Orongai Tours has refused to pay my refund when I cancelled our tour. I originally booked a 12 day Southern Tanzania Safari with Zanizibar Tour with Orongai tours back in February of 2021. I had a niggling feeling that the tour was too good to be true, nice hotels, reasonable price, but I had frequent reassurance from Ann/Anna, of Orongai Tours that I was in good hands. I paid my 50% deposit with an agreement that the balance would be due one week before our arrival in August 2022. THEN, I received a message from Ann/Anna saying they needed me to pay the remaining balance over one year before departure, rather than one week before as originally agreed. She said if I didn't my trip could be cancelled, the trip I had already paid 50% on. I refused to do this, as it was not part of the original agreement. After lots of back and forth where I was told by Ann/Anna that paying for my trip a year before I went was "for my own good", I said, no this was not ok, and that I wanted to cancel. That was 4 months ago. At first Ann/Anna said her supervisor would be "holding my deposit with company funds" until 2022. I responded that this was not ok. After four months of back and forth, and setting a deadline by which time the refund would be paid, I still have not been refunded my money. Basically, Orongai Africa Safari has taken $4500 Canadian from me and refuses to refund me that money. So my trip is cancelled and no money has been repaid. Not only is the company scamming people, they in contravention of the law. The original invoice set out the terms of payment and refund, and they have not complied with those terms. I am writing this review in the hopes of getting my money back (and I will be taking further steps to do so), but also in the hopes that no one else falls into the same trap I did, when I made the bad decision to trust Orongai Tours. I only wish I had listened to that little voice in my head that said this was too good to be true before I paid them 50% of the tour price. Please listen to the voice in your head before paying them any money, as you will clearly never get it back.

We have attended a July safari in 2021 organized by the Orongai. Four nights in Serengeti, one night in Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks. A well-organized trip was led by Lukas. Our guide is a person with a great knowledge of the terrain, animals and the ecosystem. He patiently explained to us the habits of various animals, their names and behavior. He has an amazing sense of where, when and how to position the jeep to best spot to observe and take pictures. At the Masai Mara River we did not miss any moment of the great wildebeests migration, and in the savannah in the central Serengeti, he perfectly spotted a pair of lions hunting for pumbas. Very good driver, a man of great knowledge, always smiling and helpful in every situation. He brought us closer to the world of nature in Tanzania, but also familiarized us with the everyday life of the local people. We had fantastic time and hope to come back many times in future. We highly recommend it, the Orongai and Lukas.

My daughter and I have just spent two weeks visiting 5 of Tanzania's national parks. We found the company helpful when organizing the itinerary and the trip itself was well organized. The company was very accommodating - even looking after a pack that was not needed for this part of our trip and meeting us at the airport at the end of our trip to hand it back. Our driver was very well informed and good company.

Communications: I got instant feedback from Orongai Africa Safaris on all my emails; they were regularly calling us during the trip to check if everything was ok. Our driver Fred was always finding strategic positions from which we had wonderful views of the animals. We got very good camps and excellent lodges. In Zanzibar: the resort Hideaway Nungwi was great and the beach was perfect. Unforgettable memories from Escarpment Lodge, Thanks for everything!

We had an incredible trip thanks to Orongai Africa Safari and we were absolutely delighted with the performance of the whole team. Both during the preparation and the trip, all went very smoothly. In the beginning we had contact with Ann, she was prompt and we were able to come up with a great program. Considering Orongai Africa Safari has been in business for 8 years whereas other companies are in operation for a few years and close is proof of friendly and great service. Furthermore Orongai Africa Safari is owned by a Tanzanian where as some others are operated with large agencies. The price was very good and when we compared to the big trekking companies we has some hesitation on the service, Orongai Africa Safari far exceeded our expectations. Right upon our arrival Orongai Africa Safari picked us up from the airport. The next day we met our guide Fred for a briefing and he check our gear to make sure we would be in comfort. Our guides, Fred, Juma and John are well spoken and were polite, positive and professional. The guides ensure that each individual advance at their own pace with the goal is to get to the top. Our ascent over 7 days to the summit was successful for all 10 of us in the group. The whole team (guides, assistants, cook, and porters) work well together, special mention to Shafee, who makes your morning, lunches and dinners in a great atmosphere. We also chose to do a Safari with Orongai Africa Safari. We were again picked up by our guide/driver on time (we were never late because of Orongai Africa Safari, always on time, even a little early). We had chosen to stay in lodges which were far better than anticipated with unique experience in each one. Either luxury tenting or a lodge with a view Our guide, Elia took the time to explain the surroundings, animals, his stories etc. as well answer our questions. Even if it was expected he did it very well and with pleasure. You could tell they know their stuff, not only are they educated in that area, they are also passionate. Example Elia is also an avid birdwatcher/birder. For us it was a fabulous trip in Tanzania and we greatly appreciate Orongai Africa Safari. We strongly recommend for anyone wishing to do a trek or safari to connect with Orongai Africa Safari.

If you want to be in trusted hands choose Orongai Africa Safaris! We did 9 days safari across main Tanzania North Parks - Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara - and 4 days in Zanzibar and all was great (places, lodges, organization of days, bookings, guide, problem solving). Maybe if I need to change anything, I would suggest to skip or to advance Lake Manyara as it’s the less populated and doing it at the end after the wonderful Serengeti and Ngorongoro it’s less valuable. Overall it was an amazing experience and I thank you again Orongai Africa Safari team for the fantastic support

Orongai African Safaris are the best! We spend 11 days exploring Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara with them and it was amazing. The guide Asseri could answer everything and you could really feel his love for wildlife and nature. The Safari vehicle was so much better than we expected. Very high quality with lots of little touches like charging stations, water bottles holders, built in fridge and the pop up roof that is essential for this sort of Safari And I can tell you; you are going to leave this Safari with some more weight. Because the chief Fred cooks like a 5 star cook and I am sure that you will eat 2 to 3 portions every lunch and dinner; it was amazing experience, thank you for that Orongai! Will be back very soon.

Our Tanzania Safari definitely exceeded our expectations - so many animals, beautiful landscapes and wonderful service from the entire team. We went to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, lake manyara and Tarangire 8 Day Trip and it was absolutely wonderful. We saw many animals that we expected could be time of year, but so much more than what I have seen in other countries on safari We would highly recommend this company and this tour. It exceeded our expectations - thanks Orongai African Safaris

I can't speak more highly of Ann, Asseri and our guide Ellia from Orongai Africa Safari. I spent close to 6 months researching whom to travel with in Tanzania and eventually settled on from Orongai Africa Safari. You can do what I did or simply just book with from Orongai Africa Safari........trust me, you won't be disappointed. From an extraordinarily demanding professional photographer, I cannot recommend from Orongai Africa Safari more highly. You must ask for Elia as your guide.........he is incredible in every way and bends over backwards to make sure he is doing everything possible to ensure your trip of a lifetime. His knowledge and passion for his country and wildlife were incredible, highlighted by when he stopped the truck in the middle of nowhere to pick up a water bottle that had been carelessly dropped by a tourist.........'that would kill an animal', he said. This action spoke volumes about the person he is and the company he works for. We spent 1 night at Kirurumu tented camp at LakeManyara, 3 nights at Roika Lodge in Tarangire, 2 nights at Kati Kati tented camp in central Serengeti, 4 night at Serengeti North Wilderness Camp and 2 nights at Rhotia Valley at Ngorogoro crater. Everything was amazing, with the highlights being Kati Kati, the wilderness camp in the north and Rhotia Valley. I will post seperate reviews of the accommodation. Polite and discreet, Drive safely. Highly recommended agency and guide

They have a good internet service and responded very quickly. From the first to the last day, everything was well organized. Our driver Fred was very friendly, spoke very good english and answered us every question. We had a 5 day camping safari covering Tarangire, Serengeti and ngorongoro Crater. The campsite was clean and have had a good location. Our cook was also very friendly and the food was delicious. He also paid attention to my wheat intolerance. All in all a perfect safari with a perfect company

Orongai Safari went above and beyond in assisting us in our trip to Tanzania. We loved it so much and would like to return for another excursion This is a Great group of folks

Short story: cheats, crooks and unprofessional. Avoid this outfit like the plague. They offered a price of 2150$/pp and three days before the trip they increased it in 650$/pp. Finally, we were forced to pay 200$ extra and downgraded us from lodges to mobile tented camps. Long story… In December 2018 I got a quote from Orongai for a 7-day safari in northern Tanzania: Ngorongoro, Ndutu and Serengeti, for 8 people, all lodges. From February 16th to 22nd 2019. The price was 2,150 $ per person, total 17,200 $. Park fees, All accommodations, all transportation, and all Taxes/VAT were explicitly included. All lodges were mid/upper level: Lake Duluti Lodge, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, Ndutu Safari Lodge, and Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge. The price was lower than others I had and included a flight back from Serengeti’s airstrip to Arusha the last day, which was the clincher. So, we agreed to this quotation: 2,150 $ pp. In January 2019, each member of the group paid 30% (645 $ pp) by transfer. I paid the full amount for me and my wife: 4,300 $. The remainder was to be paid on arrival in cash. On February 12th I received a message from Martha, the person in charge of our trip informing us that there was an additional charge of 650$ per person due to additional concession fees at NDUTU area and Ngorongoro area that was not there before. It followed a frenzied interchange of emails with the said Martha, trying to understand the extra 650 $ pp, a 30% increase!. Finally, Martha informed me that the cost was actually 2,800$ per person, not 2150$. I considered canceling but I really wanted to do the safari, I had already paid 4,300 $, plus the flights, a dear price for us, and we decided to go ahead. On arrival, we had a very long and very unpleasant discussion with Martha, a guide called Asseri and another guide Freddy. We tried to convince them to stick to their original offer, but reasoning with them was impossible. They denied evidence and the most basic logic stone-faced. They said that “Total” didn’t mean “all the money”. They insisted that the total price was 2,800$ pp. We also learned that the flight back from Serengeti to Arusha was not included in the price, even if “all transportation” was explicitly included. Finally, we decided to take it to the “Tourist Police”, a concrete bungalow in the outskirts of Arusha and met with an official. We spent there another 2 hours, repeating everything to him. Finally, the decision was that this was not a criminal dispute and that we had to resolve the thing among ourselves. We offered to pay 200 $/person over the agreed 2,150 $. Martha rejected this. We went back to the hotel at around 11 pm. We were informed that, if we canceled the safari, we would have to pay our rooms ourselves (~ 300 $/room). Martha also threatened us legally/judicially demanding the whole payment if we canceled. After more talk Orongai offered that if we paid 200 $ pp extra, AND we were downgraded to mobile tented camps, instead of lodges, we could go ahead. Tired of the whole thing, we agreed to this, and we had to sign a paper saying that these changes were our responsibility. Our mobile tented camps were a far cry from the lodges. In some of the ones we went, the showers didn’t even work and didn’t have enough power even to recharge the batteries/phones if we all tried at the same time. About the safari itself, one of the guides was nice (Freddy), the other (Asseri) wasn’t at all. He never made any effort to place the car in a good position for the photos and barely spoke at all. Both were a bit of risky drivers. Especially Asseri who frequently texted on his phone while driving, taking photos, or even video putting his full arm outside the window. Some of the seat belts were either broken or "repaired" with a knot. The lunch food was quite poor and always the same, including a piece of chicken so deeply fried as to be mummified. Almost inedible. This company used typical bait and switch techniques to scam us. Offer a low price, request part of the payment and then, once you are there, they demand more money with some flimsy excuse. Avoid like the plague.

We were a group of 16 travelers recently returned from a 7 day/6 night safari in Tanzania with Orongai Africa Safari . Although this is a very new company, the reviews we read were positive, so we thought we'd give them a try. From Day 1 to finish, they far exceeded our expectations. Ann, our travel advisor, was superb in helping us plan our itinerary. She offered great suggestions on parks, accommodations, etc., and was extremely Quick and thorough in responding to our many questions and concerns. She was also very good in handling all the details and logistics involved in making travel arrangements for such a large group. The safari itself was one of those "once in a lifetime" experiences. Our guides, Fredrick and Noel(Toyota his nick name), were Perfect, They worked hard from morning to night, enabling us to see amazing wildlife (including "the big five") close up. They were knowledgeable and great at answering our many questions. We were originally scheduled to visit three parks Ngorongoro Crater ,Serengeti and Tarangire. We had great visits at each of these, plus they added in a memorable visit to Lake Manyara National park as well. Our accommodations were Great and Comfortable, with the staff going out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and well cared for. Thorn tree camp Serengeti was a particular delight. At the end of the day from safari, we were always met with cool towels to clean our dusty faces, beverages, and hot water carried to our tents for some unforgettable showers. Campfires at night and wildlife wandering through the campsite at sunrise added to the experience. Transportation(safari vehicles, airlines, and transfers) was well organized and we were very comfortable. Even some members in our group commented that they'd never been on a trip that went so smoothly. Many Thanks to the staff of Orongai Africa safari, our safari was the best experience/adventure. Although many of their safari groups are smaller than ours, they very capably managed our large group. They offer a great experience at a reasonable price. Based on our experience, I strongly encourage you to give them a try. And experience the best of the services that Orongai team Can offer I strongly recommend Orongai Africa Safari

We booked with them based on a friend’s recommendation. We booked for 6 days, and we booked a balloon ride. Upon arrival we discussed the planning. However on the balloon trip it was weird they said we had to go to the balloon center when we got in the Serengeti. And make an appointment. Serengeti was day 3. So we visited some parks and upon arrival at the Serengeti it was already weird. We had to wait 2 hours for cash. So we go in the park and ask our driver to go the balloon centers. He confessed that everything was booked months in advance. Okay fine, but then we expect the money back as they didn’t book it. So on our ride back to the airport we would meet the owner. He stalls it, making us wait an hour and almost missing our flight. He didn’t want to pay/didn’t have the money. So we were scammed out 1000 usd. Before flying out of Tanzania I emailed the firm for a compensation. After some pressure from my end they agreed to pay in installments. 4 installments of 250$. The first 2 went fine, the 3rd took 4 months and the last one I am still awaiting. For over 6 months. They said they could not pay the last installment due to cash shortage but that was 6 months ago. Since then they are not replying on emails. So DO NOT BOOK ANYTHING WITH THIS FIRM. THEY SCAM YOU AND ARE PROBABLY BANKRUPT.

My hubby and I were in Tanzania for a 7 days trip. Orongai Africa Safaris gave us epic hospitality and guide. Asseri who is the owner of the company is a very awesome person. Kind at heart and very patient and sharp. We really enjoyed our serengeti trip.. Thank you so much Asseri. May you be blessed