Has anyone travelled with this company? My sister is
thinking of doing a five week trip with them this summer,
just wondered if they were any good (seem too cheap to be
true to me).
Also, is Dubai an alright airport to be stuck in for a few
(8) hours?
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I've never travelled with them, but over the last couple of
months exploring different overland companies, I have been
advised numerous times not to use that company. The
general feeling amung people who have been on these
Safaries is that you get what you pay for..and the really
cheap companies are just that...cheap.
backpackers that has toured with this company have said that
the other companies called them Africa Ignored. apparently
their truck broke down at Kande Beach and they lost 6 days.
This was told about a month ago so it must have happened 2
or 3 months ago. There was a Welsh guy in the group that was
pretty upset ...he said the owner lives in the same town and
he was gonna have a word!!!! friendly like though
bookmark http://www.travelinafrica.co.za as the overland
site on it will grow in the next month or so
as for dubai the airport is really neat...but there is squat
to do...i dont think i even saw a coffee shop inside!!!
most people will be stuck inside but as a Brit (assuming
here) you can leave your luggage and wander into Dur Dubai.
a taxi into town will cost you about 8 pounds max but you
can step straight out the airport , walk to the highway for
about 2 minutes and catch a bus to town for max 20
pence...waiting 10 minutes max and man .....go with
nothing ...everything especially clothes are DIRT cheap
tell sis to enjoy
Contrary to above, Dubai Airport has good facilities. I've been through there quite a few times, and found that by exploring around I found a great restaurant (on the upper level) where substantial meals are quite cheap (ie: huge Indian curry and rice, vegies etc was about $6US). The shops are all downstairs and have been recently extended. There is a supermarket and all the usuals. Because you have 8 hours you can wander around, but the restaurant was great and there is also a bar up there.
Hi
there are many other budget companys that do the same route as africa explored but not quite as cheap. Truck africa and phoenix expeditions are but two. I travelled with phoenix a couple of years ago and ha a great time. Look around and get other companies brochures.
Jayne
Hi, I also travelled with Phoenix several months ago and
highly recommend them. I haven't heard bad things about
Africa Explored, however like someone else has said - "you
get what you pay for". If she can't get out of the trip
then I suppose she just runs with it, it might mean some
breakdowns and not everything running smoothly - but hey,
this is Africa we are talking about!
Good luck.
I chose Africa Unexplored for Moroccan, chiefly because of
their YHA associations. Being an Oregonian, I love camping.
I was not expecting Abercrombie & Kent. The biggest problem
was the tour leader. He claimed to have experience &
knowledge, but he refused to give any of it despite request
from every member of the tour. Fortunately, I brought a
half dozen books which I shared with others. He passed
several important sights without stopping. We soon
discovered that he felt the group were there to serve the
tour rather than the other way around. There were many
other incidents. On our last night together, we were
discussing our experiences. His exact words were "the best
thing for me will be dumping you lot at the airport." I
thought he was being his usual boorish self. Upon
reflection, I realize he was expressing company philosophy.
bob
Hey Bob, hope you don't mind, but I have used your
comments, not your name or email address on my webpage - I
have a site which gives travelers' opinions on the
differnet overland compaines in Africa. Let me know if you
object and I will remove your comments!
http://www.angelfire.com/ab/overlander
Thanks!
Hi Guys,
I have been lucky to go to Africa a couple of times and have seen a few trucks/ crews "on the road".
Africa Explored have a nickname throughout Africa as Africa Ignored" and obviously for good reason.
The first time I did a Guerba trip, good but a bit pricey, secondly with Kumuka, every bit as good but a lot cheaper.
Have a great trip whatever.
It's completely true that you get what you pay for, and
you sometimes end up having to pay for loads stuff extra on
the trip (like entrence to certain main parks and sites...).
I did a trip with Kumuka and recomend them, reasonable price
for what you get, Also because they have an age limit the
group was more homogenous, some others that we met along
the way (e.g. Dragoman) had their groups split between older
and younger members.
Tom