Shanjoy Tours Team
Shanjoy Tours and Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $3,472 to $20,831 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
Email Amy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Worst experience ever, zero competent, zero respect to me, just for the money and tips
One star is for the animals! Don’t book with them, the worst tour guide ever!! The good reviews here are very short, most just says they are nice people, that’s not competent for a guide, you need an experienced guide to know where animals are. OMG where do I even start:
1> the tour guide Joseph, worst guide ever, he’s not even a descent human being. He’s constantly on the phone, talking to others, others calling him, and when we stop I take pictures of animals, he takes out his notebook, either writing down something or on the phone. First I thought he’s talking to others to know where animals are, so I asked him. He said no, he’s clearly doing something else on this side.
2> his knowledge for animal is just non-exist! He doesn’t know what the big 5s are, doesn’t know where cheetah is, he drives to the same area everyday. And you would expect a tour guide tell you a little history about the park, different animals, etc. NOPE, absolutely nothing, he drives quietly and when we see animals he stops, let me take pictures, go.
3> we would spend hours in the car just Joseph and I and there’s no talking at all! Can you believe it! And it’s becoming very awkward so one time I tried to make a conversation, so I asked him “hey what brand of phone people use here in Kenya?”, he goes, “oh you Americans use iPhone! You are rich!”, I was like errr no everyone uses iPhone it’s very common there, carriers give deals, you can get a 24 months contract for a phone. Do you know what he said, he goes "you should sign up for a new contract and give me your phone!" wow wordless… unbelievable. Another time, I told him I want to see cheetah, he goes “cheetah are hard to see, I want $100 tips if we see cheetah.” WOW after that I gave up, i dont want to talk to him at all.
4> and on the last day, his car broke. smoke came out of the engine, we wasted half day staying in a lodge fixing his car
4 days I spent in Kenya, didnt see much at all. last day, we finally found 2 cheetah, this guy refuse to stay longer because he wants to stay under the shade. and he doesnt want to move closer because he wants to stay under the shade.
I can go on, and on. this company and this tourguide ruined my Kenya experience. Please stay away! i will post the same review on other Safari platforms. I hope more people can see it. It’s not a cheap trip, please choose wisely!!
Reply from Shanjoy Tours and Safaris
Posted on Jun 24, 2024I do confirm that Amy booked a safari with us and I personally took her to the Mara and handed her to Joseph, one of our senior guides. We had a lot of communication before she came about her safari and choice of hotels, and since she was a solo traveller using high-end hotels that were very expensive, her safari cost was higher than normal.
Joseph spoke on the phone a lot; he admitted it, but some calls were necessary since her radio call was not working well.
Amy saw many animals, including a group of over 15 lions and two leopards, eating alone with no other vehicles nearby. This one is not mentioned anywhere. The reason she says Joseph was not going near Cheetah is because we have a 5-vehicle rule in Mara Triangle, and so the first vehicle had to leave and will go back when others have seen the animals. Joseph was going away to give others a chance, but she wanted to stay and not move.
It is normal to have car breakdowns or get stuck while on safari, and this is what happened. The car was fixed, but not for the half-day she mentioned.
She could tell me to change hotels for her, which was not possible at the time, saying there were no animals or saying she saw the same thing. She gave the two guides a difficult time during game drives, which was not good. We do game drives without expecting anything, as the wild does not guarantee sightings.
It is regrettable she felt that we ruined her safari. However, we must appreciate that the wild does not guarantee any animals to be sighted, and hotels cannot be changed at a minute's notice. Once an itinerary has been booked and the hotels paid, any changes come with additional costs, which the client must be prepared to incur. Amy did not want to incur the cost of changing the hotel, despite having recommended the hotel which we booked.
This is my first client to ever complain about us and I regret it. I wish to ensure that all our clients get the best from their safari.
Email DJ | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good itinerary, but needs better guides
We really appreciated the itinerary options and help leading up to our safari by the company. We didn’t love the accommodation provided in Maasai Mara for 3 nights, but the rest were really nice. We saw amazing wildlife and enjoyed how beautiful the countries were, which is the reason for the 3 stars. But our guides/drivers were not good in either Tanzania or Kenya. They seemed moody and overworked. They actually mentioned how tired they were and one guide worried us with how they were acting. For the price, we wouldn’t recommend this company based on the guides they used.
DE
Email Divya Dhanas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Masai Maara Safari - Shanjoy Tours
Pros:
- People within the Tours are reachable
- Excellent stay provided
- Safe driving
Cons:
- No Game Drive provided on the last day (while it was promised on the quotation). Basically, your last day of Safari is only transfer to Nairobi without any Game drive (even if promised)
- Full day Game drive ends super early. During our Day 2 of game drive, it started at 7am but ended by 4pm (while the park is open till 6pm and the sun would still be up till 6.30pm). Was disappointed to miss out the last 2 hours of Game Drive
- Was able to see only 3 out of 5 (Big5) while other Tour operators promises to shown all Big5
Reply from Shanjoy Tours and Safaris
Posted on Jul 16, 2024Thanks, Divya for your review. I appreciate you booking with us.
Typically, for a three-day, two-night safari, we do a full-day safari from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving our clients time to relax in the lodge, but this depends on how they want the game drive to go. You could have told your guide about this, as I had told you you would be able to arrange your timings as you are on a private safari.
For the morning game drive, I am sure you drove back through the park; the new rules prohibit doing a game drive after the ticket has expired after 12 hours. On the final day of the safari, there is no game drive; you spot anything on the way out. Martin, your consultant, specifically informed you that to do a morning game drive on the 3rd day, you would need to pay park fees. You hand only paid for 2 days' park fees, and all those game drives were delivered as promised.
It is important to appreciate that the wild is unpredictable, and the animals present themselves at will. This means that game drives can be rewarded differently. As such, we do not guarantee our clients specific sightings, especially of the Big 5. If another company had promised you this, we do not take responsibility for that.
We encourage our clients to visit at least two or more parks when they are looking to see all the Big Five to increase their chances. Additionally, express your expectations and inform the guide of what you are truly looking for. We try to deliver rewarding game drives, but it is important to note that in the wild, no sightings are guaranteed.
CN
Email Yubai Zhang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
quick to respond
The advantage of this agent is their quick response time. Whether during the booking process or throughout our journey, they assisted us in resolving issues as promptly as possible. However, they seem to be more specialized in the Kenya portion of the trip. The Tanzania part was likely outsourced, which resulted in a less than satisfactory experience there.
First, for the Mount Kilimanjaro itinerary, we were not informed in advance that the accommodation was a mountain camp instead of a hotel, so we didn’t know we need to bring sleeping bags and other essentials.
Second, when we were about to enter a certain reserve, the guide asked us to wait for an hour to avoid paying next day’s entrance fee. However, we had already paid extra for this ticket. Although the agent communicated with the guide promptly, it still negatively affected our travel experience.
Third, while we were waiting to witness the Great Migration, the vehicle seemed to have an issue. The guide didn’t inform us and simply decided to abandon the wait and drive straight to the camp for repairs. While I understand that fixing the car was urgent, they should have at least let us know.
What’s more surprising is that on the last day, they simply left us at the hotel and told us to either wait an hour for the hotel’s shuttle bus to the airport or pay an additional fee for a direct transfer.
Additionally, I had specifically requested three binoculars, and they agreed. While the vehicle in Kenya had them, the one in Tanzania only had one for the guide.
Overall, the service was average. I wouldn’t highly recommend them, at least not for the Tanzania portion. Their Kenya arrangements were acceptable though.
Email Jose | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AMAZING SAFARI EXPERIENCE!!
My wife and I had a blessed time during our time in Kenya and Tanzania. We planned our ittinerary with the help of Rodah at Shanjoy. We were able to see everything we wanted to see, started in Nairobi, then Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, cross the border to Tanzania, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, with our last stop being the Kilimanjaro National Park. All our guides were amazing, starting with Rio in Kenya who managed to show us all the big 5 and get us as close as possible to all of them. We also saw lions taking down a buffalo and Rio drove us to see the pre and post hunting scene.
In Tanzania, our guide, Mussa, did amazingly well game driving around the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. He drove us to to see the great migration, wildebeast crossing the Mara river, which it was an out of this world experience!
Last, we had a 2 day hike on the Kilimanjaro Mountains. Wilman and team, our hiking team, did amazingly well. They were there for us at all times. They made sure that we enjoyed every minute of our journey.
Kuddos to all our guides. They made our Safari and hiking experience unforgettable!!
Thanks Shanjoy team for making this lifetime experience possible!!
HU
Email Miguel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Attentive
Me and my wife did the 7 days Kenya and Tanzania tour. Martin was our tour operator agent. He was communicative and responsive to all requests and doubts. The tour was well planned with him and all accommodations were excellent. The tour guide for the Kenya part, Nelson, was one of the best tour guide we have ever had. He was nice, communicative, and he was always explaining interesting facts about the animals. On the opposite side, the tour guide for the Tanzania part, Mackenzie, was not communicative and he should be more friendly to the clients (reason because of 4 star rating). All in all, we had a great safari, we saw the big 5 and many animals. I would choose again Shanjoy Tours for a safari
Email David Stoker | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
David did a great job.
David did a great job. We saw all of the big 5. The tents all had private bathrooms.
Email Moche | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional tour guide with a knowledge on wildlife
If i was to travel again and again i will just choose shanjoy tours , excellent and professional tour guide
Email Anthony | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic Safari
The tour experience with shanjoytours was amazing.
From having a very friendly tour guide / driver to having in depth knowledge of all our stops.
I'd definitely do another tour with shanjoytours some time in future
Email Vanessa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best tour operator across all aspects of a safari.
I travelled to Kenya and Tanzania with my husband and teenagers to experience a safari operator by Shanjoy and our expectations were surpassed. I have done many safari's and this was the best. Right from the start Shanjoy out perform others. We communicated with Patrick and Beth many times to plan a lengthy safari and they were very responsive to our requests and communicative. Shanjoy are also very trustworthy and the recommendations that they provided were fantastic and they were not trying to lead us into arrangements that were easier for them. Overall this company if highly ethical and wants to provide a wonderful and memorable safari to its clients.
They are a company that is passionate about wildlife and Africa in general. The company is very experienced within the Safari sector and this experience is to the travellers benefit. The staff are continually visiting and appraising safari lodges and ensuring that quality is maintained over time.
One of the best elements that Shanjoy has to offer is their experienced guides. If you are travelling in Kenya I highly recommend Kim as a guide. He is the ultimate veteran and professional. He has decades of experience and when you drive into a park he engages with huge enthusiasm for all wildlife and nature. It is as if he is seeing it for the first time and as he says it each day offers something different. His knowledge about all animals, including birds is superior and he is also skilled at understanding the landscape and finding animals. He is also one of the nicest people ever.
Our guide Kim knew staff at all lodges which was very advantageous when I needed to see the lodge nurse and he had her direct number! Kim made sure that everything was in place and going well for us everyday and paid attention to all the details that made our holiday a smooth experience, and is the standard provided by Shanjoy.
After several safari's I can't recommend Shanjoy enough and would definitely use them again.