8 days and 7 nights, but it can be completed in 5 days and 4 nights. The first and second days were just to rush to...
Dear Wei Min Wang,
Thank you for your feedback. It was a pleasure hosting you and your wife on our flagship safari tour, which many of our tourists have enjoyed immensely. We are glad to hear that you found the safari experience exciting. However, from the tone of your review, it seems there were some challenges regarding your overall stay in Zambia, and we believe these stem from differences in cultural expectations between Chinese Culture and Zambian culture. As you mentioned, Chinese culture and history are indeed deep and rich, which makes for a different tourism experience compared to Zambia’s unique cultural heritage. Unfortunately, as tour operators, we are unable to tailor Zambian's rich cultural and colonial history experience of this safari tour to match every visitor’s expectations due to these cultural differences.
We understand that you were not particularly interested in visiting our many cultural heritage sites along the way, which we usually highlight to showcase the depth of Zambian's rich culture. It’s also worth noting that during our meet-and-greet session, you shared your concerns about the local restaurants in Lusaka you eat from before we met you, which you felt led to an upset stomach, and we sympathized with you.
We are surprised to hear you suggest that the tour should have been completed in just five days simply because you had a lot of time to rest in Lusaka before the commencement of the safari tour. This seems to be largely due to your lack of interest in exploring Zambia’s rich cultural heritage sites, which, for us, is a vital part of the tour. They are some clients on this tour who arrive on the same night before the commencement of the safari tour the following day and can not manage to cover 500 kms the following day all at once to Livingstone. We take great pride in our rich Zambian culture, which is the foundation of who we are as Zambians and Africans!
We also found your description of the "small tombstones and a small iron bridge" to be offensive. Our Pioneer Grave site, which you chose not to visit, is a significant heritage cemetery where the early British colonizers of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) are buried. Calling them "small tombstones" seems disrespectful, as these are important historical sites. The iron bridge you referred to is the first of its kind in Northern Rhodesia, with immense historical significance that we proudly share with our clients. Your dismissal of this heritage site as “small” is puzzling!
Regarding the accommodation, we disagree with your assessment. We made sure the accommodations were appropriate for your needs, and the issue with the windows not opening was simply a matter of you not being able to operate them properly. As for the electricity issues, we explained beforehand that Zambia has been experiencing a prolonged drought, leading to electricity shortages. You did not raise any concerns during the meet-and-greet, but only after noticing the issue did you begin to complain, which was unexpected. Furthermore, when you were not satisfied with the 3-star hotel in Livingstone, you expressed a preference for a different hotel, only to find it unsatisfactory and return to the initial hotel.
The “Free and Open Day” activity you mentioned is a common part of our tours, where we offer a range of optional activities, including a chance to relax at Radisson Blu water front on the Zambezi River (for FREE!) or choose from other exciting adventures. But instead you decided to stay inside your hotel room the whole day which we thought you were totally happy to do. We are surprised by this turn of events. Regarding your proposed LION WALK with Mukuni Lion Walk Company, it was entirely your decision to take the Lion Walk, which, as you noted, had a separate charge of $150 for 15 minutes. We are not responsible for the pricing set by Mukuni Lion Walk Co., but we do our best to offer a variety of options of activities in Livingstone numbering over 12 provided by different service providers.
As for the internet issues, these are related to the current countrywide electricity supply challenges. We’ve taken steps to mitigate this by providing our clients with mobile WiFi devices to ensure they can stay connected throughout the tour.
Regarding the tipping, we take such matters seriously. After investigating, we can confirm that none of our tour guides coerced you into tipping. Our team of professional guides is known for their high standards of service, and we do not condone any behavior that would pressure clients to provide tips.
Lastly, it appears there was a lack of communication on your part during the tour. Our Tour Administrator, Maggie, reached out to encourage you to share any concerns you had, but we did not receive significant feedback from you throughout the trip. We encourage all clients to communicate openly so we can address any issues promptly.
We appreciate your feedback and thank you for choosing Lochinvar Safaris. We hope future tours can be a better fit for your needs, and we encourage you to be more communicative in any future travel experiences.
Yours sincerely,
Mark (On behalf of Lochinvar Safaris)
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