakuru to Amboseli, on July 8 while in transit from Amboseli to Lake Manyara, and finally on July 14 from Tarangire to Nairobi airport.
What your printed materials omitted in describing the wonders of East Africa and the amenities of the lodges is the inordinate amount of time spent in transit in Kenya, particularly in senselessly heading south, then north, then south again, frequently on what can barely be described as roads, in a vehicle that was definitely not built for comfort.
Before transitioning into Tanzania we remained optimistic that the worst was over.
By the time we arrived at Lake Manyara with our new guide, Mathey of Ranger Safaris, and his much improved jeep, we were exhausted. The rest of our 2-night stay at Lake Manyara was terrific. There were now six of us as the Portuguese man departed at the end of the Kenya portion of the safari. The six of us agreed that we hoped for smooth sailing for the rest of the Tanzanian portion of our adventure. Poor naïve us.
When we departed Lake Manyara for Serengeti National Park, we were unaware of what a brutal trek lay before us. The drive to Ngorongoro was fine. Oh that view! But then, oh that road. The remaining route to Serengeti made the previous unpaved roads seem like superhighways. While the prior rough roads wreaked havoc on Sam's back and Ellis's buttocks, this road seemed designed as a medieval torture device. And on this road to torment we learned from our guide that we would return to Ngorongoro on the same road.
We arrived at the Serengeti Serena Lodge after 11 hours, 6 hours of which were on pummeling roads. Serengeti was great. After two nights we headed back to Ngorongoro on the road to hell.
We thoroughly enjoyed Ngorongoro. Then we departed for Tarangire National Park, which took us farther away from Nairobi for a 1-night stay.
Then came the return to Nairobi Airport. We dropped the Australians off in Arusha so they could catch their departure flight to Zanzibar. By the time we arrived at the restaurant near the Nairobi airport, the four of us had spent a total of 13 hours in transit. And experiencing a final day of a torturous drive was the biggest screw up of all. For about $240 per person you could have put us on a flight from Kilimanjaro Airport to Nairobi and saved us a good seven hours of torture. Instead we spent more than 50 hours in transit over 12 days. There were even two occasions when Sam and Susan, and one occasion when Cheryl and Ellis, skipped an afternoon game drive because we were so beaten down.
You dropped the ball on this one! read more
