Arusha • Gombe Stream • Katavi • Kitulo Plateau • Lake Manyara • Mahale Mountains • Mikumi • Mkomazi Game Reserve • Ngorongoro Crater • Ruaha • Rubondo Island • Saadani • Selous Game Reserve • Tarangire • Udzungwa Mountains
Islands
Mafia • Pemba • Zanzibar
Lakes
Lake Eyasi • Lake Manyara • Lake Natron • Lake Nyasa • Lake Tanganyika
Mountains & Volcanoes
Mount Meru • The Eastern Arc Mountain Range • Livingstone Mountains • Monduli Mountains • Mount Hanang • Mount Kilimanjaro • Ol Donyo Lengai • Pare Mountains • Udzungwa Mountain • Uluguru Mountains • Usambara Mountains • Kitumbaine
Other characteristics
Service levels
Budget • Medium • Luxury
Accept credit cards
Visa • MasterCard • American Express
Have scheduled tours that individuals or small groups can join
Yes
Have private, custom-tailored tours
Yes
Type of vehicles
4 Wheel Drive
Type of accommodations
Home stay • Apartments • Lodges • Hotels • Budget Camps • Mobile Camps • Permanent Tented Camps • Hostels
Able to accommodate tourists with special needs
Physically Challenged • Special diet
Language capabilities
English • German • Spanish • French • Italian
User reviews
Average user rating from: 1 user(s)
Overall rating:
2.5
Guide:
1.0
Transportation:
3.0
Accommodation:
3.0
Meals:
3.0
Beware! Lack of integrity and massive deception
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
if u believe safari is a once in a life time opportunity....pleae stay away from Nature Beauties
i paid over $300/per person a day to this company...based upon Lonely Planet, this puts the safari in the luxury category.
NATURE BEAUTIES SAFARIS LTD
P O BOX 13222
ARUSHA
TANZANIA
EAST AFRICA
UPDATE----it toook robert , 16 days to tell me h is on vaction, without any further resolution on my concerns...
i just got a response from the owner....
Dear Richard,
Sorry for not responding.
Is because i'm not in Tanzania now. I travelled to Polland for one month. I will be in Tanzania October and talk to Mike your driver once again and wright to you after more clarifications.
Regards
Robert A. Kumbulu.
Managing Director.
To:
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Subject: RE: matata.......big problem
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 18:09:24 +0000
1
i am not sure if i missed the answers...i only saw anwers on the hotel and the migration.
the hotels are a secondary issue at best. i wouldnt even bother to mention them if the whole trip was not a disaster.
2
if you cant gurantee the wilderbeest , dont accept an additional $500 in fees from the client while saying "
Email from Flora on …. States “>>> For sure you will see migration at western
> corridow of
>> Serengeti. We have
>>> our driver who
> was there yesterday and he
>> told me that migration is there
>>> already. "
3
Employees would carry themselves with a high degree of honesty and integrity
response from Nature Beauties
THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE I WILL WORK ON IT.
i find this a bit funny. mark (the tour guide) is agreeing he is dishonest? and he plans on being more in honest in the future? is that really the best you can do?
4
please address the remainder of the questions in the next 48 hours.
if you do not agree upin some monetary restitution, i will take the next steps, thanks, ric
From:
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Subject: RE: matata.......big problem
Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2009 11:37:44 +0000
Dear Richard,
I have already talked with Flora and Mark this morning and here see their answers in capital letters accordingly.
NATURE BEAUTIES SAFARIS LTD
P O BOX 13222
ARUSHA
TANZANIA
EAST AFRICA
TEL: +255 27 2548224.
CELLULAR PHONE: +255 744 263216 OR 255 744272102
FAX: 255 27 2548224.
To:
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;
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;
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Subject: matata.......big problem
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:32:36 +0000
Dear Mr Robert Augustino:
Matata
Regarding: Safari for Ric Gazarian
Assumptions for vendor:
Natural beauties being in business for 15 years would be well versed in rules, regulations, and nuances of safaris
Natural Beauties would speak with one voice. Managers and guides would not point to their coworkers and state that the information that they provide is inaccurate
The agenda and email communications would match with the safari experience
Employees would carry themselves with a high degree of honesty and integrity
THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE I WILL WORK ON IT.
Seeing that the safari was over $360 a day, falling in the Top End of Safaris, expect a high degree of professionalism and excellence in experience
The guide and company should strive to maximize time spent on game drives. All other issues are the responsibility of the guide and company, not the customer. This is not a budget safari.
assumptions for client:
pay money agreed upon
Hotels
Natural Beauties should provide quality control on hotels they contract with. Hot water and water pressure should be a given at this level. A high quality of food should also be provided. This was not the case in all three hotels.
Nature Beauties Response
THIS IS TRUE AND IS WHAT WE USE TO DO FOR OUR TOURIST BUT YOUR DECISION FOR SAFARI WAS MADE LAST MINUTE AND MOST LODGES LIKE SERENA, SOPA LODGES AND OTHERS ON 4 AND 5STARS WERE FULL BOOKED PROVIDED THAT JULY WAS SOO BUSSY AND THE PRICE QUOTED WAS FOR THE LODGES OF 3STARS.
Jambo: occasionally no hot water, weak water pressure, poor food, no lunch on one day
Serona: no water pressure
NB Response
DID YOU COMMUCATED WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF THE LODGE WHILE YOU WERE THERE ON THE FIRST NIGHT AND INFORMED THEM SUCH PROBLEMS. IF SO WHAT DID THEY TOLD YOU BECAUSE WE WANT TO SEND THIS COMPLAIN TO THE LODGE.
Rhino: twice requested vegetarian lunch, chicken provided both times, occasionally no hot water
Following the agenda / communications
Email from Flora on …. States “>>> For sure you will see migration at western
> corridow of
>> Serengeti. We have
>>> our driver who
> was there yesterday and he
>> told me that migration is there
>>> already.
>>> ”
Email from ric on … 19/7 “>>> I need
> to add one day in here
>> ...for a full day un the serengeti....
> to
>>> make sure we see the
>> wildbeest “
Email from Flora… 22/7 “calculating new price, confirming itenarary”
safari starts on 24/7
#1
Mark, the guide, when asked about the wilderbeest migration provided a number of excuses why we would not see the migration.
He was unaware that this was part of the itinerary
They were too far away
They were not in the Serenegeti
A lot of times salesperson(Flora) promise something that is not true. A guide is responsible for resetting expectations
He equated the three million wilderbeest to finding an individual lion. Wilderbeests (3 million) are difficult to track like an individual lion.
NB Response
MIGRATION WAS AT SERENGETI NATIONAL PAR AT THE TIME WHEN YOU WARE COMMUNICATING WITH FLORA. EVEN OUR DRIVER WHO WERE THERE TOLD US SOME THING LIKE THAT SO THIS WAS TRUE BUT THEY MOVED VERY FAST TO MASAI MARA AND THINK THIS IS BECAUSE OF WEATHER THIS YEAR IN TANZANIA HAS CHANGED A LOT. LAST YEAR MIGRATION WAS IN TANZANIA SIDE ON THIS TIME BUT THIS YEAR THEY MOVED FAST AND WE CAN'T STOP THEM. SORRY FOR THIS.
#2
Day seven. “Leave the Crater, late afternoon”
We left the crater before noon. If I am paying $300 to enter the crater, I expect a full day. Instead we spend less than three hours.
Excuses Mark stated why we could not follow the agenda.
Mark when asked when “late afternoon was?” he responded “at noon”
Our 24 hour Park fee was expiring (not my problem, NB can pay the additional $50 a head)
He was not allowed to drive at night (or he would lose his license)
Flora did not understand the rules of the park, and created an agenda that was not a reality
#3
Day six.
Truck is having car problems. Mark wants to leave crater at 3 pm, despite agenda of full day in crater. Can’t Mark service car after game drive? It is NB responsibility to provide working car, not the guest.
#4
Day 4, Serengeti. Morning drive, agenda 2-3 hours.
Mark sets time at 6am. We leave after 6:30am. Mark states late departure was due to “us looking for each other” despite the fact I was in lobby at 5:55am.
When confronted with agenda, Mark’s excuses.
A lot of times the agenda has information that is incorrect. Flora does not understand the park/hotel specifics
I needed to provide you time to rest
You would have missed breakfast.
Of course, the answer is quite simple. Either move the pick up time to 530 am, or be punctual.
These agenda deviations are major issues, and equate to hundreds of dollars in losses to me.
General laziness and incompetence
Day 1
We arrived late to the Arusha airport as NB was informed. It is a two hour plus drive drive to Lake Manawara. We are paying a fee to enter the park. We need to maximize our time in the park.
First stop, gas station. Mark could not have filled up the tank prior to our arrival? Why waste another 15 minutes of my time? Should we change the oil? Rotate the tires?
No water provided. We purchase ourselves.
Lunch was attempted to be provided at 4 pm. Upon pick up of lunch at Jambo Lodge, we found that the lunch had not been prepared. Customers do not eat lunch. Also, who serves lunch at 4pm? Could NB maybe have provided a box lunch at the Arusha airport at 1 pm?
Day 6, water ran out.
Day 7, guests buy own water.
Day 4, 10:00 am drive, 20 minutes late. 40 minutes spent paying park fees in Serengeti
Day 5, 8 am drive, 15 minutes late, 35 minutes getting lunch and paying bill
Day 7, 7 am drive, late again, 15 minutes
Be punctual. Arrive early. Prepare the day before the game drive begins.
General dishonesty and lack of integrity
Upon learning that we needed to leave the crater before noon on Day Seven, I wished to maximize my time on my final day, since I had been promised a full day, yet Mark was telling me otherwise.
Day 7
I asked Mark what time the crater opened in the morning on three different occasions. Three times he provided an inaccurate time of 8am. (crater opens at 6am) I wanted to enter the crater as soon as it opened since he was making us leave the crater early.
Mark again picks us up late. Our agreed time was 7. We arrive to crater gate at 8am. I enter gatehouse prior to mark and ask rangers when the park opens. The rangers inform me the crater gate opens at 6am. Mark had lied to me three times.
We then get in the car, and instead of driving into crater, we drive to crater HQ. I ask Mark why. He informs me that the rangers forgot to provide the entry from at the gatehouse. We need to drive to HQ to pick up duplicate form.
I enter HQ with Mark, and realize he is holding cash. I ask why he is holding $200 in cash (I counted it). That seems expensive to get a duplicate form.
He then states that we were not really picking up the duplicate form as he stated, but we needed to pay the $200 vehicle entry fee.
I then asked why we drove to the gate house when we had to pay the $200 fee. He replied that normally, you can pay the $200 fee at the gate, and you do not have to go to HQ to pay the fee.
I then asked why he did not pay the fee in whole the day before ($400). He said you need to pay the fee each day you enter. You can not pay for days in advance.
When we drove back to the gate I confronted mark on the entry time for the crater. I told him the ranger told me the gate opened at 6am. He said the ranger “was confused”.
We then entered the gatehouse at the crater together.
Me to ranger “when does gate to crater open?”
Ranger “6am”
Me to ranger “can we pay the $200 fee at the gatehouse to enter the crater?”
Ranger “no . you need to pay at the HQ”
What is Mark doing? He is lying to me multiple times. Instead of maximizing my time in the park, he is doing the opposite.
Theory
Day 6. Mark encouraged us several times to skip the crater game drive on day seven. He suggested we spend the day at the Olduvi gorge museum.
I believe he did not pay the entire $400 vehicle entry fee (2 days), because he wished to keep $200 for himself. By convincing us to go to the museum, he would not have to give the $200 crater fee, and he would keep it himself.
When I confronted mark on this, he stated, to go to the museum, you needed to pay the $200 vehicle entry fee. I asked if he meant the $50 park fee or the $200 vehicle entry fee. He assured me that you needed to pay the $200 crater fee to go to the museum.
Recap
This experience makes me sick to my stomach.
This is a once in a lifetime experience. We spent a lot of money.
As you can see from the above, we did not get what we paid for.
