One of the worst tour operators I've travelled with. Twice.
It’s absolutely impossible to have zero, 1-, 2-, or even 3-star reviews on Trustpilot. Something’s off.
I can say this because I’ve travelled with SGT twice now, and both times, things went wrong one way or another.
I can’t say much about the first trip because it was a while ago and I don’t remember all the details, but this last one in South Africa was badly planned and poorly managed.
I’d signed up and paid for the extra activities almost 8 months before departure, only to be told right before leaving that I couldn’t do the night safari or sleep in a tent because everything was fully booked. The third extra activity was cancelled too, simply because I was the only one who signed up.
It was only after I sent a pretty angry email that they finally said they’d “try” to get me on both activities. Just unacceptable proactivity for a trip that costs over 3k.
And then there’s the rooming situation. I was made to share with the male coordinator for the entire trip, even sharing a double bed one night, just because the only other two participants were a couple. Nobody even discussed it with me; it was simply assumed I’d be fine with it. I’m in a relationship myself, and thankfully, my partner isn’t jealous, but it still made both of us uncomfortable, to say the least.
Once there, the entire pace of the trip revolved around the couple’s needs and schedule, apparently being solo and not loud enough meant I had no say.
For example, we arrived at Kruger (the main highlight of the trip) at least an hour and a half late because the couple wanted to buy gifts for their friends.
I would’ve been fine with that if it had been discussed and agreed on by everyone, but it wasn’t. Ironically, that same morning, the coordinator told us to “hurry up” so we’d have more time in the park before it closed at 6pm.
This wasn’t a one-off. Similar disorganization happened over and over again throughout the trip.
I’m 100% disappointed with how everything was handled. For the price they charge, it’s just not worth it.
Reply from Stograntour
Ciao Ludovica :)
grazie per aver condiviso la tua opinione. Ci dispiace che questa esperienza non sia stata in linea con le tue aspettative, anche se ci fa piacere sapere che hai deciso di tornare a viaggiare con SGT una seconda volta... segno che il primo viaggio non era andato poi così male ;)
Solo per chiarire: gli extra sono sempre facoltativi e soggetti alla disponibilità dei fornitori locali, che gestiscono direttamente prenotazioni e logistica. Nel tuo caso, sappiamo che l’attività in quad è stata confermata, mentre il night safari è stato cancellato per pioggia. Non era proprio destino!
Per quanto riguarda la condivisione delle stanze, è indicato chiaramente nella scheda del viaggio e nel contratto che le camere possono essere condivise tra partecipanti dello stesso gruppo, incluso il caposquadra, in base alla composizione del gruppo stesso.
Essere “al 100% in disaccordo su ogni aspetto del viaggio” ci sembra forse un po’ severo :) Speriamo almeno che la natura del Sudafrica ti abbia regalato qualche sorriso!
Ps: poche recensioni 1, 2 e 3 stelle è possibile dando il massimo e lavorando bene! Sulla piattaforma non esiste modo di manipolare o cancellare le recensioni.
A presto!
